Strong Reflection: Book 2 of the Dark Series Trilogy (25 page)

"How did you know that about us?
I've never talked about her to anyone but Catlyn and my very first psychiatrist."

Kyle gave her a sad smile, "There were some happy clips of you guys before, uh..."

"It's ok. I know what you mean. I hadn't realized Dad recorded his own murder."

"It was Ashley's idea.
She wanted to catch you with the Wyler kid I believe was his name."

"Yes Chad Wyler.
He had just asked me for a kiss. I closed my eyes and gave him my cheek when I suddenly felt something wet, hot and sticky on my face. I opened my eyes to see what Chad was doing when I saw this red line across his throat and his eyes were real wide. Then his head tipped in a funny way to the side and that's when I saw the first masked man. I screamed for all I was worth."

Kyle glance at her and was relieved to see tears because she sounded so matter of fact, no emotion.

"I don't know how long I stood there looking like Carrie at the prom but the next thing I remember is seeing Guardian 1 smiling at me, telling me it was going to be all right."

"Is he the reason you wanted special ops?"

"No.  I wanted to go into special ops for myself."

"In the words of my mother 'balderdash darling'."

"We'll agree to disagree."

"Works for me."

"Kyle how did you know about me being v-violated?"

Kyle almost missed the turn into Jack's driveway at her softly spoken question.
To buy himself some time he didn't answer until they were parked in front of the house.

"Damn, I'm sorry.
I didn't want you to find out that way."

She shook her head in confusion, "Find out?
What are you talking about? I've known since I woke up and the doctor told me."

"What?
I asked him to let me tell you."

"Kyle they can't do that if the patient wants to know and asks."

"Damn again. I've known since I was summoned to your bedside as your immediate supervisor and emergency contact."

“I worked it through in therapy.   I feel sick about it sometimes when I think about the actual event, but I am just very glad I don’t remember it happening.  I don’t need any more bad memories.”

Kyle reached over and kissed her lightly on the cheek and touched their foreheads together.  “I am so sorry honey.   If he weren’t already dead I’d kill the bastard.”

She gave a sad smile, “I know you would.  Thank you.”

Kyle gave her another quick peck on the cheek.  “Come on let’s go inside and talk some more.”

Ashley got out of the car.
But she remained standing near it when Kyle started up the stairs. "Aren't you coming in?" Kyle was worried and it showed in his face.

"You asked me a question and you deserve an answer that isn't rushed.
I am dealing with a lot. I know you are too but I just need to get my head together.   I am going to go for a run, maybe down by the waterfront.   I won't be more than an hour or so."

"Babydoll, I love you."
Kyle said with his heart in his throat.

"I love you Kyle Strong.
" With a heavy heart she turned and started a light jog towards the road.

****

Kyle knew something was amiss the moment the door shut. The whole house had a different feel. Cautiously he called out, "Catlyn?" As he turned to the hall leading to the kitchen he felt a stunning blow to the back of his head. He staggered trying to remain standing. He attempted to get a look at his attacker, but he saw stars and then nothing as another blow was delivered to the same spot.

****

Jack stretched as he flopped into his chair at his desk. What a day today has been. He groaned at the pile of work on his desk and no Tasha to help. She was currently helping him by picking up his future mother in-law. Resigned to be at his desk for at least 2 hours he picked up his phone to let Catlyn know. There was no answer. They were probably out having a nice meal while he was stuck at work. Taking a deep breath he started to tackle the mountain of papers.

Jack had been working about an hour when Detective Carl Rider knocked on his open door. "Hey Chief, didn't hear back from you so I figured I stop by before going home."

Jack frowned, "I've been working that O-I-S. I was on scene for hours. You have news about Dark?"

Carl came fully into the room, "That's just it, your perp is a woman."

"A woman?"

“
Yeah, that was my reaction too and apparently a real looker. Buzz flipped easily enough.  I left you a message on your cell and office phone."

"Hmm, that is odd.
I can't imagine Dark using a woman for his villainous torture games."

"Well if you need me I am on my cell, headed home now."

Jack shrugged and picked up his pen again. He wrote a few words when he started remembering other words:

...usually my contacts are gold...tip he was in California

...what makes you think it's mistaken identity

....Bunny and I are no longer together...Ashley and I are officially a couple

...Black bitch for the black bitch

Jack surged to his feet, snatching up the phone, dialing his home number. No answer. Jack grabbed his keys and weapon, dialing Carl’s cell as he ran out the door.

****

Ashley was at the midway point of Jack's drive when she made the final decision to marry Kyle. She wanted to be happy, she deserved to be happy. She was going to marry Kyle settle down and have lots and lots of mixed babies. She was also resigning from the bureau. She knew deep down Kyle was right about everything.

She really hated that about him.
She laughed feeling lighter and carefree. She was marrying the man she loved. Nancy and Cheryl were going to flip and go crazing planning the wedding. So happy with her decision she ran up the steps and went bursting through the door.

She saw the light in the family room.
She went charging in with a huge smile, "Guess who's planning a wedding?"

Ashley skidded to a clumsy halt as a scene from her worst nightmare greeted her.
Kyle was sprawled on the floor. He had blood coming from his nose and his left eye was puffy. Blood was matted in his hair and covered the collar of his shirt. Catlyn and Jared were tied to chairs. Catlyn looked unharmed but scared and Ashley knew it was for the child she carried. Jared looked angry and had a broken nose and something was wrong with his wrist. It hung awkwardly over the arm rest.

A man
stood next to each chair and another stood next to Kyle.  The man standing next to Jared’s chair was extremely large. But, what riveted Ashley's attention was the woman currently kicking Kyle in the ribs. Bunny Bencroft screeched maliciously as she continued kicking Kyle, "You're marrying her?" With each word she delivered a hard kick. "I was with you for years and you were with this bitch for 10 seconds and she gets a ring."

Kyle glared up at Bunny, "That should clue even you in on your actual worth."
Bunny screamed and her kicks became stomps.

The entire room was watching Bunny
pulverize Kyle.  Ashley felt as though the floor had bottomed out beneath her feet.  She looked at pregnant Catlyn and she saw her pregnant mother.  She looked at Jared and saw her dad.  A kaleidoscope of images swirled through her head, clouding her vision, obscuring the events currently taking place.  Bloody images accompanied with screams of pain, terror and loss.

Ashley began to hyperventilate gasping for air in a room suddenly gone airless, keeping her trapped in her memories of death.  No, never again. No, No, No!  With a shout born from pure rage and anger, Ashley moved.  With natural swiftness she kicked the large man in the nuts simultaneously pulling the equally large hunting knife sheathed at his waist.  Giving the man a second kick as he was bent over sucking in air, she quickly used the knife to cut free Jared’s good hand.

“Ashley, look out!”  Catlyn’s screamed warning came too late.  The man that stood next to Catlyn lunged at her taking them both to the floor.  Ashley rolled hard and strong to take the advantage of being on top.  The adrenaline flooding her system tripled her strength.  Her blind rage made her almost super-human.

“NO!”  Ashley screamed as she began to pummel the man under her.  She didn’t feel the strikes she made.  Her anger dulled her sensory for pain.  Her knuckles were soon raw and bloody.  The man was helpless to her enraged state as she continued to rain down punches to his face, neck and head.  The few hits the man got in didn’t faze her.  Ashley punched until her hands and the man’s face were a bloody mess.  Still she screamed, “No! No! No!”

The man no longer moved.   Ashley lifted his head by his hair and repeatedly slammed it into the floor.  There were crunch sounds but even this didn’t stop her punishing hands.  She put her hands around the man’s neck, gripping as best she could as her hands were made slippery because of the blood coating her hands and his neck.

As though from a great distance a sound penetrated Ashley’s vengeful fog.  “Ashley, Ashley!  You have to help them!  Ashley, please, Kyle needs help!  Ashley!”  Then Catlyn’s voice changed and she spoke with a firm tone, “Ariel!  Enough!  Ariel, you need to help Kyle and your brother!”

At her true name and the pull of Kyle needing help, she was yanked back into her reality.  Ashley blinked as she rolled off the man she had attacked.  Kyle was fighting the man that had stood next to Bunny.  Bunny was watching gleefully as the man suddenly got the upper hand and started to choke Kyle. 

Jared shouted out in pain.  The big man had a hold of his injured arm and his neck.  On autopilot Ashley flipped to the knife where it landed on the floor, swiftly she tested it’s weight and achieved the balance on her hand.  It wasn’t a throwing knife but it would do in a pinch.  Adjusting her grip for the throw, she let fly with all her might.  The knife hit it’s mark in the guy’s broad back.  The man grunted, letting go of Kyle.   She quickly turned and from behind delivered a hard kick between the man’s legs that held Jared.  The man howled again and dropped Jared who he had suspended on his tippy-toes.

Again without thought Ashley ran across the room to pull the knife from the man who unsuccessfully tried to grab it from his back, turning in circles as he tried to reach the blade, and in a deranged voice shouted, “Get it out, pull it out!”

He was yelling at Bunny.  But she had taken over choking Kyle who had been weakened from his obvious beating and some sort of head injury.  Ashley grabbed Bunny by her hair and pulled her off Kyle’s prone body.   Looking down on his bloody face and obvious bruising to his upper torso enraged Ashley again.  She turned blazing black eyes on Bunny.  It only took two punches to render her unconscious flat out on the floor several feet from Kyle.

Ashley gut punched and then kicked the man who was still raging over his knife wound and then slammed his head into the wall.  The man slid down along the wall totally knocked out.

She turned back to Jared to see him valiantly fighting the big man who must have outweighed him by at least 100 pounds.  He held his injured hand close to his chest as he gave the man a back fisted punch followed a half second by a forward fist to the face.  Jared was holding his own.

Ashley quickly went to Catlyn cutting one of her hands free so that she could release herself.   She rushed back to Kyle on the floor.  “Kyle!”  She knelt down pulling his body to hers, supporting him into a half sitting half laying position between her legs.  His back was to her chest.  His head lay on her right shoulder.

Ashley felt her tears start to fall as she slowly began to rock side to side, softly calling his name, “Kyle, Kyle?”  Slowly his eyes opened, the left more than the right but he did open his beautiful azure eyes, seeking hers out.  “Ariel, you ok?”

A shout of laughter mixed with her tears, “I told you not to call me that, besides, I think I should be asking you that, are you ok?”

“Never better Babydoll.”  He gave a half smile before closing his eyes again.

“Oh, no, Director, I need you to keep your eyes open.”  She shook him a little and called his name but his eyes didn’t open.

What her cajoling tone and shaking failed to do a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass succeeded.  Kyle’s eyes sprang wide open.  “W-What was that?”

Ashley looked over to see the big man laid out on a broken coffee table that used to have a glass top.  Jared was bent over breathing heavily.  “Oh, that’s just Jared performing a number 6 of the Mackenzie Strikes.”

Kyle’s raspy voice got stronger.  “Ya know, we are going to have to change the name to the Strong Strikes for our children.”

Jared came over and plopped down next to them.  “No way, man, it’s tradition.  Mackenzie Strikes.”

Still with tears running down her face Ashley smiled.  Looking from the man she loved to her long lost brother she asked, “How about the Mackenzie-Strong Strikes?”

“I can live with that?”  Kyle nodded first and then Jared agreed, “Sounds good.”

Ashley looked around the totally trashed family room.  “Where is Catlyn?”