Page 42 of Encircled in Darkness
Devlin maneuvered through the traffic as we listened to Margaret tell Amaya her sister was slipping away. I glanced at him and his jaw ticked with anger. Knowing she wasn’t thinking rationally when she ran out, I tried to call her cell again, only for it to go straight to voicemail.
I dialed the rehab hospital and after some pressing, was able to get Margaret on the phone. She had always looked at Amaya with sympathetic eyes. I hoped she would tell me if Natalia was still hanging on or if she had passed.
“Is this James?” her motherly voiced sounded through the car speakers.
“Yes. I just found out Natalia took a turn for the worse. How is she? Is Amaya still there?”
“Honey, Natalia passed about an hour ago. It was peaceful and Amaya was here when she passed. She left here about twenty minutes ago. She said she was going home to wait for you.”
“Thank you, Margaret. I know Amaya appreciates everything.”
“James, you gotta take care of that girl. She’s hanging on by a thread and I’m worried about her.”
“You have my word. I’ll take care of her. I love her.”
That was the first time I admitted that to anyone, and I saw Devlin crack a rare smile. I should have said it to Amaya first, but I planned to shout to the world that she was mine. I disconnected my call with Margaret as Devlin, Freddie, and I pulled into her driveway. Using my keys, I let myself in and found the back door open.
I pulled my gun from the holster, nodded to Devlin, and we began to slowly sweep her house. Walking into her bedroom, I found Nova asleep on Amaya’s spot and I shook my head. Holstering my weapon, I shouted into the house. “House is clear. It’s the cock blocking cat.”
Walking over, I scratched his head and whispered. “I’m going to bring her home to you.”
Moving to the other bedroom, I unlocked the door and powered up my computer system. Since I spent most of my time with Amaya, I needed access to my files. I inhaled deeply and began to furiously type, hoping to track her. I was concerned about her driving so close to losing her sister. The only weakness that beautiful woman had was Natalia, and after her dream last night, I was worried.
“I wired the car for sound. Let me pull it up and see where she’s at.”
A few keystrokes later, I could see her from the camera in the speedometer and she wiped her eyes as she left the rehab hospital. Watching her through the camera, I could see the pain and anguish on her beautiful face. A small dot was moving down a map as I watched her but was unable to comfort her.
Devlin walked into the room, handed me a green smoothie and his eyes turned to the monitors. Seeing Amaya so broken, he cracked his neck and left the room. It was tough for him to see a woman in pain and people always thought he was cold and distant, when in reality; it hurt his heart to witness.
Just as I turned back to the scream, I heard Amaya curse and saw as she struggled with the wheel. Her eyes were filled with terror and she screamed as the sound of another car hitting hers blared through the speakers. I could see her get jarred hard to the side before the camera toppled. She was in a rollover and I yelled to the monitor.
“No!”
Devlin and Freddie ran into the room as the camera was knocked offline. There was still volume and I could hear her moaning. She was in pain and I was helpless to assist her.
“I’m in here.” Her weak voice called out to someone. I turned to Devlin and my breathing was stilted as the sounds of someone helping her out of the car echoed through the speakers.
Her voice grew muffled and we heard him speak just before I swept my hand across the desk, knocking the monitor off to the floor.
“Victor said it’s time to come home, pet.”The rumbled voice of that asshole lawyer threatening my woman was the last thing I heard before the monster roared into the room.
I stormed past Devlin and Freddie, trying to get to my truck when I felt Devlin grip my arm, stopping me from leaving. Turning, I swung a fist at my brother and connected with his jaw. He pushed me against the wall, using his full body weight to keep me immobile.
“Now that you got your anger out of the way, we need to figure out where they took her. It’s time to make those fuckers pay.” His eyes were filled with fire and he stared me down, relaying the importance of me thinking clearly.
Going off half-cocked would get Amaya killed, so it was time for us to plan. I nodded my head at him, and he stepped back, keeping a hand in the middle of my chest. “Do you have any other way to track her?” he asked and moved back another step.
“Her fucking phone is dead and if they have her out of the car, I don’t have any way to find her.”
Devlin and I began looking through security cameras and I pulled up the number I had for Greg. Using every back channel and secret backdoor I could find, I hacked into his phone and could finally track his location. It had been hours since he took her when I saw he was moving toward that fucking house in Lincolnville. If he took Amaya there, I worried what they had planned for her.
Things I was afraid she wouldn’t come back from. She may have a darkness, but it was a safe place for her to hide from the horrors she experienced. It was a place for her to allow herself to feel her genuine needs without shame. With her losing Natalia, whatever they had schemed could push her over the edge.
“We need to get to that damn house.” I barked, slamming my laptop closed.
The sound of a motorcycle pulling up outside rumbled through the small house, and I opened the front door to find Skid stepping off his bike. He brushed his hair off his forehead and walked to the back door. Entering, he looked me straight in the eyes and I could see he had a secret.
“What is it?” I asked, the deadly tone seeping out.
