The Haret (The Haret Series) (24 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

              Sharon was driving thirty miles over the speed limit when she heard the sirens coming up from behind her. She glanced in the rearview her rebellion surfacing. She would not pull over; the cop would have to chase her all the way home to get her explanation as to why she was driving so fast. The flashing lights sped up closer and then surprised her when they passed by traveling on ahead of her. Seconds later more sirens and flashing lights roared past. Sharon defied all traffic laws floored the car and fell into line behind them. Lisette leaned forward and said what Sharon’s heart already knew.

             
“Looks like they’re headed to our house.”

             
Sharon jerked the wheel; the tires squealed in protest as she turned onto the road leading toward the house. All three girls gasped at the sight of the massive glow of orange flames licking across the Perry’s field.

             
Hayley pressed her face against the window as Sharon drove the car through the thick black smoke.

             
“Do you think our house is on fire too?”

             
Sharon didn’t answer, but she feared their home was on fire too because that’s how the drakes destroyed their enemies. An intense hatred raged inside of her as powerful as the fiery inferno burning only a few feet away. A lump formed in her throat making it difficult to swallow. Seeing the Perry crop in flames brought back memories of the night she lost her dad. She could see him being consumed by the deadly blaze. She shut her eyes trying to erase the images she suppressed all these years.

             
The emergency vehicles pulled over near the property preparing to combat the blaze. Sharon flew past them; one of the police cruisers pulled back onto the road following her with its lights flashing as she continued on to her house.

             
Her intuition told her something was dreadfully wrong as she neared the gated driveway. It was too dark. All the outdoor security lights were off and there was no light glowing in the windows.

             
She raced up into the driveway and jumped out as the car rolled to a stop. The cruiser pulled into the circle drive directly behind her; two officers stepped out of their car and ordered her to stop. She didn’t care if they shot her she wasn’t stopping. She lost her dad to the drakes she wasn’t going to lose her daughter too.

             
“Do you know who I am?” She yelled over her shoulder as she continued up the porch steps.

             
“I’m Sharon Rebold. My daughter is the girl who was missing and now she is missing again. I think she is in danger”

             
The officers caught up with her as she fumbled to put the key into the lock.                            “I think the fire next door has something to do with her disappearing, a distraction maybe…I don’t know but I need to see if she is in here hurt…or…”

             
The officer stepped in front of her placing his hand on his holster and informed her if she suspected danger then he and his partner would enter first and check it out.

             
Sharon agreed but insisted on going in too.  She unlocked the front door and stepped inside behind them. She tried the switch on the wall, nothing. Both officers pulled their flashlights and scanned the open foyer. Cautiously, they slipped into the kitchen searching the room.  Sharon’s hope sunk when the beams revealed Felicitas purse and wrap still lying on the table beside the food tray and wine glasses.

             
“That’s my daughter’s purse.” She opened it and pulled out Felicitas cell, her driver’s license, sixty-five dollars in cash and a tube of pink lip gloss.  The officers moved their lights around the rest of the room; everything seemed to be in place.

             
“No sign of a struggle hear” One of the officers said. “Looks like she decided to leave on her own.”

             
“And leave her phone, money and ID?” Sharon’s voice was cross. “Don’t you dare judge her by what you’ve heard, she didn’t run off.”

             
Both officers seemed to ignore her comment and continued their search, but their caution seemed to lessen. Sharon was sure they believed all the news reports and suspected Felicitas had run away again and felt there was no need for alarm. Her anger continued to rise.

             
“If my daughter decided to run off on her own then why is there no power to my house?”

             
The officer’s face showed no expression, “Maim, I’m sure the fire across the street has damaged power lines. That would explain why your powers out.”

             
She wanted to smack him for his smug attitude and for stereotyping her as a typical distraught mother and Felicitas as a pampered teen age runaway. She decided she wasn’t going to follow them around like a whipped puppy, she knew what she was looking for and would lead the investigation. She walked boldly into the family room and immediately noticed the chill from the open doors. The officers stepped in front of her and looked around; they stepped outside on the patio casting their lights here and there. They came back inside, closed the door and again repeated that there was no sign of a struggle or forced entry.

             
They made their way upstairs checking Felicitas room first. Again there was nothing unusual or out of place except Esther’s cell phone lying on Felicitas bed. They made their way down the hall finding nothing and finally ended up in the master bedroom. The officers light found a single boot of Esther’s abandoned in the center of the room.

             
“Yours or your daughters?”

             
“Neither, it’s her friend Esther’s.” For the first time Sharon realized something dire might have happened to Esther as well.

             
The officers didn’t seem overly concerned and their overconfident know it all   attitude infuriated her.

             
“Look someone came into the house and I am sure my daughter and her friend were in here hiding. That is the only reason they would have come into my room, because all my children know my bedroom is off limits. My husband is really strict about that rule. And besides that why would Esther only be wearing one boot?”

             
“I don’t know Maim. But if it will make you feel better we will check outside the house too. Why don’t you go back outside and wait with your daughters.”

             
Sharon marched back down the stairs completely frustrated, and at a loss as to what to do next. Her daughter was gone and so was Esther. How was she going to explain to Carli Goodban that her daughter disappeared or worse? She steadied herself on the railing; the smoke from the fire was beginning to filtrate into their home. She wished Grant were here, like he was years ago. He came bursting onto the scene out of nowhere, taking control over the situation, saving her and her mother. She knew if he were here now he would know what to do. She also knew that if he had been here instead of sitting in jail none of this would have happened and Felicitas would be on the football field possibly being crowned homecoming queen.

             
The lights came on before she reached the bottom of the stairs and at the same time Melvin entered the foyer with the police.

             
“Is she here?” he seemed exasperated.

             
Sharon bit back her tears, “No Melvin, she’s not here. They’re back…they’ve come back and I know they’ve got her this time….I know it’s them…because of the fire.”

             
Melvin hushed Sharon immediately giving her a disapproving eye and nodding toward the officers. She could tell he didn’t want her embarrassing him and it made her crazy.

             
“Don’t sh-sh me Melvin! Your arrogance and refusal to believe your daughter has probably cost her and Esther their lives. Face it Melvin the story is real, Grant didn’t kidnap her, he is not behind all of this seeing he is sitting in jail right now. Felicitas got pregnant in a dream and is carrying the prophesied child and Draco and his son are after her and I hope to God they haven’t burned her alive in the corn field!”

             
Sharon fell onto the stairs sobbing. Melvin stepped forward.

             
“Get some control Sharon. You‘re acting like a child, where‘s your dignity? Felicitas has probably….”

             
Sharon leaped to her feet and swung at Melvin landing her hand across his face. The officer stepped forward and yelled at her to calm down while Melvin insisted they call the paramedics to give his wife a sedative.

             
Sharon stomped past them and headed for the door.

             
“I don’t need a sedative Melvin. I need someone who can actually help us.”

             
Melvin ran after her.

             
“The police are here and Detective Russell has already been alerted about the situation, everyone is helping Sharon you just need to settle down and let everyone do their jobs.”

             
She stopped at the door, facing him.

             
“Yeah, you and Detective Russell sure have everything under control don’t you. They took Taz, Melvin, they took her like they threatened they would and you did nothing to protect her. Nothing! I’m sure they left Esther to die and if her body is found in that burning field, her blood is on you Melvin…on you.”

             
Sharon paused in the doorway.

             
“I use to think you knew everything…but now, now I just think you’re stupid.”

             
Melvin’s face fell and he glanced around making sure no one heard his wife’s disparaging remark.

“Where are you going Sharon?”

              “To the one person who can help me.”

             
Melvin frowned and narrowed his eyes.

             
“You will not go and get him out! I forbid it Sharon.”

             
Her eyes seared through his demands.

             
“Forbid all you want, I could care less. It’s my money too and I am posting bail and then Grant and I are going to find my daughter. You try and stop me and I’ll file for divorce first thing in the morning.”

             
Sharon stormed past the bubbling fountain and joined her girls in the car. She buckled her seatbelt and told everyone to get comfortable, they were headed to Nashville then she pulled her Mercedes onto the road tearing through the thick black smoke heading for help.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

             
Felicitas head hurt so bad she felt as if she would vomit. Her thoughts were scrambled and she wondered what was making the strange noise in the background because the sound of it was eerie and made her uncomfortable. She tried to think and concentrate on where she was and what day of the week it was and why there was heaviness against her face. Her chest hurt terribly and she was freezing. She tried to turn over in her bed but suddenly realized she was not in her room. Then, the memories of preparing for homecoming, Ian showing up, and the burning cornfield came rushing back into the front of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up pulling at the mask strapped across her face.

             
“Whoa there.” Ian said pushing her back against the seat. “Keep the oxygen on, you need it.”

             
She pulled it off anyway and struggled to sit up. She began coughing so Ian placed the mask back over her face only to have her rip it off again. She looked around inside the limo. Esther was lying on the opposite seat, unconscious and wheezing; there was no mask on her.

             
“Is Esther okay?” The sound of her voice was hoarse and it hurt to talk.

             
Ian grinned. “She’s a survivor, she’ll make it.”

             
Felicitas scowled at him and crawled across the floor and placed the oxygen on Esther and then stroked the hair away from her soot covered face. She looked around the limo. It was only the three of them inside but she figured there were at least two Drakes in the front. Her stomach churned and she felt like throwing up. She coughed a couple more times each one causing excruciating pain to rip through her lungs.

             
Ian pulled the oxygen off of Esther and handed it back to Felicitas.

             
“You use the oxygen; I brought it for you not her.”

             
She jerked the mask from Ian to place it back on Esther but he grabbed her hand before she could and held tightly to her wrist causing her to cry out in pain.

             
“I told you it wasn’t for her.”

             
She tried to pull away but he tightened his grip and jerked her back up on the seat close to him and kissed her. Disgusted, she tried wrenching from his grasp but his strength was far more powerful than that of the tenderhearted musician she once dated.

             
She bit down hard on his lip bringing blood and causing him to curse in pain. He slapped her hard across the mouth busting her lip in retaliation.

             
“You listen to me Taz. You want Esther to live then you do what I say. You hear me?”

             
He spit the blood from his mouth.

             
“Damn you bitch, you never do anything like that again or you’ll be sorry. You made me go a whole year only kissing you when you approved, enticing me with your looks and then denying me. You act as if you’re so innocent but you willingly dated me and told me you cared for me and all the while you were in love with someone else.  You’re not as perfect as you think you are.”

             
Felicitas mouth hurt but she didn’t want to cry in front of him. She would not give him the satisfaction. She wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand.

             
“Who are you to judge me Ian? You tricked me, you acted like you were someone else and I did care for you. I didn’t cheat on you willingly, it was a dream….Ian, a dream everyone knows you are not in control of your dreams.”

             
He gave a mocking laugh.

             
“You people in this archaic dimension…you are so ignorant. Of course you are in control; it was your spirit, who you really are Taz that traveled through the dimension searching for your true love. You were in much more control than you know.”

             
“But I barely remember any of it, so how can I be to blame? And what about you Ian? You didn’t love me, you just wanted to steal my purity and contaminate the lineage just to save your sorry kingdom.”

             
He slapped her again.

             
“Never speak disparagingly of my kingdom. You disrespect my father when you do. And from here on out you will call me by my true name.”

             
Felicitas began to tremble as she felt a cold chill invade her. Who was this person she thought she knew, this person she kissed freely over the past year sharing so much of her, having intimate conversations and giving away her dreams and special secrets?

             
He looked at her and sensed her alarm. And for the first time she no longer saw Ian but a menacing stranger with ominous eyes that ripped away at her flesh uncovering every secret and staring straight into her soul. He was dark and utter evil and his presence brought a disturbing feeling of horror.”

             
“Who are you?” her voice quivered with the question.

             
Ian’s face was cold but proud; he raised his chin in arrogance as he spoke.

             
“I am Savas.”

             
He watched the color drain from her face as the shock of his announcement scrambled her thoughts. He didn’t smile and his lack of expression terrified her even more. She swallowed hard; grabbing her parched throat and coughed in pain.

             
“But how? How come Grant…Sargon didn’t recognize you?”

             
Ian pulled a water bottle from the small refrigerated compartment and screwed off the cap.

             
“My cousin was whisked away to this dimension by the guardians as soon as he was born. We didn’t grow up together and my Father in his supreme intelligence kept my identity a secret for such a time as this.”

             
He winked at the end of his declaration then cupped his hand behind her head and fed her a drink of water. Her desire was to pull away but her throat desperately craved the moisture. Her tongue licked up the water as he poured it over her lips and spilling it over her chin. He traced a dribble with his finger as it rolled down her neck and across her chest. She smacked his hand away from the top of her breast but he grabbed both her wrist and squeezed them tightly in his grip.

             
“You’re not in control anymore Taz. I am, and you will do what I say or I’ll have my friends up front burn Esther to a crisp, am I clear on that?”

             
In her entire life she had never felt so desperate. Despondency began to overwhelm her to the point of which she was sure shadows must be hovering all around the limo. Grant was locked up somewhere in Nashville and would not be coming to save the day this time. Her parents were at the ball game waiting for her to arrive on the back of a convertible. There was no one to help and she and Esther were outnumbered and in no way could they combat against the strength these men possessed. The only thing she had left for survival was a small amount of hope and being the fighter that she was, she would not concede defeat, not yet. She would cooperate with this Savas, until she thought of a daring plan of escape.

             
“Yes, Ian…”

             
He slapped her hard; leaving her cheek burning with the imprint of his hand.

             
“What did I tell you to call me?”

             
“She swallowed hard so not to cry, and blinked away the tears that burned in the corner of her eyes.”

             
“Yes Savas, I understand.”

             
He held her wrist tight and pulled her face up against his.

             
“That’s much better. Now…do you want Esther to have the oxygen?”

             
Esther was still wheezing her lungs starving for air.

             
She nodded and Ian gave an intimidating smile as he slowly released her hands.

             
“Put it on her then.”

             
He pushed her off the seat sending her falling into Esther. Her hands shook as she placed the mask over her face. She hated that Esther was caught up in all of this and she knew Ian didn’t care for her in the least and would kill her without thought. She knew too that Esther was extremely headstrong and outspoken and feared for her once she woke. She hoped she would be too weak to put up a fight. In any case their friendship had always been one where they could almost read each other’s thoughts. She hoped Esther would zone in on her expressions and save herself a world of unpleasantness.

             
After several minutes of pure oxygen Esther began to cough and wake almost the same way as Felicitas had. She sat up quickly and then fell backwards holding her head in pain. She pulled the mask away from her face and looked around the limo confused.

             
“It’s okay Esther.” Felicitas said trying to convey a message with her eyes for Esther to remain calm. “We didn’t burn to death.”

             
Esther rose up on her elbows and glared at Ian.

             
“What’s going on? Where are we?”

             
Her voice was as hoarse as Felicitas; she coughed and held her throat gagging on her words.

             
“Ian….Savas” Felicitas quickly corrected herself. “Can Esther have some water?”

             
He gave a slight smile and handed the bottle to Felicitas.

             
“She can drink it by herself; you come back over here and sit by me.”

             
Felicitas handed the water to Esther and gave her the eye. Thankfully Esther interpreted it and said nothing.

             
Felicitas sat down beside Ian. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him then narrowed his eyes on Esther while she drank the water.

             
She took a few swallows before sitting the bottle down beside her. Felicitas could tell her head was full of questions and disparaging comments and she dreaded the outcome should Esther voice any of them. She decided to press her luck and ask a few herself. Maybe if she monopolized the conversation she might be able to steer clear of any catastrophe brought on by Esther.

             
“So, can I ask where we are going?”

             
He removed his gaze from Esther and cast his eyes on Felicitas.

             
“Yes you may my dear.”

             
He leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

             
“I do thank you for asking in such a polite way.”

             
His role playing repulsed her.

             
“My friends and I will be escorting you and Esther far away to a comfortable place where you can carry out your remaining eight months of pregnancy.  I will drop in every now and then to check up on you and of course my father and I will be there for the birth of your son.”

             
“We‘re not going anywhere with you.” Esther‘s voice croaked in anger. Look at us? I’ll cause such a scene that will draw everyone’s attention. You have no idea who you are dealing with!”

             
Felicitas heart fell.  Ian’s eyes flashed not appreciating the rude interruption.

             
He hit Felicitas across the face with the back of his hand. Esther gasped as she watched the blood began to ooze from her nose.

             
“Damn you Ian!” she yelled lunging at him. He kicked her hard sending her flying across the back of the limo then stuck Felicitas again.

             
“Stop it!” Esther cried holding her stomach in agony from his forceful strike.

             
“Don’t hit her again.”

             
Ian gripped Felicitas by her hair pulling her head back. She held her breath anticipating another blow. Again she swallowed back the tears. She would not give into them; not in front of him anyway.

             
“Esther please….” she said. “Please, just don’t say anything else.”

             
“Listen to me.” He said. “Every time you voice your unwanted opinion or stubbornly refuse to cooperate you inflict pain upon your best friend here. True I cannot kill her according to the oracle but there is nothing preventing me from making her life a living hell, so if you care about her keep your mouth shut.”

             
Esther shrunk back, her eyes wide in fear. Felicitas sighed relieved but saddened at the hopelessness she knew Esther must be feeling at this point and there was nothing she could say to encourage her.