by Linzi Baxter
Mom went limp in her captor’s arms, causing him to lose his grip on her. She reached for her hip, and a moment later, I heard the sound of a gun. Understanding what my mom had just done, I pulled the trigger and dropped the other guy.
“Now I have blood all over the floor. I wish, when people showed up like this, they would let me know ahead of time so I could put down a tarp.”
Jessica was still holding the gun, shaking. I walked over to her and took the gun from her hands. I pulled her into my arms, and she started to weep. “I almost got your mom killed.”
Before I had time to respond, my mom replied, “Oh, dear, don’t worry about me. It’s been a few years since someone has tried to kill me. It really gets the blood pumping, doesn’t it?” Mom turned back to the body she was dragging out of the kitchen door.
“Did your mom say people have tried to kill her before? Why? She’s so sweet.”
On the outside, my mom looked like the sweetest person, like a little old lady you wanted to wrap up in a hug. “Mom worked for MI6 before I was born. She was one of their top assassins. Every so often, someone tries to take her out.”
“I’ll have the farm hands dispose of the body. Brock, go grab the cleaning supplies.”
We spent the rest of the night cleaning and listening to Mom’s stories from her time in MI6. We decided we’d head home in the morning. We needed to stop these men from hurting anyone else.
17
Jessica
The noise coming from my assistant’s desk brought me back to the land of the living and out of the number trance I had been in. I could hear Bridget and Sophie talking to my assistant, and I could hear Alonzo cooing. Bridget was married to my boss, Alex Ross. They had their baby, Alonzo, four months ago.
My office door opened. Bridget and Sophie came in and sat down in the chairs in front of my desk. Bridget shifted to move Alonzo to her right shoulder so she could soothe him. Needing my baby fix, I got up and took Alonzo from her. I walked back to my desk and sat down.
Alonzo was already reaching for my glasses. He was the happiest baby I had ever seen. “Thank you for bringing the baby to see me.” I knew they’d come for another reason, and I had an inkling I knew what it was.
Bridget leaned back in the chair. “I didn’t bring Alonzo here to see you. I spend my days playing with either a computer or a baby, and nobody tells me gossip anymore. I want to know how your trip with Brock went. I also want to know if it’s true that his mom actually shot one of the men after the bounty?”
“I’m still not sure where Brock’s mom had the gun hidden. When we came back from the lake, a man had a gun to Suzy’s head. All I could think about was how my past would destroy Brock’s future. The next thing I know, she’s fired a gun, and the man behind her dropped. I looked over to see if Brock shot him. He didn’t appear have an open shot with the way the guy was holding Suzy. But she stepped away, still holding the gun in her hand, and shot him again. I’ll tell you one thing. I’m afraid that if I ever upset Brock, she might come after me.”
Sophie had a big grin on her face. “If I ever get married or find a man I want to settle down with, I hope his mom is like Brock’s. I looked at the surveillance video from their house. She was amazing. Seeing a little five-foot elderly lady take down a six-foot-four bounty hunter was spectacular.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Bridget said. “Have you talked to Patty since this happened?”
I hadn’t. I’d been avoiding Patty. Not wanting to answer Bridget’s question, I changed the subject. “Are you guys planning on going over for the wedding?”
Bridget leaned forward. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re trying to do. Patty called this morning. She’s beside herself that you won’t take her calls.”
I sighed. “Every time I talk to her, she begs me to come back to Shialia, and I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“Jessica, these men are coming after you here. Brock will do everything he can to protect you, but you need to stop letting these men win, and live your life.”
“You don’t know what I’ve been through. It’s easy for someone to sit there and tell me what to do, but you haven’t undergone days of being tortured.”
Sophie bristled. “I’ve seen the files, and I’ve seen more than you know. You know nothing of my past and what I’ve been through. I’m just telling you that you will regret not seeing the birth of your niece or nephew, and you’re letting these men win.”
That was true. I didn’t know anything about Sophie’s past. I was still trying to figure how she knew so much about mine. “I’m thinking about it, but I’m still not sure if I’m going. I’ll talk to Brock about it tonight. I know it doesn’t matter where I am. It seems I’m not safe anywhere. I’m worried that, if I go home, I’ll feel more vulnerable and I won’t be able to protect myself.”
Alonzo fussed in my arms, and Bridget came to take him back. “We’ll come with you if you need us to.”
It was sweet of Bridget to offer, but this was my demon, and I needed to face it. “I think I can do it, and I’m seriously considering it. But don’t tell Patty!”
Bridget nodded at me, and then I turned to Sophie. “And when are you gonna tell us where you keep getting all your information? I know you’re a hacker, but you seem to be hacking databases that could get you into a lot of trouble.”
In the chair next to Sophie, Bridget threw up her arms. “Don’t you think I’ve been trying to figure that out? My best friend is holding out on me! I’ve checked every database I can find, and I can’t figure out where she’s going. I put key logging apps on our laptops, but she’s not using any of the laptops I can find.”
For the first time in a long time, Sophie looked upset. Usually, nothing ever rocked her emotions. “One day, I will tell you what’s going on. But until then, please drop it.” Sophie got up and walked out of my office.
Both Bridget and I were a little stunned. “I didn’t mean to piss her off.”
Bridget got up with Alonzo on one shoulder. She reached down to grab the baby bag with her free hand. “She’s been like this for the past year. Something’s going on, and she’s not ready to tell us. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not stopping me from digging around to see if I can find out for myself because she would do the same for me. But when she’s ready, she’ll bring us in. Just don’t forget that we’re here for you too.”
It was around five o’clock, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be there for Patty when the baby was born. She had always been there for me. I needed to get past my fears and go be with her. As long as Sam and Brock were there, I would be okay.
I got all my stuff ready and headed over to see what Brock’s response would be to going out for dinner tonight. Traffic was light, and the trip over to the club went quickly. Daisy was working behind the front desk when I arrived. The club had been open for a few hours, but people who showed up early only sat at the bar and talked.
Daisy had on a white cocktail dress instead of her regular fet wear. “Daisy, aren’t you going to the club tonight?”
“Daisy’s Master Neal is out of town. Daisy volunteered to work the desk tonight, and then she’s gonna go home.”
I walked over and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you, Daisy. We’re heading out for dinner.”
Leaving Daisy to greet the people who walked into the club, I headed down the stairs. It was still early, so the music wasn’t loud. I walked toward the bar, looking for Brock. After my conversation with Sophie and Bridget today, I was ready to talk about heading over to see my sister and Sam.
When I sat down at the bar, Eric came over and brought me a glass of wine. “Do you know where Brock is?” I asked.
Eric shuffled from foot to foot. I could tell he was uncomfortable about answering my question. When he looked over to his left, I followed his gaze. Brock was in the middle of a scene with a beautiful redhead.
When I stood, Eric grabbed my hand. “It’s not what it looks like. You n
eed to talk to him before you get mad.”
I looked over at the scene again. The woman looked like she was in ecstasy. “It looks to me like I’m not giving Brock what he needs.” And that Eric was covering for his friend.
Eric ran his hand down his face in frustration. “Jessica, it is not what it seems. He’s helping with a scene. Don’t jump to any conclusions.”
I yanked my hand out from under Eric’s. “Fine, but I’m not gonna sit here and watch it. I’ll go upstairs and wait for him.” Not waiting to hear what Eric would say to defend his friend, I stood up and headed toward the door.
Tears started pouring down my face. How could he do this to me? How could he do what my ex-husband had done to me already? At least my ex-husband hid it from me. Brock was shoving it right in my face.
On the way up to Brock’s apartment, a plan flashed into my head. Maybe it was time to head to Shialia and see my sister. Alone.
I dug my phone from my purse and dialed our pilot. He said he could get a plane ready for me within the hour.
I headed to the apartment and back to my room. I needed to pack and get out of there before Brock saw me. I wanted to be in the air before he even realized what happened. It would give me time to think about what I saw.
Once I had my suitcase filled, I reached up and took off the necklace that Brock had given me. Without my GPS tracker, it would be harder for Brock to find me.
All I had to do now was figure out how to get out of the building without being seen. The front door was covered. Daisy would know something was up and alert Brock that I’d left.
I knew my Lexus SUV was parked in the back of the lot. If I could get down the stairs without being seen, I could go out the back door to my car.
By some miracle, I made it down the stairs and out the back door without being seen. As I was getting into my car, I heard shouting coming from the back door. I looked up to see John coming toward me. Knowing I needed to hurry, I put the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot.
18
Brock
Since taking over the club, I’d been helping newbie Doms with their subs. Kent and Sarah were struggling to communicate, and Kent was having a hard time reading Sarah’s body language. I agreed to help them this afternoon. Doing a teaching scene was the last thing I wanted to do. It felt weird, touching someone else’s sub, even though I knew it was a teaching moment.
“Kent, see when I hit here, how she turns and how her body reacts?” At his nod, I continued to flog Sarah. After about a half hour, I let Kent try, and the session seemed to get them more in sync. “I think you guys are heading in the right direction. You need to be open to each other and talk about what’s going right and what’s going wrong. If you need anything else, let me know.”
Not needing to see any more of their scene, I headed toward the bar. Eric was working, and he didn’t look happy. “What’s got you looking under the weather?”
He placed his hands on the bar and leaned forward. “You didn’t think it was appropriate to tell Jessica you were helping Doms?” His anger vibrated off of him.
His comment threw me for a loop. “Kent and Sarah came to me today. I didn’t think it would be any big deal.”
“No big deal? Jessica stormed out of here because she saw you with Sarah. That was exactly what her ex-husband used to do. What do you think her first conclusion was?”
I had never even thought about it that way because I wasn’t doing it for me. I headed straight upstairs to the apartment. I needed to talk to her before she got too upset or did something irrational.
The second I walked in, I knew something was wrong. I called Jessica’s name from the entryway, but there was no answer. An eerie feeling came over me as I walked back to the bedroom. My suspicions were proved true when I found her closet empty. When I walked over to the dresser, I noticed she had left her necklace.
She’d put herself in danger by taking off for no good reason because she didn’t stop and talk to me. Now I had no way to find her. The first thing I did was run down to my office and pull up all my video surveillance to see if she’d gone to one of her houses.
The video footage came up as I reached for a Mountain Dew. I had pulled up all the camera footage. Each of my five monitors was streaming a camera. Everything looked the same as it did the other day. She wasn’t in any of the houses or at her condo. I pulled up the video feed for the club to see what time she had left.
While that was loading, I reached for my phone and called John. After a couple rings, he answered. ”I don’t have time to talk right now!”
“I don’t care if you don’t have time. Jessica is missing. She misunderstood something, and now I can’t find her.”
I heard John huff on the other end. “Misunderstood? You were doing a scene with another woman. Why didn’t you tell her what you were doing? She jumped to the conclusion that you were like her ex-husband.”
I had fucked up so bad, and now all I wanted to do was get her back. “I know, but we need to find her so I can explain. I was helping Sarah and Kent.”
“I know what you were doing. Jessica doesn’t. I saw her leaving, so I jumped in my car. I’m trying to catch up to her, but she’s driving like a maniac.”
“Keep me posted if you catch her. I’ll pull up the GPS on your car.”
I screamed in frustration. I didn’t do that scene for my pleasure. I needed to hand the training off to someone else. I never wanted to hurt Jessica. I did it to help someone, and if she would just stay around long enough for me to explain, it would be better. But now she was probably in danger.
My phone rang. Figuring it was John, I swiped my finger across the screen. “What do you have?” I demanded.
“Hello to you too.” Sam’s voice came through the line, dripping with sarcasm.
“Sam, I don’t have time to talk right now. I have a situation.”
I heard Sam wrestling with something on the other end of the phone. “Well, you need to make time. We have a bigger situation than whatever your problem is.”
“Tell me what’s going on, and make it quick. Jessica misunderstood something she saw, and now we can’t find her.”
“You have got to be kidding me! How could you lose her? What the fuck did you do?”
“I was helping a Dom and his sub. She misinterpreted it and took off. Now we can’t find her. So what the hell do you need help with?”
There was a long pause before Sam’s voice came through again. “The King had more men turn on us. Axmed escaped.”
How could things get any worse? First Jessica ran off, mad but probably okay. Now the man who had tortured her had escaped, and I didn’t know where she was.
Sam informed me he had everything under control in Shialia. All he had to do was keep the newest traitor in jail.
“If you had killed Axmed like I asked, we wouldn’t be in the situation.”
“Don’t start on me with that shit. You did something foolish, and Jessica took off. We need to locate her before Axmed’s men do. I’ll talk with Patty and see if she’s heard from Jessica. Keep me informed.” The line went dead.
Come on, Jessica. Where did you go?
Jessica
I made it to the airport in record time. I had made a call to Patty on my way to the airport and let her know I was coming and asked her not to tell Sam. I explained what Brock had done, and she was livid. She agreed to keep my secret. She wouldn’t let Sam or Brock know where I was going. Once I arrived in Shialia, it would be easy to not be seen by Sam.
I ran up the stairs of the airplane. Cody, our pilot, was standing at the entrance. I was surprised not to see Isabella, the regular stewardess.
“Thank you for doing this on short notice. How long before the plane takes off?”
Cody was acting strangely, not looking me in the eye when he answered, “We can leave now.”
I sat down in the first set of chairs. Cody headed toward the cockpit, and I saw the door close. Knowing we would take off soon, I put
my seatbelt on. The stewardess headed to the galley kitchen to get ready for takeoff.
The realization hit me a few minutes too late. This wasn’t the family jet. I wasn’t able to ask Cody what was going on. When I went to ask the stewardess, the Fasten Seatbelt light came on. I sat back down. Once we were to the point where I could walk around, I would get my answers.
Needing to take my mind off the strange situation with the plane, I thought back to the scene Brock was doing in the club. I remembered he had flogged the lady a couple times and then turned to the left. What was he turning toward? A man had been standing there, and Brock was talking to him.
If he was there with the woman, why would he be talking to somebody else? He had never spoken to anyone else during our scenes unless he was teaching someone. Eric’s words came back to my mind. It’s not what it seems. You need to talk to him.
I had jumped to a conclusion, thinking Brock was like my horrible ex-husband. But I knew better than that. Brock was nothing like Doug. He acted like the world revolved around me.
How could I have been so stupid? I needed to go back and explain my reaction to Brock. We had finally reached an altitude where I could take my seatbelt off. Not wanting to wait for the stewardess to come out, I jumped up and ran toward the galley kitchen.
“I need to speak to the pilot.”
“You can’t speak to him right now.” Her friendly demeanor from earlier was gone, replaced by an icy cold exterior.
Her words startled me. I took a step back and bumped into something. One strong arm wrapped around my waist, holding my arms in place, while the other one wrapped around my mouth so I couldn’t scream. The man hauled me back into the seating area and pushed me down into the chair I had occupied earlier. Another man was already on me, tying my wrists to the chair. Another was tying my feet together. I struggled to get away, but the men overpowered me.