by Bella Jewel
“Okay.”
He smiles at me, then disappears into his study. I glance at the camera that’s pointing down the hall, and quickly get out of its line of sight. I know the security system panel is in the kitchen, so I rush in there, peering behind me. I need to figure out how to bring the cameras down. I pray I don’t have to cut wires, but I do know how to do that if need be. I find the panel and look behind me once more before opening it.
There’s a keypad and a heap of other buttons. God damn, if I knew the code it would be so much easier to turn it off for a few hours. I bite my lip and look at the screws that I would need to undo to get to the wires at the back. It would take some time, at least twenty minutes, maybe more. I’m not sure I’m going to have that long. My heart pounds against my chest and I catch sight of something on the inside door of the panel.
A four-digit number written in black ink, right down the bottom.
3587
No way in the world that’s the code. No way he’d be stupid enough to just write it on the panel. Although, by the time someone got in here to see this, or to be able to turn it off, the alarms would have well and truly been raised, so really, who is going to be able to access this who isn’t invited into the house first? Maybe he’s confident that he has enough cameras on the way in, that he doesn’t need to worry about this?
Could it be that easy?
I look behind me again, and with a racing heart, I punch in the numbers. I hold my breath, for what seems like seconds, waiting for an alarm to sound that will give me away. It doesn’t. Instead, the machine gives off a little beep and before I know it, I’m in. I want to squeal with delight, and laugh at how simple that was, but I don’t have time for that. I flick through the options, and find the option to turn the cameras off for a few hours, like a timer.
Instead of turning them all off now, I’ll just set them to go off overnight, while we’re not here. That will work perfectly and raise no suspicion because they’ll be back on by the time Dax returns in the morning. I get to work programming the system, and then pause once I’m done, wondering if he has access to see things from his phone. A lot of systems you can log in and see the cameras, even when you’re out and about.
If he does that, he’ll see that they’re off and might want to come back.
I exhale. I guess my distraction techniques are going to need to be very, very good.
I feel a little sick at that thought, but I have no other choice right now.
I close the panel when I’m done and step away from it just as Dax walks into the kitchen. I jerk a little, and he narrows his eyes. “Did I startle you?”
“I didn’t hear you coming,” I say. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous. I never know who is going to walk in here, with the amount of people you have locked in that basement.”
He laughs, and it’s a laugh that sends shivers down my spine. He walks over and leans down, putting a kiss on my lips that has me wanting to scream and jerk away. “You should know my locks are unbreakable, angel. Nobody is getting out of here.”
God.
I swallow and then pull back, forcing a smile. “So, what are we baking for the girls?”
We get to work preparing some meals, and thankfully for me, Dax talks the entire time and I find myself distracted from what’s about to go down. I sneak a bathroom break mid-way through, and text Alarick that the system will be down overnight, and that we’re leaving for dinner soon and he’ll be able to come in.
He confirms he’s received the message.
God, I hope this goes to plan.
I really, really need this to go right.
There’s only so much more I can take.
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE,” I say, staring around the beautiful big hotel room that Dax has booked.
He’s gone above and beyond, picking the nicest room I’ve ever seen. It’s huge, with a big bed, a spa bath, and a patio that overlooks the city. It’s modern and sleek, and everything smells clean and fresh. It’s lovely, and if I was with anyone else, I could most certainly enjoy my time here.
“Only the best for you,” he murmurs, seemingly distracted as he closes the door behind us.
We just had a great meal at the new Italian restaurant, and while the company wasn’t great, I couldn’t fault the food. It was perfect and I have to admit I enjoyed every bite. Now we’re back here, though, the anxiety is building in my chest. This is where I have to distract him. This is where I have to keep him from getting concerned that someone is at his place. This is where I have to do the biggest part of my job to date.
“What do you say I run the spa bath for you, and you get yourself relaxed for the evening?” Dax asks me.
I glance at him, and he’s looking at me in a way that puts me on edge. I’m not sure what it is about his expression, but I feel a little uneasy. Maybe it’s just because I’m about to do something terrible, and it’s weighing on me. Still, I put on a smile and say, “Sure.”
He walks past me and into the bathroom to run a bath, and I quickly remove my phone and text Alarick with an update. He tells me they’re out there now and he’ll let me know when it’s safe to return.
My stomach twists with nerves, and while Dax is in the bathroom, I pull out my gun and stuff it into my purse along with my phone. I don’t need him seeing those things. I turn and walk into the bathroom, and the spa is filling with beautiful fluffy bubbles. Dax stands and hands me a robe, a towel and some soap, and tells me he has to make a call but will be back soon.
I feel a little concerned at that thought, and when he’s gone, I rub my arms and try to shake away the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don’t want to get in a spa with him, but at the same time, I know I have no other choice. I only pray he’s not checking the cameras while he’s out there.
I get undressed, tie my hair into a bun on the top of my head, and sink into the spa bath. It’s deep, and the bubbles cover me right up, which makes me feel a little better. When it’s full enough, I turn it off. Dax comes in a moment later, and sits on the side of the tub, staring down at me. His expression is still concerning, and I wonder if he knows what I’ve done. Did he see me turning those cameras off?
I feel sick.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, smiling.
He runs a finger down my cheek, staring at me almost blankly. “Are you okay, angel?”
Huh?
“I’m perfect. You seem distracted.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
“Does it bother you?”
What is going on with him? “No, I just wanted to enjoy the night with you...”
“Is that the truth?”
Sweet Jesus. “Yes,” I say, swallowing.
“You wouldn’t lie to me, my pretty angel, would you?” His finger trails down over my jaw and down to my neck.
“No,” I whisper, feeling nervous.
“Do you trust me?”
What is going on? “Yes.”
“Good.”
With a sudden movement, his hand is around my throat and he’s shoving me under the water. It happens so fast, I don’t even get a split second to fight. Hot water swirls around my face and up my nose. I squirm and fight. I claw at his arm, my heart races and fear swells in my chest. I’ve never been so scared in my life, and at the realization that he’s trying to drown me, I start fighting harder than I’ve ever fought.
I kick, claw, bite, scratch, and do anything I can to get him to let me up. Black spots appear in my vision, and I know that I’m going to pass out soon. I’m going to die. I start to scream and water fills my lungs, and before I can think a second more, Dax launches me up and out of the water. He releases my neck and his hand curls into my hair as he pulls me close to his face. He’s panting and angry, nostrils flaring, eyes wide and terrifying. I’m coughing, trying to get the water from my lungs.
“What is wrong with you?” I scream, but his hand only tightens further, until my scalp burns with the pressure.
“You are w
hat’s wrong with me, my lying, cheating little bitch.”
He knows.
Oh god. He knows.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I cough.
With a feral growl, he jerks me right up out of the bath and drags me, naked and dripping, into the living area of the hotel. Then, releasing me, he walks over to my purse, pulls out my gun and points it at me. My heart stops and I can’t think. I can’t do anything but stare in complete horror at him.
He knows.
“Get dressed,” he orders.
“Dax, please,” I beg.
“I will shoot you—do not fuckin’ doubt it. Now get dressed.”
I do as he asks. I get dressed, and I do it quickly. The moment I’m dressed, he shoves the gun into his pants, grabs my things and then storms over, taking my arm and pulling me towards the door. “You scream, and I swear to you, I will shoot every fuckin’ person in this place without so much as a thought. You’ll have to live with that for the rest of your miserable fuckin’ life. Are we clear?”
Oh god.
Oh, no.
“Yes,” I whisper, my voice so shaky I can’t get it to work.
“Good.”
He leads me out of the hotel, and I don’t scream. Dax will do exactly what he says he’ll do, and I’m not going to be the reason innocent people die.
The moment we’re in his truck, he reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out another gun and some handcuffs. “Put them on. You try to run, I’ll murder everyone you love until you return.”
I do as he asks. I put the cuffs on.
Still trembling, still in complete shock, I say, “What . . . what is happening?”
He starts driving, and only then does he talk. Only then does he finally spill exactly what it is he’s doing right now. I’ve figured out enough to know that he’s worked out I’m not on his side, but just how much he knows, I don’t fully grasp yet.
“We’re going back to my place where your little biker club is currently digging up Bennett’s body and removing it. They’re also freeing over fifty girls that I’ve placed there. They think you’re distracting me. They think they’ve finally won. They’re about to find out how wrong they are.”
Oh god.
Oh. My. God.
I’m going to vomit. Everything spins, and my heart tries to piece together exactly what he’s telling me right now, because what he’s saying is he knows the plan exactly. How the fuck does he know that?
“How?” I whisper.
He laughs, shaking his head. “You don’t think I’m stupid, do you? I mean, clearly you fuckin’ do because you have been playin’ me for months, but the thing about me, sweetheart, is that I don’t get played.”
I won’t vomit.
I’ll keep it together.
Come on, Waverly.
You’re strong.
“I know who you are. I know that they sent you in to get information. I’ve known that all along. You didn’t honestly believe that I’d trust they would walk away and never look into what I was doing again, did you? I knew damn well Alarick wasn’t going to give up that easily. I honestly can’t believe he’s so fucking stupid.”
No.
No, no, no, no.
“I’ve been playing just as hard as you’ve been playing. You see, Bennett wasn’t my only cop friend. No, a man with my stature has far more people in higher places. I know about your little plan, and I’ve done one better for you all . . .”
I don’t want to hear it.
I don’t want to know.
This isn’t happening.
Please, god, tell me this isn’t happening.
“I’m going to make them all pay, you see.”
“How?” I ask again, desperate.
He laughs, low and bitter. “Alarick doesn’t know it, but he’s got a rat. A dirty fuckin’ rat that’s been feeding me information. If only he’d looked closer to home a little earlier, he might have seen that one of his own was sharing. How else did I know what I know? Surely he would have pieced that together. He didn’t. Anyway, that little rat has been relaying everything, and that allowed me to come up with the perfect plan.”
He glances at the clock in the truck, and smiles.
A low vicious smile.
“In fact, in about twenty minutes, the police are going to arrive on my property. They’re going to find a group of bikers that have a bunch of girls, girls who have been taken. They’re going to find a few of them with a dead fuckin’ cop. They’re going to arrest the lot of them and while that’s happening, I’ll slip into the night, never to be seen again.”
No.
No.
No.
“There’s no evidence,” I say, my voice so weak it’s scary. “They might find them there, but there’s nothing to keep them there . . . the cops won’t believe they did it.”
“Wrong again. Because of Alarick’s little rat, I’ve been able to plant enough things to make it look like the club are the people behind my operation. I’ve made it all look like they’re helping me, and have been all along. It’s all the cops need to take that entire club down. It’s not like they haven’t been looking for a reason. Sad, really. If only they’d minded their own business . . .”
This is a nightmare.
A bad dream.
“The cops won’t help you . . . they won’t . . .”
“They will, because Bennett wasn’t the only person I had on my side. I’ve organized them to go there, and they’re going to find everything they need. How do you think it’ll look when they see bikers with a dead body of a police officer? There’s no getting away with it.”
“They’ll figure it out; they’ll figure out it was you all along!” I snarl, angrily.
He shrugs. “Perhaps, but by the time they do, I promise you they won’t find me. They will not be able to track me down, and besides, your little bikers will be all locked up with nowhere to go. It’s the perfect plan. Nobody is going to believe a biker gang is innocent. Nobody.”
I feel sick, because he’s right.
Who is going to believe a biker club wouldn’t have something to do with an operation like this? It’s dangerous, it’s illegal, and they’re known for dealing with the dangerous and the illegal.
What have I done?
How did we not see this coming?
I can’t warn Alarick, because Dax has my phone. He has it, and he’s not going to give it to me. But if I don’t warn them, then they’re going to be taken from me—all of them. They’re going to get locked up and with Dax’s power, they’re going to stay locked up. I can’t do that to them. No. I have to think.
Think, Waverly.
I glance around the car, trying not to make it too obvious. There has to be something, something I can use to hurt Dax. Something I can use to just get out of here. Once I’m out, I’ll run and get help. I’ll call Alarick. I’ll do something. I see my purse on the ground in the backseat, there’s no way I’ll get to that. I focus on the front area, and other than a few random items, there’s not much I can use to hurt him.
I’m going to have to use my own force.
My hands are bound.
But I’m flexible as fuck.
And this piece of shit isn’t going to get away with this.
I act quickly without too much thought. I raise my elbow, intertwine my bound fingers, and then I slam my elbow into Dax’s temple. With a shocked gasp, he swerves the car. I do it again, harder this time. With a pained bellow, he tries to correct the car while reaching over and grabbing my hair. He takes a fistful of it and slams my head into the dash. I hit it with such force, I feel a split in my head that has it spinning.
I don’t let it stop me.
I shift all my weight to the side, ripping my hair from his grips - chunks of it come out. I lean my back against the window and I use my foot to slam his head against the glass. I kick him so hard it cracks and blood spurts out. With a gasp of pain, he shakes his head, dazed.
I kick hi
m again.
The car skids off the road and down a ditch, where it comes to a screeching halt and we’re both slammed forward.
I’m grateful we didn’t hit a tree.
I move as fast as I can while he’s dazed and reach over the back with both hands, grabbing my purse. Then I turn, undo the door and kick it open before launching out. I know I’m not going to get far, I kicked him hard—hard enough to probably cause some serious damage, but not enough to stop him from coming after me. He’s probably going to shoot me, but if I can save that club, I’m going to.
I pull out the phone and dial Alarick’s number, my hands shaking, blood dripping from my head onto the phone.
“Waverly?”
“Get out,” I cry, hearing the car door open as Dax launches out. “Get out now. It’s a trap, Alarick. The cops are coming. He’s been playing us all along. Get out.”
I hang up the phone and shove it back into my purse just as Dax roars. “Don’t fuckin’ move.”
I hope he didn’t see that I made a call.
I’m on my knees, crouched down over my purse, and I decide to put the phone in my hands so it looks like I’m about to use it. I turn slowly, phone in hand, and look at him.
He’s got a lot of blood on his face, a heap of it pouring down from his temple. He’s got a gun pointed at me, and he’s panting with rage, and probably pain.
“Put that fuckin’ phone down, or I’ll blow your brains out.”
My hands shake, but I drop the phone.
“Stand up.”
I do as he asks; I stand up. I can taste blood in my mouth, and my face is probably covered in it.
“Get. In. The. Car.”
I move slowly, walking back to the car, never taking my eyes off him. He gets back in too, and this time, he keeps the gun pointed at me. He manages to reverse the car out of the ditch, and we start driving again. His hand doesn’t waver.
“I should kill you for a stunt like that.”
But he didn’t.
I have to wonder why that is.
I’ve always suspected he felt differently about me. Could I be right? If so, maybe I have it in my power to stop this.
“Why didn’t you then?” I spit.