Hurry Up And Wait (Owens Protective Services #24)

33. Isla

33

ISLA

I sat back in my chair, completely stuffed from the takeout. IKE was staring at me like a crazy person. Yes, I had devoured that much of my meal in just a few minutes. Like the gentleman he appeared to be, he wiped his fingers on a napkin and then brushed it over his lips.

“Would you like more?”

I shook my head, holding up my hand. “I can’t eat another thing.”

“I doubt that,” he smirked.

My phone chimed and I picked it up, reading the incoming text.

I’m about to call. If you ever want to see your sister again, you’ll pick up the phone. And ditch the guard dog.

I could feel all the blood drain from my face as I read the words, but I couldn’t actually force a sound from my mouth.

IKE shoved back from his seat, completely unaware that my world was about to come crashing down around me. He carried his plate to the sink and I finally made my feet move, rushing out of the kitchen and upstairs. I was just getting to my room when my phone rang in my hand.

My head pounded as everything tilted around me. I shook out my hand, forcing myself to calm the fuck down. I wouldn’t help my sister any by freaking out. I slid my finger across the screen and slowly raised the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

I thought I would hear Shawn’s voice on the other end of the line, but instead, it was an automated voice. “You have a half hour to get to the abandoned farmhouse outside of town. If you’re not there in the time allotted, your sister will die. If you bring anyone with you, she will die. I will not contact you again.”

The line went dead. That was it. He had my sister. It had to be Shawn. No one else hated me that much. But where was Bowie? He went with her tonight. This had to be a setup. It just had to be. There was no way Bowie would let anything happen to her.

Unless…was it possible that Bowie was hurt?

My whole body shook with fear as I ran through every single possibility in my head. But as I glanced at the clock, I realized I didn’t have time to sit around and figure this out. If he really did have Riley, she was counting on me getting to her in time. The fact was, I couldn’t take the chance that this was a setup. If I failed to show up, my sister would be dead.

I slipped my tennis shoes on and threw an oversized sweatshirt on, doing my best to look like I was trying to be cozy. At the top of the stairs, I took a deep breath and headed downstairs. I didn’t have any time to waste. I had to get to Riley fast. But I had to ditch IKE. It felt wrong, but I couldn’t risk Riley’s life. The instructions were clear.

I swallowed hard as I stood in the living room. I could hear IKE moving around in the kitchen. There was no way I could just walk out of the house. He would know. I needed a way to slip outside while he was distracted. As calmly as possible, I walked into the kitchen and headed over to the cabinet by the window. I took a deep breath as I pretended to search for something. Then I flung myself backward against the table, drawing IKE’s attention.

“What is it?”

I pointed out the window. “Someone’s out there! He went into the backyard!”

I didn’t have to fake the fear in my voice. I was terrified that I would fail Riley, that she would end up dead and it would all be my fault. She was my sister, the only person in my life who was always there for me. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to her.

“Where?” IKE demanded, already pulling his gun from his holster. But then he did something I hadn’t counted on. He pulled out his phone and started checking the sensors.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

“None of the sensors went off. You had to be seeing something.”

Shit. “It was Shawn. It had to be,” I cried out, my voice shaking.

He watched me carefully as tears pricked my eyes. I was never afraid of Shawn, but I was very much scared for my sister right now, and it didn’t take much to let IKE see that. I swiped my hand over my cheek, my fingers shaking with the movement.

I could feel his eyes on me, watching me intently. He knew I was terrified. He could see it on my face, but I wasn’t sure if he was buying my reason. As if he was testing me, he slowly said, “I’ll check it out.”

I could do nothing more than nod.

“Keep the doors locked and don’t open them for anyone.”

I nodded again. As he headed to the door, I gripped the back of the chair. This was really happening. He was leaving and I had my chance to escape, but the window of opportunity wouldn’t last long. As soon as the door was shut, I ran into the living room, but skidded to a stop when I saw IKE’s spare gun resting on the table. I didn’t think twice as I ran over and grabbed it, shoving it in the back of my pants. I didn’t even know how to use a gun, but I hoped it was nothing more complicated than pointing and shooting.

I snatched the keys off the hook on the wall and flung the door open, racing for my car. I didn’t dare look back as I rushed out of the house and to my car. I didn’t take a full breath until the house was out of view of my rearview mirror. My fingers gripped the steering wheel hard, my knuckles white and aching from how hard I was holding on.

All the food I’d just shoved in my mouth threatened to make a reappearance as I put more distance between me and the man who was supposed to be protecting me. But I pushed the fear and the panic to the back of my mind. I had to focus on getting to Riley. She was the only thing that mattered right now .

As I pulled down the driveway of the old farmhouse, I killed the lights, hoping to have a little extra time on my hands to check things out. I sucked at this whole spy thing, but I knew the element of surprise would work in my favor if I could keep it.

I decided to park and walk the rest of the way. Maybe he hadn’t heard the car yet. Maybe I could sneak in there and get Riley before Shawn knew I was there. I shut off the interior lights of the car, then got out, carefully closing the door so it didn’t make a sound. Keeping low, I ran toward the house, hoping she wasn’t in the barn or at any of the other outbuildings.

Ducking low, I looked through one of the windows. A figure laid on the floor, but I couldn’t tell if it was her. It was too dark inside. I turned, looking around for any sign of Shawn, but all I heard were the crickets. I had no choice. I had to go inside and consequences be damned. I crept up the steps, my hand wrapping around the doorknob and twisting slowly.

I stepped inside, listening intently for any sounds, but it was quiet. After a moment, I moved forward, kneeling beside the figure on the ground. “Riley!” I hissed, shaking her slightly.

That’s when I felt the hard object pressed to the back of my head and stilled. It had to be a gun. No one pressed a stapler to the back of someone’s head. Or a bottle of lotion. Or?—

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” the voice hissed. It was still cloaked. I didn’t recognize it, but I knew in my gut it was Shawn. His scent was masked, but the feeling in my gut…it was screaming that Shawn was behind me, about to pull the trigger because he was angry at me. I had left him, and something ugly twisted inside him, leaving him no option but to threaten the very person who used to love him.

“Shawn…think about what you’re doing. Your career?—”

The butt of the gun hit me hard, knocking me to the ground. I rolled to my back, pulling my own gun and pointing it at him, even though there were multiple versions of him swimming in my vision. My hands shook under the weight of the weapon and for a split second, I wondered if I could actually pull the trigger.

His low chuckle taunted me, begging me to make a move. He wasn’t going to let me go. He wouldn’t let Riley go. This was all about to explode. Blood would be spilled, and it would most likely be mine. I had to move now. It was my only chance. I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. A keening sound left my lips as he laughed at me. I pulled again, but still nothing happened. Over and over, I tried to shoot him. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I realized I had no other moves. That was it. He was going to kill me, and he was going to enjoy it.

He attacked with a viciousness I didn’t know he possessed. Deep in my soul, I hoped he wouldn’t actually be able to kill me, that he still saw his wife, the woman who laughed with him and made those vows that used to mean something. But that man was gone.

His hands wrapped around my throat and he pressed hard, strangling the life out of me. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my temples as oxygen ceased to exist. He wavered in front of me, his eyes gleaming in the dark. Evil, hateful eyes stared back at me and my last thoughts were if any of it was ever real. Had he loved me? Was there ever a time we were truly happy?

My hand gripping his wrist fell to the ground with a thud. Light faded as my energy depleted and my struggling became nothing more than a limp body in his hands. But then I heard a shout, boots pounding, a muzzle flash as Shawn leapt from my body and shot away in the dark. I gasped, sucking in air as the darkness continued to envelop me. I just barely rolled my head to the side and saw Riley lying beside me, still unmoving. I slid my hand over to her, gripping her hand in mine as everything faded to black.