by Kelly Moore
“As I said, I’m a nurse. Yesterday, a man was brought in. He had two other men with him. He was hurt, and we just got this funny feeling that something else was going on. It’s like, he wasn’t allowed to talk for himself in fear he would give something away. The doctor asked to be alone with that patient, and he wrote down this number and that message. I’m sorry, I would have called sooner, but…”
“No, it’s okay. What island did you say this was on?”
She finishes giving me the information I need, and I hang up the phone. It looks like I was right all along. The only thing is, will Jake be there? She said he got away yesterday, but did they catch him? I have to believe they did or I would have heard from him by now.
I shift into first gear and make my way back onto the road. I shift through gears like a madman, just needing to get there. It’s been too long already.
Chapter Twelve
Zoe
“Do you really think John will find him?” I ask as soon as Brooklyn comes back through the door.
“Yes. I just hope he doesn’t get himself killed in the process.”
Matthew stands. “I can still send some men after him.” He embraces his daughter.
“He thinks he’s better off and more focused alone, and he doesn’t want to risk anyone else’s life.”
“The kids and I need to get going, or we’re going to miss our flight. Besides, I want them out of harm’s way.”
“I’ll run up and get them,” I say.
“I really wish you would come with us,” he says, releasing Brooklyn.
“I’m not going anywhere as long as Jake is missing, but I will help you get the kids going.”
“Okay, Jack’s things are already packed. I have a few more things I need to get for L.J.”
“I’ve rented a van to take us to the airport. It should be here anytime,” Matthew says, heading for the front door.
Within an hour, I’m watching Brooklyn kiss the kids as she buckles them into their car seats in the back of the van. She has tears in her eyes when she stands next to me.
“I’ve never been away from Jack,” she says, sniffing.
“She’ll be okay. She adores your father and Grace is so good with her. Besides, that little girl would follow L.J. to the moon.”
“She does love her big brother.”
“I hope one day when Jake and I have a couple of children, that they love each other as much as your kids do.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“Are you kidding me? If these kids are anything like their parents, they will be a force to be reckoned with,” she says with a laugh.
“Now that the kids are out of harm’s way, what’s next?” I ask as we walk up the front porch steps.
“Some of the equipment we need will be here today. The rest is being delivered tomorrow.”
“Why don’t I go to the lab and get it all set up when it gets here?”
“I don’t want you lifting anything.” She points to my belly bump.
“I won’t. I’ll have them place it right where I want it. I need to run by the house first and pick up my research. I worked on it late last night because I couldn’t sleep. I really think this is going to work.”
“I’m very hopeful. I just wish I didn’t have to give it to the likes of Knox.”
“Regardless if Knox gets it or not, if we can pull this off, think of the lives that will be changed forever.”
“You’re right. I need to take Knox out of the equation. Do you want me to go to the house with you?” she asks.
“No. I’m just going to run inside to grab my research then get to the lab.”
“I’ll meet you there in an hour. Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of danger.”
“I’ll be fine. John gave me a pistol to carry with me. It’s in my purse.” We walk inside, and I take my bag off the counter. “I’ll see you in a little while,” I tell her and walk out to my car.
The short drive to my house, all I can do is think about Jake. I feel lost without him. I miss his touch and his beautiful smile. He always makes me laugh.
His arms wrapped around my belly and he splayed his hand wide. “I love this little bump,” he said and kissed my neck.
“You’re not the one getting fat,” I said and leaned my head back on his shoulder.
“You’re not fat, and I think it’s sexy as hell,” he said as his hands traveled to my breast.
“Mmmm, now that I like.” I turned my head to the side and kissed him softly.
“I like the baby hormones too.” He pressed his hard cock into my lower back.
“I think you’re the one with the baby hormones. You’ve been insatiable ever since I told you I was pregnant.” I turned in his arms, and his hands slid to my ass.
“You should stay pregnant forever.” One of his hands pushed my spaghetti strap off my shoulder, and his lips landed on my collarbone.
“Unless you can get pregnant, that’s not happening.” I chuckled.
He stepped back. “I would look like an old man with a beer belly.” He released me and walked over to the bed. He stuffed one of the decorative pillows under his shirt and walked back over to me. “See,” he said, pointing at his stomach.
I couldn’t help but giggle at him. “God, I hope my belly won’t be that big.”
He tried to wrap his arms around my waist, but the pillow got in the way. He looked between us and then bent over to look at his crotch. “How the hell is this going to work?” He pointed to his cock.
I laughed and pulled him over to the bed. “I guess we are going to have to be creative. Maybe even a little kinky.” I winked at him.
“Oh, I’m liking the sound of this.” He whipped the pillow from beneath his shirt. “You’ve got me so fucking hard talking about being kinky, we are going to start right now.”
As I pull into my driveway, a piece of gravel flies up and smacks the windshield, scaring me half to death. I put the car in park and inspect the crack the rock made. I’ll worry about it later. I grab my purse and keys and head inside the house. I don’t know why, but as I insert the key into the painted red door, my hand shakes. A feeling of uneasiness comes over me.
As I open the door, I peek inside. Nothing looks out of place, and all I hear is quiet. I shake it off and head to my office in the back of the house. Before I take the file off my desk, I pick up the picture of Jake and me sitting on the corner. He’s leaning over my shoulder with a huge smile on his face. This was taken not long after we met. I press a kiss to his face and jump when I hear a noise.
I snatch the file off the desk and put it in my purse. Taking out the pistol, I walk over to the office door and slowly close it. Just before it’s closed, a large hand breaks in between the door. I scream and push as hard as I can against it.
He gets both hands in between. I lean over and bite one of his hands, and he yells out.
“You fucking bitch!”
He pushes so hard I fall back onto the floor, and the gun topples out of my hand. I quickly pick it up and get off the ground at the same time. The gun goes off, shooting him in the foot. He screams again. I’m so startled, I barely see another hooded man come into the room. He yanks the gun from me and twists my arm behind my back.
“You can’t take care of a pregnant woman?” he taunts the guy on the floor.
He’s twisting my arm so hard, I’m afraid it will break if I try to elbow him in the gut with my other arm. I lean forward slightly and stomp on his foot. He releases me, and I run by the man on the ground, but not before he grabs my ankle.
I’m filled with fear as I try to catch myself before the baby slams into the wooden floor. I roll to the side. My head bounces off the corner of the door, and my entire body slams down hard.
I try to get to my feet, but a wave of nausea hits me, and I’m blinded with blood dripping into my eye. I fall back over and protectively shield my belly. The man that was twisting my arm reaches down, pulls me off the floor, and shoves me through the door. The other m
an hobbles behind me, cursing the entire way.
“No!” I scream as he pops the trunk of his car. I fight him as hard as I can, but I’m afraid of him hurting the baby. He picks me up in his arms and roughly tosses me into the trunk. The other man holds my head down, barely getting his hand out of the way before the trunk closes.
I kick and scream, beating my fists on the inside of the trunk.
“You be quiet in there!” One of them pounds on the car. “Don’t make me drug you. God knows what effects it will have on the baby!”
I still at his words. I have to protect this little one at all costs. I need to keep my wits about me. Placing the heel of my hand over my brow, I press hard trying to stop the bleeding. With my other hand, I feel around the dark trunk for anything I could use as a weapon. It’s empty, not even a set of jumper cables. I feel for the edge to see if there is a compartment for a spare tire. The lip of the carpet comes up as I pry my fingers under it. Maneuvering my body so that I’m raised up as much as I can, I pull up on the carpet and reach under it, feeling for the jack. It’s bolted down.
My head bumps against the trunk as the car drives over something, causing me to fall back down. I get up again and start working on loosening the bolt. It doesn’t budge.
“Lefty Lucy,” I tell myself and try again. I turn as hard as I can, and it finally moves. I take the bolt out and shove it into my pocket. Snaking my arm further under, I can’t reach the other side. I yank at the jack, hoping it will pop off, but it won’t.
I lie back down and take the bolt out of my pocket, clutching it to my body. It’s not much, but maybe I can do enough damage to one of them to get free. A sharp pain in my lower belly has me gasping in pain. I curl into a fetal position and hold my belly in my hands.
“Not yet little one. It’s too soon,” I say, trying to breathe through the pain. Tears fill my eyes. “We are going to be okay,” I chant several times, trying to convince myself.
The bumping of the car finally stops. I hear the doors open and footsteps crunching on the ground. Light floods the trunk as it opens.
“Are you going to behave, or do I need to restrain you?” a gruff voice asks.
I don’t want to give them any more reason to hurt me, so I slowly climb out of the trunk. I’m surrounded by trees, and I can hear a creek flowing nearby. There is a small cabin sitting further down an overgrown pathway. Two armed men dressed in all black are standing outside the door as we approach it.
“What the hell, man? You weren’t supposed to hurt her,” one of them says, scowling.
“She’s a feisty little bitch,” the one I shot in the foot says.
The door opens, and I’m shoved inside.
“Zoe?” I hear from a voice in the dark house.
Chapter Thirteen
John
I follow the route my GPS is showing until I get to the island Jake is being held captive on. I start making my way in their direction but get off the bike when I’m still a half mile away. I stash it in the trees, pack up my rifle, ammo, and anything else I could need. There is no way I can ride my loud-ass bike right up to their front door. I want the element of surprise on my side.
I hike my rifle up on my shoulder higher as I trek through the brush, using my phone to stay on my path. I studied the surrounding land so much, I know it like the back of my hand. I know exactly where I need to hide to make sure I’m not seen. My plan is to take out the guard by the door and make my way into the house. From there, I’ll take out anyone in my way.
I’m still a good quarter mile away from the property when the phone in my hand vibrates. I look down at the screen and see a picture of Matthew. What the fuck? Doesn’t he know I’m in the middle of something here?
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hi, Daddy! We’re getting on an airplane!” Jack cheers.
I let out a quiet laugh. “That’s great, princess. Can I talk to Papa?”
“Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too. Be careful and have fun.”
“Hello?” Matthew picks up the phone.
“How’s everything going?”
“Great. We’re just about to board. Jack wouldn’t stop until she called you. I hope we didn’t mess anything up for you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m standing in the middle of the fucking woods, about a quarter mile away.”
“All right. Take care, John.”
“I will. Take care of my kids,” I tell him before hanging up.
When the call ends, the map is back on my screen.
Hearing Jack’s sweet little voice brought me back to daddy mode. I was in killer mode. It’s so strange how I can switch between the two so easily. I haven’t done this in such a long time, I didn’t realize I had it in me anymore. I have so much to lose now — her voice reminded me of that. Fear and dread settle over me.
I try to push it to the back of my mind and shift back into gear mentally. I can’t be thinking about my family while I’m doing this. It will distract me, and I need to be sharp. I admit, doing this job was a lot easier when I only had myself to think about — that’s why I preferred to be alone. But meeting Brooklyn, she opened up a whole new set of doors for me. She gave me something I didn’t know I needed: a life, a real life with family, friends, and love.
My phone vibrating pulls me back to the here and now, and I look down to see that I’m nearing the location. I slide the phone into my pocket and slowly move on. I’m getting closer now, so I need to move slow and precise. I don’t want to make too much noise to alert them.
I make my way to the edge of the property and pull the rifle off my shoulder. Using the scope, I start looking around, getting to know my surroundings. I’m not even fifteen feet from the door, so I know if there is some kind of silent alarm, they should be coming out any minute. The place is quiet — too quiet. There is a blacked-out SUV in the drive, but no guard at the door and I don’t see any movement in the house.
The house is surrounded by nothing but overgrown wilderness, not a neighbor for miles. This would be the perfect place to hold him. But if Jake was inside, they would have a guard, right?
I decide to test the waters. I grab a thin tree branch and snap it off. A dog that’s chained up next to the house starts barking. I raise my rifle again. I aim the gun at the door while looking through my scope as I wait.
The screen door flies open, smacking the side of the house. An older man comes out, rounds the house, and begins scolding the dog for being loud. Slowly, I start walking up behind him. I could shoot, but what if I’m in the wrong place and kill an innocent man? I’ll ask him a few questions. With this rifle in my hands, there is no way he won’t answer.
When I’m standing directly behind him, I clear my throat. He spins around to face me and the second his eyes lock on mine, the anger on his face is replaced by surprise.
“Who the hell are you, and why the fuck are you on my property?” the man asks, not fazed at all by the rifle I’m pointing at him.
“My name is John, and I have some questions for you.” I use my weapon to motion back toward the house.
He looks from the house, to me, and back to the house before walking in that direction. He leads me into his home, and he sits at the small kitchen table. I lower my weapon, put it back on my shoulder, and take out my handgun. I sit down at the table and make sure the gun is always pointed at him.
“Where’s my brother?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He waves his hand in front of his face, dismissing the question.
“My brother, Jake Remington, has been missing for several days now. He’s being used as leverage against me to do something for a very bad person. I tracked him back to this house.” I raise the gun higher and cock it. The sound of the bullet going into the chamber cuts through the silence. “Now, tell me what you know.”
It looks like he’s biting the inside of his cheek while he thinks it over. His gray eyes bounce around the room from object to objec
t but never land on me.
I stand quickly, causing my chair to screech off the dirty tiled floor. I’m towering over him now with only the wooden table between us. “Don’t make me ask again,” I say as I raise the gun and aim it directly at his head.
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “He’s not here. He’s been moved — him and that pregnant wife of his.”
“Zoe?” My heart begins pounding in my chest. How the fuck was she taken? When? Does Brooklyn know? Is she all right?
“Where are they?” I ask with my eyes squinting together. I’m trying my hardest to control my anger, to keep myself in check so I don’t shoot this man. I know he’s not innocent, but I don’t need more blood on my hands. They’ve been painted red long enough.
He reaches across the table and takes a piece of paper and a pencil. He quickly scribbles the address down and slides it over.
I pick it up and study it, realizing that it’s not too much further. I stuff the paper into my pocket. “I’m going to let you live, but if they aren’t where you say they are, I’m coming back to put this gun in your mouth. You hear me?”
He nods. “Don’t worry, that’s where they are.” He stands and walks across the floor to the coffee pot. “I told them all this wasn’t a good idea as soon as I found out who Knox was wanting to mess with.” He pours a cup and takes it back to the table. “You and your family are a bit of a legend around here, you know?”
“Do you know what Knox wants me to do?”
He looks up at me. “I do. And I also know that he has a backup plan if you fail. Nothing will stop him from getting what he wants.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“I’m sick of me and my boys being under his thumb. We’ve paid back our debts to him, but he still thinks he can control us.” He rises from his chair and holds out his hand to shake. “I just need someone to put an end to all this.”
I shake his hand. “Don’t worry. Nothing will stop me from putting an end to him this time.”
