Really? In the height of worry, she’s still scolding me for my language?
“AJ, where can she be?” Her wobbling voice slices through me. I tamp down my own concern to think rationally. There must be an explanation.
“I don’t know. Are you sure she didn’t come home and go back out with friends or something? Go check her room.”
“Her room is untouched, and I haven’t been anywhere. Oh Jesus, what happened to her?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll start looking for her.”
“Should we call the police?”
“No, give me some time.”
“AJ, find my baby girl.” This time it’s a demand, not a request.
“I’ve got this, Mom. I’ll find her.” Somehow. I hang up and try to think where she could be.
“What’s going on?” Jax asks.
His voice startles me. I forgot he was in the room. I hit the speed dial for Cara’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail.
“Fuck!” I run my hands through my hair and try to think. “Cara left yesterday for home, but she never arrived. Maybe I should call the police.”
“Wait. She left yesterday?” His face pales, and the worst-case scenarios flash through my mind.
“Yeah.”
“There’s a possibility I know who she’s with.”
“What do you mean?”
“Uh, you’re not going to like this, but she has been seeing someone this past year.”
“No fucking way. I’d know if she was seeing someone.” Wouldn’t I?
“Not if they kept it a secret.”
“Who is he?” My jaw ticks. By the reluctance in his voice, I already know I’m not going to like the person.
“Before I tell you, promise me you won’t tear him a new one.”
“Who?”
“Drake.”
“Drake? The womanizing asshole who brags about his hot dates?” Rage surges through me as my hands ball into fists. I don’t think I’ve wanted to hit someone so badly in my life.
“The very one.” He grabs his coat, but I wave for him to stay.
“Someone needs to be here in case she comes back.”
“Fine but promise me you won’t hit him.”
I grunt. That’s one promise I won’t make.
Jax sighs. “Do you know where he lives?”
My gut wrenches. “No, but I know someone who does.”
Chapter Fifteen
MIA
Current Day
My Christmas tree taunts me as I can’t seem to block the memory of AJ lying in bed, naked and chained to the bedposts. Oh my, what a sight. That man is beyond built. Not only do those arms I remember, oh so well, toy with me, but the front row viewing of his entire package left me more hot and bothered than satisfied. I squirm in my chair, trying to block the path my mind wants to take.
It’s impossible. I’ve never been with anyone so ripped or well-hung before. I still haven’t. Now, I’m wondering if I did the right thing. I sought revenge against that man for years. Never once did I dream the opportunity would arise, but since I took advantage of the opportunity, all I feel is guilt, or maybe remorse.
Trying to humiliate him with the ridiculous outfit wasn’t enough for me. Oh no. I had to take it one step farther because I’m an awful person. And I did this after we spent the evening together that admittedly was nice. Heck, he even had a sincere apology for standing me up in college and was trying to take things slow. Slow. I’ve never witnessed AJ take things slow.
I run my hands over my face and groan. Perhaps I overreacted, but he had hurt me. Worse yet, he humiliated me. It’s going to take more than words to win me over.
What am I thinking? There’s no winning me over. I’m not a prize, and this certainly isn’t a game.
Gah, there is no use worrying about it now. I’m sure he escaped and isn’t still tied up. All he has to do is figure out the release button, so I should stop stressing. Besides, it no longer matters. After last night, he won’t have anything to do with me, and I can rest, knowing my revenge was finally carried out. I will no longer think about him. Except every time I look at a Christmas tree or turn on the twinkling lights. I didn’t miss the way my body reacted to his stolen glances when he thought I wasn’t looking.
Having him help was a bad idea.
I fire up the computer and get to work on the last photo touches. Editing this calendar has been the easiest project of my career. I suppose a good subject matter helps, but the setting and lighting of the warehouse were phenomenal. I add a few tweaks to Mr. November, and then I pull up the final month. And there he is—Mr. Hotty Elf himself. How the hell did he pull this outfit off? His dark eyes stare at me through the monitor with the same smoldering look from last night. That was until the surprised “what the hell are you doing” expression appeared.
“If only you weren’t a prick,” I say through a sigh. My statement only causes me more unrest. Other than standing me up, he hasn’t been a complete asshole. He’s sure of himself, yeah, but he went out of his way to help me yesterday. And when my car got broken into.
“God, I’m an evil person.”
Buzz. Buzz. Buzzzzz.
“Okay, okay. One buzz would be enough.” I back away from my desk, but the buzzing continues. My brother’s impatience would drive a saint insane. I answer the intercom with a clipped tone. “Did you lose your key again?”
“No. You left it on the dresser.”
The pit of my stomach falls. I didn’t think AJ would show up here ever again.
“I see you’re freed.” He’s not coming up here. No way.
“Can I come in? It’s an emergency.”
I hesitate, wondering if it’s a ploy. Although, there’s more worry in his tone than anger.
“Please.”
I buzz him right in. A few moments later, he pounds on the door, and the deep worry lines across his forehead have me concerned.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Have you seen your brother?”
“Drake? No, why?”
“Can you see if you can get a hold of him? My sister’s missing, and I’m hoping she’s with him.”
“Missing?” I don’t wait for an explanation and motion him to come in. I grab my phone from the computer desk, and AJ steps closer to me. As I hit Drake’s number, I follow AJ’s gaze to the monitor. Great. I’m sure he’ll think I was obsessing over him.
I kind of am.
“Yeah, I guess they’ve been dating,” he says, warily.
I bite my lip and avert my gaze. I had my suspicions, but before I could voice them, Drake’s phone goes straight to voicemail.
“I can’t get a hold of him. You want to see if they’re in his apartment?”
He nods. “Grab your coat. I’ll drive.”
Chapter Sixteen
AJ
Current Day
Shit, am I the only one who didn’t know about Drake banging my sister? Mia’s sudden refusal to look at me suggests so. Annoyance flares inside me, but I shake it off. Being angry right now won’t do any good. Once Cara’s safe, all bets are off. I will own Drake’s ass.
A few directions later, we’re parked in the lot by Drake’s apartment complex. Mia scans the rows and frowns.
“His car isn’t here.”
We exit the truck, and she motions for me to follow while pulling out a set of keys. Painstakingly slow minutes pass before we’re standing at his apartment door. She bypasses knocking and shoves the key into the deadbolt instead. We barely cross the threshold when she announces he’s gone.
“He may be sleeping,” I say, clinging on to hope.
“No, Butterscotch would’ve greeted us.”
“Butterscotch?”
“His cat.”
“Shit! I’m going to have to call the police.”
“Wait, let me ask the neighbor if she knows anything. She would have his cat.”
A few desperate bangs later, an elderly lady greets Mia.
&n
bsp; “Mia, honey. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, Ms. Nelson. Do you happen to know where Drake is?”
Her face turns a few shades pinker, and her tongue clicks in disapproval.
“He and his lady friend were going out of town for a few days. But I told them it wasn’t a good idea. Not with the snowstorm they have predicted.” She leans in closer to Mia and drops her voice. “I don’t think he’s concerned about the weather.”
Although relieved, I can feel my body stiffen. I’m going to kill them both. “Did his lady friend have long dark hair?”
“Yes, beautiful girl. Sort of looks like”—she tilts her head and eyes me—“you.”
Instant relief bolts through me, but I’ll feel better once I hear Cara’s voice.
“Thanks, Ms. Nelson. Give Butterscotch a hug for me.” As if on cue, a meow sounds behind the lady.
Mia turns to me and nods. “I know where they are.”
I follow behind her as we leave.
“We have a cabin in Vermont. That’s where he’d take her.”
“That little fucker took my sister to Vermont?” I ask. Mia stops on the steps and gives me an empathic look.
“Look, I know you’re worried about your sister, but Drake’s still my brother. Please don’t call him names.”
I inhale deeply and nod. “Sorry, I’m just pissed.”
“I know.” She resumes down the stairs and pulls her phone from her pocket. “We’ll drive out there and…oh, no.”
I about run into her back as she stops to eye the radar. A big mass of white covers the area where we’re headed, and the bottom tip of the storm extends down to here. She looks up at me with concern.
“I think Ms. Nelson was right. There is a snowstorm.” She bites her plump bottom lip, but I shrug.
“My four-by-four will get us there. I’ll run by our apartments to grab a few things first. We may have to crash their party.”
“It’s an eight-and-a-half-hour drive.”
Shit, that’s a long-ass drive. “It’d be easier if they’d just turn on their damn phones.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. The cabin doesn’t have a landline, and I’ve never been close to the neighbors. I don’t know their names. We could get a hold of the police.”
“No, I don’t want any bad press or anything.”
She nods and mumbles, “Thanks.”
About forty minutes later, we’re in the cab of my truck, driving toward Vermont.
“They were right about that snow.” I peer at the darkened sky as the snow falls relentlessly, windshield wipers working full blast. “We may get stuck there.”
“As long as we get there,” she mumbles. I sneak a peek at her. Concern is written all over her face.
“Hey.” I grab her hand and try not to relish in the fact they’re soft and warm. “We’ll be okay. Big truck, remember?”
She smiles softly and nods. Her audible sigh rings through the cab, but I don’t let go of her hand. I rather like holding it. The snow continues its assault the farther we drive.
“I’m sorry for leaving you tied up. I just…I don’t know.” She tries pulling her hand away, but my grip clamps tighter.
“You were hurt. I get it.”
“I take it you found the release button.”
My body stiffens. What the fuck? “Release button?”
“Yeah, uh, how else did you escape?” Her voice pitches higher, and I tinker with the idea of making up some wild story, but the truth is bad enough.
“Jax came home unexpectedly.” Her sweet gasp dulls my lingering anger. “I’d say you got your wish if embarrassing me was what you were after. He walked in and found me tied up and naked with a raging hard-on.”
Her eyes bulge. “Hard-on?”
“It was morning, and I had a full bladder.” I leave it at that. She doesn’t need to know that I fantasized how luscious her body looked last night. How I wanted those perfect tits in my mouth—to finally get that delicious taste I crave.
The sweet sound of her chuckle tightens my chest.
“I’m truly sorry. I-I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Eh, I deserved it.” I sneak another glance at her, and our gaze connects for a moment. Her beautiful blue eyes bore through me, and I look back to the road and break this spell I’m under. I clear my throat. “What I want to know is why you own a pair of handcuffs?”
Her lips press together, and she turns away. Even in the fading light, I catch a glimpse of the sudden blush sweeping across her cheeks. Still so sweet.
“What’s the matter? No reply?”
“I like to keep things interesting from time to time.”
And the image of her in those sexy little cuffs sends a jolt straight to my cock. Holy shit, I didn’t expect that. Her hand inside mine heats like the sun bearing down during an afternoon game. I untangle our fingers and grab the steering wheel. Focus on the road, idiot. Yeah, doesn’t help. I shift in my seat to keep my pants from tenting. Or at least try to not be so obvious. But after getting a hint of what she has to offer, my dick is in a world of its own—more like Mia’s World.
“Damn, girl. You’re killing me over here.”
She doesn’t say anything, and after a few minutes, I turn on the radio. We try listening to music, but the weather alerts keep interrupting the songs. To make things worse, each announcement predicts an extra one to three inches. We’re up to eight inches total by morning.
What I’d like to do when I get hold of Drake. My jaw sets, keeping that thought locked tight. I don’t want to upset Mia any more than she already is. She keeps biting her lip as she sits with a death grip on the door rest and stares straight ahead. Can’t say I blame her for being worried. Visibility turned to shit about three hundred miles back. I keep trucking along, determined to find my sister. It pisses me off that I have to wish she’s with Drake. I’ve worked hard so she could have a more privileged life than me, and I don’t want her throwing it away on a manwhore. He certainly hasn’t been exclusive. I’ve seen him leave with too many chicks. Does Cara realize this?
Mia shudders, and the truth gut-punches me. Part of the reason why I left Mia waiting for me in that restaurant; I don’t want either one of them ending up with a guy like me. I would never cheat, but they both deserve better.
“You cold?” I ask.
“Not really. I’ll just be glad to get there.”
“At this rate, we still have another two or three hours.” With a top speed of forty miles an hour, I’m not sure when we’ll arrive. “The snow is covering the signs. Maybe you should program in the address so we won’t miss the exits.”
“Good idea.” She grabs the Garmin and punches in the coordinates. When she’s all set, she lets out a yawn. “I’m sorry my brother is irresponsible.”
“Stop apologizing for him. He’s a grown man. It’s hardly your fault.”
“Yeah, but I feel bad.”
And that, right there, is why I left all those years ago. Mia Gunner is way too good for me, even with the knowledge of her sexual fantasies.
We creep farther down the interstate, neither one of us talking much. At some point, Mia falls asleep, and she looks like a freaking angel. One that shouldn’t be tarnished. I grip the steering wheel tighter. There are so many ways I want to tarnish her.
An hour later, Mia’s yawn cuts through the mundane silence.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
She smiles sleepily and orients herself to the surroundings. “It’s so quiet.”
“Yeah, I turned off the radio a while back. The weather alerts got annoying, but they did close our road.”
“That’s okay. Our turn-off should be coming up soon. We’re only on that road for five miles. You need to map it because the exit to the cabin is a small lane. It’s not plowed, so it’s going to be hard to see.”
“Bet you’re glad for my four-by-four now.” I’m not sure how she can even tell where we are at because white covers everything. All I can see is the small path fr
om the headlights.
The corner of her mouth raises, but she stays attentive to the road. I turn and make a note of the mileage.
“There is a big billboard sign, then the lane to the cabin is just behind the row of trees. There will be a small clearing. That’s where you’ll turn.”
We almost miss the sign, but I slow to a crawl and turn once I notice the clearing she was talking about.
“Where the hell is the road?” The snow is thick, and I quickly scan for the shoulder, hoping there aren’t any deep ravines hidden by the snow. The last thing I want is to slide off into a ditch I didn’t know existed.
“It’s there.” Her voice lowers. “Somewhere. Just keep it between the trees.”
“Gee, thanks.” I throw the truck into four-by-four mode, and we creep along. Mia’s right. All I have to do is go straight since the trees seem to carve a path.
Darkness greets us at the end of the road, and with one look at the cabin, my stomach plummets. It’s late. Surely if they were still in there, they’d have a light on. A fire. Anything. I scan the driveway for traces of a car being there, but the snow cover has erased any existing tracks long before now.
“Well,” she begins, the defeat in her voice evident. “Let’s get inside and see if they’ve at least been here.”
I press on the gas and the tire spins. No way. I throw the gearshift in reverse and give it some gas. Nothing. I try moving forward, but no matter what I try, the wheels bury farther.
“Shit, I think we’re stuck.”
“Stuck? But I thought this big, bad four-by-four could plow through anything.”
The dashboard projects enough light to illuminate the teasing sparkle in her eyes. I’m momentarily trapped as a strange sensation passes through me.
“Oh, funny girl, huh?” This time, my tightened grip on the steering wheel keeps me from reaching out to her.
“Sorry.” Her eyebrows knit together. “I know you’re worried about your sister.”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. Here I am thinking about what I could do to Mia when my first concern should be about Cara. I’m such a dick. “Let’s hope they’ve at least been here.”
Bottom Of The Ninth: Bad Boys Redemption: Book Three Page 9
