Kennedy's Redemption (The Protectors 3)

“She left less than a day after us, drained her bank accounts and hopped on a bus. They haven’t been able to track her since she was spotted at the bus depot.” The frustration and worry in his voice were clear as day to Creed.

“How much money did she have?”

“Nearly three hundred grand. I don’t get how she could have drained it all in one night, but she did.”

“Fuck. How does a nineteen-year-old girl have that much money?” He wondered aloud.

“Trust fund. Had her passport and copies of her ID in a safe deposit box at the same bank too,” Linc bit out. “They’re meeting us at the airport when we land.”

Typing out a quick message to Nate, he asked him where she would go, who she would run to. Waiting for him to reply was brutal. He was pissed off she would run and worried that she’d hurt herself like she tried to before her coma. She hadn’t spoken to anyone so they had no idea where her head was at.

“We have to find her,” he whispered out. Not really expecting an answer from Linc, but he saw him nod in agreement.

Three

Sitting on the beach running her fingers through the sand and watching the ocean waves crash against the rocky shore, Kenny felt her first moment of peace in weeks. Breathing in the salty air while the sun set gave her a sense of relief she hadn’t felt in the nearly four months since her abduction and torture.

Her mind was still stuck in the past most days. She continued to struggle to be around people even at her best. Coming to the rocky beach at the end of the day helped her mind relax and sometimes forget long enough so that she could sleep.

She felt immense guilt over leaving the way she had but having so many people around her, especially ones she didn’t know, had her so terrified that her skin would crawl and her mind would replay her horrors. Every noise made her jump and her heart raced so fast that she couldn’t catch her breath. Staying was doing her more harm than good, so she’d left.

Draining her accounts hadn’t been easy, but since she banked at such a large corporation and the branch manager knew her so well because she had gone to high school with his daughter, and they’d been best friends, he’d expedited things and got her the funds she needed. Knowing some of what happened to her had probably helped his decision too.

She left everything but her ID and the letters from Emily behind, needing to find the new Kennedy Maxwell, find out who this broken girl now was. She’d written so many postcards to her parents that she had lost count, but she struggled to find the right words so she hadn’t sent any of them. She knew she had to soon so they didn’t fear the worst; that she’d hurt herself.

Digging through her small satchel sitting in the sand beside her, she grabbed her pen that she’d found in a flea market— it was wrapped in yellow ribbon and had a sunflower on top. When she saw it, she was drawn to it. Not really sure why, but it had made her smile for the first time since the day she and Emily had been kidnapped. Grabbing the postcard she had picked up in town that day, she put pen to paper and started writing again.

Dear Momma, Dad A, and Dad J,

I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say other than that. I know you’re worried, and I hate that I’ve given you this doubt. You probably think I’ve hurt myself, but I haven’t. I’m as ok as I can be, I suppose.

I need time. Time to find me. Time to work through my mind. I’m broken. So broken that I fear I’ll never be fixed again. Some days like today, I feel like I can breathe and every inhale feels like it heals a part of my soul.

I found this pen, I’m using it now; it’s the first thing I’ve smiled about since leaving. I look at it and Momma, I think of you; of the way we would run through wildflowers when I was younger. You remember, don’t you? And Daddy A, as I sit watching the waves crash, I think of all the times we went swimming in the ocean or to find sea shells in the sand. Daddy J, I think you’d like it here, there are so many places to fish, and the warm air is like a balm to my soul.

I’m sorry for the pain you feel. Please know I love you, but I just need to find me again. Tell Emily… She has her keys ;) She’ll know. I probably missed Nate and Ty’s wedding to Keeley and I’m sorry. Please give my love to everyone.

Forever yours, Kenny

Kissing the bottom of the card, she decided that was going to have to be good enough. With one last look

at the setting sun, she made her way to the post box at the end of the street near her villa.

Since coming to Italy two months ago, she had found more peace than when she had everyone trying to help her. She was far from whole again, but her chest wasn’t tight and she felt like she could breathe again.

Porto Venere is a small fishing town in the province of La Spezia, located on the Ligurian Coast of northern Italy— she instantly fell in love with the small village she was cocooned in. The atmosphere was welcoming, the people were friendly, yet not pushy. Her little villa was just on the outskirts of town near a rocky beach, which was isolated from the more public ones. Her neighbors were few and far between.

There was one girl who she felt drawn to— Deedee. She didn’t know her story, but they often walked the beach together in the mornings. Sometimes they would talk, but mostly they just enjoyed the serenity together; neither really wanting to say why they were running.

Deedee had the same haunted look in her eyes as Kennedy did when she would look in the mirror. Beautiful, dark, long hair and the oddest eyes she had ever seen. One was so dark it was nearly black while the other was this strange mix of green and blue. She’d told her once that it was a birth defect, but she suspected there was more to that story. Not wanting to push her new friend, she left it alone.

Putting the postcard in her mail and lifting the little flag so the mail truck knew she had something to be picked up, she started the short walk back to her cottage when a car rolled down the street slowly. Her body started shaking because she didn’t recognize it, and while she knew her captors were dead, it didn’t stop her body from reacting when she was terrified.

Frozen in place, she couldn’t get her legs to move as the shiny, white Mercedes drove past her and slowed to a crawl once it reached her friend’s home. Stopping for a few moments, the person idled on the street before speeding off.

Shaking off her paranoia, she made her way to her front door when she heard another door slam. Looking over to her friend’s house, she saw her run out the back and towards Kennedy’s cottage. Running towards her, Ken met her halfway between their homes. Out of breath, Deedee grabbed her arm and pulled her to her back door, making Kenny flinch because she still couldn’t stand to be touched.

“Dee, wait… What’s going on?” She tried asking.