Page 29 of Dark Knight

“Get the hell out of here, Cindy. You don’t want to be around when I’m done with this place.” It’s the only warning I’m going to give the woman. “Holden, call someone to come collect these patients. I’m sure some don’t deserve to be here, though some likely do.” If they’ve taken Bea hostage, there’s no telling how many others are in the same situation.

“Who the fuck do I call?” he mutters as he pulls out his phone.

“Doesn’t King know the governor?” I’m sure there are many others, too.

“Good call.”

I’ve already texted the guys to round up all the doctors and nurses in this place and lock them up somewhere secure. I need to know who tended to Bea before deciding who’s sticking around for the incineration.

“Dad's on it,” Holden says as we exit the stairwell on the third floor.

“302.” I read the number on the door. “Other end.” They stuck her in a corner room. Rushing to the end of the hall, I stop dead when I see her number. A chart is in a display case on the wall, and I pull it out to take a fast glance. “Psychosis, mentally unstable, a danger to others. Fucking assholes.” Holden points to something farther down the page, and I see red. “Sterilization approved.”

I’ve seen enough. Shoving the folder into my back pocket, I lift a booted foot and kick the door open. The frame splinters, and the knob lodges into the wall on the other side. Stepping in, I don’t find Bea anywhere.

“Where the fuck is she?” There’s nowhere for her to hide in here.

“Is that window open?” Holden asks, and we both stride over.

Shoving on it, I see the bar holding it open has been broken off, and there are scratch marks along the windowsill. Looking down, I don’t see her mangled body, but I notice woods a few hundred yards away and ripped fabric on the broken metal.

“She fucking jumped,” I hiss, both pissed and proud of her. “There’s a window below. Send someone there; see if anyone is in the room and if they saw her. I’m heading to those woods.”

“On it.” We leave, zooming down the stairs. Holden exits on the second floor. “I’ll call you,” he says.

I don’t respond. All I want is to get outside and to where Bea is. She’s probably freezing cold, hurt, and scared as hell.Fuck.I pause as I’m about to exit the stairs. What the hell am I going to do if she still doesn’t remember me? I hadn’t even thought about that before.

“Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head and continue on, searching for the nearest exit on that side of the building. I stop when I recognize Easton with a doctor. “Who’s that?” I shout down the hall.

“Dr. Crosby.” He walks the man towards me. “Says he hasn’t a clue who we’re looking for. I think he’s lying.”That’s who Cindy said checked Bea in.

“Bea is going to be my wife,” I tell him, keeping my tone calm. “She’s pregnant with my child.” His face pales. As soon as they’re close enough to reach, my hands whip out and grip his chin and the back of his head. “You were going to kill my child.”

With one hard twist, his neck snaps, and I let him drop to the floor. My only regret is not having the time to make him suffer properly.

“I guess I was right then.” Easton shrugs, already forgetting the man. “Where we headed?” He claps his hands together, rubbing them furiously.

“The woods. She jumped from her third-story window. Holden’s seeing if someone witnessed which way she went.”

“After you.” We push through the door into the rainy night, ignoring the elements in search of Bea. Sprinting to the woods, I almost immediately spot white popping out of a tree. Digging the object out, I find two sheets tied together and the broken piece of bar. “Check this out!” Easton calls over a loud clap of thunder.

Footprints.

Small. Bare.

“That’s her.” I’d bet my life on it.

Following behind Easton since he’s tracking her, I grab my phone when it rings. “Yeah?”

“Along the property line. The guy said he saw her hide her shit in a tree and then run along the perimeter. There’s a road that way, but he says it’s fenced.”

“Thanks, Holden.” Hanging up, I tell East, “Let’s go. There’s a road up ahead. She could be there.” Neither of us hesitates to break into a run, and after a few minutes, I hear the cars on the nearby road. But when we get closer, what I see drains the blood from my veins.

* * *

Bea

“Please don’t do this.” I had been too weak to fight her off. Frozen from the elements, my limbs wouldn't work the way I demanded them to.

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