Page 82 of CHASE: Captive to the Dark

“No. I’m just giving you a ride.”

“Where are we staying then?”

Jim laughed under his breath, grabbing for his phone to check the time. “The one place no one will ever think to look for us.”

“Where’s that?”

“Down the valley, below Chase’s. My father’s old house. I haven’t been there since he got arrested. Swore up and down I would never return. I think it’s time.”

The closeness gave me hope, but if I knew Jim, things weren’t as good as they sounded. Walter shook his head and sighed, pulling me from my fantasies about somehow escaping.

“What you need to do is get the hell out of here and go to Denver like I told you from the beginning.”

“We’re not getting into this again, Uncle Walter. This is my town. I stay.”

“It’s not your town when no one even believes you’re alive. You’re a ghost, sending others to deal with your connections. They’re trusted contacts, boy. I got them directly from your father. They’re safe. Come out of hiding and deal with this on your own.”

Jim made a threatening sound, spinning toward us. “No one is safe! No one is trustworthy. If they were, my father wouldn’t be behind bars right now.”

“He’s behind bars because he got a chip on his shoulder and took on more than he should have. New people. New contacts. It’s horse shit! And I told him that. I told him they weren’t to be trusted, but did he listen? No. Just like you. Stick with who you know. Read them. Pull away when things turn hot and suspicious, but keep your usual contacts. It’s how the game works. Take it from an old man who’s been in this field longer than you have. I know what I’m talking about. You’d be smart to cut the ties with those gangbangers from the west before they discover your little secret. And they will. You’re bringing in a new girl. A girl! Not even a woman. Do you not think they’re going to question that?”

“You let me worry about them,” Jim bit out. “Kit is Rory’s sister. As far as they know, Rory brought her in. If she can stop cowering for five minutes and grow a spine, she’ll be fine.”

“Grow a spine?” I said, cocking my head. “Are you serious? You’ve had a fucking gun on me for days. You cut a man’s throat right before my eyes. Sure, that scares me, but you forget that I’m also pregnant. Am I supposed to not fear for my child? That’s bullshit, Jim. If you want tough, I’ve been through more shit than you’ll ever know. You really want me to prove I have what it takes?” I asked angrily. “These contacts will think twice about doubting who they’re messing with. I’ll make Rory look like an amateur. As for me being a girl? Fuck both of you if you think I can’t take care of business. I may not know this life, but I know how to survive. And I don’t merely live day by day, I excel. Teach me what I need to do and I’ll show you how to do it better.”

Jim let a smile stretch across his lips. “Better, huh? There’s the spirit.”

“My spirit is getting pissed at being contained. I wanted freedom. To go about my life however I wish. If I’m taking Rory’s spot, I want to do what he did. I want to play a huge role in this town. I have to become a member of Untold. It’s more than meeting contacts and dealing drugs, Jim. Trust me, I know a thing or two about how society works. I’m almost finished with my degree in it.

“If you don’t want one of the residents reporting me for suspicious activity, let me win them over. Let them embrace me and my situation. Think about it. I’m a single mother, pregnant by a man they all respect. That already wins points in their eyes. As far as they know, Chase and I didn’t work. Or maybe…” I grew quiet, feeling sick at what I was about to say. “Perhaps if I clued a few of the wives or women in on the truth of my captivity, maybe I could win the town’s favor. After all, who wouldn’t feel sorry for a young girl held against her will by a sadistic priest? That could lead to lots of opinions on my pregnancy. You could actually come out looking like the hero. My cousin, jumping in to save me from a real monster. Maybe you saw it in him first. Maybe that’s why you were hiding.”

Jim’s lips separated and I could see his thoughts going a million miles an hour. “That could work. Fuck, Kit…you’re good. You could do this. And you could help me in the process.”

“Of course I can do it,” I snapped. “You should have brought me in from the beginning. Then you wouldn’t be in the mess you are now.”

Still, he stared ahead in a daze.

“Jim, we do have to do something about getting the drugs out of this town,” I said firmly.

“You, too?” His eyes cut back to me.

“Think about it,” I said, just as irritated. “If you want this town to embrace us, you have to get rid of the one thing that continues to bring them problems. People are dying. They’re losing their loved ones. Rory can easily be to blame. You can look even better by helping me clean this place up.”

“She’s right,” Walter said, glancing over toward us. “Your father’s biggest rule was to keep it out of Untold. That was at the beginning, of course, before he started using his own supply. But it was the smartest decision at the time and I think it’s best if it goes back that way. This girl…” he paused, “this woman, knows what she’s talking about. It’s best you listen.”

Chapter 28

Chase

Four weeks and nothing.

The days dragged out, each hour, a torturous reminder of my failure to find Kit. Over the time I’d been looking, my obsession for her only increased. She plagued my dreams, twisting my mind so much, I woke up smelling the fragrance of her skin. Strands of long, blonde hair randomly showed up on my clothes and in my bed. Her presence was strong, regardless that she was nowhere to be found. It killed me and left the beast within in a rage for anyone who crossed my path.

A cool wind blew, warmer than the previous days. As my hands gripped the railing of the deck tightly, I couldn’t stop from praying. Pleas were nonstop and although my faith was strong, I could feel hope starting to dwindle.

“It’s almost time, Father.”

Palo’s footsteps neared, but I continued to stare off into the darkness. Seeing nothing but her. Was her stomach growing? Was Kit showing signs of carrying my child? Was she still sick? Time and distance had a way of not only strengthening emotions, but bringing a longing so intense, it was sometimes hard to breathe. I knew I had feelings for her before, but being without her energy, her smile, they hadn’t faded. Not even close. I, Chase Harrison, had fallen in love with her.

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