Page 40 of Echoes From Within
“No,” I admit. “He just ran some tests when I first arrived. I had assumed he was another prisoner because of the look in his eyes.”
“He may very well have been,” King says, lifting the doctor over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. “He may have been forced to do what he did. But it doesn’t change the fact that he did those things.”
I follow King back outside into the night and wait for him to secure the doctor in the back of the truck. For good measure, he ties his hands behind his back with a rope he found before yanking it down and securing his legs together.
“Tied like the fucking pig he is,” King mutters before tossing a tarp over his body. “Let’s get your girl home so we can get this bastard to the chamber before the sun rises.”
The chamber is something we have always had but haven’t had to utilize in quite some time. My fists clench in excitement at what’s to come.
“Let’s see if we can get Knox to dig into the police and hospital reports to see everything this man done to those people so we don’t have to get your girl to answer any hard questions,” King suggests.
Nodding, I jump into the passenger side of the truck and turn to look at the woman in question. Her eyes, void of emotion, look so tired.
Almost defeated.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “I’m going to take you home and get you into bed. You need a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, we’ll talk.”
“Am I going to jail?” she asks.
“No baby,” I smile.
“Is he going to jail?”
“Where he can get three free meals a day, free housing, and a chance to live the rest of his days safely behind bars?” King asks sarcastically as he starts the truck. “No. Prison will look like fucking paradise compared to the future we have planned for him.”
“You won’t ever have to worry about him again,” I tell her. “Now, it’s going to take a little while to make it back to town. Why don’t you try and get some shut-eye?”
She glances from me to King before pulling the blanket tighter around her.
“You’re safe, babygirl,” I tell her. “Nothing can harm you with my brother here.”
“You mean to tell me that you wouldn’t be able to protect me?” she asks. If I wasn’t paying close attention to her face I would have completely missed the small smirk before it quickly vanishes.
“Brat,” I smile. “Of course, I could. But King is sort of like a mother hen. I wouldn’t even get the opportunity to defend you against an enemy before he has everything taken care of while still checking to make sure we’re not harmed. All while ordering pizza.”
“Fuck you very much,” King grumps.
Sophia giggles and as much as I hate that it was directed at King and not me, I’m still beyond thrilled to see something other than complete defeat shine in her eyes.
“Sleep baby. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
“Too dark,” she whispers. “Can’t sleep.”
Reaching up, I flick the light on and watch her relax slightly. Satisfaction soars through me when her eyes close.
King pulls out onto the highway and we head back towards Harborbrook.
***Sophia***
This is surreal. I never thought I’d see Travis again. The fact that he’s sitting right in front of me is making my heart go crazy. He’s even more handsome than I remembered.
“Do you want to drop the fucker off first?” his friend, King, asks.
“Nah. He’s out for the next few hours. Let’s get her home and safe first.”
I have my eyes closed but I’m not asleep. There’s no way I’ll be able to fall asleep for a long time to come.
It takes a solid hour before they pull in front of my parent’s house. Even though I was raised in this house, it just doesn’t feel like mine. It doesn’t feel like home.