A loud knock at the door made them all jump and Jimmy swung his head towards the door, a grin spreading across his dirty, cracked lips.
“That’s our piggy bank.” He murmured, standing up to answer the door.
“Are we really going to kill ‘em, man? You said we weren’t going to kill anyone else.”
Jimmy turned around, his eyes narrow slits. “We do what we have to do, Rick.” He said firmly.
He turned back towards the door and through it open, grinning at Jude who had a suitcase in one hand, his other hand curled into a shaking fist.
“Welcome to our humble abode, Jimmy ! Won’t you make yourself at home?” Jimmy said gleefully.
Jude stepped forward and his eyes landed on Rebecca, immediately narrowing and turning back towards Jimmy . “I told you not to hurt her.”
“She got a little mouthy. You know how women can get.” Jimmy said with a casual shrug, the gun hanging limply in his hand. “Now…Let me see that cash.” He sang, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
Just shoved the suitcase into Jimmy ’s chest, being none to gentle about it. Jimmy grunted and took the suitcase, frowning as he kneeled down to open it.
“Hey now…We still have your little bitch. You better show us some respect.”
“You don’t deserve any respect. You’re a fucking dog.” He hissed, spitting at Jimmy ’s feet.
Jimmy glared and took the safety off the gun, turning it on Rebecca, his hands shaking violently from withdrawals.
“You want to say that again?”
Jude was silent for a moment, glancing over at Rebecca’s terrified and bloodied face. His cool gaze turned back to Jimmy and he smirked.
“You’re a dog…Now get on the ground a beg!” He snapped, whipping his own gun from his belt and taking out Jimmy ’s left knee in one clean shot.
Chapter Eighteen
The sound of bone splintering was sickening and it made Rebecca’s stomach roll. A large pool of blood was starting to form under Jimmy where he’d hit the ground. He took to screaming like a banshee, rolling over to grip what was left of his bloody stump of a knee. Rick jumped up and threw his hands up in the air, eyes wide. It was clear that Jimmy was the mastermind of this entire operation, which was rather surprising. Rick was terrified and willing to say or do anything to save his own skin.
“We weren’t going to do anything, man! We were just going to take the money and go to Mexico!” He said quickly, backing up until he was pressed against the nearest wall.
Jude kneeled down and grabbed the gun out of Jimmy ’s hand, tucking it into his belt. “Get on your knees.” He ordered, his voice calm but firm.
Rick was shaking but slowly lowered himself to his knees and put his hands behind his head, whimpering and nodding. Jude kept the guns trained on Rick since Jimmy wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. He’d be lucky if he didn’t bleed out. Jude stepped forward, his eyes trained on Rick as he held up the gun and pressed the cold metal of the muzzle underneath his chin.
“I didn’t come here to negotiate. I told you not to hurt her.” Jude whispered, his eyes burning with homicidal rage. “I should put a bullet in your fucking skull!”
Rick let out a weak sob and dropped his head. “We’re just…We’re just fucking addicts. We’re just addicts, man! We didn’t mean for it to go this far.” He whispered, his voice shaking
“Man up and quit crying! If you’re going to die at least die with some dignity.”
“Jude…No…” Rebecca whispered weakly from the chair.
Seeing Jude so animalistic and unpredictable terrified Rebecca. She didn’t like this side of him, even if it was directed towards men who’d kidnapped her and threatened to rape her. She knew she couldn’t let Jude kill these men. Something deep inside of her knew that if he killed Rick or Jimmy , she’d never see him the same way again.
Jude’s head snapped up and he ran over to her, cupping her cheeks gently and trying to wipe away some of the blood. Jude could see Rick out of the corner of his eye but his main focus was Rebecca. She looked so scared and so hurt. He hated himself for letting this happen to her. He knew it wasn’t his fault but he couldn’t help but feel like he should have been able to protect her.
“I’m here, angel…I’m here…Oh god, they hurt you…They need to pay, Rebecca.”
“Don’t…Don’t kill him…I…Please…I don’t want you to have that blood on your hands.” She whispered pleadingly. “Don’t…Kill him.”
Jude set his jaw but nodded and kissed the corner of her mouth, reach around her to saw at the zip ties with his pocket knife. He finally got them loose and lifted Rebecca into his arms, just as the swat team kicked in the flimsy door of the house and stormed it. They didn’t look even stop to look at Jude as he carried his beloved out of the house and into the cool night air.
They flood around Jude and Rebecca, like water around a rock. The sounds of walky talkies and handcuffs snapping closed was all the justice Rebecca needed. The night air felt cool on her skin and she allowed herself to relax against Jude, her head still spinning from the slap. She felt dizzy and weak and as she closed her eyes, all she could hear was Jude begging her to keep them open.
Chapter Nineteen
It was so dark here. So dark and so cold. A steady beeping sound in Rebecca’s mind was the only thing keeping her even semi-aware. In her mind, the beeping took the dorm of a tall, white and red lighthouse. When she heard a beep, a bright light would flash, beckoning her closer. The closer she got, the brighter the light became and as she got closer she felt like she wasn’t alone.
A warm hand was wrapped around hers and a man was muttering soft words over and over again. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry.” He was chanting it like some type of mantra.
That mantra was what finally pulled her into the waking world. She let her eyes flutter open slowly and the bright hospital lights nearly blinded her. She gasped and brought an arm up to shield her eyes from the florescent lights, blinking until she could finally see again.
Jude jumped up when Rebecca’s eyes shot open and he was immediately over her, kissing her face and holding her cheeks in his hands.
“You’re awake! Oh than god!”
Rebecca’s body felt sore and her mind was racing, trying to put everything together. The peppering of kisses along her bruised face felt nice but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. She finally managed to lock eyes with Jude and those pretty emerald orbs reminded her of everything. This was Jude…Her Jude.
She smiled and reached up with a shaky hand, ignoring the wires and tubes connected to her arms. “Hey Jude.” She whispered, smiling and singing it in the tune of the Beatle’s song.
He laughed and shook his head, his eyes wet with unshed tears as he leaned over her and kissed her forehead. “You’re lying in a hospital bed with a busted up face and IV’s all in you and you’re cracking jokes…This is why I fell in love with you, you know.” He whispered.
She smiled weakly and managed to push herself up into a sitting position. “I can’t disappoint my fans.”
He smiled and helped ease her back against the pillows, offering her a sip of cold water. She was thankful for the cool water. Her mouth felt like a desert and she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she’d nearly drank half the bottle in one big gulp. Rebecca took a deep breath and wiped her mouth before looking over at Jude.
“What…What happened?” She whispered, her voice stronger and more defined now. “The only thing I can remember is that you had a gun to that man’s chin…” She whispered, sounding almost frightened.
“Nothing happened, angel. You told me not to, so I didn’t. I wanted to but…I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”
She smiled and reached up, touching his cheek gently. “Thank you, Jude…I know it was hard for you to let the police take them in but…It was the right thing.”
He nodded slowly and sighed. “They had a warrant out for the murder of a girl named Ashley Richards. So they were ext
radited to Florida for that charge. They’ll only get brought back here if those charges are dropped…and I don’t see that happening.” He said simply.
Her brow furrowed together and she looked down. “Ashley Richards? That’s the girl he left me for…He killed her?”
Jude nodded solemnly. “He still has to go to trial but the evidence is pretty damning.”
She fell back against her pillow and put a hand to her head, hoping to stop the throbbing. “This is insanity.”
“I know, angel…But it’s over now…He’s going to jail for a long time and we never have to deal with him ever again.”
Rebecca nodded and sighed, taking another long drink of her water. “When I was waking up…I kept hearing you say you were sorry.”
“I was…” He said sadly.
“Why?”
“I feel like…I should have been able to keep this from happening. I feel like I should have been protecting you better.”
Rebecca sighed and shook her head, reaching out and taking his hand. “The only way you could have protected me was if you locked me up and never let me go anywhere alone.” She paused and ran her fingers over his knuckles. “I was strong when they took me, Jude. I fought and I screamed and…It’s all because you’ve made strong. I don’t want to be afraid anymore and I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to let them win. I’ve proved my strength and I’m going to keep on fighting. I want to get better every day and I want you to be a part of that. But you have to understand that bad things might happen…I might get hurt but you have to let me be strong and fight for myself. I don’t want to go back to being the girl I was before I met you.”
Jude sighed but smiled weakly and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Of course, my love. Of course…You just can’t expect me not to worry.”
Rebecca smiled and held out her hand to shake Jude’s. “Deal.”
He laughed softly and shook her hand in return, pulling her in for a long, adoring kiss. She melted into his lips and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pressing her forehead to his. They stared into each other’s eyes and they knew that even though things were going to be rough for a while, they were going to get through it stronger than ever.
Rebecca leaned back and ran her fingers through her hair. “Now…When do I get to go home? I’m feeling frisky and this bed is way too small for the two of us.” She said with a teasing grin.
Chapter Twenty
Rebecca knew her life had changed for the better when she went home and didn’t find herself waiting for something bad to happen. Before she met Jude, she would have been completely devastated by the strange and violent events involving Jimmy . She would have shut herself up in her room and not come out for months.
She wasn’t completely unaffected by the events and she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder occasionally when she was walking home alone. It was impossible to be completely unaffected, but she didn’t let the fear rule her life. Rebecca was a stronger woman and she wasn’t going to let Jimmy , of all people take that away from her.
The fear eventually faded completely and Rebecca was living a happy life. Soon after she was released from the hospital, she and Jude took a trip to Paris, deciding that life was far too short to not enjoy it. They were going to travel through all of Europe, but Paris was their first stop and for good reason. Jude proposed to her on top of the Eiffel Tower and as the wind whipped around her she said yes, her hands shaking as he slipped the simple sapphire ring onto her finger.
They spent the rest of their time in Europe, celebrating their engagement. When they returned home they told everyone they knew. Sara rolled her eyes playfully, though she admitted that she was a bit jealous over the romantic proposal. Rume cried and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief while Red went on and on about how amazing the bachelorette party was going to be.
Their wedding was far simpler than anyone ever imagined. It was elegant but lacked the trimmings of an extravagant wedding. Even Jude was surprised at how little it cost. Rebecca was an event planner and Jude was a billionaire. Everyone expected something over the top. When they got a plain, white wedding the guests were bewildered until Rebecca explained her choice in her vows.
She didn’t need a fancy wedding and she didn’t need expensive trips around the world. She loved all the presents that Jude gave her and she appreciated every piece of jewelry and every physical token of his love, but she didn’t need any of it. All she need was Jude.
Rebecca knew it was cheesy but it was also true. She needed him to know, especially on their wedding day that she loved him and not his money. The money was just a tool to help make their lives easier and happier. They would have many adventures together with that money, but without each other it was pointless.
Shortly after the wedding, they took an extended honeymoon and traveled the world, spending all their time together and eventually returning home with a bun in the oven. The pregnancy was only a bit of a surprise since they hadn’t really been very careful with their love making.
Rebecca smiled and stood on the balcony of their condo, rubbing her rounded belly. The sound of birds chirping just outside the window was a welcomed sound. For the last three months they’d been dealing with the mind numbing sounds of construction as the condo was expanded on to. Jude bough the condo next door when he found out they were having a baby. Their condo wasn’t tiny by any means and they could have made it work, but Jude wanted his child to have room to play.
Jude came up behind Rebecca and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her belly as he started to rub her baby bump. He offered her a glass of orange juice and sighed. “Are they kicking yet?”
“You just missed it.” She said, looking over her shoulder and sighing happily when he kissed her cheek.
“I always miss it. I’m starting to think our baby doesn’t like me.”
“Nonsense. They haven’t even met you. They’ll have plenty of time to hate you when they’re a teenager.” She said with a chuckle.
“I don’t even want to think about that.”
“No parent does.” Rebecca pointed out.
Jude nodded and fell silent for a moment, rocking her back and forth. “You know what I’m most excited for? About being a parent?”
She turned in his arms to face him, smiling and running her fingers through his hair. “What?”
“I’m excited to tell them about how we fell in love.”
Rebecca laughed and threw her head back. “I’m sure they’ll love that. ‘Mommy and daddy met in a sex story while daddy was buying a leather paddle’.”
He rolled his eyes but smiled and stole a kissing. “Not that part…I mean…It was such a whirlwind. It was like a story book; you know?”
She smiled and nodded slowly. “Is it still like a story book?”
“I hope it’s more like a fairy tale.”
“Why?”
He smiled and pulled her closer. “Because fairy tales always end with a happily ever after.”
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