by T. K. Leigh
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Good.” He helped her up and met Falconi’s eyes again. “Sorry. I have a bit of a fascination with blondes. I couldn’t resist letting her know exactly what I planned to do to her if she didn’t behave. Don’t worry.” He winked. “I’ll pay extra.”
Falconi beamed. “I like the sound of extra. One of my favorite words.”
Alexander returned his wide smile. “I bet it is, you sick son of a bitch,” he mumbled underneath his breath, watching as he ran to the door to welcome another guest.
“You have nothing to be nervous about, okay?” Alexander whispered, brushing her hair behind her ear and rubbing her back in an affectionate manner. “I’ll get you out of here and keep you away from this scumbag senator sitting next to me. I need to bid on you so that this sorry excuse for a man doesn’t. No harm will come to you. This will all be over soon.” He returned his attention to the poker game, trying to keep the frightened girl on his lap as calm as possible. He could feel her entire body shaking.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Falconi answer his cell phone, speaking animatedly for several long moments with whomever was on the other end. A bad feeling formed in the pit of his stomach when he observed a look of indignation cross his face before he turned his attention toward the poker table.
“Shit,” David said under his breath. “Do you think he found out?”
Alexander maintained his composure, his expression completely fixed and unchanged as Falconi stalked across the room.
“Standby, guys,” he muttered toward his shirt pocket where he had stashed the condom wrappers. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Mr. Burnham,” Falconi said, approaching the table, standing behind the dealer. “I just heard from one of my rather esteemed associates who indicated that the father of the woman on your lap was seen in the lobby of my hotel. Normally, I wouldn’t think anything of this, but I just have a bad feeling in my gut about you. And my gut is typically never wrong. Wouldn’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence that you’re mysteriously in town, ask for a blonde-haired girl, and then the girl’s father miraculously makes an appearance at this very hotel? What game are you playing? Did he hire you?” He quickly withdrew his gun and aimed it at Alexander, his two associates aiming their weapons at Martin and David.
“Her father?” Alexander asked, barely reacting to him. “I’ve never met the man.” He returned his attention to the poker game, trying to hide his confusion. “Now, if you’re done throwing idle accusations and threats at me, I’d like to continue with the game and then have a bit of privacy with this beautiful woman, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh no, Mr. Burnham. I do mind. Tell me why you’re really here, or I put a bullet in you, your assistant, and the girl.”
Alexander scanned the room, everyone focused on their conversation. Most of the guests were well on their way to being intoxicated so they were more of a liability than a threat. If he was to get Jolene out safely, he knew it was now or never. Falconi would never allow him to bid on her at this point.
Picking up the glass in front of him, he brought it to his lips. “Mmm… That’s good scotch.”
And with that, Alexander swiftly grabbed Jolene and flipped the poker table up, forcing Falconi back, his gun flying. Crouching down to avoid any potential gunfire, he took Jolene’s hand, leading her toward the bar. “You stay with me. You do not leave my side. Got it?”
She nodded just as Alexander gestured toward Martin, who had apparently successfully disabled and disarmed one of Falconi’s men. He covered them as they made their way behind the bar. Alexander was relieved that Martin was able to secure a weapon so quickly.
“What are you doing?” Jolene asked as she watched him grab a bottle of Sambuca and a dirty dish towel.
“Causing a distraction.” He looked out over the suite, Martin fighting off the few remaining guards, attempting to protect the rest of the girls from harm, as well. Most of the guests simply stood back in shock as they watched the commotion.
“We’ll only have a few seconds to get out from behind here and to the door,” he explained, soaking the dishtowel in the liquor and feeding it into the bottle. “We may encounter resistance outside, but at least we’ll be one step closer.” Grabbing a matchbook off the bar, he scanned the room, meeting Martin’s eyes briefly, nodding to him.
“Ready to go back to your boyfriend?” he asked Jolene.
“Yes. Get me out of here.” She slid her four-inch stilettos off her feet and threw them to the side.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t run in those things. I’d rather be barefoot.”
He lit a match and held it to the bottom of the dish towel. It caught on fire rather quickly. “One… Two… Three.” He flung the bottle into an empty corner across the room, the glass shattering and creating a loud bang as smoke filled the space.
He grabbed Jolene and hopped over the bar, counting his steps. Fifteen. Finding the doorknob through the thick smoke, he flung the door open, both of them coughing as they emerged into the hallway. Two men ran at them from the west stairwell. Pushing Jolene across the hall and into a laid-in doorway to another suite, Alexander ordered, “Stay here.”
Stepping out, he kicked one of the men in the groin.
“Fuck!” the man moaned out just as Alexander delivered a fierce punch, knocking him out. He spun around and gave a harsh uppercut to the other man, placing him in a sleeper hold until he became dead weight in his arm.
“Well, that was easier than I expected,” he commented as he quickly bound each of their wrists together with zip-ties. He searched their bodies for weapons, disappointed when he found they weren’t carrying any.
Glancing up at Jolene, a look of part shock and part amusement on her face, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Ummm… Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
He shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go.”
She followed him down the hallway, keeping up as best she could. “Who are you?”
“I told you. My name’s Alexander.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“I’m a friend helping out a friend. That’s all you need to know right now.”
Finally reaching the elevator, he withdrew the keycard, sliding it down through the slot. The door dinged immediately.
“Fuck!” Jolene screamed out just as a gunshot sounded. She fell to the ground, clutching her leg, thankful to see that the bullet barely grazed her thigh.
Alexander ran into the elevator and opened the side panel Cora had indicated, grabbing the first weapon he could. Retreating back into the hallway, he raised an MP5 and fired a three-round burst, the silencer making the shots barely audible. Once he saw the guard drop his weapon and clutch his shoulder, he returned his attention to Jolene.
“Are you okay? I can carry you.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Just surprised me more than anything. Did you kill that son of a bitch?” she asked.
“No. I just disabled him for a minute.”
“Too bad. Fucker deserves to die.”
Alexander chuckled a bit and shrugged out of his suit jacket, ripping the arm off.
“Let me see that leg. Quickly.”
Jolene limped toward him and he applied a makeshift bandage around her wound.
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
“I avoid killing when at all possible. I’ve done it before and I hate living with the knowledge that I took another man’s life, no matter if they may deserve it or not.”
“I’d kill Falconi in a fucking heartbeat,” she muttered, following Alexander into the elevator.
He grabbed an earpiece from the side panel and a few additional weapons, securing them to the holsters he had attached hastily to his body. “We’re in the service elevator, Cora,” he spoke into his hidden microphone. “We’re armed, but we’re coming out hot. Jolene’s already been shot in the leg.”
“They�
��re swarming the kitchen,” Cora responded quietly. “I’ll do what I can to cover you.”
“Copy that.” He punched the code Cora had given him into the keypad on the wall of the elevator. He breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed and Access Granted appeared on the touch screen.
“Give me a gun. I can shoot,” Jolene insisted, turning to face Alexander as the elevator began its slow journey. “If we’re under fire, put me to work.”
“No. No way. My only mission is to get you out alive. I’m not giving you a weapon.”
“Please. My dad’s a cop. I’ve been handling guns since I was twelve. I should have some protection, at least.”
“We’re not doing this right now. My mission. My decision,” Alexander seethed. “Guns make people do stupid things sometimes. I’m trying to avoid that at all costs.”
“For crying out loud, I was just shot in the goddamn leg! What if you get shot? At least give me a fighting chance to get out of here. How about one of those knives I saw you stash?”
“Fine,” he huffed, shaking his head. Reluctantly, he grabbed one of the small guns he had attached to a leg holster, and a four-inch tactical knife. “That’s a…”
“Nine millimeter. I’m not a fucking idiot.” Stowing the knife conspicuously in the back pocket of her mini skirt, she focused her attention on the gun. After releasing the safety, her expression turned solemn.
“Why are you going through so much trouble to get me out?”
“Because Cam’s a friend, and I owe him everything.” He looked up at the screen, noting only two floors to go before they hit the kitchen. “Are you ready?”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She glanced at him and noticed him put his hand up to his ear as if trying to listen.
“Right.” His eyes met Jolene’s. “Falconi’s already in the kitchen. When the doors open, I want you to turn left and run toward the service entrance. There will be an air conditioning and heating company van waiting for you off the loading dock. Do you understand?”
She nodded quickly. As the elevator slowed to a stop, her heart started racing, unsure of what scene would meet them when the doors opened.
Leaving the car, they stepped into pure chaos.
“There they are!” a man shouted, his voice echoing through the large kitchen area.
Jolene hesitated, her gaze settling on Rosa’s kind expression as she scrubbed dishes. She hadn’t seen her since the night that she helped her escape, and thousands of emotions overcame her for everything that Rosa lost because of her. Her livelihood. Her daughter. Her husband. She wanted to hug her and tell her how thankful she was for everything that she had done for her. Her chin quivered when Rosa sent her an encouraging smile and mouthed, It’s okay.
“Jolene,” Alexander said, his teeth clenched as Falconi and two of his men began running toward them, their weapons drawn. “Run. Go. Now!”
She quickly snapped out of it and spun around, running away from the elevator and toward the large metal doors that led out to the loading dock.
Alexander eyed a large florescent light fixture hanging from the ceiling by chains. Pointing his weapon, he fired and it shattered to the ground. Screams and cries were heard as the staff scrambled to avoid getting injured.
Catching up with Jolene, he glanced back to see half a dozen men close behind them as they were about to reach the door. “Have any C4 handy?” he asked, hoping Cora could hear over the commotion.
“It’ll do more harm than good at this point. You’re almost there. I’ll disable as much as I can from the rear,” she responded, the faint sound of a gunshot echoing through his earpiece.
He opened the metal door and Jolene could almost smell her freedom in the dank alley air just as she felt a hand clasp on to her leg. Screaming out, she was tackled to the ground of the loading dock.
“Don’t touch me, you fucking bastard!” she shouted, attempting to wiggle out of Falconi’s grasp. Her entire body ached and she could barely move without sharp pain coursing through her.
Alexander recovered quickly, raising his leg and kicking Falconi in the face, forcing him to release his grip on Jolene. After delivering another fierce blow to his stomach and a few punches to the other men chasing them, he helped Jolene to her feet.
“Go. I’ll be right behind you. Run.”
She didn’t hesitate and bolted down the loading dock toward the van and her salvation, guilt overwhelming her when she thought of all the girls she was leaving behind. Why was her freedom more valuable than theirs? It wasn’t. People were getting shot and injured just to get her out safely, only for her to have to hide away and live in fear of being found again one day. That wasn’t living. She would never truly be free. Not until Falconi was no longer breathing.
Slowing her steps, she halted in her tracks as the sound of punches and gunshots resonated all around her.
“Enough!” she shouted, her voice reverberating against the tall buildings on either side of the alley. Everyone stopped to look in her direction.
Turning around, her eyes met with those of the man that destroyed her life, his body pinned to the ground by Alexander. Just beyond the scuffle, she saw two of Falconi’s men about to fire their weapons at him.
“Enough,” she said quietly, tossing her gun to the side, nodding at Alexander, telling him with her expression to release his hold on Falconi. He reluctantly let him out of his grasp and Falconi stood up.
Keeping her eyes trained on Falconi’s men who still had their weapons pointed at Alexander, she said, “I’ll make you a deal, Tony.” Slowly walking toward him, she had to play the only card she had left to guarantee that everyone got out safely. “My freedom for everyone else’s. Let everyone go. The girls. Alexander. Rosa. Everyone.”
Falconi’s eyes grew wide, completely taken aback by her offer. “Really, princess? You would give yourself to me willingly so that I let everyone else go?”
Her eyes remained stoic, refusing to show him how gutted she felt from the thought of having to do that.
“You know I’ll just bring in a crop of new girls. What does it matter?”
“Rosa’s daughter, Marcie… I’m doing this for her. And for Rosa. And for her husband. And for all the other girls that you killed, like my mother.”
“What about him?” Falconi gestured toward where Cam stood at the end of the loading dock, having bolted out of the van when he realized what Jolene was about to do.
She turned her head, a quiet sob escaping when she met his brilliant silver eyes.
“You’d give up your life with him in exchange for everyone’s safety and freedom?”
Returning her eyes to Falconi, she nodded.
He signaled for his men to lower their weapons and approached Jolene. “That’s a good girl, Jo-Jo Bear,” he soothed, his voice coy. He dragged his finger the length of her torso and it took all of her resolve to not cringe.
Standing on her toes, she leaned in and traced circles across his neck, nibbling on his earlobe, the smell of his cologne making her stomach churn.
“I want you to know one thing, Tony,” she whispered into his ear. “After today, after this moment…” She ran one hand up and down his back, using her free hand to discreetly grab on to the knife she stashed in her pocket. “I will never think about you again.”
In the blink of an eye, she removed her hand from his body, the knife firmly in her grasp, and plunged it into his stomach.
He screamed out, his eyes wide as Alexander and his team restrained Falconi’s men, preventing them from going to their boss’ aid.
“That’s for ruining my fucking life and treating me like a piece of property, you disgusting excuse for a human!” she shouted, tears of vindication flowing down her face. “You always made us pray for forgiveness for our misgivings! For our faults! For our sins! Well, I will never forgive you for yours!”
Digging the knife further into his abdomen, she pushed him and he fell back onto the loading dock floor.
She took a deep breath and turned around, overwhelmed with emotion at the realization that she was finally free. Running to Cam, she jumped into his arms, never wanting to leave his side for the rest of her life. She was home at last.
He clutched on to her, soothing her sobs, tears streaming down his own face. “I’m so, so sorry, Jolene.” Holding her face between his two hands, he wiped her cheeks. “I’ll never let you down again. I’ll always stand by your side from now on. I love y…”
“Just stop apologizing and kiss me, will you?” she interrupted.
He smiled. “I like you better as a brunette, just for the record.” About to bring his lips to hers, he heard a slight movement. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he turned in the direction of the sound.
Falconi was lying on the ground, aiming his weapon at Jolene. Instinctively, Cam ran in front of her.
Alexander reacted quickly, firing a shot at Falconi.
A sly grin crossed Falconi’s face and he collapsed on the ground with his gun still raised, the sound of another gunshot echoing through the dark alley.
Jolene held her breath as she watched Cam stand completely still for several excruciatingly long seconds. He took a step back, stumbling, and fell to the ground, clutching his chest.
“No!” she screamed out in shock at the red stain soaking his shirt, rushing to him. “No, Cam. Don’t you dare!” She cradled him in her arms as his blood coated her body. “Don’t you dare die on me,” she begged, everyone staring at the heart-wrenching scene in front of them, the only sound that of Jolene’s cries.
“Jolene,” he croaked out, opening his eyes and reaching for her face.
She leaned into his hand, her sobs heavy as her chest heaved. She regretted all those times that she pulled away from his touch. She wanted all those touches back. “I’m here, baby. Please, stay with me.”
“I’m glad I found you,” he said quietly. “I want your breath on my skin to be the last thing I feel. I want your face to be the last face I see. I want your beautiful voice to be the last voice I hear.”
