The Monster That Followed: Part 3

By Rebecca Franco

Alexis and Blake Bell thought their lives were finally going to be normal now that Henry was truly gone forever. It was time to move on and finally be happy together with their child and Blake's thriving career in the NFL. If only they had known that Henry wasn't the only monster that was after them.

Kelly would never allow Blake and Alexis to get away with what they had done to Henry as she had loved him from afar for many years, unbeknownst to Henry who never even knew that Kelly had existed. Kelly finally had the chance for Henry to be hers, but he was struck down and taken from her before they had the chance at their forever. Blake and Alexis are in for the ultimate mental and physical fight of their lives when they realize Henry wasn't the only monster in the shadows, and to make matters worse for them, Kelly wasn't alone. Evil is after them once more. This time, who will triumph in the battle?

The Monster that Followed is the compelling third installment of the Always You Series which will envelope you in the life of the crimes that were committed behind the crimes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662481512

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The Monster That Followed

Part 3

Rebecca Franco

Copyright © 2022 Rebecca Franco

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-8150-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-8151-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Monster that Followed

Part 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

About the Author

For Cory, I love you

It Was Always You

Part 1

The Monster in the Shadows

Part 2

The Monster that Followed

Part 3

Rebecca Franco

Chapter 1

Kelly

I watched the TV in the same crappy hotel room that Henry had left me in two days ago. I sat on the bed, gnawing nervously on my fingernail as I watched the news, wide-eyed, waiting for an update. I had paced this room for forty-eight hours, staring at that little television set that looked like it was from an antique shop, waiting to hear anything about Henry.

Is he alive? Is he dead? Did he get to Alexis and finally kill the bitch? Why weren't they saying anything? I thought anxiously.

Ugh! I moaned as the newscaster began babbling on about the weather.

I plopped myself back on the bed and closed my eyes, covering them with the crook of my arm. All I could see was his gorgeous face while he made love to me. The way his eyes looked at me when I kissed him. The way he felt. He was exactly like I had dreamed from the moment I read the story in the New York Times and everything that my brother had told me about him over the years. Henry Michaels ravaged my every thought for years, and I just had to know him. And finally, I did. I saved myself for Henry. I never slept with another man, knowing that he was going to be the one. I cannot believe that anyone would ever think he was a monster. My brother was right. Henry wasn't a monster, he was a victim of circumstance because of what that bitch Alexis put him through and that pretty boy, Blake Bell. Henry was the gentlest man that has ever touched me. The way his hands felt when they held my breasts, the way his tongue felt on my heated skin. Oh my god, he was amazing. Ugh! I wish he would just hurry up and come get me! He had told me that I was the only person that kept him human, and I believed him. He kissed me with so much passion and need. I couldn't wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I knew he fell in love with me the moment I pretended I didn't want him getting into my car at that gas station. I knew he loved me the moment I listened to him tell his lies and I pretended to believe him. If only he knew that I loved him first. Oh god, if only he knew. I couldn't wait to hold him again, to make love with him again. I never thought that it would be that beautiful, and when his wonderful fingers made me orgasm for the first time, I knew that I was going to never let him go. Oh, Henry, I love you so much, hurry up and come back. I was getting so impatient. Where the hell is he? I knew he was going to come back for me after he killed that bitch. I just knew it.

Knock! Knock!

My eyes flew open as I flung my head in the direction of the door. Henry. I got up quickly and went to the entrance and leaned my ear up to it. The peephole was too high for me to look through.

Who is it? I asked calmly even though I was anything but that.

It's me! Open up. My heart sank as I pulled the chain out of the sliding holder and pulled the door open.

What the fuck took you so long? I said, smacking my brother's arm and shutting the door behind him.

He walked into the room and instantly turned off the TV while he ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair. He pulled his jacket off and laid it on the bed along with his gun holster and badge while he turned his piercing blue eyes to meet my matching ones. He looked distraught, and my brother never looked that way. He was always in charge and stoic. Nothing ever crumpled his exterior, but something was now. Something was very wrong. Worry filled my heart as I looked into his oceanic eyes.

"It's not like I could just fucking leave without an excuse, Kelly. I have obligations! Plus, it's easily a two-day drive from Portland to South Bend. Why did you two stop here? The plan was for you to drive Henry to Lake Forest and let him handle his business, then meet me as quickly as possible at the boat docks on Lake Michigan so I could get you two the fuck out of the country!" he wailed. I recoiled. I hated when he got mad at me.

"I'm sorry, he got tired and hungry and wanted to stop. This was the only place nearby, so we stopped. Then we…well, you know…had sex and after that he was so ready to leave to go after her that I didn't stop him. He promised me that he would come back to get me when he was done. My mind was all jumbled thinking about the most amazing night of my life that I gave him the keys and told him I didn't care about any of the bullshit and to just come back. Then he left, I said quietly, sitting on the bed, looking up at my big brother who was staring at me with torment in his crystal eyes. He dropped his head and sighed, sitting next to me.

I had the state line secured and ready for you two to go right through with no complications. I gave a false lead to the K9 unit so they would leave. Then what do you mean by made your car", so I figured the plan was in action. I never thought that you wouldn't be with him," he said under his breath as he raked his fingers through his hair again, messing up his perfect pompadour that he wore. He sounded so upset.

What is going on? I thought.

Well, then let's go get him! We can still go through with the plan. This is just a little hiccup—

"He's dead, Kelly!" he snapped, cutting me off. I gasped. My heart sank.

What? I whispered, mortified. No!

"That fuck, Ryan Olson, shot him in the head. Henry was in the fucking clear too! I had the place cased and ready. All the cops thought he was back in Cleveland from my false leads, so they weren't alert! I knew where every officer was and every agent except Olson. I thought he was still in New York. He didn't tell anyone at the bureau that he planned on coming back to Chicago. He got the drop on Henry, and now it's all over. He's dead," he said, standing up again, scraping his fingers through his sandy hair. I saw his eyes mist over as the whites turned pink. I had never seen my brother cry before. I didn't know he was capable of it, but what he was saying had to be true because he was about to.

"This can't be happening!" I squealed, getting to my feet as the tears streamed down my cheeks.

"It is happening!" he roared, causing me to cover my ears with my arms, shaking my head.

No! No! No! I just got you, Henry; you can't be dead! You were finally mine!

"Please, after all the planning and everything we have done, please tell me this isn't true, please!" I sobbed, fisting his shirt in my hands as I screamed in his face. The tears were stinging my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, forcing me to stop fighting him, and hugged me tightly.

It's over, Kelly. There is nothing we can do anymore. Henry is gone, he said in his normal tranquil, composed tone.

"But all I ever wanted was him!" I wept into his chest. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest and stomped on the ground.

I know. Me too, Kell. Me too. It's over now. I heard his phone buzzing in his jacket pocket. He let me go. I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

I have to take this, be quiet, he said, grabbing the iPhone.

Hayden, he answered as I rushed to the bathroom.

Kyle

Wow, that is amazing news, sir, I said to Special Agent Ryan Olson on the other end of the phone as my lip curled over my teeth in pure hatred for him and what he had done to my friend.

"I just wanted to speak to you personally, Hayden, since at one point, you were a part of the team that protected Blake and Alexis from Henry. Thank you for your help during that time, and thank God he is finally gone, and we can all move on with our lives," Olson stated without emotion.

He knew how angry I was when I was fired from the team and when that asshole punched me. I was going to kill him, but Tate Monroe, rest his soul, stopped me.

It's incredibly good news, sir. Congratulations on finally getting him, I said through clenched teeth. My heart was drumming in my chest with fury.

Now that this debacle is finally finished, I would like you come back to the Chicago bureau and work alongside me again. Flynn is recovering from surgery right now from the bullet he took. I am going to ask him to retire once he is out of the hospital. I trust you, Hayden, and I am going to need a new partner. What do you say? he asked arrogantly. I could hear the smile in his voice. He was proud of himself. I hated him with every inkling of my soul. I felt my teeth grinding as I clenched my jaw tighter.

Fuck you! You killed Henry! I screamed in my head. I could barely hold myself together. I was coming unglued, and wasn't he Bell's fucking best friend? Blake would never allow Olson to work with me!

What about Blake Bell, sir? I questioned, breathing in deeply, trying so hard to keep my composure.

I have discussed it with Blake, and he is fine with you working as my partner as long as you don't come near him, his house, his team, or his wife, he said, chuckling.

Oh, how fucking stupid! I thought.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and rested my elbows on my knees and took a deep breath. Alexis's face ran through my mind. I don't know what I would do if I ever saw her again. She was everything I ever wanted. Could I handle being that close to her yet so far away? The few months that I had spent with her made me see how any man could fall in love with her. I fell head over heels, hard and fast. But she didn't want me, she never will while Blake is alive. The thought made my rage dissipate a tad at the thought of Blake not being alive. Maybe Alexis would finally want me like I wanted her.

Why me, if I may be so blunt, sir? I asked as my head swung toward the bathroom after hearing something smash into the wall and shatter.

Kelly, calm down, I thought.

Because, Kyle, I chose you personally out of hundreds that volunteered for that position. You have a spotless record, you are reliable, and you are trustworthy. That is if you can keep your personal feelings aside, he chuckled at the last part.

It was hardly funny! I truly was in love with Alexis. My rage returned as I listened to my superior make fun of me for what happened with that situation, but this was my only chance to redeem myself with her and hopefully get close to her again. I would have to really put on my acting shoes for this one. Plus, I owed it to Henry. I owed him everything, and I failed him. I owed Henry Blake Bell's life. And that was what I was going to give him. Henry would be happy if I married Alexis. He would have to know that if anyone would take care of her the way she needed to be, it would be me. I knew I would have his blessing, so that is why I had to accept this offer.

Yes, sir, I understand, and, yes, I accept, I said firmly with a false smile on my lips.

Wonderful! Welcome back, partner. Where are you now? Can you meet me at the bureau in an hour? I would like to brief you on some cases that I am taking on now that the Michaels case is closed. Hearing him say those words made my blood boil. Like Henry was just another number to check off. Henry Michaels was my friend, and I hated Ryan Olson for what he did to him, and now I was his partner. Well, fuck it. If this gets me back into good graces with Alexis, then I am all for it.

Um, no, sir, I had some personal family matters I had to attend to, but I will get on the soonest flight I can back to Chicago. I will need to inform the Portland bureau of my transfer as well, I said, gathering my fingers through my hair and fixing it atop my head the best I could without a mirror.

No worries, I will get it taken care of for you. Get here when you can. Oh, and Kyle? he said professionally.

Yes, sir?

We are partners now, call me Ryan. And he disconnected the call.

I dropped the phone on the bed next to me and buried my face in my hands, letting out a low growl. I felt dirty and disgusting.

Is this the right thing to do? I asked myself.

Who was that? Kelly sniffled. I looked at my little sister's oceanic eyes that matched mine, which were now bloodshot and swollen from crying.

That was Agent Ryan Olson, I said under my breath, not taking my eyes from hers. I saw hers fill with hatred when I said his name.

"And what the fuck did he want?" she shrieked. I stared at her sternly.

He just made me his partner, I said in a firm tone. Her eyes widened.

"And you accepted!" she growled, coming closer to me, the fury in her eyes burning into mine.

I stood, towering over her. She stopped and looked up at me with pure rage in her diamond-blue eyes. I tilted my head, looking down at her while tightening my jaw. She knew better than to question my choices. She must've seen the look in mine because she backed up a few steps.

"Yes, little sister, I accepted. We are moving to Chicago. Permanently. Now get your shit, and let's get the fuck out of here. I need to get to the evidence they found in your car. I need to dispose of anything that links you to Henry. They already know that he took a hostage, but they are still unaware of who that may be," I said, pulling my gun holster over my shoulder and sliding into my jacket. She smiled at me wickedly.

Why are you looking at me like that? I barked.

Oh, Kyle, how you underestimate me, she said, childlike. I gave her a telling look, basically telling her to fill me in on whatever she was talking about.

"Do you think I would actually let Henry take my personal vehicle to Bell's house? No way! I jacked that from a woman at a supermarket in Cleveland after paying cash to take a Greyhound there. Everything in that car has nothing to do with me." She smiled, pulling her long brown hair into a ponytail and heading for the door.

I taught you well, I said, proudly wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we exited the motel room and headed toward my car parked out front.

"We are starting over, Kelly, in Chicago. I am going to gain Blake and Alexis's trust back while being Olson's dream partner, and once that happens, we are going to finish what Henry started," I said, starting the car and backing out of the parking lot. She turned and looked at me with an evil smile telling me that she was more than happy to go along with the new plan.

*****

I booked Kelly and I on a flight back to Portland so I could go to my apartment and gather up my essentials. I would send for the rest of my stuff later. Kelly needed to gather up some of her belongings as well. I let my mind wander on the flight. Kelly was just shy of twenty-five years old and as tough as they came. I was nine years older than her. We shared a mother, but neither one of us knew who our fathers were. My mom gave me up for adoption when I was eight years old. She had fallen into drugs and cared more about a fix than me. Who wants to adopt an eight-year-old boy? No one, that's who. I was placed in St. Joseph's Catholic School for Boys in the Bronx in 1994. I remember being scared, having nothing but a suitcase with my few pairs of clothes and my Superman action figure. The nun walked me into a room full of cots with so many boys around aging from four or five to eighteen. When they reached adulthood, they were let out into the streets. I am sure most of them didn't turn out to be much of anything but secondhand crooks and vagabonds by the way we were treated in that place. You had to grow up quick and fast in there. I had no one. I was going back to my cot after lunch one afternoon with my Superman in my hand—he came with me everywhere, and he was all I had in my entire existence—when a boy named Mark Thompson and his little harem of thugs cornered me in the hallway.

Whatcha got there, you little geek? Mark sneered through his thick coke-bottle glasses.

I hated this guy! He picked on everyone. He was at least a foot taller than me and fat. He stole from the kids whatever he could get his dirty chubby fingers on. I looked down in my palm, and there was Superman. Oh no! I thought. That's when Mark yanked it from my hand and held