Exposed: Book 2 MAC Security Series (28 page)

We’d been up all night, looking at everything and anything that we could find but we hadn’t gotten any further. The board was full of possible places that she could be and slowly each one was being crossed off, after it had been checked out and nothing found. We were now down to two places and I knew in my gut that she wasn’t at either one of them.

“Time to go and meet my nephew,” Corey said on an exhale. He was used to this, staying up at all hours, but you could see that not knowing where his sister was, was killing him.

I knew exactly how he felt. I couldn’t bare not knowing where she was, and as soon as that thought would hit me, all I could imagine was what was happening to her. Images of what that fucker was doing to her sped through my mind. I wish I could erase them because I was imagining the worst.

“Yeah.” I scrubbed my face, trying to prepare myself to see Eli. I hadn’t seen him since I said goodnight the night before. I dreaded to think what he would think this morning when he woke up and Kay still wasn’t there.

Although, secretly, I hoped that Corey being here would occupy his mind enough to not ask where Kay was.

Corey slung his bag over his shoulder and followed me over to the house. He stayed one pace behind me, and when I got to the bottom of the steps, I turned and saw how he was hesitating.

Frowning, I asked. “What’s up?”

His eyes were fixated on the door and his face had gone an unusual ashen color. If I didn’t know better, I would have said he was about to throw up.

“Shit, man.” He looked all around him and then back to me. “I haven’t seen him since he was a baby. What if he doesn’t recognize me?”

I chuckled at how much he was panicking. Corey was one of the most confident guys I’d ever known yet he was worried that Eli wouldn’t recognize him?

Kay would know just what to say to him so that he didn’t freak out.

And with that thought, my stomach rolled again, I was spending one hour back at the house and then I was getting back to it.

I shook my head and focused back on Corey, even though it pained me to look at him. Him and Kay were so different but so alike in so many ways.

“Come on,” I slapped him on the back, the force knocking him off balance. “He’ll know you. He’s spoken to you enough on video calls. I mean, who can forget that ugly face?”

“What the-”

Before he could finish what he was saying, the front door swooshed open and we were met with Eli, hands on his hips, and a stare to rival his mothers.

“Uncle Corey? Why are you standing outside?” Shaking his head, he stepped backed and shouted, “Nana E, my Uncle Corey is here. We’ll have to play hide and seek later.”

Looking back to us, he rolled his eyes and whispered. “She keeps making me play games.” I chuckled, knowing just what that was like.

“Yeah?” I asked, ruffling his hair as I stepped inside.

“I don’t wanna play girlie games, I wanna play superheroes.” He snorted.

I chuckled, then turned my attention to Corey who was stood there staring at Eli like he had two heads.

“Corey?”

“I…err…” he stammered.

Eli huffed and turned to me. “What’s the matter with him?” he asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.

“I think he’s scared,” I smiled.

“Come on, Uncle Corey.” He held his hand out to him. “You don’t need to be scared. She won’t make you play the games. Let’s go play in my room,” he said, his eyes looking behind me and widening as the kitchen door swung open. “Quick! Before she makes me play those games again!”

He dragged him through the door and up the stairs, talking the whole way. I stood and watched them, wishing that Kay could see this. This was something that I knew she had been looking forward to and she was missing out on it because of that scumbag.

“Son?” Dad said from beside me. “Made any progress?”

“No.” I walked away from him, the smell coming from the kitchen reminding me of Kay. Every time I came home, she always had something cooking or something in the oven being baked. It was a smell that I’d gotten so used to that it was too much to smell things like that while knowing that I wouldn’t be able to walk into the kitchen and put my arms around Kay.

Everywhere I looked in this house, it reminded me of her. The table that she sat at, or the corner of the sofa, her favorite place to sit. Even her favorite painting that she would stare at for hours. It was just too much.

I walked straight through the kitchen and out the sliding doors, ignoring my ma and dad, there pleas for me to come back, falling on deaf ears. I couldn’t go back there. Without her there, that house was just a shell. Kay made it a home.

My feet took me through the woods and up to the clearing. Kay came up here all the time, she said it helped clear her mind.

There was so much that I wanted to say to Kay, so much that I should have already said to her. It was times like this that I realized I hadn’t even told her that I loved her. I did. I loved her more than anything in the world.

Why hadn’t I shouted that from the roof tops?

I should have told her as soon as I knew that’s how I felt but I was afraid that she didn’t feel the same way or that it would be too much too soon.

I vowed that as soon as I had her back in my arms, I’d tell her exactly how I felt.

I wouldn’t keep another thing from her, I’d tell her the good, the bad and the ugly.

Sitting down at the picnic table, I looked out into the trees. This was her favorite place, and although it still reminded me of her, I felt at peace here. She was right, it did help clear your mind and this was where I felt the closest to her without it being too much for me.

My thoughts turned to what I should have done to keep her safer. It was my fault that she was taken. I had all these security measures in place and the one person who meant the most to me, I hadn’t been able to protect.

I’d put everything in place to keep her safe but that still hadn’t been enough. I should have done better; I should have found Max sooner.

I should have done a lot of things differently but thinking like this wasn’t getting me anywhere. Lifting up off the bench, I took one last look at the clearing.

The next time that I would be here, Kay would be stood by my side.

The days passed in slow motion. With only one window to tell when it was day or night, we counted the days and if my calculations were right, I’d been here four days.

My thoughts constantly drifted to Eli and Ty, I was trying to stay strong for them but it was so much harder than I originally thought and each day that passed became harder and harder.

Max had come in everyday, each time ‘teaching me a lesson’. Both of my sides were covered in bruises now. He hadn’t touched my face and each time I thought he was about to lose control, he’d pull back and leave.

He was getting good at controlling himself, something I thought he’d never be able to do.

I was in constant pain, just enough to make it hurt but not enough for me to pass out. I wished he would make me pass out but it was as if he knew that’s what I wanted and deprived me of it.

Yesterday was the worst, after he’d taught me my lesson, another man came into the room and dragged Lindsey out. She’d kicked and screamed, fighting her way from their holds but it didn’t matter what she did, she couldn’t get away. Max had made sure that I couldn’t get up to help her, he must have seen it in my eyes the moment he stepped in the room, knowing that I’d fight for her.

The other man knocked her out and she went limp in his arms and then he carried her out. They still hadn’t bought her back and I was starting to get worried.

It was just me and Ava now. She’d leaned on me most of the night, her sobs the only sound in the room. I’d put my arm around her and tried my best to comfort her but it was hard when it hurt every time I moved.

When the sun shone through the window, brightening the room, she seemed to perk up a little and even had a small smile on her face. She must have needed a good cry. I was a firm believer that a good cry every once in a while, was a good thing.

I was so bored, sat in this room with nothing to do and just waiting for Max to come back was driving me insane so I decided to try and get to know Ava a little more.

“How old are you, sweetie?” I asked, unable to stop the question before it came out of my mouth.

“Seventeen,” she whispered. She never talked above a whisper and I didn’t know if she physically couldn’t or if that was just how she chose to speak.

Now that she was talking, I decided to try and find some things out about her. All I had found out so far was her name. Spending all of this time with someone, and being in the situation that we were in, meant that you connected on a different level.

“How did you get here?” I shifted a little, my butt becoming numb from sitting in the same position for too long. “Sorry.” I chuckled to relieve the tension. “You don’t have to answer that.”

She looked down at her feet, her hands holding onto her ankles. I didn’t expect her to answer so when she opened her mouth I was a little taken a back.

“Same as Lindsey,” she said, turning her face to me. “My dad sold me to cover his debts.”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t believe that parents would do that to their children. How could they send them off into the hands of these monsters knowing what they would be put through.

“I think I’m better off now that I’m not at home.” She lay her head on her knees, her face still turned towards me.

“Things that bad at home?”

Shrugging, she said. “Everyone has problems at home right? Cleaning up after your junkie dad and fetching his next hit isn’t as bad as some kids have it.”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. “Sweetie, it doesn’t matter if people have it worse or better.” Reaching over, I placed my hand on her head. “You shouldn’t have to live like that. Your seventeen, you should be in school, having fun and dating boys.”

“Yeah,” she breathed out on a sigh. “I guess so.”

Shuffling closer, I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a side hug. If we ever got out of here, I’d make sure that she’d never go back there.

She was so innocent and young, she had the rest of her life ahead of her. She’d been dealt a really crappy hand in life and girls like her deserved better than what they had been given.

We sat like that until we heard the tell-tale sound of boots coming. I hugged Ava closer as the key turned in the door and Max came inside with the same man from the day before.

“Where’s Lindsey?” I spat at him.

He looked to the big brute that had come in with him and nodded his head. Stealing myself for him to grab me, I planted my feet and butt further into the floor.

He didn’t come for me though, he grabbed Ava and she held onto me, not wanting to let go. I clutched her, fighting against the brute, determined that he wouldn’t be taking her as well.

“No!” I shouted, scrambling up as I lost my grip and he lifted Ava off the floor.

“Kay! Help!” Tears streamed down her cheeks and she struggled against him, not getting any further. Though I did notice that they didn’t hurt her in the way that they had with Lindsey.

Barreling forward, I grabbed onto her arm, trying to pull her out of his grip. Deep down I knew that it was useless but I had to try. The brute pushed me back and I caught myself at the last moment.