Loyal Cheaters (Cheaters #2)

by Lacey Silks

  The next set of doors was locked, and I moved one to the left, praying Zoey wasn’t there. I wondered how many more women had been locked up here. I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to Emma to bring a lot of muscle and the FBI with her. I hoped my short text of “Dozens of girls imprisoned” was enough.

  As soon as I twisted the handle and saw her tied up to that chair, my heart broke. She looked at me wide-eyed, tears streaming down her face, right over a bloody gash on her cheek. She pulled in a long sniffle and moaned out happy cries through her gagged mouth. Her lips were swollen and I made a note to care for them all night to make them better. Fuck, I’d care for this girl day and night, until not only her body but her soul was freed from this nightmare. I ran to her and knelt in front of the chair. Fresh bruises had formed on her thigh and arms, and I promised myself I would kill both Harper and Zack the moment Zoey was freed.

  “You’re okay, baby. You’re okay.”

  She nodded. I pulled the Swiss knife from my pocket and freed her feet, hands, and mouth. I took the shirt off my body and slid it over her head. It was large enough to cover her down to her thighs.

  “I’m sorry,” she cried. “I’m so sorry.”

  I smoothed my hand over her wet cheek. “This is not your fault. It’s mine and I’ll make this right.”

  “He’ll be here soon.” She couldn’t stop sobbing. “He said he’s going to torture me, kill me, and then fuck me.”

  “Zoey, look at me. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, do you understand? Not today and not ever again.”

  Without another word, I picked her up in my arms and carried her down the dark hallway, thinking about all those other girls I was leaving behind. But Craig’s focus was on Zoey now, and I had to get her to safety. If Emma got here with the kind of squad I knew she was capable of assembling, it wouldn’t be long before they were freed as well.

  We were upstairs in no time – but not fast enough. Craig was standing with his gun pointed at us, waiting in the grand hallway of the mansion.

  I let Zoey slide down my body and shift to stand behind me. I raised my hands slowly, concentrating on the gun he was pointing at us.

  “Of all the people, I never thought you would betray me,” he said.

  That was the point, you fuck!

  Sweat beaded down Craig’s forehead as he motioned his head toward a doorway. The guard who stood at the basement entrance walked through. Another one showed up on the other side. Each had a gun pointing toward me. Three fucking barrels! I was willing to take all the bullets they shed as long as Zoey was safe. “Did you not get enough pussy through our company? Some of your requests were off the charts kinky. In fact, you inspired me.”

  “It was all to get information on you.”

  “Was it? Were the red marks on their asses for show too?”

  “Fuck off!”

  “I’m going to blow your fucking brains out, Wagner.”

  “You don’t know who you’re talking to, Harper. My father—”

  “—your father’s a bitch, just like you. He didn’t have the balls to play with the big boys.”

  “He had a bigger pair than you. No one who calls himself a man tortures girls and women for their pleasure, traffics them, uses them, steals their freedom, and kills them. There’s so much we have pinned on you, you better learn how to bend over for your jail mates.”

  He laughed. The tone and assurance of the echo gave me the chills. He was so sure of himself that for a moment I doubted whether my words were true. Zoey clenched her fists around the top band of my jeans. She was holding on so tightly, hiding behind me, I felt her every shake.

  “We?” he asked.

  “That’s right. Heard of Cross Enterprises?”

  His face sobered and that look of confidence faded.

  “You’re a fucking weasel?” He moved the gun a bit to the side and pointed it at Zoey. “Get over here, or I will pull this trigger right now.”

  “Don’t move,” I said.

  She let go of my pants.

  “Zoey, don’t listen to him.”

  “I don’t want you to die,” she whispered and walked away, toward one of the guards.

  “Unbuckle your holster,” Craig ordered.

  “Set your fucking guns down, or we’ll pull the triggers.” Axel’s voice boomed from above. “Look at your guards’ foreheads. You have the same one on yours.” A red dot, one on each head, appeared. Where the heck had they come from? Was Emma’s team here already? How had Axel pulled this off?

  “If you like your brains whole, you’ll set your fucking guns down. I will not repeat myself.”

  “One way or another, she dies.” Harper’s body turned toward Zoey, the gun in his hand moving in her direction in slow motion. I heard a loud “No!” from the side as Zack jumped out and grasped Harper’s arm. Taking the opportunity, Axel pulled his trigger at the guard, hitting him in his shoulder. I reached for my gun, and as the second guard came toward me, I pulled the trigger, hitting him in his arm. He dropped the gun but headed back for it. I shot at his thigh, then the other, and he fell crippled to the ground, wailing in pain.

  “Stay down,” I said to Zoey who huddled behind a big plant.

  Harper and Zack struggled for the gun and shots went off, flying toward the ceiling and walls. One skimmed right by my ear, almost hitting me. I waited for a clear view and finally pulled the trigger, hitting Harper in his back, right behind his heart. They both fell to the ground, Harper dead and Zack struggling to breathe.

  “Oh, my God!” Zoey ran to him. Zack got up to his knees. “You helped us. Why did you help us?”

  “You may be a woman, Zoey, but you’ll always be my child. I’m so sorry for everything. I… I didn’t know how to make things right. Please help Madison. She’s gone through hell, and she’ll need help with the baby.”

  Why was he talking like he was dying?

  That’s when I saw him remove his jacket. Unfortunately the bullet I’d shot hadn’t stopped at Craig’s heart. It went right through him and hit Zack. The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. Axel managed to get the weapons from two more of Craig’s guards as they pushed through the door. The rest had apparently already been taken care of. I shook my head at my brother, for the first time grateful I’d worked with him when Father still had us under his wing, when we were on the other side, fighting the system.

  Watching Zoey take her father into her arms might have given him time he didn’t deserve. I was ready to pull the trigger again, but if it weren’t for him, who knew how today would have turned out?

  “You’ll be fine. You have a baby to raise.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t have much time, Zoey. I do love you and Julia, but I screwed up so bad, for a long time I didn’t think there was even a chance you’d want me in your life.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. You’ll be fine.”

  He lowered his gaze to the spreading circle of blood on his shirt. He coughed, spitting blood. I rushed over to him. “Lie down.” I pressed my hands to the wound, somewhat stopping the bleeding.

  FBI agents, along with Emma’s team, barged through the door. The paramedic team took Zack to the hospital while Zoey found Madison. Covered in blankets, the rescued girls sat on the couch holding hands, staring out the window. If Zack survived this, I hoped he would re-evaluate his parenting skills and how he treated the two daughters he already had, before the next one was born.

  Once I guided the team to the basement, I went back upstairs and took Zoey into my arms.

  “It’s all over, baby. It’s all done. Are you ready to go home?”

  She leaned her head against me, sighing. “Yes, please take me to your condo.”

  “Our condo,” I corrected. “Would you like to come with us, Madison?”

  “No, thank you. But if you could drive me to the hospital where Zack was taken, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Will do. You’re a strong woman to believe in him.”

  “I’m not
going only for him. I’m going for me too. It’s time to remove this tracker from my arm.”

  It never ceased to amaze me how much strength women like Zoey and Madison were capable of. Emma stopped us at the door. “You made this job easier, Wagner. But I was hoping you’d keep Craig alive so we could find out about his connections and other sectors of his business.”

  Was this the right time to tell her that Craig Harper didn’t deserve to breathe another moment? Probably not.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to get to those as well. I need a fucking vacation. See you later, Cross.”

  In the driveway, Axel had already brought my car to the front. He took the driver’s seat while I held Zoey in my arms in the back, and drove Madison to the hospital before heading back to Manhattan. Before he left, I hugged my brother harder than usual. I wouldn’t forget this day for the rest of my life, and now I actually had a chance to live out the rest of my life with the woman I loved — if she’d have me, of course.

  Epilogue

  Zoey

  It had been a month since Craig Harper fell dead to the floor. The case had been wrapped up, and all the girls from the basement of his mansion, as well as those at other compounds Gabe was able to locate off the memory stick they copied, had been freed.

  I had spent a few days recovering at the hospital before Ace took me back to his condo, or our condo, I should say. There was new furniture as well as dozens upon dozens of vases filled with white roses. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of blossoms in the condo, and their delicate scent was perfect. And once a bloom shed its petals, he replaced it with a fresh one.

  “Are you ready?” Ace asked.

  “I’m not sure. You’re not telling me where we’re going, so how can I be ready?”

  I knew that we were supposed to go to his nephew’s fifth birthday party that afternoon, as a couple, where I’d officially be introduced to his parents, but apparently Ace had another surprise for me.

  “I have to blindfold you.”

  I felt shivers run up my arms as memories from a month ago flooded through me. I had these moments of weakness, when through a small connection, everything rushed back in.

  “Is that okay?” He tapped my chin with his finger, bringing my gaze to his. I promised Ace I would tell him everything and anything that bothered me, and he had done the same. My therapist insisted on keeping the lines of communication open. Apparently the past two years of my life would slowly come back to haunt me if I didn’t face them first. Ace had found Doctor Powell through his mother, who praised the professional as trustworthy and friendly. And she was. I’d never spoken openly to anyone about Infinity, probably because I was under a contract and feared for my life. Now that I was free, I felt my words and tears spill to Doctor Powell all on their own. There was so much I bottled up inside, sometimes I wondered how I’d been able to contain it all without falling apart. I had yet to find the strength to tell my sister the truth.

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “You can remove it at any time if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

  “No, I think I’ll be fine. As long as you don’t leave my side.”

  “Never, Tink. Never.”

  Five minutes later, we were in his Jaguar, driving to Long Island. He’d said the surprise wasn’t far away from his parent’s house. I gasped when Ace put on a Chicago soundtrack. My muscles immediately relaxed as we drove. Ace kept smoothing my hand in reassuring strokes every few moments when he could let go of the steering wheel.

  When Ace parked the car and turned the ignition off, I felt my stomach twist into tight knots.

  “I’m going to walk around the car and open your door.”

  “Okay.”

  The assurance in his voice felt calming. Ace guided me out of the car, and I stepped on to what I assumed was a sidewalk. The sound of the almost-empty street and the smell of freshly baked goods were familiar.

  “I’m going to remove the blindfold now.”

  I nodded. His fingers were swift and fast. The cloth dropped off my eyes, and it took a moment for my sight to adjust to the brightness. My gaze landed on the clear glass wall in front of me before lifting to the sign: “Zoey Tinks Dance Studio.”

  “What?”

  My eyes stung with tears. Beyond the wall, there were plants and mats and an office by the side door, its front nicely camouflaged with decorative blinds. Then my attention was drawn back to the studio where my mom and Sid appeared from behind a partition, waving flowers and holding a bottle of champagne. Oh, Ace had probably scored some extra brownie points in her book with this renovation. Soon after Harper was shot, she’d called me and Jules to tell us that our father had been in some sort of an altercation and was recovering from a gunshot wound. If she only knew half the truth, she’d never talk to him again. But if I were willing to bet, my mother knew him better than anyone else. I would forever be grateful that he tried to stop Craig that day, but it would take a while longer for us to have any kind of relationship.

  For now, I decided that our only contact would be through Madison. We kept in touch, and she apologized for my father and for herself over and over again. Her innocence scared me, but all the choices she had made, including putting me to sleep with tea, centered on the baby growing inside her, along with wanting to help. I held onto hope that she would find a way to move on from Infinity.

  “You don’t have to keep it.” Ace’s voice was filled with nerves. “But I think you’d enjoy teaching dance again.”

  “I will. Oh, my God! This is amazing, Ace. I can’t believe you did this.”

  “There’s an additional unit up for sale, if you’d like to expand—”

  “—you already bought it, didn’t you?” I laughed.

  “Are you mad? I mean, I know you like your independence.”

  “No, of course not. I love it when you spoil me. And I’m sorry I’d been so closed off, but—”

  “—you don’t owe me an explanation.”

  “I do, Ace. I really, really do, because I don’t want to live another day without telling you that I love you. I love you with all my heart and I couldn’t tell you before because I knew what it felt like to have hope and love stripped away and if anything happened to me I didn’t want you to go without knowing, and—”

  “—Zoey, please. Stop. You don’t need to explain. I knew you loved me. I saw it in your sad eyes, and I’m so happy to see it in your happy ones now. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear those words from you, but I’d wait another thousand years if I had to.”

  “But then you’d be wrinkly and gray. And I don’t even want to think about the smell of a thousand-year-old man,” I laughed.

  “I love that sound,” he said. “And I love you.”

  I threw my arms around him and kissed him hard on the lips.

  “I’m glad you’re in a good mood, because there’s more.”

  I laughed again, “More?” My cheeks would be sore before the end of the day.

  “Yeah. You don’t expect me to let you commute that far each day, do you?”

  My eyes went wide as he reached into his pocket and dangled a set of new keys.

  “I bought us a house close to Scar’s. I have a feeling Julia may move there soon, and this way you two can remain close to each other. What do you think?”

  I wasn’t sure I could contain any more love this man was giving me.

  “I will follow you wherever you go. Always.” I kissed him again. This could never get old. “Will you let me decorate it?”

  “Of course.”

  I threw my arms around his neck again and snuggled my nose into his neck. I just knew that Ace would always smell this good, no matter how old he got. This was amazing. He was amazing. Ace had not only given me a new set of wings, he made me feel loved and special and most importantly, worthy.

  “I think they’re getting impatient.” I pointed to the window where Sid had his arms around my mom who seemed to be trying to wigg
le out of his grip to join us.

  “They’ll need to wait a few minutes because there’s one more thing.”

  “What? You’ve got to stop spoiling me.”

  Actually, I didn’t mind this at all. This was the kind of attention I couldn’t get enough of, simply because I knew Ace’s only motive was to love me. He reached inside his other pocket and pulled out a square box.

  I gasped.

  My eyes watered.

  He knelt.

  I couldn’t stop crying. This wasn’t happening to me, was it?

  Ace took in a deep breath before looking up. “It may seem like too soon, but to me it feels like it’s not soon enough. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else but you. Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?”

  The little velvet box opened. A beautiful green princess cut diamond glistened in the sun.

  Tink’s favorite color.

  My gaze darted from him to my mother, who too was crying behind the glass wall. Sid nodded with a smile, kissing my mother on her head.

  I looked back down at Ace certain there was no other face I wanted to wake up to each morning for the rest of my life.

  “Yes. A thousand times yes.”

  He grabbed me into his arms and spun us in a circle.

  “Please hold off on the announcement at Trevor’s birthday. I want all the attention on him.”

  “You got it, Tink. But only because I’m planning to give all my attention to you tonight.”

  He sealed my lips with a kiss, and I felt complete.

  Most important, in the secure cage of his arms, I finally felt free.

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Loyal Cheaters. I cannot get enough of the Wagner brothers and now, it’s time for the oldest ones, Axel’s, story. He will star in his own novel, Broken Cheaters, which will be available Spring 2016.

  More experienced, rougher and with the heart of the most loving father I have written about, Axel will steal the show, your heart and everyone’s soul.