Chapter 33
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Andrew
We pull up to a cozy brick house and walk up to the entrance.
“Was anyone else half expecting it to be a total dump?” Chase asks from the side of his mouth as we pass a security camera.
Marybeth and I respond in unison, “Yep.”
I ring the doorbell and a lazy voice booms from a speaker above us. “I hardly believed it when Sam said his brother and the Blackwell twins wanted to grace me with their presence.”
Feeling stupid, I talk to the box, “Hey Connor, nice looking place you got here man.”
A pause, then the crackling of his voice over the intercom. “I heard Little Miss Reaper was back in town, is she not with you?”
“No, that’s why we’re here. We need your help, Connor.”
There’s a bored sigh, then a buzzer goes off allowing the door to swing open.
The interior of the house is even more impressive than the exterior. Full of sleek furniture, gorgeous, and certainly expensive artwork, and flowy white curtains in every window. It looks like the home of an angel rather than a criminal hacker.
Connor’s shoes squeak on the shiny wood floors as he bustles in. “So, what do you think? Not what you expected, I’m sure.” Our old high school acquaintance looks much like he did four years ago: dark hair, massively overweight, and beady eyes that seem to weigh and judge the contents of your soul. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to piece together why his nickname was Creepy Connor. The only difference I can see is that he squeezes himself into fancy clothes that appear to be a few sizes too small. I worry the strained buttons around his middle might pop off and take one of our eyes out.
“It’s beautiful, Connor.” Marybeth gasps as she examines a twisting coral statue.
“I’ve always had an eye for beauty.” He winks at her, then spins away on his heels motioning for us to follow him. Marybeth looks ill at his words, and Chase’s lips are pursed into a thin line.
Not off to a great start.
We follow Connor to a white room with lots of sharp, angled furniture and the largest computer setup I have ever seen. We take a seat on an uncomfortable leather couch as Connor begins clicking away on his keyboard.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally turns to us. “So, my dear friends, what exactly can I do for you today?” He laces his fingers together in his lap as his eyes roam from face to face.
Chase speaks up first. “We were hoping you could help us find Tessa’s mom. She’s a total psycho and we think she’s taken Tessa against her will. All the information I’ve gathered so far is in here.” He holds out a manila folder, but Connor ignores it.
“And we know how amazing you are with computers, the best even,” Marybeth adds.
Good job, sis, butter him up, whatever gets him to help us.
“I see. Well your thinking was correct, I am able to help.”
“Thank you, Connor, seriously. We were running out of options,” the words rush out of me with an exhale of relief.
His pudgy face smirks. “I said I was able to help. Not that I would.”
Chase stands quickly, his knuckles white as his hands clench into fists. “What the fuck man? Then why even let us in? Sam told you what we needed.”
Marybeth tugs on his arm, and he sits back down beside her with a shaky breath.
Connor shrugs, unfazed. “Everything has a price tag.”
I should have known. He was always willing to send your enemy a virus, or sniff up some blackmail on your parents—for a steep price. “You’re clearly doing well for yourself, what could we possibly have to offer you?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I am quite proud of my expansive art collection. You can imagine my surprise when the newest piece that caught my eye was created by a local up and comer.”
“You just want one of my paintings?” I ask surprised.
“Well it’s two, actually. Your chef d’oeuvre, your magnum opus. The only two you’ve refused to sell, no matter how high the bid.”
“English, man.” Chase glowers at Connor from where he sits.
“He wants. . . my paintings of Tessa,” I say slowly, piecing it together.
“Oh, and he’s smart too,” Connor mocks. “I always thought she was a rare and beautiful breed of the feminine species, especially with her exquisite blue eyes. They would go right up on my bedroom wall above the fireplace. What do you say?”
I stare at him with my lip curled in disgust, openly revolted at the idea of him ogling Tessa every night before he goes to sleep. “Not fucking happening,” I spit.
He lets out a booming laugh, one that makes his entire body shake. “No, I didn’t imagine you would. No bother, I wasn’t really going to help you, nor would I for all the money in the world. Although, it would have been quite satisfactory to see those paintings destroyed. My friends, can I be honest? I wouldn’t piss on Tessa Kinsley if she was on fire and begging me for a drop.”
Chase and I lock eyes in a silent agreement. Before we can kick his ass, Marybeth shoots up and takes a step toward the smug hacker.
“It was you, wasn’t it? Tessa refused to tell me a name, but the story she told me was about you, Creepy Connor. Let me get this straight, you won’t help us because she stood up to you when you tried to blackmail her? If anything, you owe her, you pig,” she spits, crossing her arms in defiance. It’s something I’ve always admired in my twin, she will fight tooth and nail for the ones she loves.
Connor’s eyes narrow. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and I loathe that vile nickname.” He gets up quickly and moves to the door. “Now, I think it’s time for you all to leave.”
Unfortunately for him, the smallest Blackwell isn’t finished. With a whip of her long blonde hair, she’s right back in his face. “Don’t play dumb with me. You threatened to spread a picture of her dancing in Oasis on every social media platform possible, unless she fucked you. So, she snapped your laptop in two and smashed your phone for good measure. If you ask me, you’re lucky she didn’t smash your face along with it.” Her eyes blaze with fury as she glares up at him.
“It was a three-thousand-dollar laptop, worth more than everything that little bitch owned. All I threatened was to show our classmates what she truly was, a whore.”
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, several things happen at once.
Chase gets one look at me and moves quickly to wrap his arms around Marybeth’s waist and yank her out of my path. I charge forward in a blind rage, slamming Connor back into the wall. I wrap my fist around his throat, my fingers sinking into folds of flesh.
With a clenched jaw, I speak between gritted teeth, “Listen here, you fat piece of shit, you’re going to help us find Tessa, or so help me I will fucking choke you with all these cables and wires that allow you to catfish poor girls into thinking you’re a decent human being.”
Chase clears his throat, and I roll my eyes. “Fine, no murder,” I seethe.
I return my attention to Connor who’s inching his fingers toward a button by the door, likely a silent alarm. Fist still wrapped around his throat, I yank him out of reach with a snarl. “How about I grab that poker from your fireplace, and smash everything in this room to a thousand pieces? You know, I think Tessa would truly appreciate the gesture.” I laugh darkly.
“Duuude, he still can’t breathe,” Chase sings in a worried voice.
His face is looking a little purple as his mouth gapes open and shut like a trout. I loosen my grip, allowing him to respond.
He sucks in gulps of air. “Fucking psycho,” he chokes out when he’s able to talk again.
“Marybeth, go get the poker.”
“Mmkay.” She skips out but stops when Connor’s pathetic moan fills the room.
“Fine, FINE!” he huffs, beads of sweat cling to his forehead as he looks toward his computers with something akin to adoration. “I’ll help you. If you promise to never, ever come back here, and. . . if you tell Tessa I helped.”
I make a tsking sound with my tongue. “Oh Connor, you weren’t bluffing at all were you? In fact, I think you very much want those paintings of my girl. I’ll tell her you helped, but if you think she’s gonna come running into your arms, you’ve got some serious delusions, buddy.” I release him from my grip and he immediately scoots away.
After snatching the file of information from Chase, a red faced Connor clicks away on his keyboard for the better part of an hour.
“So how long will it take to find everything?” Chase asks when his patience runs out.
“It’s not finding the information that’s difficult. It’s making sure I wipe away every trace that I was ever taking a look around, that takes time. It’s a delicate process even your threats can’t hasten,” he sneers.
We wait in silence for another thirty minutes until the hacker let’s out a frustrated sigh and spins toward us. “Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?”
“What? Do we look like this is a goddamn joke? Tell us what you found, now.” I tap on the side of my leg impatiently. We’re wasting time.
“Well she wasn’t exactly easy to track down considering there’s not much of a paper trail on her, except for a few arrests and a house that was put in her name. She has no bank account, no loans, nor credit cards. She’s never even registered for a driver’s license or state ID. This bitch is a ghost, but even ghosts get lonely because there is a smart phone listed under her name. I was also able to look up who set her bail, someone named Trent Moore.”
“Wait, why does that name sound familiar,” Marybeth says more to herself than anyone else.
Connor ignores her. “This guy is a different story. Huge paper trail and was even in prison a few years ago for assault and battery.” He scrolls over a mugshot.
Marybeth’s nails dig into my arm. “That’s him.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s who?”
“The guy who said he moved in to Tessa’s old house. That’s him!”
“Well, that’s not good,” Chase mutters.
“I’ve tapped into the GPS of the mom’s phone. Here she is. Did you really not know?” Connor pulls up a map with a red dot pinging her location.
Oh God.
No.
By the time we leave Connor’s house, the sky has darkened and the wind whips in a frenzy around the car. After what feels like an eternity, I jerk the car to a stop in front of my parents’ house. She’s been here, right next door this whole fucking time? I inhale and exhale slowly to regulate my haggard breathing.
Keep it together, save your girl.
I turn to look at my sister who has been silent in the backseat. “Chase and I are going to go in and check it out. Marybeth, I need you to go to the police station and show them everything we’ve discovered, get them here as soon as possible.”
Her face immediately scrunches in defiance, but Chase cuts her off before she can respond. “We know there are at least two dangerous people in that house, and there is no way in hell I am letting you go in there with us. Not happening.”
“Not letting me? She’s my best friend and I’m going in—”
“For once in your life, just listen. I’m sorry for hurting you, that skank meant nothing to me. I was just being a jealous asshole. If something happened to you, I. . . I would never forgive myself. Promise me you won’t follow us in, promise me, babe.”
Tears roll down her flushed cheeks, matching the rain that slides down the windows. “Fine, I promise. Just, bring her back safe, okay?”
I nod, but Chase’s eyes harden as he swings open the passenger door and steps into the rain. After Marybeth runs into the house, I grab his arm before he can head next door.
“What was that look about? What aren’t you telling me?” I snarl.
My anger dissipates as he turns to me with hollow eyes. “It’s been almost two months, Andrew, in there, with him. What are the odds she’s still. . . ?” He looks away, features twisted in agony.
“With who? Who the fuck is Trent?” I try to think back, but can’t remember a single time she ever mentioned that name.
“He was the guy who. . . Goddamn it, don’t make me say it, Andrew.”
It clicks, it’s who she was referencing four years ago in Oasis. And again at her birthday party. Trent Moore is the man who raped her.
Clawing at my face, a whimper escapes my lips. Letting my hands fall away, I close my eyes and raise my face to the sky. I focus only on the water droplets that fall, one on my nose, two on my cheeks. I let my mind go blank.
When it rains, it pours.
With a deep breath, I snap open my eyes. “She’s alive, I can feel it with every fiber of my being. You told me yourself, she’s a survivor. And goddamn it, she will survive this. Do you understand me?” He gives a brisk nod, but I see the doubt that still claws at him.
The same doubt that fights to unhinge me.
We’ve been through too much for this to be how our story ends. A long time ago, I made a promise to protect her. I failed her once, and I refuse to do it again. This time, I’ll be the prince she always saw in me. I’ll finish off the villain once and for all.
Running down the small alley between the two houses, we climb over to the Kinsley’s backyard. The storm goes strangely still just as our boots slap into a puddle on the other side of the wall. We no longer have the cover of rainfall to mute our break in. Not letting it discourage us, we sneak toward the sliding door at the back of the house.
A single gunshot rings out.
Tessa.
No longer concerned with being heard, I knock past Chase and rush forward in terror.
TESSA HOLD ON!