“It’s okay,” Quinn says, reaching a hand out to him, and he takes it in a hurry. “The babies will be okay.”
“No, none of this is okay. It isn’t okay,” he mutters. “But they said they might be able to stop it. They might stop it.” He sounds lost, a bit manic, nothing like Jaxon at all.
I glance around to find Jolie, but all I see are my friends, nurses, doctors, and cops. “Where is Jolie?” I ask, swaying as I try to get to my feet. “What happened?”
“They are saying it was a gas leak, but no one knows for sure.” Doctor Gladstone checks my pulse next by placing his fingers against my wrist.
“Jolie?” I ask again. “She went to the restroom.”
“I haven’t seen her,” Officer Howard states, and that’s when something heavy and solid lands in my stomach. I push him out of the way and run toward the restroom, tripping and running into people since I can’t get a grip of my limbs yet. “Jolie!” I yell down the hall, hoping her beautiful face pops out of the bathroom, but all I get are strange looks from others. I can’t hear anything. Everyone is talking, and the loud roar of the hundred different conversations makes my head spin.
I kick open the bathroom door and see one of the stalls kicked in. “No, no, no!” I roar as I step through the stall. Water is everywhere from the door slamming against the toilet, and there’s no sign of Jolie.
“Jolie! Jolie!” I scream, gripping the sides of my head as I let the fear and panic take over. “Jolie,” I fall to my knees, and water splashes around me.
He was here.
This was him.
I’m going to kill that bastard. I knew it. I knew I should’ve double shot him in the head, but the bullet to the chest should’ve killed anyone.
Anyone!
But that isn’t my luck, is it? This man doesn’t seem to be like anyone else.
“What is it? Owen! What’s wrong?” Officer Howard enters the ladies’ room and sees the mess. “What happened?”
“She only went to the bathroom, Howard. The bathroom. She wanted to go by herself. He was here. He was fucking here!” I slam my fist against the ground, and a sob catches my throat. Images of our night together bombard my mind. Her moans, her body writhing against mine, the way she says my name when she’s running out of breath, the way she feels… I haven’t had enough of her.
I’ll never be able to get enough of her. She can’t be gone. She’s my second chance at life, at love, at a family.
“We will find her. You said she was stumbling through the woods, right?” Howard reminds me, bringing me back to the present.
Right. The woods.
That bastard probably took her back to his house. If she’s gone, I’ll find her. I’ll make sure she is safe again.
“Yeah, the woods,” I say in agreement and get to my feet. “This … all of this was to get her back. He really wants to ruin me for something I had no control over, but I have control over this, Howard, and I’m going to tell you right now.” I step forward and get into his face. “I’m going to kill him. You hear me? I’m going to rip his head from his fucking body. If you want to arrest me for that, you can, but Jolie is my priority, not my innocence.”
“Between you and me,” he mumbles, looking directly into my eyes. “I’ll turn my head and look the other way. She’s been through too much. If you want to rip his head off, I’ll hold his body down.”
“You surprise me, Howard.”
“Well, I’m not as straight and narrow as you like to think I am,” he says, following me out of the bathroom.
I rub each eye against my shoulder to clear them from the tears and make my way toward Jaxon, who is still by Quinn’s side. “Where is everyone else?”
“Seeing Heaven,” he says, rubbing his hands over Quinn’s stomach. She has an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, breathing steadily. “Where’s Jolie?” he asks, but realization dawns on him and he stands up a little straighter. “No.”
I nod and clench my teeth together so tight the muscle in my jaw jumps. “This was all planned. He took her. Bathroom is wrecked.”
“Fuck, what do you need?”
“Is she okay?” Quinn pushes her mask to the side and blinks at me, exhausted and in pain.
“I don’t know. I’m going to see Heaven and tell the rest of the crew, but then I’m leaving.”
“You need backup?” Jaxon says.
“I have Howard. I don’t need anyone else. I want everyone to stay here with Heaven and Quinn. My niece and nephew better stay in there, okay?”
“Mmm, I’ll do my best,” Quinn slurs.
I bend down and press a kiss to her forehead and give Jaxon’s hand a shake.
“If you need anything, call me,” he says.
“Will do.” The only thing I need is Jolie.
I hurry down the hall, slithering through crowds of angry people and doctors that are stressed. I find room 323 and walk in. Heaven is sitting up and has a huge bandage on his chest. He’s laughing with Sebastian and Grayson, but then he holds a hand to the middle of his sternum and groans. “Don’t make me laugh. Shit hurts,” he grouses.
“Heaven,” I say his name as I enter the room with a view of Trinidad, but all I can hear are the heart rate monitors. “Fucking hell, I’m glad to see you alive.”
Sebastian and Grayson aren’t as forgiving toward me. They clear their throats and look away, arms crossed yet tense.
“It’s okay, man. I’m alive. I’m here. I’m ready for my fucking muffins.”
I stop at the side of his bed and take his hand, then slap my other one down on top of it. I’m emotional. I might not see the guys again if things don’t go the way I plan. “I’m so fucking sorry, Heaven. I wasn’t thinking straight. You were in the line of my anger, and it isn’t an excuse for what I did. I wanted to see you before I left. I need to go find Jolie. He took her.”
“What do you mean?” Grayson asks.
“What happened? Does this have to do with the gas leak?” Sebastian uncrosses his arms and stands straight.
Heaven’s heart rate spikes. “What the hell are you talking about, Owen? Jolie is gone?”
“Yeah, she went to the restroom before the entire hospital fainted. I went to go check on her, and the door was busted down. This was all him.”
“You’re sure?” Grayson asks.
I crack my neck, wishing I had a sip of whiskey right about now to calm my nerves. “I’m positive. She wouldn’t ever leave like that, and the door was kicked in from the outside, dented to hell.”
“We’ll go with you,” Grayson says, grabbing his coat.
“No, it’s okay. Howard is coming with you. Stay with Heaven. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.” My eyes land on Heaven, and he shakes his head in disagreement.
“Heaven—”
“No. No! I get it. You feel bad for what happened, I get it. I do, but it was an accident. I wouldn’t have been myself if I found out the guy who killed my wife and baby is after me again and had been abusing the girl you currently love. You think I’m just going to think that’s easy to process? No, fuck you, Owen. Fuck you for thinking that we aren’t going to be there for you because of this. I’m fine. I have fifty stitches and a morphine drip. You’re not going to blame yourself for this more than you already have. Take the guys, man. Take them. Let them be your backup,” Heaven pleads, giving me deadly eyes. “You have to do this. You know how you said you’re my best friend? You’re mine too, man. You can’t go in half-cocked.”
“I’m not. I’m not. I swear. Howard is with me. He’ll be good backup. You all need to stay here.”
“Jolie is family,” Sebastian states, staring at Gabriella who is asleep on the couch.
Grayson stares at the recliner where Finley is also asleep.
“We are there for family.”
“I know, but the girls are here. Heaven is here. Jaxon and Quinn are here, and they might need you if Quinn goes into labor. I’ll be fine. Please, stay here.”
&nb
sp; “Dude…” Heaven punches the rail of the hospital bed. “Just…”
Is he … getting emotional?
“Don’t die,” he says, wiping his eyes.
“You’re crying.”
“Fuck you, I’m high on drugs and want my muffins. Get out.” He chuckles, then pulls me into a hug. “Be careful.”
I lean away and give a slight chin tilt, and then give the other guys one last look before turning around and walking out the door.
I have a feeling I’m going to have to fight for my life more than I have rescuing her compared to any other heist job.
I can’t look at this like any other job. Jolie is an asset who is being held hostage by another criminal. We steal from criminals.
And I’m going to steal her away from him and bring her back where she belongs.
“Are we going?” Howard asks.
“Yeah, we’re going. We aren’t taking your patrol car. It will be too obvious if he sees us. We will take my truck.”
“He will know your truck too.”
“I know, but I’m going to park the truck at home. It’s better than him getting any sight of the cop car and then we are going to retrace the steps Jolie and I took when I found her all those weeks ago. I don’t care how long it takes, Howard. We are going to find her. These woods are big, and we have a lot of ground to cover.”
“Well, wait a minute.” We run down the hospital steps instead of taking the elevator, and I burst through the door, the fresh redwood forest air invading my lungs. On any other day, I’d be standing still, letting the smell of sea and salt find their way into my lungs. “Why would we park the truck at the Cliff House? We know he doesn’t live on your property but close to it. We should park on the road closest to where your property line ends and track that way.”
I pause for a second, wondering why I didn’t think of that. Doing things his way will save us so much time, time we need. “I knew you were good for something, Howard.”
“I’m not just another pretty face,” he jokes, opening the passenger side door and sliding in.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, princess,” I say, throwing the truck in drive and skidding out of the parking lot. “I’m going to be breaking the speed limit.”
“Whatever, just don’t kill me.” He grabs the plastic handle above his head that my dad liked to call the ‘oh-shit’ bar.
“Believe me, Howard. The only man I want to kill is the one who has my Jolie.”
And when I get my hands on him, I’m going to break every bone in his pathetic, useless, body.
And I’m going to relish in it.
Twenty-Three
Jolie
“Hey.”
The voice in the distance of my dream tries to get my attention.
“Hey, please wake up. Please, don’t be dead.”
Dead? Why would I be dead?
“Please wake up! Before he comes back!”
I groan, tilting my head to the side. I hold my head with my free hand. I’m not bound, so that’s good.
“Thank god, you’re alive.” The girl sounds relieved.
I blink my eyes to clear the fuzzy edges around my vision, and a stab of pain hits me on the right side of my temple. Damn it, what happened?
I remember the hospital and needing to use the restroom, and then…
Him.
Damn it.
My vision finally clears, and the girl in front of me is almost a mirror image of my reflection. She has long brown hair that’s filthy, dirt and blood all over her naked body, and her green eyes stare directly into mine. There are clean trails down the dirt on her cheeks, and I know she’s been crying.
She’s me.
“What’s your name?” I ask, looking around the very familiar room. It hasn’t changed a bit. Floors have an inch of dust and grime, the two beds have filthy stained mattresses with blankets that have never been washed and have holes in them.
And the hole I escaped out of is covered with another sheet of wood.
“Heather,” she whispers with tears in her eyes, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. “You?”
“Jolie. I was the girl here before you, and he has brought me back.”
“You escaped?” she gasps. “How?”
“I ripped that hole in the wall that’s covered and beat his head in with a plank of wood. And then I ran. I ran to a guy who saved me; his name is Owen. Owen shot this guy when he came looking for me, but somehow, he’s still walking around, ruining people’s lives. Fucker won’t die.”
“Did he … did he, you know…”
“Yeah, he did. For a year and a half.”
“Oh my god.” She covers her mouth and holds back a sob. “How are you alive?”
“I … don’t know. I ran into the right person. He saved me, took care of me, and I lived.” I look around the room and search for a way out, but there is no hope this time. None that I can visibly see. The door is steel with no door handle on the inside, so there is no way of opening it. “He sent pictures of you to me,” I admit, and she doesn’t seem surprised.
“Yeah, I wondered what he was doing with those pictures,” she says, pushing her hair out of her face. “Now I know.”
“He killed my boyfriend’s wife twenty years ago. It’s the only reason why I’m back. He hates Owen.”
“Owen, that’s the guy who saved you? Will he come looking for you then?” she asks, hopeful.
“Yeah, he will. He’ll find us. We’re going to get out of here, but we can’t wait for him. It’s up to us to fight for our lives, so you can’t give up on yourself, okay? That’s what nearly got me killed the first time.”
“I swear, I’m not going to give up. I want out. I want to go back to my family.” She begins to cry. “I don’t want to be here. He’s horrible. I’m worried that I’m pregnant, and I don’t want to have his baby. I don’t want to!” She sobs uncontrollably, shoulder-shaking wails that take the energy right out of you.
I get up and take a few steps across the room and sit next to her. “I know. He got me pregnant too.”
Her eyes widen with fear, and she looks at my flat stomach. “Did you …”
“No,” I cut her off. “I miscarried in this room. I was too malnourished, and I don’t know if it’s a blessing or if it makes me a horrible person that I’m thankful it happened. Probably.”
Her hand lands on mine, and she shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I would feel the same way. The exact same.”
“Well, we need to make sure that we get you out of here and checked out.” I take off my shirt, thankful that I have a tank top on underneath, and hand it to her, then I stand and unbutton my jeans, giving those to her too. “I know it isn’t much, but it’s better than being naked.” She must feel humiliated. I know I did.
“Thank you.” She reaches for the items and hurriedly puts them on, then sighs in relief once she’s covered. “But you … you don’t have pants.”
“I have a tank top and underwear, which was more than what you had. I’ll be okay.” I stand and start to investigate to find a way out. That’s when I see the stirrups on the bed and the straps hanging loose. It wasn’t all the time he tied me up. He liked knowing I roamed free in a room I couldn’t get out of. It think he liked to know that I paced and cried.
Not this time.
I’m stronger now.
I tilt my head when I analyze the stirrups closer. The arm of them reminds me of a tire iron. Maybe if I could break one off, I could pry a few pieces of wood off the wall again and get us out of here.
A door slams, and the entire house shakes.
It’s him.
I grab the stirrup and pull, but it doesn’t budge. I use my foot to kick it, and slowly it bends. “Come. On,” I huff, kicking the damn thing until it’s bent in a ninety-degree angle.
The pounding steps of him coming closer have my adrenaline pumping, and I smash my foot against the stirrup one last time until it breaks off. “Yes!�
� I say quietly, grabbing the broken piece and wielding it like a sword to stab him in the gut or head. Whatever is easiest.
There’s clicking on the other side of the door, and all we can do is stand there and wait for our nightmare to face us. The door swings open, and before I can think better of it because I’m pissed off and tired of this bullshit, I charge.
Blinded by rage I swing the stirrup, but a hand catches it before it can make contact. “Babe, it’s me. It’s Owen. You’re okay.”
“Owen?” I drop the weapon slowly and blink the murderous haze away. “Owen!” I throw my arms around him and cry, sobbing into his neck. “You’re here. You came for me.”
He holds me tight, cupping the back of my head. “I’ll always come for you, Jolie. I’ll always look for you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He takes a step back and eyes me head to toe, then his hands pat me down checking for any injuries. “Where are you clothes?” he asks darkly, then pulls his own shirt over his head and tugs it over mine. His shirt falls to my knees, and I’m engulfed in his scent.
I’m safe.
“No, I’m okay, but she might need help.” I point over my shoulder to Heather. “Those are where my clothes went.”
“Howard!” Owen calls for the cop who threatened to arrest him. “Is everyone okay? You know, for the most part.”
“I just want to go home,” Heather mutters weakly.
“We’re going to get you guys out of here,” Owen reassures just as Howard comes up behind him, gun in hand.
“The area is clear. He isn’t here.”
“What the hell do you mean, he isn’t here? Where else would he be?” Owen sneers.
“I don’t know, but he might come back at any minute. We need to get out of here. Now.”
“No,” Owen says. “I’m not going anywhere. This ends today. I’m going to kill that son-of-a-bitch to make sure he can’t haunt any innocent girl, hurt anyone or me again. This ends now.”
“Owen, no, please! Come back with me. Please,” I beg him. “We can take care of him later. I want you safe with me. Please don’t do this.”
“There isn’t a later, babe.” Owen’s hand lands on either side of my face, and I know, I just know that he’s going to have me in fucking fits with what he’s about to say. “He’s always going to be here. He’s always going to find a way to hurt you. Hurt Heather. Hurt someone like Heather. And he will always be after me for being with you. I need to stop him.”
Cruel Intoxication: A Dark Romance (Underground Kings Book 4) Page 18
