Lost in Distraction

by BJ Harvey

  “Well well, I think it’s time you rethink your priorities, don’t you? Girls come and go, but you and Shay are few and far between, don’t you agree?”

  I punch the coffee table, the force reverberating through my arm.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to ponder that. Shay will be back before you know it,” he says before hanging up on me.

  I run my fingers through my hair. What do I do now?

  I walk out of the bedroom after my shower to find Brax pacing in the living room. This is starting to become a common occurrence.

  “What’s wrong, babe?” I ask, walking towards him.

  “Everything’s going wrong,” he murmurs quietly.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, getting worried he is talking about our relationship.

  He shakes his head. “Nothing hon, you don’t need to worry about me. You look beautiful, by the way. Have I told you that today?” he says, a clear attempt to change the subject.

  I eye him suspiciously. I know something is wrong and I know he’s trying to protect me from the truth. I suddenly have a horrifying thought.

  “Has…Has there been another note?” I ask, my voice shaky.

  “Oh, no. No Elle. Nothing like that, I swear,” he answers, pulling me into his chest as he embraces me. I instantly relax at the closeness. I feel cocooned in his arms, like nothing can touch me when he’s with me.

  Fuck! This whole situation is a shit fight. What the hell happened last night? I remember seeing B and Elle off in a taxi and then heading back inside to finish off the party. I remember I was the last to leave the bar and was walking towards my car. I’d been careful not to drink because I knew Brax was drinking and the agreement is that one of us always stays sober. Now I’m in a concrete room somewhere, on a dingy mattress on the floor. I sit up, rubbing my sore head and searching for any clue as to where I am.

  I hear a voice on the other side of the door and although I recognize it, I can’t pinpoint exactly who it is. I scan my mind for who it might be, but I’m distracted by my pounding headache. I rub the back of my head and feel an all too familiar bump. Damn them, they knocked me out.

  It all starts coming back to me. I remember heading towards my car with my keys in hand, ready to unlock the door when everything went black. They must have knocked me out. They better wish they were dead once I get out of here.

  I think of Brax, he’ll know something is up by now. He would have tracked me by my phone. Shit! Where is my phone? I check my pockets, but I can’t find it. They must have taken it, or chucked it. Hopefully he can still track my car, but that will only work if they moved me in my car. Dammit, I need to get to a phone, anywhere, as long as it’s away from these idiots.

  I hear the voice again, he must be on the phone.

  “Brax, you listen to me.”

  I know who it is now, it’s Evans. I knew he’d do something soon, he’s been getting antsy. Ever since Brax went to see him at the warehouse I know he’s been watching us closely. I’m not stupid. I know he wants us to work for him, he even offered me a cool hundred grand for us to work for him, but I know Brax will never let that happen and no amount of money in the world could make me betray him. He has never hated anyone as much as he hates Evans. There is too much family history there that will never change the way he feels him, even if he is blood.

  “Frankie, get Shay out of there, I want to speak to him,” I hear Evans bellow at one of his men.

  Sure enough, the metal door to the room I’m in starts shakes as it is being unlocked and a disheveled looking teenager comes in with a gun pointed at me.

  “Up on your feet,” he demands. I’m not stupid. I have a gun pointed to my head. Even if the guy holding it is shaking like a leaf, you never take on a guy with a gun. Not without having some advantage, anyway.

  I jump to my feet, making the boy flinch. I can’t help but grin at him. He’s in way over his head here and he knows it. He points to the door and walks behind me. I walk out the door, taking note of the hallway I’m being led down, how many doors are off it, whether there are any fire alarms or signs on the doors, and any exits I could take. He leads me towards a door at the end of the hallway. Opening it up, I see Evans and a couple of his henchman sitting behind a desk, the slimy grin on Evans’ face tells me that he thinks he’s done well with this little stunt.

  “Shay, nice of you to join us. Have a good sleep?” he says with a chuckle. I clench my fists at my side. Damn, this man grates me like no other.

  “Have fun knocking me out?” I retort, looking him straight in the eye.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. Par for the course” he says. He pauses, like he’s pondering his next move. “I’ve spoken to Brax this morning, he knows I’ve got you and he even knows where we are. But there is no need for him to come all the way up here now, I think I’ve gotten the message across. You’re free to go.”

  What? Just like that. Something isn’t right here; this is all seeming a bit too easy.

  “Just like that?” I scoff. “You gave me a sore back from sleeping on a hard ass mattress and a killer headache for a stupid message?”

  They all start laughing, but Evans goes dead serious all of a sudden.

  “Yes Shay, just like that. You’ve served your purpose, now you are free to go. Just pass on my regards to my son,” he adds.

  “He’s not your son, you gave up that right,” I say spitefully before turning towards the door.

  I’m not stupid, and I’m definitely not sticking around this shithole any longer. I back away towards the door, shutting it behind me. Walking down the hallway, I try every closed door until I find the exit. I walk out into daylight, my eyes taking a few minutes to adjust after being stuck in the dark for so long. Sure enough, in front of the door is my car with my keys in the ignition.

  I jump in and start the car, skidding out of the parking lot and heading in the first direction I choose. I know I need to find a payphone and call Brax as soon as possible.

  It’s 3 p.m. and there is still no word from Shay. I have a bad feeling that Evans did this just for fun, it’s his sick way of sending me a message about working for him. He knows that’ll never happen. In fact, he’ll be rotting in hell well before I even contemplate the idea.

  My phone rings and I jump to my feet to answer it. Elle sits up straight away. She’s busy studying beside me on the couch, but I couldn’t concentrate on my textbook. My mind is too busy elsewhere.

  I look at the caller ID and see that it’s from a blocked number again.

  “Shay?” I answer.

  “Yeah, bro. Can you talk?” he asks.

  I look at Elle and nod to her so she knows it is Shay and that he’s okay before I disappear into the bedroom.

  “Yeah, man. I can now. What the fuck happened?”

  “Evans decided to send us a message in his sick fucked up way. I’ve got a sore head but that’s all they did,” he explains.

  “Thank god for that,” I say, relieved. “I shouldn’t have left until you were safe in your car.”

  “It’s okay, B. I’m fine. I’ve figured out where I am now so I’m going to start driving back. Should take me about four hours to get back, then I need to go find my phone. I don’t have a clue where it is.”

  “Doesn’t matter, bro, you’re fine now. So the message was all about me leaving Elle alone and us working for him?” I ask.

  He laughs. “Seems that way, but fuck knows. I didn’t hear anything until I heard him yelling at you on the phone.”

  “Dammit, sorry bro. I didn’t want you brought into this shit.”

  “Brax, I’ve got your back always. Okay? You know that and I know you’ve got mine. We’re sweet,” he adds.

  “Okay, well can you pop round when you get back? Elle’s worried about you. She just knows you disappeared, nothing else, obviously,” I explain carefully.

  “Yeah, bro. See you soon.”

  “And go pick up a burner phone somewhere. Your phone is lying in the parking lot across the
road from the bar. Did they chuck it?”

  “They must have. It’s all good, I’ll get a burner and go collect mine after I’ve seen you,” he adds before hanging up.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I hear the bedroom door open and Brax walks back into the living room towards me. He leans over and gives me a soft kiss on the lips and presses his forehead to mine, wrapping his hands around my neck.

  “He’s okay,” he whispers.

  “Oh, Brax, I told you he would be,” I reply as I jump to my feet and embrace him. I can feel him relaxing into my arms. It’s a strange feeling, me being the one to comfort him for once, but I like it. I know this is the perfect opportunity to find out what happened.

  “So, where was he?” I ask.

  “Uh… he ended up in Boston of all places,” he says with a grimace. Boston? That’s, like, three hours away from here.

  “Why did he go there?” I inquire, still trying to work out the situation in my head.

  “To see his old girlfriend apparently, but he was so tired by the time he got there that he just crashed out in his car and rang me as soon as he woke up.”

  “Right,” I say, not buying the story. Shay doesn’t seem the type of guy to drive for three hours in the middle of the night just for sex with an old girlfriend. God, at the bar last night there were more than enough candidates for a one night stand.

  “Now that he’s woken up, he’s heading back. Is it okay if he calls by on his way home? I said you were worried about him.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be nice to see he’s okay, especially after you were so worried,” I say quietly, noticing a frown forming on Brax’s face. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “It’s nothing, sweetheart, don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” he says, giving me a quick kiss before grabbing his bag.

  “Now that it’s all sorted, I should really head over to the library to look up some reference material for my management class. Shay also thinks he dropped his phone in the parking lot near the bar, so he asked if I could go have a look.

  “Okay. Will you be home for dinner?” I ask.

  “Definitely, darlin,” I hear him say from the hallway.

  I sit back down on the couch and smile at Brax. I love the way he drawls when he says darlin’.

  Now that I have time to think, I’m wondering why Shay ended up in Boston. When we left the bar last night he said he was going back inside to help clean up then go home. Something doesn’t seem to add up. I’m left pondering it while I pick up my English literature textbook and continue studying.

  I hate lying to Elle, but I have to get out of the apartment to sort my head out. With everything going on, Shay missing for twelve hours was the last straw.

  I dropped the ball last night. One of us always stays sober, which was why Shay didn’t drink much last night, but I was so caught up in Elle that I didn’t think twice about leaving him alone at the bar. Dammit! I punch my dash. I would never have forgiven myself had he been hurt, especially by my fuck up of a father. Until I see him tonight, I won’t know exactly what they did to him. Knowing what Evans’ men are like, I’d say he’s been roughed up at the very least.

  My first instinct is to ring Evans and have a go at him, but he’s probably changed phone numbers by now anyway. He doesn’t trust anyone so he goes through burner phones like he changes underwear, that is why his number is always unknown. Even I can’t track him half the time. I just send a message through to his office and he always seems to have the time to call me straight back.

  I drive around for a while, listening to old school rock in my car while I try to clear my head. When Shay gets back at least I’ll have a better idea of what happened. I don’t believe for a second that he was taken all the way to Boston just because daddy dearest wants us to work for him. He was sending another message, I just can’t work out what that is. Are we getting too close? Are we all at risk now? For all his faults, I know Evans would never stand by and let me be killed. Beaten, yes, but given that I’m one of only two sons he has, I know I’m safe when it comes to him. Maybe he knows something about Brimstone’s plans for Elle and, if he does, then how is he able to track us. I’m starting to think that we might have a rat in the organization.

  I decide to bypass Gibbons and call the big boss directly.

  “Boss? It’s Brax. Can you talk securely?” I ask when he answers.

  “Yes, Brax. For what do I owe the pleasure?” he replies in his low monotone voice. The boss is not one to show emotion very often, it helps with the persona.

  “I think we might have a problem,” I explain.

  “Go on.”

  “Shay was kidnapped by Evans overnight.”

  “What did you say?” he says, the anger in his voice is palpable.

  “Yup, Evans had his goons grab Shay as he was leaving the bar last night and I didn’t hear about it until I got a text from Evans himself this afternoon,” I explain. “At the very least, the GPS in his phone or car should have been tagged when he was taken. Why wasn’t I called?” I ask, getting angry the more I think about it.

  “Good question, Brax. Better still, why weren’t you with him?” he asks sternly.

  “I was distracted, sir,” I say solemnly.

  “I see. The girl again, was it? I warned you about this, Brax,” he scolds.

  “Yes, boss, but it can’t be helped. Shay and I kept to our normal protocol so he wasn’t drinking much last night. But that’s not the biggest problem—why wasn’t Shay’s GPS tagged when it moved out of the area? We always check in with HQ.”

  “Yes, I know. Gibbons was on the night shift last night, he doesn’t usually miss something like this,” he notes.

  “Well, I’m a little spooked now. Given that despite all security measures being in place, Shay was still taken.”

  “Yes, Brax. I’m not happy about it at all and will be investigating” he states in his ‘I mean business’ voice.

  “You can understand why I’d rather just deal with you now, though. I don’t trust anyone else right now.” I hope like hell the chance I’m taking is the right one.

  “Brax, I’ll always have your back, you know that. What did Evans want?” he asks.

  “Daddy dearest wants us to work for him. Apparently this was his way of getting that message across, but I’m not buying it.”

  “Nope, the fact that Evans wants you by his side is no secret Brax, and you know why. Lucky for you, I know where your loyalty lies so I’m not worried. Do I have reason to be?”

  “Not at all. You know my opinion of Evans, and you and Shay are the only one who know exactly why. I’m also curious why it’s taking so long to get intel back from Gibbons about the two notes Elle has been sent?”

  “Really? Now that’s interesting because he assured me he had reported back to you. There was no evidence on them. We can’t link them to Brimstone or Evans, or anybody else for that matter. They’re clean,” he informs me.

  I suddenly have a sick feeling in my gut. Why is Gibbons lying to the boss?

  “Okay, boss man. I’ll leave you to sort it out with Gibbons, but I might just contact you directly if anything new comes up, all good?”

  “Sure thing, Brax, and might this be a lesson to you. Focus on the job a little more, girls come and go.” I hear the line go dead in my ear. The boss has always had a way with words.

  He obviously hasn’t met Elle before otherwise he would know that it is impossible not to get distracted by her. She is not someone you easily forget.

  I know that I’ll never want to forget her. I want her forever.

  I’m knee deep in my English Literature paper when I hear a knock at the door. Looking through the peephole, I see a delivery man on the other side. I open the door and he’s holding a thick yellow envelope in his hand, addressed to me. I sign for it and he hands it over, wishing me a good day as he heads back down the stairs. I’m not expecting any documents to be delivered, but it’s highly possible that Lawrence, my lawyer, forgot to te
ll me. He is usually the only one who sends tracked mail to me.

  I put the envelope on the kitchen counter and go to top up my coffee. I’ll just wait until Lawrence contacts me, then I’ll open the envelope. No doubt it is probably just some documents to sign for my portfolio or my trust fund.

  Checking my phone, I see that it’s been a couple of hours and I haven’t heard from Brax yet. He seemed really strange when he left home, like he was mad about something. We normally message each other when we’re out, so I hope he’s okay. As soon as I put my phone back down I hear a beep, letting me know I have a new text message. Expecting it to be Brax, I have a huge smile on my face as I open the new message.

  Unknown: Hope you like your delivery, Elise.

  My smile instantly fades when I open the message. This is weird. If it was Lawrence, he would simply call me, and I have his number programmed into my phone anyway. I decide to reply.

  Elle: Who is this?

  Unknown: Your nightmare come true.

  I drop my phone. What the hell?

  There is no way I’m opening that envelope now, especially when Brax isn’t here. I shouldn’t have accepted the delivery without knowing who it was from. I send a text to Brax while I’m walking around the apartment, checking that all my windows are latched and my front door is locked. I’m feeling really uncomfortable in my own home now and it’s the last thing I wanted. I’m supposed to feel safe here.

  Elle: Hey, babe. What time you heading home?

  Brax: Just packing up now, what’s up?

  Elle: I’m okay. Just missing you xxx ooo

  Knowing Brax is on his way home, I start to relax a bit. I can explain to him all about the envelope when he gets home, maybe he’ll know what to do with it. I didn’t want to tell him via text, just in case he was busy doing something. I know he would drop everything to get home to me if he knew and I don’t want him to have to do that. I sit back on the couch and try to calm myself down, but I can’t seem to stop staring at the yellow envelope on the counter. I check my watch again.