Chapter 9

Stone

 

I sat in the unfriendly, putrid, grimy holding cell with the rest of the criminals that night. Andrew killed Clarissa and I’m sitting in this Goddamn cell instead of him. I wanted to tell the police about everything, but Andrew will tell them that Maddie killed Sly and she’ll go to jail for sure. My P.O. was talking to a police officer, then glanced over at me and smiled. He walked towards the holding cell like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Remove the prisoner, please.” He said to the officer.

“Do you have orders?” the officer asked.

“Yes, now release him.”

The officer opened the cell door and the rest of the jail birds started whistling and cursing at him.

“Sit the fuck down you idiots!” The officer shouted, “Here, take him,” he barked as he pushed me towards my P.O.

My P.O. grabbed me by the shoulder and escorted me into an office.

“Sit, Shelton,” he said. I sat across from him while I watched him pour a cup of coffee, “You want any?”

“No thanks.” I whispered.

“I know you didn’t kill Clarissa.” My heart was heavy, just mentioning her name made me feel sick.

“Glad to hear it. Now why am I here?”

“We’ve been following Andrew Turner for many years now.” He stated calmly.

He turned with the cup of coffee in his hand and sat across from me. I immediately felt uncomfortable. I didn’t know what was going on, but something didn’t feel right and I was waiting for him to drop a bomb.

“I’m not really your probation officer. My name is Special Agent Jackson Turner. I’m Andrew’s older brother.” He continued.

I glanced around as if he were speaking to someone else.

“Is this a joke? Perhaps a hidden camera show?”

“It’s not. You see, my brother has been involved in illegal activity over the last two years. He’s a very smart young man. He knows some very important people from lawyers to doctors, even cops and judges.” He sat on the edge of the desk and eyed me up and down.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I know where Madison is Joseph. Andrew took your kids last night while you were locked up. Lacky’s in the hospital, he’s in critical condition right now,” my heart stopped beating. I stood up quickly and ran for the door before I felt his hand on my arm, “What are you doing?” he asked as he gripped my arm tightly.

“I’m going to kill him. Where are they? Where’s Maddie?” I snapped.

I was hyperventilating and couldn’t control the urge to grab his gun and shoot my way out of there. By now, he probably killed them all.

“Sit down, Mr. Shelton. We have surveillance cameras watching over his house right now in Maryland.”

“Maryland?”

“Yeah, a very small, secluded town. Few thousand residents, maybe even less,” he led me to the chair and sat down, “Look, your sister’s in a mess. I know she killed Sly, but my brother probably deserved it. He was a loser…but, he was still my little brother. I’m not sure I can get her out of this. But, I need your sister’s help and maybe, just maybe…he won’t kill the kids.”

“What the fuck? Are you crazy?” I stood up again and walked towards the window.

“Look, we need your sister’s testimony to get my brother and put him away for a long time,” he stood glaring at me as if I had no choice at all, “She knows everything about my brother’s business. He’s embezzled millions of dollars to live the way he does, plus, he runs a sex slave slash escort business from Chechenia, he kidnapped a very important person. Jordania Porvasky. He’s been hiding her in another country. She just resurfaced last week. He’s her go-to-fuck whenever he travels to Chechenia. She’s only eighteen years old. She’s the daughter of the police captain here in Syracuse.”

“Wait…wait a Goddamn minute. You knew that your brother killed Clarissa, kidnapped Maddie and took the kids and you did nothing about it? This doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does when it’s the police captain’s daughter that’s in danger. Andrew threatened to slit her throat. Andrew is a cold-blooded murderer. You don’t know my brother like I do.”

“Fuck her. Do you know the terrible things he’s done to Maddie? The sexual things he’s done to her, how much he’s hurt her. He broke Daniel’s arm for God’s sake! And all you care about is the captain’s daughter? My kids are out there in danger! Afraid and alone without their father! What am I supposed to do now?” I was losing what little patience I had left.

He sat for a moment, running his fingers through his hair. I glanced over at the clock and it was 10:00pm. I was feeling on edge. Nervous. Scared. Horrified. My kids. Maddie. What the fuck was I going to do? Jackson’s cell phone rang as my heart pounded against my chest. He placed his hand in his pants pocket, grabbed it and took the call.

“Yeah. When? I’m leaving now.” He glanced over at me.

“Let’s go.” He said obviously hesitant.

“What? Where?” I asked suspiciously.

“To get Maddie and the kids. He’s going to kill them Joseph, tonight. If we don’t make it there on time.” He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and bolted out of the door.

Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Maryland. The plane ride seemed like an eternity. I was anxious and nauseous, staring out of the window of the plane, hoping I would see the lights of the airport soon to ease the pain in my heart. I knew Andrew was a murderer. But to take the kids and almost kill Lacky wasn’t even a thought in my head. What was he after? What was the real story?

 

 

We finally landed and as we walked off of the plane, I was handcuffed to Jackson’s hand.

“What the fuck?” I said glaring at Jackson.

“It’s procedure.” He said.

“I’m not going to run away.” I answered angrily.

“I know, but right now, your heads not on straight.” He grabbed me, and we walked side by side.

We left the airport, and we were approached by a black Cadillac with dark tinted windows.

“Get in.” I went in first. He followed and shut the door.

“This is Special Agent Mirva Sudowsky.”

I nodded my head, and she smiled.

“She’s here to recover Jordania and return her safely to her father.” He explained.

He turned his gaze to me.

“What about Maddie and the kids?” I asked.

“They’ll be safe. I promise.”

We drove into the darkness and into a small town that was barely lit with street lights.

“How long Jeff?” he asked the driver.

“Five minutes up this road sir.” Jeff replied.

“Go around the back near the lake.”

“Yes, sir.” He answered.

“I’m un-cuffing you Shelton so you can grab Maddie and the kids when we get them, return to this car and stay put until I tell you otherwise do you understand?” I nodded my head, “Now, stay by the car until we get back.”

We pulled up towards the lake behind an array of trees. The hideout didn’t give me much of a view of the lake. Jackson walked quietly towards the water, his gun drawn. I couldn’t see anything, so I decided to get a little closer. I saw someone who looked like Andrew, then, I saw them. I got closer. I saw Maddie, and I saw Andrew holding Alyssa in one arm and Daniel in the other.

Jackson approached Andrew and placed his gun back in the holster. Jackson crept slowly and cautiously towards Andrew. Andrew seemed to smile in delight the closer Jackson got to him. I glanced to my right and looked at Maddie; her grey eyes gleamed in the moonlight. My heart ached to be by her side.

“Andrew, put the kids down.” Jackson demanded.

“Well look who the fuck it is. My big brother Jacks.”

“Andrew, it’s over. Let Madison and the kids go. Jordania has already been recovered.”

“Jordania?” his face flushed with worry, “You’re taking Jordania from me?”

“Yes. Put the kids on the ground and place your hands over your head.” Jackson demanded.

“What the fuck do you think this is a movie?” he laughed as he walked near the edge of the lake.

“No!” Maddie shouted.

I ran up behind Jackson. He was startled and grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing, Shelton?” Jackson shouted.

“Yeah, what are you doing, Stone?” Andrew chuckled.

“Let them go Andrew. You can kill me, but don’t kill them… please.” I pleaded.

Maddie glanced over at me. Tears filled her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Well, I’m not going to kill them Stone. Only Daniel. You see, I have no use for him. Now, Alyssa on the other hand. Alyssa is mine.”

“What the fuck do you mean Alyssa is yours?” I shouted. Jackson glanced over at me.

“Alyssa is…Sly’s little girl. My sweet little niece.” Andrew taunted.

“You’re a liar!” Maddie shouted.

Andrew placed Alyssa underneath his arm and grabbed a gun from his pocket. Alyssa began to cry.

“Momma!” She yelled.

“No! No! You fucking bastard! Let her go!” Maddie cried.

“You see your whore mother was fucking my brother for drugs. He was a drug dealer after all. Before he stuck the last hit of heroin to relieve her pain in her arm, she confessed Alyssa was his. He called me the night he went to see you when you said he was going to rape you. He wanted to see his daughter. She was all he had in the world, and then…you killed him.” He barked.

“He never told me that! He said he was going to fuck me like he did my mother and take the kids from me!” She shouted.

“I had a DNA test done on the kids, remember, for the guardianship papers?” he looked my way and smiled from ear to ear, “Alyssa is his.”

“Daddy!” Daniel Shouted as he tried to grab Alyssa from Andrew’s grip. Andrew smacked his hand.

“You’re a Goddamn liar! Don’t you touch him!” She yelled, the tears falling from her eyes in rage.

“Well, if I’m a liar. I guess I should kill them both. So, who’s it going to be? Daniel or Alyssa? I know they can’t swim, sweetheart.” He smiled as Alyssa started to slip from his arms.

“No!” I yelled.

“Goddammit Andrew! Put the kids down on the ground. Where do you think you’re going? You’re surrounded. You can’t go anywhere!” Jackson shouted.

“What took you so long, Jacks?” he sneered, “And where did you get that outfit, at the Halloween shop?”

“I’m not a probation officer Andrew.”

“No shit Special Agent scumbag. You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to? The cops, the judges they work for me…not you. Look how long it took you to finally get here? You can’t save them, Jacks. You can’t save them just like you couldn’t save me or Sylvester. Our brother was a lost soul, an addict.”

“Sylvester didn’t want our help.” He answered softly.

“You let that little two-bit trailer trash kill my little brother. I loved him, Jacks. I loved him. He needed me.” He said angrily.

“Surrender Andrew. Sylvester wouldn’t want it any other way. That way Alyssa can be a part of our family.”

“Really? Do you think I’m a dumbass? I lost Jordania, I lost Madison. I’m losing Alyssa and now, I’ve lost you Jacks.”

“You’re not losing me. We can be a family again,” his voice trembled as he spoke, “You’re sick Andrew. You need help. Ever since you saw dad kill mom…you’ve never been the same.” He pleaded.

“Don’t you ever mention his name.” He barked. His grip on Alyssa and Daniel became tighter.

“This isn’t you Andrew. The judge will be lenient. I promise. Let them go. You know this isn’t you. You wouldn’t hurt those kids. Think of Sylvester,” Jackson’s voice had promise in it, but Andrew’s distorted face led me to believe he had nothing but hate and murder left inside of him, “Let me help you.” He begged.

“I am sick, aren’t I?” he inhaled deeply and stared at Jackson for a moment as if contemplating on what to do next, “He took her away and left us to fend for ourselves and then you left too, and you left me with him.”

“I had to Andrew. I had to find a way to punish him for what he did. He got away with murder.”

“Yes…he did, and that scene stood burned in my brain ever since. The blood…all that blood.” The tears that fell from Andrew’s eyes soon turned into an inferno of anger. He grabbed Alyssa as she cried.

“Sylvester…Ana was a whore…this child is spoiled. You don’t need her Sylvester. We don’t need her.” He said as he looked to his side as if he were speaking to Sylvester.

I immediately felt a chill crawl up and down my spine. My hands were clammy, and my chest tightened. I knew Andrew was going to let those kids go. My heart was hammering in my chest. I glanced over at Maddie who was ready to run in after the kids. Her face was covered in tears as she balled her hands into a fist at her sides. She glanced over at me, pleading for me to do something. To save them.

“Andrew…Sylvester is dead. Make the right decision for him…for him Andrew…please, let them go.”

“Fuck you Jacks. Say good-bye.”

Andrew let Daniel and Alyssa slip from his arms with a cynical grin plastered across his face as they fell into the lake. Maddie ran towards the lake to jump in after them. Andrew lifted his gun at Maddie and fired. I grabbed Andrew’s gun from his holster, pointed the gun at Andrew and shot him in the chest sending Andrew falling backward into the lake. I pushed Jackson out of the way and jumped into the lake, Jackson followed. I dove in swishing my arms around trying to touch and feel for Alyssa.

It was dark. I couldn’t see her. I grabbed a hold of something. I realized it was Alyssa’s hair and pulled her up out of the water. She was choking and spitting up water but was able to breathe.

Jackson swam from underneath the water and held onto Daniel as he swam back to shore. Daniel went down faster into the lake because of his cast. We brought the kids to shore and Jackson started CPR on Daniel. I stared as Daniel was lifeless and didn’t respond. Jackson repeated the CPR and with one more push, Daniel’s head turned to the side and water seeped out from his mouth as he coughed.

I heard the police sirens and ambulances in the background. I turned my head and saw Maddie lying on the ground. I ran with Alyssa in my arms towards her.

“Maddie! Maddie!” I shouted as I stared at the gunshot wound in her chest, the blood saturating her blouse.

“Momma!” Alyssa cried.

“St…Stone?” she sputtered.

I placed my hand on the bleeding wound on her chest as she gasped for air. I looked around and started to scream.

“Help! Help!” I yelled, “Maddie…hold on. Maddie, please…” I whispered in her ear and kissed the side of her head.

I heard the sirens approaching closer. The EMS workers pushed me to the side.

“I’m Greg. What happened?”

“She was shot…my brother and sister they were thrown into the lake. They need to be checked out.” I held Alyssa tightly as Jackson held on to Daniel.

“Nickels get the kids; put them in the other ambulance.” He ordered. Nickels grabbed Alyssa from my arms.

“Daddy?” Alyssa grabbed my hand.

“I’ll be right there. I’m taking care of mommy.” I stared at my hands that were covered with Maddie’s blood.

“What’s her name?” Greg asked.

“Maddie.” I whispered, my body trembling, and my stomach twisting from the sight. I stood near her, close enough to hear her heart beating.

“Maddie? Can you hear me?” Maddie’s face grew pale. Her beautiful lips turning a light shade of blue.

“Rick…hurry. Put an IV in. Put pressure on the wound. Let’s get her on the stretcher.”

“Go…” I heard Maddie whisper. She grabbed my hand, and I held it tightly.

“What?” I leaned in as Rick placed the IV in her arm and she flinched.

“Go with the kids Stone,” she reached for my shoulder with tears in her eyes, “They need you…I…I love you.” She closed her eyes, and then started to cough up blood.

“Maddie! Maddie!” Greg grabbed my shoulder, and I pushed him against his chest with my hands.

“Sir, calm down! We have to go. Let us save her life.” He said.

I watched in fear as they placed Maddie on a stretcher and into the ambulance and drove off. The second ambulance had the kids inside. I wiped my tears before going in. The EMS workers placed Alyssa and Daniel on a stretcher together.

“Daniel…Hey champ, you okay?” I kissed his forehead.

“Daddy where’s momma? I saw her daddy, I saw her, she’s hurt.” He asked as the tears streamed down his face.

“She’s coming home, champ. She’s coming home,” I glanced over at Jackson who was scanning the lake and talking to some other men in suits, “I’ll be right back,” I jumped out of the ambulance and walked towards Jackson.

“Jackson, what’s going on?”

“It’s Andrew. He’s gone. He must’ve fell into the lake and drowned.”

“Wouldn’t the body float back up?” I asked anxiously, “You need to find him and make sure he is died. He’s dangerous and if he’s alive… I’m going to kill him,” Jackson stared at me for a moment, “And if Maddie dies, you better disappear.” The look in his eyes burned a hole in mine.

“Listen to me, Shelton. Maddie is under arrest in that hospital bed whether she makes or not,” he grabbed my arm and I yanked it away from him, “I’m sorry she had to go through all of this. I’m sorry she felt threatened by Sylvester. He probably was going to rape her, but, killing him wasn’t the answer.” He said heatedly.

“How do you figure that? So, letting him rape her and take the kids, your niece…that was the answer. Are you going to arrest me for shooting your brother?”

“I have to arrest her for Sylvester’s murder, but Maddie is the only mother Alyssa has ever known. It was self-defense and I will vouch for her and make sure she is cleared. And no, I’m not going to arrest you. I would have done the same thing if you didn’t steal my gun. He was better off dead because sooner or later, he would kill again, or someone would’ve killed him.”

“She better not die, Jackson. She better not die.” My eyes locked with his.

He knew damn well if Andrew wasn’t dead, he had better find him and kill him himself.

“I know how much you love Madison and those kids. If I had a family that I loved, maybe I would feel the same way.” His eyes were stricken with grief.

“You’ll never know how much I love them. I have to go. They’re waiting for me.” I turned and walked away from him.

“I’ll see you at the hospital.”

I headed towards the ambulance where the kids were. I watched as he perused the lake in search for Andrew. As the ambulance drove away, I stared at Alyssa and Daniel. They fell asleep peacefully in the midst of all of this chaos. My heart and soul was with Maddie. I couldn’t believe that bastard shot her. I couldn’t believe he dumped my kids in the lake without blinking his eyes.

“This was a scene straight out of a movie, man. What the hell happened?” the EMS worker asked.

“It’s a long story, bro. Maybe some other time.” He nodded his head and placed the blood pressure cuff around Alyssa’s little arm. She opened her eyes.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Hurt…Daddy.” She closed her eyes.

“Where? Where does it hurt baby?” she lifted her head and placed her tiny hand behind the back of her head.

I placed my hand to check it and Alyssa had a huge lump.

“Hey, she has a pretty bad lump in the back of her head.” I said to the EMS worker.

“Let me check. Does it hurt sweetie?” he asked.

“Daddy?” Alyssa glanced up at me and her eyes closed.

“Mike, pass me the heart monitor.”

“What’s going on?” I asked with a lump in my throat.

“She might have a hematoma.” He said as he attached her to the heart monitor and placed the oxygen mask over her face.

“A what?” panic set in immediately.

I lost my breath just thinking about it. I couldn’t lose her, like Bryan. I couldn’t lose any of them.

“A blood clot. Did she hit herself when she fell in the lake?” he asked.

“I don’t know. She was dropped intentionally into the lake.” I rubbed her head gently and held her hand.

“Okay. Jack…put the sirens on and go through every red light. We need to get to the hospital now. Move away sir, while I place an IV line into her arm.” I sat back staring at her in shock. Bryan’s face flashed before my eyes. The thought of Andrew’s taunting words about how Alyssa was Sly’s daughter made my stomach churn. My God, who didn’t Ana fuck? The news was hard to grasp, but it didn’t make a difference. Alyssa was mine. She was my daughter and always will be.

We finally arrived at the hospital after running through red lights and hearing the sounds of tires screeching on the street to avoid a collision with the ambulance. With both Daniel and Alyssa in the ambulance, the fear of one of them dying was too much for me to bear. My thoughts were also bombarded with Maddie. I needed to make sure the kids were okay, but the love of my life was struggling to live right now and I wasn’t there to comfort her or hold her hand.

We pulled up to the front of the Emergency room entrance and all hell broke loose. The doors flew open and around ten doctors and nurses slid the stretcher out of the ambulance and ran with Alyssa’s little body that was jumping up and down. She was having a seizure. Daniel was placed in a wheel chair and pushed into the ER. I ran in after Alyssa, but they wouldn’t let me step beyond the emergency room doors.

“No! I need to get in there…No! What’s happening?” I shouted as my heart hammered against my chest.

“She needs to go into surgery now. Please, we’ll do everything we can!” A doctor shouted as the double doors to the OR shut in my face.

I keeled over in pain. The stress was too much. I felt Bryan’s presence consume me. “Don’t take her Bryan, Don’t take her.” I whispered.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Daniel shouted from down the hall.

“Mr.….” A nurse asked.

“Yes. It’s Stone Shelton.”

“Mr. Shelton…is Madison Stone related to you?”

“Yes, but first let’s walk over to my son.” I started walking towards Daniel and a police officer stopped me.

“Joseph Shelton?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Special Agent Turner would like to speak to you.”

“I have to see how Maddie is doing first. Please, I don’t know what’s going on.” My voice was filled with panic.

“Go ahead and speak to the nurse, grab your son and we will wait for you in the waiting room.” I nodded my head and returned my attention back to the nurse.

“How is she?” I asked.

“She is still in surgery Mr. Shelton. If you would wait in the OR waiting room, someone will be out to speak with you as soon as we can.”

“Thank you.”

 

 

“Mr. Shelton, Madison’s surgery was difficult but a success. We were able to remove the bullet with minimal damage to her chest cavity. It missed her lung by an inch. She’s very lucky. She’s still in ICU but, she’s going to be fine.”

“Oh…thank God,” I closed my eyes shut and let the tears skim down my cheeks. The only thing I prayed for in this world was that the kids and Maddie made it out alive from Andrew’s evil grip, “I need to see her please.”

“Not yet. Are you related?”

“Why?”

“I need someone to sign this release. We need to do special tests and she won’t be awake for a while. You know, like a proxy.”

“I can do that. I’m her brother.”

“Is she pregnant?” the nurse asked.

“I don’t think so, no, she’s not.” I replied nervously.

“Good. We were able to get some of her records from a small clinic she visited frequently near Saranac Lake. It says here she had a miscarriage three years ago. I just wanted to make sure we didn’t expose her to radiation if she was pregnant.” She whispered softly.

“She’s not pregnant, and you must be mistaken, she’s never been pregnant.”

“Well, according to these records…she was.”

“You’re mistaken. She’s never had children. I’m her brother. Daniel and Alyssa are our siblings. We raised them as our own.” The nurse’s eyes widened. She was taken aback by my words.

“Mr. Shelton, we read your sister’s medical records. She had a miscarriage when she was seventeen.” I shook my head in disbelief and wiped the last tear that fell from my eye.

“No, she’s never had a miscarriage. You’re wrong about that.” I demanded.

I was starting to get angry, and I didn’t want the nurse to get suspicious.

“Well, maybe she didn’t want to tell you, a miscarriage is painful and private. You’re her brother she might have been afraid to tell you.” She said as she glared at me angrily.

“Yeah, I need to get Daniel now. Please let me know when I can visit her.”

I walked away with a burning rage burrowed deep inside my body. I had to calm down before getting to Daniel. Who did Maddie sleep with?

“Daddy!” Daniel jumped into my arms.

“We removed the cast and put a sling. He should be more comfortable now.” The doctor pinched Daniel’s cheek and rubbed the top of his head. “Mr.….”

“Shelton. Stone Shelton.”

“His lungs are fine. He didn’t seem to swallow a substantial amount of water. We drew blood and everything seems to be just fine. Are you his legal guardian?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll release him to you.” She smiled and handed me the discharge papers to sign. I signed them and grabbed Daniel by the hand.

“Um…Excuse me. I’m looking for a patient.” I said.

“Sure. Walk with me and I’ll look them up in the computer.” She walked two steps ahead of me. I grabbed her arm gently.

“No…he’s in Syracuse. Can you make a phone call for me?” I asked nervously.

“Well…I’m really not supposed to.” She said shaking her head.

“Please…” I pleaded.

“His name?”

“Richard Ackeroyd.” She picked up the phone at the nurse’s station and eyed me up and down.

“Yes, I’m looking for a patient… Richard Ackeroyd,” She glanced over at me, “I see. When?” She placed her pen in her mouth and cracked a smile, “Thank you so much.”

“Well…”

“He’s been moved from ICU. You can visit him whenever you’d like. He’s in room 469 North. He’s in State University Hospital.”

“Thank you, Dr….”

“Dr. Nelson. I’ll check on Alyssa for you.” She smiled.

“I’ll be in the waiting area.” I replied.

“Sure thing.” She smiled and walked away towards the OR.

I walked towards the waiting area and met Jackson there. He approached me with Mirva.

“Shelton, how’s Alyssa and Madison?” Jackson asked.

“Madison is going to have a full recovery. Alyssa is still in surgery.” I replied with a knot in my stomach holding Daniel in my arms.

“Have a seat Shel…”

“Stone. My name is Stone.”

“Stone, please have a seat.” He stared at me then glanced over at Mirva. She was a beautiful woman but seemed a little uptight in her grey pants suit and haired scrunched up in a bun.

“What’s going on?” I asked,

Daniel leaned his head against my chest burrowing his little face into me.

“Look, there are some things you should know.”

“Like?” I asked suspiciously, “Daniel, there’s a play area right over there. Can you sit there and color?”

“No daddy. I’m not leaving you.” He frowned.

“But I need to speak to Mr. Jackson. Can you be my big boy?”

“No daddy.”

“Daniel, please. I need to speak to Mr. Jackson.”

“No!” he shouted.

I shrugged my shoulders and Daniel nestled his head against my chest and wrapped his arms around me. Jackson rolled his eyes into this head. He seemed impatient and annoyed.

“It’s okay Champ. You can stay with daddy.” I kissed the top of his head.

“We weren’t only following my brother. He not only had a long dirty laundry list of fraud, sex slave trade and embezzlement, but he also had an accomplice. Someone working very closely with him that made sure he was covered legally. Someone you know very well.”

“Oh…who?”

“Lieutenant Ackeroyd.”

“Lacky?” I chuckled.

“Yes. Lacky as you call him, worked undercover for years as a DEA agent before leaving and returning as a Detective then gradually worked his way up to Lieutenant.”

“I don’t get it. Isn’t a DEA agent higher in rank than his current position? Besides, Lacky would never be an accomplice to that piece of shit brother of yours.

“Well, it was undercover, and the answer is yes, it is a higher-ranking position. Richard is a very smart man and a loyal friend, taking a lower position to get what he wanted when he wanted. His plan started at your sister’s house in Saranac Lake with the lower level drug dealers. It was easy to be around your mother, she was beautiful and a junkie. Exactly the type of woman Lacky needed to get his hands on some big-time drug dealers. She brought in the small drug dealers, which led to major drug lords. The funny thing is that Richard was on everyone’s payroll, including ours, and he didn’t even know it. He spread himself too thin. We played his game for years until he finally hooked up with my brother. That’s when we were able to connect the two of them to the kidnapping of Jordania. They also had the sex slave trade, and the illegal text messaging App Company that he developed in five other countries to conduct his business without getting caught.”

“I’m not following. How in the hell does this involve us?” I was starting to get pissed off at this guy already.

“Andrew is missing. Lacky is out of ICU. We scanned that lake and right now… he’s not in it. We’ll resume the search in the morning. But, if my brother is alive. He will kill Madison and all of you,” he took a breath and locked eyes with me, “Lacky is suspicion right now, he knows something is up. When we went to pick you up to arrest you, we tipped him off. You were supposed to be there when Andrew arrived,” he paused again allowing me to digest all the information he had given me, “It was a set up. Lacky set you up so Andrew could kill you personally.”

I stood up and placed Daniel in my seat trying to control my anger, someone was lying, and I didn’t know who I could trust. I looked at Jackson waiting for him to continue.

“Because the plan was foiled, Andrew almost beat Lacky to death. The plan then had to change. We knew Andrew was plotting to kill you when Lacky invited you to stay with him. We’ve been recording their conversations over the last couple of months. The fact that he conspired to kill you and take the kids led us to Lacky’s apartment to save your life,” he sighed heavily, “My father killing my mother had a detrimental effect on Andrew. Sly just went into drugs and never recovered. Andrew vowed to find the person that murdered Sylvester. Your sister has been a target ever since. Lacky knew Madison killed Sylvester, and he told Andrew and that was the beginning of a very dangerous friendship.”

I stood speechless listening to every word that came out of Jackson’s mouth. To me, it wasn’t even real. How did we get mixed up in this shit? How could we ever have known that Lacky was behind all of this? I know how, it all started when I killed that guy that was going to hurt Maddie and Lacky was there to pick up the pieces. How the hell was I going to protect my family in a situation like this?

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No…I’m not.” I shook my head.

My heart was heavy. Lacky was a friend of the family for years. He protected us and yet, he was the reason our lives were now falling apart.

“Look, we can put you, Madison and the kids in protective custody until my brother pops up.”

“What about Lacky?” I asked.

“What about him?”

“What’s going to happen to him?” I inquired.

“Nothing right now, we have to squash those suspicions. Let him think Andrew is alive and business needs to run as usual,” he inhaled deeply for a moment then glanced at Mirva, then back at me, “I need you to visit him and act like you're concerned, and everything is okay.”

“What?”

“Look, if he doesn’t see you. He’ll think Andrew’s new plan failed. There’s too much to lose. We’re so close.”

“If I visit him, I’m going to slit his fucking throat.” I threatened.

“You need to think Stone. You have two kids and a sister who you need to stay alive for,” Jackson said, “Richard is at State University hospital.”

“I know. I had the doctor call to find out if he was okay.” I replied.

“Are you up for this?” he asked.

“I don’t know…I guess. As long as you take Daniel, Alyssa and Maddie away from here, I’m up for anything.”

“Good. We’ll be in touch tonight. I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon. I’ll assign some men to protect Maddie and Alyssa until they are released. Take Daniel home with you. You have to sign some disclosures then we’ll all be set.”

“Home? Where’s that?”

“Go back to Madison’s apartment. Stay there. Nothing has been touched. Remember, we knew Andrew killed Clarissa.”

Clarissa, her name seemed a distant memory until it slipped off of his tongue. My heart hurt me. I was the reason he killed her. To hurt me. To teach me a lesson.
“Mr. Shelton?” a doctor approached me.

“Yes?”

“Madison is awake.”

“I’ll be right there,” I held Daniel in my arms as the blood rushed to my head. Maddie was alive, “Jackson, can you watch him for a moment? I’d like to see Maddie alone.”

“Sure. I’ll watch him.” I handed Daniel, who had fallen asleep against my chest, to Jackson.

Letting him go felt wrong, but I needed to see Maddie alone.

I walked away from Jackson feeling as if I was just casted for the next detective series on Showtime. I couldn’t comprehend how these turn of events played out without me actually thinking this was some kind of joke. Having junkies for parents, spending time in jail, and raising my siblings was a movie in itself, but now shit just got serious. The law, fraud, embezzlement, sex slaves, kidnapping, the kind of shit you hear on the news and we were all a part of it.

I glanced up at the room number 237 South. I took a deep breath before opening the door slowly. Maddie was hooked up to all of these machines that were beeping, letting me know she was very much alive. I walked towards her slowly, taking in tiny breaths to try to keep my heart at a steady pace as I reached her bed.

I looked at her beautiful face that was pale and bruised, her eyes squinting as if she were in pain. I skimmed over her body noticing her hands were lying on her chest which was probably the source of her discomfort. I reached out and touched her hand gently.

“Stone?” she whispered.

“Maddie. How are you feeling?” I asked with a lump in my throat.

“It hurts…a lot.” She tapped her fingers lightly on her chest.

“I’m sure it does.” She reached for my hand and squeezed it gently.

“Maddie…I”

“I know Stone…I know.”

“No, you don’t,” I leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips, “I love you, Maddie. I love you so much I’ve been lost without you.”

“I love you, too,” she said smiling, “Alyssa? Daniel? Are they okay?” she struggled to speak, gasping for air in between words.

“Yes…they’re fine.”

“I…I was so afraid. I thought I would never see them again.” She cried.

Her body trembled from the fear. Her eyes welled with tears as she tried to continue to speak.

“Don’t talk Maddie. Everything is fine. We’re all going to be together again. You, me, Alyssa and Daniel.” I kissed her fingertips, and she giggled.

“What?”

“I’ve always dreamed that one day you would kiss my hand and fingertips like that. You know, I saw it in the movies.”

She smiled that trademark family smile that we all shared. Our eyes squinting as we smiled, and my heart melted for her. I leaned in and kissed her lips again, pushing my tongue gently into her mouth. She opened seamlessly. I belonged in her mouth. She belonged in mine. Our kiss was in sync, a rhythm that was passionate, yet so loving, and I could have died right there and be satisfied with just that one kiss. The door opened, and our kiss ended abruptly.

“Miss Stone?” a female doctor walked in. She looked quite uncomfortable as she noticed our lips broke from our kiss.

“Yes?” Maddie whispered.

“I’m Doctor Hollander.” She stared at me as she walked around the bed to the other side.

“Hi, I’m Stone.” I reached out to shake her hand.

“Pleasure. Stone are you related to Madison?” she smiled.

“He’s my fiancé.” Madison interrupted.

My heart dropped. What did she just say? Everyone knows she’s my sister.

“Oh, well, congratulations. Let’s take a look at the surgical wound. You can stay, Stone.”

“My sister is such a prankster! Madison, grow up and let the doctor check you. I’m going to check on Alyssa.”

I glanced over at Maddie whose smile turned into a river of tears. God, I loved her so much, but the word fiancée was just too much. No one can know our love. They’ll take the kids from us. I gave her a nod and left the room with my heart and soul left behind. I had hurt her right now and that hurt me more than anything in this world.