Chapter 26
Garrison
It’s been almost two months since I saw Zane Knox. And the relief I feel seeing him and Tessa walk into Anastasia’s coffee shop is strong enough that it beats back the guilt I feel since they cut their trip short and hopped on a plane home.
“Zane.” Anastasia rushes over to him and wraps her arms around her big brother. She’s been an absolute wreck since I told her that the blood is more than likely Sawyer’s. There’s no way they would have been able to grab them unless he was injured.
“Hey, sis,” he says as he squeezes her gently. Releasing her, he turns to me. “What’s the latest?”
At that exact moment, my cell rings. Reaching into my pocket, I withdraw it and check the readout. “Hey, Elijah,” I answer, placing it on speaker.
“I’ve got something.”
“Tell us.”
Zane and Ryker move in closer while Tessa wraps an arm around Anastasia.
“Victor Marks is Katelyn’s husband. But they never divorced.”
“They didn’t?” It’s news to me, but if she was on the run and he died before she got the chance, it’s not really a surprise.
“No. He died ten years ago. Heart attack. The file is rough, though. Looks like she was with him when he died—the only witness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Based on the witness reports, he barged onto the elevator with her and her son, then shoved an elderly man off before the doors closed. The elevator emergency stop was hit, trapping her and her son inside with him.”
I clench my free hand into a fist, the realization hitting home that this is why she’s not a fan of elevators. It’s not the small space but whatever trauma happened to her inside.
“They heard screams from her and the young child, but it was twenty minutes before firefighters arrived to get the doors open. When they did, she was bloodied up pretty bad—hers, not his—and doing chest compressions on him.”
She still tried to save him.
Even after he tried to kill her.
Oh, Katelyn, where are you?
“The brother—Earnest Marks—blamed her for it and tried to pursue criminal charges. None were filed for obvious reasons, especially when the security footage of the elevator was recovered. He didn’t have a leg to stand on, and Katelyn was cleared of any wrongdoing.”
“Earnest Marks,” Zane repeats. “Why do I know that name?”
“He’s the owner of the West Coast Wranglers football team. The same team Victor played for up until his death.”
“He was a football player?” I question.
“A popular one,” Elijah replies. “Had a bright future straight out of college.”
A future that was paid for by Katelyn’s.
“I’m guessing he didn’t let it go?” Ryker asks.
“Not even a little. I did some extra digging, got into some records I won’t mention, but it looks like he’s had a private investigator looking for her for quite some time.”
“Which explains all the moving around,” I say. “She was hiding from him.”
“So it would seem.” Elijah sighs. “As far as I can tell, though, the guy and his team are at training camp in Southern California. He hasn’t even been out of the state since last year when he went to Hawaii.”
“It has to be him,” I say with absolute certainty. “If it were random, they would have left Sawyer for dead.”
A strangled sob leaves Anastasia, and we all turn toward her. She’s turned into Tessa, who has both arms wrapped around her. Way to go, Holt. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I—” What else can I say?
“The important thing is that they didn’t,” Zane replies. “If they took him, then they clearly wanted him alive for some reason.”
We look at each other, though neither of us says what we’re really thinking. Taking Sawyer could have been a way to torment Katelyn. After all, forcing her to watch her friend die would hurt her more than death ever would.
Friend.
Katelyn’s friend. “Hey, Elijah, is there any way to find out who Katelyn roomed with at college?”
“Let me see.”
“What’re you thinking?” Zane asks as the clicking of keys becomes background noise.
“Katelyn told me that her roommate died in an accident the day after she met Victor.”
“Do you think that has any connection?”
I nod. “I can’t tell you why unless I believe it’s pertinent, but trust me.”
“I always do,” Zane replies.
“Yasmin Hernandez,” Elijah says. “Looks like she died in a car accident on her way to work. Brakes failed.”
“Intentional?” I question.
“The report says they looked like they were cut, but no charges were ever filed.”
So he killed her. Earnest Marks had Katelyn’s friend murdered because she knew the truth about what really happened that night.
“Try to find a connection to that accident and Earnest.”
“The trail is long cold, but I’ll try. Lance wants to know if you need backup. He and Jaxson are geared up and ready to head your way. Same thing with the Hunts. I told Tucker I was giving you a call, and he said both Dylan and Riley are ready to hit the ground.”
“Maybe. I’ll let you know.”
“Sounds good.” Elijah ends the call, so I shove my phone back into my pocket and cross my arms, the information rolling around in my mind.
Earnest Marks was trying to salvage his brother’s reputation.
When he died while assaulting his wife in a public space, Earnest tried to throw Katelyn under the bus, desperate to make his brother look good even in death.
Which tells me he will stop at nothing to get back at her.
And the best way to do that is—Thomas. “He’s going to send someone for Thomas.”
“What makes you think that?” Ryker questions.
“If he’s going through all of this trouble, it’s not going to be enough for him to get his hands on Katelyn. If he wants her to suffer, then he’s going to want her to know that he has her son, too.”
“We need to get to the ranch.” Zane turns to Tessa. “You guys go to Leopold. Tell him what we found out and let him know he needs to send a car.”
“On it.” Tessa releases Anastasia and kisses Zane. “Be careful.”
He flashes her a smile. “I always am.”
By the time we’ve gotten to the truck, I’ve already dialed Weston.
“Anything?” he answers.
“It quiet out there?”
“Kyle Harding got here a few minutes ago, but that’s the only update I have on my end.”
I’d texted Weston to let him know that I asked Kyle to drive out and check in on Thomas. I thought he could use a friend, and instead, I just sent another kid into danger.
“We’re on our way out there now,” I tell him.
“Any particular reason?”
“We think that someone may be coming for Thomas, too.”
He’s quiet for a moment, likely because he’s checking windows. “That your headlights?”
Dread slams into me. “We’re still twenty minutes out.”
“Then it looks like company is here. I’ve got the fort. Just get here when you can.”
“Weston—”
“I’ll protect him, Demo. Just get here.” The call ends.
“Someone’s there.” The words make my skin crawl. This can’t be happening.
Zane slams on the accelerator, and we race off into the night. I only hope we get there in time.
Lord, please be with them.
Zane brings my truck to a sliding stop right as Weston steps out onto the porch. He throws a body down the steps into the dirt, then crosses his arms. Aside from his shirt being untucked in the front, he doesn’t even look like he broke a sweat.
“Thomas?” I demand as I rush out, weapon drawn.
“He’s fine. I was just taking out the trash.”
The man he just threw down groans, but Ryker is already flipping him over onto his belly and zip-tying his hands behind his back.
“There’s another one inside, though I wouldn’t expect that one to wake up anytime soon. Took a nasty fall face-first into the counter.”
“Where’s Thomas?” I sprint up the steps.
“In the cellar. Kyle’s with him.”
Without wasting another moment, I rush inside and rip open the floorboard that leads down into Weston’s cellar.
Kyle’s standing just below the stairs, a broken bottle in his hand. Thomas is behind him, both boys wide-eyed and terrified. Pride swells in my chest at the sight of Kyle taking such a protective stance over Thomas.
“Garrison!” Thomas pushes past Kyle and throws his arms around my neck, his entire body shaking.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You. Tears sting my eyes as I hold onto him. I press a kiss to the top of his head, so beyond grateful that he’s okay.
Kyle’s still frozen, eyes wide, a broken bottle in his shaking hand. I reach over with one hand and gently take it from him. After I toss it to the side, I pull him in for a hug, too. Both boys cling to me, terrified but safe.
“You guys are okay. You’re okay,” I tell them.
“Did they take my mom, too? Why is this happening?”
“We’re going to get her back, okay?” I pull away from them and look into Thomas’s wide, terrified eyes. “I promise, Thomas. For now, we need to get you both somewhere no one will think to look, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We can go to my house. They don’t know me. Mr. Hayes can come, too,” Kyle offers, likely wanting to keep Weston around for safety.
It’s a solid plan, but not this time. “That’s a great offer, Kyle, but I can’t risk putting you and your family in danger any more than I already have. I’m so sorry. If they don’t know you, we need to keep it that way.”
“Okay,” he says, standing a little straighter now.
“Thank you, Kyle. Thank you for protecting him.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
I reach forward and place a hand on the back of the kid’s head. “You would have. And that’s the same thing.” Outside, sirens wail. “Come on. Let’s get you two checked out.”