8 6 (part2)

It was taking Sonya’s father entirely too long to return home. When she had last spoken to him, he had told her he was going on a three-day trip. It was now the fifth day, and she had yet to hear from him, and it was driving her insane. She had lost count of how many times she had called his cell and texted him.

No matter what her sisters said, this was not like her father. Not once, even when he had broken his leg hiking in the mountains of the Himalayas, or when he had contracted some weird bug from exploring the forest of the Amazon, did he not contact her in some way, shape, or form. His phone had always rung, and if her father couldn’t answer, one of his assistants would. But to simply disappear and not answer her calls was something he would never do.

Granted, he would ignore her sisters’ calls, but never hers. The dark feeling that had made itself home on her shoulders when her father had first left pressed down on her like a two-ton weight that had her dialing every number she knew. Yet no matter who she called, she couldn’t get her father. She had tried the hotel he was supposed to be staying at numerous times, and each time she called they told her that he had checked out two days ago. She had called his assistant and travel companion but he hadn’t seen her father and was franticly searching for him as well. At least he had provided more information than the hotel. He had told her that her father had slipped away one day and hadn’t been seen since. The fear and panic she heard in her father’s assistant’s voice added to her worry, causing her to franticly pace the living room floor with her heart hammering in her chest.

She had bitten all her nails down to the cuticle, and still, her anxiety persisted, causing her to bite past the skin and draw blood. Sonya winced but kept her feverish pacing as the sting of her self-inflicted wound turned into a dull throb. With her other hand, she swiftly scrolled through her contacts, looking for anyone who could help her locate her father. With each passing moment, she felt as if he were slipping farther and farther away from her.

“Damn it, Daddy, where are you?”

She had to find him; she had to. There was no way she could go through the rest of her life with only her sisters. If something happened to him, who would she talk to about her problems? Who would smile at her and tell her that everything would be fine? Her dad was her comforter, her rock, the only man she could count on. She needed him.

The thought of losing him caused tears to well up in her eyes, and she staggered in her pacing.

One more time she tried to call his phone.

Daddy, answer me, she prayed, but by the third ring, it was clear, just like all the other times she called, that he wasn’t going to answer.

“Damn it.” Fed up and worried, Sonya tossed her phone across the room, the fragile piece of equipment breaking in half the moment it hit the wall. Instantly, she wanted to kick herself in the ass.

She picked up the broken pieces. As she tried to piece together the remains of the phone lost in the dark thoughts of her mind, she heard the doorbell ring. At first, she ignored it, too concerned about what was happening to her father. But as the ringing grew more and more persistent, she became more annoyed. Finally, she gave a hard curse under her breath and headed towards the front door. Pissed, tired, and worried, Sonya yanked the door open and started to scream at whoever was there. As soon as he laid eyes on the man standing outside her door, she felt her mouth go slack.

Other than her dream man, she had never seen another man that looked as if he had been sent by God himself. Yet, the man who stood staring down at her with a soft smile on his face had to be some type of mythical creature. She just wasn’t sure if he was on the side of good or evil. When he gave her a broader smile, which softened his facial features a little, she was sure he toyed on the side of evil, because a smile like that was made to kill and break hearts.

Add thickly arched brows, full lips, and a sculpted face, his features brought out by the low cut of his black hair, there was no doubt he was a devil in disguise. With his flawless and richly brown skin, he was a monster much worse than any playboy she had ever met and more devastating to the senses than her ex had ever been.

She took him in from head to toe. The loose beige fitting sweater he wore hung off his body just enough to give a hint of the body underneath. Judging by the way his arms stretched the sweater, he was cut like a rock. Relaxed navy slacks with the crease going down the middle covered a pair of legs that she suspected were just as toned and cut as his arms. He wore a pair of leather loafers. While she couldn’t tell which designer they were, she knew quality shoes when she saw them, and it was clear everything this man wore was made of the highest quality.

“Are you Sonya Lamar?” His voice was as sweet as sex. Powerful and commanding, it demanded her full attention.

Granted, the horny woman inside her swooned and fawned over him, however, her heart remained unmoved. He might have been sex on two legs, but he was not her dark prince. He alone had moved her heart for the first time since her split from her husband, and he was the one she wanted… although, that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the fine male specimen before her.

“Can I help you?” she asked as she finally stopped her gawking. Bringing her gaze to his, she was caught in the dark and intense way he stared at her. A sliver of fear went down her spine as she realized that while he might look like something created in a lab, there was a menacing aura surrounding him, and she cursed her stupidity for breaking her phone.

“If you are Sonya Lamar, then yes, you can help me... are you Sonya?” he asked and another sliver of fear made its way through her body.

“Depends on who’s asking,” she retorted as she continued to contemplate how she could reach her kitchen phone before he caught her.

“Right, how rude of me.” He extended a large hand, one covered in cold scars. “My name is Camren Marshall.”

She eyed his outstretched hand for a long moment before she hesitantly shook it. “Sonya.”

He brought her knuckles to his lips. “It truly is a pleasure to meet you.” After placing a chaste kiss on her knuckles, he released her hand.

“We will see,” she said as she rubbed her hand, trying to cool the fire that had suddenly begun to course through her. “How can I help you?”

“I have a message from your father.”

“My father?” He had her attention.

Leave it to her father to find the shadiest of characters to come and deliver a message to her. Though fear still snaked its way through her body, she pushed it aside to listen to whatever he had to say to her.

“Yes, Philip. He asked me to give this to you.”

She watched as he handed her an envelope with her name written on it. For a second she frowned because the handwriting wasn’t her father’s.

“He asked me to write for him since his hands were busy with something else.”

Camren smiled, and she felt a twinge of panic course through her.

“Please, read and enjoy. He speaks of you often, and it has been my pleasure to meet you today.” Once more he extended his hand. This time she gave him a suspicious look and refused to take his hand. He seemed unfazed as he dropped it and gave her a slight bow before he turned away from her.

She watched him walk away. Just before he reached the street, he looked over his shoulder and gave her a wave. “See you later.”

“Yeah, not if I can help it,” she grumbled as she went back into the house. Shutting the door behind her, she made sure she double-locked it before making her way back into the living room, the envelope in hand.

“What’s this?” Weighing the envelope in her hand, she instantly knew something other than a simple letter was enclosed.

What have you sent me, Daddy?

Sitting on the couch, Sonya opened the small package. Reaching inside, she pulled out the letter first. As her eyes quickly scanned the page, her panic steadily rose with each line she read. Sonya quickly realized that her father hadn’t written the letter. By the time, she had finished reading it for the third time, her heart was hammering in her chest. But when her eyes landed on the coffee table, the reality of what the letter said set in, and she wanted to scream out her fear.

On the table rested her father’s bloodied wedding bands that he wore wherever he went. They were a piece of his mother that he treasured with all his heart. The last time she had seen those bands they had been on her father’s finger, but her hands shook seeing them bloodied and tarnished before her.

“Daddy.” Tears began to flow freely down her face. She reached out to touch the rings, but she couldn’t bring herself to grab them. Snatching her hand back, she couldn’t do anything but stare at the letter and the bands, wondering what the hell was going on. Thousands of questions rushed through her mind.

Who was that man that came to her house? How had they gotten her name and address? She still hadn’t changed her mailing address back to her home address, and very few people knew where she was staying. But most importantly, she needed to know where her father was and if he was okay. While she might have been scared and panicked, she knew she would never get any answers from sitting on the couch crying. If her marriage had taught her anything, it was that things would never change and she would never have the answers to her questions if she just sat and cried.

No, she needed to do something.

Steeling herself against her emotions, Sonya grabbed the letter off the table and raced into the library to get her wallet, money, and car keys. She then ran back to the front of the house and grabbed her coat off the coat rack by the front door before she stepped into the cool afternoon air. Buttoning up her coat and digging out her hat from her pocket, she headed for her car. Getting in, she realized she left her phone.

Hurrying out of her car she went back for her phone. She hoped the broken machine worked as she got back into her car.

She took a deep breath and then started her car. In her mind, she said a silent prayer for the courage and strength to save her father from the monsters who had kidnapped him. Pulling out of the driveway, she headed straight towards the train station. She had tried to call her sisters while getting her stuff together, but neither of them had answered their phones. She cursed them and their selfishness but remembered who she was dealing with and realized it was a waste of time.

“Hold on, Daddy, I’m on my way,” she whispered. She prayed she would arrive in time, but if the chills going up her arm were any indication of what was about to happen next, then her prayers were in vain.