“All right, fine,” Hudson mumbled.
He reluctantly slipped his phone in his back pocket. But as Samantha continued filming her video of the lab, she noticed Hudson lurking around one of the tables and slipping more drugs inside his pockets.
Just let it go and get the rest of your footage, she told herself.
Samantha walked farther into the lab and began taking close-up shots of several propane fuel cylinders. A text message notification from Gregory popped up on the screen. She tapped on it.
You have got to get out of there NOW! it read. Collin and his boys just entered the factory!
Samantha’s stomach dropped down to her knees. “Hudson!” she shrieked. “We’ve gotta go. Collin and his boys just pulled up!”
“Ha-ha, nice joke. They couldn’t be here. Him and his crew are hanging out down at the strip club tonight.”
“Well, obviously they had a change of plans,” Samantha insisted, struggling to make her way up the steep set of stairs. “Detective...a friend...just texted me saying he saw them coming in. Now let’s get the hell out of here before we get busted!”
Hudson casually strutted over to a metal cabinet, his filthy white sneakers screeching loudly across the floor.
“Hey!” Samantha hissed as she watched him rummage through the shelves. “This is not a drill. Let’s go!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be up in a sec.”
She couldn’t wait. She climbed the stairs, hoping he’d follow. When Samantha reached the top, she froze at the sound of muffled voices coming from beyond the supply room.
“Nah, dude!” someone yelled. “The strippers can wait. They won’t care about us being late once I show up with a few bags of that TKO!”
She immediately recognized that sinister voice. Collin.
Samantha spun around and frantically waved her hand in Hudson’s direction. But he was buried too deep inside the cabinet to notice.
“They already know what’s up!” Collin said, his voice getting closer. “Big Vick is holding our VIP booth at the club, so we’re good. The girls, the bottles...everything will be at our table when we get there.”
Just as Samantha pulled herself out of the drug lab, she heard the door to the supply room fly open. Footsteps thumped loudly toward the back of the room.
Oh nooo, she thought as memories of her near misses with Collin came to mind.
“I’ll make it quick,” Collin said. “Just let me grab the product, then we’ll be out.”
“Cool, man. Do your thing,” Samantha heard one of his cronies reply.
She stayed low and darted toward the back wall, then crouched down in a corner behind a shelf stacked with sheet metal.
“Hey!” Collin yelled. “Who the hell left the door to the lab open?”
Samantha cringed at the rage in his tone, swallowing hard as a lump of nausea crept up her throat.
“Not me,” each of his boys quickly replied.
All Samantha could think about was Hudson still being down in the lab and what Collin would do if he found him. She prayed that he’d found a good hiding spot.
“I swear I can’t trust you fools to do anything right!” Collin continued to rant. “What if the wrong person would’ve come up in here and found the lab?”
“There’s only a few of us who have access to the supply room, though,” someone tried to reason. “Only your boys who are closest to you can even get back here.”
“I don’t give a damn about that!” Collin hollered. “I’ve got a couple of assembly team leads who have the door code but don’t know about the lab. I’m telling you man, y’all better wake up. Don’t make me have to unleash my other side. Trust me. You do not wanna meet him.”
Samantha squeezed her phone in her quivering hand. As she heard the men climbing down the stairs, she composed a text to Gregory.
Collin and his boys are heading down into the drug lab and Hudson’s still down there! I’m hiding in the supply room. Should I make a run for it or stay hidden?
While she waited for the detective to respond, Samantha struggled to hear what was happening down in the lab. Just when her phone buzzed, she heard yelling coming from the lab.
“What in the hell are you doing down here?”
She bent down and pressed her ear to the floor.
“Hudson!” she heard Collin bark. “Were you actually dumb enough to creep inside my factory and break into my lab? Wait! Are those my drugs falling out of your pockets? So you’re stealing from me, too?”
Samantha swallowed hard. She checked the phone for Gregory’s reply.
Stay put! Do not try to run. Don’t risk being seen.
The thought of having to stay inside the factory made her shudder. But she knew Gregory was right.
Okay, she wrote back. Collin and his boys are in the lab. They found Hudson.
As soon as Samantha hit the send button, she heard more yelling coming from the lab.
“No, no, no! Please, Collin, don’t!” Hudson pleaded.
“I am not the one to be messed with,” she heard Collin shout. “I can’t believe you had the audacity to try me. But hear me when I tell you that you’ll never get the chance to do it again.”
Samantha clenched her hands together and pressed them against her lips.
“Please, please don’t hurt him,” she whispered just as Collin yelled, “Hand me that pipe!”
“Come on, man,” Hudson begged. “I promise you it’ll never happen—”
He was silenced by the brutal sound of a bone cracking.
Hudson emitted an animalistic howl. Samantha covered her mouth, stifling the scream that almost flew out.
“Why’d you do that, man!” she heard Hudson shout. His words were garbled by pain.
“You know why I did it!” Collin yelled. “And you know why I’m about to do this, too.”
The sound of another cracking bone numbed Samantha’s eardrums. She shook so hard she could barely hold her phone.
“Get him outta here,” Collin commanded.
Samantha scrambled to her feet and repositioned herself farther behind the stack of metal. Jumbled voices echoed up the stairs, followed by heavy, stuttering footsteps. Had Hudson given her up? Or had he been too addled to even remember she was here?
She crossed her arms in front of her tightly, shivering uncontrollably at the thought of being found.
When her cell phone began vibrating like crazy, Samantha silenced it completely then opened a string of text messages from Gregory.
What is all that noise? I’m at the door and coming in!
No! she quickly replied. Don’t! Collin and his boys are on their way out. They just beat Hudson up!
Samantha sent the text, then braced herself as gurgling moans rippling through the supply room.
“Why didn’t you just kill him?” one of Collin’s cronies asked.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Collin snarked. “I like to teach lessons. And you have to be alive to learn them. Hudson needs to know that Collin Wentworth is never, ever to be crossed. These broken bones will be a nice little reminder of that.”
“So does this mean you’re gonna just keep torturing him instead?” another one of the guys chuckled.
Samantha grimaced at the sound of amusement in his deep, gravelly voice.
“I might,” Collin replied. “But I definitely wanna keep him around. Hudson’s a good little lab rat. Let’s me test out any drug on him that I want before putting it out on the street. Now grab him and let’s get out of here.”
Just as Samantha heard the men dragging a whimpering Hudson out of the room, her cell phone rang loudly. She stared down at it in horror.
Instead of silencing it, she’d accidentally turned the volume up full blast.
“Whose phone is that?” Collin asked.
A surge of fear detonated inside Sam
antha’s chest. She shook uncontrollably while grappling with the button that turned off the ringer.
Her heart palpitated erratically as she leaned to the side and peered out at the men through a crack in between the shelves.
Hudson was sprawled out on the floor and appeared to be unconscious. Two of Collin’s flunkies were standing on either side of him, holding his arms.
“It wasn’t my cell,” both of them muttered, shrugging while looking around the room.
“Did one of you fools leave your phone down in the lab, or is somebody else in here with us?” Collin spewed, his voice rising with each word.
Samantha held her breath. She froze.
The sound of shuffling feet filled the air. Collin’s boys had dropped Hudson’s arms and were scrambling around the room.
“So you weren’t in here alone, were you, ole Huddy boy?” Collin asked, kicking him savagely in the leg. “And you didn’t even bother to tell me?”
Samantha curled up into a tight ball, every muscle in her body tense as she braced herself to face Collin’s wrath. Her jaws clenched together tightly when she heard Hudson emit a heart-wrenching growl.
“It...it was my—my ph-phone,” he sputtered.
“It was your what?” Collin yelled, ruthlessly kicking him again.
“It was my phone,” Hudson repeated before coughing and gagging. A clump of blood gushed from his mouth.
Samantha pressed her teeth into her fist while she waited for Collin to respond. His boys stopped in their tracks one shelving unit away from where she was hiding.
“Dumbass,” Collin muttered. He held his arm in the air, signaling for his boys to come back. “Hey! Let’s get the hell out of here. Mitch, text Big Vick and tell him we’re running late, but we’ll be at the club after we make a quick stop. I need to figure out where to dump this pile of garbage,” he spat before nudging Hudson’s shoulder with the pipe.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Samantha thought, beyond grateful that Hudson had looked out for her but still worried for him.
She glanced down at her phone and saw that Gregory had sent her about ten text messages in a row. She opened the most recent one.
If I don’t hear from you within the next minute, I’m coming in!
Her fingertips raced across the screen as she responded to the message.
No! Don’t!
Send.
They’re coming out now!
Send.
And Hudson’s still alive.
Send.
I’ll be out as soon as they’re gone. Stay low and meet me by the door where I came in. Is the guard still out there?
Samantha sent the last message then peered through the shelves. Hudson’s feet had gotten caught in the doorway. One of Collin’s cronies kicked the door open and yanked the rest of his body out of the room.
She quickly checked her phone for Gregory’s reply.
Collin sent the guard to lunch when he got here. I see everybody coming out now. Start making your way to the door. I’ll let you know when the coast it clear.
On my way! Samantha typed, both shocked and relieved that she was making it out of the factory alive.
When she stood up, her wobbly legs almost caused her to crash to the floor. She gripped a stack of boxes behind her and steadied her gait, then hurried through the supply room.
She peeked through the door before stepping out. The factory was empty. They didn’t have round-the-clock shifts. Just as she crept past several workstations, her cell phone lit up with another text from Gregory.
It’s clear. They just pulled off. I’m at the side door. Meet me there now!
Samantha couldn’t get to the door fast enough. She darted past a row of equipment assembly systems and crashed through the exit so forcefully that she almost stumbled to the ground. Gregory was standing on the other side. He immediately grabbed hold of her.
“It’s okay,” he said, lifting her up and embracing her tightly. “Come on. I got you.”
Samantha finally allowed herself to breathe. She closed her eyes and leaned into the detective, her feet barely touching the ground as he led them to the car.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his chest.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
When he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, Samantha wrapped her arms around him and gripped the back of his jacket.
“I swear I didn’t think I’d make it out of there alive.”
“Well, you did. And from this point on, I’m never gonna allow you to get in harm’s way again. Never. Now let’s get out of here.”
Gregory held Samantha in a grip so tight she had no doubt he’d keep her safe forever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gregory’s heart rate didn’t stabilize until he and Samantha were back inside the car and pulling away from Westman’s.
He glanced over at her. Her creased brow and downturned lips gave away her shock and fear. She must have been petrified in that factory, yet she’d stuck with it, all to get justice for Jacob and the rest of the factory workers.
When he reached over and covered her hand with his, she jumped a little and gasped.
“Are you okay?” Gregory asked her.
“I was just thinking,” she panted, “I bet you could probably catch up with Collin and his boys to see where they’re taking Hudson. Maybe I can even try and get some pictures of Hudson’s injuries. Man, I wish I’d thought of that while we were still inside the factory. But I was so terrified, and—”
“Samantha,” Gregory snapped, interrupting her rant. “Please. Stop it. I can’t believe that’s where your head’s at after what just happened. I don’t want you going anywhere near Collin again. I mean, seriously, haven’t you had enough? What you went through tonight was absolutely horrifying.”
She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “But we need to help Hudson! He helped us! We’ve come too far to let up now. We’ve got Collin right where we want him. If we have proof of the drug lab and evidence that he brutally assaulted Hudson, there’s no way he wouldn’t be thrown in jail immediately!”
Gregory bit down on his jaw, struggling to choose his words wisely so not to further upset Samantha.
“We will help Hudson. I will call it in—that we saw someone being beaten and dragged from the factory. I’ll reach out to officers I can trust. But you’ve already put your life on the line not once, but twice trying to collect evidence against Collin. That’s done.”
Samantha turned toward the window and covered her eyes.
“So that’s it?” she asked. “You’re not gonna go after him yourself? You’re supposed to be serving and protecting the community. Or have you forgotten your job description?”
“Says the woman who broken into Collin’s house and Westman’s Automotive Factory,” he shot back. “If I was one hundred percent perfect at serving and protecting the community, you’d be sitting behind bars right about now.” He pulled out his phone and was about to dial when Samantha grabbed his arm and pointed up the road.
She leaned forward and squinted her eyes, struggling to get a better look.
“Gregory,” she breathed, pointing at the writhing figure, “I think I see a body lying over by the curb.”
“What the...” He turned on the engine and drove to where she’d indicated, and the pair jumped out and ran over to the body.
“Hudson!” Samantha screamed when she realized it was him. “Are you okay?”
“Nooo,” he wheezed feebly while gripping his chest. “My ribs...my leg...”
“Just hold on,” Gregory told him. “We’re gonna get you to the hospital—” He brought up his phone, still in his hand.
“No!” Hudson yelled before moaning loudly and doubling over in pain. “Don’t take me to the hospital. I don’t want anybody to see me like this. Then they’ll sta
rt asking a bunch of questions, and...”
As his voice trailed off, Samantha gently touched his shoulder. “Hudson, you are severely injured. You need to see a doctor.”
“My sister’s a nurse. I’ll have her come check me out,” he grunted through clenched teeth.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hud—”
“Samantha, please,” he whined. “I’m in too much pain to go back and forth with you. Just take me home.”
She turned to Gregory, who glanced over at her. After several seconds, he sighed in apparent defeat. “What’s your address, Hudson?”
“Wait, so you’re just going to take him home?” Samantha whispered. “He’s in such bad shape!”
“Do I have a choice? The man made it clear that he doesn’t want to go to the hospital and will refuse medical treatment.”
“Fifteen thirty-one East Oak Street,” Hudson gasped before slumping down.
The detective looked over at Samantha and nodded his head. “Let’s get him inside the car.”
She carefully lifted Hudson up by the shoulders while Gregory slid his arms underneath his legs. Hudson emitted an agonizing cry as the twosome struggled to slide him inside the back seat.
“I think Collin cracked a few of my ribs,” Hudson groaned after Gregory and Samantha jumped inside the car. “And my right leg feels like it might be broken.”
“Just hang on,” Gregory told him. Once the man was situated, Gregory and Samantha got inside the car, and he gripped the steering wheel as he peeled away from the curb.
As Gregory pressed down on the accelerator, Samantha twisted her lips in frustration.
“After all this,” she said to him, “I really hope you’ll be contacting the district attorney first thing in the morning. We definitely have enough evidence for him to file charges against Collin and his cohorts now.”
The detective remained silent, staring out the window in deep thought as he continued to Hudson’s house.
* * *
GREGORY STOPPED AT a red light after he and Samantha dropped Hudson off safely at his home. They’d stayed just long enough to make sure the sister arrived to take care of him, and then were on their way.
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