Hunted: Book 2 of the Watched Trilogy Read online

  “I’m fine,” she says and wipes at the tears.

  “It’s him, isn’t it?” Mack asks.

  “I haven’t seen Kane in five years.”

  “You know that’s not the him I’m referring to.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do I need to have a chat with him?”

  “No. I actually got another letter. Obviously too late.”

  “Shit.”

  “Can we look at the letters? He’s gotta be staying somewhere. There has to be something in what he’s saying that tells us where he is.”

  “Let’s head to my office,” Sam says leading them back.

  Sam lays out the first two letters, and Parker pulls the third out of her bag. As they’re reading through the short letters, Sam gets an email and opens it. It’s an image of the crime scene showing the victim, who Parker assumes is Ryder’s mom, on her front steps.

  “Oh my God,” she gasps.

  “Sorry,” Sam says. “Didn’t think before I opened it.”

  “No, the flowers.”

  “What about them?” Mack asks walking around the desk to look at the image.

  “He talks about them in the last letter.”

  “So?”

  “He’s been under our noses the whole time,” she whispers.

  “Park, point us in the same direction here. We’re not quite there yet.”

  “What do those flowers look like to you, Sam?”

  “Yellow?”

  “They match the wallpaper from my room. Mom got rid of all the wallpaper in the house when they moved in, but she left it in my room because she thought it was pretty. And it kept a piece of the house’s history with it. He picked Ryder’s mom because of the flowers.”

  “So, we’re going on this is where he’s staying based on flower wallpaper?” Mack asks.

  “He mentions in his second letter about the a place that should be familiar to him, but it’s foreign. And in the first he mentions being surrounded by familiar but unknown faces. He only spent five years in that house before being sent away, and Mom has pictures of all of the family in the hall.”

  “They’re still there?” Mack asks.

  “I haven’t stepped foot in that house since the night of the murders. Everything is still as it was when I left.”

  “What’s your gut say?” Sam asks.

  “He’s in my house.”

  “Good enough for me,” Mack says.

  “Parker!” Ryder hollers from the squad room.

  All three rush out to find Ryder, Mason, and Paige.

  “I’m-“

  “Kane’s at the Lewis’ house,” Mack interrupts.

  “Are you sure?” He’s looking at Parker, but she’s looking at the floor.

  “She says her gut’s telling her he’s there,” Mack says. “You’re the one who believes all that shit.”

  Ryder walks to his desk and pulls his gun from the drawer. “No one’s gonna stop me.”

  “Hold up, man,” Mason says.

  “Get out of my way!”

  “You’re about to kill the only relative Parker has left. Think about it, man. Make sure she’s good.”

  Ryder looks at Parker who still refuses to look at him. “He’s tried to kill me. He’s killed my parents. He’ll kill you if you don’t kill him first. I don’t understand why there’s even a question right now.”

  “Parker,” he fumbles.

  “It’s fine. I get it. I understand, now. Go. Kill him. He deserves it.”

  Ryder sighs and turns towards the door.

  “Park, where’s your ring?” Paige asks.

  Ryder hears and turns back to look at her. “Later,” she says to Paige as she puts her hands in her pockets.

  “Chief, put me down for a couple of vacation days,” Mack says and straps on his gun. “Edwards, wait up! Partners stick together.”

  Chapter 10

  Sam looks over at Travis and Scott. “Give them fifteen minutes, and then head over there. If you can, take him down without killing him. I want to watch this son of a bitch rot.”

  Parker looks around the room at everyone and gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. Without question, she heads to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Paige calls after her.

  “I have a bad feeling,” she says and refuses to turn around. No one was going to stop her.

  “Wait!” Mason calls as Paige runs after her.

  Ryder and Mack run silently up to the house after parking down the street. Ryder signals for Mack to head around back while Ryder goes to the front. Causing a distraction, Mack bangs on the side of the house while Ryder bursts through the door with his flashlight ready to blind Kane. But he’s not there.

  Mack slinks in the back door, ready to shoot, but Kane’s not there either. He heads into the basement while Ryder glides up the stairs two at a time and into Parker’s room.

  Based on the food, garbage, and pictures of everyone Ryder has ever come into contact with taped on the walls, he knows this is where Kane has been living. With all of his sister’s things. He heads back downstairs when he’s searched all of the rooms and finds no one.

  “You are so predictable,” Kane says. He aims Mack’s gun at Ryder. “This was easier than I thought.”

  “Where’s Mack?”

  “Where’s Mack?” Kane mocks. “You should be concerned about you right now, big boy. I didn’t bring a knife to a gunfight this time.”

  “You believe you can outshoot me?”

  Kane shoots at Ryder, grazing his knuckle, causing him to drop his gun.

  “Kind of, yeah.”

  “I don’t need a gun to take you down,” he says shaking his injured hand, dropping blood on the ground. “That won’t be a problem.”

  “But, it is. You see, you can’t wrestle a bullet. Here’s what’s actually going to happen. I’m going to shoot you. I’m not going to kill you. Yet. I’ll just immobilize you. Then I’m going to lure Parker here and kill her. Right here. In front of you. Not only will you watch, you’ll be unable to help her.”

  “Not. Gonna. Happen.”

  “Do you even love her?” Kane asks.

  “What?”

  “Parker. Do you love her? I mean, all you do is treat her like shit.”

  “Why does it matter to you?”

  “Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn’t. Then again, what kind of big brother would I be if I just let someone treat her that way?”

  “What kind of big brother tries to kill his sister?”

  “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. I’m just curious.”

  “You won’t kill your sister.”

  “Won’t I?” Kane laughs. “You’ve turned her into a whore. I have two options. I can kill you and watch it kill her from the inside out. Or I can kill her and watch it kill you from the inside out. Either way works for me.”

  “You have had plenty of opportunities to kill her, and you haven’t. You won’t kill her. If it came right down to it, you can’t do it.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a bet you want to take.” Kane laughs and points the gun at Ryder. “Now, which one do I want to watch die slowly?”

  “Killing me won’t cause problems for Ryder,” Parker says from the doorway. “He wishes you’d killed me already.”

  “Parker, get out of here,” Ryder hisses.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not after what you said.” She turns to Kane. “You win, Kane. What is it you want? Do you want your sister? Or do you want to be alone?”

  “Ryder,” Kane says.

  “What?”

  “You never answered my question.”

  “What question?” Parker asks.

  “Ryder, do you love Parker? Can you live without her?”

  “No, he doesn’t love me. And he’s proven his ability to live without me, Kane. You know this.”

  “I want to hear him say it.”

  “Kill me,” she says, getting his attention. “I don’t think I can hurt anymore than I do righ
t now. I never thought he could hurt me worse than he did before, but he did. He doesn’t love me.”

  “Parker,” Ryder hisses. “What are you doing?”

  “What you want,” she says back. “Kane, kill me. End it, please.”

  “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to save him. But I just realized something, sis.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to hurt you more than I want to hurt him.” He takes his aim at Ryder, and Parker pushes him to the ground as a gunshot rings out.

  “Mother fucker!” Mack yells as he tackles Kane to the ground and wrestles the gun away.

  Sam, Travis, and Scott burst in and help subdue Kane. “You guys good?”

  “Yeah,” Ryder says to Sam as he dusts himself off. Apparently a house sitting for five years gathers quite a bit of dust. “Parker was an idiot. That was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” He waits for a reaction, but she hasn’t moved.

  “Parker?” Sam asks as he walks toward her. Rolling her slightly, he sees the blood pooling beside her. “Get a bus! Now!”

  “What’s wrong?” Mack asks.

  Sam rolls her onto her back and checks for a pulse. Blood as soaked the entire left side of her body from shoulder to waist.

  “No!” Ryder cries out.

  “What did I do?” Kane asks. He’s paled to the point of almost transparent as he sees Parker lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

  Ryder rushes to her and strokes her hair. “Baby, wake up. Please wake up.”

  Sam applies pressure to her shoulder as Kane fights against Travis and Mack who try to lead him out. “Did I kill her?”

  “Shut up before I kill you,” Mack snarls.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Kane snaps back.

  Mack hits him with the butt of his gun, and Kane drops to the ground in a heap. “Hurts, don’t it?”

  EMTs rush into the room and move Ryder and Sam out of the way.

  “She can’t die,” Ryder says as Mason and Paige rush in. Sam ordered them to stay behind, but the ambulance caused them to abandon them.

  “Oh my God,” Paige gasps as she takes in Parker. “Oh my God.” Mason pulls her to him and moves them out of the way.

  “Ryder,” Sam says.

  “No, she can’t die. The last thing she thought was that I didn’t love her and blamed her. It’s not true. I was hurt. It’s not true. That’s not true, baby! Not even close. Fuck!”

  “Her pulse is weak. We have to go,” one paramedic says to the other. Loading her into the ambulance, she’s closed off from view of the others.

  “Ryder,” Mason says still hugging a sobbing Paige to his side. “Let’s go.”

  “This is my fault. All of this is my fault. Everything is fucked up.”

  “No, it’s not. No one thinks that.”

  “Dude, head to the hospital and be with your girl,” Mack says.

  “What happened to your face, man?” Travis asks Mack.

  “Got smacked with the butt of my gun in the by basement by a psychopath. What’s your story?”

  “Let’s get to the hospital,” Mason says again.

  “What if she dies?” Ryder says quietly. His world feels like it’s starting to crumble, and he has no one to blame but himself.

  “The bigger question is ‘what if she lives?’ You have a lot of making up to do.”

  “She hates me. Kane was right. I treat her like shit. I treat her worse than I treated Vanessa.”

  “She loves you,” Paige says. Her sobs have calmed down.

  “She shouldn’t.”

  “She shouldn’t love half of us, but she does. I fucked her boyfriend, and she’s still there for me through everything. She forgave me. Sam lied to her about Kane her entire life, and she still loves him. And she forgave him. She is the most forgiving and loving person any of us have ever met, and we’re all better people for knowing her.”

  “You guys go. I gotta clear my head for a bit.”

  “Ryder,” Mason calls after him as he rushes out the door.

  “Let him go,” Sam says putting a hand on Mason’s shoulder. “We need to get to the hospital.”

  Chapter 11

  Parker was in surgery for three hours, and it took another two days for her to wake up. When she did, everyone came to visit her. Everyone except for Ryder.

  “Paige?” Parker asks a day later. “Can you bring me my laptop?”

  “What do you want your laptop for? You’re supposed to be resting so you can go home soon.”

  “I just need to get a few things written down. Typing will go much faster than trying to write with my arm in a sling. It’ll clear my head.”

  “I thought running did that,” Paige jokes.

  “Yeah, I’ll get right up and do that.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll be back in a bit.”

  When Paige returns, she brings Parker’s laptop and a stack of magazines.”

  “Where’s Ryder?” Parker asks.

  “Don’t know. No one has heard from him in a couple of days. He had to go and bury his mom, but he’s fallen off the grid.”

  “Oh.” She sighs and turns on her MacBook.

  Three days later, she’s released from the hospital, and she’s getting settled into Paige’s house. While she rests on the couch, Aaron and Connor walk in.

  “Honey, we’re home,” Aaron calls out sarcastically.

  “Honey, she’s out!” Parker calls.

  Aaron and Connor walk in the living room to see Parker. Aaron’s hair was a little blonder from the sun, and he’d been working out. While he still didn’t have a six-pack like Ryder, he looked pretty fit in his loose fitting jeans and white t-shirt.

  “Auntie Parker!” Connor bounces over to her, his strawberry blonde hair hanging in his eyes.

  “Hey buddy,” she says and hugs him with her right arm. “How are you?”

  “What happened?” Aaron asks. “We were gone for a week. Literally a week.”

  “Parker, did you leave the door open?” Paige calls from the front door carrying a bag of groceries. “Oh. You’re here.”

  “Mama!” Connor cries and rushes towards her. “I missed you!”

  “Baby!” Paige sets down the groceries in time to catch her son who has catapulted himself at her. “I’ve missed you so much!”

  “What’s going on here?” Aaron points to Parker.

  “No one’s filled you in?”

  “Obviously not.”

  “Play nice,” Parker warns with a motherly tone. “Connor’s right there.”

  “Sorry,” Paige says.

  “Kane,” Parker calls as Conner rushes back to Parker and shows her all of his toys from his backpack.

  “And there’s a deck of cards! Want to see a magic trick?”

  “Do I!” Parker exclaims with a smile.

  “He’s back?” Aaron asks.

  “Jail,” Parker calls as Connor holds out the deck to her, and she picks the queen of hearts. Of course she would.

  “You okay?”

  “Eh, I’ll live.”

  “Is this your card?” Connor asks holding up an eight of spades.

  “You got it!”

  “I’m a good magician!”

  “Aaron, as much as I’ve missed Connor, would you be able to take him for a couple of days? Parker still needs a lot of help,” Paige says. Her worry never ceases.

  “No, no, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Once I can get my arm out of this sling, I’ll be good as new,” Parker says.

  “Connor, baby, why don’t you bring your stuff to your room and wash up. We’ll go out to eat tonight for dinner,” Aaron says.

  “Okay!” He grabs his things and bounces up the stairs.

  “I’ll stay here and help,” Aaron offers. “I’ll take the basement room.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Parker says.

  “Really, you do not have to do that,” Paige agrees.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer. Y
ou need help, and that’s what we’re all here for. You’re always there for us, Park. And I know I for one don’t deserve it.”

  “You really don’t,” Paige says and smiles sweetly.

  “You’re in the same boat as me, sweetheart,” Aaron says back just as sugary. “Where’s Ryder?”

  Parker shrugs her right shoulder. “Don’t know.”

  “Then I’m definitely not letting you stay here alone.”

  “Um, I’m here,” Paige says shaking her head.

  “Yes, and there’s a psycho who tried to K-I-L-L her.”

  “Connor’s not even here,” Parker points out.

  “That kid hears everything. Besides, I think we can coexist for the sake of our son and Parker. At least for a few days.”

  Paige sighs. “As much as I hate to admit it, it would actually help out a lot.”

  “I’ll head to my parent’s house and grab a few things. I’ll be back shortly.”

  After he leaves, Parker eyes Paige. “What? It’s not like we haven’t lived like roommates prior to the separation. Plus, it’ll put me at ease to have him here. He’s not much, but at least he’s a dude.”

  Parker laughs as her phone rings. “Hello?”

  “I’m almost there.”

  “Great.” She hangs up the phone and looks at Paige. “Can you help me up off the couch?”

  “Who was that?”

  “A loose end that needs tying.”

  Paige extends her arm and braces herself for Parker to pull on her with her free arm. “Have you lost weight?”

  “Probably.”

  “Do you need someone to come with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I have my phone if need be.”

  Parker walks outside and the three houses down to Ryder’s house. Sitting on the front step, she waits. After about ten minutes, a black 1965 Ford F-100 pickup pulls into the driveway followed by a Toyota Camry. He gets out.

  “Jeff?”

  “Parker?”

  “Thanks for making the drive.”

  “You okay?” He eyes her arm in the sling.

  “Yeah. Long story. Here.” She holds out her hand with an envelope filled with cash.

  “You sure you wanna buy this? It’s a lot of money.”

  “Yep.”

  “Woman of few words. That’s a rare commodity. I like it.” Taking the envelope, he gets into the waiting car and drives off.