揂lready??
揧eah. He抯 got a gas bottle with him.?
揂 gas bottle??
揧eah. Like the kind we use for a barbecue.?
揊uck!?
揇o I follow him or do I go inside the house??I ask as my heart starts racing in my chest.
揊uck! What does your gut say, kid??he asks me.
揑 think she抯 in there, Shane.?
揥ait for him to leave then and go check. If he抯 taking a gas bottle to be filled he抣l come back.?
揙kay,?I breathe.
揃e careful,?he warns.
揑 will.?
揂nd be prepared for anything,?he adds.
揑 will,?I swallow hard. I have no idea what state Jessie is going to be in when I go in there and I have no idea how I抣l deal with my emotions when I see her, because the thought of anyone touching her, of anyone hurting her, makes my insides burn with fury and guilt that I wasn抰 able to protect her. But I know in my gut that she抯 inside that house, and I抦 not leaving without her.
My car is parked out of view beneath some trees down the road. I shrink down in my seat as Paul walks to his car and I wait until I hear him drive off before I look up again.
As soon as his taillights disappear out of view, I drive a little up the road and turn into his driveway. This car was dropped off at the airport by an associate of Shane抯 and it has a Glock in the glove compartment as well as a small knife. I tuck both of them into my jeans before I jump out of the car.
The lock is easy enough for me to pick and I抦 inside the house within two minutes. I walk along the hallway. It抯 cold and dark and I have to stop myself from calling her name just in case there is anyone else here too. I check each room as I pass but there is no sign of Jessie or anyone else.
The whole place is dusty, like it hasn抰 been lived in for years, however there are signs of recent occupancy in the kitchen. As I walk into the room, I see two doors. One leading into the yard out back and another I assume is a basement. It has a huge steel bolt on it and my heart lurches in my chest when I see it, because why the fuck would you need to lock your basement door on the inside? Taking out my cell, I turn on my phone抯 flashlight as I draw back the huge bolt. It screeches like old steel does and I wince as I look behind me to see if anyone has come running, but I抦 still alone.
The light from my phone is the only thing illuminating the room as I step onto the dark basement steps. 揓essie!?I whisper.
There is no response. I shine the light down, sweeping it across the room. It is a small concrete room with no furniture except for one single bed in the middle. My phone almost drops from my hand as the light sweeps over it and she is lying there. Naked and alone and chained to the bed.
Blood thunders in my ears as I take the stairs two at a time, trying to get to her as quickly as possible. 揓essie! I抦 here baby,?I call but she doesn抰 move.
There is no flicker of life from her. I place my hand on her arm and she is cold to the touch and for one heart stopping moment I think she抯 gone and that sick cunt has killed her. I move the metal cuff up her wrist as I feel for her pulse and I almost sink to the floor with relief when I feel one. He抯 only drugged her. I glance over her body, looking for any signs of injury. Her thighs are peppered with fingertip bruises and she has a cut on her mouth. I brush my fingertips over the dried blood on her lips and my heart aches like there is a gaping wound in the middle of my chest. The rage that I抳e been feeling since I found out she抎 been taken threatens to overwhelm me and I have to take deep breaths, sucking in lungfuls of air to so that I can calm my racing pulse and focus on what I need to do. I can抰 let myself think about what that sick fuck has been doing to her because it will break me and I need to be strong for her more than I ever have right now.
I lift her hand and the clinking of a chain tells me that the metal bracelet on her wrist is chained to the bed. Her feet are chained too. Fuck! I need to move fast.
The ones on her feet are a simple lock and pin mechanism and I remove them quickly, but her hands are a different matter. My heart races as I look around the room for something to help me. I can hardly think straight. What if he comes back here? What if I can抰 get her out of her before he does?
The car. There are bolt cutters in the car. I saw them when I put our luggage in.
揑抣l be right back,?I tell her even though she can抰 hear me. I run to the car faster than I have ever ran anywhere in my life. I almost trip over my own feet coming back down the stairs. Resting my phone on the bed to shine its light where I need it, I cut the chains on her wrists, freeing her but leaving the metal bracelets in place for now. I can remove them when I get her to safety.
Shrugging off my jacket, I wrap her in it before I lift her into my arms. As I lean over her, I see the used condom on the floor beside the bed and bile burns the back of my throat. Sick fucking cunt! I will make him feel pain like he has never known when I finally get my hands on him.
She is like a rag doll when I lift her. Completely limp and almost weightless and I don抰 remember her being this light. 揌ang on, Jessie. I抣l get you home soon, baby.?I choke back the tears as I whisper in her ear, then run up the steps and out of the house. Placing her in the passenger seat of the car, I jump in the other side and lock the doors before I start the engine and get us the hell out of here.
We are half a mile along the road when I see Paul抯 car approaching from the opposite direction. For a split second, I contemplate running him off the road and putting a bullet in his head, but it would be too merciful for him, and more importantly, I need to get Jessie back to safety as quickly as possible. With that in mind, I dial Shane抯 number.
揕iam??he snaps when he answers. 揌ave you got her??
揧es,?I reply and I hear the collective sigh of relief from my three brothers and realize I抦 on speaker phone.
揌ow is she??Conor asks.
揝he抯 unconscious. The bastard drugged her,?I say, trying to keep my emotions in check as I glance at her in the seat beside me.
揊uck!?Mikey hisses.
揋et her back here as soon as you can.?
揑 know you have friends at that hotel, Shane, but I think if I walk through the lobby with her in the state she抯 in, the cops will be called on us within five seconds.?
揥hat do you mean the state she抯 in??
揥ell, she抯 unconscious. She抯 naked. And she has bruises on her thighs and face.?I swallow hard and focus on the road ahead. Please don抰 make me think about what that evil cunt has done to her.
揧ou remember the house in Carrickfergus??he asks.
揧eah??I frown. I thought he抎 sold that place. He had it built a few years before we left Ireland. He always intended to live in the countryside one day.
揟ake her there. We抣l meet you.?
揧ou still have that place??
揧eah,?he clears his throat. 揥e抣l see you there, Liam.?
揑抣l be there as soon as I can.?
Chapter 27
Shane
Conor, Mikey and I stand on the driveway of the house in Carrickfergus waiting for Liam to bring our girl home. I could have dropped to my knees with relief when he told me that he had her, but then he told me about the state she was in and the rush of rage and the guilt I felt almost floored me for real. I was hoping that Paul hadn抰 had time to hurt her, but I was fooling myself thinking it wouldn抰 be the first thing that sick fuck would do. Knowing that it抯 my fault she抯 had to go through that makes me feel physically sick. I have never wanted to hurt anyone so much as I want to hurt Paul right now. I know some pretty sick and twisted ways of causing people pain, but all of them would be too merciful for him.