Page 127 of Muted

Sucking in dirt, I dig my face into the ground and shake my head in despair.

“I’ll pull out my phone right now and have them taken out. I’ll even let you listen if you want. Then you’ll know for sure you can see them on the other side. Wouldn’t that be pleasant?”

I feel absolutely defeated. Closing my eyes, I let my body go lax under his foot and find no pleasure this time when he sighs in frustration.

“Nothing but trouble. All of you.”

With one hand, he grabs me by the ropes still strung around my wrists and drags my body the few feet to the edge. Pulling higher, my spine is arched backwards, and my head falls against my shoulder to stare up at the sky.

“Christ. Your mother was so much easier to kill.”

Those are the last words I hear before something slams against my temple and I feel my body pitch forward. The last thought I have is that the dirt is so much softer than I had expected before my eyes fall shut for the last time.

Chapter 36

Bloody Mary

Chester

The muscles in my back strain as I pump my arms as hard as I can, sprinting just behind Vincent and his partner, Tony Singh. Pounding feet and crunching leaves are the only sound surrounding us as we rush toward Susu.

In my peripheral, I’ve got Vincent’s boss, Lieutenant Kevin Cooper, directly next to me. He doesn’t look around, completely focused on the direction we’re headed.

We’re all silent as we sprint through the woods. Thankfully, Arthur Walston was cocky enough to keep his phone on his body, which, with a fast-tracked warrant, we were able to gain his location within an hour, then began tracking him as he drove close to two hours out of town.

I know I’m lucky as fuck for being allowed to come along, but I had to promise that I wouldn’t get in front of the officers when we found her. There’s no doubt in my mind that he has her, either.

After going directly to her house, we found her bag and cellphone lying outside her back door next to a smear and droplets of blood. I about lost my mind when I saw it, but Vincent assured me that the amount was minor. Very non-life threatening.

That news barely cut through my panic, but it was enough to get me to focus on our next step. So, here we are. Gliding through the trees as silently as we can, but not entirely. At this point, we know it’s just the two of them together, so we’ve got him outnumbered.

I don’t give a fuck what they do to him. I just needher.

Theo was only a few hours from town when I told him what was happening. The roar he let out through the phone was of a man who was terrified of the woman who has his heart, and I hated being the one to deliver the news.

I’m sure Vance knows by this point as well. His flight should have left over thirty minutes ago with Susu’s aunt and uncle. For now, I’ll let the two of them work out transportation from the airport. I have no idea when they’re supposed to arrive, and frankly, I’m not worried about it right now.

“Just ahead,” Lt Cooper says softly. I’m impressed that the man isn’t out of breath at this point. He’s graying around his temple, but I’d be willing to bet he could lay me flat on my ass if we ever got into a fight.

Zeroing in on the trees in front of me, I see a flash of light glinting off metal, which I assume is Arthur’s car. My body surges forward, coming even with Vincent, who casts a quick glance in my direction.

Whipping his hand out, he grabs hold of my arm to prevent me from charging in, at the same time he reaches to his side to pull his gun free. “You gotta stay behind us, Chester,” he warns. I nod and force my legs to slow down, no matter how much my head is screaming at me to keep going.

We all jerk our gazes toward the voices when we hear, “Christ. Your mother was so much easier to kill.”

“I fucking knew it,” Vincent hisses. Holding his gun in front of him with both hands as we pick our way through the trees as quietly as possible, Susu and her grandfather finally come into view.

My chest seizes as I watch him wrench her body high into the air before slamming the butt of his gun against her head. “No,” I cry brokenly, stumbling forward even though I know I won’t catch her before she hits the ground. Her body disappears into a hole I didn’t notice before I watched the woman I love get smacked so hard in the head that she never had a chance to make a noise.

Someone tackles me to the ground to stop me, and I fight him like a madman in an attempt to reach her. Throwing an elbow, I find so much satisfaction when I hear a pained grunt before a knee is shoved in the center of my back.

Looking in front of me, I watch as Vincent and Cooper stalk forward with their guns aimed at Walston and I know it’s Singh that’s pinned me. Leaning down, pressing his weight into me, he hisses, “I’m going to let you up in just a minute. Let them subdue him first. Don’t get yourself killed before you reach her. He’s got a gun.”

My heart is pounding in my throat when I nod against the ground. “Let me up. I didn’t think. I’m good,” I promise him, and he releases me with a sigh.

Bile turns in my stomach as I watch him start to scoop dirt with the shovel, pouring it over the area where Susu was just dumped, like she was worth nothing to him. He only has maybe half a minute before Cooper shouts, “Walston!Stop what you’re doing. Throw the gun away from you and put your hands in the air!”

I crawl to my knees, ignoring the foliage sticking to my pants, and step forward with Singh at my side.

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