Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Eight

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Crash!

That was the door banging against the wall. Breathing hard, Andy’s gaze swept around the room, trying to take in everything. He didn’t want to miss a thing. The place was a void of darkness. He cocked his head, listening for sounds or any movement.

The room barely had any light. He squinted in the gloominess unable to make out anything. He hated entering blind, but he had no other choice. A stream of light beamed from a tiny window highlighting a dark blue strip of the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Silence.

His body hummed with awareness and tension when he sensed something wrong—something forbidding. Muscles straining with overuse, he moved calmly—one step at a time deeper into the room. On high alert, he breathed slowly, each breath synchronizing with the other.

A chair scraped on the floor piercing the silence. Andy spun in the direction the sound came from. His eyes trying to tear through the dimness. All he could make out was a blurry shadow. Sweat dotted his forehead cooling his heated skin. He didn’t like this at all.

“Who’s there?” he snapped.

“My old friend, so nice of you to make it.”

Andy’s head jerked up so fast his back popped. What the hell? His eyes strained to make out the shadows. He knew that voice. With no other option, he held out his gun pointing straight ahead. Andy knew he couldn’t discharge any rounds for fear of hitting Annie or his son.

He swallowed. “Kyle?”

A dry husky laugh filled the room. “I was waiting for you to show up. It’s about time. The fun’s about to start.”

Crap. Realization dawned on him, Kyle knew he was coming. Something didn’t add up. Fuck. He’d walked right into another trap from the sound of it.

“Why don’t you show yourself? Maybe you’re a coward. Hiding in the dark.”

This time his laugh was booming.

“I’m no coward. Oh, Andy, you will regret those words.”

There was a moment of silence then the lights switched on. Andy squeezed his eyes closed when the brightness assaulted his retinas. Shit. He gritted his teeth at the sharp sting of pain.

“Who’s the coward now, Andy?”

Andy peeled his eyes open. He couldn’t breathe as he saw her face. One eye swollen shut. Cuts and bruises marred her beautiful face. Her hair matted on her head. Andy’s heart jerked to an abrupt stop, her lips trembled, the deep split at the corner of her mouth crusted over with dried blood. She hung limp in Kyle’s hold.

Kyle held a handful of her hair and yanked her head back forcefully. Annie’s mouth opened in a silent scream as her face screw tight with pain.

“Look at her, Andy. You will watch me end her life.”

Andy never felt so much rage in his life as he did now. Kyle let go of her hair and her head snapped forward. Her legs buckled and Kyle jerked her upright. Oh, God. He cried in his mind. A fresh wave of tears burned the backs of his eyes. Oh, Annie, I’m sorry. Andy’s eyes never left her body. He took in every ill-treated thing done to her body.

The flimsy piece of nightwear she wore barely covered her body. The tops of her breast showed, and Andy clenched his fist. Horror threatened to overwhelm him, but he held steady. Her feet—only the remaining piece of strength he had kept him from falling to his knees. If wasn’t for his determination to stay strong, he would have crashed to the ground and screamed his fury.

Andy’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Her toes drenched in liquid crimson were unrecognizable. What had they done to her his mind screamed?

His eyes trailed up back to her battered face and his heart cracked right down the middle and disintegrated into a million pieces. Her one good eye opened, her lips quivered as she whispered his name. Tears ran in long streams down her face when she called his name louder. “A-Andy...”

Words choked at his throat; it was hard to answer to her cry of his name. His throat felt like if he’d swallowed acid. Her hand moved as though she was trying to reach for him. Andy’s knees buckled, his arms trembled and his face tightened when a soft smile formed on her lips. “I know you would have come for me.”

That was his undoing. A dam burst inside of his chest and he saw red. Every emotion churning in his body fueled into one big ball of energy, and he exploded. “I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking kill you for this!” he screamed. With his eyes locked onto Kyle’s, he raised the gun and pointed it to his head.

Kyle sneered and tightened his hold on Annie’s throat. “Ah. Ah. Ah. Don’t be hasty now, Andy. Look around before you make any rash decisions. I could snap her neck right here.”

“I’ll put a bullet in your head first.” Andy could feel the heat riding up his face and the blood clattering angrily in his ears.

“Look around, Andy.”

Andy reluctantly pulled his gaze from Kyle and glanced around the room. Louie sat on the ground, his back pressed up against the wall he must have slid down leaving a long blood trail on the wall. His dark head slumped to the side. Andy gritted his teeth at the sight.

Louise’s eyes were closed while blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. Andy searched for any signs of life. When his eyes caught the handle of a knife protruding from his shoulder, he knew someone badly injured Louie. How had they caught him? It wasn’t long they’d parted ways.

Sorrow soared through his chest and he felt the weight of guilt once again as it crashed onto his shoulders. Andy watched Louie the entire time, saying nothing, hoping he would move or make a sound. His gut knotted and the slow burn of rage began in his stomach.

“I know your every move, Andy. Everything you do, I know.”

Andy bet that was the truth. That meant one thing: he had an inside man. But who? It couldn’t be Louie... nor the other men. They were all on the same team—were they? Kyle had to be bluffing.

He shot a deadly glare towards Kyle. The look in his best friend eyes was like a blow to his heart. He trusted him—with his life. With his family lives. Kyle had anything but hatred in his eyes as he manhandled Annie. What did he ever do to deserve such treatment from the man he grew up with? Shared his home with. Slept on the same bed with. Even when he was knee-deep in trouble with rival gangs, Andy had been there to bail him out.

There was a time when they had shared their deepest fears to each other. Even at his weakest moment—the day Annie had left, Kyle had been there for him. Out of the kindness of his heart, he’d even pull some strings for Kyle to get into the best Rehabilitation center. And this was the payment—the thanks he’d gotten in return.

Many times people had warned him, Kyle was nothing but a bad influence. No good for him. Annie had even warned him about Kyle. Kyle was never his friend. Many times he’d wonder if Kyle was using him for his money and connections. But he would normally brush such thoughts from his mind. And what a mistake that was.

Something slammed against the back of his head hard, jerking him forward. Andy stumbled, fiery pain lacing up his skull. A hoarse cry burst from Annie’s throat yanking him from the grips of pain.

“Drop the gun and don’t move another step.”

Andy froze. He knew that voice. Oh, God, not again.

“You see Andy, I have you where I’ve always wanted you. At the mercy of my doings.”

Andy growled.

“Drop it.” The voice sounded again.

Andy attempted to turn when the muzzle of the gun dug deep into his skull.

“Don’t even think about it.”

His gums ached with how hard he grinned his teeth. He went down slowly on his hunches and lowered the gun to the floor.

“Kick it out of the way.”

Andy kicked out his leg and send the gun flying into the wall.

Kyle laughed. “You look pathetic.”

“Where is my son, Kyle?” Andy roared.

“Safe... for now.”

Andy wanted to wrap his hands around his neck; his body burned with the need. His energy suddenly depleted and his shoulders slumped. “What did I do to you, Kyle? What did I do that was so terrible? That pushed you—to brutalize an innocent woman—the woman I love.” His voice cracked.

A sneer pinched the corners of Kyle’s mouth. “You betrayed me first when you sent me into that hellhole.”

Andy frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“That place you said would help with my addiction.”

“I-I was just trying to help—you needed help, Kyle—you almost committed murder for drugs.”

“Shut your facking mouth!” Kyle screamed. “I needed no help, the only reason I agreed to go into that hellhole was that I needed a place to lie low. And that wouldn’t have been my first kill. Tell him, Annie, I murdered my old man.”

Kyle tightened his hold on Annie and Andy stretched out his arms. “Please don’t hurt her.” His heart pounded as relief poured through his body when Kyle relaxed his arms. He pretended not to hear Kyle’s last words. It was too much for him.

A harsh laugh burst from Kyle’s throat. “Oh, I’m not ready to end her life just yet.”

“So you lied to me? Tricked me into believing you wanted to get help.”

“You’re catching up.”

Andy growled. “What does that have to do with any of this?”

“Everything. You see, Andy I paid dearly for my mistake. I should have never stepped foot in that place. I should have found somewhere else to hide out. But there you were with your stupid idea.”

A crazed look filled Kyle’s eyes and Andy knew his once best friend was no more. He had to get Annie away from his hold. The gun at the back of his head was one big hindrance.

“I owed millions of dollars to a well-known drug dealer, so I needed to hide. Do you know what they did to me in that place? The place you claimed to be the best.”

When he took too long to answer,  Kyle screamed, “Answer me!”

He swallowed. “What?”

“They tortured me. They facking tortured me.”

Andy’s eyebrows almost touched. “That can’t be true.”

“Oh, it is. They tied to me to a bed and injected me with some kind of serum to keep me paralyzed from neck to my facking toes. They beat me mercilessly for days. I pissed blood for one whole week.”

Andy couldn’t believe his ears. What Kyle spoke had to be lies. Who would do something so cruel?

“How is this my fault? They said no contact with family or friends until the recommended time spent.”

Kyle’s eyes glazed over. “I should have known better than to trust you. You sent me to my doom.”

“How can you blame me, Kyle? That place had the best results. How is it no other resident or patient complained of such before?”

“Oh, that treatment was only for me.”

Andy blinked unable to comprehend what Kyle was saying.

“There is something I never told you. I raped a girl—well she asked for it. That happened when I wanted to become the leader of the Northwest gang. It was part of the initiation.”

Horror filled Andy’s mind. How could he have been friends with such a monster?

“Don’t look so disgusted.”

Why are you telling me this, Kyle?"

“Because her father was the head of the Rehabilitation Center, you sent me to. You led me right into my personal hell. I spent a long time planning my revenge, Andy.”

A smile cracked his stone-cold expression. “Now you’ll pay.”

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