Passion (17 page)

I ran full out through the
trees and shrubbery with my brother hot on my tail.

Pretty soon the area was flooded with light as the copters flew
overhead.

Pulling out my phone I called my dad.

“Tell them to head to the lodge, that’s where they are they’ve
stopped, get someone in there NOW.”

One of the copters veered off shortly and went in the direction of
the lodge.

I
needed to stop to catch my breath but I can’t, the stitch in my side was
nothing compared to the fear in my heart.

“Stop where you are, hands in
the air.”

The sound came from above, I kept going as the alarm on my
bracelet went off she was near.

Thank God.

Matt broke through the clearing before I did; there was a ring of
light around a lone figure that was looking around as if for somewhere to run.

I glimpsed at him long enough to see who he was but kept going
into the ramshackle building that looked like It was about to topple over. “Carrie,......fuck
fuck fuck.....”

I fell to my knees beside her, she wasn’t moving.

Josh

At first I thought she was
dead she was so still, my heart couldn’t take anymore, if she was gone, then I’d
just go with her.

My head was overrun with these crazy thoughts as I tried to get my
shit together. There was lots of activity going on outside but I tried to shut
them out.

On my knees beside her, I finally got up the courage to check her
over, there was no blood, no bruising nothing, she just wasn’t moving.

Putting my head to her chest, I felt and heard the steady beating
of her heart.

“Thank God, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

I rocked back and forth with her in my arms not sure what to do
next, it was as though every intelligent thought fled my head, I couldn’t see
past her, making sure she was safe.

There
was literally nothing in me, nothing, I couldn’t even form a thought it seemed
like, but I had things to do, maybe that’s what my brain was shying away from.

I checked her all over until
I caught the faint scent of something around her mouth and nose, the bastard
had drugged her, but did he have time to do anything else?

I was almost afraid to look, her sweater and jeans were not torn,
her pants were still buttoned and zipped, and it didn’t look like he’d had time
to do anything more than drop her before the copter arrived.

“Come
on baby, wake up now, you’re scaring me, please.......” I kissed her before
pulling her back into my chest and rocking. She was a limp doll in my arms.

Captain came flying through
the door just as I was getting up from the filthy mattress on the floor.

There was blood and other matter on the walls and floors of the
old hut that I noticed for the first time, my blood ran cold as I realized what
this meant. This was no coincidence, either Patti’s little stunt had gone way
wrong, or he had been part of it, either way they were all fucked.

The little humiliation I’d had planned for her was nothing
compared to what I was about to unleash on her now.

I will destroy that bitch if it takes everything I have.

“What....... how......?”

Captain bent at the waist and held his knees as he tried to catch
his breath.

“She’s fine, he drugged her, you might want to get your men in
here, and I think you’ve found your rapist.”

His head came up and he looked around before getting his
communicator out.

He
only had time to brush back her hair as I passed him and his men entered.

I took her outside to my dad
who had set up a field triage of sorts.

Thank God that wouldn’t be needed.

There were more people milling around, Matt and mom were watching
me as I approached.

“Give her here son.”

It was hard letting her go, even to my father, my heart was still
beating triple time, the adrenaline was leaving my body, and I started to get
the shakes.

Dad took her and checked her pulse and other vital signs as she
made waking noises, I kept her hand in mine, blocking out everything around me.

She looked pale as fuck and there were tear tracks on her cheek.

They pissed me the fuck off.

The anger came back full force, overshadowing everything else.

Then I looked around and saw him, and......

“Hold him....don’t let him through.....” That sounded like dad.

There were hands grabbing at
me, voices calling to me, it all seemed to be going in slow motion, voices
coming from a distance, as I mowed my way through them to get to my prey.

It felt like I had the strength of ten men when I fell on the fuck
that’d touched my girl.

He cowered with his knees drawn up to his chest while deputies
tried to get me off of him.

“Joshua...... son you have to stop, come on she’s waking up.”

Dad yelled after me but I couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop until he
was done.

“I told you what would happen if you came near her again you fuck.”

I heard the breaking of bones as I broke his fucking nose and jaw,
this motherfucker had to die, that was the only thought in my head.

Was
she afraid before the drug took her over, how much fear had she known, I will
never know, it was heart breaking, it was one of the reasons I wanted his blood
on my hands.

Piece of shit wept for his
mother as I rained blows on his body, the Captain was finally able to get me
off of him as it seemed his men weren’t too into the task.

I was doing what they couldn’t; she was their colleague’s daughter
after all.

When I came to my senses,
deputies were going in and out of the lodge, crime scene tape had been set up
around the perimeter, they were calling in forensics and crime scene techs, and
somebody was calling for the dogs to be brought in.

“I found one.” Somebody yelled from beyond the lodge.

I knew what that meant...she would’ve died here; if I hadn’t
followed my gut and placed the tracker on her she would’ve been lost.

I looked over to where dad was helping her to sit up, her hand
going to her head.

Falling back against the grass, I looked up at the stars as I
tried to gather my thoughts.

Off to the side where the asshole was still whimpering like a
bitch, I heard the Captain.....

“Travis Thorpe you’re under arrest for the kidnapping and unlawful
imprisonment of.......

Josh

“Joshua.......”

I heard her calling for me from where she sat with my father, for
some reason I couldn’t go to her right away, I didn’t feel calm enough to be
around her.

I wasn’t mad at my lamb in anyway, it’s just that the thought of
what could’ve happened to her here tonight, was making me mental.

“Joshua.......”

“Coming baby.” Suck it up Steele; she needs you, that’s all that
matters right now, you can deal with the rest later.

I rolled to my feet and walked towards her, my heart for some
reason deciding to go crazy again.

I was running before I reached half way, she tried to get up, but
poor thing she was still too weak.

Falling
to my knees beside her in the damp grass, I held her as tight as I’d ever held
her before, I wanted to absorb her into my skin, to wrap her in something soft
and strong and keep her safe for always.

We were seventeen years old
and already we’d lived a lifetime, how the fuck was I going to keep her safe,
how could I protect her from all the darkness in the world?

Her body shook with tears as I held her in my arms.

“Ssh, ssh, it’s okay now, I’ve got you.”

“Travis......”

“I know baby, he’s gone now he can’t hurt you anymore.”

I made soothing noises as she calmed down again.

“Why were you out there baby?”

“I got a text from you telling me to meet you.....”

“Text, I didn’t send you any text.”

“It was your number I’m sure, I’m not lying I swear....”

“Babe, I believe you, I’m not blaming you I’m just trying to
figure out what happened, I want to know how he knew you were there, did he say
anything to you, was anyone else there?”

Before she could answer one of her father’s deputies interrupted.

“We need to ask you some questions Carrie, sorry.....”

“She needs to be checked out....”

“It’s okay Joshua; I want to answer his questions.”

“She’s going to the hospital to get checked out, you can question
her there, or her father can do it later.”

“Fair enough, let’s go.”

I guess that meant no more answers for me for now but things were
lining up already. I knew now how they got her out.

“I’ll be right behind the ambu.....”

“No don’t leave me....”

She grabbed onto my shirt so tight I was almost pulled off
balance.

Pure terror shone in her eyes, my guts twisted and the anger came
back full force.

E fucking nough of this shit,
this is what happens when you let your guard down, when you tried doing shit
the politically correct way, when you tried to be what people expected you to
be.

Fuck this shit.

I picked her up and walked away from the deputy and towards Matt
and mom.

“You found her yet?”

Matt held up his phone to show me he’d still been trying to reach
Patti with no success.

“Change of plans bro, forget everything we talked about, this
shit......no way.”

There were too many ears around but I knew he understood every
word I was saying. Mom pleaded with me with her eyes not to do anything stupid.

Too late for that, stupid or not, shit was about to get ugly.

“Where’s Dyson?”

“They took him in for questioning I think.”

“James?”

“Looking.” He held up his phone again telling me without words
that James was on the hunt for Patti.

“We’re headed to the hospital.”

The
Captain had already sent the murdering rapist to the station, staying back I’m
sure because his only child was still here, I’m sure he had a lot to do, what
with other precincts wanting a piece of Travis since he’d attacked women in
other areas as well, but he was still here.

I headed in his general
direction to let him know we were leaving, there was an old dirt track that led
to the lodge area, but my jeep was still parked out on the side of the road.

“We need a ride out of here Captain, she needs to get looked at
and......”

“She can go in the ambulance; I’ll have someone follow in your
Rover.”

“That’s okay Matt can do it.” I hadn’t even noticed the ambulance.

I beckoned to Matt and told him the news when he came over,
throwing him the keys.

Carrie was way too quiet and I needed to get her taken care of
before I could leave, I wanted this shit taken care of before the night was
done.

In the ambulance I literally
had to lay down next to her, she clung on like a spider monkey, arms and legs
wrapped around me.

 I could think of only one way to soothe her, so with the burning
anger pushed to the side for the moment, I sang her a love song as I wrapped
her as tightly as possible in my arms until she started to settle.

The whole time my mind was working, there were two options open
for Patti, death, or prison.

One would be extremely satisfying for me; the other would destroy
her little by little.

There was no question which I would choose.

Carrie hiccupped in my arms; tears freely falling as the weight of
what she’d endured came crashing down on her.

“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you, I’ve always got you.”

 Josh

There was still a lot of shit
to be done, I needed to be in ten places at once, but there was only one place
I could be.

Carrie was still a little groggy when we finally made it to the
hospital where she’d been checked over to make sure she hadn’t been raped.

I stayed by her side throughout the whole ordeal while fighting
the need to scream and punch the fuck out of something every time she flinched.

Who wasn’t at the hospital was at the station, my father and
brother were looking after my interest there.