Chapter Twenty-Six
Jonah
As I lay there and held her, I screamed inside for vengeance. For blood. I vowed, I would find this demon and I would kill him, slowly. It was exactly what Frank and I had suspected. Worse actually. Never in my life had I heard of such torture to one person. A person you were supposed to love and honor. I did my best to hold in my feelings as she gave me every single detail. I wanted them. As she spoke them, I took them in. I wanted her to give them to me. I could carry them for her.
Something changed in me that day hearing all of it. I could tell she held nothing back. She needed that release. My Ally was one of the strongest people on earth to have endured what she did for years. And then to have the courage to take her child, leave everything behind and run not knowing what was around each corner.
No wonder she trusted no one. Especially me, a man. I was honored that she chose to finally let me in. I worked hard for her trust and I would die before anyone got near my family again. It was time to tell Shane, Frank, Frannie and Brent. Ally had one hell of a team on her side. She was no longer the young lonely girl she once was. She was more. Strong. Brave. Resilient. I was proud to call her mine. If he wanted to come after her? Let him fucking try. He had no idea who he was up against this time.
Rolling her gently to her side and tucking her in to let her rest, I got up and called Shane to set up a meeting so we were all on the same page. When I opened my phone, I realized I had turned the ringer off and swore silently at the missed calls over the last twenty minutes. I hadn’t wanted anyone to disturb Ally and me. Instead of listening to the voicemails, I called Shane directly and he didn’t answer. Flipping through the missed calls, I saw Frank’s number and a feeling of dread enveloped me. Something had happened and it wasn’t good. First thinking of Sam, I tried Shane one more time and he finally picked up.
“Jonah! Thank God! Brent just sent a unit to head toward your place because you weren’t picking up your phone. Ally and you are both safe?” Shane asked with urgency.
“We’re fine. What’s happened Shane?” I demanded.
“You’re not gonna like it, bro. Just listen and remain calm until I am done. Ally’s place was broken into sometime last night, but no one was home thankfully. Frannie stopped by to pick up more clothes for Sam and she discovered it. The place is trashed Jonah. Sam’s bed, the couch, everything. But, it’s what was written on the walls that has us the most concerned,” Shane said in full control of the details, easily falling back into his role as a police detective.
Thankfully, I was downstairs in the kitchen as he filled me in because a slew of curse words flew from my mouth.
“What was written on the walls, Shane?” I asked in trepidation.
“Jonah, that’s just it. Do you remember the murder investigation that was sent for us to take a look into? It was the same message here as it was at that crime scene. “Not Forgotten and Not Forgiven. We have a serious problem. Whoever is after Ally is hardcore and not afraid to kill to get what they want. And what is the connection to the woman? She and Sam need to be under full police protection from now on. And she needs to go in to speak with Brent. He can’t hold back now and I don’t think you want him to for that matter. Frannie, Frank and Sam are at his place for now but they will be heading to the police station as soon as possible. You and Ally need to do the same. I’m sorry, bro, but we have to get some answers from Ally and get a handle on this before someone else gets hurt or killed,” Shane informed me.
“I have the answers we need. We will be there shortly. And Shane? Thanks man, we will need to close ranks and call in everyone who owes us favors. This is my family we are talking about,” I said to Shane. He became so quiet I almost thought he had hung up.
“About damn time, Jonah. About damn time.” I heard the smile in Shane’s voice as I hung up.
Son of a bitch! Things were escalating faster than I had expected. But I couldn’t push Ally until she was ready to talk. I had to wake her and let her know what was going on. Then we needed to head to the station.
When I woke Ally as gently as possible, I filled her in on what happened, leaving out the part about the unsolved murder and the message on the wall of the crime scene and her walls. “Ally, baby,” I whispered as I shook her awake. “I need to tell you something. Stay calm and know that I am going to protect you and Sam.”
“What’s happened, Jonah? Just tell me,” she said as she sat up abruptly.
“Frannie stopped by your place to pick up some clothes for Sam. She found that someone had broken into your place sometime last night. They trashed it.”
“Why would someone break into my place? I don’t have very much worth stealing. What if we had been home? Would they have hurt us?” She paced the floor as her voice rose in pitch.
“Calm down. Whoever it was knew no one was home. That’s why they broke in. Don’t worry. I will keep you safe. I swear on my life. But you have got to remain calm. You can’t let Sam see you like this.”
“Take me to my place. I have to see it for myself. I have to know what he found.”
“You can’t go there right now. It’s a crime scene.”
“It’s my damn house. If you don’t take me right now, I will walk there my damn self.”
“Like hell, you will.”
No amount of talking would change her mind. She would not listen to me. I called Shane from the car to fill him in and let him know that I couldn’t convince her to skip stopping by her place.
On the drive over, she sat as straight and rigid as an ironing board. I knew the wheels were turning in her head and there would be no calming her. She needed to think and feel her way through this. Hopefully she would realize that she was indeed not alone and she had no need to run. She had Frank, Frannie, Shane, and me. Between all of us we had enough experience, knowledge and backup to take on a small country. So, let the motherfucker try.
As we turned the corner onto her street, the police had her place marked off with crime scene tape. There were marked and unmarked cars lining the block. And a couple of forensic vans were parked in the driveway. Looking over at her as we found a place to park, confusion filled her eyes.
“Jonah? What’s going on? Why would the police bring in the Crime Scene Unit and forensic team for a simple home burglary,” she asked me with confusion and worry tinging her voice.
Should I tell her? I had to if she is going in there. Fuck.
“Ally, there is something else. It wasn’t a simple break-in. They ransacked the entire place, tore up Sam’s bed and the couch, but whoever did this also left a message. Painted on the living room wall in red are the words ‘Not Forgotten and Not Forgiven.’ Does that mean anything you?”
The color drained from her face as she gasped, flung open the door, grabbed her crutches and almost fell out of the Suburban. Cursing under my breath, I got out and ran around her side to help. She shoved me away. “Just move, Jonah. I need to look for myself.”
Stunned by her actions, I prayed that she wasn’t shutting me out again. Falling into step with her, we approached her front door. Stopping and staring, she just stood there for a few seconds, mentally preparing herself to go in.
“Baby? I’m here with you. You are not alone.” Stepping in front of her so we would be face to face, I said it again more firmly this time. She needed to hear me. “You are no longer alone, Ally. I am here with you every step of the way.”
I gently lifted her up the few steps onto the porch and set her back down. I could see it was important that she face this head on.
“Jonah?” Ally whispered to me. I leaned into her so no one else would hear.
“There are two things I need to get from in there and it has to be now. Are you willing to help me with that? It would be breaking the law, Jonah, and I don’t want to involve you in this part. I cannot leave here without them.” She spoke with such conviction that I knew it wasn’t something trivial, it was something she couldn’t live without.
“I told you, I am in this one hundred percent. You are mine. I will protect you with my life. I have your back for now and for always.” It was my oath to Ally.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble or hurt because of me, Jonah. I will protect you too. I love you. Please know that,” she said with conviction and pure honesty.
What did she mean that she would protect me? Was she planning something? Good, this woman needed to have confidence in me to protect her. I would keep her safe.
I opened the door and let her go in first. She gasped and dropped her crutches. Her hands flew to her mouth, but they didn’t trap the desperate words that tumbled out. “No, no, no, no, no. God no! He’s found us. Jonah, he is coming for us and he will kill us. He never loved Sam either, wouldn’t even let him call him dad. Help me, Jonah, please. I have to get these two things,” she begged me.
“Where baby, and what am I looking for?” I questioned her quietly.
Shit, she just started moving and left me to follow. Why wouldn’t she just let me do it?