by Simone Elise
***
I lit up a cigarette, inhaling the much-needed smoke. Reaper was at the bar, eating, and every so often giving me a dirty look. He didn’t like being told what to do. Tyson was in his stroller and I was rocking it while he reached out and touched the toys hanging down from it.
I was standing next to the bar, watching Reaper. I swear he couldn’t take much smaller bites.
Trigger dragged a stool up beside me. I glanced at him but my eyes were on Reaper. Why was he suddenly avoiding food? I watched him as he poked at the salad.
I gasped as I was dragged off my feet and onto Trigger’s lap, his arms wrapping around me. I looked at the food in front of him.
“You’re hungry,” I stated and then looked back at Reaper. I was ignoring the feeling swelling in me as he positioned me on his lap. I put the cigarette back in my mouth.
“Not for me, sweetheart.”
I frowned. Then why the hell would he dish up so much food? I looked back at him and my eyes darted between his face and the plate. “That’s a lot of food.”
“Didn’t know what you wanted.” He shrugged his shoulders while his hand rubbed up and down my thigh. God, that felt amazing.
Wait a sec, did he just say me? “I’m not hungry.” I leaned into the bar and grabbed a beer.
“You are drinking on an empty stomach.”
“I ate earlier.”
“No, you didn’t. I’ve been with you all day.”
Darn, he caught my lie. I turned on his lap to look him in the eye. “I’m not hungry.”
“Wait a fucking second.” Reaper picked up on our conversation. “If you are making me eat, you have to fucking eat.”
“You’re not really eating,” I challenged him.
“Fine, I’ll stop.”
We had a stare off. He was lowering his knife and fork.
“Fine. I’ll eat.” I pointed a finger at him. “You better fucking keep eating. I want that plate empty.”
Trigger had cut up a piece of steak and had it on a fork for me. I snatched it from him. “You are not feeding me.” I butted out my cigarette on the bar.
He laughed and kissed my bare shoulder, sending tingles through my body. “As long as you eat, babe.”
***
Reaper
Zero, three, one, two.
The phone unlocked. I put my cigarette in the ashtray. I went to the photos and clicked on the first one. It was an ultrasound picture. I swiped across. It was a video. I pressed play.
“See this, Reaper. This is what I’m dealing with.” Abby was pointing the camera at Brad, who looked to be buying something. They looked to be in a baby store. Abby turned the camera on herself. “Some fool gave him a bank card.”
I smiled. I remembered telling Brad to go crazy.
“Three hours, Reaper. Three fucking hours. I think he just likes the girls talking to him. That and burning a hole in your bank card.” She gave the camera a pointed look. “You owe me three hours. Actually, three and a half.”
“I brought a crib.”
The camera went from Abby to Brad. He was standing in front of her now. “Hear that, Reaper? He brought a crib.”
“You filming this for Reaper?”
“Yep.”
“He is going to regret ever giving me this bank card.” A grin spread across Brad’s face.
“I regret him giving you his bank card. Now, who is going to put that crib together? You do realize they are flat-packed, right?” I could hear the smile in Abby’s voice as Brad’s face was wiped of expression.
“’Course I did.”
“So who is putting it together?”
Brad grinned. “Reaper. Hear that, man? You are. Now come on, Abby, we have to collect it from out back.”
The video stopped. I swiped to the next one.
Roach was cursing on the ground with a piece of what looked like Tyson’s crib.
“So, Dad, what were you saying about Reaper?” Abby’s voice sounded amused.
“I told you! He is fucking useless. How the hell does this go with that? Fucking stupid instructions.” Roach held two pieces up. “I’m telling you now, Abby. A father should be here doing this shit.”
“You don’t have to put it together, Dad,” Abby laughed.
“What, you saying I can’t do it?” Roach looked up, more furious. “What you doing with that phone? Are you filming me?”
“Yep. Proof for Reaper of what you really think of him.”
Roach scoffed. “He knows what I think of him. Fucking knocking up my daughter, then fucking off.”
The camera moved and Abby’s face was on screen. “Hear what I have to deal with?”
“You sending that to him?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, tell him to hurry the fuck up.”
“Why, Dad, because you can’t get the crib together?” Abby laughed and it was fucking music to my ears.
“Well, he is young. He should know how to do this shit.”
“So, Reaper, you have to come back. Otherwise our child will have nothing to sleep in. So you have five months.”
“Fuck that. I’ll get it together,” Roach barked and Abby rolled her eyes.
The video stopped. Why hadn’t she sent me these? I had barely heard a word from her while I was gone. She never called. I always called her. I guess she didn’t want to bother me.
I swiped to the next video.
Abby’s eyes were swollen. Her cheeks were red. “You told me months today. Months.” She gulped and wiped a tear off her cheek. “You’re going to miss everything.” The phone went black and the video stopped.
I did miss everything.
I swiped to the next video.
Abby’s smiling face greeted me. “Guess what I did today? You won’t be able to guess. I went to a store without being forced.” She gave me a pointed look. “It was to print these.” She held up an envelope. “I’ve forgiven you, by the way. I know you are doing everything possible to get back.” She sighed. “Well, I hope you are.” Her eyes lit up. “I’ve been working on this all week.” The camera flicked to an open scrapbook. “I’m actually drawing again. Not very well. But I’m giving it a try. I’m doing this for It. Yes, I’m calling your son or daughter It. You can yell at me about it if you ever see this. Brad calls it Thing. So, It isn’t really that bad.”
The video stopped. She called Tyson It? For how fucking long?
I swiped to the next video.
Abby looked exhausted. I could hear the dull sound of a party. “This is your wife. I demand that you come back and make my stupid father’s charter shut the hell up! It’s a long weekend and the boys haven’t stopped. I swear–” She stopped talking and a frustrated expression crossed her face. “You hear that? They turned the stupid music up louder! That’s it.” She threw the blankets back and got out of bed.
“I’m leaving.”
The video stopped. She better fucking not have left. She knew she was on lockdown. Why hadn’t someone stopped her?
I pressed play on the next video.
“So, I escaped. I bet you are pissed right now if you are watching this.” She gave me a knowing smile. She had no idea how pissed off I was. “Before you go batshit crazy, you should know I didn’t get out by myself.” She rolled her eyes. “No, I had to bring the ringleader of the party with me.”
The camera went off her face. Brad was pulling his boots off. “You messaging Reaper this late at night?”
“So you admit it’s LATE?”
Brad rolled his eyes. “Harmless fun, Abby.” He went to get up but wobbled on his feet, losing his balance and was forced to sit back down on the bed.
“I think your best friend is drunk.”
“And stoned,” Brad added.
“You really shouldn’t have said that.”
“I can still shoot straight! Now come to bed. For someone who was so tired, you sure are taking your sweet ass time to get to b
ed.” Brad stretched out on the bed and grabbed a pillow.
“Wonder what Reaper thinks of you sharing a bed with me?”
They did fucking what?
“I’m sure I’ll get a black eye for it. Now come to bed.”
“Fine.”
They shared a bed. They shared a fucking bed. He was right. He would be getting a black eye. Maybe a few bruised ribs as well.
“Reaper?” Kim poked her head in the door and I locked the phone.
“Yeah.”
“Why aren’t you up yet?” Kim let the door swing open. “Oh, Tyson’s still asleep.”
I glanced over my shoulder. He was. But that wasn’t the reason I wasn’t up yet. I had been too busy going through Abby’s spare phone.
“Well, I can take over. The boys are all up and are looking lost without you.” Kim walked in and sat on the couch. “Why aren’t you dressed? Not like you to sleep in.”
I grabbed a shirt off the floor. “Did you know Abby filmed videos when she was pregnant?”
Kim scoffed. “Do I? I swear that phone was glued to her hand. You must have gotten sick of them, right? Why are you rewatching them?” She twisted on the couch to look at me.
So she knew. Brad knew. I didn’t. Why didn’t Abby send them?
“Something like that.” I put my rings on and walked toward Kim.
Kim put her hand out, holding my vest. “Oh, and I don’t want to put you in a foul mood but...”
“Spit it out, Kim.”
“Your parents are downstairs. With Dad.”
Fucking Roach. Stirring shit up. “I’ll handle it.” I put my guns in my holster. “You alright with Trigger watching you today?”
“Yep.”
“You two seem to be getting close.”
She laughed. “In order for him to be watching me, he would have to get out of bed. So I doubt I’ll see him.” She shrugged and stretched out on the couch.
My phone starting ringing on the bed. I walked toward it. It would be Brad wondering where I was. I answered, barking a hello into it.
“It’s Jake.” His voice was dark and I could hear how amused he was with himself.
“Is Abby alive?” That was my only question. All I cared about was her. I needed to know she was still breathing and hadn’t done something stupid before I could get to her.
Chapter 15
Jake
Didn’t know how it happened. Couldn’t explain it if I wanted to. Somehow Abby turned into someone I didn’t just want to kill.At the time all I could think about was ending her life.
Now that I was starting to get to know her. I found myself not being able to go through with it. There had to be another way to punish Reaper for taking my wife.
Maybe I should just take Abby from him completely. But keep her in my life.
She was testing my limits today. And I did nearly kill her.
As soon as she blacked out, I knew then. I couldn’t kill her. Not now.
I was attracted to her. I could see what Reaper saw in her. And I could also understand why he loved her as much as he did. Any man would love Abby. Wasn’t just her looks either.
So what do I do now?
Reaper wanted to speak with me. It was all over town. Maybe I should have a conversation with him.
There was another way to punish Reaper and that wasn’t just taking Abby’s life. A death would be final. But if I kept her alive and under my control for the rest of her life. Living Reaper to be forever looking for her, he would never get closeure. And I was liking that idea more and more.
Abby
Why the hell was I still breathing? I had baited the shit out of Jake. I remembered blacking out. I thought that was death. But when I woke up in this cursed bedroom, I knew my life hadn’t been taken yet.
What the hell stopped him? Why couldn’t he just get it over with? I sat up, putting my feet on the floor. How long had I been out for? I had a feeling it was longer than a few hours. I looked outside. It looked like morning.
There was a knock on the door and my head snapped to it as it opened.
“Jake wants you downstairs.” Andrew looked over at me. “Finally awake, I see.”
What did he want? I pushed myself off the bed. Andrew had left the door open. It wasn’t like Jake to send someone to get me. He usually liked to personally annoy me. I walked down the stairs.
“Why aren’t I dead?” I demanded as soon as I hit the last step. “Why couldn’t you go through with it?”
Jake smirked, dropping his cards on the table. “Just be thankful you are still breathing.”
“Can’t you fucking tell? I’m fucking jumping for joy.” My tone was as sour as my expression. I wanted this over with. Why couldn’t I get it my way? I wasn’t going to let him win. This was a game and I was ready to play till the death, literally.
Jake pulled out his phone. “Come here.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
I dragged myself around the table and stood next to him. “What? What do you want?” Why had he gotten me out of bed? Why did he want me down here?
He handed me his phone and my eyes widened. Why would he willingly give me a phone? Had he lost his mind?
“I want you to call your husband.” He reached out for me and pulled me onto to his lap. “I’m assuming you know his number.”
“Why?”
“He wants to talk to me. Guessing about you.” Jake gestured with his head for me to hurry up. “Go on. Call.”
“I know he wants to do more than talk to you.” If I knew Reaper at all, I knew he wanted blood by now.
“He is the one going around town, demanding I call him. So dial his number and I’ll talk to him.”
Did I do it? Why was Reaper hellbent on talking to Jake? More importantly, why hadn’t he found me by now? Because Jake had me hidden in this mansion. I sighed and my fingers dashed across the screen. I handed him back the phone. I had to trust Reaper. He must have a reason to speak to Jake.
Jake put the phone on loudspeaker and placed it on the table in front of us. My heartbeat was going a million times a second hearing the ringing. I tried to get out of Jake’s lap but he just wrapped an arm around me, making me stay put.
“Hello?” Reaper was rude and basically barked into the phone. Now that’s my husband. I smiled.
“It’s Jake.” Jake looked at me, smug.
Reaper went silent for a second. “Is Abby alive?” I could hear the panic in his voice, the nerves of the unknown. He should know by now, this wasn’t going to end with me alive. I mightn’t be dead today but if I had it my way, I would be as soon as possible.
“Maybe,” Jake answered. “What do you want? Heard rumors on the street you want to give me back my money.”
This was over money? I rolled my eyes. Of course it was. Jake loved his money.
“Is Abby alive?” Reaper demanded.
“Yes.” Jake looked at me. “Don’t think your wife is happy about that.”
“You want your money back?”
“Let me guess. I get it back if I give Abby back?” Jake’s hand ran up my thigh. “Not going to happen, Reaper. I can make more money.”
“It would take you a while to make that much. Just give her up, Jake.”
“Not happening.”
“Fine. You promise me you keep her alive for a month. Give me more time to find her.” Reaper was desperate and I wanted to tell him I was fine with what was going to happen. I opened my mouth but Jake’s hand quickly wrapped around it, stopping me from talking.
“And I get my cash back?”
“Yes,” Reaper gritted out, “if you can prove Abby is still alive. And she has to be kept breathing for a month.”
I bit Jake’s finger. He cursed and shook his hand. “Don’t be stupid, Reaper. Like he is going to keep his word!”
“ABBY!”
“Yes, I’m here and I’m fine. Don’t give him his money. He wi
ll only kill me anyway. His word doesn’t mean shit.”
“I always keep my word. I said I’d kill you and I’m still firm on that,” Jake said and his hand was back on my thigh.
I squirmed on his lap. But he just held me in place.
“So, you keep her alive, I give you the money and we have a deal?” Reaper was crazy. As if this was going to work.
“How much money are we talking about?” I asked both Reaper and Jake.
“Nearly four mill.” Jake looked at me. “Your husband is willing to pay me a large amount to keep you breathing.”
“Keep it.” Was I the only one seeing that ripping Jake off was the best possible outcome of this situation? “Seriously, Reaper, don’t give him a fucking dollar.”
“Jake, you promise to keep her breathing for a month?” Reaper ignored me altogether, even though I was the only one making sense right now.
Jake looked at me, torn. “One month?”
“One month.”
“OK, I’ll send one of my guys to pick the cash up from you.”
You had to be kidding me! I was going to be forced to keep breathing for a month! I wanted this over with. I was ready! I had never been more ready for my own death.
“Fine. But I want to know one other thing,” Reaper said.
“What?”
Yeah, what was it that Reaper wanted to know?
“What’s this game you and her play?”
I clenched my eyes shut. He had watched the video. Did I not make it clear to him not to watch it till I was dead? I suddenly knew the reason Reaper was so desperate to get hold of Jake. And why he was forcing Jake to keep me breathing for a month. He wasn’t just ensuring Jake didn’t kill me. He was making sure I didn’t kill myself.
“Been talking to our little cherub, have you?” Jake looked at me, amazed. “Here I was thinking I had been careful around you.”
“WHAT’S THE GAME?” Reaper roared from the phone.
I cringed. I hated it when he used that tone.
“I think your wife has been baiting me, Reaper. Only now, her little scene with the gun is making sense.” Jake looked at me, seeing right through my outbursts and seeing the cause. I wanted to die. He knew that now. “I think your wife has a death wish. Maybe she should be the one to decide if she lives for another month.”
