LATER THAT NIGHT, Jett decided he was going to do something he’d never considered before. He was going to apologize and beg Mandy not to leave him. Lifestyle or not, he knew deep in his heart that he’d couldn’t go back to living a life without her. But when he got to the apartment, he could not find Mandy anywhere. He put the whole building into immediate lockdown. After an hour of searching and still not finding her, Jett had to assume she called Hunter to come and pick her up and was in bed for the night, safe and sound at the Bookstore. He stopped the lockdown on the club for the night and sent everyone home.
After a long and sleepless night, Jett arrived at the bookstore the next morning with a dozen white roses. He walked up to Nicole who was working at the sales counter with another woman. She looked like death warmed over. "Where is she, Nicole?"
"How the hell should I know. The last time I saw Mandy was at your club being a complete bitch. Go and ask the boys." Nicole said, her tone one of jealous anger.
"Very well––and Nicole, grow the hell up and you just might just find a man you are worthy of." Jett scolded angrily, causing Nicole to blush to a deep red in embarrassment and anger.
"Emmitt, is Hunter around?"
"Sure is boyfriend. Just go through the door to my right and head up the stairs. I will call and tell him to expect you. Emmitt said and turned on the charm.
"Thank you. I deeply appreciate it. I need his advice on something." Jett said and went in the door with Tom at his heels. Hunter waited at the top of the stairs, surprised to see Jett at his place. When Jett reached him he said, "Please come in."
"Thank you. I’m looking for Mandy, is she here or did you drop her off somewhere else?" Jett asked calmly with an undertone of concern.
"I’m sorry Jett, but what the hell are you talking about?"
"Mandy got pissed off and hurt thanks to the little bastard, Xavier. The last thing I knew, she was heading up to lay down in our apartment after she was seen at the bar getting a bottle of tequila. I put the club on lockdown and searched all over for her, but when I could not find her, I just assumed she called you to pick her up. When did you see her last?"
"With you. She went through the golden door with you. I left after that and took the two pity party attendees home."
"Dammit Mandy!" Jett yelled, his voice full of fear and his mind surged with horrific possibilities.
"How in the hell did she leave the club alone with no one seeing her leave––and that rough neighborhood too?! What the hell were you thinking, letting her go off by herself!" Hunter yelled in anger and fear. He had a very bad feeling something terrible happened to Mandy.
"Stay by your phone Hunter, in case she tries to call you for help. My brother is a seasoned detective on the police force. I am going to call him now and get him on the case. There is no time to lose. He will get the whole department searching the city for her. Is there anywhere at all that she might go, besides Krav Maga, her place or her running route?"
"I don’t know. She is the type who likes her privacy. Please find her Jett. I have a terrible feeling about all of this."
"I promise you Hunter, I will find her and keep her safe no matter the cost to myself. I will hunt her to the ends of the earth if I have to. I've fallen deeply in love with her." Jett admitted, the words burst forth from his very soul and they shocked even him. His eyes grew wide and Hunter chuckled.
"Even I could see that you did last night. She loves you too, but because of whatever happened in her past, she denies it to me and even to herself. Go now and save our girl––please."
Jett flew out of Hunter's apartment and down the stairs and right out the door to the limo and instructed John to take him straight to Rylan's place. There, he broke down into tears for the first time in the presence of another.
Rylan was in shock. Jett had fallen in love, something he’d refused to allow himself to do before. He always said love turned people evil, based on his own past abuse at the hands of his biological parents. They had physically, verbally, emotionally and sexually abused and tortured him.
It was amazing that Mandy had broken through his armor and embedded herself within his heart. It told Rylan volumes more about the beautiful and kind woman. He hugged his brother and silently prayed to God, asking for his divine assistance to help them find Mandy alive before it was too late. He couldn't bear to imagine what would happen to Jett and his psyche if he lost her––forever.
"It's all my fault. If I had been more careful with her, she be safe in our home right now." Jett muttered, angry at himself.
"I hate to say it, but your least half right. The last time I saw her, at the bar, there was a tremendous amount of pain in her eyes. I could tell it hurt her to leave your side but she seemed compelled. It is possible a flashback had been triggered." Rylan suggested, put his hand on Jett's shoulder and squeezed. He immediately got on the phone with his team and got them on the case, giving them all of the information Jett knew. At that moment John ran into the room out of breath and frantic.
Jett did his best to calm John down then looked at the print outs that had been faxed to his office at the club. They stated that Mandy's ex had been released five days ago from prison. He cut off his ankle monitoring device three days ago. His parole officer was the one to discover that he was missing and contacted the police. A current nationwide alert is out for him as his parole officer fears he is after his ex-wife, Melissa Smith. John explained that was Mandy's name before she changed it to Mandy O'Neal, a fact Jett already knew from Mandy herself. She had changed it when she went underground to escape.
Jett's level of terror for Mandy's well-being and safety overwhelmed him and his face lost all color. He shoved the papers in Rylan's face with shaky hands.
Rylan's expression changed from determined to fearful and back to determined again. He began giving a series of orders over the phone and ordered the whole missing persons team into the department's office ASAP.
"I promise you Jett, I will find her. I need you to do your best to remain calm. I have to go into the office. You can help me out by having John here find out anything else you can, about Mandy's past with David. Rylan ordered.
"She told me everything. Allow me to come with you and help where I can. I will tell you everything I know about Mandy's past on the way. Brother, you know I can't just sit and do nothing when my woman is out there, alone, vulnerable and in danger." Jett begged.
"Very well, but you have to promise me you will remain calm." Rylan had known that Jett would not remain behind and hoped no matter what happened, his brother would be able to handle it.
Jett pulled John aside and ordered him to contact all members of the club and have them search the streets as well. He also ordered John to circulate her photo around and try to find out if anyone had seen her the night before. Jett had extreme faith in his brother, but if David had Mandy then time was running out.
John agreed to make haste and left at the same time Rylan and Jett sped off to the department's headquarters.
Eleven
MANDY WOKE UP groggy, her head wrapped in a towel and her whole body including her head was in excruciating pain. She had no idea where she was or how much time had passed, only that she was dressed and lying flat on her back on a filthy cot. What in the hell happened to me and where am I? The last thing I remember is leaving the club hurt and angry and running away from Jett. She struggled to get up and screamed in frustration and overwhelming physical pain. She further realized she was handcuffed and shackled to the cot.
"Hello sweetheart. I am so glad you are finally awake. You have no idea how much I have missed you or how long it took my associates to find you. Just when I gave up hope and believed you really died later on from your injuries, I received word my associates pulled the information out of one of those DV underground freaks before they killed her and mutilated her body. Then, I was forced to join that bastard sicko’s club and made a special friend who kept an eye on you for me. You have been hard to get near with that
freak always breathing down your neck. You do look as beautiful as I remember, Melissa."
Mandy tried to keep the trembling and extreme fear hidden deep inside. "David. Sweetheart, when did you get out? Please forgive me, I could not remain in that horrid town any longer. It just became too much combined with the betrayal." Mandy did her best to keep her outer expression as cool, collect, and calm as possible in an effort to drag this out long enough for someone to find and rescue her.
"I knew you still loved me and missed me. I don't blame you one bit for moving away from your messed up family. They never understood you or us. I also know those bastards forced you to testify against me. They will never bother you again and neither will your family back home. Apparently, your father died a year ago and your disgusting mother, unfortunate for her, perished in an gas explosion while she slept with some drunk the day after I got back home." David smiled in evil delight.
"I knew she lied to me the day I came home and asked her where you were. She had the audacity to tell me you died and she buried you in an unmarked grave next to our daughter. She went so far as to claim, it was done at your request. That was the tipoff because I know you are too vain to lay in an unmarked grave or to leave our daughter in one."
Shit! I knew I should have put a tombstone on her grave and added my name to it as well! "You know me too well David. If you don't mind my asking, what happened to my head? It feels like I've been hit by a sledgehammer more than once." Mandy forced her voice to come out calm and not as fearful and terrified as she felt deep inside. She forced herself to breathe normally, as if she had not a care in the world. She did not want to die at David's hands. She could not leave this world without apologizing to Jett. It nearly sliced her heart in two when she walked out of the club in her anger. She loved him, she knew that now and had to live at least long enough to make sure he knew that.
"I hear you have been a very naughty girl doing disgusting things with other men. I'm ashamed of you Melissa and I have not decided what will be the proper punishment for it. Even though, the thought of you doing such things to me, after all these years in prison, excites me to no end."
Mandy stared up into David's dull green eyes for a moment then looked him over from head to toe. He gained a great deal of muscle in prison. His dirty dishwater long blonde hair, gone. He buzzed it all off. The look in his eyes though, it was the same one that haunted her very nightmares. It was the look of the devil himself.
"Oh." Mandy murmured and lowered her eyes. She chose her next words very carefully. Her only concern was staying alive and keeping Jett out of the conversation. She didn't want David going after him or hurting him. She would rather him hurt her instead of Jett, if it meant he stayed safe. At the same time, she prayed he and Rylan would find and rescue her.
"I don't know who would lie in such a way about me. All I ever wanted was for you to come back home to me. It was why I refused to attend and speak at your parole hearing." Mandy allowed herself to break down. Her tears and heaving sobs were real, just not for the reasons David believed.
"You lying bitch!" Xavier screamed and appeared out of nowhere at David's side. "I'm going to kill you myself, you filthy whore!"
David cocked his fist and punched Xavier square in the nose, breaking it. "No one and I mean no one––talks to my wife like that!" David roared angrily. "If you know what's good for you freak, you'll stay down!"
David rushed over to the bed and leaned over Mandy. He kissed her forehead, kissed and caressed her cheeks. He believed her. She had pissed him off a few times in the past, but she never once lied to him and he knew she was not lying now either. He saw the truth in her sad, tearful eyes.
Mandy knew in that moment, David had never been informed of the divorce and she needed to walk a very fine line. His caresses and touches made her physically sick to the point of vomiting. She needed him to stop.
"My head—so much pain—going to be sick." She cried and she remembered how much David hated the sight and smell of vomit. David jumped off the bed as she took several deep breaths and tried to keep it down. Mandy watched in shock as David rushed away, and returned with a bowl, gently lifted her upward causing her to scream in pain, turned her head to the side and threw up in the bowl.
David laid her back down with extreme gentleness and wiped her mouth clean before retrieving a second washcloth and placing it on her sweaty forehead. He left her then to get her some pain pills and water and told her so.
Mandy slowly turned her head just enough to see Xavier on the floor and gave him an evil smile. Jett is going to mutilate your sorry ass when he finds out about your part in my abduction. You are going to get life in prison, you conniving, jealous rapist! She smiled with more evil when Xavier glared back at her.
"You will die by my hands, you pathetic piece of shit, your so-called husband will too!" Xavier growled and rushed at her, his hands tightened around her throat and squeezed with all their might. "He's mine, you sorry bitch! Do you have any idea what they did to me for doing nothing more than giving you the pleasure you asked for?! Then you dared call it rape and sodomy! I won't let you have him, do you hear me? After I kill you, I am going to have fun raping, sodomizing and cutting your body up into pieces Jett won't even recognize anymore and I will be the one there to comfort him." Xavier roared.
Mandy felt her lungs burn from the lack of air and knew she was going to die at this psychopath's hands. He was ten times worse than David. She tried to scream out David's name for help as her vision began to wane. Her brain had been deprived of necessary oxygen for too long and still she struggled repeatedly to drag in life giving air, her body flopping around trying to dislodge Xavier's hands.
The next thing she heard was the loud crack of a shotgun and felt blood splattering all over her face and upper chest. She could not contain her screams of absolute terror, her mind flashing back to being shot in the back of the head on the ground by David.
David dropped the empty shotgun and rushed to Mandy's side and tried to comfort and reassure her that he was only trying to protect her, after he had picked up Xavier's body and threw it to the ground. The last image burned into her mind was that of Xavier's face and head nearly blown off. David kept swearing he was a changed man and promised to do better this time around. All she had to do was agree to give him a second chance.
Mandy knew she could not go down that road again. If her limbs were free, she would have used her Krav Maga training and fought David through the pain. She would give up and die if she had to stay with David and she refused to die as Mandy O'Neal at his hands, refused to die a second time. He had already killed Melissa Smith.
"Can we stay here in the city? I love it here and don't want to move again—please?"
"Of course my love. I will live wherever you want. So, is that a yes?"
"If I live through this head injury, it is." Mandy lied and forced herself to smile at David with love in her eyes.
"You will. I will take good care of you, I promise."
"May I please have some water?" Mandy changed the subject, not sure she could lie anymore, it took more strength than she had.
"Of course my love. I will be right back. Don't go anywhere." David laughed joyously and walked away with a skip in his step.
Mandy was unable to stand the pounding throbbing pain in her head that felt as if her skull was shattering into a million spider webs of fractures, all bleeding out at the same time.
When she managed to awaken once again, three days had passed and she was experiencing memory loss. All she could remember was that David found her again and Xavier was the reason. She pulled her wrists up toward her face, unable to move her head; it was too heavy, like a cement block at the bottom of the ocean.
"There you are gorgeous. It is about time you woke up sleepyhead." David smiled as if he had not a care in the world.
"Where is that bastard, Xavier?" She whispered her voice hoarse and her throat on fire. It felt as if it was as flat as a pancake. She was too terrified
to try to touch it with her fingers.
"What did you do to me David?" She asked as she tentatively touched the skin on the front of her neck. It took every bit of strength she had to fight to stay awake.
"If you mean your head, I swear I never meant for that to happen. You fought me and when you fell, I couldn't catch you in time." David sighed. "Your throat was Xavier's doing. I never gave the little shit permission to touch you or harm you. Only I get to do that. He more than deserved the bullet in the head. I put his dead body in the walk-in freezer I found on the other side of this building so you would not have to look at it."
"What do you really want with me, David?" Mandy asked as she planned scenarios to get away in her mind.
"I told you my love, I am a changed man and I want a second chance to make you happy, that is all."
Mandy really listened to David's voice but could not detect any hint of malice or deception. For once, he sounded completely honest. Unfortunately, it was too little too late and now she had to play his little game long enough to find an opportunity to escape or for Jett to rescue her. She kept praying that Jett's possessiveness was so strong that he would search for her and never give up. It was her fault after all. If she had just told him the whole truth, she might not be in her situation right now.
"If you really mean what you say sweetheart, then why are you hurting me like this?" Mandy rattled her chains, thought of never seeing Jett again and began to cry in earnest.
"Jesus Mandy, stop crying so much. They are for your own protection, to keep you from moving around and hurting yourself." David replied and changed the subject. "I will get you some water to drink now that you are finally awake."
Mandy flung herself back and forth on the bed and screamed hoarsely, "Kill me now David! Just kill me or I will kill myself! I have nothing left to live for anymore." Her mind completely broke as she rambled.
"I waited for you to ask for my forgiveness for almost physically killing me five years ago. Emotionally, Melissa Smith—your wife, died the day you killed her only child. It is too late for you to come back now and just expect me to be your loving, obedient wife. I am not Melissa Smith anymore! Had you asked for forgiveness with true remorse in your heart at the start, I would have honestly thought about it, but it is too late now David. I refuse to lie to you anymore. It is far too late and I will kill myself if you don't let me go!"
His Every Fantasy Page 18
