“Any sign of her?”

Zack’s frantic voice pierced the night as family and friends that had gathered to help move Katie to his place now searched to find her. It had only been a few hours since someone had last seen her moving a box to the truck, and everyone assumed she had just stepped away to have a moment to herself. Everyone but Zack. As soon as he had realized she was missing, he had people searching for something to help find her.

“No, and I didn’t see anything she may have left behind.”

Justin knew she was gone the moment Zack had fallen to the ground and screamed. All Zack’s security personnel had come out from the shadows, but it was too late. Too late for Zack, and way too late for Katie. She could have been anywhere by now, and Zack had spent the last few hours beating himself up, trying to figure out where.

“Zack, it’s getting late. We need to…”

Matt’s eyes pleaded for answers, and Justin put his hand on his shoulder to steady his younger brother. Katie may have been one of the youngest in the family, but she was also the one they most worried about, since her husband had beat her on more occasions than they’d realized. Randall would have killed her if not for their mother intervening. Annie was a force that would stop at nothing to help her children. Right now, that force was nowhere to be found as she had left to dig up her own leads on Katie’s whereabouts.

“I can’t stop looking.”

“We know that Zack, but you need to rest so we can…”

“No! I can’t rest without her next to me. I can’t…”

His voice broke as his world crumbled beneath him, literally causing him to fall to the ground as his knees buckled under him. Justin was right by his side in an instant, doing what he did best: helping.

“Come on, Zack. Katie doesn’t need this right now. You can lose it when we find her, but not now.”

“Justin, I just want her back,” he spat between gasps for air as he cried into his hands. Losing wasn’t a thing he was used to, and as the mayor, helplessness was something else he hadn’t really experienced. The combination of the two made him a complete mess at the moment.

“Come on, buddy. We need you to pull it together. Wherever Katie is, she needs us to be strong so we can get her back in one piece.”

Dear God, please help her. Don’t let that monster destroy his beautiful Katie. His sweet, loving, and strong Katie. God only knew what might be happening to her at this moment.

“Damnit, Zack! Pull your shit together, man, the news crews are arriving!”

Matt ran across the parking lot as swarms of television crews headed their way, mics in hand, posed and at the ready.

Sniffling, Zack swore under his breath as Justin blocked the reporters’ eager advance upon them.

“Mayor Collins, Mayor Collins, is it true someone has kidnapped your girlfriend? What are the police saying may be the reason? Is this a political assault on the town? Should the community fear a rash of crime as a result?”

Jesus! What in the hell were these vultures trying to do, make this into a bloodbath that could affect the entire town?

“No, the police have not determined the nature of the situation, other than that a young woman is missing and presumed okay, unless we find evidence otherwise. To answer your other question, since there really is no crime here, nothing and no one is affecting this town politically or otherwise. Now, if you would excuse me.”

As the cameras and microphones lined Zack’s exit, Justin aided in clearing the path that led to his waiting car. With the assistance of his security detail, Zack, Justin, and Matt drove off toward Zack’s house, which would be their base of operation for the time being.

 

***

 

“Oh, you and your entire team are so fired! If it wasn’t for the fact that I can’t terminate your employment until we find Katie, I’d have you escorted off the property by the police.”

Since the door had closed at his residence, Zack berated his security detail for their lack of professionalism in not keeping a better eye on Katie—not just tonight, but for the other incident as well. It seemed like these men were well suited to guard important people, but when it came to keeping a small-town woman from being kidnapped, they had turned out to be completely useless.

Justin stood on one side of the room, worried his friend might in fact take matters into his own hands. He figured it best to be ready when the bloodshed started, rather than later, when all he could do was clean up afterward.

“You done yet?” Matt said as he walked into the room, drink in hand.

“That depends. Did you bring one for all of us, or just yourself?”

Turning around without saying a word, Matt headed back for more liquor.

It seemed best not to poke the Zack at the moment.

“After that stiff drink I’m assuming Matt is bringing us, I’d like to sedate you so you can get some rest.”

“No fucking way!”

“Zack, you need rest, and you’re not going to get nearly enough like this to be of any use to us tomorrow.”

“Fuck! How do I know you’ll get me up once you knock me out?”

“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, we kinda need your mayoral ass to get my sister back.”

“Good point.”

Scratching his head as he ran his fingers through his hair, Zack considered his options.

“Don’t’ even think about it. You need to rest so we can get her back. You’re of no use to us in this condition.”

“And what exactly are you guys going to do while I’m ‘resting’?”

“We’ll keep an eye on the house and get some rest, too. Wherever Katie is, we can’t help her like this. We need a plan so we can find her. We need too many things we can’t get this late, so as far as I’m concerned, the day is done. All we can do right now is rest for tomorrow.”

“What if…”

He couldn’t say it. He didn’t even want to even think it.

“Just say it. I’m too tired to play one hundred questions and pull it out of you.”

“What if she’s already gone or… worse?”

Matt handed them each a glass of the scotch he’d found in the cabinet.

Zack had been saving that for Katie’s first night as his official roommate, but it seemed appropriate that they drink it now—for her.

Annie came into the room.

“She’s not dead, Zack.”

“How do you know? That mother’s intuition thing?”

Gulping down the rest of the drink without so much as looking in her direction, Zack put the glass down on the coffee table. He didn’t want to hear anything other than facts. No amount of wishing could bring her back to him, and right now he needed something solid to hold on to.

“She’s alive, Zack. I know it.”

Annie grabbed Justin’s glass and chugged his drink down in one gulp.

Then the room fell silent as everyone stared off into the unknown.

 

***

 

“Wakey, wakey.”

A chill ran through Katie as his voice penetrated the darkness. Everything was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Her eyes wouldn’t open, but she kept trying anyway. Something poked painfully at her ribs with what felt like hot daggers, but is just the tip of a boot.

“Come on, now. You’re ruining my fun.”

The sound of his voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Zack’s. Searching her mind for the source of the voice, Katie deliberately kept her breathing steady and her eyes closed as the feet shuffled closer to her.

Who was it? Where was Zack? Where was she?

Then the foot connected with her ribs again.

“I said, get up!”

He pulled at her arm to try and wake her, but she tried to remain as still as possible.

“I know you’re awake, Katelyn—get up!”

Oh, shit! She knew that voice. It was Randall.

“You know the smell of fear only turns me on more, sweetheart.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Sharp pain ran through her as Randall’s foot connected with her side. If her ribs weren’t broken before, they sure were now. The violent sounds of bones being snapped finally got her attention, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Ah, there you are. I’ve been waiting forever to see you again, sweetheart.”

God, she hated when he called her that.

“This is gonna be so much fun! You wouldn’t want to miss what I have planned for you, now would you?”

“Fuck you, Randall.”

“Ah, darling, let’s do this without the swearing. You know how much I hate that.”

He grunted as he raised her off the ground. She was trying hard to be an impossible-to-move object, but it was no use. Randall had her, and for as long as he was going to keep her, she could be sure he would make her pay for leaving the way she did.

“It’s been a long time, Katelyn. We have some catching up to do.”

Randall swung his fist at her face, making direct contact with her mouth.

She cried out from the pain that radiates through her, even though she knew that she shouldn’t.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby.”

Bile rose in her throat at that, and it took everything she had not to let it escape.

“What do you want, Randall? Money?”

Surely, he must have known how valuable she was to Zack. That’s why he had grabbed her.

“Nope. I don’t want anything your boyfriend or family could give me.”

Eying her up and down, he twisted her so she was facing away from him as he pulled her into his chest.

Fuck!

“What do you want then, Randall?”

This wasn’t good. Not wanting a ransom meant he had no plans on letting her go.

“Isn’t it obvious, Katelyn?” he hissed into her ear.

His hot breath sent unwelcome chills down her spine.

“Not to me, so just get on with it so I can get out of here.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Katelyn, dear, you’re not going anywhere. As for what I want…”

His hand ran down her side, and this time she shivered as he brushed against her injured ribs.

“Get on with it, already. Tell me what you want!” she screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear.

“You,” he whispers into her ear.

Numbness took over as he began to strangle her from behind. Her body collapsed as the darkness descended.

I’m so sorry, Zack, were her last thoughts before everything went blessedly blank.

 

***

 

“How long has Zack been awake?”

Justin entered the room upset to see Zack already at the helm, giving out orders in the kitchen, as well as the adjoining living room. It looked like a war room.

“Since around four.”

Matt sipped on his coffee as he sat at the island watching Zack talk. His hands and arms were waving about to different areas of a map that showcased the surrounding area.

“We need to find his trail.”

He was talking into his cell, which had been attached to his ear all night. Any noise caused him to jump and go still before issuing further orders to his people.

“How long has he been jumpy like that?”

Grabbing a cup from the counter, Justin filled it with the coffee from the machine. Stirring in the creamer with a straw before taking a sip, he looked on with concern and empathy.

“Oh, that started a while ago. He tends to really lose it when these guys move things or touch something of hers. It’s a real sight to behold.”

“Can’t wait,” Justin said dryly, as hot liquid burned his throat going down.

“This stuff is awful.”

“Yep. Zack says Katie was the one that made coffee for them.”

Letting the statement hang, the two men exchanged looks before turning back to watch the show Zack was giving them. Clearly the sedative hadn’t worked, since he’d clearly lost his marbles this morning.

When an officer came into the room with papers in his hand, he stopped before getting anywhere near Zack. As Justin watched the man try to decide the best way to approach Zack, Justin decided to walk over to him instead.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Matt just sipped more of his coffee as Zack yelled additional orders across the room.

“Yeah, well, this poor guy doesn’t need to get fired just by getting in the crosshairs.”

The officer was relieved to inform Justin of the latest news on the situation, and then handed him some papers with details of Randall’s activities over the past seven years.

“Great. Thank you.”

The officer then hightailed it out of the room, leaving Justin to deal with Zack on his own.

“Good luck with that, Justin. You should have taken the cop’s vest for protection.”

“Yeah, I was just thinking that, too.”

Though the situation couldn’t get any worse, Zack suddenly punches a nearby wall in frustration.

Shit. He had completely lost it, and this new information would only make matters worse.

“What!” Zack yelled as Justin tapped his shoulder.

It wasn’t until he turned around that he saw who it was. He was immediately shameful, and his shoulders sagged without saying another word.

“Zack.”

Justin took a hold of his hand to inspect the wound before giving him the latest information, along with the papers.

“We need to keep it together to bring her back to us.”

“Justin, I can’t do this.”

Tears fell as Zack removed his hand from Justin’s perusal.

“Yes, you can, but you can’t keep doing it like this. We need to work together without the terror tactics you’ve been implementing.”

“I’m not using…”

It dawned on him that the yelling, screaming, and punching did add up to that kind of behavior, and he shook his head before continuing.

“I’m sorry.” Then he turned to the group gathered. “I’m sorry, everyone.”

“It’s okay, Zack. We just need to find his trail.”

“Don’t you think I know that? What do you think I’ve been doing all morning, huh?”

“Calm down!” Justin yelled back, causing the whole room to go silent. Justin never yelled. He was the epitome of self-restraint, so for him to yell, even those that hadn’t known him long realized it was a good time to leave the room.

“Zack, be careful. Justin never yells.”

Interested in the emotional exchange between the two friends, Matt made his way closer to watch the scene play out.

“Justin, calm down.”

Now more concerned with Justin’s well-being than his own, Zack pulled out a chair from the table and offered it to his friend.

“You don’t think I’m pissed, too? We’re all pissed! She’s my sister, my baby sister! I saw what that asshole did to her before. Fuck, I was the one that cleaned her up before she went back to him.”

His eyes glazed over as thunderous voices continued to boom throughout the house.

“He’s gonna kill her if we don’t find them first.”

“I know! But you losing it all the time is wasting what little time we have. Get your fucking shit together so we can find her, arrest him, and move on with our lives! Fuck!”

Shoving the chair across the room, Justin pushed past Matt as he left the house. He clearly needed the fresh air to calm down.

“I didn’t mean to do anything to upset him. I just want her here with me. I can’t function without her.”

“I can see that, but you need to get your shit together somehow so we can find them.”

How the tables had turned. Matt was usually the one that went off at the drop of a hat, but now with so much at stake, he remained calm as a cucumber.

“I need to get out of this room.”

With that, Zack headed in the opposite direction of Justin, going to his bedroom instead.

“Okay, everyone, keep up what you’re doing. We’re taking a break for a little while to regroup,” Matt announced to the crowd of onlookers.

Headed toward his brother and some fresh air himself, Matt abandoned his coffee on the counter.

 

***

 

“She’s not dead, you know.”

Hearing the door open, unaware of who it might be coming inside, Justin just started talking.

“I know, but she’s bound to be in a world of hurt right now.”

Matt walked up to stand beside his brother as they gazed into the yard, not really looking at anything in particular, just staring off as their thoughts turned ugly.

With his hand on Justin’s shoulder for support, Matt choked back tears as he thought of what Katie might be enduring while there stood out here.

“She’s a survivor. We’ll get her back.”

“Yeah, but in what condition? I was there to bandage her up the last time that monster laid his hands on her, and you don’t even know half of the things he did to her. How she survived the first time is beyond me.”

“She’s strong and determined. We all are. That’s how I know we’ll get her back and arrest him in the process.”

“I don’t know, Matty.”

“Justin, we will get her back.”

“Do you think he’s going to kill her?”

Justin couldn’t or wouldn’t think like that, but having Matt vocalize what kept him awake all night sent chills down his spine.

Staring at the flower bed that edged the patio, Matt was struck by the unique arrangement and how well it suited his sister.

“She planted those last week,” Zack called from the doorway.

Both men turned around to find a look of despair on his face.

“We’ll get her back, Zack. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

He nodded, but the look he gave them said he wasn’t so sure she would be alive when they finally got her back.

“She’s survived before Zack, and she can do it again.”

Shaking his head, Zack just stared at the flowers Katie had planted and smiled sadly.

“You know it took her almost five days to decide on these flowers? It was driving me nuts watching her, but she insisted that they had to fit both our personalities.”

Matt looked down at the flowers. He hadn’t noticed before, but they actually did fit the two of them.

“No matter what, though, she had to have those Johnny Jumping Jacks flowers.”

“Christ, she loves those.”

Justin reflected on his sister’s ability to love such an easy-to-grow flower.

“I insisted on the daisies and lilies, but she had to have the Jumping Jacks.”

“Why did you insist on the daisies and lilies?” Justin asked.

“I gave her those when we…”

Trailing off, he couldn’t tell her brothers that he’d given her those after they’d first made love. He’d told her the daisies reminded him of the sun shining through the window the next morning, and the lilies reminded him of how much he loved her for being her.

“We don’t want to know this, do we?”

“I’m assuming no, otherwise we may have to kick his ass.”

Laughing at the look on Zack’s face, the two men punched him in the shoulder before heading back inside.

“Ready to do this?” Justin asked.

Zack was reluctant to proceed.

“No, but we need to.”

With that they rejoined the search party, taking a few moments to look over the information the officer had brought earlier.

After about an hour, Annie joined them with news of her own.

“Zack, Justin, and Matt, I need to talk to you in the office alone please.”

Thinking they were about to witness her melting down, all three men followed her into the office cringing at what might happen after the doors closed.

“I found her.”

“What?!” they all said in unison.

“She’s at the docks. He’s getting ready to take her by boat to some remote island his family owns on international waters.”

“Christ, if he gets her there, we may never get her back.”

International rules differed from the ones in the States, and it would be a legal nightmare to get her back.

“We don’t have much time, and I need to be sure you guys are ready for whatever we find when we get to her.”

They knew what that meant. Zack didn’t want to think about her condition when they finally got her back. He just wanted her back, no matter what. So long as she was alive, they could figure out the rest together.

“Zack, I don’t think you should come with us to retrieve her.”

The detached way Annie spoke about getting her daughter back brought tears to his eyes, but he knew she was just distancing herself, preparing for whatever they found when they got to her.

“Fuck that. I’m going.”

Normally Annie would have reprimanded him for his outburst, but under the circumstances, she let it slide.

“Fine, Zack, but you need to prepare yourself mentally for the condition she may be in when we find her.”

She wanted him to realize they might find the worst possible outcome without saying it aloud.

“Justin, make sure your bag is fully stocked, not just like last time, though. This time I think it may be worse.”

Worse. Dear God, please don’t let it be worse.

Her condition when they had decided to run the first time was pretty bad, with her internal bleeding causing them to stop numerous times on the way out of the state. She had nearly died several times—not that he had ever told her that. The internal bleeding had caused those wounds to heal rather slowly. He had watched her like a hawk for days without sleeping, just to make sure she would survive. Now, however, the thought of her in a worse condition than that scared the living daylights out of him.

“Let’s go! We have to get her back!”

Surprising everyone, Justin yelled as the security personal approached, awaiting orders.