His Watchful Eye

Chapter 32- Very Present Danger

     His eyelids fluttered open and white, hot pain in his chest caused him to grit his teeth as he failed to hold back a groan. His hands were secured behind his back and his feet were tied as well. Scanning the room, he noticed a red garage door at the far end of the small space. The walls were covered in grey, egg crate foam. When he turned his head to peer in the other direction, pain sent veins of light to obstruct his vision. Tightly closing his eyes, he waited for the throbbing to subside.

"You're finally conscious I see." The familiar, masculine voice set his heart to pounding wildly. His mind put the fragmented pieces of the night before together, and he remembered the series of events that brought him to this place. This had to be one of the storage units Traeger visited the night before.

Not bothering to answer, Beckner slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the man sitting on the floor next to him. He was tinkering on something, but the pain was too intense for him to care what it was.

"I do owe you an apology, Beckner. I really didn't want to involve you in any of this, but the moment you became romantically linked with Georgia, I had no other option."

"What are you talking about?" The words sent an intense wave of pain through him, and he glanced down to see fresh blood draining from the gunshot wound in his chest.

"I would bandage you up, but it would just be a waste of time. You'll be dead by the end of the day whether I do or don't. What I mean is, Georgia hurt my friend, Charlie, and she needs to pay for the way she abandoned him when he needed her the most. Do you have any idea what they did to him while she was living like a princess in her childhood home? She didn't even give her own brother another thought, and now she needs to have something she loves taken from her just like Charlie's childhood and innocence were taken from him."

"Is that why you took Henry?" He struggled to evade the black pool of sleep swirling around him.

"Is that why you took Henry?" Traeger's voice mocked him. "Of course it is! She loves Henry, and no doubt she suffered when I took him. I had her husband killed too; it was never part of the plan, but it couldn't be helped...he got too close."

"What happened to Charlie? What did they do to him?"

"The abuse that poor boy suffered was more than someone like you could ever imagine. He needed me because he is a sensitive person. I was strong, so I took his place...I protected him when no one else would."

"You said 'is' not 'was'...is Charlie still alive?" His eyelids were growing heavy, but he fought for consciousness. These were answers he needed...answers Georgia needed.

"He's still alive, but I have to keep him safe. I've been there for him ever since the day your brother, Conner, died." Traeger was not looking Beckner in the eye but continued working on a cylindrical device in his lap.

"Were you there when Conner died?"

"No. I came to help Charlie after, but Charlie was there. It was more than he could handle when he had to bury your brother in the basement."

"Is Charlie here?"

"He's around here somewhere."

"Could I talk to him? I'd like to ask him about Conner."

"What difference would it make?"

"A lot of difference...I loved my brother."

"I'll see what I can do."

Finally giving in to the black abyss beckoning him, Colin fell back into the oblivion that stole away his pain.

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Before heading to the storage complex, Georgia decided to make a stop at Colin's address. T.J. brought up a valid point when he said she could be walking into a trap. She needed to be sure Beckner was in danger before storming headlong into what could be a lethal situation.

His home was only a few minutes from hers, so she was soon sprinting up the porch and knocking on the front door. When she knocked twice, the door creaked as it fell open a few inches.

"Hello...Colin, are you in here?" Using the palm of her hand, she gently nudged the door open a little farther. The living room was completely dark, and cautiously she drew her firearm and stepped through the door. After a quick sweep of the living room and kitchen, she found nothing appearing to be out of place. When she entered the hallway, she found a trail of blood. Something was seriously wrong. From the looks of the bloody trail, she guessed Colin was dragged from the first bedroom to her left.

She checked the bathroom and bedroom at the end of the hall before entering the room from whence the bloody track originated. When she slowly opened the door, she discovered a massive pool of drying blood on the carpet in the center of the room. "Oh, God, please don't let him die. I know You are able to work miracles, and I pray you would please let him live. Let me find him in time." A swell of tears sprang to her eyes, and she brushed them quickly away. "Please, Lord, help me to be strong. I can't give into my emotions when Colin and Henry need me. Give me Your strength, because I have none of my own right now."

Taking a deep breath, she sensed a surge of vitality that could only have come from God. Getting out her phone, she dialed T.J.'s number.

"You have reached the fount of unspeakable knowledge, T.J. speaking."

"T.J. I just stopped at Colin's house to make sure he wasn't just a sound sleeper."

"What did you find?"

"It's not good. There is a pretty big pool of blood, and it looks like he was dragged out of here through the back door. I need to get to him soon, because if he's still alive he won't be for long. As much blood as there is on the carpet, I'd say if he doesn't get bandaged up soon, he will die of blood loss in a matter of hours."

"When you find him, let me know and I'll have an ambulance sent right away."

"Perfect! I'm heading to the storage unit now."

"Be careful, George. I've been trying to get in touch with both Macklin and Laribee, but neither one is answering their phones. I'll keep trying though."

"Thank you, T.J. Thank you for everything. You've been a huge help and a great friend."

"Stop it, George! Don't talk to me like this is the last time. Everything will be fine! You've got this thing!" Even though he was trying so hard to be encouraging, Georgia could hear emotion straining his voice.

Truly things looked very bleak from their vantage point, but she took comfort in knowing God was looking at the big picture. She knew He was even greater than she could fathom, and trusted Him to work everything out for the best. Remembering back to the verses Colin shared with her, she quoted them aloud to herself, drawing strength from the truth of those words. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Again she prayed to the Creator of all things to direct her steps and let her find both Henry and Colin safe.