Page 58 of Knight Watch

The line went dead, and Sydney reminded herself to breathe. Looking around, she didn’t see any of the team, and decided to act.

Putting the phone on silent, she shed the thick casing and tucked it inside her bra as she took the stairs toward the entrance. Passing by a nurse’s station and without breaking stride, she grabbed a file from the counter and offered a prayer to whoever was listening for her to be strong and keep Kingsley alive.

As soon as she stepped outside, a gray sedan appeared and stopped in front of her. When she opened the door, she recognized Troy’s slimy smile.

“Get in, baby. You’re in for a fun ride.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, she got in, clutching the file on her lap.

Troy drove away, whistling a tune, and as they reached a red light, he turned and sprayed something on her face. Sydney wanted to scream, but she couldn’t move, and her body was pulled into frightening darkness.

* * *

“You fucking bitch!”Pain exploded in her cheek as she fell from a chair to the floor from the force of the blow.

Disoriented, Sydney felt cold and tried to get her bearings as she pushed herself up from the concrete floor. Where am I? Where is Kingsley?

Her focus was blurred, but with a few blinks, she saw shoes in front of her.

Someone grabbed her hair and pulled her with up such force, she screamed in pain. Only then did she realize Troy was holding her upright in front of her uncle. She had never seen her uncle so furious—it changed his features, making him look older and feral.

He slapped her again, and pain shot through her body.

He grabbed her chin, his face so close, she could smell his foul breath. “You stupid little girl, to think I loved you. You’re no better than your whore of a mother,” he said pacing in front of her.

What’s that supposed to mean?

“My mother was beautiful and kind and you killed her,” she spat, the ugliness and pain creeping up on her.

Raymond stopped and turned to her, his voice taking on a sinister air. “Your mother loved me. She dated me first and I loved her. I would have given her the world but then after a few months, she met your father on a visit home.”

Sydney tried to reconcile the information against what she knew, not wanting it to be true but knowing in her heart it was. “Was that why you raped me? To punish her?” she asked, the words almost choking her.

“I loved her. He took her from me, so I took you both from him. I took your innocence the way your father took hers. She was mine and he took her from me.” The tone of his voice changed then and became almost wistful. “You look so much like her.” He stepped forward and stroked the bruise that was forming on her face. Sydney tried to repress the shiver of distaste and failed. He saw it and his eyes locked on her face.

“Why did you kill her if you loved her?”

“When she and your father fell on hard times, I allowed her to work for me. My housekeeper had just retired and I needed someone to replace her so I offered her the job.”

“My mother wouldn’t have worked for you, she hated you.” Sydney spat the truth at him uncaring of her own safety.

Raymond clenched his fists trying to control his temper. “She would if her home was about to be repossessed. Your father never knew how much I hated him, so when he needed money, I lent it to him. I bought the rest of the home loan from the bank. Your mother knew this so she worked as my cleaner.” Sydney could see the glee at his sense of power dripping from him. “She must have found some of my papers or overheard me on the phone. I was always a little distracted when she was around,” he said with a leer that made Sydney feel sick.

“Why kill her?”

“She became a liability. She had to go.”

He said it like it was an inconvenience, not the life-altering event it had been for her. Her parents were both dead because of this man and Sydney was determined the man she loved would not follow. She had to be smart now.

“Where are the papers?”

“Do you think I would bring them to you just like that? I’m not that stupid. They are safely hidden until I know Kingsley is safe.”

Raymond roared, his demeanor changing again like he was two different men. She could see now just how insane her uncle was as his cracks became bigger. He nodded at his right-hand man and Troy pushed her against the wall before he punched her in the gut. For the longest moment, she couldn’t draw air, causing dots to dance before her eyes.

Falling to her knees, she slowly fought to inhale and looked up at the two men. “Free him, and you can have the papers.”

“You’re in no position to be giving me ultimatums.”