No Pit So Deep: The Cody Musket Story by James Nathaniel Miller II Read Free Book Online Page B

male suitors.
    Other than her father, the men in her life had brought her only one thing — pain. Numerous disappointments had left her with serious trust issues. Ray Barnes, her father, was the only man she trusted.
    Her lip was bleeding and puffy. She was battered, bruised, stinging from carpet burns on her legs and feet, but had declined a ride to the hospital from the EMS crew. She could not stop shaking from the ordeal and simply wanted to retreat to her high-rise apartment a few blocks away.
    She had left the scene in a daze and wandered into a shop to purchase a jersey so she could ditch the blanket. She had stopped by a ladies’ restroom and attempted to rinse the attacker’s blood from her hair. Moments later, she had exited onto the street.
    Even though she often walked to her apartment, Brandi had taken a cab. She was afraid to be on the street alone in the aftermath of her attack, and beside that, it was raining again.
    From the backseat of the cab, she called her father, Ray Barnes. “Daddy, is Mama with you? You won’t believe what just happened.” With shaky breath, she related the events. “I’m just trying to hang on to my sanity. What? No…no, Daddy. Daddy, listen to me. No, I’m really okay! The men are in custody. There was this man who showed up. I mean…”
    She put her hand over her face. The curious driver was eavesdropping and watching in the rearview mirror. She toned it down as she told about the stranger who had defended her.
    Her parents wanted to know more about her mysterious guardian. “I dunno, I had to get out of there. He was still tied up with the cops when I left. I have no idea why he helped me. I assume he’s just a glory seeker like most men I’ve met.” She scooted to the far side of the seat to escape the invasive eyes of the driver still staring at her in the mirror.
    “I can’t remember all the details. I breathed some of the chloroform they forced on me. I think he mentioned Afghanistan.”
    “If he’s former military, you’d better stay clear of him ‘cause some of those guys can be violent.”
    “Oh, he’s an animal , Daddy! I mean those guys had no chance. The way he…I mean, Daddy, he beat the snot out of ‘em!” She chuckled, then sobbed again.
    “If he took down three of those mask heads, sounds like special ops to me,” her father said. “They don’t always do well in domestic relationships, so if I were you —”
    “Three?” she interjected. “Did I say three? Or were there four? Now I can’t remember. He had these awesome blue eyes that, like, go right through you. That’s the only thing I remember for certain.”
    “Baby girl, you need to get some medical help. You said three, and you said this guy appeared out of thin air. Your mother and I are coming down there tonight. Go to your apartment and stay there! It’ll take us a while ‘cause the storm has flooded some roads.”
    Just then her smartphone told her she had an incoming call. “Daddy, the police are calling. I’ll ring you back.”
    It was Dupree. “Ms. Barnes? We’ve identified one of the suspects. The big guy who had you by the throat is extremely dangerous. The FBI wants him in connection with a double homicide and the abduction of three children in Brentwood. The Feds believe the three kids have been moved out of the country. It’s good your boyfriend didn’t kill him ‘cause they need the perp to talk.”
    Brandi managed a shallow groan. She saw dark spots before her eyes.
    “You need to get some protection,” the detective continued. “These guys are part of something bigger. Your crusade has them stirred up. Lucky your date was able to handle these baggers. He asked us not to reveal his identity ‘cause he’s afraid that…well, I guess he’s afraid they’ll come after him, so we said we’d oblige him.”
    “He wasn’t my date. Who exactly is he?”
    “This guy, his name’s Cody. He asked what you do.”
    “So he didn’t know who I was? He’s