Page 2 of Once Vanished
“What on earth …?”Gabriela muttered.
That was when she heard it—Jilly’s scream.
“GABRIELA!”
She could hear more distant yapping and the sound of a struggle in the family room.
“Dios mío,”she whispered as she bolted upright.She moved across the room fast, to the closet where Riley had installed the lockbox.She punched in the code—Jilly’s birthday, 0-6-1-2.The black metal box popped open, revealing the Ruger SR22 nestled in its foam cushion.
“It’s a .22 caliber—smaller than what I carry, but with less recoil,” Riley had explained.“Semi-automatic, ten rounds in the magazine.Simple safety switch here, see?Red means it’s ready to fire.”
Riley had taken her to the range three separate times until Gabriela could hit the center of a target consistently.“For protection,” Riley had said.“Because sometimes I can’t be here.”
Like now.
Gabriela grabbed the gun.Before rushing to the stairs, she checked the safety, just as Riley had taught her.She took the steps two at a time.She reached the main floor of the townhouse, gun now held in both hands, pointed at the floor as she moved.
“Jilly!”she called out, rounding the corner into the family room.
The scene that greeted her froze her blood.
Jilly lay limp in the arms of a man Gabriela instantly recognized from the photographs.He had one arm wrapped around Jilly’s torso, supporting her sagging weight.With his other hand, he pressed a cloth firmly over the girl’s face.Jilly’s eyes were fluttering closed, her struggles reduced to feeble twitches.Darby was darting around at Leo’s feet, barking helplessly while Leo kicked him away.
“Let her go!”Gabriela commanded, raising the gun and flicking off the safety in one fluid motion, just as Riley had drilled her to do.The red indicator glared like a drop of blood.
Leo’s head snapped up, genuine surprise flickering across his features before settling into something more calculated.Gabriela could see that he hadn’t expected this.Hadn’t factored her into his plans—or at least not with a gun in her hand.And it didn’t look like he’d expected a dog, either.For a heartbeat, Gabriela saw uncertainty in his eyes.
Then he smiled—a terrible, confident smile—and shifted Jilly’s unconscious form directly in front of him like a shield.
“I don’t think you want to risk that shot,” Leo said, his voice calm.He repositioned Jilly so that her head lolled against his chest, her body completely covering his vital organs.“Not with her in the way.”
Gabriela’s arms remained steady, the gun trained on them, but she couldn’t shoot without risking Jilly.And Darby was obviously too little to be a real threat.
“The police are coming,” Gabriela bluffed, her accent thickening with stress.“Riley knows you are here.”
Leo laughed softly, backing toward the deck door, dragging Jilly with him.“No, she doesn’t.But she will.That’s the whole point.”
Gabriela tracked their movement with the gun, shuffling sideways to maintain her position, desperately seeking any opening, any moment when Leo’s body might become exposed enough for a safe shot.But he was too careful, too skilled at keeping Jilly positioned perfectly.
“Put the gun down, Gabriela,” Leo said.“I know you won’t risk hurting her.”
He was right.Years in this house, watching over Riley’s two girls, cooking their meals, bandaging their wounds, holding them through nightmares.She had promised Riley—promised herself—that she would protect them.And now she was failing.
“She is just a child,” Gabriela pleaded, her voice breaking.“Take me instead.”
Something like amusement flickered across Leo’s face.“That wouldn’t serve my purpose.”He reached the door now.“Riley needs to understand what it means to have something precious taken from her.Thanks for the offer, though.Maybe another time.”
With Darby still darting around his feet, he backed out onto the deck, his eyes never leaving Gabriela’s, calculating his escape with each step.Gabriela followed as far as the doorway, the Ruger still aimed uselessly in their direction.
“Riley will find you,” Gabriela said, her voice steadier now, fueled by certainty.“Wherever you go.Whatever you do.She will never stop hunting you.”
Leo paused at the top of the deck stairs, Jilly still clutched against him like a grotesque shield.For the briefest moment, something like anticipation glittered in his eyes.
“I’m counting on it,” he replied.Then he carried his captive across the small back yard and out the back gate, leaving the yapping dog behind.
Only when they disappeared from view did Gabriela lower the gun.Her hands shook now, delayed shock setting in as she fumbled to dial 911.Then she would have to call Riley to tell her that the monster had taken Jilly.
CHAPTER ONE