Rock Chick Regret

by Kristen Ashley

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I’m Sadie

  Hector

  “Find her,” Seth Townsend said in Hector’s ear.

  Hector’s jaw clenched, his eyes on Eddie, his body tight.

  “Jerry, Glover and Cordell have been off the radar since we did the raids yesterday. All night, the whole team and half the DPD have been turnin’ Denver inside out. No fuckin’ sign. You got any fuckin’ clue where they’d take her?” Hector, hating his need to make the call, ground out each word.

  Hours had gone by since he got the call that Sadie had been nabbed. There was no sign, no word and now the fear was a constant, bitter ache in his gut.

  “You boys are supposed to be the best. How’d this fucking happen?” Seth snapped.

  Hector didn’t know how to answer him. He’d been asking himself the same fucking question for the last five hours.

  “Her cell is tracked, she left it on the table at the club. We planted a device in her lipstick, she must have left it behind. The guy guarding her left his position but warned her he was goin’, explained when he’d be back and told her to sit tight. She was with fourteen people, but walked away from the table alone. One of the girls and men tried to follow but they got held up by the crowd. A witness who tried to help her told us she told him that they roofied her, she was dazed and not in control. He got clubbed on the side of the head with a gun butt, went unconscious and Sadie got taken.”

  “Why weren’t you with her?” Seth clipped.

  “Because I was huntin’ down your rogue soldiers,” Hector shot back.

  “They went rogue because Sadie’s with you,” Seth returned.

  Hector lost his patience and his temper. “They went rogue because they’re assholes, Seth. Don’t fuckin’ lay this shit on me. This whole trip is yours, from the Balduccis down. You left her alone, unprotected. You knew the Balduccis were out for revenge, you had boys at your disposal and you left her exposed. You put her in this position and I’ve been workin’ my ass off for six weeks tryin’ to pull her out.”

  “Chavez –”

  “She’s been raped, assaulted, kidnapped, now twice, once by you, I’ll remind you. She found out her mother was whacked, had her fuckin’ gallery torched and has been drugged against her will. She’s been holdin’ on but she’s gonna fuckin’ break. After all that, anyone would fuckin’ break.”

  “Chavez –”

  Hector cut him off, his voice had gone low and it shook with menace, “Seth, I find her and they’ve broken her, you’ll pay.”

  When he spoke again, Seth’s voice had changed too, it had gone soft. “Hector –”

  “No joke. You’ll pay,” Hector repeated.

  The door opened to Lee’s office and Lee’s upper body swung in with it but he didn’t enter and he didn’t take his hand off the knob.

  “Call came in. Darius spotted Jerry’s BMW in the parking lot, Hyatt Place Hotel, DIA.”

  “Anyone close?” Eddie asked, already moving around the desk.

  “Marcus is headin’ his way,” Lee replied. “Said he’d be there in five.”

  “Hector, what’s happening?” Seth asked in his ear.

  “We got a lead,” Hector replied to Seth. “Pray she’s not broken.” Then he flipped his phone shut and moved toward the door. “Let’s roll.”

  * * * * *

  Sadie

  Cordell threw me on the bed.

  I rolled off and scrambled. He cut off my exit, I feinted to the left (he followed) then to the right (he followed again!) then stopped and we went into a stare down.

  Glover lurched in, closing the door behind him. His eyes went to Jerry, still on the floor but he was now moving around.

  Great.

  Just great!

  Then Glover’s eyes came to me and he snapped, “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”

  I looked at him then I put my hands on my hips and said, “Are you kidding me?”

  Glover and Cordell stared at me.

  I knew them both.

  Like Jerry, Cordell had worked for my father for years, I didn’t know him very well but we’d chatted because, well, he was around and not to chat would be rude.

  Glover had been a new recruit a few months before my father went down.

  Both of them were good-looking, fit, well-dressed and well-groomed.

  All of this slid through my mind in a flash.

  But mostly all I thought about was the fact that I was done.

  Done.

  Done!

  Did I say done?

  “Seriously!” I threw my hands out. “Did you think I’d just, I don’t know… what did you think I’d do?”

  They kept staring at me.

  “You roofied me!” I yelled.

  Glover’s body jerked and his eyes shot to Cordell and I watched as Cordell’s brows drew together.

  Then Cordell hissed, “Jesus, Sadie, keep your voice down.”

  “Are you going to poison my father like you did Harvey?” I snapped and Cordell and Glover looked at each other while Jerry pulled himself up to sitting position. It would dawn on me later that they looked at each other in confusion. Since I was in a full blown hissy fit, I, unfortunately, didn’t notice it at the time.

  “Well? Are you?” I pushed.

  Everyone stayed silent.

  “Whatever,” I snapped and put my hands back to my hips. “Let’s play let’s make a fucking deal. All right?”

  Cordell and Glover just kept looking at me like I was some unknown entity as yet undiscovered, not like I was someone who served them coffee on more than one occasion.

  “I need clothes, nice ones,” I went on. “I’m not going on an international flight without good clothes. We’ll call my father. I’ll get the Caymans account info. We’ll all go on a trip. You can have it. All of it. Every penny. You just promise to let me go at the end of it and promise you won’t poison my father or hurt him in any way.”

  Glover’s eyebrows shot up and Jerry pulled himself unsteadily to his feet.

  “Sadie –” Jerry started.

  “You, shut the fuck up. I’m tired of talking to you,” I clipped at Jerry then, apparently not tired of talking to him, I went on, “And by the way, you’re cute but you’re a crap kisser.” So stuck in my hissy fit, I was on a roll, I looked back at Cordell then at Glover, both of their eyebrows were at their hairlines after my “crap kisser” comment. I ignored this and kept right on talking, “I call my father, warn him about the poison so you assholes don’t kill him anyway, just to be assholes, and he gives me the account numbers.”

  “What’s she talkin’ about?” Glover asked Cordell.

  Cordell shrugged.

  It was my turn to stare.

  “What do you mean, what am I talking about? Jerry poisoned Harvey Balducci and told me if I didn’t sleep with him, he’d put that same special sauce on my father’s breakfast,” I informed Glover and Cordell.

  They both turned to Jerry.

  “Jerry?” Cordell called and something in the room made me snap right out of the hissy fit and start to pay attention. “I thought we were runnin’ an errand for Seth. Gettin’ Sadie out of a bad fix, gettin’ her free from Chavez. What the fuck is this?” Cordell asked, turning away from me and toward Jerry.

  Jerry was looking pale.

  Light, luckily, for me, was beginning to dawn.

  “He was working with Donny Balducci,” I told Glover and Cordell.

  Jerry’s eyes came to me. “Shut your fuckin’ mouth.”

  Oh my.

  I decided, since things seemed to be a bit confused and Cordell and Glover weren’t paying much attention to me, that I should start moving slowly toward the door.

  So that’s what I did.

  But I kept talking.

  “The Caymans accounts,” I said to Jerry as it hit me. “The Balduccis wanted the money in those accounts. Revenge against my father. You were going to get your share, weren’t you?”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Jer
ry shouted, starting to come toward me but Cordell and Glover moved, fencing him in, so he stopped.

  “Mickey Balducci killed my mother,” I announced to the room. “My father avenged her death. The Balducci Brothers wanted retaliation. Jerry was working with them.”

  Cordell and Glover didn’t move but Jerry’s eyes were locked on me and his face twisted with rage.

  “You fuckin’ bitch,” he hissed and I kept moving slowly to the door but, for some bizarre reason, Jerry lost it, totally and completely and he kept talking. “I was Seth’s boy. Me. Then fuckin’ Chavez comes along and Seth thinks his shit don’t stink. ‘Hector this…’ and ‘Hector that…’ like he fuckin’ walked on water. Everyone knew, once Bernie left and Seth settled on his new boy, that new boy would get you. Everyone. We all worked on it, we all wanted it. We knew the only one Seth would trust with you, the only one Seth would trust to take care of you, was his boy. The one who’d take his place when he retired. That was me until fuckin’ Chavez came along.”

  I couldn’t help myself, his words shook me so much, I’d stopped and was staring at him, mouth open.

  “Then Chavez fucked us,” Jerry snapped, his eyes moving to Cordell and Glover. “He fucked you too. Made Seth look the fool and he fucked us all.”

  “Don’t know about you but I’m still gettin’ paid,” Glover returned.

  “You dumb fuck, Seth isn’t eligible for parole for years, do you think –?” Jerry started but Cordell interrupted him.

  “Yeah, and for those years he put you in charge, he made you his boy again and now you’ve fucked him. So, tell me Jerry, who’s the dumb fuck?”

  Then Glover remarked, his voice full of disbelief, “Shit, Jerry, you roofied Sadie? Jeez, Seth’s gonna be pissed.”

  “Like I said. Dumb fuck,” Cordell put in.

  “Fuck you!” Jerry shouted in Cordell’ face.

  “Blow me,” Cordell returned.

  Oh my.

  This wasn’t going well for Jerry but also (more importantly) I had no idea what it meant for me.

  Then everything happened at once.

  Jerry charged Cordell, I could tell it was not to fight him but so he could get by him and get to me.

  I came unstuck and ran to the door, got my hand on the knob but it flew open when I did. I wheeled backwards, lost balance and landed on my behind.

  Marcus and African-American Hottie were in the room, guns up and shouting.

  Cordell and Glover twirled, pulled out their guns and started shouting back.

  Jerry jumped across the bed, toward me.

  I got on my feet, twisted, grabbed the first thing I could find, which was a lamp, and twisted back to see he was nearly on me.

  “Stop!” Marcus yelled but Jerry didn’t stop.

  I swung the lamp just as a shot was fired. I hit Jerry in the shoulder with the lamp and he went down but his hands went to his thigh where blood was coming from a bullet wound.

  “Stay down,” Marcus ordered, advancing, gun on Jerry as African-American Hottie was still in an armed faceoff with Cordell and Glover.

  I stood, clutching the lamp and breathing like I’d run a race.

  “Sadie, you okay?” Marcus asked.

  I slammed the lamp down and then put my hands back to my hips.

  “No. I. Am. Not. I’m sick of being kidnapped. Hector’s probably out of his mind!” I screeched.

  Marcus kept his eyes and gun on Jerry but I could swear his lips twitched like he was fighting a grin.

  Now, really, seriously, by all that was holy, somebody, please tell me, what on earth was funny about this?

  I looked at African-American Hottie and he looked like he was amused too.

  “What’s fucking funny?” I shouted.

  “Maybe you should sit down, love,” Marcus suggested.

  “I don’t want to sit down. I want coffee. And brioche with marmalade,” I snapped back then I looked back at African-American Hottie and realized he was still in an armed faceoff and I should probably do something about that. “Um… African-American Hottie?” I called. “They’re good. They’re with me.”

  Cordell, who was also African-American, had his eyes locked on African-American Hottie and he asked, “Is she talkin’ to you or me?”

  “I’ve no fuckin’ clue,” African-American Hottie replied.

  “I know your name, Cordell. Blooming heck, I’ve known you for years. I’m talking to the other African-American Hottie in the room,” I explained.

  Marcus (I’m not joking) started laughing.

  Laughing!

  “My name is Darius,” African-American Hottie said.

  Without anything else to say (and not wanting to be rude), I replied, “Hi, Darius.” Then I waved for good measure.

  “Who are you?” I heard said from below me and I looked down to see Jerry staring up at me like he’d never seen me before.

  And that’s when I knew.

  I knew exactly who I was.

  So, because I knew, I told Jerry, “I’m Sadie.”

  * * * * *

  The police arrived then the hotel management and security arrived. I redid my belt, put on my shoes and I was sitting in the hotel room desk chair, handcuffs finally off, just about to put a cup of coffee to my lips when Hector, Eddie and Lee arrived.

  Hector stopped just inside the door, his eyes scanned the room, found me, did a head-to-toe, then they moved to Jerry now on the bed with hotel towels wrapped around his leg and a uniformed officer guarding him.

  Hector didn’t order everyone out and he didn’t move. His body was solid and his eyes were scorching and that scorch was directed at Jerry.

  Then I saw his jaw clench and a muscle move in his cheek.

  Oh my.

  I put my coffee cup in its saucer on the desk and moved swiftly across the room toward Hector.

  I got within touching distance, Hector’s hands came to my hips but he didn’t look at me, his dark, angry eyes were locked on Jerry.

  “I’m gonna fuckin’ –” he started but I pressed into him and put my hand over his mouth and muffled the rest.

  “The police,” I warned but his hand came from my hip, his fingers curled around my wrist and he pulled it away. Before he could speak, quickly I said, “I’m all right, I’m fine. Everything’s okay.”

  His scorching eyes turned to me.

  My free hand went to the side of his face.

  “Babe, I’m okay,” I whispered.

  He looked at me for a second then two then three, his eyes scanning my face, reading me.

  I got up on my toes and pressed even closer to his heat.

  “Hector, baby, I’m okay,” I repeated softly.

  Suddenly he let go of my wrist, his arms went around me, crushing me to him and his mouth came down on mine in a long, hard, closed-mouthed kiss.

  When his mouth detached from mine, his face went into my neck and his arms got even tighter.

  “Fuck,” he said against my neck.

  My arms wrapped around his shoulders and I held him close thinking it was best not to tell him, just yet, that I couldn’t breathe.

  Finally, his arms loosened, his head came up and I pulled in a deep breath.

  “Sorry, Chavez, we need to ask Sadie some questions,” a uniformed officer said from our side just as the paramedics came in with a gurney.

  Hector nodded, we moved away so the paramedics could see to Jerry and I sneaked a peek at the bed while we moved.

  Jerry was glaring at Hector, eyes filled with hate. His obvious emotion made me sad, angry and happy. I couldn’t process this, it was too complex, so I decided not to think about it until… well, never. I thought it best never to think about it.

  Ever.

  We moved into the hall (unfortunately, away from my coffee) and I noted the Hot Bunch were amassing there. Darius was, obviously, a part of the rescue effort. Lee and Eddie had come with Hector. Luke was now with them, the elevator pinged and Vance and Matt walked out of it, their eyes coming directly
to me as they moved down the hall toward us.

  The uniformed officer had to wait while the Hot Bunch did their Sadie assessment. I got hugs, cheek kisses, temple kisses and there were a lot of set but relieved male faces and firm, clenched, square jaws. I noticed they looked tired, none of them had shaved and none of them were wearing fresh clothes. Mace and Bobby showed up in the meantime and both of them (even Bobby) engulfed me in bear hugs.

  The elevator pinged again and Detective Marker walked out when the uniformed officer asked, exasperated, “Do you guys mind if I talk with Sadie?”

  I was feeling weird. A good weird.

  No, a great weird.

  Not that they’d obviously had a tough night looking for me.

  But, (I hated to admit it but had to) because they’d spent a tough night looking for me.

  And they were relieved they found me alive, well and none the worse for wear.

  They cared and they didn’t mind who knew it, not the hotel staff and customer onlookers, the police or the paramedics.

  Tough guys or not, I was one of them.

  I wasn’t Ms. Townsend anymore.

  I was Sadie, Rock Chick.

  How great was that?

  “You get her statement?” Detective Marker asked, coming up to me with a smile.

  “Tryin’,” the uniformed officer replied.

  “Well, fuck boy, get it so she can go home,” Detective Marker snapped.

  The officer looked at the ceiling.

  I pressed into Hector, his arm went around my neck and he pulled me deeper into his side, partially into his front.

  The officer asked me questions and I answered, telling my story.

  I was, of course, not thinking clearly, considering all that happened. If I was, I might have asked for privacy before I shared in front of Hector how I duped Jerry. The Hot Bunch clearly found my tactic amusing. Hector, I could tell by the electric current whipping around the hall, absolutely did not.

  I hurried through the rest, the officer finished with some questions, Detective Marker asked a few more and finally the officer flipped his notepad closed, nodded and took off.

  The Hot Bunch and Marcus had been joined by Tom, Hank and Monty by this time. I got a couple more hugs and cheek kisses and we all stood around in the hall with Detective Marker.