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Chapter 15
Lyle watched with half opened eyes as Broots ran out of the house after Jarod, leaving him alone in the dark living room. He heard Jarod tell Broots that they had Miss Parker. Personally, he could care a less about his sister. He was more interested in the kidnappers. Cradling his left arm to himself, he dug into Jarod’s little goody bag.
Lyle let his fingers search aimlessly through the bag, hoping to find the car keys. When he felt his fingers glide over the cool metal, he quickly brought them out. Putting the keys between his teeth, he looked through the bag again, this time for a gun. Once he found a gun, he stood up and made his way to Jarod’s car.
Lyle let the shadows conceal him like a blanket, as he quickly walked through the woods. He tried to jog, but the jostling only aggravated his injury. When he came upon the vehicle he let out a huge sigh of relief. Getting in the car, he made his way over to the old dirt road that sat behind Raines’ house. He had a feeling the kidnappers were parked over there.
He winced in pain as the car went over large holes in the road. He tried to avoid them, but it was hard, because there were no headlights to help him see the road more clearly. The last thing he wanted to do was to let everyone know where he was. His only light came from the moon above him.
When he saw the SUV up ahead, he stopped and waited. Five minutes passed before he saw movement coming from the woods. He watched as two men and Miss Parker came stumbling out. One man hurried over to the drivers side, while the other pushed Miss Parker towards the back of the vehicle. Lyle couldn’t help but enjoy this little moment as they tied duct tape around Miss Parker’s wrists, ankles, and mouth. They then topped it all off by putting a black hood over her head. His grin got broader when the younger looking man backhanded Miss Parker across the face. ‘Oh, if I only I could’ve done that,’ he thought to himself.
Lyle continued to watch as the two men threw Miss Parker into the back of the cab. When they got in the SUV, Lyle expected them to speed off, but instead they sat there. What were they doing?
A couple of minutes passed without anything happening. Then out of nowhere a third man came flying out of the woods, with a rifle slung over his shoulders. Once he was in the vehicle, it quickly sped out, kicking up mud as it left its spot.
Lyle turned the ignition back on, and followed after the SUV.
XXXXXXX
When Jarod and Broots came back to the house, they went straight to the kitchen. Broots dug through the cabinets, looking for some glasses. He next went to the liquor cabinet, bringing out a bottle of scotch. He hurriedly walked back to the table, setting the items down. He glanced over at Jarod, who looked like a total wreck. Pouring Jarod a drink, he set the glass in front of him. “Here, drink this,” he offered.
Jarod looked down at the amber liquid in disgust. He wasn’t disgusted with the drink, but with himself. How could he just sit back and let her go? He should have done something to help her, but what? Becoming frustrated with each passing thought, Jarod slung his arm out, sending the glass through the air, crashing it into the wall. He looked back at Broots, who had a startled look on his face.
“Jarod, I know you’re upset, but..”
Jarod’s maniacal laughing interrupted Broots. “They’ve won,” he simply stated. “You can’t beat the devil, Mr. Broots. That’s what the Centre is. No matter what you do, they always have your number. We’ll never be free from that hellhole. It will always haunt us until the day we die. Don’t you see, we’re just pawns in their sick little games.” Jarod reached out for the bottle, and took a swig of scotch.
“Jarod, you don’t mean that,” Broots replied back in disbelief. “I know that’s the anger and frustration talking. They may have won the battle, but they haven’t won the war.”
Jarod let out a soft chuckle. “Broots, I’ve lost to many battles to win the war now. It’s time for me to stop living in the fantasy world and start getting real.”
“Jarod, I know you don’t mean that.”
Jarod leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. He took another drink of scotch, holding the bottle closely to his chest. Staring out the window he said, “I hate to say this, but they’ve probably already killed Debbie. They obviously know that you and Miss Parker doubled crossed them. The poor girl is probably laying on the side of the road, maybe in some ravine somewhere.”
Broots was becoming angry with Jarod. How could he talk about his daughter like that? He clutched the glass more tightly in his hands. “Jarod, you shouldn’t talk like that,” he said in a low, angry voice.
“Hey, the truth is a bitter pill to swallow. I hate to squash any hopes you have left of finding your daughter, but lets be realistic. Miss Parker is most likely dead, with a bullet lodged in her skull. As I said before, Debbie is probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Animals are probably picking her lifeless body apart as we speak. And all of this is because of me. Oh well, chalk up two more innocent lives lost because of me. Let’s see, so that should now bring my grand total up too..” Jarod didn’t have a chance to finish, as Broots grabbed him by his shirt, yanking him out of the chair.
Broots was furious with Jarod’s words. Grabbing him roughly out of the chair, he slammed him up against the wall a couple of times, trying to knock some sense into him. “Stop with this pity party of yours. I won’t have any part of it,” he said angrily. Broots was already starting to feel guilty when he seen the remorse in Jarod’s eyes. He loosened his grip on Jarod’s shirt, but still kept himself planted in front of Jarod. “Listen, I know you’re hurting right now, but we have to be positive. For Debbie and Miss Parker’s sakes. I for one, won’t give up on them,” he said gently.
Jarod hung his head low, ashamed to look at Broots. “I’m sorry. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me.” He let out a defeated sigh. “I’m just tired of all these games,” he said softly.
“Jarod, we’re all tired of these Centre games.” He paused an added, “Jarod, I’m sorry about slamming you against the wall. It’s just that when you started talking about Debbie like that, I was afraid that maybe it could be true, and that’s something I can’t face right now. God, if I lost Debbie, I couldn’t go on living. She’s all I have left.”
Jarod gave Broots a sympathetic look “Once again, Broots, I apologize for everything I said. I’m surprised you didn’t punch me.”
Broots let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, believe me, it was tempting.”
Jarod couldn’t help but smile. “I know, sometimes I can be a pain in the ass.” Both men started laughing, when the laughing subsided Jarod commented, “But you’re right about one thing, we will win this war.”
Broots couldn’t help but smile at the comment. “See, that’s want I wanted to hear.” When he backed away from Jarod, he almost slipped and fell on the broken bottle of scotch on the floor. Broots couldn’t help but laugh.
Jarod gave him a confused look. “What’s so funny?”
“A perfectly good bottle of scotch, broken and scattered all over the floor. I was thinking to myself as to what Miss Parker would say about that. You know how much she loves her scotch,” he said with amusement.
Jarod laughed along with Broots. Here they were in a time of crisis, laughing like fools at a broken bottle of scotch. When the laughing subsided, Jarod looked over at Broots with a serious look on his face. “Mr. Broots, you are a truly good friend. Both Miss Parker an I are lucky to have you as a friend.”
Broots was stunned by the words. He couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
“Anytime,” Jarod replied back with a grin. Looking behind Broots, he decided to pay Lyle a little visit. They haven’t heard anything from him since they’ve been in here. Walking past Broots, he went into the living room. When he turned on the lamp, he was in for a shock. “Broots, where’s Lyle at?”
Broots came running into the living room, looking around wild-eyed. “I don’t know. He was right here, sitting under the windows when I left him. He was starting to doze off. Where could he have gone?”
“I don’t know, but let’s check the house. You check the downstairs, I’ll check the upstairs.” With that, Jarod ran up the stairs, while Broots searched downstairs.
After thirty minutes of searching, Lyle was nowhere to be found. “Damnit, where could he be?” Jarod said in frustration.
“Uh, Jarod,” Broots said nervously.
“Yeah.”
“You might want to come and have a look at this,” replied Broots, as he squatted down near Jarod’s backpack.
Jarod knelt down beside Broots, going through the bag. Once he was done going through the contents, he threw the bag down in disgust. Lyle stole his car keys and the extra gun he had in there.
“Where do you think he went?” asked Broots.
Jarod went over to the windows, staring off in the distance. “I don’t know,” he said more to himself than to Broots. The room became so quiet, that they both jumped when Raines’ phone started ringing.
Jarod walked over to the phone and looked at the called I.D. He looked over at Broots, who was giving him a questioning look. “It’s Lyle.” Picking up the phone he asked, “Where are you?”
“Well, while you two were off gallivanting. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I figured the kidnappers came from the old abandoned dirt road, which sits behind Mr. Raines’ house. So, I borrowed your car and followed them.”
Jarod gripped the handset more tightly. “Where are they?” he asked evenly.
He could hear Lyle snickering on the other end. “Now, why would I tell you? You’ve made my life a living hell.”
Jarod could hear the enjoyment in Lyle’s voice. This only angered him more. “You son of a bitch! Tell me where they are!” he yelled into the phone.
“Now Jarod, is that anyway to talk about my mother, the great St. Catherine of the Centre. Miss Parker wouldn’t be too happy with you. Calling her mother a bitch. Tsk, tsk, tsk,” scolding him mockingly. “Now, say you’re sorry.”
Jarod didn’t want to grovel, but if he wanted to see Miss Parker again, he knew he had to swallow his pride. “I’m sorry,” he muttered out.
Jarod could hear the delight in Lyle’s voice. “That must’ve been tough for you, Jarod. Groveling to the likes of me. Oh, I bet that just killed you.”
“Lyle, I did what you asked, now tell me where they are?” he asked evenly, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
“Jarod, as much as this pains me, I’m afraid I’m going to need you’re help, along with Broots. I want to know who is behind all of this. I know I can’t do this alone. I’ll be outnumbered. So, what do you say partner? Want to call a truce and team up together? Like I’ve said before, together we will be unstoppable,” replied Lyle enthusiastically.
“Fine. Just tell me where you are?”
“I’m over at route 14. They took Miss Parker into an old abandoned barn. Broots probably knows where it is, since he goes past it everyday to work,” said Lyle.
“Okay, we’ll meet you there as soon as we can.” With that, Jarod hung up the phone. Looking at an expectant Broots he said, “Let’s go. It’s time we get Miss Parker and Debbie back.”
To Be Continued...
Chapter 15
Lyle watched with half opened eyes as Broots ran out of the house after Jarod, leaving him alone in the dark living room. He heard Jarod tell Broots that they had Miss Parker. Personally, he could care a less about his sister. He was more interested in the kidnappers. Cradling his left arm to himself, he dug into Jarod’s little goody bag.
Lyle let his fingers search aimlessly through the bag, hoping to find the car keys. When he felt his fingers glide over the cool metal, he quickly brought them out. Putting the keys between his teeth, he looked through the bag again, this time for a gun. Once he found a gun, he stood up and made his way to Jarod’s car.
Lyle let the shadows conceal him like a blanket, as he quickly walked through the woods. He tried to jog, but the jostling only aggravated his injury. When he came upon the vehicle he let out a huge sigh of relief. Getting in the car, he made his way over to the old dirt road that sat behind Raines’ house. He had a feeling the kidnappers were parked over there.
He winced in pain as the car went over large holes in the road. He tried to avoid them, but it was hard, because there were no headlights to help him see the road more clearly. The last thing he wanted to do was to let everyone know where he was. His only light came from the moon above him.
When he saw the SUV up ahead, he stopped and waited. Five minutes passed before he saw movement coming from the woods. He watched as two men and Miss Parker came stumbling out. One man hurried over to the drivers side, while the other pushed Miss Parker towards the back of the vehicle. Lyle couldn’t help but enjoy this little moment as they tied duct tape around Miss Parker’s wrists, ankles, and mouth. They then topped it all off by putting a black hood over her head. His grin got broader when the younger looking man backhanded Miss Parker across the face. ‘Oh, if I only I could’ve done that,’ he thought to himself.
Lyle continued to watch as the two men threw Miss Parker into the back of the cab. When they got in the SUV, Lyle expected them to speed off, but instead they sat there. What were they doing?
A couple of minutes passed without anything happening. Then out of nowhere a third man came flying out of the woods, with a rifle slung over his shoulders. Once he was in the vehicle, it quickly sped out, kicking up mud as it left its spot.
Lyle turned the ignition back on, and followed after the SUV.
XXXXXXX
When Jarod and Broots came back to the house, they went straight to the kitchen. Broots dug through the cabinets, looking for some glasses. He next went to the liquor cabinet, bringing out a bottle of scotch. He hurriedly walked back to the table, setting the items down. He glanced over at Jarod, who looked like a total wreck. Pouring Jarod a drink, he set the glass in front of him. “Here, drink this,” he offered.
Jarod looked down at the amber liquid in disgust. He wasn’t disgusted with the drink, but with himself. How could he just sit back and let her go? He should have done something to help her, but what? Becoming frustrated with each passing thought, Jarod slung his arm out, sending the glass through the air, crashing it into the wall. He looked back at Broots, who had a startled look on his face.
“Jarod, I know you’re upset, but..”
Jarod’s maniacal laughing interrupted Broots. “They’ve won,” he simply stated. “You can’t beat the devil, Mr. Broots. That’s what the Centre is. No matter what you do, they always have your number. We’ll never be free from that hellhole. It will always haunt us until the day we die. Don’t you see, we’re just pawns in their sick little games.” Jarod reached out for the bottle, and took a swig of scotch.
“Jarod, you don’t mean that,” Broots replied back in disbelief. “I know that’s the anger and frustration talking. They may have won the battle, but they haven’t won the war.”
Jarod let out a soft chuckle. “Broots, I’ve lost to many battles to win the war now. It’s time for me to stop living in the fantasy world and start getting real.”
“Jarod, I know you don’t mean that.”
Jarod leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. He took another drink of scotch, holding the bottle closely to his chest. Staring out the window he said, “I hate to say this, but they’ve probably already killed Debbie. They obviously know that you and Miss Parker doubled crossed them. The poor girl is probably laying on the side of the road, maybe in some ravine somewhere.”
Broots was becoming angry with Jarod. How could he talk about his daughter like that? He clutched the glass more tightly in his hands. “Jarod, you shouldn’t talk like that,” he said in a low, angry voice.
“Hey, the truth is a bitter pill to swallow. I hate to squash any hopes you have left of finding your daughter, but lets be realistic. Miss Parker is most likely dead, with a bullet lodged in her skull. As I said before, Debbie is probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Animals are probably picking her lifeless body apart as we speak. And all of this is because of me. Oh well, chalk up two more innocent lives lost because of me. Let’s see, so that should now bring my grand total up too..” Jarod didn’t have a chance to finish, as Broots grabbed him by his shirt, yanking him out of the chair.
Broots was furious with Jarod’s words. Grabbing him roughly out of the chair, he slammed him up against the wall a couple of times, trying to knock some sense into him. “Stop with this pity party of yours. I won’t have any part of it,” he said angrily. Broots was already starting to feel guilty when he seen the remorse in Jarod’s eyes. He loosened his grip on Jarod’s shirt, but still kept himself planted in front of Jarod. “Listen, I know you’re hurting right now, but we have to be positive. For Debbie and Miss Parker’s sakes. I for one, won’t give up on them,” he said gently.
Jarod hung his head low, ashamed to look at Broots. “I’m sorry. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me.” He let out a defeated sigh. “I’m just tired of all these games,” he said softly.
“Jarod, we’re all tired of these Centre games.” He paused an added, “Jarod, I’m sorry about slamming you against the wall. It’s just that when you started talking about Debbie like that, I was afraid that maybe it could be true, and that’s something I can’t face right now. God, if I lost Debbie, I couldn’t go on living. She’s all I have left.”
Jarod gave Broots a sympathetic look “Once again, Broots, I apologize for everything I said. I’m surprised you didn’t punch me.”
Broots let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, believe me, it was tempting.”
Jarod couldn’t help but smile. “I know, sometimes I can be a pain in the ass.” Both men started laughing, when the laughing subsided Jarod commented, “But you’re right about one thing, we will win this war.”
Broots couldn’t help but smile at the comment. “See, that’s want I wanted to hear.” When he backed away from Jarod, he almost slipped and fell on the broken bottle of scotch on the floor. Broots couldn’t help but laugh.
Jarod gave him a confused look. “What’s so funny?”
“A perfectly good bottle of scotch, broken and scattered all over the floor. I was thinking to myself as to what Miss Parker would say about that. You know how much she loves her scotch,” he said with amusement.
Jarod laughed along with Broots. Here they were in a time of crisis, laughing like fools at a broken bottle of scotch. When the laughing subsided, Jarod looked over at Broots with a serious look on his face. “Mr. Broots, you are a truly good friend. Both Miss Parker an I are lucky to have you as a friend.”
Broots was stunned by the words. He couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
“Anytime,” Jarod replied back with a grin. Looking behind Broots, he decided to pay Lyle a little visit. They haven’t heard anything from him since they’ve been in here. Walking past Broots, he went into the living room. When he turned on the lamp, he was in for a shock. “Broots, where’s Lyle at?”
Broots came running into the living room, looking around wild-eyed. “I don’t know. He was right here, sitting under the windows when I left him. He was starting to doze off. Where could he have gone?”
“I don’t know, but let’s check the house. You check the downstairs, I’ll check the upstairs.” With that, Jarod ran up the stairs, while Broots searched downstairs.
After thirty minutes of searching, Lyle was nowhere to be found. “Damnit, where could he be?” Jarod said in frustration.
“Uh, Jarod,” Broots said nervously.
“Yeah.”
“You might want to come and have a look at this,” replied Broots, as he squatted down near Jarod’s backpack.
Jarod knelt down beside Broots, going through the bag. Once he was done going through the contents, he threw the bag down in disgust. Lyle stole his car keys and the extra gun he had in there.
“Where do you think he went?” asked Broots.
Jarod went over to the windows, staring off in the distance. “I don’t know,” he said more to himself than to Broots. The room became so quiet, that they both jumped when Raines’ phone started ringing.
Jarod walked over to the phone and looked at the called I.D. He looked over at Broots, who was giving him a questioning look. “It’s Lyle.” Picking up the phone he asked, “Where are you?”
“Well, while you two were off gallivanting. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I figured the kidnappers came from the old abandoned dirt road, which sits behind Mr. Raines’ house. So, I borrowed your car and followed them.”
Jarod gripped the handset more tightly. “Where are they?” he asked evenly.
He could hear Lyle snickering on the other end. “Now, why would I tell you? You’ve made my life a living hell.”
Jarod could hear the enjoyment in Lyle’s voice. This only angered him more. “You son of a bitch! Tell me where they are!” he yelled into the phone.
“Now Jarod, is that anyway to talk about my mother, the great St. Catherine of the Centre. Miss Parker wouldn’t be too happy with you. Calling her mother a bitch. Tsk, tsk, tsk,” scolding him mockingly. “Now, say you’re sorry.”
Jarod didn’t want to grovel, but if he wanted to see Miss Parker again, he knew he had to swallow his pride. “I’m sorry,” he muttered out.
Jarod could hear the delight in Lyle’s voice. “That must’ve been tough for you, Jarod. Groveling to the likes of me. Oh, I bet that just killed you.”
“Lyle, I did what you asked, now tell me where they are?” he asked evenly, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
“Jarod, as much as this pains me, I’m afraid I’m going to need you’re help, along with Broots. I want to know who is behind all of this. I know I can’t do this alone. I’ll be outnumbered. So, what do you say partner? Want to call a truce and team up together? Like I’ve said before, together we will be unstoppable,” replied Lyle enthusiastically.
“Fine. Just tell me where you are?”
“I’m over at route 14. They took Miss Parker into an old abandoned barn. Broots probably knows where it is, since he goes past it everyday to work,” said Lyle.
“Okay, we’ll meet you there as soon as we can.” With that, Jarod hung up the phone. Looking at an expectant Broots he said, “Let’s go. It’s time we get Miss Parker and Debbie back.”
To Be Continued...
