Shattered Bonds novel Chapter 4

“The victim is your son, Jason Ford.”

My mom collapsed to the floor, repeating in disbelief, “Jason? How could it be him?”

My dad grabbed her before she could hit the ground, holding her tightly as the officers whispered among themselves. “Mr. Ford, we found the original crime scene. It’s a private building near the abandoned site.”

Determined to prove the results wrong, my dad immediately ordered, “We’re heading to the crime scene. The DNA lab must’ve made a mistake.”

In the police car, my mom dialed my number over and over. My dad stared straight ahead, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry, maybe Jason is just at the station, trying to mess with the lab results.”

But deep down, they must’ve known the truth. There was no faking something like this.

The building they arrived at was a rundown, makeshift structure in a sketchy area. The stench of blood hit them as soon as they opened the door. The bedsheets were soaked in red, and blood splatters covered the walls and floor.

Even as a spirit, the memory of my torture still made me shudder.

The day Wyatt called me, he told me he had hurt his leg, and it might affect his match. Despite my dislike for him, I didn’t want to cause my parents any worry, so I went to meet him where he said.

That’s when I was hit from behind.

When they pulled the blindfold from my eyes, I saw Wyatt and a man with a twisted smile standing in front of me. I didn’t recognize the man, but Wyatt’s words chilled me to the bone.

“I got him here like I promised. You said you’d let me go. I’ve got a match tomorrow, and I need to deal with the old folks.”

The man’s face twitched into a strange smile as he waved Wyatt off. “Shut your mouth and go.”

Wyatt left without a second glance, smirking as he said, “Pretend you never saw anything. I’ll be happier if Jason dies.”

The man looked at my confused, terrified face and laughed. He then gouged out my eyes, and as I screamed in agony, he stuffed a rag into my mouth to silence me.

“You don’t know me, do you? Your parents put my brother away. He only killed his wife, but your folks ruined his life!”

The knife sliced through my skin, and I trembled uncontrollably. His words stunned me more than the pain. “I’ve been waiting so long, but I grabbed the wrong one.”

“If your brother hadn’t told me about you, I wouldn’t have even known you existed.”