The Monster's Fury

CHAPTER TWELVE

Cole POV

After watching the CCTV footage for the 100th time, I decided to go back to Murphy Manor. Whatever it is I’m missing, I’m not going to find on the footage or in the Sullivan House. I walk down to the basement. I’ve checked every room down here but one. It’s more of a storage room now than anything.

I look around the room that used to be my prison whenever my father wasn’t happy with me. I drag my fingers along the dusty dresser next to me. My face scrunches up in disgust as I take out my handkerchief to wipe off the dirt. I haven’t been in this room since I was a child, not even since the remodel. The memories in this room alone are reasons enough for me not to come here. I should have demolished it when I had the chance.

My mind starts to flood with recollections of my father using my brother and I as his personal punching bags. He especially liked playing a certain game with us– “First to Fall”, he called it. He would have my brother and I face each other then force us to fight on his command. We weren’t allowed to stop until there was only one of us standing. The loser would have to stay in this room with just bread and water to eat until my father said otherwise. If we didn’t follow his orders he would beat us himself, and a beating from Connor was far better than a beating from my father.

It didn’t take long for Connor to start winning every battle. Even though I was older, he was bigger– stronger. I was smarter, but Connor was lethal. He always went straight for the kill. Whereas, I liked to play with mine first, it always gave me that extra rush I needed. We were polar opposites, but we were the animals my father created. A perfect pair of monsters he could brag about. Connor was just a bit more level headed when it came to my father. He was everything my father wanted as the next leader of the Clan.

I shake my head, ridding myself of the past. I didn’t come here to take a trip down memory lane. I walk about the room, scanning for some type of clue that’ll help me. I notice a piece of paper next to the small rusted bed that used to be mine. I bend down to pick it up.

April 22nd

My Little Soldier,

I saw a yellow butterfly today and thought of you. I looked at it for hours. I don’t know why but I couldn’t take my eyes off it and it made me happy. Look to the sky my Little Soldier and find your butterfly.

Love,

Mom

Fury rushes through me as I crumble the pathetic letter in my hand. I look under the bed knowing the old lunchbox my mother gave me would be there. I open it up and tons of letters fall out. I stuff them back into the flimsy lunchbox without bothering to read them. There’s only one way to get into this room without being noticed, but no one knows about that tunnel besides me.

I run to the hidden door on the floor and try to lift it but it’s locked. It’s a good sign that I could be wrong and that letter could have slipped out a long time ago, but my gut is telling me that’s not the case. Frustrated, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Sam.

“Sir.” He answers quickly.

“Get me the street cam CCTV two miles south of Murphy Manor.”

“Yes Sir.” He responds after a brief pause. I hang up the phone and put it back in my pocket. If they did get in through here, how the hell did they know about the tunnel?

Laura POV

“Wow girl, you are really starting to show.” Veronica grins as she touches my belly.

“Yeah, they weren’t kidding when they said pregnancy is exhausting. The only thing I have energy for is eating and I pray every time I won’t throw up after.” She laughs but I’m being serious.

“Any word from Hunter?” She probes.

“No.” I frown.

“Nobody has seen him, his parents, Alex or Rebecca in months.”

“Months?! Does he even know you’re pregnant?” I shake my head. Veronica sits there in silence before digging into her pocket and pulling out her special pills.

“What happens if he doesn’t come back?” She finally asks after popping three pills into her mouth.

“I’m not worried about that. He’s coming back.”

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t? Are you going to be able to take care of this baby? You’re not even working, Laura, and to be honest, your mom’s house doesn’t really have the space for another kid.” Her eyes start to wander around my small room. Probably looking for a space where I can at least fit a crib.

“You’re worrying too much. He’s coming back and when he does he’ll have no choice but to take care of his baby.” I smile as I rub my belly. This baby is my saving grace. Everything has to go perfectly.

****

“It’s not Hunter’s baby.” The blood drains from my face as I look at the paternity test Carmen did on my baby and Josh.

“Josh is the biological father of your baby. Your services are no longer needed.” My head is spinning and I feel like I can’t breathe. The sound of Carmen’s footsteps boom in my ear, breaking me from my trance.

“Wait.” I speak out softly as I try to muster up a way to make this work. She ignores me and continues walking as if I don’t exist to her anymore. I run up to her and grab her hand.

“I said wa–” Pain runs up through my arm as she twists my hand and wrist against my will.

“Do not ever touch me.” Her eyes scold into mine. They are jet black with a hint of gray. Pretty enough to lure you in but petrifies you if you look too long. With an easy flick of her wrist, she adds more pressure, increasing the amount of pain piercing through my arm. I hurl over and use my free arm to protect my stomach.

“We can still make this work! Please!” I scream out. She loosens her grip and allows me to stand up straight again.

“How can you expect to help me at all with a bastard baby? If anything, I’ll be doing you a favor by getting rid of it.” She reaches out her hand to touch my stomach, but I step back instinctively. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Look love, you’re cute but you’re kind of pathetic. Move on and just live your life with that Josh fellow. He seems to love you.”

“You have a lot of connections. Can’t you just get a fake paternity test or something?” I plead, ignoring her stupid statement about Josh.

“After you drugged him, do you think Hunter will trust a test coming from you?”

“There has to be something!” I snap. I’m desperate and I know whatever idea that comes out of her mouth I’m going to do, no matter what. She exhales and raises her eyebrow. I stand my ground, hoping for my last saving grace. She thinks for a little bit before stepping closer to me.

“There might be a way we can still salvage this.” She extends her red-painted fingernails towards my face. Her fingers grip tightly around my chin and she brings her lips to my forehead, leaving a red lipstick mark.

“Might as well get that out the way now. When the time comes, I’ll be in touch.” She saunters away and gets into her black SUV. A shiver runs down my spine and I can’t help the uneasiness I feel as I wipe the red lipstick off of my forehead. I’m not sure what she meant by that but it doesn’t matter– I still have a chance. The feeling of uneasiness quickly fades as excitement courses through my body.

“Whatever it takes, I’m going to make you mine, Hunter Morgan.”

Adrienne POV

“Attention passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We will be starting our descent into Elko, Nevada. The time is now 10:32 am with a temperature of 97 degrees. Flight crew, prepare for landing.”

I look out the small window of the private plane we were put on. Clouds cover my view but eventually disperse the lower we drop, showing the tips of mountains covered in fog. I turn my head to see Hunter sleeping soundly on my shoulder. I love watching him sleep. He isn’t one to get a good sleep often, so when it does happen I take advantage of it.

I slowly turn my head again towards the window, making sure not to wake him up. I know I failed once I feel him stir next to me. He grunts and yawns before opening his eyes.

“Are we there yet?” He looks around the cabin, checking his surroundings. There weren't any other passengers , which made the long flight much more enjoyable. I smirk as I recall visiting the Mile High Club with Hunter. I snap out of it when I feel Hunter lean over me to take a look out of the window.

“Nevada, huh?” He says, leaning back into his chair. My eyebrows furrow.

“How can you tell from just the view?”

“We built more than a few houses here. I can spot Nevada from any view. Looks like Sandy isn’t sending us back home just yet.”

Since we left Brazil, everything has been kind of a mystery. We were picked up in a black van from the temple, then put on this private plane without any details. If Hunter weren’t with me and so calm about everything, my anxiety would have been through the roof, with all these unanswered questions.

“What’s in Nevada?” I ask. He shrugs his shoulders.

“My guess is, Sandy wants to make it as hard as possible for Cole to track us. She probably has a safehouse there and she’ll fill us in on what’s been going on while we’ve been gone, before sending us home.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense.” I say nervously as I nod my head and nibble on my thumbnail. Don’t get me wrong, I trust Sandy. I just hate being left in the dark. Hunter places a swift kiss on my cheek, causing me to look at him.

“Try not to worry so much. Everything is going to be fine. We’ll know what’s going on soon enough.” He says as if he could read my mind, which at this point I’m almost positive he can.

“I know, I guess coming back home is starting to make everything feel real again.”

“I can make them turn the plane around and we could go back to Brazil, just say the word.” He smirks and even though I know he’s joking, a part of me really wants that to be true. Brazil was a brutal vacation with the extremely intense training I had to do, but it also gave me a sense of peace I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” I tease but instantly regret it when Hunter’s playful smirk disappears. He stretches out his hand and cups the side of my cheek.

“Never again.” His icy blue eyes stare into mine and I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince me or himself. I know he still hasn’t forgiven himself for the day Cole took me. It didn’t matter how many times I told him it wasn’t his fault, this is a burden he doesn’t intend to get rid of anytime soon.

“I know.” I smile before letting my lips kiss his— the only thing I could do. It was my dumb decision that made him this way, so if he wants to carry this pain then I’ll carry it with him.

“But we have to do this.” I say, getting back on topic.

“Okay, once this is over, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. So start thinking of places you’ll want to visit.”

“Oh, I don’t have to think. I have a bucket list of places.” I beam at him.

“A bucket list.” He raises his eyebrow.

“Yup,Santorini, Rome, Egypt. The list goes on but Santorini is at the top. It’s supposed to be the most beautiful island in the world with amazing views of the Aegean Sea. I would die to see a view like that.”

“Santorini it is then. So let’s get this over with. I can’t wait to see you in clear blue water with a sexy bikini on.” He wiggles his eyebrows and shoots me a seductive side smirk. His dimples pop out and I’m swooning over him like a little school girl. I clench my legs together and bite my bottom lip, trying to calm the ocean that’s ready to soak my panties. His eyes roam over my entire body as he licks his lips.

“How much longer until we land?” He leans closer to me and whispers in my ear, making me squirm.

“Mmmm. Not enough.” I purr. His eyes turn that alluring shade of dark blue and I know I’m not the only one excited. I take a deep breath and press my lips together. Dear Lord, please hurry up and land this damn plane.

****

The door to the plane opens, exposing the desert heat. The dry air hits my face and I feel like I’m in an oven set at 450. This kind of heat shouldn’t exist in the world. I step down the narrow stairs of the plane with my luggage in hand and Hunter in front of me. As we get further away from the plane, I notice a parked black SUV. There’s a man standing next to it but we’re still too far away to see who it is.

I squint my eyes the closer we get. It's Brody. A huge smile plasters across my face. It feels great seeing a familiar face. I run up to him, dropping my luggage and pull him into a huge hug. He instantly tenses up, which makes me giggle. Brody never really says much but I always felt safe around him.

“Relax Brody, it’s just a hug. I kind of miss you, ya know.” I grin after I let him go.

“It’s good to have you back, Adrienne.” He smiles before grabbing my luggage and opening the door for me. I step inside and I’m relieved when the cool air from the air conditioner touches my skin.

“Thank God!” Hunter praises after he gets in behind me and feels the air from the air conditioner.

“I f*****g hate Nevada.” He grunts as he grabs the bottom of his shirt and brings it up to wipe the sweat off his face. I can’t help but laugh at his misery. He gets really cranky when he’s too hot and sometimes the little evil devil in me finds it hilarious.

“Where the hell is Sandy taking us?” Hunter’s attitude is now pointed at Brody. Better him than me, I chuckle to myself.

“Yeah, I’m surprised you two are not together.” I add to keep Mr. Cranky Pants' attitude off of me.

“Safehouse, about an hour or so away from here.” Hunter sucks his teeth and closes his eyes, laying his head on the headrest. I really just want to shove a snickers bar in his mouth to calm him down, but I’m fresh out of those for the moment. So ignore, and look out the window is my next best bet.

I’ve never been to Nevada but there wasn’t much to see but trees, dirt and far away mountains. I start dozing off but that quickly stops when Brody pulls in front of a two-story house. The house has tall trees fencing in the backyard and flower bushes decorating the sides of the house. It looks like a normal house in the suburbs.

We get out of the car and before I can get my luggage out the back, I hear the front door of the house swing open. I peek around the trunk to see who it is and my heart sinks. My mother runs towards me, almost tackling me into a hug. We squeeze each other as tight as we can, crying like a bunch of babies.

“Ay Mijita, we missed you so much.” She cries.

“Don’t you ever scare us like that again! How have you been? Have you been eating? You lost weight. What have you been doing?” She’s throwing out question after question, not giving me a chance to answer any of them, but I don’t care. I’m just happy I can hear her voice again.

As my mother was going to town checking my body for injuries, I see my father standing at the door from the corner of my eye. He doesn’t move, he barely blinks. Is he mad at me? My heart begins to race as I think about the possibility. I can definitely understand if he is, but God I hope he’s not. I let go of my mother and walk towards him with my head down. Tears are falling down my face before I can even muster up a word.

“Papi, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I finally cry out. Not saying a word, he pulls me into his chest and holds me. As he holds me, I can feel his tense body slowly start to relax, as did mine.

“We thought we lost you, princessa.” He chokes as he tightens his arms around me.

“I know Papi. I thought so too.” I peer up at him and notice two tears slowly sliding down his cheeks. My heart aches. Not once in my life have I ever seen my father cry– not even a tear. To know I’m the cause of that makes me sick. I remember Sandy telling me they were all in agony when I was taken, but it’s not until this very moment that I feel what she really meant.

“I never meant for any of this to happen. I–”

“Shhh.” He cuts me off.

“We’ll talk about that later. Let me just look at you.” He breaks our hug and rests his hands on my shoulders. His eyes scan me up and down before landing on my face again. I smile softly, trying to hide the guilt I’m pretty sure is written all over my face.

“Vamos. Let’s go inside.” My mother announces as she walks toward us with Hunter in tow.

“How long have you guys been here?” I ask after walking inside and seeing their luggage in the living room.

The living room is decorated with a brown sectional and a beige rug in the middle of it. There’s a glass table with a beige and brown vase on top of it. The walls are white and bare. Nothing about this house shows any personality, but I guess that’s why it’s called a safe house.

“We just got here last night.” My mother responds.

“Do you guys want something to drink?” She prances to the kitchen before any of us can answer.

“I’ll take a beer, Mi amor.” My dad yells out.

“Ay Dios, Carlos, it’s not even 1:00 yet!”

“Actually, Mom, I’ll take one too.” I grin. I can hear my Mom suck her teeth from the kitchen. My dad smiles and nods his head, giving me the “That’s my girl” look, and I feel like we’ve never skipped a beat.

“How about you, Hunter? Are you going to follow my stupid husband?”

“I’m okay Rosa.” He laughs.

“Maybe later. I’m going to head upstairs and take a shower.”

“Without me?” My eyebrows raise as I question him. For the last few months, Hunter and I have done everything together, showers included. So it’s kind of a habit now. He walks closer to me.

“You need this time with your parents. I’ll come back down in a little while.” He gives me a quick kiss and heads upstairs before I could contend. Not that I would have anyway, because he’s right, as always. I roll my eyes in annoyance before turning around and taking a seat next to my Dad on the couch.

“I missed you Papi.” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. Before he can say anything, my mother walks in with three beers in her hands. She passes two to my dad and I, then raises the third bottle to propose a toast.

“I thought it was too early for a beer.” My father mocks.

“Shut up and get off your ass.” She glares at him. We both laugh and stand up. None of us want to be on her bad side.

“Now, I want to make a toast to my beautiful daughter. I’m so happy you’re finally home with us, safe and sound. When we thought you were gone, our entire world stopped. We didn’t know what to do– it was hard. The pain of losing your child is something words can’t even explain, but now you’re back and the joy I feel in my heart right now is one I will always cherish.” Tears that she’s been trying to hold back cascade down her cheeks followed by sobs, stopping her from speaking.

“Coño. I thought I’d do better than this.” She chuckles, trying to take attention away from her tears.

“Ma.” I whimper as I put my beer down. I close my arms around her and bury my face in the crook of her neck. She wraps her hand with the beer in it around my waist and uses the other to stroke my head.

“I’m okay.” She kisses the top of my head before letting me go. The ends of her lips curve up into a soft smile.

“Princessa.” My dad calls, pulling my attention to him.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through these past few months, but you’re my daughter. Your pain is my pain. Your blood is my blood. What you feel, I feel. I know why you did what you did but never again, me entiendes?” I nod my head to let him know I understand. He walks closer to me and pulls me into his chest, placing a kiss on my head.

I close my arms around his waist. I’m speechless. All I can do is cry. He doesn’t say much, but I can feel all of his emotions from the last few months in his words– the pain, the loss, the anger, the guilt, the relief. I tighten my grip around him, wanting to lift all those burdens off of him. I should be the one feeling this, not them.

“Wow, that toast kind of went left huh?” My mom jokes, making all of us laugh. I let go of my dad and wipe my tears. I grab my beer and raise it.

“I love you both and I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused. Papi, you’re right, my blood is your blood. I’m a f*****g Santana and we fight together until the end. So let’s f*****g fight.”

“WEPA!! That’s my daughter!” They both shout as we clink our bottles and take swigs of our beers.

“Now that’s a toast.” My mom grins, making me laugh.

“I have something for you. I was going to wait to give it to you but I think you’ve waited long enough.” She puts down her beer and runs to her luggage. She rummages through it until she pulls out a gold heart-shaped locket. She softly smiles as she hands it to me, but I can sense a hint of sadness behind her smile. I look down at the locket in my hand. ‘Hermana’ is engraved in front of it. My heart instantly twists– my sister. I push the button on the side of the locket and it opens, displaying a picture of the two of us.

It was her 18th birthday and my parents bought her a Nikon camera. She fell in love with it. Taylor was always into photography but there was a time when she didn’t know if she wanted to do it as a career. She didn’t think her pictures were good enough to make enough income off of them, but after my parents got her that camera, that all changed. This was the first picture she took with it.

“I love it Mom. Thank you so much.” I sniffle.

“It didn’t feel right having a funeral without you so we cremated her and I had them put a little bit of her ashes inside. That way she’s always with you. You’re going to need her with you for whatever is in store for you. When we get rid of this asshole we’ll spread her ashes and finally lay her to rest.” She takes the locket out of my hand and puts it around my neck. I move my hair out of the way so she can buckle the clasp. Once it was secure, she picked up her beer again.

“To the Santanas.” She raises her bottle.

“The Santanas.”