Her Only Son (22 page)

She walked over and picked up Ryker. She wanted to hold him as long as possible before she had to leave.

Keith pulled out his phone. “It’s time to make the call.” He walked out on the front porch, knowing the call he was about to make would start a war.

Brice sat in his office and tried to wrap his head around everything that had happened over the last couple weeks. He always knew his father was a madman, but for him to take things to such extreme was too much. He would do whatever he had to do to keep Kinsey and Ryker safe. If that meant taking his dad out, he wouldn’t hesitate. He would wait until it was an act of self-defense, but he knew it would come to that. His dad wouldn’t hesitate to take him down if he had to, so he’d have to react in kind.

Over the years, he’d questioned what had happened to his mom, and he knew, without a doubt, his dad was responsible. Family meant nothing to him. It was all about power and control.

Brice had something worth living for now. Kinsey and Ryker would be his future and he wouldn’t allow his dad to take that from him. He knew it would come down to one killing the other and he had no intention of being the one going down. He mentally prepared himself for what he’d have to do.

He leaned back and took a deep breath. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the door of his office swung open and four military guards stormed in. Two stood at the entrance, while the other two grabbed Brice by the arms and pulled him from the chair.

“What the hell’s going on?”

“Hakon’s ordered you to be locked up.”

“Under what grounds?”

“He feels you’re a threat to the program and had a hand in Kinsey Garrick’s escape. You can’t be trusted.”

They lead him out into the hallway as Dr. Westcott was coming out of a treatment room.

“Brice, what’s going on?”

“I’m being locked up and removed from the program. They feel I had a hand in Kinsey’s escape.”

She placed a hand over her mouth and muttered, “But….”

He glared at her and shook his head as he walked by. The guards lead him out of the clinic and into a military vehicle.

Sorina watched from the front window as Brice was loaded and the vehicle drove away. She rushed to her office and called her dad.

An hour later, Brice sat in the military cell. He knew Keith would be able to track him once he realized Brice wasn’t where he was suppose to be, but this put the plan in serious jeopardy. Keith couldn’t do this alone; he couldn’t fight this fight and keep Kinsey safe at the same time. He had to find a way to get out of this cell.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall and moments later, saw his dad walk up to the bars of his cell.

“Well, well, look what we have here. You really didn’t think I wouldn’t be keeping tabs on you now, did you?”

Brice looked at him, but didn’t speak.

Hakon ordered the guard to open the cell. Once inside he walked to where his son sat and struck him against the side of the head. The blow caused Brice to hit the concrete wall and his head went fuzzy.

Hakon walked over and grabbed a handful of Brice’s hair, jerking him up so they were face to face.

“You really don’t think you’re going to get away with this, do you?”

“I didn’t do anything. You’re the monster.”

Hakon laughed and slammed Brice’s head against the wall. “You’re a joke; a joke as a son and a doctor. Just like your worthless mother.”

The guard looked at Hakon and narrowed his eyes.

Brice’s head was throbbing and he reached up to feel blood running down the side of his face. He looked up to see his father pacing the cell.

“But I took care of her and I’ll take care of you, too.” He turned toward Brice. “Kinsey Garrick has been captured and is on her way back to the compound, but this time, you won’t be able to help her. I’ll make sure of that.”

Hakon pulled out a gun and pointed it at Brice. Instinctively, Brice reached for the gun he had hidden, but remembered it was taken by the guards. They took his cell phone as well.

The guard took a step toward the cell bars.

The plan was going south quickly and he had no way to inform Keith. When he arrived with Kinsey, they’d be walking into a trap. Once Hakon realized the baby wasn’t with her, who knows what he’d do, and Keith wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. He was starting to realize, even with the two of them, the plan was set to fail. This compound was crawling with military guards. There was no way they could take them all out. He lowered his head to the bench.

Hakon walked to Brice, still holding the gun on him. He lowered it to his temple and told Brice to raise his head. When Brice refused to cooperate, Hakon’s temper flaired.

“Raise your head, you coward!”

Brice slowly lifted his head and stared into the eyes of his father. “Are you seriously going to shoot your own son?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you don’t ruin my plans. No one will take away what I’ve worked my whole life to achieve.”

“What is it you feel you’ve achieved?”

“Power. Respect….”

Brice couldn’t help but laugh. “Respect? You think you have people’s respect? I have a news flash for you, Dad, no one respects you.”

“Fear is a form of respect, Son. It’s too bad you never learned that.”

“If that’s what it takes to have respect, I’ll do without it.”

“That’s what makes you weak. You’re soft, Brice, just like your mom.”

Brice lowered his head again. If Hakon was going to shoot him, there was nothing he could do about it. He thought about Kinsey and hoped Keith would be able to keep her safe and get her back to Ryker. He obviously wouldn’t be able to hold up his end of the deal. He should have remained hidden until Keith arrived with Kinsey.

He heard Hakon’s cell phone ring and felt the gun lower from his temple. The message he received on the other end obviously made him happy. He disconnected the call and raised the gun again.

“Looks like your beloved Kinsey is about to be delivered.” He lowered the gun. “I think I’ll wait until she arrives to kill you. I’ll make sure and bring her here so you can say goodbye.” His laugh was pure evil as he added, “Maybe I’ll kill you both together. I’ll just have to decide which one gets to see the other die first.”

Hakon turned to walk out of the cell. Brice felt his blood boil and he launched off the bench and tackled his dad from behind. Hakon fell hard against the cell bars and tried to free himself from Brice’s grip. The gun slid across the cell floor. Brice held firm and took his dad to the ground. Hakon called for help from the security guard, who stood nearby, watching.

The guard smiled and slowly walked to the bars. He took his time unlocking the cell, as it appeared Brice had the advantage at the moment.

Hakon snarled at the guard while Brice held him in a tight headlock. “Get your ass in here and control this prisoner!”

The guard walked over and pulled Brice off Hakon. It took some effort to get Brice back to the bench, and a couple times, the guard almost let him go, just for fun.

Hakon pulled himself up on the bars and wiped blood from his mouth. He walked over to the bench and pushed the guard aside. The guard held his ground.

“I wouldn’t do that, Sir. The prisoner is secure and no longer a threat. Maybe it’s time you leave.”

Hakon couldn’t believe his ears. “You giving me orders, young man?”

“No, Sir, just a suggestion.”

Hakon looked at Brice, who was seated on the bench, his breathing heavy and a hint of threat still in his eyes.

“I’ll be back for you, Son, and I’ll bring your little girlfriend with me. We’ll see how tough you are when I’m holding a gun to her head.”

He took a step closer and hit Brice in the temple with the barrel of his gun. Brice’s world went black and he fell against the bench.

“That should hold him for a while.”

He turned and walked out of the cell, while the guard did what he could to help Brice.

Keith stopped short of the compound and activated Brice’s tracker on his phone. He could see the blip on the screen, but Brice wasn’t in the clinic. His blip indicated he was in the military hold facility.

“Hmmmm…”

Kinsey voiced her concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Not sure. It could be nothing, but Brice isn’t where he’s suppose to be right now.”

“Where is he?”

Keith didn’t want to concern her. “Let me get you inside to a secure location and I’ll go check it out.”

He pulled the car into the compound and stopped at the front gate. He talked to the guard on duty.

“Keith Anderson, bringing in Kinsey Garrick.”

The guard leaned forward and looked at Kinsey. She sat in the passenger seat holding, what looked like, a baby fully wrapped in a blanket.

The guard immediately opened the gate and let them enter. Once they were through the gate, Kinsey spoke.

“We need to check on Brice.”

“
We
will do no such thing. I’ll check on Brice if he isn’t where he’s suppose to be when we get there.”

He checked his phone again, but Brice’s blip hadn’t moved and Keith had a bad feeling.

He drove to the main offices where he knew Hakon would be waiting for him. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how to keep Kinsey hidden until he found Brice. Once in Hakon’s office, he would know the baby wasn’t with them.

He turned the car around and headed back toward the clinic. “Change of plans.”

“What? Why?”

He shot her a glance. “Instinct. I’m taking you to the clinic. Then I’ll go to Hakon’s office and inform him the baby has been returned to the nursery and you’ve been taken into custody.”

“Something happened to Brice, huh?”

“I’m not sure, Kinsey, but I can’t take any chances. My main concern right now is your safety.”

He pulled up to the front door of the clinic and told her to go inside.

“Find Dr. Westcott and try to remain hidden. The security cameras will see you enter. That’s okay, because I want Hakon to think you’re returning the baby to the nursery.”

When she hesitated, he raised his voice. “Now, Kinsey! Do not question me!”

Kinsey opened the car door and walked into the clinic. She rushed past the receptionist and straight to Dr. Westcott’s office.

Keith pulled away and drove to the military hold facility. He had to get to Brice and hoped he wasn’t already too late.

Chapter Thirty-One

Kinsey rushed into Dr. Westcott’s office, hoping she’d be there. She felt a rush of relief when she found her sitting at her desk. She pushed the door shut behind her and stood, breathing heavily.

Dr. Westcott jumped up and rushed to her. “What are you doing here?” She took the bundle of blankets from Kinsey and found it empty. “Where’s Ryker?”

Kinsey explained what was happening and a look of fear came over Dr. Westcott’s face.

“We have to find a place for you to hide. I can’t believe they brought you back here.” She paced her office for a moment. “This was a bad idea.”

She tossed the blankets aside and grabbed Kinsey’s arm. “There’s a small supply closet in the nursery. I’ll take you there.”

Kinsey grabbed the blankets Sorina had tossed in a pile on the chair. “It’s supposed to look like I’m returning the baby to the nursery. If we’re going there, maybe I should take these with me.”

Sorina nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

Kinsey bundled the blankets to make it look like she was carrying a baby, and they headed toward the nursery. Once inside, Sorina opened the supply closet.

“Hide in here. I don’t know if it will help because security will know you came in here and didn’t leave, but right now, it’s all we have.”

Keith pulled up to the holding facility and checked his phone again. Brice’s blip was still showing he was inside. He checked his gun and pulled a spare out of his glove box. If Brice had been taken into custody, security would have his gun. He prepared himself for what might take place once he was inside and headed for the door. He had a plan to get Brice out.