by Maegan Abel
“Dammit.” I glanced over at Jordan and saw him stooped, the drywall near his head raining down in tiny pieces from multiple holes that weren’t there moments ago. “We have to get out of here. Come on.”
“What?” I choked, frozen in place as Tony’s face entered my field of vision. He was turned, low to the ground. From the angle I was seeing him at, it was obvious he was propped against the wall.
“Stay low,” Tony said, or maybe he just mouthed it. But I understood.
I was too distracted by the mess that was made of Tony’s face to notice Jordan moving. When he grabbed my arm, I immediately kicked out, connecting with his leg as I struggled to break free of his grip. Once we were at the door, I got a better view of Tony’s injuries. One of his legs was clearly broken and the sight made me heave. If there had been anything in my stomach, I would’ve lost it.
“I can’t carry him and fight with you. You have to cooperate.” Jordan’s voice drew my attention back and I knew I must have looked horrified.
“Why?” I said, not sure what I was really asking. My mind couldn’t seem to focus. I gasped as Jordan threw himself down, blocking both Tony and me as two bullets broke through the wall just above us.
Jordan glared up at me. “Can we do the questions later?” he snapped, grabbing Tony’s arm to help him up.
I pushed myself under Tony’s other arm when I saw him struggling. It was automatic, I didn’t think about it, I just moved with them. I tried to ignore that the only person between me and someone who once tried to kill me, and very nearly killed the man I love, was a battered man who also had reason to despise me.
When we entered the main area, Jordan led us along the wall. I could see people but I kept my head down, which didn’t help. Seeing bodies wasn’t any better than seeing the people being shot. When I saw Two slumped in a completely unnatural position, I turned back toward the hall, releasing Tony automatically. Emma. How could I be so careless?
“Wait!” I heard Jordan saying something else, maybe to Tony, and then hands were on me. I screamed and struggled.
“Let me go!” I kicked but it was no use. Jordan pulled me back from the hallway. “Emma!”
“We have to get out of here.”
His grip on me tightened but it was then I saw her. She must’ve heard me because her head popped out from one of the doors. I managed to slip through Jordan’s hold as he readjusted his grip, and I started toward Emma at a dead sprint.
“Get down!” Jordan’s voice rang in the hallway, but his words were too late. He slammed into me, taking me to the floor as I watched in horror while the scene before me played out in some kind of sick slow motion. I never saw the bullet but the impact made her body lurch forward before she hit the ground, blood covering the floor as her wide blue eyes stared at nothing, completely devoid of any life.
“Noooo!” I could hear my voice, could feel the strain of my throat as I screamed, but I felt as if I was watching what happened, watching myself struggle against Jordan’s grip, watching the tears fall to my cheeks, all from somewhere outside of my body.
“You have to stay down,” Jordan hissed at me, yanking me back toward where Tony was now laying. Panic flooded me for a moment, bringing me back to myself as I scrambled forward. He couldn’t be dead. I couldn’t handle it.
“Tony,” I coughed, unable to breath for a moment. I’d never felt as grateful as I did the moment he turned his head toward my voice. I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck for a moment as I sobbed.
“We have to go. Now,” Jordan said, pulling me back before leaning in to help Tony to his feet again.
I ducked under Tony’s other arm and let Jordan lead, doing what I could to shut down everything happening around us. My emotions felt like they were completely overloading my mind and body, and when I looked up at Tony, I saw his pain but also concern. He was worried about me but he was too out of it to do much about it at the moment. As we crossed the threshold and headed into one of the stairwells, Jordan paused.
“Wait here. I’ll come back down to help you bring him up. If something happens, go out the window in the next room over,” he whispered before climbing the stairs quickly. Jordan slowly opened the door and my heart pounded against my chest as the light streaming in around the door grew.
The shots that rang out came too quickly for me to count. I couldn’t even tell which direction they’d come from. Tony shoved me down, rolling his body on top of mine as the sickening sound of a body—Jordan’s body—falling down the stairs, filled the small room.
“Go. Move,” Tony said, growling his disapproval as I started pulling him with me. He was clearly in pain and I wasn’t leaving him behind. I glanced back once at Jordan’s slumped body, sobbing in terror at what could be waiting for us if we didn’t get out.
And I found that right now, more than anything, I wanted out. I hadn’t thought it was a possibility before now, but whatever was happening, whatever it was going on, was chaos. I had to get away.
It didn’t take long for Tony to realize that fighting me wasn’t going to make me leave him. Finally, he cooperated and we worked together, moving slowly as we made our way to the next room. Tony started to object as I went to open the door but we stayed low. The second the door opened, Tony lifted his hand and fired two shots directly into the back of a man who seemed to have been pacing the room. I gasped in shock as Marco crumpled to the floor in a heap. I barely kept my grip on Tony. I hadn’t realized he’d been holding a gun. Had he had it the whole time?
I couldn’t think any further than that as the light from the window drew my attention. I pulled Tony harder, probably making his injuries worse, probably doing even more damage to myself, but I didn’t care. Escape seemed so close now. Before I could try to find something to break the blackened glass, Tony reached up, using the butt of the gun to clear it. He forced me up onto the ledge first, despite my protests, and I worked my way through it before turning around to help him. Just as I pulled him free of the window, the sounds of yelling surrounded us.
“Freeze. Hands up,” was shouted in Spanish from several different voices. I leaned myself over Tony, doing whatever I could to protect him as the black clad figures descended.
Chapter Twenty
Homeward Bound
I gasped as something touched me, jerking my head up to find someone I never expected to see.
“Jackson?” My voice cracked from the dryness in my throat as he finished carefully laying the blanket over my shoulders. “What are…?” I trailed off, shaking my head as if I could clear the foggy after effect of the last twelve hours.
Jackson glanced in the direction of Tony on the bed, his eyes roaming over the monitors for a moment before returning to me. “Did you get released?”
I looked away from him, tugging the blanket higher to cover myself. “I refused treatment. I’m fine.” My heart sped as I peeked back up at him. “Is…are you…?” I sighed, unable to get the question out.
“It’s just me. Well, it’s just us, I guess,” he said, moving to the other side of the bed and grabbing the chair, carrying it effortlessly over to sit beside me. “Want to explain why you’re refusing treatment?”
Just as I shook my head, the nurse walked in. Tony stirred, brought back as she started checking his vitals again. They’d said they would release him hours ago but it still hadn’t happened.
“Lili?” Tony asked and I jumped up, dumping the blanket onto the chair and moving to stand beside the bed.
“Right here,” I answered, gripping his hand in mine. His face looked better, devoid of blood, and there was thankfully no major internal injuries. He had a few cracked ribs and a broken leg set in a temporary cast for now, but other than dehydration, he seemed to be doing well.
“You good?” he asked, readjusting as the nurse finally started to remove his IV.
“Great,” I said, forcing a smile.
I hadn’t stopped long enough to let anything sink in yet, honestly. I was terrified
to try to sleep, but apparently, the exhaustion had caught up to me when I’d sat down in the relative quiet of the secluded wing of the hospital. I was surprised I hadn’t had nightmares, but the visions in my head honestly couldn’t be any worse at this point.
“Did you eat?” Tony asked, frowning as he assessed my face. “And how the hell did you get released so fast?”
“She refused treatment,” Jackson said, stepping closer. Tony stuck out his hand and Jackson took it, nodding to him. “Glad you made it out.”
“Told you I’d be fine,” Tony said, trying to give Jackson a cocky grin. I backed away from them, slipping back into the chair as I attempted to wrap my mind around what was happening.
I could hear Tony and Jackson talking, but their words weren’t making sense. Maybe they were just getting lost in the jumble of confusing thoughts. From what I’d gathered, and from what I’d been told, The Club was being run in the basement of a mansion owed by one of the largest cartel leaders in Mexico. I wasn’t surprised by that, I’d put that much together myself when we’d arrived. There was a raid by the military with several American agencies assisting. The Marshal I’d spoken with told me it was a drug bust, but they’d been alerted to the trafficking just before the raid. I’d demanded to stay with Tony as they transported him to the hospital nearby and had refused to leave his side since.
“Hey,” Tony’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I lifted my eyes to him. “You need to let the doctors examine you.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I just want to get out of here.” I could feel the trembling starting in my fingers as I thought about getting as far away from here as I could. That was all I wanted at this point. I wanted distance from this hell.
It was as far ahead as I would let myself think.
By the time they released Tony, it was too late for us to be cleared by the Marshal Service to reenter the U.S. We needed paperwork to cross since I had no ID with me and it would be tomorrow morning before they could get it for us.
They’d put us up in a motel room for the night, offering two rooms, but just the thought of being alone nearly sent me over the edge. I’d never been one to need people and it made me feel weak to be afraid, but that’s what I was. Afraid. Terrified. Absolutely paralyzed with fear at the thought of what was going to happen when all of the shit I’d seen started to hit me.
I had questions for Tony and Jackson but before either of them would answer any, they wanted me to shower and eat something. They were forcing me to take care of myself because they were concerned since I’d continuously denied exams at the hospital. It was under the steady stream of water in the tiny shower that the weight of what was happening really started to hit me. I sank to my knees, trembling as I let myself think I might actually get to go home.
I let out a soft sob. It wasn’t as pleasant a realization as I would’ve thought. If I was scared of how I would react to everything that had already happened, that fear was nothing compared to my worry over facing my life again. Jackson had offered me his phone earlier while we were eating dinner, telling me I could call anyone I wanted, but I declined. What could I say? What was I supposed to say to Zane? To anyone?
How was I supposed to feel right now? Logically, I should feel relieved, excited to be going home, happy I’m still alive. But, all I felt was fear. I wasn’t scared in my room at The Club, I was ready to die, but I was terrified now. It was completely insane. I was completely insane.
“Lili?” I cringed at the way that name made me feel. Hearing it brought more fear, more complete and utter confusion.
“Yeah?” I answered, trying my best to make my voice sound solid and sure. It came out flat.
“You okay?” Tony asked, his words followed by the sound of his crutches on the tile. I heard him settle himself on the lid of the toilet beside the shower, but, respecting my space, he didn’t make a move to open the curtain.
Sighing, I stared up at the ceiling, letting the cool water run over my face for a moment before leaning forward again. “I’m fine.” He didn’t respond, not even to scoff or sigh, and he didn’t try to look past the curtain between us. But, he waited. He knew I was full of shit and the longer he left the words hanging, the more likely I was to keep talking to fill the silence. “It’s stupid.”
“What’s stupid?”
I turned in the tub, carefully leaning myself back against the edge enough to pull the curtain forward to see him. Through the slit only showing him my face, I stared straight at him. “That now I’m scared. That I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel and because of that, all I can find to feel is fear. That as much as I want my life back, I’m terrified to face it.”
Tony looked down at the floor, seeming to study the temporary cast on his leg before looking back over at me. “Why is that stupid?”
“Because I should be happy. I’ve basically been given a second chance at life, right? I should be bouncing off the fucking walls.”
“Why aren’t you?” he asked, but it wasn’t degrading. I knew Tony and the inflection behind his words. He wasn’t asking because he was curious, he was asking to make me think about why.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, unsure whether he’d even hear it. I rolled over, sliding further down into the tub on my stomach and letting the water hit my still swollen back as I rested my forehead on my crossed arms.
“I think,” he finally said in the silence, “until you’re honest with yourself, you won’t really be able to start healing. But no matter what, just remember you’re not alone.”
He had no idea how much those words meant to me.
“Why are you here?” I whispered into the stillness of the room.
Jackson was sound asleep, snoring in the other bed, and I’d refused to let either of them sleep on the floor. That left either the two of them sharing a bed or me sharing with one of them. I only had to think of Sydney and my decision was made. I still had no idea how Jackson or Tony ended up in Mexico. Or how Jordan was involved. But it was time to get my questions answered.
Tony took a deep breath before turning slowly onto his side toward me. I mirrored the movement, feeling self-conscious as the sliver of light from the bathroom shone in my eyes. “Why do you think I’m here?” He reached out slowly, brushing the hair from my face so he could see me better. I narrowed my eyes, knowing he was aware of the reason for my question. “When we found out you were gone, everyone was going nuts trying to figure out what happened. It was a few days later when Jackson showed up at the shop. He said he had some information. He’d found your phone in the grass outside the house and there was a short video on it. It didn’t mean anything to any of us, but he’d been contacted by someone who said they knew who had taken you.” He sighed again, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen Tish so pissed off, but Adam had the information we needed. He’d been hiding out, still trying to heal from his own gunshot wound, but when he found out what Lizzie had done, that she’d sold you out to pay off her debt, and you and Conner were missing, he stepped up. Surprised the fuck out of all of us.”
“Lizzie?” I asked, shaking my head as I tried to wrap my mind around everything he was telling me.
“Yeah. She’d racked up quite a debt with the wrong people and overheard a conversation about them needing girls who fit your description. She freaked out and called Adam when she found out they’d taken Conner, too.”
“I never should’ve let him stay home with me that day,” I whispered, my mind trailing back to that morning, to the last words I’d said to Zane. How was I supposed to know if we were okay?
“No one blames you for that, Lili.” I shook my head, motioning for him to continue the story. My blame wasn’t a topic I was ready to cover. “We started trying to figure out where you were taken, all the while trying to keep Zane in the dark. Tish said if he knew we had any idea where you were, he wouldn’t stop until we told him and he’d end up getting himself killed. Zane doesn’t exactly have patience where you’re concerned. He did know we kn
ew something but he never got information out of any of us. Instead, we set up a rescue team. We needed someone willing to go undercover and learn the inside of the ring, so I volunteered. Tish wanted to do it but there were too many connections between him and the people who originally took you. We didn’t want him to get recognized. We needed someone willing to be a lookout, someone with attention to detail who could make sure things were running smoothly and keep everyone in contact. Jackson jumped in.”
Tony paused, looking over at the other bed with narrowed eyes. “I’m still not sure what’s in it for him, but he did his part flawlessly.” He turned his attention back to me. “And we needed someone who knew how to handle a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it.”
“Adam,” I whispered, my mind conjuring up the image of his slumped, bloody body at the base of the stairs.
“Yeah. At first, he said he was only in it to help save his son. But, even after Conner came home, he stayed involved. I had to trust him since he was my connection to Jackson on the outside. We were making Adam the middleman and he was basically our security, so I needed to understand him. I tried to get him to talk, but outside of denying having any knowledge of your trip to Texas or any threatening texts, he really didn’t say much.”
I nodded, not really sure what else to do at this point. I was just as shocked and scared as I had been before knowing, but at least I now understood what was happening around me. Somewhat, anyway.
“Can I ask you something now?”
I glanced up at Tony’s face and nodded.
“After everything you’ve been through, why in the world would you refuse treatment?”
“I just want out of this place. I’ll go to the doctor when we get back to Vegas, but I just want out of here.” I felt the panic starting to rise and Tony pulled me into his chest, holding me tight as I shook against him.
