The Law of Motion (Law Series)

by Di'Nisha Robinson

  Launching myself up, I dove for her, driving my shoulder into her stomach and landing on her with a grunt from me and a cry out from her. Using my cuffed hands, I braced myself over her, straddling her stomach. I swung them both , left to right, catching her mouth in a loud and really rewarding smack. I was just about to swing again, when I found myself yanked away.

  "Enough!" Myles growled, gripping my hair, but it was the soft click of the hammer of his gun that stopped me from fighting everyone in the room. He pressed it to my temple, his breathing heavy. "Where's the money, Alyssa?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.

  "No idea," I snickered, spitting blood to the floor. "With my friends? Family? The police? No clue." I smirked, looking at him over my shoulder. "Could be with any of them." I shrugged a shoulder in an insolent manner, just to piss him off.

  "You're the Neil Industries heiress," he pointed out, his eyes dark with his anger. "Couldn't you spare it?"

  "Maybe," I said with a smile. "Who double crossed whom, Myles? You didn't show with the boys."

  "Well...now your family will pay more than that," he growled, throwing me to the bed and reaching into his pocket. "I'm pretty sure that the daughter of the CEO will bring a higher price than that little brat in the other room, but both of you...I'm pretty sure Paul Neil won't be able to resist."

  I chuckled, shaking my head. "You really have no idea what you've done, do you?" I asked, looking up at his now confused face. I played on the fact that they were misinformed. "Go ahead...call. Better yet, try my husband. Let them know what you're asking."

  “Hey, the little boy is breathing funny.” David called from the other room and my heart stopped.

  My head jerked towards the bag, “His inhaler is inside, take it to him!” I half begged, half demanded.

  Zoe sneered, as I twisted trying to get my arms out of the cuffs. “So now she has fear.”

  “Take it to him.” I begged listening to his wheezing in the other room. “He can die!”

  Myles found my worry amusing. “Now she wants play nice. Too late.”

  I sat up and Zoe slapped me back onto the bed. I stared at her, with pure hatred. “If he dies, not only will you not get anything, but I will kill you myself.” I swore in a low voice, a tear running from my eyes listening to my godson suffering in the adjoined room.

  “I’ll take my chances.” Myles shrugged. “Come on Zoe, let’s go get something to eat.”

  Zoë’s shrill laughed echoed as they left me in the room by myself, less than a second later, the door cracked open quietly. He put a finger to his mouth as he crept over to my bag sorting through it, and it took me a second to realize he was searching for the inhaler.

  “Front zip.” I whispered thankful that he was going to take it to him. When I got out of here, he was going to be the only persons who’s life I spared.

  He nodded taking it out. “I’ll take care of it.” He promised, his hazel eyes apologetic. He looked barely twenty-one, and part of me wondered why or what got him in this situation.

  Myles and Zoe came back through the other door catching Myles in the room. He slid it into his pocket smoothly as he stood against the adjoining hotel room door.

  “What in the hell are you doing in here Kris?” He spat looking between the two of us.

  Kris shrugged lying smoothly. “We can’t have her screaming and alerting the other people in the hotel, I was going to gag her man.”

  This seemed to please Myles. “There’s hope for you yet Kris, but it’s not needed. I have something for that.”

  He pulled me up by my hair, his breath smelling like cough drops and whiskey. “You aren’t going to get shit.” I spat with hatred. My eyes fell for a second to Kris, who had slid out the door to the room where the kids were.

  "Oh, we will, Alyssa," he told me, holding up another syringe. "But why don't we save that for later? You need your rest, we'll be traveling tomorrow." His voice was snide and sarcastic, and without any hesitation, he sank the needle into my neck, once again plunging my world into darkness.

  

  I woke up feeling the hits that Zoe had put to my face, but at least Myles had left me on the bed. My hands were still cuffed, but he hadn't bothered to readjust them to my back, so they were still in front of me. A quick glance around the room gave me a little relief. It was late, and everyone seemed to be quiet for now.

  Asleep in a chair, his head back and mouth open, was the young man I recognized as Kris. The one that took my godson his inhaler. His legs were stretched out in front of him, with his feet propped up in the chair on the other side of the table. He was young, rather handsome, and a little thin. A gun was sticking out of his waistband, and his hair was short and almost black, his jaw strong, with a touch of stubble. He snored softly, and I relaxed a bit.

  I rolled over to look at the other side of the room, and my heart soared. Cuddled around each other were Cedrick and Juan. They were sound asleep, a little messy, but completely unharmed, from what I could tell. They weren't even tied or restrained in any way. They were still completely dressed, down to their shoes, in the same clothes they'd been wearing since the expo. Zoë’s stupid ass hadn't even bothered to bathe them.

  Another look to Kris, and I sat up in bed as silently as I could. There were doors leading to neighboring hotel rooms, but they were barely cracked open. The light from the TV flickered through the room, and the bathroom light gleamed brightly.

  I looked down at myself, grimacing that my boots were missing. "Fuck," I hissed to myself, just barely letting the sound out, because the GPS chip was in the top portion of the right shoe. At least I still had Mr. Bearleft by Zoe after her temper tantrum.

  Feeling along the hem of my pants, I found what I was looking for and worked a long, thin metal strip from the material. Tink had hidden several things like that in the cargo pants I was wearing. In less than thirty seconds, I had the cuffs off of my wrists and the metal strip stored back where I had got it. I really needed to thank Doc for showing me a few of her tricks.

  I inched off of the bed, giving a snoring Kris a wary glance before I walked to the other bed. I needed to see him, touch him. I needed to make sure he was really there, because I'd dreamed this type of shit more times than I could count since he'd been taken.

  He was on the outside of the bed, his face buried in his pillow, with Cedrick's hand twitching at his shoulder. I knelt beside him, reaching up and lightly brushing his hair away from his face. His face relaxed in his sleep with a beautiful pout on his lips. His hair was wild, no longer gelled after a week of mismanage. There were smudges of dirt on his nose, chin, and cheek, and his little fingernails were filthy, but otherwise, he was perfect. He sighed contentedly, but suddenly, I was looking into sweet, brown eyes.

  “Tia..." he almost squealed, but I placed a finger to his lips and pointed to Kris.

  He nodded quietly, reaching for me and I pulled him down into my lap, wrapping myself around him. He hugged me just as tightly as I was hugging him, and I reveled in the feel, the smell of him. I wanted to talk to him, make sure he was okay, so with one more look Kris's way, I scooped him up and carried him in the bathroom, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet with him firmly in my lap.

  "Hey handsome," I whispered, unable to stop my tears. "You have to be quiet, okay?"

  He nodded, planting kisses to my face, his little face beaming. He reached up to wipe away my tears, giving me another kiss to my cheek.

  "I missed you Tia, but I knew you’d come. I want to go home," he requested quietly, but sweetly.

  "Oh, Juanito ," I groaned, holding him closer and allowing more tears to fall. "We missed you so very much!" I cupped his face, kissing his forehead, his nose, and finally, his adorably puckered lips. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

  "No, Tia," he whispered back. "but they aren't very nice...except Kris."

  "That one?" I verified, pointing back towards the room. Little did he know, it was the little boy’s words
that was going to determined who died, survived, and would wish for death.

  "Yeah," he answered with a nod, and I was proud he could stay quiet. "Kris gives us doughnuts for breakfast and keeps the mean man away. Myles hates us."

  "What does Myles do, baby?"

  "Yells, calls us names, takes away our food if we make him mad," he rambled, playing with my hair, probably trying to make sure I was real.

  "What about Zoe?"

  "The lady?" he asked, and I nodded. "She doesn't like us, either, but she stays in the other room."

  I snorted, shaking my head. "But no one has hit you, touched you?" I asked him, and it was the most important question I needed answered.

  "No," he huffed, shaking his head. "I told them not to."

  "Good, handsome. Really good," I sighed in relief, kissing his forehead again and trying not to squeeze him too tightly.

  I jumped when a slamming sound came from my left, and I looked up at the window.

  "It's just the loose window, Tia," He soothed, pointing to the window. "It bangs when the wind blows."

  "Really?" I asked, setting him on his feet and climbing into the tub.

  I pulled the screen away, setting it by my feet, and pushed open the window. It was only a few feet to a planter below, and then down to the ground. I studied the thing, thinking I would never fit, but Juan and Cedrick could. But I wasn't sure just how brave my godson could be and for how much longer.

  I took a deep breath, stepping out of the tub and kneeling before him. "I need you to be so brave for me," I said, my voice catching, because despite how much I wanted him with me, I needed him to get away. I needed him safe and back with his parents.

  "Okay, Tia," he whispered, his little brow furrowing as he tilted his head at me.

  "Stay here, and don't move," I ordered him. He sat down on the edge of the tub as I backed away.

  I snuck back into the room, thankful that apparently, Kris was the deepest of sleepers. I grabbed Mr. Bear and the clothes that I'd thought to bring. I took a pen and a piece of paper, jotting down a quick note, and tucked everything under my arm, kneeling beside Cedrick, who had rolled to the edge of the bed in Juan's absence. With soft caresses to his face, deep, dark brown eyes opened up to me.

  "Shh," I told him, smirking at his little smile and bending to his ear. "Bathroom, go," I whispered.

  He clambered off of the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom, with me following behind him.

  "I told you they'd come," Juan whispered, and I couldn't help but snicker at the little guy.

  I set the clothes on the lid of the toilet, picking up two little sweatshirts. "Arms up, both of you," I told them, tugging the sweatshirts over their heads. It was freezing outside, so I tucked their heads in the hoods as well.

  The last thing I did was pick up Mr. Bear, feeling around in his ear. With a firm click, I activated the GPS tracker. A small, red, LED light glowed dimly through the material.

  "Juan, look at me. You're going to get Uncle Adrian, okay? But I need you to do exactly what I tell you." I waited until he nodded before I continued. "I'm going to lower you both down outside. You take Mr. Bear, Cedrick's hand, and don't let go of either, understand me?"

  "Yes, Tia," he sniffled, because he'd just realized what was happening. "Come wif us," he urged, big tears filling his eyes.

  "I can't fit," I told him. "you have to go help Uncle Adrian, okay? He needs you to help come get me."

  He nodded solemnly, but looked up at the window and back at me.

  "Once you're outside, I need you to run,” I told him. "Can you both do that for me?"

  "Yeah," they both said, nodding slowly.

  "You hold Mr. Bear, hold each other's hand, and run. Got me?" I verified, before standing up. “Do you have your inhaler?” I double checked.

  “Kris gave it to me.” He promised pulling it out of his pocket.

  "Where do we run to?" Cedrick whispered, wide eyed and scared.

  "Doesn't matter. Just run. If one of these people follows you, I want you to hide," I told them, stepping into the tub. I reached for Cedrick. "Be brave, and Mr. Adrian will get you home to your Mom, okay?" I asked him, and he nodded. "Okay, stiff legs, and I'm going to shoot you out the window. Hold my hands."

  I held him tight until he was just mere inches from the planter, and then I let him drop. He wobbled a bit, but held steady, looking up at me.

  After telling him to stay there, I scooped Juan up, who was now full on crying.

  "I wanna stay wif you," he sniffled, gripping my shirt in two tight fists.

  "Shh, baby," I soothed him, rocking him a bit. "I really need you to be brave, handsome. Please?" I begged, wiping his tears away. "Mr. Bear will help you find Adrian and your Mommies, okay? So don't let go of him, and don't lose Cedrick." I kissed his cheek, wiping at more tears. "You have to do this for me. Now...tell me," I urged softly, trying not to cry with him.

  "D-Don't l-lose Mr. Bear, h-hold Cedrick's hand. R-Run. Hide if s-someone ch-chases us," he rattled off to me perfectly, still sniffling. Finally, he whispered, "Go find Uncle Adrian."

  I knew that the second I'd activated Mr. Bear's GPS, Tink was on it. I also knew that Liam would never have taken everyone back to D.C.; he would have left someone close. And if I knew my him and my guy, it was Adrian out there waiting.

  I took the note I'd written and tucked it into Juan's hoodie pocket, whispering, "For Adrian, okay?" I asked him.

  "A love note, Tia?" he snickered softly.

  "Yup," I said with a grin. "Make sure he gets it. Now..."

  "I love you, and be safe," he sang in a whisper.

  "You, too, Juanito," I sighed, kissing him one last time, before easing him out the window. I poked my head out and pointed to my right. "Love you. Go!" I hissed.

  Once the boys were out of sight, disappearing into the darkness, I pulled myself back in and replaced the screen in the window. I stepped out of the tub, gasping when I realized Kris was leaning in the doorway.

  "They gone?" he asked, but I didn't answer him. "Seriously, did you get them the fuck out of here?"

  I nodded, unsure of what he'd do. Juan had said he was nice, and he did save Juan’s life, but still, I was in his captivity, and I could see the gun in his waistband. My gun.

  "Come here," he sighed, holding up the handcuffs. "We gotta make this shit look good," he whispered, grabbing my wrist. "I never understood why they wanted those kids," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Their fucking nuts.”

  He put the cuffs around my wrists, but I noticed that he'd left them fairly loose.

  I smirked up at him. "You're done with their shit," I guessed.

  "Like weeks ago," he snorted. "but I have to protect my Mom... These pieces of shit aren't exactly trustworthy. I have a job to do, and as soon as soon as I repay my debt Myles and Terry will leave my mom and sister alone.”

  And with that his involvement made sense, he was just as much prisoner as I was in a way. "Okay," he sighed, looking like a huge weight was lifted from him. "Now...let's make this shit look like you tried to get away. As soon as we do this, they'll move you to the mountain cabin. They'll try to find those boys first, but we have to send them on a wild goose chase, because you're really who they wanted. Ready?" He smirked, giving me a wink, and I nodded, liking him instantly. "Okay...hit me!"

  I spaced.

  "Hit me!" Kris said again. His grin was infectious.

  I huffed an incredulous laugh, shaking my head, and brought both my hands up. "Are you sure?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  "Yes, hurry!" he hissed, looking back into the room, and then back to me. "Make it good, and then we're going to pretend I caught you outside, okay?"

  I gave him a warning with my eyes before swinging on him. I made sure to clip the spot by his brow, causing the skin to split and bleed.

  "Shit," he hissed, doubling over. For a moment I froze, thinking I’d hurt him too much, and that wasn’t even full force. When he stood back up, he looked in the bathr
oom's mirror and fucking grinned. "Perfect. Let's go."

  He grabbed my wrist and tugged me out behind him, quietly opening the motel room door that led out to the parking lot. He urged me to the end of the property, and then turned me around. My bare feet slapped the pavement, and that was the only sound that could be heard in the darkness.

  "Now, fight me...and be loud about it," he snorted.

  I stopped him, just for a moment. "Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" I asked him, and surprisingly, he met my gaze.

  "Adults can fuck with each other all they want, but it pissed me the fuck off when David, Terry, and Myles showed up with two babies," he grunted, rolling his eyes. "I have a little sister. That shit would not be cool if it was her, you know?"

  "I get it. Juan said you were nice to him." I told him.

  He smiled, fondly, I noted, and said, "He's something else. Brave little thing. Wouldn't let no one touch him without permission, and even then, it was limitedpicking him up, putting him in a car. Kept reminding me not to talk with my mouth full," he chuckled. "The other one was scared to death. That shit wasn't right." He paused and sighed. "Besides, I hate Zoe...David...and Myles...fuck that. Terry is just an asshole. I'd let you go, but I can’t risk my mom and sister. Without me there, they have no protection.”

  I studied his face for a split second, and then nodded. I knew that I could escape cuffed or not with just him, but I wouldn’t risk is family after he already risked them to help me get mine back. "Okay...let's do this."

  He turned me around and grabbed my hair. "Go," he whispered.

  "Get the fuck off of me!" I yelled, reaching back and pretending to fight his grasp. "Let me go!"

  "Maybe if you hadn't run on me, bitch," he countered loudly.

  Suddenly, two motel room doors slammed open.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" Terry hissed, looking up at one end of the motel to the other. "What the fuck happened?"