by Kelly Moore
“You can uncover your eyes now,” I tell her. John adjusts himself in his jeans and huffs past her. Zoe winks at him as he walks by. I burst out laughing again and take the paper from her.
“I really am sorry about walking in on the two of you.”
“It’s okay. We should be focused on Jake and not John’s…well, you know what I mean.” I sit in the chair that John vacated. “You work fast,” I say, flipping through the papers.
She sits on the leather chair across from the desk. “I think you’re really onto something. I just wish we didn’t have to rush and that Jake’s life wasn’t at stake. I hate for our hard work to be handed over to a man like Knox.”
“We’ll get Jake back, and then we’ll deal with the rest. At least a cure will be out there for everyone. Knox has no control over that part, and we’ll have Jake back.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Look, I’m making arrangements for the kids to go to Disneyland with my dad and the nanny for a week. Any chance I can talk you into going with them to stay out of harm’s way?”
“No way in hell. With the two of us working on this together, we will figure it out sooner, and the sooner we do, Jake will be back.”
“All right. Let me make some phone calls and purchase some airline tickets, then I’ll get the nanny to pack the kids’ bags.”
“I’m going to go back to the lab and do some more research on ultrasound waves. I’ll make a pot of coffee because it’s going to be a long night.” She stands.
“I’ll meet you there when I’m done. Keep a phone on you at all times and lock the door to the lab behind you.” She nods and leaves the office.
I spend the next hour making all the arrangements for them to leave tomorrow morning. I call my dad back and give him all the specifics. He still has personal bodyguards that travel with him, so I feel the kids will be safe.
After I get off the phone with him, I go searching for John. I find him in the living room, with his laptop on the coffee table. There is a picture of Jake covering his screen.
“You okay?” I ask, sitting next to him.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about everything he and I have been through together. He’s always been there for me, but my life has caused him nothing but trouble.”
I run my hand through his mop of hair. “Jake loves you. I think he secretly enjoys the danger as much as you do.”
“I don’t enjoy it anymore — not since you and the kids. What if he never gets to see his daughter because of me?”
“This isn’t your fault.” I wrap my arms around his neck and curl into his lap. “You gave up that life and have created a different life for all of us.”
“Yeah, but it keeps biting me in the ass.”
“I want to be the only thing biting your ass,” I tease and wiggle my hips.
“Where’s Zoe?” He looks around the room.
“She left to go to the lab.” I run my hand down his hard chest.
Lightning fast, he has me flat on the couch with his body covering mine. Our hands are moving quickly to undress each other. You’d think by the way we act, we never get to have sex. He pushes my blouse over my shoulders as my hand sinks inside his pants. His raw hunger for me is overwhelming, and it sets off an alarm in my head. Is he afraid of losing me? Or, should I be afraid of losing him? His mouth between my legs halts all thoughts other than the orgasm that is already looming over me.
His phone vibrates across the coffee table. “Fuck!” he yells and leans up.
“No, don’t answer it. Go back to what you were doing,” I pant.
He snatches it off the table and shows me my dad’s face on the screen. “That’s one way to kill the mood.” I jerk my blouse back over my shoulder.
“I have to take it. He’s calling me back about the job at the prison.”
I sit and listen as he talks to my dad and makes notes on his laptop. The scowl between his brows gets deeper and deeper, and that vein in his neck is popping out. Tension is rolling off him. He hangs up the phone and lowers his head down with his hands on either side of his face.
“Hey, you can do this, and Jake’s going to be okay.” I rub his shoulder.
“I don’t want to be his pawn anymore. What if Jake is just the tip of the iceberg and he really has something else planned for me?”
“You’re afraid of losing us again, aren’t you?”
He looks up, and I see tears filling his eyes. “I will do whatever I have to do to save Jake, but if I have to kill Knox in the meantime, then that’s what I’ll do. I can’t let him control my life again. I won’t go back to doing his dirty work.”
“I won’t let him take you again. We’ll all fight him this time. Is that what all that was about a few minutes ago? I felt like you were going to climb inside me and at the same time, it felt like goodbye. I refuse to do goodbye with you again.”
“When I wake up in the mornings…that split second before my eyes open, I think I’ve lost you.” I can see the rawness in his admission tightening around his jaw. “With all of this happening again…” He gulps down his tears.
“You feel like you are going to lose us,” I finish his words, and he nods. It breaks my heart to see him cry. He is the strongest man I know, and he’s afraid. It makes me realize just how much he truly loves his family. He would risk anything to save us, including his entire life again.
Chapter Nine
John
While the kids are occupied by the nanny and Brooklyn works toward the cure, I take the time to fire up the grill. This will be the last family dinner we have before all this really starts. Matthew should be on his way home soon, and he, the kids, and the nanny will be leaving first thing in the morning. I also need to figure out a backup plan in case Matthew’s recommendation doesn’t go through to land me the job. The weight of the unknown is heavy, and the fact that my brother’s life is on the line is only putting me on edge.
But for now, I refuse to acknowledge it. I have one last night with my family, and I’m going to enjoy it. I have to force myself, knowing that Jake is out there somewhere.
I dice and season the steak before pouring it over the potatoes inside the foil pouch. I pour on some seasoned garlic butter and seal the packs. While the grill heats up, I move on to making a salad.
Internally, I laugh at myself. Here I am, tossing a fucking salad with the plans of breaking someone out of prison. I really wish I could go back in time and kick my own ass for ever getting into this shit. But then it hits me—I wouldn’t have Brook or my kids without living the life I had. Even if this shit does get me killed, they’re all worth it, and I’d live out my whole life in captivity to keep them safe.
As I’m walking the food out to the grill, I run into Brook on her way to the house.
“Are you cooking dinner?” she asks, pausing next to me.
I nod. “Yeah. I figured this could be our last family dinner for a while. I wanted it to be special.”
Her head cocks to the side, and a look of sadness washes over her before she reaches for me. Her hands tangle into my shirt, and I allow her to pull me closer. Her blue eyes meet mine. “I don’t want to hear you talk this way. Everything will be fine. We’ve been through this before.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me.
Her brows pull together. “Why are you laughing?”
I shake my head. “Shouldn’t I be the one reassuring you?” I place my hand on the side of her face, cupping her cheek as I look longingly into her eyes. “You’re so strong and fearless. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She smiles before placing her hand on mine. “Good thing you won’t ever have to.” She presses her lips against mine quickly. “Now, get my dinner done so I can get back to work.” She pulls away with a giggle, and I swat her on the ass for her smart-ass remark.
I toss everything on the grill and go inside to set the table. Normally, our dinner isn’t anything big. Half the time, I eat standing up while pouring milk and picking up fork
s that have been dropped, but tonight I set the big table in the dining room. I use the best plates, glasses, and silverware. I even light a few candles to place in the center.
In the corner of the room is a drink cart, and I make sure everything we will need to drink is there so that nobody has to leave the room. I want at least an hour of uninterrupted time with my family.
Even though Matthew is no longer in the presidency, Brooklyn works undercover, and I am no longer on the call to place your hit list, we’re usually still pretty busy. All of our phones are always ringing, and it’s something that Brooklyn hates. I take out a basket that’s used every Thanksgiving and Christmas to place your phone into before entering the dining room and set it down on the table outside the dining room door. Anytime this basket is setting outside this door, everyone knows what to do, and they don’t even bother arguing it anymore. They know Brooklyn won’t serve anyone anything until all the phones are accounted for.
Matthew walks in the front door, dropping his bags on the floor. “Where are my grandkids?” he asks when they don’t come barreling toward him.
I look up from the wine I’m pouring. “They are with the nanny, but they should be coming in at any minute. Are you excited about your Disneyland trip?”
He lets out a jolly laugh. “You know I am. I’ve been trying to talk Brooklyn into letting me take them for months now.”
“Want a glass of wine before dinner?”
One of his brows raises as he looks me over. “Let’s save the wine for dinner. What do you say to taking me into the office and pouring me a stiff drink? It’s going to be a long flight.”
I look at the time on my watch, checking to make sure I have a few minutes until I need to take the food off the grill. “All right and then you can brief me on my new job.”
“I didn’t say you had the job. I’m good, but not that good. I got you an interview. It’s up to you to get the job.”
I lead him into the office and walk over to the drink cart in the corner, pouring us both a glass of bourbon.
“They haven’t called yet,” I say, handing over his glass and taking a seat behind my desk with my own. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t get the job. I mean, would you want to break into a prison, find one person in a sea of hundreds, then break back out? I don’t want to be the first dumbass to go to prison for breaking into a prison.”
He laughs as he takes a sip. “I don’t blame you there. I’m sure it will all work out, John. I know how stressed you can get about things like this, but you need to believe in yourself.”
I’m so tired of hearing everyone say this. “I was a hitman. I wasn’t some expert at breaking and entering. Give me a gun, I can hit the target every time, but break into a highly guarded prison that’s covered in security cameras, guards, and a twelve-foot electric fence?”
“What’s your plan if you get the job? How do you plan on getting him out of there? Never mind, don’t tell me. I don’t need to be involved in the plotting of a crime.”
I chuckle. “Well, that’s good because I have no fucking clue. This is fucking useless. Maybe I should be focusing on trying to find whoever took Jake and working on getting him back instead of feeding into this web of bullshit.”
“There is something. I mean, I’m sure I can get a detailed list of Knox’s visitors. Maybe even security footage of his visitors and lawyer meetings. It would be something we could do while we wait to see about the job at the prison.”
I nod. “Okay. It’s worth a shot anyway,” I reply.
“I’ll make some calls.” He places his empty glass on the edge of the desk before standing and walking out of the room.
I lean back in my chair, thinking everything over. Breaking Knox out of prison won’t just be a problem. It will be a lifetime of running and hoping the authorities don’t track me down. And Matthew can’t bail me out this time. If I get caught, I’m done for. I’ll be spending the rest of my life in prison. All I can do is pray that we can get around Knox and find my brother. Then Brooklyn wouldn’t be under any pressure to find this cure. I also need to gather evidence that Knox is attempting to break out, putting him back in max and limiting his contact so he can’t put a hit out on us. I refuse to wreck my family’s lives by packing them up and keeping them in hiding from the rest of the world. If these kids deserve anything, it’s a shot at a normal life.
I’m pulling the food off the grill when I hear the kids’ feet stomping their way through the house. They run out the back door. Jack automatically goes straight to the swing set, but L.J. runs up to me. “We had so much fun today! We went to the park and then had ice cream. Then we went to Splash World!”
I laugh at his excitement. “That’s awesome, buddy! I think Mommy has some more fun things planned for you. Why don’t you go get her out of her office so we can eat dinner.”
“Okay!” he yells before running off.
I turn off the grill and grab the tray. “Come on, Jack. Let’s get cleaned up for dinner.”
She jumps off her swing, being the little daredevil she is, and runs up to my side.
“Will you open the door for me, princess?”
“Sure, Daddy.” The sweetness of her voice could stop my heart.
Everyone comes in, and the kids get washed up. We all drop our phones in the basket as we head into the dining room.
“This is so nice of you, John,” Zoe says, taking her seat at the table.
“You did a beautiful job at setting the table, babe.” Brooklyn presses a kiss to my cheek. “Now that I know what you’re capable of, you can do this every Thanksgiving and Christmas.” She laughs as she helps Jack up into the chair.
I mock a laugh back at her as I place the food on the table. I feel guilty knowing Jake is not here.
Brooklyn and I help the kids make their plates then we pass around the dinner rolls and salad.
“I should have everything we need after dinner, John,” Matthew says as he takes the bowl of salad Brooklyn is passing him.
“What do you need?” she asks, looking at me.
“Your dad suggested while we wait to hear back from the prison that we look into Knox’s visitors and phone calls. Maybe try to figure out who took Jake.”
“That’s a good idea, Dad. If we can get to Jake without having to deal with Knox, there wouldn’t be any real pressure to get this cure done right away. I mean, I think we’re close, but it’s going to need proper testing and years of study to make sure the disease doesn’t come back.”
I place my hand over hers that’s setting on top of the table. “It could mean a lot of things. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed. But in the meantime, do you want to tell the kids where they’re going tomorrow?”
Brook smiles as she looks over at the kids who are picking at their salad. “You guys are going to go with Grandpa and Grace to Disneyland!”
They scream and clap their hands and bounce up and down in their seats, showing their excitement.
I look at their smiling faces, and my heart swells with love for these two kids. They are perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for a better life. I’ve gotten so much more than I deserved when it comes to my family. I never thought I’d be this lucky. I only pray that Jake can hold on a little bit longer. I want him to have this feeling about his family. I want him to know the power of love when it comes to your child. I know he loves L.J. and Jack as his own, but nothing beats the feeling of holding that little baby in your arms for the first time. I won’t allow him to miss out on that.
Chapter Ten
Jake
I’ve been held captive three days now. I scratch lines into the concrete with the cross of my necklace that hangs from a black leather braided band. A few rays of sun glimmer through the small window. As I lay my head back against the wall, I run my hand over the scruff on my face. My beard has gotten thick fairly quickly. I remember a time I didn’t have to shave because of the chemo treatments.
This is all so fucked up. I want to be angry at Jo
hn for always getting me caught up in his shit, but I can’t be. If it wasn’t for him and Brooklyn, I would have died years ago from the cancer that was eating up my body. I would have never met Zoe and had a baby on the way, but when will this shit ever end? Or will it? If John has figured out by now that it is Knox that’s controlling the cards, he will kill him. John has worked so hard to have a normal life.
I know at one time, killing came easy for him, but now, I think it might destroy him. He’s a good husband and father. He doesn’t want his children tainted by his past, and neither do I.
Pushing off the wall, I look around again for any way to escape. The window is too narrow for me to fit through and so are the bars. Since they captured me for the second time, they’ve come down here in pairs. One of them is always sporting a gun at me.
Leaning on the wall, I run both my hands through my hair and squeeze my eyes tight, trying to think. I know Knox is behind this, but what does he want from Brooklyn? Has she discovered another cure? How would he know? And why wouldn’t he go after her like before? He must be using me for leverage to get what he wants from her and John.
Maybe he’s sick and thinks Brooklyn can cure him of what ails him. Brooklyn will do whatever he wants to save me. I know her. Me trying to find out what he wants won’t do any good. The only thing that will help Brooklyn is me getting free of them. I just have to figure out how to not die in the process.
Gravel crunches underneath tires outside next to the window. I stand on my tiptoes and pull myself up with my fingers using the ledge. Two men wearing all-black clothing get out. One of them is carrying what looks like some sort of hunting rifle. I can only make out muffled voices when the two men that have been guarding me exchange words with them before they get into the SUV.
I let myself slide down the wall. I guess it was a changing of the guards. Maybe these two don’t know they have to come down here two at a time. Glancing at my watch, it’s almost lunchtime. They’ve been bringing me two meals a day. One around eleven in the morning, the other at seven at night. The meals both consist of stale bread with lunch meat. If I ever get out of here, I don’t think I will ever eat a sandwich again. They bring me two bottles of water with each meal. They must not want me to die of thirst. They might not get their money for kidnapping me if I die.