by Tracey Jukes
“Esme, how are you feeling?”
Reid is right beside me like a flash, and the sneer on Leo’s face would have been missed if I wasn’t looking straight at him when he asked the question.
“How the fuck do you think she is? Have you seen her face?”
At that point I realize I still can’t see properly out of one eye, so I ask for a mirror. Nyla grabs me one from her purse. A gasp leaves my mouth when I see my face is pretty beat up and extremely swollen over my right eye. The bruising is already starting to show, so my face isn’t going to look pretty for a while.
“Esme, we’re sorry this happened and we’re doing everything that we can to find him.”
“But you can’t find him, can you? It’s been over two weeks, and you have no leads as to his whereabouts, and then he manages to lead you all away today to get to me, and it worked. If it hadn’t been for my best friend here, God knows what could have happened to me.”
“I’m sorry, Esme. We promised to protect you and we let you down. He was very clever in his ploy to divert everyone from your area.”
“I think it’s time you left, officers. She needs her rest.” Reid pushes them out the door, followed by Ash.
I don’t know what is said, but I can hear raised voices, then Reid and Ash are back. I’m too tired to ask what was said, but I do need to know how the hell Declan managed to flee my apartment so easily when Nyla walked in on him.
“What happened when he saw you, Ny, other than what he said? Please, I need to know.”
“I tried to get my phone out, and he lunged at me, knocking me to ground, and then he ran out through the door. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”
“Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m just grateful you came when you did. I love you, Ny.”
“He would have gone down the fire escape stairwell that leads to the back of the building. That’s how he did it,” Reid informs us.
They all stay with me until the doctor gives them their marching orders. None of them are happy, but there is now an officer outside my door. This suffices for Nyla, but not Reid. He wants to stay, but the doctors are adamant he can’t.
“I will be back here first thing, I promise.”
“I look forward to it.”
The next day, they are all back, waiting for the doctor to give me the all-clear to go home. Nyla has been doing my hair while we wait, and the guys have just been sitting there watching us. They have given me a patch to wear when I go out as the light is still affecting my eye. They reckon it should rectify itself and hopefully go down in time, but right now, I look like I’ve done twelve rounds in a ring.
It’s late afternoon by the time we go, and we all leave in Reid’s truck to head home. Ash and Nyla go back to his place, and I’m taken back to Reid’s apartment. I’m not complaining one bit. My apartment is the last place I want to be. There are now two officers outside his apartment.
“What do you want to do, princess? Eat or sleep?”
My stomach rumbles and he hears it too, so he grabs the takeout menus and we sit and go through them and decide what we want. The hospital gave me some painkillers, so a glass of wine is a no no for me, even though I could really do with one.
I hear a knock at the door and realize the food has arrived.
“Hey, sleepy. You sure you wanna eat?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to nod off. It must be the painkillers.” My stomach growls, and I know I really need to eat. I try to get up but the pain is excruciating and I hiss. Reid is at my side in flash, and he doesn’t look happy at all.
“Damn it, Esme! Will you just sit still and let me look after you?”
“I’m no invalid. Not yet, anyway, so don’t treat me like one.”
We eat while watching TV, and as I try to get up again, I cry out as a sharp pain sears through my side. I lift my top to see why it hurts so much and all down my side is starting to turn black from the impact of hitting the cabinet. My body didn’t stand a chance, as I’m tiny compared to him.
“I am going to fucking kill him for what he’s done.”
“Look, I get you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but this is what he wants. For some reason, he wants you fired up.”
“Yeah, I heard what he said to Nyla, and it’s all bullshit that he’s spewing. Something didn’t add up in what he was saying to her, but I can’t figure out what it is.” He picks me up and carries me to the bedroom. “Come on. Time for bed. Your eyes are getting heavy again, so don’t argue.”
I don’t. I let him carry me as the pain is too much. He settles me so I’m comfortable and lies close by my side. He falls asleep quickly. He looks so peaceful and content, but I feel like all I’ve bought is carnage to his life since we met. I wonder if my leaving would be better for both of us. By leaving, I mean getting on a plane and going someplace far, far away. Somewhere Declan and his gang could never find me. Officer Evans told me I needed to go into witness protection, but I didn’t see why I should leave my whole life behind because of what Declan Taylor and his crew did.
I grab my phone and send my aunt in England a text. We chat back and forth for a while and I mention that I’m thinking of visiting, and will be in touch. I kiss Reid’s cheek, then roll over and go to sleep, but I can’t help but wonder what tomorrow and the future holds for him and me, and whether England is the way forward.
I wake feeling like I’ve been battered. Oh, wait, I was battered. I roll over, trying not to make a sound, but it’s so hard when the pain is excruciating. I still can’t see properly out of my right eye. I manage to get to the bathroom without waking Reid. I lift my top and take a look at the damage, and I struggle to see anywhere that isn’t bruised now. No wonder I’m in so much pain. He must have broken something, but I don’t remember the doctor telling me so. I finish up, and as I turn, pain and dizziness take over, and I scream and slump to the floor. The door crashes open hard. I look up, and there stands my protector, all disheveled, but angry as hell and ready to kill.
“Shit, you crazy-ass woman. Why can’t you stay put and let me look after you?”
I try to giggle, but the pain is too much, and I hiss at him instead. “I needed the toilet and I didn’t want to wake you. You needed the sleep.”
“Sleep is overrated,” he growls. “You, on the other hand, are precious and need to start doing as you’re told.”
He lifts me into his arms and just stares at me and then looks at the toilet.
“Erm, do you still need to go, princess?”
He looks so uncomfortable it’s laughable. My overbearing alpha doesn’t know what to do in a toilet situation. I really try not to laugh because the pain is killing me, but I can’t help it.
“Stop laughing at my expense. You’re going to hurt yourself then I will be pissed.”
I bury my head in his chest, and eventually I stop laughing. “Nope, I’m all done. Now take me to bed.”
“That I can do. But rest is all you will be doing.”
Pain once again wakes me, and Reid is fast asleep next to me. I manage to grab my phone and see that it’s ten a.m. and I have several messages flashing on my screen. I recognize the ones from Nyla and my aunt in England, but there is a message from an unknown number. I open it and start shaking with fear.
There is no escaping. Your fate is settled. And remember, those protecting you will not be spared.
I know what needs to be done now. It’s going to hurt the people close to me, but it’s for them that I need to do this. I send a message and set the wheels in motion.
Jase comes to Reid’s apartment that afternoon to stay with me while he goes to the gym to take his class and then he’ll be right back. I don’t have long before he suspects something.
“Listen to me carefully, pretty boy. If anything seems out of place, or you hear anything weird, you call me right away. Do not hesitate, I mean it,” Reid instructs Jase.
“Yes, caveman. I mean, sir. Oops, sorry, Reid. She will be fine. I promise to call
should anything happen, okay?”
Reid kisses me softly on the lips and tells me he won’t be long then leaves for the gym. As soon as the door is shut, Jase is in motion.
“Okay, everything is packed and ready to go by your door. We just have to be downstairs in five minutes because the cab will be here to take us. So, let’s go, before caveman comes back and busts us.”
I look around, and although I know this is going to kill him and me, I know I’m doing the right thing. I have to put my safety first and think of my friends and what it’s doing to them too. I leave Reid a letter, but I don’t tell him where I’ve gone. The less he knows, the better. Jase has a letter for Nyla, and I just hope she understands why I’ve done this.
The cab is waiting when we arrive in the lobby and Jase quickly puts my bags in the trunk. I try to walk by Lance as discreetly as possible, but I fail miserably as he shouts my name and asks if I need a cab. I keep walking and just say I’m fine. I get straight into the waiting cab and try to swallow past the huge lump in my throat.
“JFK,” Jase tells the driver. I look across at the gym as we pull away and all is quiet outside. I’m silently sobbing, or so I think, and Jase hugs me gently.
I get out at the airport, leaving Jase to go back with the cab, as I couldn’t deal with anymore goodbyes. I’m a mess as it is. I gather my case and start toward the door when my phone pings. A message from Reid asking if I’m okay. But before I can reply, something is put over my head, and all I can see is black.
Chapter Fifteen
Reid
She still hasn’t replied to my text, and that idiot friend of hers isn’t answering either. I’m close to walking out of this fucking class and spanking her ass, if she wasn’t so damn battered, that is. I’m also worried, and she knows how I react when she doesn’t answer. So I call Lance to check on her for me.
“Hi, Reid. I’m sorry. Esme and her friend left about an hour ago in a cab.”
I slam my fist into the wall. I told her not to go out unless Ash or I were with her. I try her again, but it doesn’t even ring, it just goes straight to voicemail. So, I leave her a stern message so she knows I’m pissed. I try Jase again, but he still doesn’t pick up. God damn it, what is it with these two? I go in search of Ash to see what he knows. He’s with Nyla in the locker room and… Jase.
“Where the hell is Esme, you fucking jerk? You weren’t supposed to leave her side. Do you remember those instructions I specifically gave you?” He doesn’t have chance to speak because I cross the room and I have my hands around his neck up against the lockers. Nyla is screaming at me to let him go, but I don’t see anything but his face, which is turning pale. I let him go and he gasps for air, clutching at his neck. He clambers back up and looks at me, his eyes widened in fear.
“Listen, it wasn’t my idea, okay? She’s my friend, and she begged me to help her.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Where is she?”
Nyla has tears streaming down her face and I fear the worst has happened.
“Reid, she’s gone. I’m so sorry.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“She couldn’t carry on looking over her shoulder all the time and fearing what was around the corner waiting for her, and for those she loved.”
“She didn’t have to fear anything! She had me to protect her, she knew that.”
“She was also carrying guilt about dragging us into it, and according to Nyla’s letter, she didn’t want to be a burden to us all anymore, especially you. She left you this.”
He hands me a letter, but I can’t bring myself to read it right now. She left me. She took the coward’s way out and didn’t give me a chance to protect her after everything I promised and told her.
“Where’s she gone, Jase? I need to go and speak to her.”
“Erm...”
“Spit it out, jackass! Where is she?”
“England.”
“What?” everyone says in unison, and we all stare at Jase.
“Why the hell would she go to England?” I ask.
“She has an aunt there and that’s where she’s heading.”
I try her phone again and still nothing.
“Fuck, this can’t be happening. Why didn’t she trust me to protect her?”
I sit down on the bench with my head in my hands. Nyla sits next to me and leans into me, grabbing my hand.
“She cares about you, Reid, more than you know, and for her to just get out of Dodge and leave like this can’t have been an easy decision for her. The Esme I know fights for what she wants. She always has. Something bad has to have happened for her to just give up and leave like this. You started to change her, Reid. You gave her new hope in life. You must have known that.”
I see a smile on Nyla’s face and she knows my princess better than anyone. Deep down, I know there has to be a reason for her to run, but why wouldn’t she tell me and let me help her rather than leave? She thinks leaving makes her safer, but I have no idea what lengths Declan and his crew will go to to find her. Damn it, I need to get on a plane and be with her, or at least bring her home and take her somewhere she will be safe.
We all leave in Ash’s truck for the airport, minus Jase. I can’t blame him for all this, really, but he did piss me off by not letting me know what she was thinking. I make a last attempt, in the hope she answers her phone, but if the timings are right, she’ll be in the air now.
“Hello.”
What the fuck? That isn’t Esme’s voice.
“Who the fuck is this, and where the hell is Esme?”
I hear some chatter in the background and my temper is beginning to flare. Why is there a guy answering her phone and who the hell is he?
“Excuse me, sir, my name is Vivienne Green and my colleague passed you to me. I am the manager of Customer Services within JFK airport. But who, may I ask, are you?”
“I’m her boyfriend, dammit, so ex…”
“You’re the boyfriend of the owner of this phone, is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. So do you wanna explain why the hell you have my girlfriend’s phone?”
“Sir, unfortunately I cannot answer your questions right now. Please contact the police to further assist you with your enquiries.”
I don’t have the chance to reply as the bitch hangs up on me.
“Ash, put your foot down. Something is wrong.”
Nyla demands to know exactly what was said in that call. But I don’t know myself. I have a sick feeling, and I’m getting more worried the longer it takes to get there.
“I don’t know anything, Nyla. A woman just answered Esme’s phone and told me to contact the police for further help. That’s it.”
“Okay, well, let’s not fear the worst. Not yet, anyway. Just rein your temper in, Reid. For her sake.”
Nyla and Esme are more alike than I realized. She can see through me, just like Esme, asking me to rein it in. I can’t. I know something bad has happened. Jase said he dropped her off at the doors and she was fine, so what happened? Ash parks and we all race inside, but I stride ahead of them. I’m looking for the customer service desk when I notice a woman flanked by two security guards. I’m in front of her in seconds.
“Vivienne Green?”
“Sir, how may I help you?”
“You answered my girlfriend’s phone. Esme.”
“As I already said, sir, I cannot help you. You need to leave.”
“Tell me where she is, now.” I grab hold of the security guard and raise my fist. I know I’m out of control, but I don’t care.
“Sir, please let him go.”
Ash is at my side; he’s pissed too. “Reid, take it easy, man. Let’s hear what she has to say.”
“Talk fast.”
“Miss Lewis’s phone and bags were found outside by the door, and a bystander brought them inside to be handed in. We put a call out through the airport asking for the owner to come forward to claim it, but nothing. That’s all I can tell you
.”
I can’t breathe. Everything I promised her wouldn’t happen is happening, and there’s not a damn thing I can do. My fucking brother and his crew have finally caught up with her, and God only knows if she will survive this. She knows enough to put him in prison for life for murdering her family. She’s the key witness, and with her gone, he will be free.
“Ash, we need to see the CCTV. It’s the only link to what happened to Esme.”
“Agreed, but how the hell do you plan on getting it? There is no way that fucker Jenkins will hand it to us once he has it.”
“We can ask, but failing that, I have a plan. Can you keep them busy?”
“Without a doubt.”
So, I ask Ms. Green, “Can we see the CCTV footage?”
“I can’t allow that, unfortunately. It’s now a police investigation, sir.”
Like hell am I waiting for the cops. Ash keeps them busy while I disappear and make a quick call to an old friend who works here. Nate is a guy from the underground I know. He works security at the airport. Asking him for a copy of the footage could cost him his job, but he does it anyway when I tell him why. I told him, should he lose his job, to find me at the gym and I’ll make it right.He gives me what I need, and we leave. I need to get to the gym fast and watch what happened. Time is ticking and I have no idea how long she has, or if she’s even still alive.
We watch the footage and I know for sure it wasn’t Dec who took her, but it’s his crew. I’ve watched them enough times. Nyla wants to know what we’re going to do, and right now, I don’t know. I’m losing patience, but time is something we don’t have. And then, in walks my worst nightmare. Officer Jenkins.
I make my way out of my office and stop him in his tracks. I know he wants the copy of the CCTV I have, but I’ll be damned if he’s getting it. Not yet, anyway.
“Well, Reid, you never did learn to abide by the law. Explains why your brother chose the path he did.”
This fucker just never knows when to keep his mouth shut. This is my turf, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he’s not in uniform either.
