by L A Cotton
I watched as they left. Dennis clapped a hand on my back as he passed me but didn’t say a word.
What was there to say?
It was done.
I was out.
My eyes scanned the group of people waiting for me when I finally left the stadium. After trying to make some kind of peace with Braiden...and failing, I'd needed some time to myself. But after minutes of sitting in the deafening silence, I just needed to see her. To hold her. Ana would calm the storm raging in me. She always did. But I couldn’t find her. There were Elena and Tyson, Paul and his crazy girlfriend, and Jamie, Nate, and the other two chicks, but no Ana.
“Hey guys, thanks for waiting. Where’s-”
Elena almost plowed me down as she ran up to me and started screaming, “Don’t you check your cell? What’s the point of having one if you’re not going to-”
“Babe, calm the fuck down.” Tyson hoisted her off her feet and cradled her to him and my whole body shook with realization.
“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Paul’s eyes dropped to the floor and I could see the worry creasing his forehead.
“Hmm, listen, man.” Tyson lowered Elena to the floor, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Ana, is- hmm, we think Ana is missing.”
Panic spread through me and my mouth opened and then closed like a fish out of the water. That was how I felt—like I couldn’t breathe, like the air surrounding me had been sucked out leaving me with nothing.
“Wha-what do you mean she’s missing?”
Paul stepped forward and cast me a sympathetic glance. “I don’t think she’s missing, I think she was taken.”
“TAKEN?” I roared and Paul jumped back holding his hands out in surrender. “What the fuck do you mean she’s been taken? By who?”
“Easy, man. Let him speak,” Tyson reasoned, but I was past reason. All I could see was red. And her.
Ana.
“I think someone’s been watching her, following her. It was weird, the other night outside McGinley I heard someone whistling. Eerie as fuck. But I didn’t see anyone, but Ana was acting real closed off. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”
Fuck.
My mind replayed Calder’s and Landon’s warnings. They had said I shouldn’t leave my property unguarded. They had warned me. And for a while, I’d been on high alert, but weeks passed and nothing happened. Braiden had become my priority. Fuck. I’d fucked up, dropping my guard. But I didn’t really think they were stupid enough to come to campus and mess with Ana. To take her from right under my nose.
“I have to go speak to Braiden. Now.”
“Whoa, easy. You sure that’s the right move?” Tyson asked.
Elena sniffled like she was crying and I groaned clenching my fist, needing to punch the shit out of something. Anything. Cole Calder was crazy. We’d learned that over the last eighteen months but kidnapping? It seemed desperate, even for him. Unless this was always the plan—the shit storm we’d been waiting for.
And then I remember my own fucked-up family had pulled a similar stunt.
Leverage. This had to be about gaining the upper hand. But what was his end game?
Dropping my bag, I barreled past Paul, Tyson, and Elena ignoring their pleas to talk to them. My legs burned and adrenaline coursed through my veins as I sprinted in the direction of Fallen House. I needed to get to Braiden.
The house came into view after a few minutes, and I slowed, dropping my hands to my knees to try and catch my breath. I didn’t have a plan. I just knew I needed to find Ana and quick. And I needed backup.
I needed Braiden.
After all, it was his beef with Reibeckitt that landed us here. But I couldn’t go there, I had to focus on Ana.
Students were everywhere; lining the path up the house, hanging out of windows, Solo cups in hand. And from the music booming from inside, the party was already in full swing. A couple of people noticed me approach and called out to me, congratulating me on the win, but I ignored them. My sights were set on only one thing.
The house was crowded, but I knew Braiden—and the rest of the guys—and there was only one place they would be. Steve and Tripp frowned when I reached them, standing guard at the basement door in their usual place.
“Hmm, Pierce, didn’t expect to see you here, man,” Steve mumbled, his eyes shifting to Tripp, who just shrugged.
“I need to see Braiden.”
“Umm, listen, man, I don’t think we’re suppo-”
Tripp grunted as I barged him out of the way and slammed the door. A heavy beat blared out and sounds of laughter filled the room. I could hear them behind me, deciding whether they should try to stop me or let me go down. They didn’t follow me. Pussys.
The sight in front of me was one I’d witnessed time and time again. Braiden and his favorite girl, Kacey, were making out on the chair in the far corner, a bottle of Jack in his right hand. Kyler and Shaun pawed at a slim blonde wearing a tight fitting jersey as a dress. And Travis was all up in some petite brunette, grinding to the beat with her. Dennis noticed me right away and was off his usual spot in the corner in a second, stalking in my direction.
“Everything okay?” His arched his eyebrow and cast me a knowing glance.
“I need to talk to Braiden," I said, stepping forward.
His hand came up to my shoulder. “Are you sure? He’s pretty wasted.”
Nodding, I closed the distance between us. He still hadn't noticed me, too busy letting Kacey feel him up, all the while shoving her tongue down his throat.
"Can we talk?"
Kyler choked out a cough somewhere behind me, but I didn't take my eyes off Braiden. Kacey twisted in his lap and started to rise, flushed with embarrassment.
"The fuck you think you're going." He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back onto his lap. She giggled and my pulse spiked.
"A word?"
With a groan, Braiden knocked her to the side and narrowed his eyes at me.
"What?" he snarled.
My eyes darted to Kacey. "In private."
Braiden nudged her completely off his lap and tapped her on the butt. "Go up to my room and wait for me." His eyes moved to the other two girls. "Out."
The girls swallowed hard before hurrying up the stairs. Braiden’s eyes burned into me, but he didn't move just continued taking long pulls on the bottle in his hand. The rest of the guys lingered behind us not saying anything. Waiting for whatever was about to come.
"Tell me this isn't you; tell me you didn't do this to get back at me."
In a second, Braiden was off the chair and standing nose to nose with me. His chest was heaving so hard it was obvious how much my being there was affecting him. But I stood my ground, willing to take whatever he had to throw at me because this wasn't about us, it was about Ana. It was about the broken girl I dragged into my shitstorm, and I was getting her back, unharmed, with or without his help.
Cocking his chin with a sly smirk on his face, Braiden said, "The fuck you talking about?"
"Ana's missing. Tell me it wasn't you, Braiden. Tell me you're not that fucked up to do something like this twice." My hands trembled as I fought to control myself, but all I could see was red.
And Ana.
Red.
Ana.
"TELL ME YOU DIDN'T SELL ME OUT TO CALDER?"
Braiden's jaw ticked and his eyes drew into tights lines. And then he laughed. I was standing a desperate guy in front of him and he laughed in my face. Something deep in me stirred with the realization at just how over our relationship was.
"You think I give a flying fuck about that bitch? It was never about her, it was about you. About you thinking you're better than me, better than us. Better than the family who raised you. Who gave you everything. She was just the snake. The snake that wormed her way into our family and turned you once and for all."
There wasn't time for this. Braiden and I had stuff to settle, but now wasn't the time. Not while Ana
was out there somewhere.
"Then it can only be Calder and his fucked-up games." My voice was quiet, thick with frustration.
"Not my problem."
My rage exploded. I rammed Braiden against the wall, my forearm pinning him by the neck. But as quickly as it happened, strong arms wrapped around me and yanked me back.
"Easy, easy, big guy." Dennis' voice cut through my red haze and I slumped, defeated in his steel grip.
"You're done. YOU'RE DONE, PIERCE," Braiden boomed as Dennis hurled me up the stairs.
Kyler, Travis, and Shaun all just watched, mouths agape while Braiden hurled the bottle at the wall and started kicking the shit out of the chair. They could deal with him after this; there was no going back.
There was no sliver of hope for smoothing things out between us.
Things were unsalvageable.
After managing to get me outside to cool off, Dennis marched me to Tyson's house. The door flew open and Elena ran over to us tears still streaming down her face.
"So, will he help? Does he know where Ana is?"
Dennis held out his hand, giving me my space. My world was imploding and I couldn't think straight, let alone answer the flurry of questions Elena was hurtling at me.
"Babe, give him space and let him get through the door, yeah?" Tyson lifted his head as Dennis pushed me past him.
Everyone searched my eyes for answers. Something. But the red haze was still swarming my mind.
"Is he okay?" a meek female voice asked.
Dennis grunted something over my shoulder before pulling out a chair and forcing me down on it. "Sit. Someone get him a drink."
I heard someone rummage in the refrigerator, the pop of the cap, and the thud of a bottle landing in front of me. I felt their eyes watching me, their unsure stares waiting for me to say something.
But I had nothing. All I could see was Ana's face. I'd dragged her into this, I’d put her in harm's way...twice, and Braiden was right. It was never about her, it was about me.
It was all my fault.
"Jackson, don't you thin—"
"Let him be for a minute. He's had a rough night," Dennis snapped back at Elena.
"Rough night? My best friend is missing, probably with those crazy fucks from that godforsaken town and you're telling me to let him be? Nah-ah. Move out of my way, mister, or I'll move you myself."
I twisted to watch Elena stalk forward placing herself directly in front of Dennis, who stood arms folded over his chest. The guy was huge and scary, but feisty Elena wasn't backing down, and Tyson moved to intervene in their standoff, but Elena's words clicked.
Ana.
What the fuck was I doing?
The chair crashed against the table as I jumped up, startling everyone.
"I need my car. Or someone's car." Nine faces looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "Now."
Paul padded his pocket and yanked out my keys. "Your bag, I thought you might be needing these." He threw them across the table to me and I caught them.
"My car’s in McGinley's parking lot. I'll call as soon as I find Ana."
"Wait? That's you plan? Just storm off and go with all guns blazing? Shouldn't we call the police or something?"
My eyes narrowed at Elena. She knew calling the police wasn't an option. You didn't involve the police on Donohue business. And I was still a Donohue. Until I could end this once and for all.
"I'm coming." Dennis stepped up beside me and I nodded my appreciation.
"We have your back, too," Tyson said, and my eyes flicked to Jamie and Paul, who looked ready to piss themselves.
"No, you guys stay put. I appreciate it, but this is my mess. I need you here for Ana. Please."
Dennis and I headed out in silence, making the short sprint to McGinley in a couple of minutes.
"You know where she is?" he asked, climbing into the passenger side.
"I have a pretty good idea. You ready for this? I appreciate it, man, but you can back out."
He belted up and barked, "No fucking chance."
I hit the gas and sped up the hidden road out of the back of the campus. The forest whirled by in a blur, my eyes focused only on the road in front of me.
We drove in silence and the seconds ticked by painfully slow. My mind drifted to Ana more than once—where was she, what were they doing to her, but every time I let myself go there, my hands gripped the wheel to the point of cutting off blood supply and Dennis had to tell me to calm down.
Twenty-five minutes later, we rolled up outside the Grill ‘n’ Dine. It was almost eleven, and the closed sign hung in the window, but Calder was here. His car was parked in the small lot to the side.
“What now?” Dennis’ voice pierced the silence.
I cut the engine and raked a hand through my hair. A plan would have been good, but I had nothing. If Ana was in there—which I was pretty sure she was—I was going in. No questions asked. No plan. No Braiden.
“I’m going in. You can stay here, I won—”
Dennis grunted his disapproval before climbing out the car and stalking around to the sidewalk. I joined him and we crossed the road to the diner, snaking around the sidewalk to the side door we had used to enter the building before. As we drew closer, muffled voices filtered through an open window and I held my hand up to Dennis, mouthing ‘wait’ to him. My heart pounded in my chest as I pressed my ear to the window to hear better.
“... I thought she would give us the upper hand. Draw them out. Make things eas—”
I froze at the mention of Ana. All the blood rushing to my muscles and causing my whole body to tense.
“Do you have any fucking idea what you’ve done?” I recognized Calder’s voice, but I couldn’t make out the other voice, although I had my suspicions.
“Shit, fuck, I thought this was the right thing. You said to watch her and him. And she was alone at the game, and I thought it was an opportunity we couldn’t—”
Something smashed and Calder roared, “Smith, you’re a fucking liability. I said watch them, not fucking kidnap one of them. And her of all fucking people. I should fucking put a bullet in your head.”
“Cole, easy man, it could work to our advantage,” a different voice said.
“No one asked you, Merrick. Keep the fuck out of this.”
Merrick. The name sounded familiar. He was the guy who had been with Calder when they hijacked the money and coke.
Something else smashed and Merrick cursed. I couldn’t see anything through the blinds, just silhouettes. I was done watching anyway, they had Ana somewhere in the building and I was getting her back. Even if it meant doing something I might regret.
“I’m going in,” I whispered to Dennis, who was standing flush against the wall, trying to remain invisible in the shadows. He nodded and grabbed the door handle. It opened without resistance and we slipped inside.
No one noticed us arrive, Calder, Merrick, and a guy with blond shaggy hair stood in the far corner of the room, just outside of Calder’s personal office. Landon Smith looked just the same. Thin, wiry, and as freaky as fuck. But he also looked terrified as Calder continued to yell at him, the ugly jagged pink scar stretching from cheek to jaw glistening. I hadn’t seen him since that night, but Braiden was right. He had given Calder a permanent reminder not to mess with the Donohue’s.
“So what the fuck are we going to do with her? They’ll know she’s missing, and they’re probably on their way over here right now.”
Landon’s face paled even more and he shifted uncomfortably, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. I scanned the room trying to locate Ana, but there was no sign of her.
Dennis looked at me for a signal of our next move, but the sound of car tires screeching startled everyone and before we had chance to move the door flew open and Braiden stormed into the room and straight past us, his sights set firmly on Calder.
“You really fucked up this time, Calder.” Braiden’s voice was eerily calm as he stalked to the three guys
watching his every move.
Landon and Merrick stepped away from Calder leaving him all out on his own. But Calder didn’t falter, he didn’t budge a muscle. I saw the flash of fear in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by the crazy glint he had that night. Right before he plunged the knife into me.
This isn’t going to end well.
I motioned to Dennis, indicating that we should step up behind Braiden, and he nodded in agreement. No one turned to acknowledge us, but Braiden knew we were there. Of course he did, it was the reason he was here now.
“What a shit hole this is.” Roman strolled into the room like he owned the place and I flashed Dennis a look. Things just got a whole lot more dangerous. Now there wasn’t only one crazy fuck in the room, there were two.
“Rome,” Braiden warned. If anyone could keep Roman in check, it was Braiden, but he’d been itching to get payback on Reibeckitt—even more so than Braiden and that scared the shit out of me.
We all stood locked in some kind of stalemate. Braiden and Calder’s eyes burned at each other. Fire and ice. Roman bounced on the spot like he was ready for the fight, and the rest of us—myself, Dennis, Merrick, and Landon—just watched, waiting for a spark to ignite. For all hell to break loose.
“You think you can just barge in here, into my town, my diner.”
Something crashed from the other side of Calder’s office door. It was Ana. I just knew it.
“Go,” Braiden ordered me, and I rushed to the door yanking it open. Ana was trying to kick her foot restraints free, bucking around like a caged animal, blood seeping from a gash along her hairline.
Her head whipped up and her eyes widened with surprise, filling with relief when I dropped to my knees to untie her. Yanking the gag free from her mouth, I brought my lips down on hers and wrapped her into my arms.
“Jackson. Jax,” she whimpered into my shirt.
I never wanted to pound the shit out of something more than I did at that moment. The sheer pain in her voice was almost too much to bear. I could see Ana had put up a fight; her ropes were frayed; purple bruises marking her skin where she had fought against them, and the room looked like it had been trashed, but the fear in her eyes undid me.