One shot rang out in the middle of the night
Jackie looked back as she was led into the house, only to see that her husband’s body lay lifeless on the ground. That’s when she started to fight with the man who was dragging her inside just as he closed the front door. She kicked him as hard as she could but even though he winced his grip on her never lessened.
“What is she doing here?” Tyler asked furious.
Jackie didn’t know who he was and she really didn’t care, all she wanted was to get out of that house and back to her husband before he was gone again. Even Nick had temporarily left her mind.
“Let me go!” She said once again kicking at her attacker.
“Relax Jackie…soon this will all be over and I promise it’ll be painless.”
“Why are you doing this?” She asked when he led her to an old couch and forced her to sit down.
It was then that Tyler once again asked, a little more forcefully, “I said what is she doing here? You were supposed to come alone not bring a guest!”
“Relax, she was at my place and besides…this is working out perfectly.” John said with a huge smile on his face.
“Right, sure… real perfectly. I didn’t want anyone else to die because of you and your stupid games; I’m getting tired of covering your ass!”
While the two men argued, Jackie sat with her hands covering her face, rocking back and forth and crying. How could all this be happening to her and her family she wondered, it was at that instant that she realized she was in the same place as her son, if he was still alive.
“I want to see my baby.” She said now taking her hands away from her face and masking the fear and desperation she felt.
Both men turned her way, one smiled and one looked down at the ground, neither seemed like a good sign to her but she insisted on remaining strong, if not for herself than for her husband. So taking a deep breath she stood up which brought Tyler over towards her very quickly, grabbing her arm and forcing her back down on the couch.
“I said I want to see Nick and I want to see him now!”
“I’m sorry; you have had enough family reunions for one day. Tyler put her in the basement.” John ordered as he started for the stairs.
At the mention of his name, she knew exactly who he was, “You! And my son trusted you with his life; you aren’t going to get away with this.”
“Actually your son didn’t trust me at all, he thought I was in on this and now I’m proving him right. If nothing else Mrs. Richardson, you can die knowing your son was a good detective.”
The word die didn’t seem to register right away, it took a few seconds but by the time it did, John was already up the stairs and she was already on her way down to the dark basement, alone with Tyler.
“Mind telling me where we’re going Kev?” Howie asked as they sped away from the cabin.
“Back to the beginning Howie.”
“The beginning?”
Kevin nodded, “He said game over right? Well where else would he go then back to his home, the place where it all started?”
“Back to the devil’s lair?”
“Yes, at least that’s what I’m hoping. I think at this point he wants to be caught D. This game is getting old for him.”
“So you think that’s where Nicky, Patty and your mom are?”
“I hope.”
“Do you think Anita had anything to do with this?” Howie asked finally buckling his seatbelt as they ran a red light.
“Maybe, why else would she try to hang herself…unless…”
“Unless he hung her?” Howie finished Kevin’s thought who only nodded in return.
“You think that’s where your father is too?”
“I hope so.”
“But Kev…if this is a ‘game over’ situation for this guy…”
Kevin looked down at the steering wheel and tightened his grip on it, “I know…we’re running out of time.”
With that being said Howie picked up his phone and called Rob hoping they could get some agents over to that house as fast as possible.
“We’re almost there.”
“One thing though Kev…that house. I thought it belonged to Scott Wilson.”
Kevin turned off the exit heading towards their destination as he answered, “He only lived in it, the house belongs to someone else and I’m willing to bet it’s Nicosia.”
“I wonder what their connection is, Nicosia and Wilson?”
Kevin stopped about a block shy of the house and turned off the ignition, “I guess we’re about to find out.”
Nicky hated when people cried in front of him, in fact if he had to make a choice between sleeping in the dark with no night light and listening to someone cry he would pick the darkness. He hated when people were sad, especially his mommy or one of his brothers. Patty was sitting next to him crying her eyes out and it gave Nick a squishy feeling in his stomach because he wanted to do the same thing. At first he was so happy to see his girlfriend but when he saw how sad she became when her father pushed her into the room, he became scared. He almost cried but decided not to when he saw how upset Patty was.
“Don’t cry Patty, your daddy must be in a bad mood. He’ll come and get us soon.” He said trying to sound brave, just like his mommy always taught him to be. She said when you are scared of something just hold your chin high and be brave, especially if someone is with you who needs you to be strong for them.
Actually, his mother never said it to him directly; she said it to him on one of those nights when she thought he was asleep. Sometimes late at night she would crawl into bed with him and snuggle close and smell his hair. Nicky figured out that it made her feel close to his daddy in some way and he wasn’t going to complain. He loved it when his mommy would cuddle up next to him in his bed.
Usually when she did that she was sad, which was another reason Nick would pretend to be asleep. She would cry and talk to him, whisper into his ear and it was one of those nights she said those words. They kind of stuck from that point on.
Patty looked up at her friend and nodded while drying her eyes. “I think my dad is mad at me for something.” She said as she hugged Nicky tight.
“He’s been mad at me too Patty.”
“Is that why you were locked in this room?”
Nicky shrugged; once again he didn’t want to tell her that he thought her daddy was a mean, bad man. “I don’t know why he put me in here; he said my mommy didn’t love me anymore.” He tried not to cry but he felt tears begin to sting his eyes.
“My daddy said that to you?” Nick nodded.
“Kevin came over and said you were lost.” Patty said taking his small hand in hers.
“He did?” That made the little blonde look up in confusion.
“Yes, he asked me where you liked to hide.”
Nick began to panic, maybe Kevin had come to get him but thought he was hiding, he was a good hider. “Do you think he stopped looking for me?”
“I don’t know.” He stood up at that point and ran over to the window, hoping that maybe if he opened the window and yelled his brother’s name he could be heard but then he stopped himself when he saw a man lying there in the middle of the driveway.
“Patty someone is sleeping on the ground,” He said with a smile on his face. “Look at that silly goose!”
Patty stood herself up and ran over next to her boyfriend and both of them, on their tippie toes peered out the window. There they saw a man just sleeping in the middle of the driveway just as John unlocked the door to the bedroom and stepped inside.
As they headed down the basement steps a feeling of dread hit Jackie like none before, about the fourth step down she knew she was never going to see her family again. All that she had worked so hard her whole life to protect was now being pulled away from her and she was helpless to do anything about it.
“Why are you doing this?” She decided to ask as they finally hit the bottom of the stairs where Tyler searched in the darkness for the light. She was hoping to remain in darkness; she had no desire to see the end come.
“Isn’t that so stereotypical, lady I know in movies right before the bad guy kills his victim he tells them all why he did what he did and blah blah blah but guess what? This is NO movie. It’s none of your damn business why I did anything.”
“Are you jealous of my son? Is that it? Trying to show him up maybe? Trying to teach him a lesson by taking his baby brother and killing his mother and father?” Her tone was venomous, probably the most harsh in her life but she was beyond hate right now; if she could she would have ripped open this guys throat with her bare hands.
“Please…”
He rolled his eyes and pushed her down on a chair, handcuffing her hands behind her back, but she never lifted her eyes off of him, not even once. “That is it isn’t it? My son is more of a man then you’ll ever be.”
He seemed as if he was about to backhand her but instead stopped, “I’ll make sure to pass that along right before I shoot him in the head.”
“He liked you…so did my husband.”
“Did you know he was alive?” Tyler asked walking over to the card table and sitting down, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“No.”
“Your son did. Kevin knew and kept it from you.”
She didn’t want to act surprised when he said that but she was, she felt her mouth drop just a little which sent a smile to her captor’s face. “Well, if he knew he probably had good reason not to tell me.”
“Maybe he didn’t trust you, maybe he knew that the only reason your husband left you was because he had some cheap whore somewhere.”
She looked away, refusing to show this jerk any emotion at all. “Is Nicky here?” She asked instead which seemed to annoy the agent who stood up and walked over to the woman, bending down to get close to her face.
“Or maybe I was the reason he went into hiding in the first place, wouldn’t that be interesting? Working with me and not even realizing I was the cause?”
“My son,” She spit out the next words right into her face, “I want to see Nickolas.”
He wiped the spit away and smiled as he stood up, “Sorry…no can do. John is up there with him now and I have to be honest with you Jackie, it’s probably not going to be a happy ending when he’s done with what he’s gotta do.”
No matter how strong she tried to be, he knew he hit her weak spot and delighted in watching her fall apart. “He’s only a baby.” She cried after a few seconds.
“Yeah so were all the others, although he didn’t kill most of them, my brother did.”
“Your brother?”
“Oops now look at me being all stereotypical…never mind, all you need to know is, you are never going to see your kids again, not in this lifetime anyway. Shows just about over for you.” He moved to his pocket where he was hiding his revolver, the same one he had shot her husband with.
“Any last words?”
She closed her eyes and squeaked out, “I love you boys…”
John stopped and for a second felt a sense of panic when he saw the kids staring out the window. “Get away from there now!” He shouted which made both of them quickly turn around to face him.
“Daddy there is a man lying on the ground outside.”
“I know that baby don’t look out there.” He walked towards her and crouched down to be eye level. Nick hung in the back, afraid of the man that Patty loved so dearly.
“Baby I’ll be right back okay? Are you hungry? Daddy can bring you some McDonald’s would you like that?”
Just hearing those words made Nick’s tummy grumble, he was so hungry for real food, seemed like all he had was junk and how cool it would be to get a Happy Meal and a toy. “McDonald’s would be yummy!” She said smiling.
“What about you are you hungry too?” When he asked Nick his voice suddenly wasn’t as soft anymore and at the tense timbre, Nick took a step backwards.
“Well boy speak up?”
“Yes sir, I’m kind of hungry.”
He smiled, hoping the kid would say that, “Well then it’s settled Mickey Dee’s for everyone.”
“YAY!” both kids said bouncing up and down. For a second John wished he could be as innocent and carefree. Here were these two kids, one whose mother was just about to be killed and the other whose father was about to do some very bad things.
He took a deep breath and smiled at his beautiful daughter. One day she would understand, she would have to. “I need you to stay here Patty okay? Nicky is going to come with me to get the food.”
Both kids looked alarmed, especially Nick who took another step backwards, now completely up against the window. “Daddy why can’t I come too?”
“Because I need you to stay here and wait for mommy.” He felt bad lying to her since he knew mommy would never be coming to get her again but he couldn’t let her go with them, he knew he had to keep her safely locked up.
“I want to stay with Patty please.” Nick felt himself wanting to cry once more.
“You need to come and then I’ll take you to see your mommy wouldn’t you like that? And your brothers.”
“But I thought you said they don’t want me anymore.” Nick moved away from the window and closer to John now.
“I know, but they changed their minds and want to see you, so let’s go get some McDonald’s and then go see your family what do you say?” John held out his hand to the little boy like a devil handing out lollipops and Nick was about to move forward and grab the bait, when he turned around and looked out the window. A smile suddenly spread across his face as he said, “Looks like I don’t have to come with you anymore because Kevin is here!”
John quickly darted across the room to look out the window and sure enough there was Kevin kneeling down beside his father. Things would have to work a little faster now, he thought as he grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him away from the window.
“Ouch you’re hurting me!” Nick said as he was dragged across the room.
“Daddy what are you doing?” John turned towards his daughter as he picked up Nick who was starting to struggle and scream.
“I have to go, just remember daddy loves you.”
“But daddy, why are you hurting Nicky!” He once again shut the door and locked his daughter inside before placing a hand on Nick’s mouth.
“If you don’t want me to hurt your brother you better stop screaming you understand?” Nicky’s eyes bulged and he nodded quickly.
“I’m sorry about what’s going to happen…I really am.” He said as he took a deep breath and led the boy down the stairs.
As Kevin and Howie cautiously turned the corner that led up into the driveway of the devil’s lair they saw someone lying on the ground in the driveway. Instantly Kevin knew, within seconds of seeing the body. “It’s my dad.” He said before he was even close enough to tell.
Sure enough when they arrived, his worst fear was realized, there lay his dad. His adrenaline kicked in and he ran over to him and crouched down quickly feeling for a pulse, “Dad can you hear me?” He asked in a half cry.
Howie quickly called for an ambulance as Kevin lightly slapped his father’s face, “Dad please can you hear me?” he took off his jacket and placed it on his father as he looked for the main source of the bleeding.
Kevin senior opened his cloudy eyes and gently grabbed his son’s hand. He swallowed a few times before he was able to speak; “your mother is in the house…I tried to keep her safe…” he had to stop talking and take a deep breath.
“Dad you are going to be okay just hang on…” Kevin pleaded.
“You need to go in there now Kevin, he has your mother and your brother in there…go to them, I’ll be fine.”
“I can’t leave you alone out here.”
“Go…” He said grabbing his son’s hand more forcefully now. “I let you guys go once before, I’m not letting it happen again.”
“Howie will stay with you.”
“No, he needs to go with you, there are two of them…Tyler is in there as well.”
“Tyler?”
Kevin senior nodded, “Hurry and go…I’ll be okay.”
“Dad, I …” he looked down at his father to see blood slowly trickling down his mouth and felt himself running out of time, he looked again at his dad, wanting to take in every feature of the man’s face so he’d never forget, just in case. “Dad I…love you.”
Kevin senior smiled at his son and once again grabbed his hand, “I love you too…now go. Hurry before it’s too late. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Kevin stood up and motioned for Howie to follow him up to the house but both stopped in their tracks when they heard the sound of one gunshot coming from the house.
I know...sometimes i'm evil lol sorry about all the cliffies i'll buy you all a popsicle when I see you :OP I'll try to be back on Wednesday with a new chapter
