Always For You (Books 1-3) (28 page)

“Please, let us go,” I screamed
after him as he paced away. He stopped at the doorway, as if
thinking. “Not yet,” he said, “not yet.”

January 13
^th
2014

Cain

I was back at Grace's apartment,
relentlessly clicking on the buzzer. Again, no one was in. I needed
to get up there, needed to do it fast. If the police came
investigating they might find the note, the note Grace wrote for
Katie, the note that Chase found two nights ago. I couldn't let that
happen but, more importantly, I needed to see if Grace was up there,
whether she was safe.

There was no getting through the
security doors at the front, not without someone letting me in. I had
no time to wait for that. I paced across the front of the building
and towards an ally down the left. I saw a side door, what looked
like a maintenance door leading into the underbelly of the building.

I ran towards it and turned the handle,
pushing to try to open it. Fuck, it was locked. I looked left and
right, checking that no one was nearby, and kicked at the door. It
was tough, locked fast. I kicked again and again, gradually hearing
the lock give way, the metal bending under the force of my blows.
After some ferocious kicks it eventually gave way, spilling me inside
as the lock snapped and the door swung open.

I checked to my left and right once
more before diving into the building, running down corridors to find
the stairs, find the lift. I saw it and pressed on the button
quickly, waiting impatiently as the metal prison slowly descended
through the building.

Finally it appeared, opening with a
'bing' as I stepped inside, pressing the button for the 10
^th
floor. I stepped out on the 10
^th
and walked to Grace's
apartment, once again carefully checking up and down the hall to see
if anyone was there. It was quiet, save the sound of light music
playing through a nearby door.

I knocked on the door, quietly, then
louder and louder as I waited for a response. Once more there was
nothing, no sound coming from inside.

I examined the lock again, knowing that
the handle wouldn't turn. I tried anyway. It didn't. Fuck this. Once
more I steadied my aim, sending my heavy boot crashing straight into
the door. It opened with a loud crack this time as I held my breath
for someone to come rushing round the corner, hearing the commotion.
Again the hall went silent.

I walked in slowly, shutting the door
as best I could in case anyone walked past. I looked down the hall
into the living area: the entire place with a mess, still in the
state it was left in on Saturday night. I carried on through,
checking the bedrooms and bathroom for any sign of Grace, any sign of
Chase. There was no one there.

I hurried on back into the bedroom and
saw the note from Grace lying on the floor by a box. I picked it up
and folded it into my pocket.
Where the hell are they?

I searched the room, not knowing what I
was looking for, a growing frustration building inside me. Then I saw
it, sitting on the bedside table: a small note propped up against a
lamp. On the front it simply said 'Grace'.

I grabbed it and opened it up, reading
the words quickly.

“Grace,

I've gone to John's apartment. I'm
going to stay there a few nights, try to get my head around
everything. Please don't try to contact me. I need to think.

Chase”

Fuck. No wonder Chase wasn't around. He
probably didn't even know that Grace was missing. Or maybe she'd gone
there? I needed to find him.
But where the fuck is John's place?

I continued searching, now with more
purpose, more direction. All I needed was a clue as to where he was,
where John had lived. He'd have an apartment in the city, close to
where he worked. Maybe a bill, or a letter? Something with an
address.

I found some boxes under the bed and
flicked through the contents, searching for files, letters. A will,
John's will. I opened it up and flicked through the pages, the many
assets he owned described. It seemed as though Chase had inherited
everything – his properties, his cars, his money, all his
possessions.
He must be fucking loaded
.

Then I found it, just what I was
looking for. The address of an apartment, as I suspected, in the
center of the city, near his office.
That's where he must have
gone, he's got to be there.

Piece of paper in hand I crashed out
through the broken door and back towards the lift, no longer caring
if anyone saw me. I was on a mission now, and I wouldn't stop until
it was done.

Grace

Emily had woken up once more, the two
of us sat locked down in the darkness, not having any idea what would
happen to us. I was petrified, but didn't show it. The last thing I
wanted was for Emily to start having another panic attack.

She was calmer now, sobbing gently as
she explained to me what happened on Saturday night. “I talked to
Cain, he asked me where you were, if you were back. He said that he
had tried calling you, that your phone went dead. He sounded worried,
like he thought you were in danger. He asked if I wanted a lift home,
but...” she started sobbing again, “...I said I'd get a taxi.”

“And that's when he took you?” I
said quietly in the dark.

“I was walking down the street
looking for a cab and he just came out of nowhere. He hit me on the
head and dragged me into the car and – that's all I remember.”

“It's OK Em, they'll know something's
happened. Cain will be looking for us, he's so good like that.” I
was trying my best to console her, to console myself. I had no idea
where we were, no idea what would happen.

“Did Cain say anything about Chase?”
I asked, “did he say he found him?”

“No,” she said, “I wish he was
here now.” She started crying again, her tears relentless.

I thought about telling her about my
conversation with the man, tell her what he'd told me. That it was
Cain he wanted, that he didn't care about us, wouldn't hurt us. I
didn't know whether to believe him or not, I didn't know what to
believe.

It must have been him, the man that
Cain had told me about, the man who was coming after him. But why did
he take us? As bait? To lure Cain out so that he could...kill him?
And what about Chase, where did he run off to? Did Cain find him,
speak to him? Had he gone to the police?

There were so many questions running
through my head, nothing but time to sit and think. I continued to
stay strong for Emily though, continued to assure her it would be OK.
I guess I was trying to convince myself of that as well.

Cain

John's apartment – one of Chase's
many properties now – wasn't too far from the place he shared with
Grace. Within 10 minutes I was there, sitting outside the building,
wondering what I'd say. I didn't want to waste time thinking though,
so set my sights for the front entrance.

This time, there were no security doors
to contend with, just a concierge down in the lobby standing behind a
desk. “Good evening sir,” he said as I approached.

“Evening,” I replied. “I'm here
to see a friend, Chase...”
Fuck, what was his surname?

“Ah, Mr Whitlock,” he interrupted
with a smile, “is he expecting you?”

I thought for a split second. “Um, he
is yes. I'm his girlfriend Grace's brother, Cain.”

“Nice to meet you sir. You know where
he is I assume?”

I nodded.
This is easier than I
thought it would be.

“OK Mr...”

“Taylor.”

“Enjoy your evening Mr Taylor.”

I thanked him before setting towards
the lifts and up to the 12
^th
floor. My pulse began to rise
as the floors ticked by and I stepped out of the lift and down the
hall towards the apartment. I stopped at apartment 125 and steadied
myself before knocking on the door.

I listened for the sound of footsteps,
of movement, behind the door, hearing someone approach quietly. “Who
is it?” a voice said suddenly.
So this was the right place
.

I wondered what to say. There was no
way Chase would want to see me, not after everything that happened.
Whether he believed me or not, whether he believed that it was just
self defense, he still thought that I was the one who had killed his
mentor.

“Chase,” I said quickly, inserting
an urgency into my voice, “I need to talk to you.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I have
nothing to say to you Cain.” I could sense he had been drinking,
his words infused with anger at hearing my voice.

“Look Chase, this isn't about me, or
you, or anything else. It's about Grace.”

He paused again. “And why should I
care?”

“Because she's in trouble Chase.
She's gone missing. I need to talk to you.”

The door opened and then I saw him. His
hair was unusually disheveled, he was wearing a pair of sweat pants
and a hoodie, and in his left hand he clutched a bottle of beer. His
normally bright eyes were dark, weighed down by a lack of sleep and
alcohol. He looked like a man who'd given up, who'd fallen off the
wagon and lost it all.

“Chase,” I said looking at him, “no
matter what's gone on, you still love Grace. She hasn't been seen
since that night, since the night you – you found the letter.” I
saw him flinch slightly at the mention of it.

“Do you have any idea where she is?”
I rushed my words out.

He shook his head, a look of
indifference on his face. “No, and I don't care.” He spoke the
words without emotion.

“I know that's not true. I know that
you love her.”

“Love her,” he said, spitting the
words at me, “how could I love someone who'd lie about a thing like
that. Love someone who'd watched me suffer knowing what she'd done.”
He was breathing hard, his voice raising and he swigged on his beer.

“Look, what happened that night, I've
explained it all to you. Grace did nothing wrong. If you want to
place blame, blame me. But right now, I need to know if you know
anything about where Grace it, where she might be.”

He stepped back. “Ah Cain, always the
hero. Off to save poor Grace again.” He laughed sarcastically at it
all. “Guess you've got fuck all else in your life.”

The words cut right through me. I knew
he was drunk, that he was upset, so I didn't react, but I wanted to.
No one spoke to me like that.

“Please Chase,” I said again, “do
you know anything.”

He emptied the last of the beer down
his throat and turned and walked into the apartment towards the
kitchen. I followed him in – fuck it was massive – as he opened
up the fridge and grabbed another bottle.

“She's probably with a friend, hiding
after what happened,” he said, his voice settling back down.

“No,” I said quickly, “we've
tried her friends. We've tried her mobile, we've tried everywhere. No
one knows where she is Chase.” I saw his expression lift slightly
as the seriousness of everything dawned on him.

“And Emily,” I continued, my words
caught slightly in my throat, “she's been missing since the same
night.”

We stood in silence for a moment as the
truth began to hit home, Chase realizing how real it all was. I could
see all of his anger begin to wash away, a concern for Grace fighting
if off.

The silence was broken suddenly as my
phone burst to life, buzzing away in my jeans. I reached for it
immediately, dragging it out and looking at the screen.
Grace!

“Grace?” I said quickly as I
answered, “where are you, are you OK?”

There was silence on the line, silence
except a light breathing. “Grace?” I said again, “Grace, are
you there?”

The breathing continued as I heard
Chase in front of me. “Is it her, is she OK?” The worry in his
voice was unmistakable.

I said nothing, my expression telling
him all he needed to know. Then, suddenly, there was a voice on the
other end of the phone, the voice of a man, raspy and coarse.

“Hello Cain. It's so good to finally
talk to you.”

“Who is this?” I said quickly,
“where's Grace?”

“Oh it's OK. Grace, she's just fine.
Emily too. I wouldn't worry about them.”

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?” I
shouted, losing my cool, “WHERE ARE THEY?”

“Now, now Cain, you need to watch
that temper. It's that temper that's got everyone into this position
in the first place.”

I steadied my breathing, my hand
gripping at the phone so tight I thought it was crush in my hand.
“Who are you?” I said slowly.

“Oh you'll find out soon enough,”
he said calmly, completely unfazed by my aggression. “I want to see
you in person Cain, just you, no one else.”

“Where? When?”

“No time like the present,” he
said, “I'll text you the address.” I could tell he was loving
this, enjoying feeling my pain, my torment.

“And Cain,” he finished, “don't
tell the police about any of this. If you do, don't expect to see
your precious girls again.”

With that the phone went dead.

January 13
^th
2014

Grace

“Don't worry girls,” the voice came
in the darkness, “he'll be here soon. Then, we can all go home.”

The words had left me cold they were so
full of menace. I knew what his intentions were, but what could I do.
He was luring Cain into a trap, bringing him out here, wherever the
hell we were, to kill him.

Would he kill us too? He said he
wouldn't, but how could I believe a man who'd kidnap two girls? He
hadn't revealed his face, I couldn't tell whether he was putting on
the voice to hide his true tones. He'd kept us here, in silence, in
the darkness, not knowing who he was, not knowing where we were. As
scary and unsettling as it was, it gave me some solace that he didn't
intend on hurting us, that he was literally keeping us in the dark so
that he couldn't be traced.