by Monica May
I shut the bathroom door behind me and try to move into a happy place. The House of Blues is a pretty cool club, I hear. I have never been there. I jump in the shower and let the warm water soothe my tension.
Once I get out, I dry off and start to get dressed. Pulling on a pair of tight black jeans that hug my hips, I turn and look at how well Melinda’s work has been done on my back. After she removed the tattoo, she started a new procedure that tattoos the color of my skin over the scar tissue from the removal. I can tell it was there because I know it was, but really, a stranger would not notice.
I smile seeing my reflection and the happiness in my eyes. I think the weather is going to be pretty chilly tonight so I slip on a long-sleeved fitted T-shirt and a cute jean jacket Carmella and I found on sale during our Black Friday shopping. Putting on the last bit of light makeup, I realize I have no idea what time it is. “Geez I hope I’m not running late,” I say aloud to myself and run back to my room to grab my purse and phone.
I see my purse first and fling it over my head and across my chest. I look for my phone but don’t see it on the bed. That’s weird, I thought I plugged it in here. Just as that thought crosses my mind, I hear a text message ping from the living room. Thinking I must have plugged it in there, I flip the light off and hurry to the living room hoping Carmella is not waiting outside in the taxi. She is very impatient; I would never hear the end of it.
As my feet hit the threshold of the living room, the light flicks on. My blood turns to ice and my feet fail me, as they have stopped working. I see the form in front of me and I may black out. My heart pumps so hard I can’t hear, and my vision starts to blur as I brace my hands on the doorframe.
Chapter 20
Sunny
“What, no big smile for me, Mary?” Rex sneers.
He sits in the lounge chair next to the sofa under the lamp with my phone in his hand. OMG, how long has he been here?
“I hate to break the news to you, but you’re going to miss your little concert tonight,” he says, looking down at his watch. “Your little friend will be here in about fifteen minutes so we gotta run. Hope you enjoyed your time here because it’s over,” he says with so much evil and hate. “Actually, it’s all over for you.”
I know this is the end for me. I see it in his eyes, and they are dead and empty. He used to be reachable, but I can see he no longer has a soul left. There is no way out for me.
“This is how it’s going to work. We are going to leave your phone here,” he says as the phone hits the floor and is smashed by his large boot. “You won’t need that anymore.”
I feel the bile rise in my throat as I am frozen in fear. I still can’t move. How did he find me? Why is this happening to me? How can I get away? I have to get away. I won’t allow him to take my life here away from me.
“I see them stupid wheels turning in that little pathetic brain of yours. Forget about it. There’s no way out for you. I thought we had this conversation back in that bathroom stall near Chicago. I told you what I would do if you ran again,” he yells. “Fuck, Mary, why are you making me do this?”
Somehow I manage to speak. “You don't have to, Rex.” But there is nothing I can say to try to get out of this. I can’t tell him I love him, not even to try to get out of this. He would see right through it. I can only pray someone hears him screaming and calls the police before Carmella arrives.
“Oh, but I have to, Mary. You see, once you left me, they all turned on me. My own fucking men turned on me. I had to fucking shoot Tec three times before he would even give me the password to your trackers.”
“Oh my God, is he okay?” I gasp, putting my hands to my chest and thinking I would be devastated if Tec died trying to protect me.
“What do you care?” he replies.
“They were like my family, Rex, I care.” The pain in my heart is no longer panic but sorrow that I have put Tec in danger and possibly in his grave.
“Well, don't worry, he’s alive and well and singing like a fucking canary to the FBI. I should have put the final bullet in him when he gave up the password, but I was too damn fixated on getting to you, and I left him bleeding on the floor.”
“Why do you want me, Rex?” I ask with a shaky voice. “You know I don't love you, so why come for me?”
He takes two long strides to me, and I know what’s coming. I brace myself against the wall for support. To my surprise, he doesn’t strike me. Without opening my eyes, I know his face is millimeters from mine. He’s so close I smell the stale smell of cigarettes and whiskey, which makes my stomach roll as his lips crash onto mine.
My hands instantly go up to his chest, pushing him away as hard as I can. This only angers him as he pushes his way into my mouth. I try turning my head away from his lips. Big mistake. He grabs my face with his large hands. I feel his thumb and fingers digging into my soft flesh knowing it will bruise. His tongue is invading my mouth with force and contempt. He uses the hand on my face to slam my head against the wall. My eyes fly open and all I see is hate. My heart stops when I see the flash of metal from the corner of my eye followed by the cold metal barrel pressed against my temple.
“Scream and I shoot you where you stand. I have nothing to lose. The FBI is on me, and it’s only a matter of time before they find me. But I figured I could have a taste of you before I’m locked up.”
The thought of him having me after having Jackson in my life makes me ill. It takes everything I have not to vomit in his face. I think I would rather him just beat me than put his hands on me.
“Stop daydreaming, Mary, and listen closely. We’re going to walk out of this apartment and get into my truck. My gun will be under your jacket the entire time. Try to scream or run and I’ll shoot you. Remember, I have nothing to lose. And if you don't want anything to happen to your dear friend Carmella, I suggest we get moving so I don't have to hassle with two bitches.”
Oh God, would he really hurt Carmella? He shot Tec three times and that was his brother. Of course, he would hurt Carmella.
“Then let’s go, Rex,” I say with a surprisingly steady voice. I can’t risk her life. I made my bed and I have to lie in it. She didn’t choose this mess. I did. Hopefully he gets sloppy at some point and I can get away, but I can’t risk having her hurt.
“That’s my girl, let’s go,” he says, ushering me out the door and onto the street. His truck is illegally parked right in front of the apartment. He has his arm tightly around my waist with the other holding the gun and digging it into my side. He opens the door as if he’s a southern gentleman making me get in on the driver’s side. My heart sinks even further when I see he has removed the passenger side door handle. The windows are tinted so black that no one can see in, especially at night.
He slams the door and pushes my head down toward the passenger side so I’m lying on my belly. Terror rushes though me when I feel the cold metal of handcuffs around my wrist. He handcuffs my hands behind my back and then yanks me up cuffing a second set of cuffs to something he has rigged behind the truck seat.
A single tear falls down my face realizing I may never see Jackson again. He didn’t just wake up today and find me. He has been following me for some time and he has a plan. That’s when my gut tells me he is going to kill me. The nightmare that has haunted me is right here in front of me. The thought chills me to the bone, and I start to shake uncontrollably.
“Quit being a fucking baby, Mary. How could you not know I was coming for you? I told you I would. Oh yeah, you thought you were smart enough, didn’t you? I have to admit, putting your clothes in those damn train cars was brilliant. I had my men fan out all over the fucking country.”
He pushes my hair behind my shoulder as I whimper in fear. Licking my ear, he continues, “You see, your problem is, you thought I would stop looking. But I never did. It took me three months and twenty-seven fucking days to track you down. With your clothes all over the damn country, I had to figure out which one was really you,” he says, sliding h
is gun under my grandmother’s heart locket. “You see, Mary, when I had your precious locket cleaned, I had that bugged too.”
“How could you?”
He chuckles, “How couldn’t I is the real question. I knew you were too good for me, but I don't care. You’re mine. Thank God, you love your grandmother too much to let the necklace go because she led me straight to you.”
“You fucking bastard!”
“Oh, Mary, don’t get sassy with me. It won't do you any good,” he says, looking at the road and putting the truck in gear. As he pulls away, I see a taxi pull up and Carmella gets out. I pray he doesn’t know it’s her. He doesn’t flinch, and we are out on the road with her out of danger. I watch her in the mirror jogging up the walk the door.
How in the hell am I going to get out of this? Come on, Sunny, think…. ... I have to make it through this; I have to be with Jackson. I won’t allow Rex to take away my happiness. I will have to fight for my life to stay alive.
I try to pay attention to where we are heading in case I can make an escape. Meanwhile, I have to talk to Rex and try to calm him down and bring out the man he was before he was president of The Flaming Dragons.
“Rex,” I say softly. “You don't have to do this.” He doesn’t respond but I see his jaw clench. “I will always love you, Rex, love you for what you did for my grandmother. Love you for the man you used to be.”
He shifts his eyes to me momentarily. “It’s too late for that, Mary. I was never that man I made you believe I was.” His voice sounds strained. “Don’t you get it? I always knew I was going to be the MC president, but twinkies and skanks didn’t do it for me. I wanted a fresh pussy, one that had never been touched by my brothers. And when I saw you at that strip club so young and innocent, I knew you were what I wanted. And once I tasted that sweet pussy of yours, I knew from that second I would never let it go. And Mary, I ain’t letting it go. You’re mine for life, and if our lives end tonight, so be it but you’re mine.”
“What if I say I will go with you and be with you?” I ask, lying through my teeth and hoping to buy more time.
Without looking at me, he responds, “I would know you were lying.”
Those words send chills through me. There’s nothing I can tell him to stop him from the path he is set on. I focus back on the road to see we’re now on the interstate and moving quickly away from the city and out of the state. I think we’re headed to Mississippi but I’m not sure yet.
“You see, Mary, you can’t talk your way out of this. I have accepted the fact that you hate me and that you would never really surrender to me like I want you to. Because the truth is, I want your pussy but with a skank’s brain. I wanted you to know your place as an old lady and to train you to suck me off any time any place.
I grunt out loud thinking he must be out of his mind. I would have never had sex with him in the clubhouse in front of everyone.
“But since that was never, and will never be, an option, and I’m a wanted man by the FBI now, the gig is up for me. And since you’re the reason my brothers turned on me, it’s only fitting I get my last taste of you before we both call it quits.”
My chest hurts so bad when I hear his words. They’re laced with pure evil spewing out of him like a faucet. He continues with his visions of what he will do to me and how he will let me die. My hands are handcuffed behind my back, and there’s nothing I can do. The truck barrels down the interstate at ninety miles per hour. Please, God, let us get pulled over. That’s my only hope. I resolve to simply pray for a miracle as we drive.
Chapter 21
Samantha
I sit at my desk trying to figure out the new schedule without Sunny and Jackson. Knowing Parke is a police officer, I will move him up to head of security for now. I know that will piss people off because he is just a bartender, but Sean is not ready. I will let them all know I don't give a shit what they think. Parke has years of military experience, and I’m doing what’s best for the club. Hell, they don't like it, they can leave too.
My cell phone rings and I see Carmella’s face come across the screen. “Please tell me you are not quitting? I can’t take three in one week.”
“Samantha, something terrible has happened to Sunny. I need Jackson, but he’s not answering my calls.”
I hit the speaker on my desk phone and buzz Jackson’s earpiece. “Yeah.”
“Jackson, I have a problem. I need you in my office stat.”
“How serious is your problem because I have—” “It’s Sunny. Something’s wrong and I need you in my office—” and the line goes dead.
I go back to my cell phone. “Jackson is on his way to my office. Tell me what is going on.”
“Fuck, I think that bastard found her.”
“Who?”
“Rex the MC guy that beat the shit out of her, the reason she’s hiding out here.”
“MC guy, what does that mean?”
“motorcycle guy.”
“Oh God …”
“What? That doesn’t sound good.”
“I don't have time to discuss it. Tell me what you see that makes you think he has been there.”
“I came home to pick her up, but she wasn’t waiting outside. I ran in and the door handle was taken off the front door, and her cell phone is on the ground smashed in a million pieces,” she gasps and starts to sob into the phone.
“It’s okay. We’re going to find her. Get back in the cab and come straight here.”
“Okay,” she says, out of breath and hangs up.
My door flies open and Jackson barges in. “What’s wrong with Sunny?”
“Carmella just called and said Sunny was supposed to meet her outside the apartment and when she got there no one was there. Jackson, the doorknob was removed and her cell phone was left there smashed to pieces.”
“Fuck, how could he find her? Did you call the police yet?”
I pick up the phone and dial Parke’s number. “Hey, it’s me. I need you in my office now!”
Of course, his comment is off color, as he has no clue how serious this is. “Parke, NOW. Sunny is missing, and from what Carmella is telling me, the ex she has been running from is in a motorcycle gang.”
“On my way,” he grunts into the phone right before the line goes dead.
“Why the fuck are you wasting your time with your boyfriend the bartender and not the cops?” Jackson says, pushing me aside to get to the phone.
“He is a cop,” I say for the first time out loud. “He has been working here undercover. First it was to see if this was a whorehouse, and when that didn’t pan out, his job was to look for a motorcycle guy from St. Louis.”
“I’m the head of fucking security, and you don’t think that information was important enough to tell me?” I jump as he slams his fist down on my desk in anger. “How do you expect me to protect her if I don’t know what the hell is going on?”
“Jackson, I had no idea her ex was in a motorcycle group. I’m sorry, she never shared that with me and I didn't want to pry. And we don't even know if we are talking about the same groups here.”
Parke comes rushing in. “Details, facts,” he demands. I give him the info we know and he turns to Jackson. “Do you know what MC club he was in?”
“The Flaming Dragons. He is the president,” Jackson says in a tight tone. He is clenching and unclenching his fists while a large vein bulges in his neck.
“Thank fuck,” Parke says, earning a very deadly look from Jackson. “Apparently, Samantha has told you I’m with the NOPD undercover, yeah?”
“Get to the fucking point. My girl’s in danger.”
“Long story short, we knew Rex was on his way down here, but we didn’t know he was after anyone. To our knowledge, the Bayou Bandits were going to give him cover for the shit that was coming down on him in St. Louis from the FBI. Running guns, drugs, and attempted murder on one of his own. His own brothers turned him in.”
“So why in the fuck is this good news?”
Parke does not answer him right away, turning and pulling out his phone and dialing. Jackson is losing patience fast, and if Parke doesn’t answer him soon, I can see we’re going to have a problem.
Parke looks up at Jackson as he starts to speak on the phone. “Yeah, this is Lieutenant Boudreaux. I’m sending you the link to my trace, and I need backup following it. The subject I’ve been tailing is on the run, and he has kidnapped a twenty-one-year-old female. Yeah ... Yeah … put every Goddamn thing you got on this. I’m leaving the club now to follow the tracking device,” he says, hanging up. “I put a tracker on his truck three days ago. He has been snooping around here, but I assumed it was to hang with the Bandits.”
“Well, let’s get the fuck out of here,” Jackson yells, walking out the door and expecting Parke to follow him.
I look up at Parke with pleading eyes. “Please go find her, hurry!” He kisses me quickly and runs out the door. I follow him and yell behind him, “Be careful.” I sit back at my desk feeling helpless as I put my head in my hands and cry for the first time since Phillip’s death.
Carmella’s voice pulls me out of my worry, “Where is everyone? What’s going on? Parke and Jackson about ran over me in the parking lot.”
I jump up from my desk and wrap Carmella in my arms holding her tight. “They’re going to get her. Thank God, Parke put a tracker on the guy’s truck three days ago so they should be able to find her pretty quickly.”
She pushes back giving me a confused look, “Parke? Why would he do that? And how did he know about Rex? Sunny only told Jackson and I.”
I give her the rundown just as two uniformed officers knock on my door asking to speak to Carmella. She gives them her statement and even recalls seeing the black truck with dark tinted windows pulling away from their apartment, giving them the exact time Sunny was taken.
Carmella and I can only sit and wait to hear something from Jackson and Parke. It is pure agony.
Chapter 22
Sunny
