Girl By Any Other Name Read online

  I finally made my way to the mirror, using the sink for support. I rinsed my mouth and splashed cold water on my face, not recognizing the sickly pale tone of my skin. One thing was clear. I would never let this bastard get near her. I would protect her. I would give my life for hers.

  I came back to the table, expecting to see Joe with a glib expression in the light of my weakness, but he was somber. “I had a similar reaction,” he said. “I got you another drink. I figured you could use it.”

  “Tell me everything. I want to…no, I need to hear all of it.” I picked up the fresh bottle to swallow down the rest of the contents. I didn’t need any liquid courage, but I had to wash away that awful vision.

  He took out his cell phone. “Let me introduce you to our enemy. We located a photo of him when he was sixteen and age-projected it. Caleb, this is Eddie Vincetti.” He held the phone out, showing me a photo of a handsome-looking guy with curly black hair and a wry smile.

  I didn’t think I had any more blood in my body, but I felt it drain again. A chill ran down my spine. I heard the clink and subsequent shattering of my bottle as it crashed to the floor.

  “What?” Joe asked.

  “His name is Tony Romero.”

  Chapter 34

  Present day

  I felt nauseous again, but as Joe got up, I stood, too, moving so fast my feet slipped against the remnants of beer and glass. We raced out of the bar and into the lobby. Joe hit the elevator button as he radioed his partner. It was taking too long. When I ran to the stairs, Joe followed me. We took them two, sometimes three, at a time as we made our way to the sixth floor.

  The chair occupied by Haynes now sat vacant. I tried to jam my keycard into the slot, but my hands were shaking so badly it wouldn’t make proper contact. Joe took it from me and managed to get the green light to appear. I rushed in first, almost tripping over Hayne’s dead body. His face was an unrecognizable, bloody mess, destroyed by the bullet lodged in his forehead.

  I ran around the room, searching for her. I ran into the bathroom to do the same, but she was gone.

  “Caleb,” Joe called.

  I approached him, knowing the sound in his voice was anything but hopeful. He stared at the crisp white sheets, now stained with splatters of blood. Her blood. What had that bastard done to her?

  We made our way to Joe’s car. “You stay here.”

  “Like hell I will,” I spat back at his command.

  “You’ve done enough, Caleb.”

  “This is my fault. Let me make it right.” Joe didn’t seem convinced so I added, “I know him. I can help.”

  When Joe nodded curtly, I wasted no time jumping into the passenger seat. Joe called the local police and sent out alerts. “What kind of car does he have?”

  “A Yamaha motorcycle and a Ford Econoline van.”

  Joe called it in and told them all the info I gave him on Tony Romero. “I think he went to his cabin. It’s close to here.” I gave Joe the city, and he had his office look it up. Unfortunately, there was no land registered for Tony Romero in Holly Oak.

  The thing was, Tony had talked to me about this cabin all the time. I didn’t think a man could make up so much about something that didn’t exist.

  “You don’t know where it is?”

  “I have some idea. Can we just go there?”

  Joe didn’t answer me, but told the person at the other end of his radio we were headed to Holly Oak. It was the longest half hour of my life. I estimated we had been in the bar for close to an hour. I didn’t want to think of all the things that man could do to her in that amount of time. I prayed, no, I begged God to please spare her from this. I would take her place if he saw fit. Just let her live.

  “How did he find her?” I asked Joe as we neared the small country town of Holly Oak.

  “He didn’t have to find her, Caleb. He just needed to find you. You’re the one who insisted she was alive. Hell, you even wrote a book about it, didn’t you?”

  Oh, my God. I had done it again. I had been a fucking beacon signal for the very demon that threatened her. I wanted to slam my head into a wall, but now was not the time. Now we had to find her. I needed to be strong.

  Thankfully, there was only one lake in Holly Oak, and as we neared, my gut told me we were in the right place. The road turned to dirt and was covered with slippery golden leaves freshly fallen from the rains. It would have been a beautiful welcoming sight any other time, but today it filled my heart with dread.

  “Cal, you didn’t know,” Joe said. He was actually trying to make me feel better. “I shouldn’t have been so hard on you.”

  “If anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Let’s not think like that. Let’s just get our girl.”

  I didn’t mind that he said “our girl,” because she was, and Joe had been right. We were both in love with her, and we would do what was necessary to save her from this monster.

  “I hope this is the right place. I’ll call for backup as soon—”

  He never finished the sentence. The car veered as a tire popped, and we went off the side of the road headlong into a massive oak tree.

  It took me a second to come to. Blood trickled down the side of my head where the glass from the windshield had embedded itself. I looked over at Joe. “Joe, are you okay?”

  There was no answer. He was unconscious, but when I put my fingers against his wrist, I felt a pulse. I grabbed the radio he’d been barking orders into and reported the accident and Joe’s injury. I managed to get off my seatbelt after several tries and walk back toward the road.

  Road spikes hidden under a pile of leaves had caused our crash. Eddie must have planted them. At least we were on the right track. I walked back to the car and opened Joe’s door. Careful not to move him in case he’d broken anything, I took the gun holstered on his waist. I lifted his pant leg to confirm he had another concealed at his leg. I hadn’t had the foresight to bring my own gun. Then again, who would have thought we’d end up here?

  “Joe, I’m going to get her. Help is on the way.” I doubt he heard me.

  I looked down the road and saw that it opened up at the end. Joe had checked, and there were cabins down this way. I didn’t think about it. I just started running, harder and faster than I ever had. It felt like all those early-morning runs had prepared me for this moment.

  I reached the end of the road where several cabins sat. Eddie/Tony had told me that most of them were vacant since they had all been owned by the same man who had passed away. They required a great deal of work, and the family was having trouble selling them. Hell, he’d even suggested I buy one. I saw Tony’s van parked at the side of one and sucked in a breath as I approached the door. All the windows were covered so I had no idea where she was, but I doubted it was too late. He didn’t get off on quick and painless. He wanted torture.

  “Are you coming in, Cal?” a voice boomed from inside the cabin. Eddie’s voice.

  I turned the knob, finding it unlocked. As I entered, I struggled not to pounce on him. He held her in his grip. Her face was cut and badly bleeding from the large slash on her cheek. He held a gun to her head. She was breathing hard, staring at me with complete paralyzed fear, but she was alive.

  “‘Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave,’” Eddie said.

  “Let her go, Eddie. We can settle this between ourselves like men.” I glanced around, looking for anything that might get him away from her.

  My eyes paused at the wrought-iron table. There lay a hammer, a chisel, and a steal file…all rusty. My heartbeat accelerated with pure, pulsing fury.

  He laughed. “You fucking idiot, I don’t want you. This girl is owed to me. She was my Lenore long before she was yours. Now, put that fucking gun down, or I’ll slash the other side of her face.” I raised my weapon to the side before slowly setting it on the ground.

  “Kick it over here.”

  I did as he asked. “Take me. I’ll be a b
etter hostage for you.”

  He choked out another laugh as if he couldn’t contain it. “Hostage? Having a hostage would imply that I want to get out of here. I don’t. This is my endgame. I did it all for her. You have no idea how difficult it was listening to you carry on about how she was the one, how much you loved her, how you were going to find her again. Do you know how fucking hard that was for me?”

  “Eddie, don’t do this. What happened to your family wasn’t Sylvie’s fault.”

  “Her name is Gabby. That is her fucking name,” he screamed at me.

  “I’m sorry. Gabby.”

  “Do you think I even fucking care about my family? They’re dead to me.”

  Sylvie whispered something just then. I grimaced as Eddie bent down to hear her. “Let him go? But I want him to watch, and he wants to be here, too. Don’t you, Cal?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is going to be fun. Here’s how it works, Tanner. In the beginning, she’ll beg me for her life, but after a few hours, she’ll beg me to end her. To take her away from the pain. It’s a great plot twist. I live for that moment. I don’t want to kill the girl. That’s easy. Too easy. I want to murder her hope and spirit. I want to break her.”

  “Don’t do this. You know you’ll never get away with it.” As if to cement my argument, we heard a car pull up on the gravel driveway. “The cops are here.”

  “That’s a real fucking shame because I won’t get to enjoy this as much as I wanted.” He kissed Sylvie on the cheek. His teeth grazed against her neck. She closed her eyes tightly, but the tears still fell. I felt their sting against my own skin.

  “Don’t—don’t hurt her,” I pleaded.

  I saw Joe, emerging from a back bedroom so quietly I thought he might be floating. He placed his finger to his lips, holding his gun up. I struggled to maintain the rigid mask of fear against the sense of hope his presence brought. My task was to keep Eddie occupied so Joe could get a clear shot.

  “You must have nine lives, Tanner, because I emptied my clip in you that night.”

  Before I could register his statement, Eddie turned and shot Joe in the chest. My heart sank, and my own hope died as Joe’s body fell backward from the impact. His head slammed on the floor as if it was made of concrete, not wood. The echo of the shot was unbearably loud and reverberating, competing with my heartbeat.

  Eddie turned back to me, smiling malevolently. “I’m a much better shot now.” He smiled wide and gnashed his teeth together. “Although, guns are not my preference.” He brought Sylvie closer and kissed her head. “Isn’t that right, Lenore?”

  Sylvie started shaking at the sight of Joe sprawled on the ground. She let out a small scream. Eddie gripped her hair, pulling her back.

  “Don’t move,” I commanded to her as Eddie ran the heated gun down her skin. She winced in response.

  “Stop! You’re burning her!”

  He pointed the gun at me. “Cal, it’s been great catching up, but time’s running short as it always does.”

  “Whatever you do to her, I will do to you ten-fold. I promise I will kill you, even if I have to rise from the depths of Hell to do it. Your whole body will be as useless as your dick. And like you, I will enjoy every minute of it.”

  He laughed, as if we were sharing a personal joke. “You think you can taunt me, you piece of white trash shit? Tell you what, maybe I’ll shoot your leg again. That way, you can just sit there and watch us. Because the truth is, I would love you to see me in action. I’m going to make your precious Lenore scream in a way you could only dream of.”

  I soaked in the finality of his words. I looked at my girl, feeling the weight of what I needed to tell her. Think of me. I’m in your heart. I love you. But I didn’t utter a word because the look she gave me wasn’t one of resignation, but revenge. I shook my head slightly. She was readying to do something that she shouldn’t. Her deep earthy eyes spoke to me as though we had our own language. She wasn’t going to heed my warning. His arm draped over her neck. She bit into his flesh, drawing blood. He screamed and pushed her with such force that my mind couldn’t react to it. Her head broke through the glass of the iron table, smashing it into a million pieces. She lay there bleeding with his tools of torture around her.

  I didn’t think. I reacted, sprinting the small gap between us. I knocked him to the ground. His gun fell, skidding a few feet. He tried to struggle, but I used all 6 feet 3 inches of my frame to hold him still. I punched his face, the years of frustration, rage, and misery coursing through my arms, which felt as powerful as missiles and just as heavy. I slammed my fists until the hard bones in his head caved. His features became mushy, bloody pulp, causing his physical appearance to mirror the monster that lived within him.

  I crawled over to Sylvie. I cradled her in my arms. “Baby, look at me.” I picked the glass out of her hair and rocked her. “You’re going to be okay, my brave girl. Please fight for me one more time.”

  “Is she alive?” Joe croaked from the corner, bringing coherence back to my thoughts. “She hit her head hard.”

  I felt for a pulse, praying to God to let me hear her heartbeat. I exhaled a long breath when I felt the faint beat. “She is. She’s alive.”

  “So is he,” Joe replied at the faint sounds of sirens, signaling more cars.

  I looked over and heard Eddie wheeze. He shifted in the corner as if his body refused surrender. He was no danger now. I had torn his face apart. I doubted he could see let alone hear. It wasn’t now that I was worried about.

  I saw the gun lying in front of me. I grabbed it, holding Sylvie close to my chest and covering her other ear to protect her eardrums. I pointed it at the oozing red bulls-eye that was his head and pulled the trigger. I kept my body steady under the recoil. Hell, I even savored the ringing in my ears and metallic taste in the air. My other senses could fail as long as I had my eyes. As long as I could see him die. His body twitched, so I shot another round, and the slight tremble of his hands ceased.

  “Now he’s not.”

  “Good,” Joe said, laying his head back down. It occurred to me that Joe wanted me to kill Eddie. What he’d wanted to do himself.

  Could a jail hold Eddie? A mental hospital? It was highly probable. Was I willing to take the risk? Not a fucking chance in hell. Not when it came to her. He didn’t deserve to exist in the same world as her.

  I looked down at her, whispering the only words I knew. “I’ll see you soon. Stay awake. I love you. I need you. Do not die on me. This is not how we end.” I whispered the mantra, praying she heard my words.

  Chapter 35

  Excerpt from Raven Girl

  Age 13

  “Cal?”

  I stirred and groaned.

  “Can we talk?” She shook my shoulder. We’d fallen asleep, staring at the night sky. The sleeping bag provided little padding against the hard earth, so I suggested she rest her head on my chest. I had ulterior motives for that. We’d been testing out my telescope, but then we’d started talking about constellations, books, music, and anything else that came into our heads. The dialogue of youth, vibrant and exciting, was a thing of wonder, rarely recaptured in adulthood. As usual, our conversation lasted long into the night until we’d both fallen asleep.

  “Are you awake?”

  “I am now,” I grumbled. “Jesus, girl, you know I have to leave in a little bit to get home before my daddy wakes up. Why won’t you let a man get any sleep?”

  “I have something I need to tell you. It’s important.”

  “Can’t you wait until morning?”

  “I’m afraid I’ll chicken out in the morning. I’m going to say it, and then we’ll never have to talk about it again. Will you listen?”

  “Shoot.”

  She was quiet for a minute, and I almost wondered if she had fallen asleep again. I hadn’t opened my eyes at all. Maybe I was dreaming. “If I ever go away, you can find me in Portland.”

  Sudden panic gripped me, vacating the possibility of sleep.
“Huh? Why would you go away?” I tightened my arm around her.

  “That’s not important. The important part is where I’ll be. Will you come find me?”

  “Why the hell would I want to go to Portland?”

  “Because I’ll be there.” The anxiety in her usually confident voice worried me. She whispered the next part to me. “I think I’m your Lenore.”

  “Are you smoking crack or something?”

  “I just had to tell you that. Sorry.” She sounded disappointed in my response so I embraced her.

  “Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine?” I asked.

  She laughed with relief. “I’m glad you’re paying attention. Portland, Oregon.”

  “It would be just like you to send me to the wrong state.”

  She giggled, patting my chest. “Goodnight, Tex.”

  I was almost asleep again, but a question seized me, fighting against my need to rest. “Why Portland?”

  “It’s nice there. Sometimes the sky is blue and sometimes it’s gray. It’s a city big enough that it’ll be difficult to find me, but small enough that I won’t get lost.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to find you then?”

  “I’ll find you. You just have to come there. Will you promise?”

  “I think you’re crazy.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll promise you anything if you go to sleep.”

  “’Kay.”

  Chapter 36

  Present Day

  Sylvie

  I heard the two voices talking quietly in the room with me. Cal and Joe. Joe and Cal. I loved them both, but in different ways. Joe was my friend and he’d been there for me. I would always love him for that, but Cal…Cal owned my heart.

  I called out to them, but no sound escaped my lips. It was exhausting to try, so I stopped and concentrated on what they were saying, but that was difficult, too. I just got bits and pieces. One called me Sophie and the other Sylvie. I was glad neither called me Gabby. Gabby was dead, but I was alive…wasn’t I?