The card starts to shake in my hand before it crumples in my fist. I toss it down onto the bed and rake both my hands into my hair. The breath I pull into my lungs feels like it might shatter my chest and I’ve barely let it out before I pull in another one. There’s no mistaking who this is from and what it means. Reality crashes into me like a wrecking ball. There’s no more worrying about this happening. It’s happening.
A million things race through my mind in a matter of seconds. A penthouse hotel room where Eli wants to be alone with my wife. My girl. A fire ignites in my gut as I think of the possible things he thinks he’s going to get to do with her. The idea of one of his fingers touching any part of her body makes me…
Before I know it, I’m ripping the lamp off the bedside table and out of the wall, making the light go out and hurling it across the room where it hits the opposite wall with a crash, before falling to the floor in several broken pieces.
“Jack!” Matt comes rushing into the room just in time to see me overturn the nightstand. “Jack! What the fuck?!” He stops to take in the scene for about half a second before asking, “The hell is wrong with you, man?!”
I grab the crumpled card and thrust it at him. “This is what’s fucking wrong with me,” I snarl before picking up the key card and tossing it at him. He snatches it out of the air and looks down at the typed words.
“Disgusting piece of shit,” he mumbles, nodding down at the card, echoing about a fraction of my sentiments. I lean down and grip the bedspread, dropping my head and trying like fuck to calm down. But my mind wanders to that piece of shit looking at Mayzie like she’s some kind of treat and I’m hit with another wave of rage so intense, I feel like my head could explode. I can’t hold back the curses that come roaring out of my mouth before I turn to the wall, drawing my arm back to punch the hell out of it, but Matt catches it and hauls me back. “Jack! Get a-fucking-hold of yourself! Now!”
I drop my arm, but the fire is still blazing, and thunder and lightning are cracking and crashing inside my skull.
“We need to get you the fuck out of here,” he says, pulling me towards the main entrance of the suite. I only barely register his voice in the back of my mind. “People are going to hear you,” he continues, grabbing my jacket off the chair and shoving it at me. I know what he’s getting at. Every staff member in these hotels signs a blanket NDA upon hire to protect the privacy of anyone in the public eye that may visit, but that doesn’t mean they’re always going to abide by it. I guess it’s a good thing that Matt is bearing that in mind, because I seriously don’t give a flying fuck right now as he opens the door and pushes me through it. Once we’re out in the hallway, he stops and glances in both directions before steering us in the direction opposite of the elevators.
When we reach the end of the hall, he pushes me through a door that leads to an empty stairwell.
“Up,” He orders. We climb the stairs, me taking two or three at a time. After what I think is five or six flights, we reach a landing where there is nothing more but a door with the words, “Roof Access”. Matt leans in to test the door and it swings outward, letting us into some kind of rooftop garden. There are tables and benches, pebbled paths that wind around what look like Zen gardens and three electrical fire pits with flames flickering, strategically placed throughout with Adirondack style chairs positioned around them.
I pause to catch my breath from the adrenaline that’s coursing through me, and glance around at the view of city lights. We’re not on the highest roof, but one that is carved out about two thirds of the way up the hotel building. I stand rooted to the spot, absently staring at Matt as he walks through, looking around, I guess to make sure that we’re alone. When he spots the public entrance, he makes a beeline for it and tests the door. When it gives, he lets go and looks around a moment before walking over to an iron bench. He drags it over to the door, and once he’s satisfied that he’s barricaded it efficiently, he straightens up and turns to me.
“Alright, have at it. Whatever you need to do Jack, go for it. Let it out. We’ll take care of it in the morning. We can afford the damages. We’ll say we found it damaged when we came up for a break, but pay for it anyway. It will make us look good.”
It’s tempting. In fact, that’s all I want to do. But for some reason, I can’t bring myself to move. I don’t know if the height we’re at is slowing things down and shifting them back into focus, but I feel my control coming back to me and I mentally grab onto it. I’m finally feeling the chill of the evening air and shrug into my jacket that I’d absently been carrying. And then, instead of tearing the place apart, I slump down onto a bench. The blinding white light of unbridled rage seems to have faded out, and the first clear thought that forms in my head is that I need to know if my wife is okay. As much as I need to hear her voice right now, I don’t want her to hear mine. I’m still shaking and my breathing is still ragged. I don’t want her to worry about me on top of God knows what else is going through her head right now. So I take my phone out and dial Shane instead, knowing he’s with Mayzie and can tell me where they are.
“Jack.” His usual straightforward greeting comes through the line.
“Are you with her? Is she okay?” I ask, skipping the pleasantries.
“Of course I’m with her, you would’ve heard from me if I didn’t have eyes on her. She’s safe Jack,” he assures me.
“Is she okay? I mean…” I can’t even repeat what I saw laying on the bed when I got to the room and she was gone. I can only imagine what it did to her.
“She’s alright Jack. I can tell something’s bothering her, but she seems to be holding up okay.”
Figures. My wife, who was the actual recipient of the cause of my fury, is holding it together better than I am.
“Thank you,” is all I can think to say to him now. I look up to see Matt across the garden with his back to me, talking on his own phone. “Just stay with her and let her know I’ll be back soon.”
“You got it,” Shane replies before signing off.
I look up at Matt, who still has his phone to his ear, saying something that I can’t hear from where I’m sitting. I shove my hands into my jacket pockets and one of them comes in contact with my beanie. I pull it out and slip it on, partly to stay warm and partly for something to do. I drop my head back and close my eyes, trying to focus on nothing else but the cold night air coming into my lungs, cooling the inside of my chest. Mayzie is always trying to get me to do yoga, telling me it will help me relax. I can never get into it, but I try to now, at least the meditative breathing part. I will try anything to level out right now. I need to get my head back together so I can get to Mayzie, make sure she’s alright and just be there for her.
I hear footsteps approach me and then the bench shakes as Matt drops down beside me. I keep my head laid back and my eyes closed but give him my attention when he starts to speak.
“I got ahold of Ron. He’s having the hotel room taken care of.” I blow a hard breath out in response before he continues. “Texted Shane too; asked him to try to divert Mayzie from there until the lamp is replaced.”
“Thank you,” I manage.
“I let him know where we are too.” He shrugs, like he’s not sure how I’d react to that.
“Damn. You’re all over it,” I finally say, chuckling and lifting my head to regard him.
“Just looking out for my family,” he replies, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. “So I take it you’re done hulking out?” he asks, tilting his head towards me with one of his eyebrows raised like he’s skeptical.
I let out a heavy sigh and push the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Yeah,” I finally answer as I drop them in my lap. What just happened down in the room is something I’ve been struggling to keep from happening since the scumbag cornered Mayzie in that bathroom. Seeing confirmation of his intentions right there in solid black and white made the anger of the last few weeks finally culminate. I’m just thankful Maze wasn’t there to see it.
She needs to know she can count on me to keep it together for her.
“You’re sure? I’m giving you free reign of this rooftop. Get it out of your system.”
“I’m good,” I reply curtly, before leaning forward and mirroring his position with my arms on my knees. “I just… it’s Mayzie. It’s her.”
“I know,” he affirms, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze, trying to convey that he knows what she is to me. “I know you’re scared for her. Just try to remember what you were thinking when you wrote See Her. She’s got spunk. And not only can she handle herself, but she’ll have a cold-as-ice detective and a team of trained professionals at the ready. Plus… she’s got you in her corner.”
“Yeah…” I nod, considering that last part.
“Mayzie can handle a few nerves,” he continues. “And if she falls, you’re going to be right there to catch her. She’s got this, and you’ve got her.”
I let out a revitalized breath at that thought. Damn right she has me. There will never be a question of that. I just wish it didn’t have to be her, that this could just end with me laying the son of a bitch out. The only silver lining I’m finding is that this will be over, one way or another, after tomorrow night, and then Mayzie and I can get back to our happy life. I grip my hands together as if that thought is a lifeline that I’m trying to hold onto.
“It’s going to be alright, Jack. I refuse to believe that it won’t,” Matt concludes.
I sit up straighter and look over at him. I want to thank him; for everything. From keeping me from busting my hand on a hotel room wall, to letting me freak out and cleaning up my mess, to talking me down… I’m just opening my mouth to let him know that it didn’t all go unnoticed when there’s a push at the main access door, making the bench scrape the pavement just a little. Matt jumps to his feet to see who’s trying to come out here. After a quick look through the door’s small opening, he pulls the bench away and opens it all the way. He gives Mayzie a gentle smile as she walks through the door, and then disappears behind her.
“Baby,” I say, getting her attention. Our eyes lock and she walks briskly towards me, and I help her close the distance.
“Hi,” she greets me, her voice gentle and sweet, her expression full of apprehension, although I can see a trace of hope in it. Our arms go around each other, hers around my waist while mine fold over her shoulders. I hold her close to me, pressing my lips against the top of her head and breathing in the flowery scent of her shampoo. “What are you doing up here?” she asks my chest.
“Worrying about you,” I say quietly into her hair.
“What do you mean?” she asks, looking up at me with her grey eyes sparkling from behind her lashes as they search mine.
“I went by the room… I saw the penthouse key.” Her eyes close at that revelation as I shake my head, explaining. “I lost it. I should’ve called or come to find you first thing, baby. I’m sorry. I swear, as soon as Matt got me up here, I called and checked on you.”
“It’s okay,” she assures in a placating tone as she shakes her head at me. “It was… something to process. I get it.”
“Baby, are you okay?” I ask attentively, tugging on a strand of her hair. “I should’ve been there… then again, maybe I shouldn’t have. Why didn’t you call me?” I take a look down at her in just her sweater and shrug my coat off, pulling it around her before folding my arms back around her.
“I was about to, and then I was afraid your phone would ring while you were on air and ruin the interview.”
“Mayzie, I don’t give a shit. I’m your husband first. You should be calling me when these things happen. I don’t care what’s going on, I am going to drop it and get to you as fast as I can, every time. I want you to remember that from now on.” I lecture but try to be gentle about it.
She takes a deep breath and looks up at me, her eyes starting to glisten. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” I wrap my arms back around her and tuck her close to me, kissing her head again. “Where did you go?"
"I went for a walk," she says with her cheek resting against my chest. “I had to get out.”
I nod. “I bet you did, sweetheart. Did you call Morris yet?”
“No. I wanted to do that with you.” I close my eyes, relieved that she wants and needs me for this. “Did you?”
“No. You were the first thing I was thinking of when I was done losing my damn mind.”
“We probably should. He’ll be pissed that we didn’t call sooner.”
“We will. Just let me hold you for a few more minutes.” She agrees with the idea by tightening her arms around my waist. We stand there, just taking in the city lights and the muted sounds of car horns honking beneath us, her wrapped in my jacket, her warm body against me making me impervious to the cold. After a moment, she looks up at me, resting her chin on my chest. I’m relieved to see a small, contented smile on her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I murmur down at her.
“I am now,” she returns, giving me that sweet smile I love and giving me a squeeze. I dip my head down and press a kiss to her pretty pink lips. When I draw back, her eyes are still closed and the smile is still in place, as if me kissing her put a little of her own essence back in her soul. After a moment, she gets a far-off look in her eyes and starts nodding, almost to herself. “I’m actually feeling ready to take this douche-bastard down.”
“Yeah?” I ask, playing along for the sake of my sanity. “My girl getting a little fiery?”
“Little bit,” she nods biting down on her lip for a second. “At least I am when I think about all he’s taken from us these last few weeks.” A shadow passes over her eyes. He really has. He’s taken away our peace of mind, and he will continue to hold onto it as long as he stays where he is in the scheme of things.
I continue to hold onto her as I gather every piece of strength, resolve, and faith that I have, from every corner of my soul before I reply, “He’s not going to take anymore.”
22
Mayzie
This time it’s Detective Morris’s turn to show up at our hotel room dressed like a roadie, complete with a backwards ball cap that he yanks off as soon as he’s across the threshold, as if the thing was slowly setting his hair on fire the entire time he had it on. He told us on the phone that he was coming over in plain clothes, just in case Eli is, in fact, in the building, and either watching us or having us watched. Apparently, he decided that his plain clothes needed to look like a member of the road crew.
Sure enough, he has a hair up his ass that we didn’t call him the second I opened Eli’s care package. Too bad for him, he seemed to forget that certain human beings need a chance to process things like being propositioned by a colossal douche. He sits on one of the couches in the sitting area of our suite, leaning forward as he goes over the logistics of our next move. He faces Jack, who is sitting on the couch opposite him. His position sends an entirely different message than Morris’s, with his head resting on the back and his hands clasped on top of his head, as if his only focus is holding it together.
As for me, I’m pacing by the window with my arms crossed, unable to sit still on a couch.
“I’ve commandeered the presidential suite beneath Eli’s penthouse, as well as a card key to enter the room when we make the arrest.”
“If you make an arrest,” I correct with a cynical roll of my eyes.
“When we make the arrest,” he challenges back before continuing. “Myself, two other members from Intelligence, and two uniforms will be in the suite below, listening to everything by way of a wire we’ll put on you.” Ron gives me a sweet empathetic look from where he’s perched on the arm of the couch Jack is on. He’s trying to keep quiet but let me know he’s pulling for this at the same time. I give him a small smile in return.
“Mayzie,” Morris continues, “at about five-thirty, I and another officer will come down to your room, undercover, to put on the wire and briefly coach you on what to do.”
>
“So… you’ll be able to hear what’s going on?” I look down at him. I’ve stopped pacing but I’m still swaying nervously side to side.
“Everything. We have some of the newest, top of the line equipment. We will be listening the whole time, we will give you a safe word to use, and the second you say it, we’ll move in.”
“But… you’ll be a floor below us. How would you get there fast enough?”
Jack’s head tilts down and his glare shoots Morris daggers, warning him that he better have a good answer to that.
“Once you’re inside the penthouse and we can hear that Eli’s attention is diverted enough by you, we’re going to send two uniforms up to wait in the vestibule, just outside the suite. When we hear what we need, or you calling a stop to it with the safe word, we’ll radio them to head in,” Morris responds without a blink. I nod, satisfied as I can possibly be with that plan.
“Mayzie, I know this is scary, but it won’t last forever. It will be over before you know it. And I know you can do this.” He tries to give me a sincere look while Jack closes his eyes in annoyance, probably trying not to strut over to Morris and yank him off the couch. “Any other questions? Alright,” he continues when we all shake our heads, “I’ll be back here tomorrow beforehand. Make sure your security detail expects us.” He stands up off the couch and heads towards the door.
Still Her (Turn it Up Book 2) Page 19