Passion (16 page)

Patti

If this little bitch thought
she was going to come here and horn in on my shit she was sadly mistaken I’m
the only Steele daughter in law.

Joshua is a man whore, that’s the way it’s always been, I mean the
guy fucked every pampered princess from here to Seattle, excluding yours truly
of course, and none of those bitches could get their hooks into him, so why he
should fall for this little nobody was a mystery.

I mean who is she anyway, her father’s a lieutenant on the police
force in Sea Crest for goodness sake, what does he make fifty thousand a year
maybe, whatever.

I’m not sure where she gets all her designer shit from, obviously
she’d been whoring herself out in whatever hell hole she’d come from, but none
of that mattered now.

The bitch had to go and I knew just how to do it, she’d got the
Steeles to sit with her today but we’ll just see about that shit.

I’m not sure what was going on with Matt, I’ll just have to let
him know that I wasn’t pleased with his behavior today, maybe I’ll withhold sex
for a while, though it seems like forever since we fucked, hmm, I’ll have to
deal with this shit and soon.

She’d taken way too much attention away from me already, even
doctor Steele was over at her house every evening checking on her skuzzy ass
and Margaret, who I sometimes felt wasn’t showing me the right amount of
respect as her future daughter in law, was always going on about her lately, we’ll
see how she felt about the little bitch when I was through.

At least Josie’s family had money, they were somewhat acceptable
and Josie could be easily led, she was no trouble, Vanessa would be Andrew’s
family’s headache, as soon as they were married and she was out of the house I’d
be the only pampered princess since I’d be the  wife of the eldest son.

Joshua could go back to being his old self and all will be right
in my world. I hope that bitch enjoyed her time as the center of attention
because it was about to come to an end.

Josh

Something’s not right, I don’t
know what it is, but I feel....unsettled.

I leave the house at midnight again and head to lamb’s house. The
Captain had yet to give me his okay to spend the night and I respected that but
there’s no way I can go to sleep with this worry on my mind.

Instead of parking down the street and walking the rest of the
way, I drove all the way and knocked on the door.

“Joshua, what are you doing here so late son?”

“I’m here to check on Carrie.”

“Boy you do realize I’m a cop, with a gun, I can take care of my
daughter you know.”

I didn’t bother to answer him, just looked at him until he sighed
and moved out of the way.

“You might as well since she already threatened to move in with
you if I didn’t let you stay over some times. What the hell is wrong with kids
these days anyway?”

I guess he was talking to himself because he went back to the TV.

I jogged up the stairs and to her room with a smile on my face,
good she’d told him we wanted to be together. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him
to hear that from his seventeen year old daughter but he had to know we were
serious about each other.

She was fast asleep, no danger here, but I couldn’t shake the
feeling that something was off.

I took my shirt off and left my sweats on as I climbed in beside
her.

Moving as quietly as possible, I drew her into my arms.

Taking the bracelet out of my pocket I locked it onto her wrist, I’d
meant to give this to her over thanksgiving but then everything went to shit
and I’d forgotten, now it felt like it was imperative to give it to her now.

It was my family crest made out of diamonds on a platinum band,
the beauty would keep her from suspecting its other real purpose, but for my
peace of mind it was good to have it finally where it belonged.

She murmured in her sleep and I kissed her softly until she settled
again.

Why the fuck was my mind in such turmoil? There was nothing going
on here, I hadn’t seen anyone outside lurking, but still I couldn’t shake the
feeling that something was very off.

I’ll have to get my guy on her again, the sooner the better.

Patti

“So you’re ready right,
tomorrow night at the designated place, we’ll show that bitch. Don’t forget,
don’t be late, we have to synchronize everything perfectly.

“I’ll be there.”

“Good.”

I hung up the phone, I really should be doing this shit myself,
but it was more fun this way. I can’t wait to see Joshua’s face when he catches
his little bitch in a compromising position.

Let’s see her talk her way out of this one, and knowing his
hotheaded ass, she’ll never get the chance, good, maybe this time when he
dumped her she’d starve herself to death.

Josh

We woke up wrapped around
each other, my hand buried in her hair as she slept on my chest.

The Captain was making enough noise to wake the dead as he moved
around out there. “Time to get up babe.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“You sick?” I felt her forehead, she felt cool to my touch so no
fever.

“No, I just don’t wanna.”

She pulled her hand from around me and noticed her new jewelry for
the first time.

“What’s this?”

“It’s my family crest, it’s as good as an engagement ring, but I
figured you’d give me shit if I put one of those on your finger, that doesn’t
come off ever, I have the only key.”

She turned her hand this way and that as she studied the intricate
work.

“You’re lucky I like it.”

“Yeah okay, I see you’re feeling better since you’re starting shit
with me, now let’s move.”

“Wait a minute, you spent the night, and you’re still here, and Michael’s
up?”

“He let me in last night, I guess since you threatened him to move
in with me he decided it was better to relent.”

She blushed as she climbed from the bed.

Her shorts were still hanging on her too thin body but she’d lost
that sullen look and her face was filling out a little better.

“Oatmeal for breakfast, I have to get my clothes out of the car, I’ll
get it started while you shower, then I’ll take mine.”

No sense in rubbing shit in the Captain’s face by showering
together, I knew everyone wasn’t as understanding about these things as my
parents and I’d already pissed off the Captain enough in the past.

“No oatmeal, that’s where I put my foot down.”

“Oatmeal for breakfast or liver for dinner, choose your pick.”

I left the room while she flounced into the bathroom.

“Morning Captain.”

“How is she this morning, I didn’t hear any screaming so I gather
she’s better than yesterday.”

“Don’t hold your breath, oatmeal for breakfast.”

“Shit son you sure do like to stir the pot huh.”

“It’s good for her.”

I went out to get my stuff from the car.

Captain stopped me on the way back up the stairs.

“I never thought I would be saying this to you after that night in
your dad’s study, but you’re good for her, thank you for looking out for her, I’m
glad she’s got you...as to you spending the night sometimes, I guess it’s okay,
I just don’t want to hear a peep coming out of that room, and please don’t ever
go to the bathroom in the middle of the night with nothing on.”

He actually blushed like his daughter.

“Captain, I’ll never disrespect you in your home, that’s not what
this is about, it’s not all about sex....”

“Lalalalala, I can’t hear you....Steele, I have a gun, a few in
fact, I don’t want to hear that crap.”

I had
to laugh; the Captain seemed out of his element.

I added bananas and raisins
to her oatmeal and she grudgingly swallowed it down. Then it was off to school.

The day went pretty much as the one before except Patti was
missing at lunch and I still hadn’t kicked my feeling of imminent danger.

Leaving her to go to class was fucking torture but we made it.

I dropped her off at home, she was tired already, and I hated
leaving her since the Captain wasn’t home and wouldn’t be for a few more hours.

“I’ll be back later baby, just go to bed if you get tired okay?”

“Okay, I think I’ll take a nap and do my homework later.”

“Okay lambkin, I should be done helping Matt by about seven so I’ll
call you.”

Carrie

Why the heck was he texting
me instead of calling, and why was he telling me to meet him, geez, I guess he
was done sooner than he thought, but why he would think I would want to go to
the diner where I’m sure he’ll force me to eat some disgusting thing was beyond
me.

I got dressed anyway and headed out in my old beat up truck.

Joshua was a pain in the ass, first he made me swear I wouldn’t go
anywhere alone after dark and now he was asking me to drive through the dark to
meet him.

Crazy.

This road is shit, there were
no lights and no other traffic, only woods on both sides, freaking, Steele what
the hell was he thinking?

I felt the first jolt and the next before I was going off the
road.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

I pulled out my phone.

“Figures.” No service.

I got out of the truck and walked around, there was a long strip
of something that looked like nails stretched across the road.

“What the fuck?”

Someone came at me from the side and covered my nose and mouth
with a cloth before I could move.

“Where’s your protector now little girl?”

It’s the last thing I heard before everything went dark.

Patti

“Her car’s here but she’s
not.”

“What do you mean; did you get there at the right time?”

“I was like five minutes late; no one could’ve come and got her
that fast.”

“You’re such a fuck up; she has to be around there somewhere....”

“I don’t like the looks of this I’m out of here...”

“Rodney, Rodney you spineless bastard you better not screw this up
for me......Rodney, Rodney...., shit, I knew I shoulda done this shit myself.”

Josh

“Shit, wait a minute Matt.”

The bracelet on my wrist was going crazy.

“What the fuck, why is Carrie out of the jurisdiction?”

Just then my phone rang.

“Something’s off, I followed her out of town a little ways and she
stopped for no reason, I stayed back like you said so she wouldn’t know I was
there, but someone came from the woods and they just took off, then this other
car pulled up, by the time I got to where her truck was I saw a strip of nails
in the way, looks like she was set up.”

My heart stopped cold.

Josh

I ran for my car as Matt
yelled questions at me.

“Someone took Carrie.” That’s all I could get out past the lump in
my throat.

He leapt into the car beside me as I revved the engine.

“James what’s going on?” I barked into the phone.

“This guy is shitting all over himself, I can’t get anything out
of him, we’re gonna need a search party out here, these woods are too dark and
I don’t have the man power needed for a job like this with me, you need the law
on this one boss, this shit doesn’t look good.

“Matt call the Captain, tell him someone took Carissa out on the
old country road and they’re headed into the woods.”

I pressed the middle of the crest on my wrist, still moving but I
had a lock on her, as long as she was moving she was alive.

Matt
called the Captain and then mom and dad.

I shut down my emotions,
later I’ll let shit out; right now I can only focus.

By the time we reached her abandoned truck the Captain and a
couple of his deputies were pulling up.

James had Rodney Dyson pushed up against his car.

I walked over ready to kill his ass, but he obviously wasn’t the
one who took her.

“What the fuck Dyson, where is she?”

“I don’t know man, I swear, that crazy bitch Patti set this
up.....” that’s all I heard before I punched him in the face. Later, I’ll deal
with him later.

I looked at Matt; he was already on the phone trying to call her.

I knew enough to piece together some of what had happened but not
how or why.

The strip of nails across the roadway said all I needed to know,
but if Rodney didn’t have her like they’d planned, who the fuck did?

I didn’t have time to find out, the readout still showed her in
motion about a couple hundred yards ahead.

“Captain let’s go.”

“Where are we going, where did he take her?”

I
showed him my bracelet, “Carrie has one like this, there’s a chip inside, that
green light is her, I can find her anywhere in the world, right now they have a
half an hour head start, he’s moving fast, there’re in the middle, of the woods
to the northeast, what’s there?”

Captain ran back to his truck
and got out a map of the area.

We used the flood lights from their police issue cars to see as he
spread it out on the hood of his truck.

A few more cars pulled up and mom and dad were there suddenly.

“Joshua, Michael I’ve called in a favor, we’ll have two copters in
the air in ten minutes.”

“Thanks dad, I’m going in.”

“Wait son, don’t you go getting lost now too.”

“She’s not lost, James saw someone take her.”

“James?”

“Later
dad, I’ll explain everything later.”

I started into the woods with
the Captain and a few of his men behind me, every few seconds I checked my
wrist, nothing scared me more than when she was still.

My heart fucking froze and my limbs threatened to lock on me.

“Move, move, move.”

“The old hunters lodge Joshua, that’s where they’re taking her,
got to be.”

I checked the coordinates on my bracelet, I knew exactly where she
was but knowing was no longer the issue, getting to her before she was hurt
was.