by Kim Jones
“I always liked this guy. He would have your job, if he would have stuck around.” The man didn’t say anything. Just kept his eyes trained on me. Charlie met me with his piercing stare once again. His eyes were cold and lifeless. “Frankie is back in your hometown. His guys are taking over your club house and your home right now. They have nine women tied up in your living room. Two of your men are being held at gunpoint in your club house. There were ten women, but one left before they got there. By the look on the man to your left’s face, I would say it was his wife that managed to get away. Every woman there belongs to a man behind you, except for sweet Maddie. You all have something to lose and I have something to gain.”
My mind tried to tell me that he was fucking with me, but my gut knew he was telling the truth. This man had my family captured and I didn’t know why. Two brothers, Dallas, and my sisters were being held hostage, probably scared out of their minds, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
“What do you want?” I asked, tired of playing his bullshit game.
“I want to own something of yours. I want to have it to treasure and hold. I want to be able to look at something every day that reminds me of you,” he said, talking in riddles just to put me even more on the edge.
“Why?”
“Because I can. I don’t like being told no, Luke, and you are the only man I have let live that has.”
“You can have me,” I said without hesitation. I heard feet shuffle behind me and held my hand up to tell everyone to stay where they were.
“You had your chance. I want you to wake up every day for the rest of your life and know that I own you.”
His words cut me deep, and I knew there was no getting out of this. Someone was going to get hurt, and I prayed like hell that it would be me.
“Hang on, Luke. My cell is ringing. Hello?”
I watched as he answered the phone and talked to the person on the other end as if it was a normal, daily conversation. I turned my head to look at my brothers. They stood tall, with faces of stone. Not one gave the slightest hint of the turmoil that was going on inside all of them, just as it was for me. They were waiting on my cue, ready to die to save their own.
“Well, the decision has been made. As promised, Luke you can have Frankie. Everyone is alive and well. They are being held hostage. Once my men have gathered what belongs to me, they will release them and turn Frankie over. If you follow this road, you will find a cabin at the end. You can stay the night there. When my package is delivered, you can leave.” He turned and got back in the SUV, leaving us standing there with nothing. When he was gone, I turned to see everyone still in the same position as when we pulled up.
“Snipers and cameras are around. Get them on the phone, now,” I growled. There was no point in calling Dallas; I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had taken her. When the phones were connected, you could hear the women screaming and I closed my eyes, thanking God that they were okay. Ronnie was on the phone with a brother from Lake Charles getting the rundown on what took place. I turned and walked away from them, brainstorming about our next plan of action.
My cell phone rang in my pocket and I saw Dallas’ name flash across the screen along with a picture I took of her while she was laughing. I almost lost it when I answered.
“Babe?” I asked, trying to stay calm. If I acted like everything was okay, maybe she wouldn’t be so scared.
“They have us, Luke. They have me and Maddie,” she said, her voice a little shaky, but more controlled than I could have hoped.
“Are y’all okay?” Get the facts. Assess the situation. Figure out a plan. That was the job.
“Yes. He is gonna make you choose, Luke. If you love me, if you have ever loved me, then tell them to let Maddie go.”
“Dallas,” I interjected, ready to tell her that wasn’t going to happen, that I would get them out of this.
“Luke, I am begging you. I need you to trust me. Promise me, you will save Maddie. Promise me, right now.”
“I can get you out of this, babe,” I said, emotion becoming more and more evident in my voice. I would give my life before I gave her to that man.
“Promise me,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice strong.
I was defeated. I didn’t have a plan, but I would make one. Right now, Dallas needed reassurance and if it made her feel better, then that’s what I would give her.
“I promise. I won’t let them take her,” I said, closing my eyes and sighing in defeat. I couldn’t choose between them, I wouldn’t.
“Time’s up,” I heard a man’s voice say and the call ended. My brothers were now gathered around me, waiting for my next move.
“Let’s get to the cabin. We have eight hours.”
Chapter 13
Dallas
I knew by Maddie’s slow breathing that she was finally asleep. The morning’s events were traumatic for all of us, but somehow I reached in and found my protective instinct, making my main concern Maddie’s safety and not my own. I was scared to death, not knowing what would happen once we arrived. One minute we were sitting around the living room, after saying goodbye to Brooklyn, and in the next, the kitchen door was being knocked down and Frankie was there. He looked as scared as the rest of us. When he saw Maddie, he shook his head at her, silently pleading with her to keep her mouth shut. Maddie, figuring the goons holding the guns were Frankie’s men, proceeded to lash out at him verbally, earning her a big goose egg on her head when she was hit with the butt of a gun. They tied everyone up, asking who was who. Frankie confirmed that I was Dallas. When a call came through, the request for a hostage changed. They asked for Maddie instead of me. I begged and pleaded with them, telling them it was me that they wanted and not her. The man on the other end of the phone decided that he needed both of us and that he would let Luke decide our fate.
I tried everything in my power to keep them from getting Maddie, but they easily grabbed the both of us and threw us into the back of an SUV. We were scrunched in to the tiny spot between the back hatch and the third row seat. Our ankles and wrists were bound behind us, leaving the only semi comfortable position-laying on your side. I don’t know what happened to the other girls or where the guys from the club house were, it all happened too fast. Brooklyn had decided to stay an extra week with all of us. Thank God that she left when she did. That was one less body to worry about. The week without Luke had crept by. Even with all the excitement from the girls and the stories and sappy movie nights and endless bottles of vodka, I missed him so much that I often just wanted to be alone; wrapped up in his shirt that smelled of his cologne. Maddie and I had kept our distance, only speaking when it was necessary. Which only happened once- when she asked me if we had anymore peanut butter. We weren’t the best of friends yet, but it was progress. At least she wasn’t trying to claw my eyes out. I spent a lot of time with Logan, too. Every day we would work on his homework together. Maddie didn’t seem to mind, but she wasn’t thrilled about it either. I think Brooklyn said something to her that made her back off a little.
It felt like we had been riding for hours when we pulled off the road and into a wooded area. My guard went up and I was terrified that this would be where they killed us and dumped the bodies. I was so relieved when the hatch was opened and the goons held water and sandwiches in their hands, instead of guns, that I almost wet my pants. There were four guys at the house, but only two were with us. I had no chance against them and I was afraid that if I tried anything stupid, they might kill Luke. They told me that I would see him when we got to where we were going. Just the thought helped soothe my worries. The guys were big, bulky and looked like FBI agents. They even wore suits and shiny shoes and little ear piece things. They gently sat me up first, holding the water to my lips. I didn’t think about it being poisoned until I took a big gulp of it. Well, too late now, and I needed my strength. He fed me small bites of a peanut butter sandwich rotating it out with sips of water. I didn’t fight him, and the process went smo
othly, almost too smoothly. He acted like he had done this before. The thought was unnerving. When I shook my head, letting him know that I didn’t want anymore. He stepped to Maddie and gently grabbed her by her arms, sitting her up.
“Please,” I said, my voice coming out strong and getting the men’s attention. “Untie her. She is hurt.” The men ignored me and began shaking Maddie lightly, waking her. When she saw them, she started to scream and the bigger of the two placed a gloved hand over her mouth.
“We have food and water. We are not going to hurt you. I am going to help you sit up. If you scream, I will gag you and drive on.” Her wide eyes looked to me and I smiled weakly at her.
“It’s okay, Maddie. Just do as they say.” I don’t know how I kept from crying, but I managed to be brave for both of us. She nodded her head and he released her mouth, then sat her on her knees next to me.
“My head hurts. Where are we?” she asked, swaying slightly. One of the men placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her steady.
“I will get you something for your head. You have been kidnapped and we are taking you to your club. You will be set free once we get there.”
Hope soared through me at the words from the nicest goon I had ever met. He shook his head at me, silently letting me know that it was not me that would be set free. I nodded, letting him know I understood, still so elated by the fact that Maddie would be home safe with Logan that I didn’t have time to think about my own well-being.
“Will you please untie her? You can let her sit up front with y’all. Please?” I begged, worried Maddie had suffered a concussion.
“No, I want to stay with you,” she said, shaking slightly. My heart swelled at her words. Oh, how I wish we hadn’t wasted so much time on hating one another.
“We still have a few hours of driving. I don’t trust either one of you. You both stay tied up until we get there,” he said, pouring the last bit of water in Maddie’s mouth and stepping away. “No bathroom breaks. If you have to go, you better hold it.” He slammed the door and we were closed off from the world once again.
“Dallas, I’m scared. Logan is gonna be so worried about me,” Maddie cried. I wished I could put my arms around her. Instead I scooted closer to her on my knees and laid my head on her shoulder. She laid her head on top of mine and we sat like that until the jerking of the vehicle forced us back on our sides. The carpet was rough and chaffed my skin as I scooted to her so that we were face to face. The tight space was just big enough for the both of us. We both wore pajama shorts and tanks. I sent a word of thanks up that at least it wasn’t cold.
“I want you to have something when you get back home,” I said, keeping my voice strong, wishing I could wipe the tears from her eyes. “I want you to get Luke to take you to my house. Everything that is mine is now yours. Everything. But, I have something that I hold dear to my heart, something that money can’t buy. I don’t want anyone but you to have it. Promise me you will get Luke to take you there.” Maddie nodded her head, her tiny body wracking with sobs. “In my closet, there is a hope chest. Inside it you will find a box of my mother’s things. You didn’t know her, but she would have loved you,” I said, my voice now a whisper. I fought to control my tears, knowing I had to stay strong for both of us. “She would have wanted you to have it. I’m sorry our father treated you as if you didn’t exist. If I could go back and swap places with you, I would. You deserve it so much more.”
“I don’t want to take your mother’s things. They don’t belong to me.”
“Yes, they do. You are her step-daughter. The sister to her only child. She wouldn’t want it any other way.” Maddie nodded her head, knowing that I would never give up something so precious to just anyone. She had lost a mother too and knew how sentimental their possessions were to their daughters.
“Luke will get you out of this. You just have to give him a little time,” Maddie said, trying to reassure herself, as well as me, by nodding her head.
“I know he will, but until he does, I want you to hold onto it for me. I wouldn’t trust it with anyone else.” I stared into her beautiful, blue eyes. Seeing more and more of my father in her. Maddie would have a life of happiness, and if I had to give my life to give it to her, then so be it. She was more worthy than anyone I knew. My blood ran through her veins. I had spent my whole life thinking there was only me, yet here I lay in the back of an SUV with my own flesh and blood lying next to me. She spent her life wishing she was me, and I would have given everything to be her. She was the one who had it all.
I watched Maddie as she cried herself to sleep, memorizing the shape of her face, the color of her hair, the steadiness of her breathing. I wanted to remember everything about her. I wished I had a picture of Logan, my nephew. The one I would never watch grow up. The one who held my heart in the palm of his hand from the very first time I saw him. I didn’t know what my future held, but I knew better than to expect to ever see them again. This man would not keep me, just to let me come back to see my family.
My family.
I had a family and a man I had never met was about to take them from me. I knew Luke had a plan, but I feared that it would end with someone getting killed or hurt. I closed my eyes, hoping that I would just go to sleep and when I woke, I would be in his arms and out of this nightmare. All I could think about was how I should have told him I loved him, in person, one last time.
I awoke with a jolt and looked to see Maddie staring at me wide-eyed as we bounced around in the back of the vehicle.
“We must be getting close,” she whispered. “We have been going pretty slowly for a few minutes.” I figured we were in an abandoned area and the thought scared the shit outta me. They could kill us all and no one would be the wiser.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I said to Maddie, locking my eyes on hers. “When we get there and they let you go, I don’t want you causing a scene or trying anything stupid. Go straight to Luke. If he can’t get me out of this, I will figure something out. Remember, you have a little boy at home who needs you, Maddie.”
“This is all my fault. I caused this,” she said, getting panicky. I kept my voice calm and reassuring, the way a mother would do.
“None of this is your fault.”
“If it wasn’t for me, Luke would have killed Frankie years ago and none of this would have happened.”
“Maddie. This. Is. Not. Your. Fault,” I said, enunciating each word in order to try and make her understand. “You can fix all of this. All you have to do is go to Luke when we get out and stay calm. They are not going to hurt me. They just want to upset Luke.” I knew it was unlikely, but I prayed like hell that they wouldn’t hurt me, at least not in front of Luke and Maddie. The thought of them hurting was worse than any physical blows I would take.
The car stopped and my heartbeat sped up as I waited for the doors to open. A low, controlled voice that I didn’t recognize spoke and I heard the two front doors shut and the shuffle of feet as the back door was opened. The sun was setting in the distance and I noticed that we were in a big field with trees scattered around. The goons sat us up, so that we were facing towards them. I saw a man approach that looked like he was in his late sixties, but in very good shape. His white hair was slicked back and he wore a tailored, black suit that was flawless, despite the dusty gravel road that lay beneath his feet. The man was strikingly beautiful and wore a smile that revealed two rows of perfect, white teeth. A cigar dangled from between his fingers and I noticed that he wore a diamond ring on every one.
“Miss Knox! What a pleasure to finally meet you!” he said in a voice full of fake warmth. “I believe there is someone who is dying to see you.” My heart sank to my knees as he put distinction in the word ‘dying.’
“Luke! Come see your lovely lady.”
Seconds later I was fighting for air as I saw Regg and Ronnie drag Luke into view. His face was battered and he looked to have taken a pretty bad beating. His legs hung lifelessly below him, and I knew it took eno
rmous strength for him to just to keep his head up. One of his eyes was swollen completely shut and the other was bruised badly. Dried blood caked his nose and mouth and splattered his shirt.
“Luke, here, was not very pleased about me taking you, as you can see. I knew he was concocting a plan to undermine me and since this is my show, I figured I would let him fight for the two things he loved the most. You and his cut.”
I heard Maddie whimper beside me, and was more than thankful for the goons that were there to hold us up, or else I would have fallen out of the back of the car, face first. I knew better than to say anything, it would only make matters worse.
“He is a tough one though. We couldn’t break him. I love a man with that kind of fight in him.” The man shook his head and smiled looking from me, to Maddie and then Luke. “Come on fellows, get around here so you can see that I stayed true to my word and they are unharmed.”
I watched as the club, with their hands behind their heads, gathered around behind Luke, Ronnie and Regg. It was then that I noticed about six other goons holding guns, pointed at each of them. I counted each of them, fifteen total. They were all here and other than Luke, appeared to be without a hair out of place. Regg had a black eye and some scuff marks on his face, but they looked like older wounds. He managed to hold Luke up without struggling, so he must have been okay.
“We are okay,” I said, my voice catching Luke’s attention. He held his head higher, trying to focus on me with his one good eye.
“Let ‘em go,” he said, his voice breathy and low. The fight was not gone from Luke and I knew if they didn’t get out of here, he would be killed.
“Always in such a hurry. One leaves, one stays. You choose who goes back with you,” the white haired man said, not seeming to care who it was.
“Charlie, please. I’m begging you, let them go,” Luke pleaded. It killed me to see him like this. I hated to see how bruised and battered he was, but I knew no amount of physical hurt could compare to the blow he took to his pride.
