Trusted Hearts

Chapter 23

Jason didn’t want to get his hopes up that this was the place and Michelle would be there. He couldn’t handle failing her again so he just thought of it as another clue to check out, not the end to this nightmare. He kept his eyes on the dark rode, this far out of town there were no street lights just darkness.

Jordan rested her head on Mark’s shoulder as they sat in the back seat. She tried to keep her eyes open but the sleepless day was beginning to catch up with her. But she needed to stay awake and be there for her brother, she knew he needed the support. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Michelle died, Jason would lose it.

Jason began to feel jumpy, he was so tired before but now adrenaline was beginning to take over. He didn’t want to get his hopes up but right now it’s all he had to hold on to. “What if,” He began to voice his fear. “she isn’t there? What else can we do to find her?”

Jordan sat up and looked at Jason. “We’ll find her. If this is a dead end we just keep looking.” She promised as she grabbed Mark’s hand. If she didn’t have him there with her she knew there was no way she’d be this calm.

“We’re here.” Graham said when he looked up from the map. “The house should be a few blocks down.” He added when he looked out at the dark woods.

“Let’s leave the car here and walk so we don’t alert anyone that may be in the house.” Mark said then everyone unclipped their seat beats and left the car. Everyone checked their weapons then headed into the woods where the house sat.

-

Michelle looked around the cold dark room, she hated it but at least she wasn’t dead. It could be worse she told herself so she wouldn’t focus on how bad it was now. She needed to get out of that house but she was being watched, she needed to find away around that.

-

Graham was right, the house was there. It was so dark, no street lights no porch light, nothing but there was alight on in what they guessed was the living room. “Be ready and be careful.” Jason told everyone before they parted ways. Jordan and Mark took the back entranced and Jason and Graham took the front to cover more ground in less time.

It was a two story house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It used to be a beautiful place but the years took its toll. The paint was pealing; the wood on the porch was falling apart. Inside the place was dusty but livened in. There was trash in the kitchen and fresh dishes. They all checked different parts of the lower half of the house and came up empty.

Together the foursome quietly headed up the staircase. Jason expected to see or hear something by now but it was so silent. All he heard was the pounding of his heart against his chest.

Each bedroom was empty, not a stitch of furniture.

“We have to be missing something.” Jordan said when they met in the hallway. “There’s no attic or basement?” she asked the guys.

“Not in the blueprint.” Graham answered since he spent the most time looking at it.

“But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.” Jason said as he headed downstairs. It was a feeling he had, before he didn’t want to have hope but now it was more then hope, it was a strong pull that told him the answers lay in that house.

Jason led everyone back into the kitchen. “In the blueprint there was a space between the walls, a large space.” He said.

“How did you see that?” Graham wanted to know.

“Our dad use to build houses.” Jordan answered. “He would take Jason to the sites and explain everything.” She added. She tried to think back to the last time she saw her father, it had been so long. They fought the last time, he didn’t agree with her life choices or her marriage to Michael. And even after he was killed her father didn’t call or stop by.

Everyone looked around the kitchen for the hollow wall. They looked but didn’t find anything, after ten minutes Jordan placed her hand on Jason’s arm. “I know.” He said to her but he couldn’t shake the feeling he hand. “Fuck.” He said as anger boiled inside him and he kicked the stove.

A patch of the wooden kitchen floor lifted up. “Holy shit.” Jordan said, amazed. “If I didn’t know she was insane before I know it now.” Such crazy measures to make Jason and Michelle suffer. Jordan couldn’t wait to meet April.

Jason had been right; there was a large space between the walls. The patch on the floor led a staircase around the wall. With their guns drawn and Jason taking the led again they went down the case. There were a few lights along the ungrounded walls. This fueled what Jason was sure of, Michelle was there.

“It’s like a whole other world.” Jordan softly said. It was underneath the house, so there was tons of space, like another house under the house. They came up on a closed door, the only one in the dark maze of halls they checked.

Mark and Jordan stood on each side of the door and covered as Jason and Graham got ready to open it. Jason began to pray that Michelle was in there and alive. He turned the knob and opened the door. It was a little odd for it to be unlocked but he saw the bed and a chain above it and that should keep anyone from escaping but the room was empty too.

Just as they decided it would be best to go and try another way to find Michelle there was a loud thump coming from one of the halls.

“Bitch! I’m gonna kill you now I don’t care what he wants!”

Everyone looked at each other before taking of to where the voices were coming from. At the end of one of the father halls stood April with a gun pointed at Michelle.

“Keep your eyes on her.” Jordan told Jason before she turned around and headed another way.

“Oh great we have a crowd.” April said when she saw everyone else. “Jason Malloy, long time no see.” She said then looked at Michelle.

“April put the gun down.” Jason said. There were no words to explain how glad he was to see Michelle and alive and fine, he needed to keep it that way.

“No she has to die; I should’ve killed her before.” April said with her gun aimed right at Michelle’s chest. “It’s her fault you don’t want me anymore, you love her.” she hated to admit, and it just made her hate for Michelle grow.

“April killing her won’t make me love you, we’re over.” Jason calmly said so she wouldn’t flip and pull the trigger.

Michelle looked at Jason, it all made sense now, April had a broken heart too so she came up with this plan and got Ryan involved because he was hurt by the same two people. It was so twisted she couldn’t believe this was happening but it was and the gun in April’s hand was very real. She saw someone moving behind April, she locked eyes with Jordan. She slightly nodded when she understood what Jordan was doing.

The only light in that hall was blown out and it all became pitch dark. A gunshot rang off and some grunts flooded the air. Mark flipped one of the other light switches and found April on the floor and Jordan kicking the living daylight out of her. “Babe you can stop now.”

“Sure…” Kick. “…Thing…” Kick. “…Honey.” Jordan said and kicked her once more in the ribs then stopped. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around Mark.

Michelle had jumped out of the way when the lights left and April shot her gun. She stood with help from Jason. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Jason said as he looked her over for any wounds. “You ok?”

Out the corner of her eye Michelle saw April grabbed her gun from the floor. Out of instinct she grabbed Jason’s gun from his hand and shot April twice in the chest before she fell over. “I’m ok.” She said to Jason’s previous question.

“Is there anyone else here?” Graham asked Michelle since they were all so sure April was working with someone.

“No.” Michelle said as she looked at everyone. “The only person I ever saw was April.”

“Let’s get you out of here.” Jason said as he took Michelle’s hand.

“I’ll call the department and get some guys down here.” Graham said as he headed back inside the main house. “You go home and get rest, all of you, I’ll handle this.”

“Thanks.” Jason said as he shook Graham’s hand, he couldn’t believe he ever doubted his partner.

“It’s finally over.” Michelle said as she leaned into Jason and they walked outside.

“I’ll go bring the car closer.” Mark said before taking off on foot.

Jordan sat down on the porch, she was tired before but now after fighting with April she could barely walk. “I’m getting sick of this, stalkers, gun fights.”

“Maybe you should retire and do something else.” Michelle suggested.

Jordan smiled. “Never, I’m sick of it but I love my job.”

Michelle and Jason walked away to talk alone. “Are you sure you’re ok?” Jason asked, he was so scared for her.

“It’s over.” Michelle said again. “We can finally be happy and not worry about a thing.” She said before hugging him. As she felt his strong arms wrap around her tears slid down her face. “Let’s go home.”

“I never want to lose you again.” Jason said as he held her tighter.

“You won’t.”

AN: This is the end to Trusted Hearts, I hope you liked it. The story ‘Could I be you’ was Jordan and Mark’s story and they continued into this story. I love writing for all of them so there’s a story in the works that will have Jordan, Mark, Jason and Michelle. The story focuses on all of them this time. It’s a series I’m working on; it’s called the Malloy series. I’m working on the new story now but I don’t know when it’ll be posted, I want to finish a few more stories first. In my profile my home page I’ll keep you updated there and there’s also banner’s I’ve made for the upcoming story so you see I am working on it.

I love this story and the tile holds a lot of meanings for me now. I’m so glad so many of you read and enjoyed the story. I hope you like the ending, I know there’s an unanswered question, what happened to Ryan. The answer is a big part of the next story so you’re just going to have to read it, at least I hope you do

Thanks and goodbye to Trusted Hearts

Isabelle A