Chapter 13
Devlin
Iwanted to go storm the Greene’s house and find Kendra, but we had no solid intelligence that it was her that was moving about the property.
It could have easily been new tenants, contractors, or even squatters, and the last thing I needed was Pierce Bluff police getting into my business.
They pretty much looked the other way when needed, but terrorizing innocent people didn’t look good, so I refrained.
Regan was still working on cracking Timothy’s phone, and so far, she was able to get his contacts, call logs, messages, and pictures, but getting into the GPS was taking longer than she expected.
I had faith she would be able to get what we needed and any break could lead us to Elise, so we all kept working.
The sun was starting to set and my phone rang next to my computer.
I lifted it to see Chuck calling and I swallowed hard and stood from my seat to take the call in the hallway.
No one needed to hear him chewing my ass out for losing his daughter, again, so I waited until the door was closed before I answered the call.
“Hello,” I said, waiting for the yelling to start.
“Have you heard anything?” Chuck asked calmly.
I cleared my throat and responded, “Not yet, but we have some good leads.”
“I know you’ll find her, Devlin,” Chuck started, “but you had better deal with whoever took my daughter, or I swear I will deal with you.”
“Understood,” I answered, knowing whatever he did to me, I deserved.
“DJ wants to say good night,” Chuck explained, and I heard my sweet boy’s voice as he was handed the phone.
“Daddy,” DJ exclaimed, “when you and Momma coming back?”
I felt tears pressing into my eyes, and I shook off the sorrow and tried to put on a good face for my son. “Soon, buddy. Momma and I have some things to take care of, but we’ll be home soon. Are you having fun with Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Yes,” he cheerfully said. “They let us have ice cream.”
“That’s good, buddy. Are you and Conner getting along?”
“I tryin’, Daddy, but he keeps taking my toy,” DJ reasoned.
“Try to be kind to him. He’s little and doesn’t understanding sharing.”
“I know.” He sighed as Chuck said something to him. “I gotta go, Daddy. Grandpa said it’s time for bed. Tell Momma I love you.”
“I will. We love you too,” I returned, feeling like an ass for everything that was happening.
“Love you, Daddy. Here’s Grandpa,” DJ replied, and I heard him giggle before Chuck returned to the phone.
“I want an update in the morning, Devlin,” Chuck demanded.
“Understood,” I answered, and then the phone went dead.
I knew he was pissed at me. Hell, I was pissed at me, but we were looking everywhere for Elise. I said a silent prayer to the god my mother prayed to, asking him to help us find her and bring her home safely.
The door behind me opened and I opened my eyes and turned to see who was coming out. James was standing there giving me a look of worry. I turned and walked back into the room before asking, “What did you find?”
“Devlin,” James started but he stopped, and I looked from him to the others sitting around the large wooden table. No one could meet my eyes and I demanded, “What did you find?”
“An email just came into the main account for Callahan. The one we hardly use anymore,” James explained and I met his eyes.
Looking back at me was pain and I pushed him to the side and looked at everyone at the table, “Show me the email.”
Lucian stood and walked over to me, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Fuck you, Lucian. I want to see what was sent.”
My voice was rising in volume and when I met the eye of Rhys, he looked down at the table with misery on his face. He was a salty bastard that I had clashed with off and on for years, and for him to not meet my gaze made my stomach drop,
I looked back at James and requested, “Please show me.”
He looked around the table before pulling a chair out, indicating he wanted me to sit. Everyone but Regan Aubrey, James, Lucian, Rhys, and Skid left the room and as each one filed out, the pity I saw staring back at me was causing the dread to build.
James took a seat beside me and Lucian took the other side as James opened the laptop in front of me and logged into the system. Before he opened the email, he quietly said, “I don’t know if this is real or not, but . . .”
He opened the email and then opened the attachment.
A video began to play and when I saw Elise’s face, terrified as someone steps into the frame and begins to beat her, I felt the vomit rising in my throat.
Her screams grew in volume as hit after hit rained down on her, causing her to bleed and bruise with each violent strike.
I watched, unable to look away as someone stepped up behind her and brought a knife around to the front of her body. She was barely standing when they raised the knife and plunged it into her chest, sinking it to the hilt.
There was no stopping the vomit as I pushed away from the table and ran to the trashcan, throwing up the coffee and crackers I managed to eat a few hours ago.
Listing my eyes back to the paused screen, I watched as James pressed play and saw my precious Lamb fall onto the floor, her blood filling the screen.
My hands trembled with sorrow as a computerized voice filled the speakers. “You shouldn’t have sent me away. Now, I’ve taken the most precious thing in your life, and it’s all your fault.”
The video ended and I tried to push off the floor, only to slip down to my ass.
My head hung down and I felt tears fall for the first time since I was sent away from my family at twelve, I cried for the loss of my wife, my life, my soul.
I cried for my sons losing their mother, and I cried for the loneliness that began to fill my chest.
Lucian and James scooped me off the floor and helped me back into a chair as the computer was pushed away from me. I tried to reach out, wanting to watch it again, but James pushed it out of my reach and whispered, “Let me get you upstairs.”
I pulled my arm from his grip and stood from my chair, looking at my family surrounding the table. I tried to clear my throat but failed to get the lump out as I said, “Go home. It’s over. She’s . . . she’s gone.”
“Devlin,” Aubrey started to say, and I held up a hand, stopping her from give platitudes before I turned and walked out of the conference room.
I had no destination in mind, but felt someone behind me as I took the stairs down to the lobby. I looked over my shoulder and saw James and Lucian following me, and I knew they wouldn’t leave me alone. Not for a long time.
Walking across the street, I didn’t even look for cars as the will to live drain out of me with each step I took from our home, the place I felt her the strongest.
The park was dark as I began to move around the path. I didn’t have a destination in mind, I just knew I couldn’t be in the building anymore. I needed to feel her spirit, so I moved to where we were when we had our last moments together.
The space was cleared, but I could see s spattering of blood, so I knew I was close to where my Lamb was snatched from my life, and led to her death.
Falling to my knees, I hung my head as I remembered every moment we had together. From the laughter that filled my life, to the love that we made, I felt her all around me, and hoped the feeling remained.
James and Lucian stood silently behind me, watching me as I mourned the only person I’d ever loved, and kneeling there in the grass, I vowed to find who took her. I was going to drain every drop of blood from their bodies, slowly and with as much pain as I could manage.
I lifted my eyes up to the stars and whispered my love for Elise into the universe, hoping she heard me, wherever she was.
A phone ringing drew my eyes to my brothers and I saw James pull his phone out as he stepped away, whispering into the device. Lucian stood guard behind me and when we heard James say ‘What’ with shock, I pivoted to look at him.
His eyes met mine and grew wide as he listened to whoever was calling him. Hanging up the phone, he walked over to me and said, “Aubrey is analyzing the video, but from all indications, its Artificial Intelligence.
“What?” I asked and pushed off the ground. “What are you saying?”
“”I’m saying it’s time to get back into the game, madman. Someone sent you a fake video of Elise, and Aubrey said she thinks she can figure out who made it and where it was sent from,” James explained and reached out, gripping into my forearm and grounding me.
My eyes met his and I asked for clarification. “Are you telling me that someone created a fake video of Elise being beaten and murdered and sent it to us, trying to make us think she was . . .”
I couldn’t even say the word without my voice breaking and when James answered, I felt ice overtaking the pain in my chest. Ice that pushed out the misery and filled the space with rage.
“I’m saying someone tried to fool you into thinking she was dead.”
My jaw clenched and my fists tightened by my sides as I looked between my brothers. “We are going to that house, tonight. I don’t give a fuck who we scare. If there’s even a chance she’s there, then I’m going inside that house.”
Lucian stepped forward. “I’ll send some of my men to recon the house while we get ready.”
The three of us walked back through the park and across the street into the building as I felt something akin to hope blossoming in my chest. If Aubrey was correct then my Lamb was a pawn in someone’s sick game, and I was taking her off the board and bringing her home.
Then I was going to stomp whoever took her into a pile of dust and watch them die at my feet.