Blackness Awaits Read online

  The frantic commotion stops as Sully Sr. enters the house. His face is a mask of conviction. He’s working.

  “Collin, Hugh, you two outside to debrief with Saunders,” he orders in a bark. Hugh and Collin move quickly out the front doors. “The rest of you listen up.” The room stays silent as Sully Sr. commands. “We haven’t found her. We’ve hit every safe house we know the Mancini family operates and a few that are from other groups. She’s not there. I’ve looked through the footage and agree the perp bears the mark of Mancini, but we aren’t findin’ any connection there. We may have to pull in other resources like the FBI to get this done. I’m holdin’ off on that as long as I can because that shit’ll hold us back.

  “At this point we’ve got file after file on any and every known associate of Mancini. We need you all to go through them for us. We’re workin’ with a small task force to keep this quiet. If they think there’s a large-scale hunt goin’ on they’re more likely to cut their losses. That means I don’t have extra bodies here so you guys have to be research right now.” We all nod in agreement but no one utters a word. Going through case files is not what this group wants to do, but we’ll do it if it can find us Kid.

  O’Sullivan stands up and approaches his father carefully. Sully Sr. rings him around the neck in a rough hug before dragging him outside. The noise rises again as people discuss what we should do.

  “Tables,” I say. Mary looks at me and understands my single word suggestion.

  “We’ve got card tables in the basement. Come help me bring ’em up,” she says softly. We both stand and I follow her back into the kitchen and down a full story of stairs into the world’s largest basement. “They’re just over here.” I grab seven tables on my own leaving her one. She tries to argue, but I just move away to climb the stairs. Once back in the mammoth living room I begin setting the tables up. Cal comes over and starts silently helping. Kav and the twins disappear in the kitchen and return with arms full of folding chairs. We all go about setting up our research area as the O’Sullivan boys return with dollies of file boxes. We go about divvying them up and put our heads down to work.

  I put my earbuds in and turn up Motörhead, flipping open the first file in front of me. I have no idea what I’m looking for so I read. If something seems connected to Kid, Kansas City, any of the guys, or a safe house I mark it and pass it off to one of the cops that keep checking in with us. I don’t talk, I don’t stop, I don’t eat, I don’t sleep, I do nothing but read and mark. I’m nauseas and in pain when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I pop an earbud out and glance over my shoulder to see Sully Sr. standing behind me.

  “Come outside a sec,” he says quietly. I look around the table to see only the original six of us that flew in from Kansas City are still at it. I have no clue how long we’ve been going, but as we step outside and the sun is rising I realize it’s been a long time. I glance at my watch. She’s been gone sixteen hours. I feel puke rising up my throat at the realization that we’re eight hours away from the twenty-four hour mark. I stop in the front yard and heave up everything that’s in my stomach. I wretch until nothing comes out before standing up and wiping my mouth with an offered tissue from Sully Sr.

  “You’re doin’ the best research of anyone in there,” Sully Sr. says as we stand in the driveway staring out at the mobile command center. “I know you’re focused but you gotta take care of yourself too. Try and go catch a couple hours of sleep. We’re movin’ on some leads and won’t be back until noon.” I don’t respond. I’m not sleeping. “Dylan, you gotta listen son. She needs you strong.” I turn and meet his gaze. He’s in pain but he’s fighting to maintain control for the sake of his daughter. I give him a chin lift and turn on my heel back into the house. The other guys are gone from our research table and the rest of the families have taken their spots. We’re working in shifts it would seem.

  “Come in the kitchen and eat some oatmeal,” Maggie orders kindly, grabbing my arm and leading me to the kitchen. “You eat. You sleep. You get back to it,” she says as she guides me to the other guys surrounding a breakfast table made for royals. I sit in an empty seat as she slides a bowl in front of me with oatmeal and blueberries. Kav slides me a protein shake silently. He and I are both big and require a pretty large calorie intake. I lift my chin to him in thanks. I silently eat my breakfast and down my shake in ten minutes. Kav and I stand up at the same time. Mary comes in and takes our dishes before we can clean them up ourselves.

  “You two follow me. I’ll be back for you in a moment boys,” Mary says addressing Kav and me first followed by O’Sullivan and Taylor. We follow Mary up the grand staircase at the front of the house. I imagine Kid sliding down the rail when she’s here. She’s still so much like a happy child, fun and full of life. I shake the thought off as we approach a guest room. “You two are in here. Beds are all made. Fresh towels and toiletries in the en-suite and fresh clothes laid out for you both. Get some sleep boys,” she softly instructs as she kisses us both on our cheeks.

  Kav walks in first and I shut the door after I enter. The room is regal I’m sure, but I see nothing other than the two beds. I start pulling off my clothes and fold into the sheets without a word to Kav. I’m not mad (okay I’m mad but it’s not the time). I don’t have shit to say to anyone. I’m falling deeper and deeper into myself. I did the same after Mia and Kathy. Working the crab boats was ideal because it wasn’t social hour. I could work and keep to myself easily. I hear the water in the shower kick on and find the old crabber in me quickly falling asleep from pure exhaustion.

  Shannon

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” I whisper my throat dry. He kicks a bucket at me. I try to maneuver my legs to get the bucket under me but it’s pointless. My secret weapon of leg strength is gone. I look at the demon with pleading eyes. If he doesn’t move the bucket and help my legs I’m just going to piss all over myself and the floor. He looks at me and shakes his head before he releases the ropes holding my arms, my body crashes to the floor under my weight. The pain of my ass and legs hitting the floor jolts through me and I rise onto my knees to stop the contact with the ground. I push the bucket between my thighs and pee. There’s blood. I don’t know if it’s from the damage to my back or if the demon damaged my kidneys in the beating. Either option is concerning. Once I’m done he pulls the bucket from beneath me. I stay on my knees unable to move.

  “Time to put you to work,” he sneers. I look up at him as he undoes his pants.

  Stay calm and breathe Shannon. Steel your mind against everything. Uncle Mick’s voice rings in my ears. My pain fades away and my breathing becomes metered and consistent.

  The demon pulls his dick out and strokes himself in front of my face tauntingly, a mischievous grin pulling the corner of his mouth.

  Don’t fight until you know you can win. You bide your time until you can strike the final blow.

  I’m stuck here. Wait it out, Kelly.

  “Your mouth is so pretty,” the demon purrs rubbing a thumb across my bottom lip. I don’t look at his face. I look straight forward into nothingness. If I can force myself to have an out of body experience I’m more likely to survive. I push my mind away, my eyes close.

  You are the center of your strength. You have the power in your life. Shannon, there isn’t a fight you can’t win.

  My team never loses.

  The demon moves toward my face and I can sense his dick loitering near my mouth. I force my mind to leave this body. He can have my body. I can fix my body.

  “Open up. If you use your teeth for anything I’ll use your face for throwing practice with my knife,” he threatens. I open my mouth slightly preparing to be raped…he’s gone. The air in the room has changed and I force my mind to kick back into gear. I open my eyes and the demon is standing a few feet away with a knife at his throat. The demon’s eyes are trained on me flashing with rage. The man holding the knife to his neck is strangely familiar yet I don’t know him. I sit silently and watch the two men.
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  “What the fuck are you doin’?” the new man seethes. His voice is thick and rough.

  “Boss said make her feel this. I was makin’ her feel it. What the fuck are you doin’ here?” the demon responds flippantly. I hold my gaze on this scene trying to figure out what’s going on. The man holding the knife to the demon’s throat is staring at me intently. I know those eyes. Deep blue sapphires…I can’t remember. He shakes his head no at me with the slightest of movements. He DOES fucking know me. I keep my gaze trained on him but make no attempt to talk or engage him as his simple body language requested.

  “Boss? Don’t know who you think your fuckin’ boss is but he’s standin’ right here about to slit your throat before I go and sell your wife as a sex slave,” the knife wielder growls. I gasp in shock at his threat. He raises a brow at my response.

  “He rape you?” he asks pressing the knife deeper into the rapist’s throat. I shake my head no. “Was he goin’ to?” I stare at him not knowing how to respond. There’s fury swarming in his eyes, fury I’ve seen only in my boy’s eyes when they think I’ve been harmed.

  “You walked in on the beginning,” I whisper. I feel my stomach roll knowing I’m going to throw up in the near future.

  “Why do you give a shit what I do to him if he was gonna rape you?” he asks inquisitively.

  “I don’t give a shit what you do to him. I give a shit what you do to his wife,” I retort. I feel a little bit more like myself now.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m in a room gettin’ tortured and almost raped for something that has nothin’ to do with me. I don’t want that for anyone else’s life,” I state matter-of-factly. I hold the gaze of his eyes and see rage flaring. Maybe I’ve insulted him and his ways…I don’t give a fuck! The drugs must be out of my system because I’m starting to feel a fight boiling within me. He holds my gaze a few breaths longer.

  “Good,” he says softly before dragging the knife quickly across the demon’s throat. He begins to gurgle and falls to the ground lifeless almost immediately. It was a quicker death than he deserved. I watch as his blood pours onto the floor thinking I could have done a better job at making him pay.

  “I hear you’re pretty good with a blade. Do you not approve of my technique?” the guy asks me bringing my gaze back to him.

  “It was fine,” I say coolly.

  “Fine?”

  “Fine.”

  “Would you’ve done somethin’ different?” he asks amused by our conversation.

  “I woulda cut off his dick and fed it to him, then cut his anterior tibial artery and watched him panic and bleed out slowly,” I offer calmly. It’s the best I can come up with off the top of my head. This man is staring at me in wonder. I’m so confused by him that I decide not to try to figure it out. He’s going to kill me or let me be killed. He’s just another demon; a demon that just stopped a rapist, but a demon nonetheless.

  Kavanagh

  I wait in the room while Kellerman takes a shower. We slept like rocks. It was only a four-hour nap, but I feel like a new man. Kid’s been gone over twenty hours at this point. We’re coming up on some scary deadlines here. No ransom requested. No threats made. No body parts mailed to us. We will find her. I have to believe that.

  The water kicks off and Kellerman comes out wrapped in a towel still wet from the shower. He looks like shit. Dude is cut like no other, but his bruises are gnarly. His lower torso is black and purple. His face is swollen with bruising on his jaw and a decent black eye. The stitching under his left eye makes him look like Frankenstein. Kellerman’s a good looking dude (not as good as me obviously), but he looks awful right now. He’s fucked up. That shit’s on me.

  “How ya feelin’?” I ask quietly. I haven’t tried to talk to him since we’ve been here. I don’t think he’s talked to anyone since we started researching.

  “Fine,” he answers blankly. He pulls his underwear up under his towel before letting it drop. He sits on his bed with his back to me pulling the clean long sleeved black T-shirt Mary left over his head. Kellerman’s a big dude so I’m guessing he’s wearing Cal’s clothes and I think I’m wearing Finn’s. I don’t give a flying fuck. I’d put on a dress at this point (maybe not but you get my point).

  “Man, I’m fuckin’ sorry. I don’t know what else to say here,” I apologize as best I can.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Kellerman says dismissively as he stands and pulls the new jeans up.

  “Kellerman, seriously give me somethin’,” I plead. This guy is starting to freak me out. He’s a shell of who he normally is. All of the light is gone from him.

  “Got nothin’ to give, Kav,” he replies in a whisper. He shoves all of his shit in his pockets and leaves without so much as a glance at me.

  I follow Kellerman downstairs to find the room packed with more people than were here last night. Twice as many it looks like. Mary scoops her arm around Kellerman’s waist and pulls him to the kitchen, no doubt to feed him. I follow them quietly.

  “You’re not havin’ any problems are you?” Mary asks Kellerman. “Sully Senior said you were sick earlier and Robert was concerned about your spleen and liver. Be honest with me, Dylan. Do we need to get you into the office and check you out?” She’s holding down his chin forcing Kellerman to look her in the face.

  “I’m fine, Mary,” Kellerman says softly. I can’t tell if it’s the truth or not. He doesn’t look fine. She studies him a breath longer before releasing his chin and pushing him into a seat at the table.

  “Eat,” she commands her eyes now coming to me. I listen and make my way to the table. “When you finish come out and join us. Love you two.” She pats my shoulder as she sets down a giant plate of roasted turkey sandwiches. She knows we can eat. We both smile in thanks and dig in. Kellerman doesn’t utter a word the entire time we eat. Finn comes in and starts talking away at us so we both just listen. He didn’t find shit at home so he flew in here this morning. He looks as bad as us. He’s going to go bald from running his hand through his hair before this is over. Kellerman finishes his food and makes his way out to the living room.

  “He’s fucked up,” Finn acknowledges immediately. I nod but don’t say anything.

  “Aidan and Ry filled me in. They feel like shit. Bet you do too. We find her, you guys fix that shit. Let it go for now,” he instructs. Again I nod because there’s nothing to say. Kellerman can hate me for all I care. I only want Kid right now.

  Shannon

  The man studies my face for a moment and then leaves without at word. He doesn’t close the door behind him and that may be the worst torture I’ve endured yet. I’m no longer bound and my exit is clear, but I can’t even stand up. I may be able to drag myself, but I’m guessing he’d catch me before I made much progress. FUCK!

  He walks back in the room with a half smile directed at me, reaching down to my hands offering to help me stand up.

  “I can’t,” I admit. I can’t stand up. I’m dying on my knees as it is. There’s no way I can hold my body weight.

  “I’ll carry you,” he says softly moving around to my back. “It’s gonna hurt though.”

  “It’s been hurting,” I snort. Does he think I’ve been at a spa in here?

  “He went at you pretty good,” he explains bending down. He undoes my wrists completely before hooking an arm behind my knees another behind my shoulders. I won’t be able to support myself making this hard on him. I don’t know if he’ll be able to carry me like this. “Wrap your arms around my neck, Shanny.” I do as I’m told. Wait…Shanny?

  Before I can process that he scoops me off the floor and I scream in pain. It feels like every wound has just torn open in synchrony. I’m shaking from the pain and start to gag. He quickly carries me out of my torture chamber, into the hall and then directly into a bathroom to the left. It’s not too big but it has a soaker tub that’s filling with water. He gently places me in the warm bath causing equal amounts of pain and relief.

  I’m s
till shaking in pain, my gagging has stopped.

  “Take a breath, Shanny. You’re all right now,” he coos.

  “Who are you?” I question studying his face intently now that we’re in a fully lit room. His hair is a little long and wavy falling across his forehead, dark chestnut brown. His eyes are a deep sapphire blue. His face is angular and masculine, covered in a well maintained almost black short beard, and fucking familiar. He’s about Sully’s height and build. He’s dressed casually in a long sleeved navy Henley T-shirt and loose jeans. The demon was wearing dress clothes. I can’t make sense of this.

  “I thought you recognized me earlier,” he says with a little hurt in his voice maybe. I feel like I know him, but I sure as shit can’t place it. Maybe, if we met on the streets and not in a torture chamber as I was about to be raped just before he committed murder (justifiable homicide), I could place his face.

  “I do recognize you. I just don’t remember who you are,” I admit quietly. My stomach is no longer rolling and the water is soothing my aching body. I close my eyes for a moment.

  “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen that can hit a ball that far out,” he says in a soft almost childlike voice and my eyes spring open. I stare at his face long and hard, and then I see it.

  “Nicky?” I whisper. A sheepish grin marks his face. “Nicky,” I repeat in a whimper trying to figure this out.

  “Don’t get upset. You’re safe now. I’ve got you,” he says softly grabbing my hand and squeezing it tight. I don’t understand.

  There was a boy in my neighbor’s back yard one day. It was in the spring before my father died. My neighbors, Senator and Mrs. Grady, didn’t have kids so I was surprised to see him out there. Being the social child that I was, I ran over to him. He was just sitting in the grass looking bored out of his mind.

  “Wanna hit a ball with me?” I ask excited to have someone to play with. There are no kids in my neighborhood to play with (the kids that do live around here think I’m weird). He looks up at me and smiles his deep dark blue eyes shimmering in the sun. He’s probably a few years older than me, but I don’t care.