by Jen Talty
“Get inside.”
The floorboards creaked under the weight of her steps. A musty stench filled her nose, causing her to sneeze. The house smelled like death and animal droppings. The other man who had taken them sat at the kitchen table with his nose in a tablet. He’d been kinder, offering them a tissue for Elle, but that didn’t make him a good man since he’d shoved a gun in the poor child’s face.
“Take a seat over there,” the man with blue eyes said, pushing them toward a couch.
Elle cried out, clutching her side.
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped man-handling her.” Scarlet eased Elle onto the sagging sofa covered by an old crochet afghan.
“Oh, you would now,” Blue Eyes said.
Elle coughed.
Scarlet cradled Elle’s head in her lap, stroking her soft-brown hair. “Can we get some water?”
“I wouldn’t drink the water in this place,” the other man said, lifting his gaze from the screen in his hands. “But you can have this.” He picked up a half empty water bottle and tossed it.
Thankfully, she caught it before it landed on Elle’s face.
“Take a sip,” she whispered, tilting Elle’s head.
“Any news?” Blue Eyes asked as he set his gun on the table.
“It’s not looking good,” the other man said, leaning back in his chair. “The Feds are on his tail.”
“So, the idiot didn’t call off his dogs. Stupid man.” Blue Eyes shook his head.
Scarlet swallowed the sob smacking the back of her throat.
The other man pulled out a phone…Jax’s phone.
A glimmer of hope spread like jam across Scarlet’s skin. She never turned off location sharing on her phone, so if Jax had found hers, he could track his and send help. Maybe they were hiding somewhere outside right now.
“We can’t let the Feds nail him, especially if he still has all the product with him,” tissue guy said. “Boss wants to let Danny boy think he’s getting away with it right up to when he meets with whoever his buy is, killing two birds with one stone.”
“Based on Daniel’s direction, I bet it’s that dipshit out in Tennessee who snagged a small shipment last year,” Blue Eyes said.
Tissue guy traced his thumb and forefinger across his jaw. “We need to know what the Feds are up to.” He pointed to Scarlet. “What do you know about all this?”
“Nothing,” she croaked out.
“And your boyfriend?” Tissue Man asked.
She swallowed. Jax knew more than she did about whatever Daniel was up to, but she didn’t know how much or if she should say anything. She didn’t want to make matters worse. “I really don’t know.”
“Get him on the phone.” Tissue Man chucked the phone in her direction.
“But this…” These guys were criminals, and the guy at the table seemed to be a smart one too. He had remembered that this was Jax’s phone.
“What are you waiting for?” Blues Eyes picked up the gun and pointed it at her.
She fumbled with the phone, dropping it twice, trying to remember the passcode.
“9845,” Elle whispered.
Sucking in a deep breath, she called her cell, praying Jax would answer.
He did on the first ring.
“Scarlet? Are you okay? Is Elle okay?”
“Put it on speaker.” Tissue Man pushed back his chair and stomped across the room.
“We’re okay,” Scarlet said, setting the phone on the table. “Scared.”
“Elle. Can Elle hear me?”
“Daddy!” she cried.
“That’s enough,” Tissue Man ordered. “Tell me what you know about the Feds tailing Daniel.”
“I don’t know anything,” Jax’s voice boomed from the speaker, his tone tight with anger.
“We don’t believe you, and unless you want to me to start cutting off fingers and toes, you better get straight with us,” Blue Eyes said.
Elle whimpered, hugging Scarlet in a death grip.
“Shhhhh, sweetie.”
“You touch my kid, and I’ll kill you,” Jax said, venom dripping from every syllable.
“Tell me what I want to know, and no harm will come to her,” Tissue Man said with a much calmer voice.
Scarlet didn’t believe that statement for a second. Her stomach twisted and churned like she’d downed an entire jug of bad milk. She needed to find a way to get her and Elle out of this house, and soon.
“All I know was that when my contact started tailing Daniel, the FBI was already on him. That’s all I know.”
“All right. Your guy still nearby?” Tissue Man asked.
“He backed off, but can’t be more than thirty minutes away,” Jax said.
“What are you doing?” Blue Eyes said in a hushed tone.
Tissue Man waved him off.
“Pull him back on. We’re going to create a diversion. I’ll be in touch.” Tissue bent down and tapped the screen.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Blue Eyes furrowed his forehead.
“Making sure Daniel gets to the buyer, like our boss wants.”
***
“Mother fucker!” Jax whipped the phone across the room, missing Ace’s head by a mere inch.
“Calm down,” Ace, his crew chief, said with a level voice. Ace never cracked under pressure, not even when his wife had been kidnapped and then in a car crash where Ace had to pull her limp body from the wreckage. “Destroying her phone isn’t going to help us.”
Jax sucked in a breath. That phone had been their lifeline to Elle and Scarlet. One good thing that came from his overprotective ways.
Ace picked up the phone. “Still working.”
Thank God.
“We’re missing something,” Brodie, another fire protection specialist, said from the kitchen table at Ace’s house near the marina, and closer to the where Elle and Scarlet were being held. “Why would they want us to put a PI back on Daniel?”
“My guess would be they want to use our guy as a diversion. If Daniel has a buyer for the drugs, they probably want to take them both out, making a statement,” Ace said.
“Nope. That’s not it.” Hunter walked into the kitchen carrying his laptop. “Tex got a hold of the field agent in charge of the Pepe Hernandez case, and it would appear they have an undercover agent.” Hunter flipped the computer screen, so everyone could see. “This guy is Special Agent Simon Gant.”
“That’s one of the men that took Elle and Scarlet.” The sensation of butterflies fluttered in his stomach.
“Text just came in from your phone,” Ace said, his lips forming a slight smile.
“Looks like this undercover operative just sent us their location, and a time to be there. He’s setting something up.”
“He say anything else?” Jax asked, his pulse racing. This was all good news, but he couldn’t relax until Elle and Scarlet were back in his arms.
“Yeah. We’re not to contact him,” Ace said.
“Well, that makes sense.” Jax took the phone with a shaky hand. “Let’s go.”
***
“Scarlet?” Elle’s voice trembled.
“What is it, sweetie?” Scarlet cupped her chin, pressing her lips against her temple.
“I have to use the bathroom.”
So did Scarlet, but she didn’t dare ask. Blue Eyes kept pacing, constantly questioning the decisions Tissue Guy made, and a few times Blue Eyes mentioned something about sending a message by chopping off a couple of fingers or toes and sending them to Jax. Tissue Guy didn’t like that idea, thank God, but Scarlet didn’t think she and Elle were going to make it out of this situation unharmed. She prayed they’d still be at least breathing.
“Um, excuse me?” she said softly.
“Shut the fuck up,” Blue Eyes snapped.
Elle sniffled.
“What is it?” Tissue Man asked.
“We need to use the bathroom.”
“Too bad,” Blue Eyes said, laughing.
“You’r
e an asshole, you know that?” Tissue Man waved her over. “The bathroom is over here.”
“They can’t go in there alone.” Blue Eyes lifted the gun off the table again, waving it around. “I don’t know why we don’t just kill them now. We’re going to anyway.”
Scarlet bit back a sob, but Elle couldn’t manage to keep quiet.
“Go outside to the van and get me a pack of smokes.” Tissue Man pointed to the empty pack on the table. “I’ll deal with the bathroom break.”
“You go get them, and I’ll take the girls to the bathroom. They’ll have to leave the door open, and I’ll have to stand over them.” This time Blue Eyes waved the gun in the direction of Tissue Guy.
“Boss put me in charge, so do what I say, or I’ll tell him about how you fucked up the surveillance in the first place.”
Blue Eyes narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t all my fault.”
Scarlet helped Elle to her feet while Blue Eyes stomped out of the house.
Tissue Man looked over his shoulder a couple of times and then raced to her side.
She pushed Elle behind her back.
“I’m not going to hurt you. We have only a few minutes. I’m an undercover federal agent, and I’m waiting to hear from my handler that I can—”
Bang!
Elle screamed.
Tissue Guy’s widened as he arched his back, falling to his knees.
“Knew there was something wrong with you.” Blue Eyes raised the gun at Scarlet.
Her body trembled as her gaze went from the man groaning on the ground and the other man inching his way forward with a sinister smile.
Think. Think.
What would Jax do? What would her father have done in a situation like this?
***
Jax bolted from the car the second he heard the gunshot, followed an ear-piercing scream. His heart nearly stopped picturing Elle laying on the ground with a bullet in her body.
“Jax,” Ace yelled.
“I’m not holding back.” Jax glanced over his shoulder.
“Didn’t expect you to, but I’m not letting you go alone, or unarmed.” Ace’s feet hit the pavement as he carried two weapons in his hand. “I’ll take the front, you go around back.”
“I’ve got the north side,” Hunter yelled as he ran past.
Jax did his best to push all negative thoughts from his mind. He tried to calm his pulse to something close to a normal combat situation, though he was more used to running into a burning building with a hose, not a hostile situation with a gun.
He pressed his back to the side of the house, peering into the backyard. An old door, barely hanging on the hinges, swayed, making a creaking noise. The noise would help. He peeked into the window, and his heart sank to the pit of his gut.
Elle stood behind Scarlet, her face buried in her back, while Scarlet stared down the wrong end of a pistol. The undercover agent was on the floor, bleeding, trying to move, but couldn’t. Jax couldn’t tell where he’d been hit, but the look on his face, and the way his legs remained still while he withered his upper body, told Jax it wasn’t good.
The man with the scar, which they now knew went by the name Dune Dog, grabbed Scarlet by the neck, pressing the gun against her temple, and licked her cheek.
Jax swallowed the bile that smacked the back of his throat. If he had a clear shot, he’d take it, but it was too risky. That mother fucker was going to get hurt for doing that. Jax ducked down, inching toward the back door, trying not to make a sound, side-stepping a few twigs. He’d be able to get in undetected, but based on the angle of the kitchen, he’d be seen the second he approached the table.
There was no way either of his buddies could enter through the front door without being seen, so hopefully one of them had found access through a window somewhere.
Gently, he stepped through the door, weapon on the ready.
“You’re a pretty little thing,” Dune Dog said.
The way his voice cooed made Jax want to vomit.
“Nice tits too.”
Jax let out a short breath through his nose. It was now or never. Inching behind the table, staying low, he made eye contact with Scarlet who had turned her head, tears streaming down her cheek while that asshole had his slimy lips on her neck and his hand on her breast. Her arms were behind her, wrapped around Elle.
“Don’t do this in front of her,” Scarlet said.
“It will be good for her to learn.” Dune Dog traced the gun down the side of Scarlet’s face, while he sniffed her hair.
Jax pointed to his gun, then the one in Dune Dog’s hand.
Scarlet’s eyes went wide. Hopefully she knew what he wanted and that it would work.
“Back away from the—”
“What the fuck?” Dune Dog jerked his head around.
“Now,” Jax commanded.
Scarlet curled her fingers around the gun and yanked it free from a stunned Dune Dog. She stumbled backward, shoving Elle out of the way.
“Daddy!” She raced across the room.
Dune Dog reached for Scarlet.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ace said as he stepped through the front door. Hunter followed, racing through the room to get to the injured man with a first aid kit. Hunter was prepared for anything.
Jax set his gun on the table, holding his arms out as he pulled Elle right off the floor, squeezing her tight. His muscles ached. In a flash, he could have lost everything he loved, a feeling he hoped he’d never have to face again. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she whimpered, nuzzling her face in his neck. “I was so scared.”
“I know, but Daddy’s here now.” Quickly, he took Elle out the back door, wanting to get her out of that house. Sirens rang out in the distance.
“Don’t leave Scarlet,” Elle said.
“I’m not going to. Uncle Ace is bringing her out the front door. See?”
Ace had put Dune Dog in restraints and had him tied to the railing by the front door as he helped Scarlet down the front stoop.
“Your girlfriend’s a feisty one,” Ace said.
“I know. I think I’ll keep her.” Holding his daughter with one hand, he held out his other. “Come here.”
She wiped the tears from her face and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and Elle. “Where’s Rusty?” she asked, sobbing into his chest.
“He’s with Claire. When I left he was still upset, but he promised me he’d be a big boy and hold down the fort until we got back.” He kissed the top of her head. “Did that slime ball hurt you?”
She shivered. “No, but I need a long, hot shower to get the feeling of his fingers off my body.”
“After we get you both checked out by a doctor.”
“Elle complained of stomach pain,” Scarlet said.
“I’m okay,” Elle whispered. “I don’t need a doctor.”
“Yes, you do,” Scarlet said with a firm tone.
Jax let out a slight laugh. “Are you being overprotective now?”
She tilted her head, staring at him with those warm, blue eyes. “Thank you for saving us.”
“Thank you for taking good care of our girl under the worst of circumstances.” He brushed his lips overs hers. “I want to watch the sun set with you in my arms and our kids by our side. I want to wake up the same way. I want to be the constant in yours and Rusty’s life.”
“I want that too.” She smiled as bright as the burning sky scorched with dazzling oranges and reds as the sun sprinkles its rays over the earth.
Epilogue
Two years later…
Jax sat on the front stoop of the new home he’d bought for his family, twirling his wedding ring, staring at two different envelopes next to him. Rusty, now five and about to start Kindergarten, rode his big wheel around the cul-de-sac, chasing Elle. He couldn’t believe she was twelve. It seemed like just yesterday he was changing her diapers, now he was fending off boys and watching her put on a tinge of mascara.
“Hey, you,”
a voice sweeter than honey rang out from behind him. “You’ve been quiet all morning. What’s going on?” Scarlet sat down beside him, resting her hand on her growing belly. In just four months, they’d be adding another child to their broad. His life was almost complete.
“The paperwork came to enroll Rusty in Kindergarten yesterday.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been waiting for that.” Scarlet tapped his thigh. “What’s bugging you?”
“Rusty’s been calling me dad for over a year now, and we’ve never told him otherwise.”
“Elle started calling me mom, and we don’t correct her. We’re a family.”
“I want Rusty to go into school with my last name. I want to officially adopt him.”
Scarlet gasped.
He tilted his head. Her eyes grew teary. “We’d have to contact Daniel, and I don’t want to ever have that man—”
He hushed her with a quick kiss. “Please don’t be mad, but I had a lawyer visit him in prison, and he’s agreed to give up his parental rights.” He rested one of the envelopes on her lap. “He’s signed all the papers.”
“You should have told me,” she said with a scowl.
“I didn’t want to upset you and then have him say no.”
She cupped his cheek. “I should be mad, but it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.”
His heart hammered in his chest. “There is one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
He cringed. “I talked to Elle and she agrees; you should officially adopt her too.”
She made a weird screeching noise, covering her mouth.
“I know I should have had this discussion with you before I went ahead—”
She grabbed his face, planting a wet kiss on his mouth. “This is better than a stolen moment on the Harley at sunset.”
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you more.”
“Not possible.” He rubbed his hand over her swollen belly.
“We could go on like this all day.”