Gem Stone (19 page)

The sheriff held up his hand. "I don't think this is a good idea. This isn't about right or wrong. It's about keeping these kids safe."

Reid piped up, his voice way too cheerful, "But you say it's handled. That it's over. So why do we need to be protected? I for one, trust you to do that, Sheriff, if necessary."

Gemma clenched her fist to try and stop the giggle rising to erupt at the sour look on the sheriff's face. That's not what he'd expected or wanted to hear.

"This is no longer up for discussion." John's voice was firm. "If it were me or the wife, you'd not suggest taking us to jail, you'd be looking at ways to protect us. So don't be sidestepping the issue. These kids have been through enough. You're not ripping them out of the only home they've known and tossing them back into that environment just because it's easier on you."

The sheriff glared at the ceiling. Then stared at John. "I don't agree with this decision but I will abide by it – for now. Unless something else major happens." He sighed. "I've sent out APBs on the vehicles and the men. We're keeping an eye out just in case they have a plan of their own and didn't return home. Our manpower was stretched a little thin today trying to find you kids."

"And again, we're to blame." Gem stood up. She'd had enough. "I'll go help Doris in the kitchen."

The tea was ready to pour when she walked in. After filling several cups, Gem grabbed the tray and delivered the tea. She returned to pick up a plate of banana bread and cookies and put down on the coffee table in the living room. Back in the kitchen she stopped and stared at the food laid out. Doris was just filling a plate with spaghetti for Mark. "Oh that looks good. Will there be any left?"

"Would you like a little more? You didn't get to eat much before, did you?"

"No, and I'm pretty sure Reid could use a bite too."

Doris quickly filled two small plates. Gemma topped them with cheese and carried out the ones for the boys. "Reid, I assumed you could probably use some food?"

His face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Oh yeah."

Mark reached for the big plate and started shoveling. Gem had to make one last trip for herself. She sat down in the middle between the guys. It didn't take long to eat her snack. She kept an eye tuned to the conversation as Doris returned with another cup of tea.

"Gemma, bedtime." Doris's worried wrinkles deepened as she stared at Gemma. "You don't look very good."

"I'm beat, that's all." She struggled to her feet, plate in hand.

Reid stood up beside her. "I'm going to bed too. It's been a brute of a day."

Mark gave a half snort as he shoveled the last of his meal in. "You've had a brute of day? What about me? I need to lie down before someone has to carry me upstairs to bed."

Gemma laughed. "That so isn't going to happen."

She groaned climbing the stairs as the two other teens followed her upstairs. It had been a hellish day for all of them. "I don't know about you, but I'm wiped. In the morning, guys."

Once she reached her room, she took her pain pills and crawled into bed.

Sometime in the night, as pain and bad memories blended and worked through her drug-sopped mind, she rode through nightmare after nightmare. When sounds of an intruder filtered in, she raced through her nightmare screaming. When the intruder made it into her bedroom, her screams of fear turned to panic. She struggled in her mind, but was held by invisible hands against the blankets wrapped around her legs. When the needle pricked her arm, she barely noticed.

The intensity of the nightmare only deepened, leaving her reeling between layers of horror and terror as new drugs deepened the layer between her nightmares and reality.

She succumbed without a whimper.

***

John opened his eyes.
Morning.

He closed his eyes again. The days seemed to start earlier and earlier. Even after going to bed late last night he hadn't slept well. Doris and he had talked about their situation into the wee hours of the morning. Sleep hadn't come easy or deep after that. Through the night he thought he heard noises a couple of times, but after getting up for the second time and finding nothing out of the ordinary, he took some of Doris's herbal tablets – melatonin, or some such thing. They worked.

Now the birds chirped outside his window. Which meant he was rising late today.

Moving quietly, to give Doris an extra few minutes of well-earned rest, John showered and shaved. Looking in the mirror he could see how every hour of worry from these last few days had worked deep into the creases of his face.

In the kitchen, he set out making the coffee, and letting the cat out the door. Major still slept on the back stairs. John smiled at the old guy. He'd slept in too.

Leaving the door open, he walked through the house and unlocked the front door. He turned off the alarm, but something felt
off
. 'Too quiet' off. After another look out at the back yard, he frowned. Major was still lying there on the stairs. He bent down and laid a hand on the dog's neck. The warmth radiating upward reassured him. Except the dog's breathing was shallow and there was a dried white residue covering his mouth…

John straightened and raced into the house. "Doris! Doris wake up."

He ran into the bedroom. Doris was sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What's the matter, John?" She drew back her blankets, then pulled on her housecoat.

"I'm pretty sure the dog's been poisoned. I'm going to check on the kids."

She gasped in horror and he bolted back to the hallway.

"Gemma, wake up honey." He knocked on her door then pounded on Reid and Mark's door. "Everyone wake up. It's morning."

He didn't hear a sound.

"
Reid? Gemma? Mark?"
This time he shouted and pushed the boys bedroom door open. The room was empty. No sign of Mark or Reid anywhere.

John's stomach sank. One of them might have gone out… but both of them? He closed his eyes briefly and walked over to Gemma's room, sending up a silent prayer.
Please let her be here
.

He pushed the door open.

Gemma's bed was empty. Her clothes from the night before had been haphazardly tossed on the floor. Her window was open, the curtains billowing in the wind. He walked over to the window and looked out. He saw that Major still lay in his drugged state while Doris fussed over him.

John's eyes roamed the yard and returned to the side of the house. The petunias below Misty's window had been trampled.

Chills swept through John's aging body. He couldn't believe what had happened… All three kids were gone.

Had they run away as he'd heard them suggest – he had trouble believing that – or had they been taken? Again.

G
emma tried to roll over and couldn't. Still half asleep, she fell onto her back. And shuddered. She tried to swallow and gagged – her throat was dry and raspy. Giving it a second try, she managed to work up enough saliva to swallow and ease back on the sandpaper sensation.

Then she tried to open her eyes. The light blinded her. She slammed her lids shut. She didn't know if it was from the painkillers she'd taken at bedtime or just from the horrible day yesterday…but she felt like shit.

She groaned.

A second groan answered her.

She stilled. She wasn't alone. Slowly, she opened her eyes again, squinting against the light. The sun shone directly on her face, blinding her to everything else around. There shouldn't be light on the ceiling.

This wasn't her room.

And she wasn't alone.

What had happened? Was she back in the hospital? Or worse, back in the van? Yet she didn't feel panicked. Instead, fog filled her mind.

A cough sounded, followed by a hoarse throat-clearing session.

"Hello," she whispered louder.

"Gem? Is that you?"

"Yes," she said in relief. "Reid?"

"Yeah. Glad you're awake and even more that I'm not alone. Any idea what the hell has happened to us? Or where we are?"

"Hell no!" Gemma tried to sit up, only to cry out softly at the pain. Her arms were restrained. Her feet too. Now the bindings bit into her raw flesh, flesh that was still tender from the last time. She collapsed to the floor, shaking. "I'm tied up."

"Yeah, me too."

She shuddered and gasped out, "I'm guessing it's the same assholes?"

Reid snorted. "I haven't seen anyone yet, but they get my vote."

Gem considered that as she studied the pajamas covering her legs. Thank God she'd put them on last night. Sometimes, she wore only panties.

"What about Mark? Is he here?"

"Don't know. I can't see him." Reid was quiet for a long moment. "Chances are he is. Might take longer for him to come around. He's bigger than we are and they probably had to give him more drugs."

"Or he's not here..." She didn't dare dwell on the idea that he hadn't survived their kidnapping. If she had to be here, as selfish as it might seem, she'd be damn glad to have him here with her. He was a friend and a good guy to have around in a tough spot.

Studying the white walls and tile ceiling, her cheek rubbed against the cheap gray carpet. At least it wasn't a wood floor. The carpet didn't provide much cushion but she hurt badly enough she was grateful for what little there was.

Rolling to the other side took some effort and a whole lot of determination, but she made it. And found herself facing a zonked out Mark. She grinned while relief thrummed through her.

"Hey, Reid, Mark
is
here. I just rolled over and he's out cold in front of me."

"Cool. Can you wake him?"

"Just a sec. I'm going to try shifting to the window. I'd like to know where we are." Later, after several more minutes of struggling, she managed to sit up and look around. They were in a small room – probably a bedroom from the look of the closet on the back wall. One window behind her let in the sun and a closed door stood opposite. Reid was lying crumpled up just ahead of the door. The rest of the room was empty.

"We're alone. There's not even a piece of furniture in here." She sat staring at her bare feet and fleecy pajama bottoms. The bandages on her ankles were barely visible. Not her wrist ones though. They were obvious. "Thank heavens I put on my PJs last night."

"Yeah, I'm just in pants."

She snickered lightly. "Mark is only wearing a muscle shirt and knit boxers."

"He's gonna love that when he wakes up."

"Not likely." She was mesmerized by him, lying there. Muscled and lean, Mark was poster material.

She couldn't help notice the long length of him and his muscles bulged even as he slept. When had he gotten to be man size? She'd known him for at least six months but hadn't really noticed how well he was built. Then he'd never been laid out like a sacrificial offering before. She had to admit, if God were female she'd probably have trouble turning him down.

Grinning to herself, she scooted on her bum toward the window.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to look out the window." Sitting with her back against the wall, she pulled her feet closer and inched her way up the wall. Eventually she could see out into the bright sunshine.

"There's only a big fenced yard out there."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Hang on, I'm going to switch sides." She managed to hobble to the other side of the window so she could see out the other way. "There are more houses. Like a community, all the same."

"Can you open the window?" Reid whispered urgently. "They could come in and check on us any minute."

"I know. Hang on." The window was waist high but was on a second level, meaning it was a good ten to twelve feet drop to the ground outside. Now that she could see freedom, she wanted out. The window just had a small closure on the bottom. It took a lot of sweaty finagling to get it to move.

Snick.
Relief overwhelmed her as the lever popped open.

Instantly fresh air wafted inside. No screens… That would make an escape easier. Not that a screen would have slowed her down much. She'd have popped it off easily enough but this way she didn't have to worry about that noise issue.

"That helps."

She watched as Reid made it onto his knees then around onto his butt to slip his arms around his legs. He grinned as he presented his tied hands in front of him. "Easy."

It took her longer but she repeated his maneuver so her tied hands were in front of her, too. Both of them started to work on their bonds using their mouths. "What about Mark?"