Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (35 page)

“Yeah.” He said hesitantly. “Why?”

“You remember my friend Cassie?” I asked, hoping he’d remember a girl he’d slept with. When he nodded, I continued, “She’s been missing since last week. She was last seen here, and I had hoped to see the footage from that night. I have my suspicions as to who she was with, but I want some proof to take to the police.”

“You haven’t talked to the police, yet?” He asked.

“Not yet. I was hoping to have some hard evidence, first.” I explained. “So, can you help me?”

“Uh.” He hesitated, glancing around the room. “Yeah, come to the back office.”

I made my way around the bar and followed him into a miniscule office. There were five monitors that showed the different security camera footage. I scanned the screens until I spotted Eli and Sam. They were moving toward the door and looked like they were headed out.
Well, there goes my ride,
I thought. I really needed to start thinking things through before leaping into action.

“All of our cameras are digital, but we back it up every week onto discs. I’ll have to find last week’s in storage. I’ll be right back.” Hunter said from behind me.

I heard the office door close behind him as he left. I glanced around the office, which seemed to only be used for paperwork. It had a tiny desk with a computer on top of it, a filing cabinet, and a couple of chairs. It definitely wasn’t an employee hangout.

My phone began to beep from inside my purse. A message from Tom popped up on the screen.
Party tonight. My place @ 10.
I definitely wasn’t in a party mood considering I was about to find out if my boyfriend was a murderer. I replied that I was busy tonight. After it sent, I noticed I still had an unread message from earlier. I never did check it after I found that receipt.

It was from Tiffany. I immediately opened it, hoping she remembered something else. I heard Hunter return, but I didn’t look up from my phone. I opened the message and gasped.
Hey, I remember who she went home with that night. It was that bartender. Hunter.
My eyes lifted from my phone to meet his deep green eyes. I tried to play it cool but couldn’t stop the slight shake in my hand. He had his hand behind his back, and my mind played out all the different scenarios of what he was holding.

“Did you find it?” I asked but couldn’t keep my voice steady enough.

His face grew dark. He knew.
Damn my horrible poker face
. If I survived this, I would work on that. My eyes darted to the door that he stood in front of, blocking my way. I groaned internally. How could I not have realized it was Hunter? I was too focused on Eli and Sam to even consider the other possibilities. Guilt joined my terror when I thought about how I had been mentally accusing Eli of murder. I was the worst girlfriend, ever.

Hunter stepped forward, revealing his hands, which held a bottle of something and a rag.
Oh shit. That’s chloroform.
He was going to take me.
No, he was going to kill me.
I let out a blood curdling scream that I knew no one could hear. No one knew where I was because I’d stupidly snuck in the back of my boyfriend’s van, so not even my ride knew I was here.

Hunter thrust toward me with the rag aimed for my face. I dove to the side at the last second, and he stumbled into the monitors. I jetted for the door, but he grabbed my ankle. I fell to the ground, dropping my purse. I reached for my phone that had fallen out, but his hand gripped my wrist, twisting my arm in a painful direction. The rag found my mouth and reality faded, along with Hunter’s face.

Aiden

Aiden waited in his truck as he considered whether or not to go in after them. He had parked on the side of the street so he could see the entrance better. He’d seen Eli and Sam go inside with Bridget not far behind. He wanted nothing more than to race in there after them, but he knew it would cause more trouble if he did. Besides, if he stopped Bridget now before she found whatever she was searching for, she would only do it again and next time, he might not be around in case it blew up in her face. As worry gnawed at his insides, his patience dwindled. When he saw Eli and Sam emerge from the club without Bridget, he lost any control he had left.

He sprang from his truck, moving toward Eli. Sam whispered something to Eli and headed toward the parking garage. Aiden stomped over to Eli, who seemed surprised to see him but immediately covered it with a cocky grin.

“Where’s Bridget?” Aiden asked shortly. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Eli’s shit.

“Seriously? This again? Get over it, she’s obviously moved on. I thought you got a clue when you saw us at the hotel.” Eli shot.

“Where is she?” Aiden grabbed Eli’s shirt throwing him against the wall. “If you did
anything
to her, I’ll tear you from limb to limb.”

“Chill out.” Eli knocked Aiden off of him. “She’s not even here. I dropped her off at her house a while ago.”

“Yes, she is. I saw her climb into your van. You can’t tell me you didn’t know she was there.” Aiden said in disbelief. There was no way Eli couldn’t have heard her.

“I didn’t. Sam was playing the music too loud.” Eli shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense, though. Why would she do that?”

“I’ll be sure to ask when I find her.” Aiden whirled away from Eli.

“I’m coming with you.” Eli asserted.

“No, you’re-.” Aiden began.

He stopped mid-sentence when he heard a piercing scream that sounded like Bridget. His eyes met Eli’s briefly before they both took off toward the sound. They sped around the corner of the club and were nearly run over by a black work van. Aiden recognized the driver as the bartender. Aiden and Eli dove out of the van’s path right in time. Aiden’s gut clenched when he got a whiff of Bridget’s scent as the van flew by them. Eli hadn’t noticed it and raced to a door that led to the club from the alleyway.

“Bridget was here. Her purse was on the ground.” Eli’s eyes were wide.

“Yeah, she was in that van.” Aiden announced.

“What the hell is going on, Matthews?” Eli demanded. “Who was that guy, and why did he have Bridget?”

“Bridget made it her mission to find the Lincoln murderer, and it appears that she succeeded.” Aiden raced to his truck with lightning speed as Eli stayed on his heels. Aiden flew into the driver’s seat as Eli threw open the passenger side door.

“No.” Aiden growled at him.

“It’s Bridget. I’m coming.” Eli gave him a stubborn expression that told Aiden it would take more time than he had to remove him from the vehicle.

“Fine.”

Bridget

My mind was still foggy as I lifted my eyelids. I laid on my back in a dark room on a hard, dirt floor. It took a few moments for my muscles to begin responding to my commands. With wobbly arms, I scrambled up onto my knees. My head spun and nausea overwhelmed me. I took long breaths to keep my lunch inside of me.
Where was I?
Once I felt somewhat normal, I glanced around the room and the memory of being taken came back to me.

I recognized the room from my dream; the one Cassie had been tied up in. Now that I was in it, I realized it was a basement. If this was the same place, Cassie had to be somewhere close. I needed to get out and find her. I only hoped it wasn’t too late. I inhaled some dust that was in the air and suppressed a cough, not wanting to alert anyone to my wakened state. I crawled over to a wall and used it for support to stand up. I glimpsed down at my hands that were now covered in dirt. Brushing them against my jeans, I scanned the room, noticing a small amount of light seeping below a door that was at the top of a staircase.

Once I felt steady enough to walk without making a ton of noise, I tiptoed up the stairs, pausing each time it creaked under my weight. At the top, I grabbed the doorknob and twisted slowly, but it was locked. I stared at the lock and remembered how Aiden had shown me how to use my bobby pin to pick one. I pulled one out of my matted hair. Spreading apart the two ends, I mimicked what I saw Aiden do, not actually expecting it to work, but hoping it would, none the less. I spent several minutes twisting it without any luck. Right before I was going to give up, I heard the lock click.
Okay, now I just have to get out without anyone seeing me.
That would be harder than it sounded, though. I had no idea who was on the other side of the door. I twisted the doorknob, silently opening it only enough to listen.

When only silence filled my ears, I shifted it further, sticking my head out. The door opened up to a dining room, which was connected to a kitchen without a door. I could hear a television on in the other room that was right around the corner. I scanned the room for an exit and spotted a door that led outside. It was right across the dining room. I would only have to run the short distance, and I’d be out.
But what if Cassie’s still in here somewhere?
I’d have to come back in after Hunter was asleep or if I could find a weapon of some sort. I was about to jet for it when I heard a phone ring from the table. I quietly shut the door as heavy footsteps entered the dining room.

“This is Jed.” I heard a man say in a gruffly voice. “Yeah, I know. Hunter had to come home. There’s been a family emergency. Sorry I didn’t call. But hey, could you do me a huge favor and lock up the club, tonight?... Thanks, I owe you one.” He slammed the phone shut and let out a growl. “Dammit, Hunter!” He muttered to himself, and I heard his footsteps head back toward the living room.

I took a deep breath and stuck my head out, again. The room was once again empty, so this time I didn’t hesitate as I flew to the back door. I gently nudged open the screen door. Despite my efforts, the rusty hinges gave out a screech. My muscles screamed at me as I forced them to move through the terror that threatened to hold me frozen in place. Outside the door, there was a screened in porch with a rocking chair and deep-freezer on it.

“Hunter, get your ass in here.” I heard Jed say from the living room. He probably thought it was Hunter when I opened the door. Crap, now he was going to come out here.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” I heard Hunter say a few feet from the porch.

My heart pounded furiously as I searched for a place to hide. The freezer seemed like the obvious choice. I opened the lid but nearly let out a scream when I saw blonde hair, lots of blonde hair. I didn’t have time to inspect it further because Hunter opened the porch door right as I ducked down behind the rocking chair.

I squeezed my eyes shut as tightly as I could.
No, that couldn’t be Cassie. It just couldn’t be. There was no way she was dead. I would have felt it; I’m sure of it.
Yet, all the reassuring in the world couldn’t stop the alarm that was penetrating my insides.

“What do you want?” Hunter snapped as he stepped into the dining room. I could hear their conversation clearly since he left the back door wide open, making my escape trickier.

“Do you even realize how guilty it’s going to look that you left without explanation on the night
that
girl went missing?” He screamed at Hunter.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Jed. I wasn’t thinking.” Hunter said in a childlike voice.

Uncle Jed? Well, apparently the FBI didn’t even know the little bit they thought they did. They weren’t brothers or father and son. They were uncle and nephew. No wonder they hadn’t been caught, yet. The FBI was so stuck on their little profile that they were as lost as ever.

“You shouldn’t have taken her! This is not the plan.” Jed continued to scowl.

“She knew! I couldn’t simply let her go. She would have told the cops.” Hunter explained. “Besides, I thought maybe I could have her.” He continued in a very low voice.

“What?” Jed growled, sounding shocked and furious. “Absolutely not! She’s not even the right type.”

“But we could dye her hair. Please!” Hunter pled.

“It’s out of the question. We just need to get rid of her.” Jed said firmly.

“Fine, I’ll do it now.” Hunter muttered.

My hands began to shake. They were going to kill me, and I was out of time to escape. He was going to find an empty basement and come searching for me.

“There’s no time for that, now. We are running behind as it is. Finish preparing for the ceremony. You can deal with that bitch, later.” Jed grumbled.

Ceremony? Maybe that meant Cassie was still alive. But what was in the freezer, then? Hunter came barreling back through the door and off the porch without even glancing in my direction. I held my breath as his form faded into the darkness. I couldn’t see where he was headed from my squatted position, but something told me wherever it was, Cassie would be there. I slowly stood up, keeping my eyes glued on the now closed back door that could spring open at any moment with Jed behind it.

I knew I had no time to spare, but curiosity got the better of me, and I lifted the lid to the freezer, once more. I gasped louder than I should have, but the sight was horrendous. It was filled with fingers, each tied off with a lock of hair like a ring. I prayed to whoever was listening that Cassie’s finger wasn’t in there. I needed to get to her and fast.

I closed the lid with little noise and crept across the porch. I nudged the screen door open slowly and slid through it. I glided down the steps and took off in a dead run in the direction I saw Hunter head. As soon as I rounded the corner of the house, I knew where I’d find Cassie. There was a red barn a hundred yards behind the house. The lights inside it were lit up, and I could see Hunter’s figure moving around inside.

I glanced down, finally noticing my bare feet. My shoes must have fallen off me while I was drugged, at some point. Oh well, they weren’t exactly running shoes anyway and would have only slowed me down. I raced toward the barn, ignoring the ache in my side. Mental note two thousand and five: if I survived this, I was most definitely going to start working out.

The grass felt wet and slick beneath my feet as if it had been drizzling moments ago. The ground was cold against my skin as the frigid air bit through my clothing. It was so dark outside tonight that I could only hope I didn’t trip over something and bust open my head. As I closed the distance between me and the barn, I managed to stay in the upright position the entire time. Falling against the outside wall, I took a moment to catch my breath.

I almost started walking away from that spot when I heard Hunter’s voice. I froze in place until I realized it was coming from inside of the barn. The only reason it sounded so loud was because there was a small window right above me that I didn’t notice before.

Light seeped out of it like a beam above my head. I lifted myself up onto my tiptoes and peaked through. My legs nearly gave way at the sight of Cassie lying in only her bra and underwear on a cot right below the window.

She appeared weak, or maybe drugged. Her skin was bright red and raw with blisters bubbling up in various places.
What had they done to her? What were they planning to do to her?
My stomach rolled inside me when I noticed a lock of her hair was tied around her left ring finger. At least it was still attached…for now. I needed to do something, or she was doomed.

I glanced around the tiny area for Hunter. My eyes fell to his back as he leaned over a table. I couldn’t tell what was lying on the table, but it made a clanking sound as he moved it about. He twisted around and was facing Cassie and me.

Of course, his sole attention was on her limp body lying atop the hard cot. If it weren’t for the feeble rise and fall of her chest, I would have thought Cassie was dead.
But she’s not,
I reminded myself.
Focus, Bridget! You need to find a way to get her out before she does end up dead.

“Sorry, bunny. I actually sort of liked you, but what Uncle Jed wants, Uncle Jed gets.” Hunter said to Cassie as if she were wide awake. “You became his the moment you proved to be such a whore. Sleeping with some guy
in the bathroom
of a club? Who does that?” His voice dripped with disgust. He seemed to leave out the fact that
he
was that guy. Was there no penalty for being a
man-whore
? “No worries, though. Soon, you will be cleansed, and then, there’ll be nothing standing between you and heaven. So, don’t you see? We are
saving you.
” I felt revulsion at the words coming from his mouth.
Saving her?
They were going to
kill
her.

Hunter gathered a large bundle of material from the table. Only when he held it up and let it drape down did I realize what it was. It was an old fashioned wedding dress. The lump that had been forming in my throat grew when I saw that the design included puffy sleeves. It was exactly like the one I had seen Nicole wearing in the dream I had about her body.
If the dress was left on Nicole’s body, then how is it that he’s holding it, right now?