Denouement (The Darkness Series Book 3) (20 page)

Theo threw out his arm to stop Gabe from advancing any farther. “Hold up, dude. This here is dangerous territory. I think we’ve entered…
girl talk
,” he warned.

Nora was looking behind them as if waiting for someone. Finally locking eyes with Gabe, she asked, “Where’s Greta and the kids?”

“What do you mean?” he responded, not showing any concern.

“Gabe. You told me that you and Theo would pick them up from the ice cream shop on your way home. Where are they?” She got to her feet and planted her hands on her hips, a telltale sign that she was close to losing her temper.

“What? You didn’t tell me anything about us needing to grab the kids, Gabe.” Theo didn’t look impressed as he glared at Gabe.

“Look I fucking forgot about it, alright. We can go get them now,” he offered. “Or we can just wait, I’m sure they will walk.”

Nora couldn’t believe her ears. “Walk? It’s over ten blocks away! I can’t believe you. Of all the inconsiderate, selfish, boneheaded things to do. I mean, who forgets their own children? I don’t know what the problem is with you lately—”

Gabe let out an angry growl and charged across the room. He grabbed Nora by the throat and pushed her back up against the breakfast bar. “Don’t you fucking dare speak to me like that,” he seethed. He squeezed her throat tighter, ignoring the way her hands pulled at his. “You’ve got some—” he suddenly was air born as Theo ripped him away from Nora and tossed him across the room like a sack of potatoes.

“What the actual fuck, dude. You better get your fucking shit together and do it now. I’m about to kick your ass into all the next fucking Sundays for what you just pulled. You put your hands on Nora? You’re fucked. So fucked. Get out of my sight now,” Theo ordered.

Gabe’s face was red with rage as he stared at Nora who was wheezing and trying to catch her breath. She was bent over with her hands on her knees and Autumn and Aubrey rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

“Fine. Fuck all of you,” he bit out. He gained his feet and stormed out of the house, the door closing with a loud slam.

No one spoke or moved after he left, everyone was in shock at what had just happened. Theo broke the ice first. “Nora, I’ll go get the kids, you just stay here and pull yourself together.”

Nora nodded gratefully, her throat too sore for her to speak. After he left, she looked at her cousins.

“That man is not my husband.”

B
rady rolled to
a stop outside the post office and once again prepared himself to face Mila. Gwyn was still missing and he couldn’t stand to stay in Stockton Crossing another second. He needed to get back to Durham Heights and personally oversee the search for her. He was putting his trust in Mila’s help and at the moment, it was proving to be the stupidest idea he’d ever had. She’d asked him for immunity in exchange for her help; and that was something he wasn’t willing to give. When she realized he wouldn’t budge on that fact, they’d settled on a lesser charge. Something that wouldn’t have her facing the rest of her life in prison and would give her a shot at parole. It made him sick to his stomach that he’d agreed, but he was desperate and would do anything for Gwyn.

He got out of the car and walked down the alleyway. Mila stood waiting for him and it disgusted him when she smiled in greeting.

“What information do you have?” he asked, getting straight to the point. The less he was in her presence, the better.

Mila’s smile fell and a coldness creeped into her eyes at his harsh tone. “You aren’t going to like this, Brady so prepare yourself. My contacts have confirmed that my suspicions were right. Lawrence, Gwyn’s ex, is the one who has her. They haven’t been able to track him yet, but now that you know for sure—that should help you find her.”

“Fuck!” Brady yelled, clenching his hands into fists. Why did he leave her unprotected? That fucker was a ruthless bastard and who knew how she was suffering in his clutches. If he was alone, he might have shed tears of frustration and rage. Just knowing that she was in harm’s way was eating him up inside. He needed to get to her, bring her home safely and back into his arms.

“What else?” he snapped, anxious to get the hell away from her. Mila shook her head.

“I need some assurances first before I give you anything about the Matchstick Man. What are you going to do for me? Have you secured the lesser sentence?”

“No. I haven’t had time. I’m busy trying to work two cases at once. Once I get back to Durham Heights I can see what I can do about that. You owe me a lot more than just this, Mila.”

“Brady, I’m not going to help you just because you think I should. That’s not how I operate. If you want my information from my contacts, you’re going to have to work for it. I need immunity or a lesser charge. I’m sick of running. I have a son to think of,” she revealed.

“A son? You have a son? How old is he?” he asked suspiciously.

“His name is Dane and he just turned two.”

Brady backed up a few steps, needing space between them. “Mila…”

She stared hard at him, then withdrew a wallet sized photo of a little boy and handed it to him. Looking down at the picture, it was like staring into a mirror; a child-like version of himself. “Jed is the father.”

“What? You’ve got to be kidding. He looks exactly like me!” Brady was incredulous. Had she really hidden his child from him? Or was Jed really the father. He had to admit they had been somewhat similar in looks but this little boy, this child was the spitting image of Brady. There was no doubt about it.

“It’s true, Brady. I had a test done after he was born and it confirmed Jed as the father. Now I’m all he has in this world, so please. Work the deal.”

He was speechless. The only way to find out if Mila was telling the truth was to get his own test done. “I’ll work on the deal if you agree to let me have my own paternity test done. No arguments. But I want to know everything you know about the Matchstick Man—now. We don’t have much time before he takes another victim; I can feel it.”

“I’ll think about the test. I’m not just handing my son over to you so you can take him from me. All I know about the case is that you should be looking at locals as suspects. Don’t rule anyone out.”

Brady and the others were already ninety-nine percent positive that was the case themselves, so this information came as no surprise. “I’ll be in touch about the test for the boy,” he said and walked away, leaving Mila staring after him.

*     *     *

Autumn loved her
job at the vet clinic; except on the days when an animal had to be put down. She couldn’t handle all the tears from the owners and sometimes even the staff. Whenever that happened, she put the “Back in Five Minutes” sign on her reception desk and took a walk down to the coffee shop. Mr. Kelley was in there with his thirteen year-old golden lab and knowing how attached he was to that dog, she didn’t want to be around for that particular case. She was dressed more conservatively that day since she’d spent the night with Aubrey and Nora after Gabe’s lunatic outburst the night before. Nora had been a basket case, crying her eyes out. Theo was raving mad and Aubrey had wrung her hands and forced tea after cup of tea down all their throats for hours.

They’d finally all tried to turn in and get some sleep but Autumn didn’t think any of them were very successful at their attempts. The next morning, Autumn borrowed Aubrey’s clothes and just for kicks, even styled her hair into one of her sister’s boring ponytail’s. She giggled to herself as she recalled Aubrey’s reaction when she’d come into the room after her shower.

“Autumn, what in the world?” she stared at her.

“What? We can play switchies like we did when we were kids. I’ll go to the library and you go to the clinic for me,” she suggested with a sassy wink.

“You’re crazy. Although I must admit it’s good to see you coming around to my side of fashion,” Aubrey joked.

Autumn grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Love you, Aubs! See you tonight,” she’d called as she left.

After grabbing her coffee, she decided to take a short walk to the town square. The fountain there was a nice place to relax for a few minutes and soak up a bit of the Louisiana sun. Deciding to cut through the alley, she was a few steps from the end when a shadow crossed her path. Instinct kicked in and she darted to the left, bouncing off the brick wall. A large frame in a ski-mask filled her vision and she sucked in her breath to scream. He ran at her at top speed and was about to cover her mouth when she moved again, this time to the right. He hit the wall with both hands outstretched and she was gone. Taking off running down the alley towards the coffee shop she screamed bloody murder. “Help! It’s the fucking Matchstick Man! HELP!”

He grabbed her ponytail from behind and yanked her clear off her feet. She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath out of her. She wiggled from side to side, ignoring the pain in her back as she fought to shake off his hold. He dragged her back into the dark cover of the alley, away from the light; from freedom.

“Get off, get off me you fucking motherfucker!” she screamed. “HELP! Down here, HELP!” She clawed her French tipped nails into his hands, digging for blood. Like fuck was she going to go quietly. This asshole had picked the wrong girl to fuck with.

His hands switched to grip her by the neck and he hauled her to her feet, spinning her around. “Say goodnight,” he said and brought his fist down across her cheek. Everything went black.

When Autumn next opened her eyes, the man was right in her face staring at her. Screaming, she thrashed wildly. Realizing she couldn’t move, she looked up and down. Her hands were restrained above her head hanging from a large hook, her toes dragging across a stone-cold concrete floor. “Help! Help, help! Someone help me!” she yelled, tears leaking from her eyes.

“No one here to help you, pet. You slipped past me once, that won’t be the case this time. I never fail. I haven’t got much time, but there’s just enough for us to get a bit better acquainted.” His voice was low and smooth, a direct contrast to his frightening form.

Dear Lord he thought she was Aubrey. He thought she was her fucking twin sister. “Fuck you. Fuck you, you fucking fucker. You think I want to be acquainted with you? No one fucking does. What’s your fucking problem anyway? You got small dick syndrome or something? Bet no one would fucking look—” she cut off when he raised a blow torch. Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry. He flicked it on and they both locked in on the flame, unable to look away.

“No, no, no, no, DON’T!” she pleaded but he lowered the flame to her arm regardless watching as it blazed a trail through her thin blouse to strike the skin beneath. She wheezed and cried, screamed and struggled trying to escape the excruciating pain.

“Magnificent. I just knew your pale skin would be a sight to behold and I was right. I was right,” he repeated.

Autumn was a blubbering mess. The pain was unbearable, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She looked him dead in the eye. “You fucking cocksucker. You,” she gasped as another wave of pain washed over her. “You think you’ll break me? You won’t. I’m stronger than you, you fuck.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “I knew you would be my greatest victory. You know why? Because I
will
break you. And I’ll enjoy every second of it.” Autumn knew without a doubt that he meant every word. Her mind raced with options of how the fuck to get free. She didn’t want to die there at the hands of this psycho.

He dropped the blow torch to the ground with a clatter and removed something from his waistband. Autumn had a flash of something metal and a split second to wonder what the fuck he was up to now.

He raised the machete and brought it down across her other arm, delighting in the blood that pooled under the white fabric.

“Motherfucker!” Autumn yelled out at the searing pain. She swung her body back and forth, wildly thinking that she could maybe swing herself right off the damn hook holding her up in the air. He brought the machete down over and over, eventually switching back to the blow torch to set her curdling blood to flames.