Page 24 of Knight

Thirty minutes later standing in front of my men, my mouth is dry. "Are we all clear on which sides of the house you're hitting?"

There are nods and mumbles throughout the room.

"Are we all completely clear on the gear you wear? No one goes in unprotected. I don't know if this guy is going to make a stand, or if he's going to let us come in."

Another round of nods and mumbles.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

There aren't any, and as I step away from the whiteboard I've been using, I know there's only one thing to do. "Alright, let's head out then."

*****

Driving to the house seems to take both a lifetime and five seconds. When we pull up, there's no one parked in the driveway, and when we breach the door, we can't hear anyone when we call out.

"Laurel Springs Police Department, Taylor if you're here, make some noise for me." I listen intently, but can't hear anything. Going to the back bedroom, I call out again. "Taylor, if you're here, tell me." This time I hear something. "Everybody be quiet," I yell. "Taylor, make that noise again."

This time I hear it a little bit better. It's coming from below me, where a bed is wedged against the wall. Going down on my knees, I start moving boxes that are piled underneath. I've moved about ten of them when I can actually hear her. She's screaming, but it's muffled. "I'm coming, hold on."

Eventually, Ransom and I are digging together, and when we finally come to what I think has to be the last box, I see her. She's got tape around her mouth, and her wrists are tied together. Reaching in, I haul her out, tears spilling from my eyes as the emotions of finding her flow through my body. I carefully rip the tape off her mouth. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she nods, tears spilling over her eyes. "Can I go home now?"

Little does she know what a loaded question that is, but I vow right now to make it as easy for her as I can.

Chapter Twenty-One

Rina

Seeing Mason walk through our back door is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. Knowing Taylor is at the hospital and will be going home with her family is one of the biggest blessings. "Are you okay?" I wrap my arms around his neck. "Is she okay?"

"She's got some bad days ahead of her. We still don't know everything that happened, but he confessed."

"He confessed?" I question, surprised as I've ever been.

"He didn't want her to have to speak up in court. He wanted to save her the embarrassment. Regardless of what this jackass has done, he cares for her in his own way."

"Did he tell you why he took her?" I ask, almost not wanting to know the truth. There's a part of me that wants to know for the sake of knowing, there's another part of me that realizes I want the answer in order to keep my other kids safe. If I know why and how she was taken, I can pass that info on to not only the kids in my class, but my grandkids as well.

"He saw her getting off the bus one day, believe it or not. Just saw her randomly and then couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. He became obsessed with her. From what he said, he followed her for months after that. What we caught was the very end of it. He was getting sick of making plans and not acting on them. The night before, he tried to break into their house, but her Dad was awake and he was afraid he'd get caught. The night of the abduction, he was going to get her, or die trying. That's why the parents were killed. They put up a fight,” he sighs. “They weren’t going to let him take her without fighting for her.”

“Jesus,” I sigh. “How is she going to live the rest of her life knowing they died trying to protect her?”

“She’s going to need a ton of therapy. I’m not even sure how she’s going to be able to walk down the street without looking at people as if they’re going to snatch her. And her family? Like how are they going to leave her? How are they going to let her come to school? How in the world are they going to let her out of their sight, so she can live a normal life? I wouldn’t let Kels out of my sight, I can tell you that.”

“Yeah,” I agree as I think about how anxious I would be for the rest of my time on earth. “They’re all going to need a lot of therapy. Fuck we may all need it.”

“Some of the guys will be randomly assessed over the next few days. This has been a long time coming for all of us. We’ve put in long days and nights. If I could give them all a week off, I would. Right now we’re going to have to rotate, so that everyone can get some time with their families, but it’s what we’re going to have to do.”

I smile up at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. “Your guys are lucky to have you, and I love that you care about them as much as you do.”

He wraps his arms around my waist. “Learned how to care for the guys by serving under Holden. That was the one thing he always preached. We were only as good as our mental, physical, and emotional health.”

“Are you going to make sure you’re taken care of too?” I lean in, kissing him softly on the lips.

“That’s what I have you for,” he whispers. “You make sure I’m well taken care of in all the ways that matter.”

I can’t remember a time when Mason looked as hot as he does right now. The tiredness on his face gives him the look of a teenager who’s spent his nights on the prowl. His beard is more full than it normally is, giving him a mysterious air. The hair on his head, slightly longer than usual, and hanging down in his eyes. He’s the type of man who makes dreams come true for everyone in his life. After all, he made all of mine come true. “I’ll take real good care of you, Mase.”

---