“Ashton and the rest of my team will set up a perimeter around the apartment building Switch has Izzy and Xavier in. If I know Switch, he’ll catch wind at the last minute I’m in The Circle and will leave them alone. If that happens, Ashton and the rest of my team will extract them.”
“All right let’s get moving then. We have a lot of planning to do before tonight,” Ashley responds. There’s a catch in her voice, something is bothering her.
“What is it, Ash?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t tell me nothing, I know better than that.”
She hesitates before answering, “Why did they want Redline and what’s going to happen to Austin? He’s still my brother and there has to be a reason why he’s here. Over the past few months, he hasn’t acted out or anything. He fit right in with the rest of us, this doesn’t make any sense.” She sits up and climbs off me, pacing the small bedroom.
“I’ll have Ashton dig into his past and see if Switch has something on him that forced him to come along. If not, I can’t guarantee his safety.” I stand up and stop directly in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. This will break her heart, but I don’t want secrets between us. “If he’s betrayed you, here on his own free will and has been playing you this whole time, I will take him down, no hesitation.”
“It’s part of the game, I know. I hope that’s not the case.” She walks into the attached bathroom and shuts the door. Something’s got to give. I knock on the door, “Ash, I promise we’ll explore all options before we do anything.” Resting my head on the door, I wait for her to answer.
She turns the shower on before answering, “I know, Nolan, I just wish it wasn’t like this.”
“Me too, Ash, me too.” I walk across the room and put on my blue jeans and a black t-shirt on. I strap my nine-mil to my side and walk out the door into the living room. Ashton is sitting on the couch with the laptop on doing a search. He’s staring out the window into the bright sunny day, lost in his own thoughts. Entering the kitchen, I start a pot of coffee and drum my fingers on the counter. Thinking back to all the events that have developed, I’m absorbed in my own head. The note, Izzy and Xavier missing, the phone call from Switch, arriving in New York City, going to The Circle alone, the girl, Ashley showing up, my demon fighting to be freed, all of it. It all repeats in my head over and over and it’s driving me crazy. There’s something we’re missing, some piece of the puzzle we’re not seeing.
“Hey man, you good?” Rush asks, snapping me out of my mind.
“Yeah, I’m good. I’m just trying to figure all of this out. Why, after all these years, come after me now? It’s not like I took anything important with me when I left.” I wrack my knuckles on the counter, trying to put the pieces together. Ashton, Rush, and Ashley are standing around me now, watching and waiting for me to say something else. “When I left, there was nothing of importance I took with me. I just don’t get it.” Pacing the tiny kitchen and the three pairs of eyes on me is making me feel trapped, caged in like an animal. I’ve got to get out of here. I need to get out of here.
I yank open the apartment door and head toward the stairs leading up to the rooftop. I need some air and open space. My ears are ringing and my heart is beating hard against my chest. The demon is begging to break free and wreak havoc on everything and everyone around me. I don’t want to fight it, I want to set it free and destroy everything around me. It might be the only way to save Izzy and Xavier. I won’t be the same after this, none of us will be.
Chapter 17
Ashley
Nolan takes off from the apartment barefoot and he doesn’t stop when I call out his name. I’ve been watching the struggle in his eyes. The fight he’s been putting up against his own head. If this goes on for much longer, I’m going to lose him, and I can’t lose him. Without him in my life nothing makes sense.
I pour myself and Nolan a cup of coffee and turn toward Rush. “I’m happy you’re here. It’s not the best circumstances, but shit keeps changing. We need to stay ahead the best we can. I’m going to talk to Nolan and I want you to watch the video from last night. Ashton has it.” I turn toward Ashton, “Can you get Rush all caught up to speed with what has happened and what we are dealing with now? I need to check on Nolan.”
“We’ve got this part covered.” Ashton agrees.
“Oh, one more thing. Run a background and full scan on Austin Jonathan Force. Dig deep and find his connection to all of this. He should never have been here. There’s something we’re not seeing, and he was missing for several years of my life. See if you can find anything on that time he was gone.”
“Wait,” Rush says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why Austin? What the hell is going on?”
I turn around with my hand still on the doorknob, “Austin is here, and he helped kidnap Redline last night. You’ll see it all on the footage.” I open the door and slam it shut behind me, trying to balance two coffee cups at the same time. It’s quiet out in the hallway and my feet sink into the plush carpet. Looking right toward the elevators, I spot a shadow in the corner. The person’s head pulls back quickly around the bend. I turn left and head toward the stairs that lead to the roof. Climbing the stairs, the hair on the back of my neck rise and I quickly turn around. No one is there, but it feels like there are eyes on me.
I push the heavy metal door open with my hip and the bright sunlight blinds me for a second. After my eyes adjust to the bright sun, I spot Nolan pacing back and forth, his feet are red from the cold and he appears to be lost in his own head. His body is tense, and his hands are shaking. Approaching him carefully, I set the cups down on the iron table.
“Nolan,” I speak, gaining his attention. His eyes pin me to my spot and I can’t move. Gone is the carefree guy I’ve grown to love. In his place is the cold hard killer he’s afraid of letting loose.
“Leave,” he grunts through clenched teeth.
“I’m not going anywhere.” There’s a slight shake in my voice and his lips snarl in a menacing grin. I just fucked up. His demon prays on the weak and I made myself sound like it. Straightening my spine, I release my authority. “Nolan, get the fuck over yourself. I’m not going anywhere.” I hide my shaking hands and school my features, facing him head on.
“I said leave,” his tone is low and deadly. He paces around me, watching and waiting for a shake or anything for him to rip apart.
“No,” I answer firmly, following him with narrow eyes. “I’m not leaving and you’re not giving up. Get the fuck over yourself, get control and drink some coffee. We have a lot of shit to handle in the little bit of time we have left before you enter The Circle.”
Nolan stalks up behind me, and I don’t move a muscle. He wants to test me, and I’ll welcome whatever he throws at me. His hands grip my waist, his fingers digging into my hips. Yanking my back against his hard chest, I let him handle me however he needs to. His lips trail up the side of my neck and I tip my head to the side, giving him room. I close my eyes and inhale his woodsy scent wrapping around me. The wind is lightly blowing, and goosebumps break out across my skin from his hot breath and the cool air. The sensation is intoxicating.
“I’m no good for you, Ash. I can’t control this anymore.” Nolan whispers in my ear.
Taking a chance, I turn around and his hands grip my ass, pulling me closer to him. I look him directly in the eyes and gently cup his face with my fingers, his stubble rough under my hands. “Yes, you can. You are my perfect match, Nolan. Always have been, always will be. Pull yourself together and fight this. I need you to get Izzy and Xavier back. I can’t do it without you.”
Nolan closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath. I lightly kiss him on his cheek, his stubble tickling my lips. “You can do this, I’m here to help. You’re not alone anymore,” I whisper in his ear.
His fingers loosen their grip on my ass and Nolan nuzzles my neck, his hot breath fanning across my skin. He breathes deep and rests his head against mine. “I’m losing contro
l and I can’t stop it.”
“Yes, you can. You’ve done it before, you can do it again. We’ll do it together,” I encourage him. We stand here for a moment, Nolan trying to regain the upper hand and pull himself together. I’m trying to stay strong and not make him snap. “Come on, let’s drink our coffee and put together a plan, please.”
He releases his tight grip on me and picks up his mug, the turmoil he’s suffering is written all over his face. Nolan scrunches his nose and a wrinkle forms in the center of his forehead. I rub my fingers over the crease, not taking my eyes off him. His face relaxes from my touch and he gazes out into the city skyline. Closing his eyes, he releases a deep breath. “Thank you, Ashley. What we’re going to walk into tonight will not be roses and sunshine. It will be dark and deadly. My body will respond to the scene and there will be no mercy.”
“I know,” I reply taking a drink of my coffee. The bittersweet taste coating my tongue and throat. Looking out over the skyline, I’m left breathless at the beauty of New York City. The buildings are glistening from the bright sun, hiding the evil that lurks below. I can faintly hear the horns from the cars several stories below and the sirens from police cars. Turning toward Nolan, he’s looking out over the city, lost in his own mind, only this time he’s here with me not battling for control. I rest my cold hand on his warm arm and he turns in my direction. “I’m prepared for it and ready to face this head on. I hate sitting idle and now that Rush is here, we can get on with it and get Izzy, Xavier, and Redline back.”
We finish our coffee in silence and head back inside. The hair on the back of my neck standing on end again and I falter a little on the steps. Righting my stumble, I scan the stairs below us. It’s a dark descent into the hallway and a creepy sensation washes over me. Nolan is right behind me, his hands are holding my hips, keeping me balanced.
“Ash, what is it?” he asks.
“It feels like someone is watching us. I had the same reaction coming up here, and I brushed it off, but twice in a row is not a coincidence. Someone’s here.” I whisper and stop walking. We both quiet our breathing and listen carefully. There’s a faint ticking of the heater and soft footsteps scurrying away. A giggle breaks the quietness. Nolan releases my hips, and he’s moving fast down the stairwell and around the corner before I even realize he’s gone.
“Nolan, wait!” I shout, but it’s too late. He’s out of my sight in a flash. I hurry down the stairs and around the dreaded corner. Nolan is nowhere around. I sprint down the hallway toward the elevators just as Rush and Ashton open the apartment door.
“Ash, what’s going on?” Rush barks.
“Someone was here, now Nolan’s gone,” I answer over my shoulder. I hear the door shut behind me when I skid around another corner. Empty. I push open another stairwell door leading down to the lobby and quickly make my way down to the next landing, Rush, and Ashton are hot on my heels. I keep going down as fast as I can, my legs are burning, and my feet are slapping the floor, but I push forward, desperate to get to Nolan. We reach the bottom quickly.
I attempt to open the door, but Ashton pulls me back. “I’ll go first, then you follow.” He draws his .45 caliber from his side and pushes me back against the wall.
“Fucking move it would you,” I growl, highly irritated he’s taking his time. He pins me with a glare that has me keeping my mouth shut for a moment. If he doesn’t move his ass, I’m going to bust through without him. The longer we wait in here, the farther away Nolan is. I can feel it in my soul he won’t be in the lobby that he’s disappeared.
Ashton pushes the door open and disappears. I follow right behind him and almost collide with his muscular back. He holsters his gun and turns around, shaking his head. I whip my head in every direction and panic sets in.
Nolan is gone. He’s nowhere in the lobby. Men and women are coming and going, starting their day or finishing it up. I quickly make my way across the marble floor and shove open the outside door. I stumble onto the sidewalk from my fast pace and the bright sun blinds me for a moment. Squinting my eyes, I look left and then right. Nothing. He’s not here.
“Fuck,” Ashton growls right behind me. “Where the hell did he go? Son of a bitch.”
Tears well up in my eyes and I push my emotions deep down, not letting the sadness overtake me. Walking back inside the building, we’re all quiet when we enter the elevator and exit on our floor. I open the door first and Nolan’s scent lingers in my nose. Stifling a sob, I plop down onto the couch and release a breath.
Ashton sits down in the chair next to the window and Rush sits down next to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and tries to soothe my aching heart.
“Ashley,” Ashton says quietly. “Tell us exactly what happened.”
I stare into his eyes and retell everything that happened. He nods a few times and pulls out his phone from his pocket. He’s typing away while I’m talking. When I finish his phone buzzes with a text. His brow furrow’s, creating a deep crease in his forehead.
“What are we going to do now?” I ask.
“Where’s Nolan’s phone?” Ashton asks.
“His phone?” I return, confused.
“Yes, his phone. Where is it?”
“I don’t know. I figured he had it on him. Why? What’s going on?” I ask.
“He doesn’t have it on him. The GPS app isn’t on either. That tells me he either shut it off or someone shut it off.”
“Can you track his last location?” Rush asks.
“I tried but it’s showing it’s here.”
“What the hell does his phone have to do with anything?” I’m beyond pissed now. I want to get him back, not look for a damn phone.
Ashton releases a deep breath, “Before he left Michigan, he received a phone call from Switch. Telling him he has Izzy and Xavier. Maybe if we find the phone, we can find more clues to where he might be.”
“But we know Switch has Izzy and Xavier in the apartment building down the street. What the fuck else would we find on it?”
“There’s got to be something on it, come on help me find it,” Ashton says standing up. He walks into the kitchen and starts looking. Rush gets up to help.
I draw my shaking legs up and go into the bedroom. Grief surrounds me when I walk in and can smell him everywhere in the small room. I wipe the tears from my eyes and start looking. A few minutes later I find his phone under the bed. He must have knocked it off the stand this morning when he got up. I hit the side button and a lock screen appears. It’s a picture of us together out in L.A. on the beach. We’re both smiling, gazing into each other’s eyes, portraying the love we share. Rush walks into the room and finds me crumbled on the floor, tears spilling from my eyes. I wipe them away and hand him the phone.
“Iverson, she found it,” Rush shouts. Ashton walks into the room, takes the phone from Rush’s hands and walks back out. Rush sits on the floor next to me and holds me tight, trying to comfort me. “Ash, you’ve got to pull it together, please. Don’t disappear on me now. We all need you to find your inner strength and help us. Izzy, Xavier, Redline, Austin, and Nolan. They all need you to be strong and get them out of there, find a way to get them out. You can do it and I’m here to help.”
I wipe my nose and clean my face with the sleeve of my hoodie. Rush’s black eyes are watching me, waiting for me to do something. Finally, it clicks and excitement strums through my body.
“I know what I have to do. I know how to get them back. Come on.” I stand up without waiting for a reply from Rush and hurry into the living room. “Ashton, I know what I have to do. Give me Nolan’s phone.”
Ashton looks up at me from the couch. He has his laptop open on the coffee table and it’s running a program while hooked up to the phone. Numbers and letters are swirling around on the screen. It beeps, and he disconnects Nolan’s phone, handing it to me. Ashton was breaking in to access Nolan’s information. I click on his contact Icon and scroll until I find what I’m looking for. I click on the message I
con under the contact and send a quick message. I see he did the same thing a few hours ago, while he was supposed to be sleeping. He already had it set up for him, now I did it for me.
“Ash, what are you doing?” Rush asks trying to peek over my shoulder.
“There, done. Do what you need to do now, Ashton.” I reply ignoring Rush.
“Krimson,” Rush growls. He’s pissed. He only uses my street name when he’s talking to someone or irritated with me. “What the hell did you just do?”
“I’m getting our friends back,” I answer over my shoulder as I walk toward the bedroom to get ready.
“God damn it, Krimson. What the hell did you do?” Rush pleads.
I stop at the door and turn around facing him. “I did the only thing I can do. I’m fighting in The Circle tonight.”
Chapter 18
Nolan
Darkness. That’s all I see surrounding me is darkness. I fade in and out of consciousness several times.
Voices. Muffled, hate-filled voices assault my ears when I slip in and out of consciousness.
Pain. White hot pain pierces my body. My arms and legs are numb from the burn of the ropes and I fall in and out of consciousness.
Confusion. Waking up in total darkness blurs my mind, my aching body, and my tortured soul.
Where am I? What happened? Why are my hands tied? Why can’t I move? These questions assault my mind as I fade in and out of consciousness, again.
Dreams. I dream about better times, happier days filled with love and laughter. Ashley is the star of my dreams. The first time I heard her voice, the first time I saw her. These memories flip through my mind like a movie playing on repeat. They can torture my body, but they can’t touch my mind as I slip back into unconsciousness.
***************
“Nolan,” Xavier stops me from walking toward my Dodge Ram pickup. His jeans are covered in grease and his blue eyes are etched with worry. We’ve been working on their race cars non-stop. They have a couple of days before their big race and both of them are trying to deal with Izzy’s dad still in a coma after his accident. Not to mention there’s someone out here trying to hurt them. “I need a favor. With our big race coming up, I want to do something for Izzy. Something to put a smile on her face. I have a cell number for her friend she lived with out in California. Will you call her and see if she’ll come out to support Izzy? She hasn’t said it, but I know she misses her.”
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