She hit the phone to call him back, her heart beating a mile a minute; then he answered.
“Anna?”
“Nathan?” It didn’t sound like him, and for a moment, as strange as this day had started so far, she had to wonder if maybe she’d been tricked.
“Anna, this is Moe Romero, Nathan’s cousin. Are you okay?”
“Yes, but”—she shook her head— “what’s going on? Nathan said I’m in danger.”
“Yeah, we think you might be. Nathan’s on his way there now. Who’s there with you now?”
“Scott and Sam,” she said, feeling a chill up her spine. “What kind of danger?”
“Have you ever known a Belinda or Billie Hoag?”
Oddly, the name actually did ring a bell. Sam’s grandmother’s name was Billie, only she didn’t think that’s where she’d heard it. “It sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.”
“I’m still waiting on the confirmation, but I’m pretty sure—”
A loud crash in the other room made her yelp and nearly drop the phone. The sound of a struggle and Sam screaming for someone to get off her had Anna’s heart at her throat and her instinctively rushing to the door, but she wasn’t sure if she should open it. She could hear Moe calling her name loudly, so she brought the phone back to her ear with her trembling hand.
“H-hello?’
“What happened?”
“I don’t know! There’s crashing noises and screaming in the other room.”
“You need to get out of there now!”
The door flung open, and this time Anna did drop the phone. A tear-streaked Sam stood there, looking terrified. She held a bat in her hand. “He made me do it,” she said, crying. “Scott came at me, Anna. He was crazy.”
It was only when Aiyanna glanced down and saw the bloody bat that she finally took a breath when she gasped then felt faint and fell into Sam’s arms.
Chapter 31: Billie Hoag
Nathan
The street was already barricaded when Nathan finally arrived at Anna’s place. He parked and rushed out of his car then tried to get past the barricades but was stopped by a cop holding onlookers back. “I’m Nathan Romero¸” he said urgently, pulling out his wallet to show him his ID. “I’m who called 911. I have all the information on the people in the house.”
The young cop looked at his ID and badge then glanced up at him, confused. “You’re on duty?”
“No, that’s my girlfriend in there,” he said as the frustration mixed with utter fear got heavier. “I need to talk to whoever’s in charge. I have information for them.”
“Go that way,” the cop said, pointing to a patrol SUV surrounded by cops, and let him through.
As expected, the leads in charge stared at him like the crazy person he knew he sounded like when he told them the whole story. He was sure if it weren’t for his firefighter ID and badge he would’ve been handcuffed already with his face on the hood of one of their car hoods, until they could run his ID.
The main guy passed the information along to the negotiator, who was getting ready to try and communicate with someone on the inside. “Do we know anything yet?” Nathan asked anxiously. “Anyone hurt?”
“All we know is someone is inside. A female called 911 about a half hour ago, saying she and her friend—another female—were being held hostage by their male roommate.”
“Jesus Christ,” Nathan said, trying to hold it together.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he flinched. Banks, one of the leads who’d walked off with the negotiator, didn’t look happy. “Someone named Sam just called 911 from in there. She’s hysterical, claiming there is no one in there by the name of Billie Hoag. What’s going on?” he asked, eyeing Nathan suspiciously.
“What’s going on is exactly what I told you. She’s nuts. She’s Billie Hoag, and she’s obsessed with my girlfriend. Probably with her other roommate as well. How is she making calls if she’s being held hostage?”
“Nate!”
Nathan turned to see Moe with the young cop who’d stopped him on the way in. They were both looking his way. “Let him in!” he yelled out then turned to Banks. “That’s my cousin, the guy who ran the background on her. He probably has even more info now.”
Banks waved him in and Moe rushed to them. “It’s even worse than we thought,” Moe said as soon as he reached them, and Nathan’s heart dropped. “You need to get those two hostages out of there as soon as you can.”
~*~
Aiyanna
“Billie Hoag. Belinda Hoag,” Aiyanna whispered the name under her breath over and over again, trying desperately to remember where she’d heard the name.
After hearing Sam screaming into the phone that she wasn’t Billie and refusing to negotiate with anyone calling her by that name, Aiyanna continued in vain to try and remember. Why the hell was the name so familiar?
“I don’t wanna take my medication,” she heard Sam still arguing on the phone out in the front room. “Because I. Don’t. Need. It!”
Aiyanna wasn’t sure if it was because she was feeling so dehydrated from not having replenished all the fluids she’d lost in the bathroom that morning or if she was just that terrified. She didn’t know for sure how long it had been since Sam tied her up and left her on her bedroom floor, but it felt like hours at least. She needed to use the restroom now too, only she didn’t think she had the strength to even get up. She’d become increasingly dizzy and lightheaded. Through it all she’d also begun to go in and out of a blurred state of unconsciousness . . .
. . . Aiyanna clutched the clipboard to her chest as she walked into the darkened patient’s room in the Paradise Valley psych ward. She hadn’t been here since the last internship at this hospital years ago.
Glancing down at the clipboard, she read this particular patient’s notes.
Extremely skittish.
Doesn’t like to be looked directly in the eyes.
Can be combative.
Doesn’t speak.
Use caution when trying to communicate with patient.
Frustrates easily when pushed to talk.
That wasn’t true. Aiyanna hated how these notes were always so negative. Sometimes the patients just needed to communicate their own way. You just had to get creative and above all have a positive attitude. Patients, even ones like this one, picked up on things like that. She touched the pad of paper in her pocket with a smile. This patient liked Aiyanna. She wouldn’t look her in the eyes and she hadn’t spoken in almost a year, but she’d gladly communicate in writing—with Aiyanna.
No one else.
Aiyanna approached the bed where the patient sat on the edge, wearing a hoodie sweatshirt. The hoodie was always over her head, and her head was down most of the time. Since Aiyanna wasn’t supposed to look her directly in the eyes, she’d never gotten a full view of her face. She just knew from her chart she was young, Aiyanna’s age, and she’d been through a lot in her young life.
“Billie?” she said in a soft soothing voice and pulled out her pad of paper. “Do you want to tell me how you’re feeling today?” She held out the pad of paper for her, but she didn’t budge. “Do you? Billie?”
To her surprise, the girl jerked her head up and looked at her. Aiyanna gasped when she saw it was Sam. “I. Am. Not. Billie. Hoag!” she screamed.
The bedroom door slamming open jolted Aiyanna awake, and Sam stood at the door, completely disheveled and with the most manic expression Aiyanna had ever seen on her before. She held the phone to her ear. “Ms. Casilieris can tell you!” She held the phone out to Aiyanna. “Tell them I’m not Billie, Ms. Casilieris! Tell them or they’ll take me back there! I’m not going back!”
Aiyanna shook her head in horror, not sure what to say, but she gathered her thoughts as quickly as she could. “My hands are tied, Sam. I can’t hold the phone.” Sam’s face fell apart, and she brought her other hand to her face. “It’s okay,” Aiyanna said, shushing her and trying to sound as convincing as she c
ould. “You’re gonna be fine, Sam. Bring me the phone, sweetie. Hold it to my ear and I’ll tell them you’re not Billie.”
That seemed to calm Sam, and she took a step into the room, still sniffling. A bloody-faced Scott tackled her from behind, and they both fell right in front of Aiyanna in a struggle. “Get in here!” he yelled in the direction where the phone fell then turned to Aiyanna as he struggled to hold down a surprisingly strong Sam, who fought back.
“We’re in the bedroom!” Aiyanna screamed at the top of her lungs, afraid Sam might get the upper hand since Scott had a huge knot on his head and seemed weak. “We have her, but hurry!” she screamed again.
Within seconds, the room and house were filled with gun-wielding cops. There was a lot of yelling and scuffling until they were finally able to contain Sam. The girl had put up a hell of a fight. Aiyanna couldn’t help feeling for her friend as she was hauled out of there kicking, screaming, and begging Aiyanna and Scott to tell them she wasn’t Billie.
After untying Aiyanna and helping her and Scott onto her bed, the medics were quickly brought in. They worked on them, taking their vitals, cleaning Scott’s wounds, and asking the usual questions. As much as Aiyanna would’ve preferred to just crawl in bed and sleep the rest of the day, it was determined she needed to go to the hospital. She was extremely dehydrated and in need of intravenous fluids. The medics said it was best that she be watched closely, especially given that she was pregnant. “The doctors will likely wanna run a few tests on you and the baby just to be safe,” the young medic said as the stretcher was brought in.
Scott was also being taken in because they feared he might have a concussion. Sam had gotten him good on the side of the head. They hadn’t been able to talk much in the short time they’d been examined in her bedroom, but Scott was able to tell her Josh had called him to tell him Sam was dangerous and just as he’d been on his way to warn Aiyanna Sam snuck up to him with her bat.
It wasn’t even until she was being wheeled out and saw her mom, Heidi, and her stepdad outside, that the reality of what had just happened overwhelmed her and she choked up. Her mom and sister were in tears as well but were being held back with the rest of the onlookers, so she mouthed the words, “I’m fine,” and blew them a kiss with her hand. Then she saw him.
He stood there next to the cop’s SUV with his cousin and police officers. His cousin was busy talking to the officers, but Nathan didn’t take his welled-up eyes off her. He rushed toward her and the officers let him. He reached her just before she was loaded into the ambulance.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, taking her in from top to bottom. “Did she hurt you?”
“No.” Aiyanna shook her head, so choked up from just seeing and hearing his voice again she could barely speak. “I’m just dehydrated.”
“But otherwise she’s fine, right?” he asked the medics, anxious as they started lifting her into the ambulance.
“Yes, sir,” the medic closest to him said. “Just need to get some fluids in her. They’ll probably just keep her overnight until they’re sure she and that baby are good and hydrated enough to go home.”
Nathan’s eyes locked on Aiyanna’s, but neither said a word. He didn’t look upset, but he didn’t look happy either. Her stretcher was pushed all the way into the ambulance, and the doors closed, even as Nathan still stood there, staring at her with a vacant expression.
~*~
Nathan
During the hours following the hostage ordeal, the waiting around felt almost harrowing. Nathan had to stay back and be interviewed by the police regarding everything he knew about the situation. Then he endured hours in the hospital waiting room while they ran tests on Anna to make sure everything was fine with her and the baby. Then he waited on the phone call from Moe because he was still gathering more information on Billie Hoag.
It felt like an eternity, but Nathan finally got the call from Moe and the answers he so desperately needed. As previously suspected, Billie was a very disturbed individual. Not only had she sabotaged Scott and Josh’s relationship by calling Josh’s mom to give her the heads-up about Josh’s convention so she’d pass the word on to Bryce, she’d orchestrated the whole pity party drunk fest. Because of her mental disability, the girl wasn’t even employable. She’d never had a job to get fired from to begin with. She was living off a trust from her wealthy dead parents and her disability checks. Even the overnight stays with her mom were made up. Her ongoing treatment required her to do overnight stays at the hospital every few months.
Since Nathan still hadn’t told Moe all the details of what really happened the night of the pity party, it was no surprise when Moe wanted Nathan to see for himself the “jackpot” he’d found on Billie Hoag. The moment Moe said it was an online cloud Billie kept with photos “I think you better see for yourself,” Nathan knew.
Unwilling to wait until he got home and check out the account on his computer, he’d taken Moe’s tablet to his car and sat there, going through all the photos in the cloud. While some were difficult to look at, he’d been enormously relieved for confirmation of something else—his Anna hadn’t slept with Scott. At first, it wasn’t the solid proof he’d been looking for. But the deeper he dug into the photos on the account, he found the ones that proved it’d all been a sick but carefully orchestrated set-up. As mentally unstable as Billie was, the way she planned it all was nothing short of genius.
There was still so much on that cloud that Nathan had barely scratched the surface, but he couldn’t sit still anymore, not knowing what he knew now for sure. He wanted nothing more than to be with Anna. Make up for all the days and weeks that had gone by without him kissing her and telling her how much he adored her.
He rushed through the hospital to the waiting room where he’d already sat for several hours. Heidi, Anna’s mom, and stepdad were there. Her sister was on her feet the moment she saw him. “How is she?” he asked anxiously.
“She’s good, but the poor thing was so drained and exhausted she’s out. The doctor said it was best to let her sleep.” Nathan nodded; then Heidi touched his arm. “Scott’s awake, and when I was in there a few minutes ago, he said he really wanted to speak with you. I know you’d rather not—”
“No, I want to,” Nathan said quickly.
Heidi told him what floor and room Scott was in and Nathan was off. After seeing the photos on Billie’s cloud, he knew now Scott had been just as much a victim in all this as Anna. Man to man, Scott had to understand Nathan’s reaction to walking in on what he did that morning. But he still needed to apologize for assaulting him. Technically, the guy could’ve pressed charges, and he hadn’t. He also had a few other things he wanted to discuss with him, and since waking Anna right now was not an option, he’d take advantage of this time.
Nathan knocked on the half-opened door to Scott’s hospital room. He wasn’t surprised to see Josh there with him. The guy had raced down to Anna and Scott’s place when Nathan had told him what was going on. “How you feeling?’
“Sore,” Scott said, touching his temple. “There’s no cerebral edema like they feared, but I did get a concussion, so they wanna keep me overnight for observation.”
Nathan nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably best,” Nathan said then winced at the sight of Scott’s head. “’Cause that’s a hell of a knot you got there.”
“I know.” Scott touched the knot on his temple. “My head’s taken a beating this month.”
“About that,” Nathan said, feeling like shit and not sure where to start. “Look. I wanna apologize for assaulting you the morning of—”
“Don’t,” Scott said, shaking his head. “What you walked into that morning is nothing anyone should ever have to experience. It was a natural reaction. Some guys in that same scenario have been beaten to a pulp and even killed, so I know I got off easy. I only wish I could assure you with all certainty that nothing happened—”
“I know for sure nothing did,” Nathan said and damn it felt good to. “I have proof of
it.”
He explained, going back and forth from both sets of stunned eyes, about Moe’s investigation. He already had to some degree explained it to Josh, who’d passed on the info to Scott. But he told them about her never having a job she got fired from in the first place, the online cloud they found and all the incriminating photos, and how it appeared she’d been planning that evening for a while. “She knew it was just a matter of time before you and Josh broke up again since she’d had a hand in it and had her bottle of tequila ready. Anna was passed out long before she’d taken her clothes off. You nearly were too. Billie did some pretty creative stuff. From the amount of photo shopping she did, I’d say she wasn’t even drunk. She put the before and after photos side by side almost as if she was proud of her work. Not only did she undress you guys, she put on Anna’s shirt, so in some of the most offensive photos where I thought it was you and Anna, it was actually Billie. I’m guessing at that point you were out too, but she cleverly kept your face out of the photos.”
Scott and Josh looked as staggered about hearing all this as he’d been when he first started digging into the photos. Nathan told them about his theory of her being a bit of an evil genius. Scott turned to Josh. “If that’s true, she must’ve been the one who changed your relationship status on your Facebook,” he said his eyes going wide. “Not Bryce like we were thinking.”
Nathan shrugged. “It does look like she put a lot of thought into this, and we know now she had a lot of time to do so. I don’t know all her background yet, but we’ll find out more soon enough. Anna said she met her in school, right?” he addressed Scott. “But they couldn’t have classes together because neither Billie nor Sam was ever enrolled in college anywhere.”