Page 30 of The Madman's Nightmare
Iusually didn’t like to interject into Devlin’s stories, but this part of the story, he wasn’t around for, so I thought I’d fill you in.
Standing in the kitchen, I knew something was wrong. The table was newer than any of the other pieces in the house, and it was out of place. Just like the single plate, fork, and lone knife.
I moved around the room, looking for anything to tell who was using the cutlery. I wished the room had light, so I pushed open the heavy curtain covering a door, allowing moonlight to cast through the panes. I looked through the glass and saw the back yard illuminated by the full moon. Moving around, I let my eyes focus in the moderate light coming in, and I saw something near the foot of one of the chairs that drew my attention.
Moving to the chair, I leaned down and ran my hands over what looked like a cobweb. My fingers caught on something, and I lifted it to see a tangle of hair. Standing, I held it up to the light and saw little bulbs on the ends, showing they were ripped instead of cut or shed.
I could hear updates of where Devlin was from Rhys, and they were moving into the hallway as I stepped away from the table and turned to face the wall opposite the door that went outside to the back yard. There was a built-in hutch with doors on the bottom and three shelves on the top. It was something I’d seen in Eleanor’s house when we’d visited, and I thought about what she had said about it a few years ago.
“Some people used the cabinets to cover safes or other things they wanted to keep private.”
Walking closer, I looked down at the moonlight casting over the floor, and when I was standing in front of it, I noticed something else. Squatting, I ran my fingers over the floor in front of the hutch and felt rough wood in the shape of a semi-circle. My gloves had a flashlight built into the index finger, so I pressed the small switch in the back of the knuckle to turn it on.
A small, bright white beam of light came from my glove, and I lifted my finger, pointing the light at the floor then the hutch. The bottom shelf had a small square that didn’t look right, and I reached over and pressed the front. It swung open and inside was a doorknob. I stood and turned the knob, feeling it was locked.
I pulled my toolkit out and pushed the metal picks into the lock, feeling the cheap clasp unlatch. My heart was racing as I turned the handle and pulled the hutch open, revealing a set of stairs going underground. There was a faint light coming from the side of the room, and I lifted my gun and began moving down the stairs.
It could be an ambush, but it didn’t feel like one, and when I got to the bottom of the stairs, I found a light seeping around the frame of a poorly constructed door tucked into the corner. The closer I got, the more I knew I was on the right track.
I turned the knob and led with my gun before looking into the small room. A small-framed woman lied on the bed, her hair covering her face and a thin blanket covering some of her bruised and bloodied body.
Rushing to her, I crouched down and moved her hair to make sure she was still alive. Elise was unconscious but breathing, and I spoke fast and urgently.
“I found her. I found Elise.”
Heavy footsteps began to thunder closer to us as I lifted her from the bed and began to carry her out of the room. Her head rested against my chest, and when she opened her eyes—or the one that opened all the way—I saw her familiar gaze looking back at me as she whispered, “James, you came for me.”
Her head lulled to the side as I carried her up the stairs, careful not to hit her body on the wall or banister as I got up to the top. Pushing the hutch opened with my shoulder, I had just gotten up to the kitchen when I heard Devlin and the rest coming through the dining room
I placed Elise onto the table and brushed her hair from her face as Devlin ran into the room and pushed me out of the way.
“Elise? Lamb, it’s me. I’m here, baby,” he said to her as he ran his hands across her busted face and bruised body.
She stirred, and he got closer to her as she blinked open her eyes and said, “Get away from me. This is your fault.”
She passed out, and Devlin’s eyes grew wide as he stood straight. He kept his hand against hers as he turned to me and demanded, “Get an ambulance.”
“They’re on the way,” Lucian said from behind us, and Devlin nodded before walking out the back door and into the yard.
Lucian looked at me, and I shook my head, showing him this was his to deal with. I wasn’t leaving Elise alone until I knew she was okay. Then, and only then, would I ask her what she’d endured and who did this to her.
Until then, I had to protect my sister, even if it broke my brother’s heart in the process.
Chapter 16
Elise
Ivaguely remember someone carrying me up the stairs and the bumpy ride in an ambulance, but most of the events of my rescue were a blur. I was admitted to the hospital two days ago, and I’d been in, but mostly out, since I was admitted. When I woke up this morning, Chuck was sitting in the chair beside the bed, reading something on his tablet.
Turning my head, I slowly blinked, realizing the swelling in my eyes was mostly gone. The blurry vision was gone and when I shifted in the bed, Chuck turned and jumped from his chair. Carefully, he took my hand and stroked the back.
“Hey,” he said and I turned my gaze to him.
“Hey,” I replied, and looked around the room. There were roses, cards, a balloon drifting up to the ceiling near the window, and what looked like a lunch tray in the rolling table near my feet. Glancing back at Chuck, I asked through a scratchy throat. “Where’s Devlin?”
Chuck cut his eyes to the side before he brought his worried gaze back to me. “He’s at the apartment but he’ll be back in a while.” He cleared his throat and asked, “Can I get you anything?”
“Something to drink,” I responded and pushed up in the bed, feeling my ribs pinch on my side. Placing my hand on them, I felt a tight bandage covering the area as I hissed out loud. “Damn that hurts.”
