Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (58 page)

“Think I saw?” I snorted. “Your thoughts were so far from business, I should have
you
arrested.”

I turned away from him and strode up to the porch, waving my hand over my shoulder to blow him off. “You don’t need to spend any more time convincing me,” I said, promptly ringing the doorbell even though it was probably close to midnight. “I get it. For whatever reason, you’re using this lame have-to-protect me crap to keep from admitting how you really feel about me.”

“It’s not crap.” He stepped toward me in a threatening manner that was way more heated than I’d ever seen Trip. “Do you think it was safe for us to hook up in a parking lot when someone just tried to kill you?”

He had a small point. “Well, not especially, but we could make a normal date or something—”

“There is nothing
normal
about what’s happening here.” He was yelling now. I didn’t even know he knew how to yell. “No matter what we may or may not be feeling, the number one priority is safety and I can’t protect you when you’re distracting me like you did in the parking lot and like you just did back there.”

Another minor point, but no way was he turning this around. “It’s not my fault you lied and made me test you. We could’ve gone to your place or something.”

Oh my gosh! Did I really just suggest that?

Trip took a deep breath and looked like he was trying to calm down. Good thing too. I liked the calm Trip much better. “You’re not getting it. There is no
we
. There is only the case. I’m sworn to protect you and I can’t—”

“Forget it!” I turned away from him and rang the doorbell three more times in a row. Obsessive? Maybe. But, props to anyone who takes rejection well and the doorbell was the only thing I had to take it out on. “I don’t need to hear your list of reasons not to date me. I’m not some desperate girl who needs to convince a guy to be with her. I have plenty of guys who are interested in me. Like Joel for example.”

“That guy at the coffee shop who couldn’t keep his eyes off you?” His brows flickered together, then his facial muscles went tight. “He’s the boyfriend you told me about before, isn’t he? The one your friend made a play for.”

“Excellent memory. And not that it’s any of your business since we’re maintaining only a professional relationship, but I already told you he’s not my boyfriend. Julie can have him. I have my sights set on someone else.” I rang the doorbell again, then pounded on the door. “Hello? What’s up with Lynn? It’s dead quiet out here. How can she not hear us ringing? I’ve hit the doorbell at least twenty times.”

Trip froze then.

“What?” I hoped he wasn’t going to go into another diatribe on why we shouldn’t be together.

But he didn’t do that. What he did was flip around, push himself in front of me and reach into his jacket toward his holster.

Too late.

A click sounded through the otherwise quiet night air as a bald-headed man came out of the shadows and stepped quietly into view on the side of the porch. He pointed a gun, then stepped closer and closer until it was an inch from Trip’s face. He smiled in an evil way that made creepy crawlers slink up my spine.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Bishop.

Chapter Twelve

“Get your hands where I can see them.” Bishop spoke in a calm voice that clearly showed he was the one in control here. Like the gun didn’t say that enough as it was. “Who are you?”

Trip paused, then held his hands palms up. “I work for Detective Williams at the police station. We can make a deal.”

Bishop chortled. “Right.”

“Seriously.” Trip’s voice was calm, cool, and he appeared in control. “Let us go, and I’ll talk to the D.A. Get him to reduce the charges against you.”

Bishop smiled smugly. “Oh yeah?”

“I can get you probation. You’ll be done with all this and won’t serve any time.” Trip stopped talking and the offer lingered in the air.

“You forget one thing. I’m not
in
prison. I’m a free man. Not that I can say the same for you.” With his right hand, Bishop shoved the gun into Trip’s cheek and with his left hand he reached into Trip’s holster and removed a shiny silver gun. “You won’t be needing this.”

The gun looked a lot like the one Sam had at the Sierras. If Trip had “borrowed” Sam’s gun, surely Sam would notice it missing and come looking for us. Although, I’m guessing it unlikely that Sam had a tracking device on it.

Trip kept his hands high in the air and took a step back, pushing me against the door and further away from Bishop. “You’re making a mistake.”

I clung onto Trip’s back for comfort. Why oh why didn’t I have a gun? I knew I was going to need one. Not that I’d know how to use it, but still. I could’ve slipped it to Trip or something.

“Open the door, sweetheart,” Bishop said, and I could only assume he was talking to me.

My grip on the back of Trip’s jacket tightened and I didn’t move.

“Do it. Now.” He nodded and waved his gun over Trip’s shoulder at me. “Unless you’d like to eat a bullet.”

Trip’s body tensed. “If you even think of hurting her—”

“Shut up. You’re in no position to make threats.” In one blow, Bishop slammed the butt of his gun into Trip’s temple, whipping his body away from me, his beautiful hair flopping as he smacked against the front door with a thud.

I gasped and reached for him. “Trip.”

He bent against the door, trying to stay on his feet, but I could tell he wasn’t having an easy time doing that.

“You’re a monster,” I told Bishop as I put an arm around Trip to steady him.

Bishop seemed unimpressed by my insult. Instead, he stepped forward, pushed the gun into Trip’s gut and grabbed my chin with his other hand. “You’re that kid from the station, aren’t you? What the hell are you doing at Lynn’s?”

I glared at him as unwanted tears sprang into my eyes. Why couldn’t he shut up and let us go? I had to get Trip to a doctor. His temple was swelling and I could tell it took all of his will to stay on his feet as we watched Bishop’s face go red.

“You deaf, girl?” Bishop pushed my chin away, then patted my cheek. “Your silence tells me you’re writing more than a book report. Now open the door and we’ll go see what you know. I’m betting Chuck can find out. He has a special knack for making girls talk.”

With the gun still in his gut, Trip leaned toward Bishop. “You stay the hell away from her.”

What was he doing threatening a man with a gun pointed in his gut? I shuddered.

“You so much as speak again without permission and the first bullet will be for you. Or maybe I’ll pump one into your little girlfriend here.” Bishop slapped Trip in the arm. “We clear on that?”

I slipped my hand into Trip’s and squeezed. Not to read him. Not for comfort. But because there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to again and I wanted to somehow thank him for trying to defend me. My eyes burned, knowing Trip had been right. He hadn’t been paying attention when Bishop snuck up on us because he’d been arguing with me. This was my fault.

Finally, Bishop reached around us and threw open the door. He shoved Trip inside first, so hard that he tripped over the doorstep and fell onto the worn carpet.

I whimpered when our hands detached but then Bishop grabbed my arm—none to gently—and pulled me into what appeared to be the living room. He shut the door behind us and clicked the lock into place.

“What the hell was going on out there?” A tall, broad shouldered guy with over-bulging chest muscles stepped toward Bishop. This guy totally needed to cut down on the steroids. “Sounded like a stampede hurtled into the door.”

“Just doing a little show and tell,” Bishop said. “People learn better by demonstration. Don’t they, Lynn?”

That’s when I saw her. She was slumped over on the couch, her eyes swollen and not from crying. Her brown hair hung ragged half-covering her face and her bottom lip was cut. I could only imagine what they’d done to her.

“Kylie.” She jumped off the couch and threw her arms around me. “What are you doing here? Are you all right?”

“I’ve been better,” I said, as I felt her shove something into my pocket. Were those her keys? Did she really think I could just drive away when Bishop had a gun? “Where’s Amanda?”

Lynn pulled back, looked me over and ran a hand over my cheek. “She’s safe.”

“And Drew?” I mouthed this.

Lynn shook her head as tears formed in her swollen eyes. “We haven’t seen her since the hospital.”

“As I suspected. You two know each other.” Bishop pulled Lynn away from me and nodded to Steroid Guy. “Tie her up, Chuck.”

Apparently Bishop was running the show because Chuck proceeded to pull a roll of thick, silver tape from a bag. The tape made a screeching sound as he lengthened it before slapping it around her wrists. It looked like the same tape they’d used on Amanda’s ankles and wrists when we’d found her in the Sierras.

“You can’t do this, Aaron.” There was venom in Lynn’s voice, but she let the buffed guy bind her wrists in front of her without resistance. “You think Devin’s going to cut you in on anything? He’ll leave you high and dry as soon as he gets what he wants.”

Bishop only laughed. “All I want is my fee, sweetheart. Nothing more.” Then he took a step toward me, aimed the gun at my ear, and turned to Lynn. “Now you tell me what you know or it will go very badly for this girl. You want blood splattered all over this nice carpet? Or do you want to keep things simple?”

My eyes bulged, my heart raced, and I willed Lynn to tell him whatever he wanted to know. I clenched my fists, helpless to do anything, knowing at any second he could pull the trigger.

“Get away from her.” Trip pushed himself up on his hands and knees and lunged at Bishop’s legs, but Bishop was too quick. He swung his foot and kicked Trip in the face like a soccer player shooting a goal. Trip’s face torqued in the opposite direction with a loud pop, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell unconscious to the floor.

I cried out for him and pumped my fists against Bishop’s chest. In two seconds flat, Bishop yanked my full head of hair from the back, shoved the gun to my ear and grunted like a bulldog. He no longer seemed calm and smug. “Chuck, you idiot, why didn’t you tie that guy up?”

“You only told me to do her.” He gestured defensively toward Lynn and I think all of us wondered if Bishop might pop a bullet into Chuck.

Things were getting way too heated in here. Seconds passed and still all was quiet. It appeared nobody was going to get shot. Not for the moment, at least.

Chuck sighed dramatically, walked over to where Trip lay on the floor, and wound tape around his wrists. I wondered if we’d get out of this alive. Not one to dwell on the negative, but I had to admit, it didn’t seem likely.

Bishop pressed the gun into my ear—this time so hard, it pinched and burned like he’d lit it on fire. “Last chance, Lynn. Tell me where she is or this girl bites the dust.”

Lynn stepped forward shaking her head. “Don’t do it.”

“Then answer me!” He tightened his grip, pulling at my roots, pain shooting through my head as a single tear slipped down my cheek. “I’m sick of messing around with you. Where is she? Where are you hiding the mind reader?”

My body went numb. The . . . what? There was no way. I must’ve heard wrong. Had to have. I couldn’t face it otherwise. Amanda had been kidnapped, beaten. Drew was missing. Trip lay motionless on the ground. Lynn clearly had the living hell beaten out of her face and was now being held at gunpoint. All because they’d been protecting . . . me?

It wasn’t possible. Couldn’t be true. But deep down I knew it was.

I was the one these guys were after. The one Miller had been looking for that night at the hospital when Drew disappeared. The secret Lynn and maybe even my dad had been hiding. Bishop had said it himself.

The mind reader
.

“Leave her alone, Aaron. She doesn’t know anything.” Lynn’s voice was desperate as she rose from the couch in a pathetic begging gesture.

“That was your last chance.” Bishop made a motion with his arm and I clenched my teeth, bracing for the shot. “She dies.”

“Wait! Please, don’t kill her. It’s . . . it’s her, Aaron. It’s
her
, okay?” Lynn fell to her knees and sobbed. “She’s who Devin wants. Who he’s been searching for. Kylie’s the mind reader. Don’t hurt her, please.”

The next few seconds felt like years as I waited to see if he was going to pull the trigger or not. It’s not like how they say it either. My life didn’t flash before my eyes. There wasn’t a moment of clarity. No empowering wisdom struck me. All I could think was if he was going to do it, I wanted him to hurry up and get it over with. The not knowing was killing me.

“You’re lying,” he said, but his grip on my hair loosened.

Lynn shook her head, tears sliding down both of her bruised cheeks. “I’m not. I swear.”

“No kidding?” The steroid user stepped in front me, breathed into my face, my head bent back from Bishop’s hold on my hair. “I don’t see the resemblance.”

“She takes after her mother. My side,” Lynn said, and locked eyes with me. She seemed to be telling me something with the look she gave me but my head throbbed and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Then, I remembered Mark Hernandez. I’d shaken his hand and seen the woman crying in his office. Her face appeared in my mind and matched Lynn’s perfectly. Lynn had hired the private investigator. Presumably to find me before Bishop did. But, wait, Hernandez had asked for my mom. Did Lynn not know she was dead?

“Let’s just see if she’s the mind reader, shall we?” The guy with the muscles put an arm around me, led me away from Bishop and over to the couch.

“What the hell are you doing, Chuck?” Bishop’s voice was irritated and it was obvious he preferred being the one to call the shots.

“Don’t you know?” He shoved me onto the couch. “They all have a mark.”

Oh. No. I knew what he was going to do and squirmed as hard as I could, but those steroids made him much stronger than me. With one arm on my chest he pinned me back against the cushion. He helped himself under my shirt, tugging at my jeans as I grunted and kicked hard trying to get him off me.