by Bella Jewel
Please, Kendric.
Hurry.
Hurry.
I'M AWOKEN IN THE MIDDLE of the night to scuffling of people.
My eyelids flutter open, and a few seconds later, the sensor light flicks on. I see Dax, Steven, and Lilian moving towards me. Dax is holding Lilian tightly, his fingers curled around her arm, a gun in his hands. Steven is moving with purpose, and without making eye contact with me, he walks to the electrical panel and shuts the electricity to our cages down. As they die off, the other girls stir awake and look around, slowly sitting up.
"What's going on?" I ask, rubbing my eyes and looking to Lilian, who has tears running down her face. "What are you doing?"
"We're leaving," Steven mutters, pulling out cuffs and going into each girl's cage and grabbing them out. "You move, I shoot the fucking lot of you."
They do as he asks.
He leaves me in my cage.
I stand up and rush over, curling my fingers around the bars. "What are you doing?"
"Your little friends found us, Samson squealed. We're leaving. Dax, get everything out of these cages."
Steven points his gun towards the girls and takes Lilian, as Dax takes the foam beds out of all the cages and stuffs it into a large bag that he pulls from the pack he has on his back. It looks like nobody has been here now. The only thing left on the floor is a bowl each.
No.
No.
This can't be happening.
I had no doubt Samson would come through, but the fact that they're leaving means we'll be back to square fucking one. They're taking Lilian. The stakes are even higher now.
"You can't take her," I say, shaking the cage. "Please, what do you want? I'll do anything. Take me and leave her."
Steven laughs. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? That I'd take you, and leave what he wants? No, the only way to get what I want is to have something he wants. You can tell him, while you're at it, that I'm going to make her life hell on earth."
No.
"They'll find you," I argue. "You're leaving this island. We know where it is now. We'll go to the police..."
"And what?" he mutters. "What will you tell them, Zariah? They know I own this island. Everything that can connect me to all of this is coming with me. There will be no security, no papers, no nothing for them. Even if you convince them to come out here, they're going to find absolutely nothing."
"These cages!" I scream. "They'll find these cages."
"And?" he laughs. "A bunch of dog cages?"
"They're suspicious."
"I'm sure they are," he chuckles. "Good luck on your adventure. I've no doubt we'll see each other again soon, Zariah. Thank your lucky stars this is over for you."
"Please," I cry, pressing my face to the cage. "Please, leave her here. She's your niece. She has to matter."
Steven drags Lilian to the cage and presses her face into it. She cries out in pain. "Look at her face," he growls. "Remember that because of your fuckin' club, because Samson turned on me, she'll suffer."
"I'm sorry," I say softly to her. "I will get you out of this. I will find you. I promise you, Lilian."
Her eyes meet mine, and a tiny movement of her hand catches my eye. She slips something through the cages, something she had clenched in her fist—a small slip of paper.
I nod.
She gives me a weak smile.
Then Steven jerks her back and looks to Dax. "We gotta move. We've got four hours if we're lucky."
"Let's move."
"You can't hide forever!" I scream after them. "Eventually, you'll have to come back here. Eventually, you'll have to return to work. Eventually, you'll have to show yourself."
Steven looks to me as he reaches the end of the cages. "You underestimate me, Zariah."
Then, they're gone.
I shake the cage, screaming out Lilian's name until the darkness takes them, and I can no longer see anything except the cages and the area around them that is lit up by a sensor light.
Within a few minutes, that light goes out, too.
I drop my head, and a tear rolls down my cheeks.
I failed.
I god damned failed.
22
KENDRIC
The second we step off the boat that we fuckin' stole, we know that it's too late. We know that somehow, they fuckin' knew we were comin'. The island is dead, not a single soul for miles. The house lights are off, and there isn't a guard or person anywhere to be seen. Alarick, Cohen, Samson, Bohdi, and I decided we'd be the only ones to come, being that we had to find a way onto the boat, threaten someone to bring us out here, and then take down god knows how many men.
That was a fuckin' challenge in itself, but we got onto it.
We came early evening when it was dark. We found the boat Samson pointed out, and we took it over. There were only two people on it at the time. We tied one and forced the other at gunpoint to bring us to the island. Somehow, even though one of us was watching the entire fuckin' time, they alerted Steven that we're coming.
"We're too fuckin' late," I bark, slamming my fist into the ship's side, then I turn on the man we've got tied and grab him by the shirt. "Did you fuckin' squeal? I'll blow your fuckin' brains out."
"I have been tied up the entire fucking time, you dick," he spits in my face.
Rage fills my body, and I slam him to the ground, pulling out my gun and aiming it at his face.
"Kendric, stop," Alarick orders. "Not yet."
My hand shakes as I look down at the man staring up at me with wide eyes. I shove my boot into his chest. "If nobody is here, you and your friend fuckin' die."
Then I turn to Alarick. "There ain't a soul here."
"He's too smart, I fuckin' warned you," Samson growls.
"Let's go check it out," Alarick mutters. "Move."
We get off the boat, Bohdi and Cohen dragging the two men with us. We go through a large house that is empty except for furniture. Some of the beds are unmade, which means they were here and got out quickly. My chest tightens with every step we take, and when we finish searching the house and go outside, I about fuckin' roar with relief. In a group of fuckin' cages, sits Zariah. She's in the middle one, right at the door, her fingers curled around the wire. When she sees me, she cries out, and I move.
Fuck, do I move.
I reach the cage and squat down, staring at her, feelin' somethin' explode into my chest.
Relief.
Pure relief.
"You came," she croaks, smiling weakly at me.
"Of course. Would never let you get hurt."
"Alarick!" I bark, and a moment later, Alarick comes running outside.
The moment he sees her, he mutters something to himself and moves quickly towards the cages. I stand, rattling the padlock. "It's locked. Zariah, step back."
Zariah stands and moves to the back of the cage. I pull out my gun, aim it at the lock, pray it doesn't bounce back, and shoot. The loud shot is piercing to my ears, but the lock busts open, and I quickly shove my gun into my jeans and pull the lock off. Zariah moves fast, and before I can say a word, she throws herself into my arms.
I wrap them around her, feeling how she trembles just a little when I hold her.
She's fuckin' brave.
Beautiful.
I let her down by treatin' her the way I did.
"I'm sorry, Zariah. Never meant what I said. You matter to me more than you know. You hear me?"
She looks up, nodding. "I hear you. Jayden?"
"He's safe, would never let anything happen to your boy."
She makes a pained sound, and whispers, "Thank you."
"You alone here, Zariah?" Alarick asks.
She steps away from me, but her fingers stay clutched around my hand. "Yes. He found out you were coming, and he left. He disappeared and..."
Her eyes go past Alarick, and she sees Samson walk out beside Cohen. The moment she sees him, she lets go of my hand and moves. The way she rushes towards him, I fear she
's goin' to break his nose or something, but she doesn't. She throws her arms around him. Shocked, we look on. She hangs onto him like he's her best god damned friend, and she hasn't seen him in years.
Alarick and I move closer.
Samson wraps his arms around her, too, the pain in his face real.
Zariah murmurs something to him, and his eyes clenched closed.
What does she know?
She pulls back and hands Samson a small folded piece of paper. He looks to her for a moment, and then glances down at it and opens it. Whatever he reads, makes his face scrunch in pain. He bellows some curse words, and Zariah puts a hand on his arm, giving him a sympathetic look.
What the fuck is goin' on?
"You want to tell us what went on?" I ask her.
She looks at us. "I met his daughter. Steven has her. She's so beautiful, Kendric. She's beautiful, and she's scared. She left me a note."
Pain stabs into my heart when I look to my brother's face and see the pain in his eyes as he reads over the note, his eyes scanning it repeatedly.
"What does it say?" I ask, my voice thick.
"It says 'I'm sorry, daddy. Please come and get me.'" Zariah whispers.
Alarick makes a sound next to me, and then, in a low voice, murmurs, "Fuck."
"Yeah," I roughly say.
"We have to find them, Alarick," Zariah says, her voice careful. "I know it's hard, now more than ever, but we have to find him. He'll hurt her."
"We'll find him. Startin' with this island," Alarick announces. "Bohdi, find somewhere to tie those fuckers. We're goin' to search this place."
"He said he left nothing," Zariah tells us. "He told me that he took anything that could link him to this."
"Then we go to the cops," I throw out. "Let them find this fuckin' island."
"They know about it, they know he owns an island," she goes on. "He has covered everything. Even if we could convince them to bring a team out here, they won't find anything. He's too smart. All they're going to see is a bloody vacation house."
"There are fuckin' cages..."
"That could be dog cages," Zariah sighs. "Look at them, really look at them. He could simply have animals in them. That's not illegal."
"Search," Alarick orders. "Search anyway. Find anything you fuckin' can. We will find this mother fucker and kill him."
Zariah squeezes Samson's shoulder and then walks over to me. I stretch and arm out and pull her close, needin' to have her by my fuckin' side. I can't lose her again. Can't let her out of my sight.
She's mine.
I'll make fuckin' sure of it.
ZARIAH WAS RIGHT, NOT a fuckin' thing shows up on the island. He's smart, alright. Everything is as it should be, just a vacation house where someone would come and enjoy themselves. Other than extra security like large fences, there is nothing to indicate he's doing anything wrong here. We upended everything, searched where we could. There isn't a single fuckin' thing that'll give us reason to get the cops out here.
As we're on our way back to land, we all sit in utter fuckin' silence. None of us know what to say, what to do. Yet again, these mother fuckers have taken us for a ride. Without Steven, we have nothin'. We fucked up, we let him get away, and now we're back to square fuckin' one, and I don't know what to fuckin' do about that. None of us do.
Zariah yawns beside me, smelling clean after she used the shower in the house before we left. She said the least he owed her was a fuckin' good shower. We also took all their fuckin' food, expensive items to sell, and anything else that we could take, simply to make us feel better. It's the only way we could flip them the bird. Fuckin' assholes have taken everything from us. It was the least we could do.
"Let's get you somewhere to sleep, goin' to be a long journey," I say, standing and pulling Zariah up.
We move out of the small living quarters, and I glance at Samson on the way past. He is sitting in the corner, hanging his head, utterly defeated. Breaks my fuckin' heart that he's feelin' this way right now. Everything he's done has been for nothin'. That can't feel good. Fuck, it can't feel good at all.
Zariah and I find a room that has a small bed in it. I find a blanket from a cupboard and lay it out over the one already on it. Not layin' on somethin' someone else has been on. I tuck the pillows under the blanket and then shrug off my jacket and get into the bed. Zariah climbs in, squeezing in beside me and pressing her body up against mine. She lays her head on my shoulder, and for a moment, we're both silent.
"You good?" I ask her.
"I think so," she whispers. "I don't know. I can't stop thinking about Samson and Lilian. I hate knowing she's with them."
"We'll find her, Zariah. We will."
"What if we don't..."
"We. Will."
I roll towards her until we're face to face. She studies me and then exhales. "Are you going to kiss me yet? Or are you going to make me wait until forever to see what you taste like?"
My dick jumps in my pants, and I give her a grin that makes her cheeks go red. I lean forward, pressing my lips against hers. They're soft, and plump, and feel so fuckin' good against mine. She whimpers, and that only makes me want her more. Fuck. I want her so badly. I don't know how I went from wantin' her to pay - to needin' her the way I do, but the fact is, I can't get enough of her.
I want to know where this goes.
I want to see what this brings.
She deepens the kiss, and I regret not kissing her sooner. The fact is, I don't kiss many people. Not somethin' I enjoy doing with someone I don't care about. It's just the way I am. I care about Zariah, and I'm sick of fuckin' denying it.
She reaches down and cups my dick in her hand, squeezing.
I growl.
Fuck. She knows what I want. She always knows what I want. She's a fuckin' animal, and she matches me in a way no other woman has.
I pull my mouth from hers and growl, "You want me to fuck you, baby?"
"Yes," she whimpers.
"Right here? Stick my cock deep inside you?"
She trembles.
She fuckin' loves it.
"Yes, please," she pleads.
"Tell me somethin' first?" I growl, finding her throat and nipping at it.
"What?" she pants.
"You want me? In all the ways you can want someone?"
She pulls back and looks at me. "Are you kidding?"
I narrow my eyes. "Why would I be kiddin'?"
"I've wanted you since I met you, Kendric. I just didn't know it right away. You're my kind of dangerous and the only man ever to understand me. So, the answer is yes. What about you?"
"Do I fuckin' want you?"
"Yes."
"Can't you feel my cock?"
"I feel your cock," she smirks. "I'm talking about your heart?"
I feel that, right in my gut. I reach for her face, cupping it in my hand. "I want everything you've got to give, including that cute fuckin' kid that has grown on me. I'm not willing to part with either of you."
Her eyes light up in a way that makes me damned happy.
"Well then," she whispers. "Are you going to fuck me, or are we going to keep talking about feelings?"
I grin.
There she is.
There's my fuckin' girl.
23
ZARIAH
"Are you sure you're okay?" Briella asks, hurrying after me as I walk into the room where Jayden is sleeping.
She put him down a few hours before we returned home, and he's having a hell of a sleep. Of course he is because he doesn't know how much I need to hold him in my arms. I peer into the room, and he's still asleep, curled on his side, a big soft motorcycle toy in his arms.
"Did Kendric give him that?" I ask.
Briella laughs. "Yeah, he did. Jayden likes Kendric."
I turn to her, smiling. "Thank you for taking care of him."
She puts her hands on my shoulders. "Of course, honey. Now, you didn't answer my question, are you sure you're okay?"
&nbs
p; I nod. "I'm fine, perfectly fine. I do have to go to the station quickly. I want to talk to my supervisor. I want to see if I can get someone out to that island, even though we've already searched. I want to see if I can raise suspicion about Steven, which will, at the very least, give them something to doubt."
"Okay, well, go now while bubba is asleep."
I hug her and then let Kendric know I have to pop into work before getting into my car and rushing to the station. I do not doubt that they're not going to listen to a damn thing I say, but the point is, I have to try. I have to try because Kendric is running out of time, I have to try because Lilian needs me to.
I just have to try.
When I arrive, I go right to my supervisor. Carson is sitting at his desk, on the phone. When I step in, he finishes up the call and looks to me. "Zariah, you're feeling better, I see?"
I walk in and sit down. "We need to talk about Blanche..."
"What about him?"
I tell him everything I know...to a point. I tell him how Blanche took me, about the island, everything that doesn't involve the club because I don't want anything else to fall back on them. They've got enough suspicion surrounding them. As soon as I'm done, I look to Carson to see his reaction.
He stares at me, and then he bursts out laughing.
Anger bubbles in my chest.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" I mutter.
"Blanche has called in already, he's on a secret mission and has handed over the case you were working on to someone else."
"He called?" I gasp.
"Yeah, he did. Nothin' suspicious happenin' there. Are you feeling okay, Zariah?"
He doesn't believe me.
Nothing I say will make him believe me.
Fuck this god damned station and everyone in it.
"Where is he?" I demand, standing.
"He's on a secret mission, politics. We can't give away any information about that, sorry."
"He's lying!" I cry, throwing my hands up. "I know you don't respect me, Carson, but he's the one behind selling those women. He sells them on that island..."