by Bella Jewel
I slip out of the car and push the door closed, then, I take a deep breath and I run.
Alarms go off immediately. The moment I’m about five meters away from the car, they start blaring. Panic rushes through my body as I realize what is happening. They’re censored, and I obviously set off an alarm. This sick mother fucker is ensuring no one gets out of his secure little dungeon. Suddenly, I realize maybe I might not be able to get out, either.
Oh god.
This place is fully secured to keep people in.
Am I going to make it out?
Doors slam, I hear four wheeled motorbikes start up, and I know I’ve made a mistake. I should have sat in that car all night if I had to. Getting out was the worst choice I’ve made because now they’re going to hunt me down like a dog and they’re not going to stop until they catch me.
I pick up the pace, trying to swallow down my fear as I run as fast as I can down the dirt road leading to the front gate. The gate that’s probably closed. The gate that I have no idea how I’m going to get through. The four wheelers are speeding down the road now, and I know I’m not getting out of this one without something going terribly wrong. I have to think fast.
And think fast I do.
I circle back around and run back up toward the house, using the thick trees as coverage. They’re going to assume I’m going for the front gate, that’s the logical way out. I’m not.
I stop when the bikes pass me, speeding down toward the gate. And then I run, I run with everything I am back toward the house. Only then do I make a sharp left and barrel through the scrub. I can only hope those bikes won’t get through this thick bushland. That’s my hope, anyway.
I shove through trees, branches scratching and jabbing at my skin. I hit trees, trip over logs, and honestly, I have no damned idea where I’m going. My arms and legs ache from scratches and I can feel blood trickling down my face. I hear shouting, the bikes revving back to life, and I know it won’t be long until they find me. They’re going to catch up soon and when they do, I’m done for.
They’ll have exactly what they need to bring this whole show to a stop.
I reach the fence line and exhale with relief, but only for a second.
It’s high, at least eight feet. There is no way I’m getting over it easily. I can only imagine it’s probably lined with barbed wire or something equally as horrible. I need to think. Fast. Or I’m dead.
There’s a huge tree sitting against it a couple of meters down. I decide that’s the only way I’m getting out, and I start to climb. Luckily for me, it has massive branches and loads of them. I make my way up the tree, panting and puffing, bleeding from god knows where. I get high enough and then risk everything by using my cell phone flashlight to see if I’m going to be able to get over the fence.
I’m higher than it, but the fall is huge.
It’s not going to feel nice when I hit the bottom.
But it’s that or die.
I find a branch close enough to the large fence, that is indeed barbed wire, crawl out as far as I can, take a deep breath, and then I jump.
The fall is so much worse than I anticipated.
It feels like I drop and drop, with no end in sight. I know it’s going to hurt; I know I’m likely going to break something, but it’s a risk I simply have to take.
I land on the ground so harshly all the wind is knocked out of my lungs. I can’t breathe. For a solid few minutes, I gasp for air and roll around, trying to get my body to work again.
Then comes the pain.
The excruciating pain.
My ribs, my wrist, my leg.
Oh, god.
Someone help.
I LIE ON THE GROUND for far too long, before finally managing to push my body up, through all the pain, and I make myself move forward. Everything hurts, but somehow, I don’t think I’ve broken anything. I push on, needing to get as far away from this place as I can. I walk and I walk, crying in pain, feeling my lungs burn as they try to recover from the incredible fall. My back aches from impact, I’m limping, and I know I’m not going to be able to walk much farther.
Finally, I come to the road. When I reach it, I cross it quickly and go into the bushland on the other side.
I feel a whole lot safer suddenly.
I pull out my phone, and I call Alarick.
I need help. I need to get out of here before they find me.
They’re going to be looking, thankfully for me, hopefully they’re focusing on the property thinking I haven’t escaped.
As soon as they realize I’ve escaped, they’ll come out here.
“Where are you?” Alarick barks when he answers.
“I need your help,” I rasp into the phone, out of breath.
“Briella, where are you?”
“I’m ... I ... I’m at Dax’s property.”
The phone goes dead silent, for so long I’m scared he’s gone.
But I know he wouldn’t do that to me.
“Tell me you’re fuckin’ jokin’?”
“I’m not. Listen, I got out, but I’m hurt and ... I don’t know how to get home.”
“Where is the property?”
“Also ... I don’t know.”
I start to cry as the pain and exhaustion gets the better of me.
“You need to find your dad, he knows where it is. I’m going to keep walking and get as close to town as I can because if he finds me ...”
“Fuck. Fuck. I’m going to make some calls. Sit tight. Do not stop moving, get away from that place.”
“I will.”
“Keep your phone in your hand, I’ll call back.”
I hang up and sit for a few moments, trying to catch my breath, trying to remind myself that if I don’t keep walking, I’ll end up in a really bad situation. So, I push to my feet and I keep walking. One foot in front of the other, I move toward the direction that we came in from.
Car lights halt me a few times, but it’s the one that is going incredibly slow that has me hiding deeper into the bushland and not moving until it passes. They’re looking for me. That’s Bennett’s car, and he’s clearly got the job of looking up and down the road.
The car comes up, and down, and up, and down, and I’m forced to stay hidden for well over half an hour, ignoring Alarick’s calls because I don’t want to risk him seeing a light. When the car finally disappears and stays gone for a little while, I get up and keep moving, pulling out my phone and dialing.
“I know where you are, Karen told me. Sit tight, we’re on our way. When you hear the bikes, you move quickly. You understand?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
He hangs up, and my heart aches. Mostly because not once did he ask if I’m okay. When I said I’m hurt, he didn’t say where, or how? He didn’t panic. He just did what he had to do and was done with it. That hurts more than anything on my body right now, because I feel like something just changed—in a big way.
I stay hidden but keep moving down the road farther and farther until finally I hear the rumble of bikes in the distance. As soon as the lights are close enough, I step out of the bushes and watch as the bikes come to a stop. Four of them. Alarick, Cohen, Mykel and Kendric. All of them looking at me like they might just throttle me. I can’t say I blame them. I know I’ve made a huge mistake.
It was never my intention to cause this kind of problem.
I drop my head down and walk to Alarick’s bike, taking the helmet and pulling it over my head. Then I climb on, and without another word, they’re off.
I know what I just did was stupid.
I know I’ve just put everyone’s lives as risk.
I know it, but there is nothing I can do to take it back.
I just have to deal with the fall out, and what a fall out it’s going to be.
I’m not sure I’m ready.
14
FLICK
“Explain to me exactly what fuckin’ happened,” I growl, pacing back and forth across the room as Briella sits on my so
fa, her head down.
I try not to focus on the bloodied scratches on her face.
Or the way her hands are all torn up.
I try to look away from the bruising on her cheeks.
And the way she’s limping.
I know she’s hurt, and every single part of me wants to take that hurt away but I’m so damned angry right now, I can’t see beyond it. I don’t know what she was thinking, I don’t know what the fuck ever made her think it was a good fucking idea to do what she just did. She could have been killed. Now, we’re going to have an angry Dax on our cases, like we haven’t had enough trouble with him as it is.
She just lit a match in a gasoline filled room, and now everyone is going to be burned.
“I saw Bennett’s car when I was driving around,” she says softly. “I walked over and it was unlocked, I thought maybe I would be able to find something in there, some information or anything, really. As I was looking, he came back. I had no choice but to hide in the back, because it wasn’t worth the risk if I got out. It wasn’t meant to happen. I didn’t know he was going to come back. I know how stupid it sounds, but I thought I could quickly look and ...”
“You thought fuckin’ wrong,” I growl. “You didn’t think at all, if we’re puttin’ it out there.”
“I know you’re angry ...”
“Angry?” I bark. “I’m so far beyond fuckin’ angry, I can’t even see straight. What you just did was the stupidest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever heard of. You put everyone at risk, but mostly, you risked your own life. Was it worth that? Did you want to fuckin’ die?”
She looks down and a tear rolls down her cheeks. It tugs at my heart strings, and I calm my voice down, just a touch. I don’t want to make her feel any fucking worse but at the same time I need her to know she made a big fuckin’ mistake.
“Tell me what happened after that?”
She exhales and then tells me. “I was in the car for a while, hours ... and the sun was setting so I figured I could get out and make a run for it. It wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve done. The second I got out, alarms sounded and they were after me. I decided the only way I was getting out was to climb a tree and jump the massive fence. Hence all the injuries.”
“You jumped a fence?” I ask her, shocked.
“Yes, a very high fence.”
“Did they see you?”
“No,” she tells me. “I also made sure I was fully covered when I ran. Even if the cameras pick it up, they won’t know it was me. But I’m going to assume they probably heard the bikes and will put two and two together.”
She’s right.
They will.
Which is why we need to act fast.
“Is that all?” I ask her, my voice still far harder than I’d like, but I can’t take the anger from my system.
“I got photos,” she tells me. “A lot of them. I took them of everything I could see from the car. I don’t know if it’ll help, but it can’t hurt to see where all the cameras are, and also the house and paddocks.”
I nod, and then look at her, meeting her eyes. “Go and get into the shower, when you come out, I’ll clean you up.”
She swallows and then whispers, “I’m sorry, Alarick. I know I made a mistake. For whatever that’s worth.”
“Go and shower,” I order.
She does as she’s told and disappears into the shower. While she’s gone, I get the first-aid kit ready.
Samson and Cohen come into the room about five minutes in, and both of them stop when they see me storming around, furious. I’m wild, wild with an anger I’m struggling to control. I know she’s sorry, I know she didn’t mean it, but that doesn’t make it fucking easy.
“How is she?” Cohen asks.
“She’s fine, banged up, but she’ll be okay.”
“He see her?”
I shake my head. “No, but he’s goin’ to know it was one of us, without a doubt. He’s goin’ to retaliate, this is goin’ to get really ugly, really fast. He’s not goin’ to like the fact that we’re gettin’ closer and closer to him. I don’t like how this is goin’ down, it feels like I’m goin’ to lose a fuckin’ lot more before it’s over.”
“At least she came back safe,” Kendric offers. “Know you’re angry, Pres, but just remind yourself of how fuckin’ bad it would feel if she didn’t come back.”
I know he’s right.
But I’m finding it very hard to look past my anger.
I need a drink. Right fucking now.
“Get me a whiskey. No, scratch that. Get me the fuckin’ bottle.”
Kendric nods and walks out and Cohen comes over and stands in front of me. “We’re goin’ to sort this situation out. It’s messy and it’s fucked, but we’re goin’ to sort it out. You just gotta calm down and think with a clear mind. That’s not goin’ to happen tonight, so the best you can do is clean that girl up, put her to bed, drink until you black out, and start again tomorrow.”
“What was she thinkin’?” I rasp, looking at my long-time best friend.
“I don’t think she was fuckin’ thinkin’, but it doesn’t mean that she isn’t regrettin’ it. She is, boss. She knows she fucked up. She’s lost so fuckin’ much, you gotta remind yourself of that.”
“I know she has, but if she keeps doin’ this shit, it’ll be her I lose next.”
Cohen slaps my shoulder. “You need to talk to her, sort this shit out. Because if you don’t, and somethin’ happens, you two will forever live with the guilt of it. Fix it.”
“I will,” I mutter. “But right now, I’m havin’ a hard time even lookin’ at her.”
I look up and see Briella standing at the door, towel wrapped around her, hair dripping wet, staring at me like I’ve just slapped her.
“Cohen,” she says softly. “Please take me home.”
“Briella ...” I begin, but she puts a hand up.
“No, if you don’t want to look at me, I’ll make sure I’m not here.”
She turns and walks out, not letting me say another word. Kendric returns with the whiskey and hands me the bottle. I take it and drink down two big gulps, and then with a loud growl, I bark, “Fuck.”
Cohen gives me a look that says I need to tone it down, but I am fucking struggling with that.
“I’ll take her home. You sort your shit out, boss. She needs you to sort it out, and so do we.”
“Cohen?” I say, when he walks toward the door.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“Wasn’t plannin’ on it.”
Then he’s gone.
Kendric reaches for the bottle and swallows the whiskey down.
It’s going to be a long fucking night.
I SHOULDN’T BE HERE; I know I shouldn’t be here.
But fuck it.
I can’t take a second longer dealing with things on my own.
I raise a hand and bang on the door, over and over.
I know he’s here.
It hasn’t been hard for me to figure out where he is. We don’t talk, haven’t talked in fucking years, but now I know he’s back and he’s been talking to Briella, I can’t stay away any longer.
I want to know why he didn’t tell me he was back.
Want to know how he could go to her and not me.
So many fucking questions.
The door opens and there stands King, my father, leader, hero. I stare at him with a blank expression, and I’m full of alcohol so no doubt this is going to shit really quickly.
For a moment, he just looks at me, and then with a low, raspy voice, he says, “How did you find me?”
“You forget I know all your hidin’ places. When I found out you’ve been here all along, it didn’t take me long to track you down.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Alarick.”
“You mean Briella can fuckin’ know you’re here, but I can’t?”
He exhales and looks around. “If you were followed ...”
“I�
�m not fuckin’ stupid.”
He pushes the door open and I step inside the old run-down shed that he’s fitted out to live in. It’s filled with furniture and he’s even managed to put in a fireplace. It’s well hidden. I remember the shed because when we were kids, Sissy and I would come here and have parties with our friends. It’s well hidden, in bushland, not easily found.
“You care to tell me why you’re here, drunk, at fuckin’ two am?” King asks, turning around and facing me.
The years have aged him, but not how I expected them to. He looks good, really. Aside from being a little greyer, he is coming along well. Not that I expected anything less. It’ll take a great force to take my father out of this world. He’s endured more than most people.
Yet, I am finding it hard to stand here and not feel wild rage toward him.
I’ve needed him. So many times over the years.
I’ve covered for him.
I’ve made up lies.
I’ve protected his club.
He went to Briella first.
“I want to know why you went to Briella instead of me,” I say, walking in farther and sitting on an old grey sofa.
King stares at me, and then looks around the room for a few moments before answering my question. “I went to her because I knew you had enough on your plate. If you knew I was here, and things got out of control, you’d have even more to deal with. Didn’t want your focus bein’ taken off what you needed it on.”
“You told her about Cova, didn’t you?”
King nods. “She has a right to know.”
“She nearly got her life fuckin’ taken today because of your stupid little stunt. She’s not ready to process that kind of information. If you had come to me first, I could have told you that, but instead you decided to fuckin’ take matters into your own hands and send her on a chase she can’t possibly fuckin’ win.”
