Rebel (#3): The Riptide Series

by Brooke Page

  I followed him onto a screen porch, ashtrays scattered and Christmas lights strewn around the top frame, one giant bong in the center of wooden benches.

  “I’m gonna use the bathroom, if you don’t mind.”

  He sat down on one of the benches and spread his arms wide. “Mi casa, es su casa, bro.”

  I gave him a thumb up and went back through the hallway, searching for any sign of hidden compartments, only finding one suspicious door. It was locked three different ways, and if I had to guess, that’s where Lauren and Tessa were, along with the missing women. I still didn’t understand why Jonah would be dumb enough to leave all of this with one guy—a drug head at that.

  “You mind if I make myself a drink?”

  “Go for it, bro. Mind bringing me a beer from the fridge?”

  I smirked. “No problem.” I was counting on it.

  I dug into my pocket for a tiny baggy filled with a white powder. It was enough to knock him out for a few hours, maybe even longer depending on what he was hitting on the bong.

  Grabbing two beers from the fridge, I popped the caps, dumping the crushed up sleeping pills into one and headed out to the porch. “Here you are.”

  “Thanks, first hit is yours,” he smiled, tossing the beer back.

  I sat across from him, my lips touching the top of the bottleneck. “Nah, you go for it.”

  He shrugged, taking another gulp of his beer.

  Yeah, drink up, new friend.

  His already heavy lids fell closed after taking a hit from the bong, his body slumping and crashing to the ground.

  “That was quick.” Setting the beer bottle on the ground, I dug into his pockets in search for keys. “Sorry, buddy. I know you’re going to pay for this.”

  Snatching the keys, I moved quickly on my feet, still cautious as if someone was watching or could pop out at any second. I should be doing another perimeter check, but Lauren and Tessa were here, and I needed to get to them. Riley’s crew would make do with the footage I already got for them, and by how little security Jonah had, it was going to be an easy bust.

  Spinning through the keys, I methodically selected which ones to use, my confidence high. I was going to save them, take down another trafficking headquarters, and escape with my new family, the woman I’d longed for all those lonely nights.

  I smirked when each lock clicked, the door creaking open to reveal a dark staircase, another door with new sets of locks. I knew as much would happen, the ring had tons of keys, and although this place was sloppily ran, they’d be more careful with their captures.

  This door was heavier, a metal, soundproof beast. Still, it opened with a key, no handprint or eye scans like the advanced scum I was used to dealing with.

  Three more locks down, and I shoved the door open with my shoulder, needing more force than a traditional door.

  A cool, dampness filled the air, and eeriness crept through my entire body. The atmosphere morphed, along with my demeanor. My focus shifted, becoming hyper aware of my surroundings. It was dark, and I reached into the back of my shorts, firmly grasping the handle of my glock and holding it in front of me. I waited, letting my eyes adjust to darkness, heightening my other senses. I took note on the width of the hallway, the hum of the dim lights along the ground, listening for any signs of movement or obstacles.

  If only I had my phone, I’d get a more accurate location on Lauren and Tessa.

  My feet began to move, keeping the glock locked and ready.

  A loud pound came from down the hall, followed by a muffled shrill. I swallowed, my heartbeat racing. It didn’t sound like Lauren, and was definitely an older woman, so not Tessa. Picking up my pace, noticing more locked doors with each step. Pressing my ear to the metal slab where the scream emerged. She was whimpering more, then another pound came to the door, and I winced, every muscle tightening in my body. She was drugged, each fucked-up scheme had their own illegal blend to get the girls going. It fueled my anger, reminding me why I did what I did. The woman would be saved in time, but I still needed to located Lauren and Tessa.

  Taking another step forward to keep searching, my mission turned from easy to complicated.

  A set of arms choked me from behind, and I flung my arms back, gun still grasped with white knuckles. I went to knock the fucker in the head with the neck of it, making contact and getting him to curse, but only made his forearm dig deeper into my throat. “You fuck,” I grunted. “Let me,” A blow to my stomach knocked the words from my mouth and stole what little breath I had left. When I swung wildly, the glock was stripped from my hands.

  The clasp of a door unlocking rung over our scuffling, and I was dragged into one of the rooms, the two men working quickly against me.

  “Put him to sleep,” a deep timbre commanded, and a washcloth was placed over my nose, causing my body to turn to mush, my mobility disappearing along with my thoughts.

  ***

  “Mom!” I shouted through my cupped hands. They were shaking while I frantically searched the damp sand.

  Waves were crashing against the shore, their size growing with the mighty winds from the impending storm. My cries were muffled by the rushing whitecaps.

  She was here, she had to be, he said she’d be here. I needed to get to her before it was too late. “Mom!” I screamed again. My feet sunk into the sand with each step, kicking up big gusts the faster I went.

  Why wasn’t I finding her?

  Then I saw a porcelain body lifeless on the sand, her blonde hair in every direction against the moonlight. I sprinted to her, slamming to my knees in front of her, not caring about the waves slaying into my side, soaking my Nikes and clothing. Her white dress clung to her body, and when my hurried eyes finally found her face, it wasn’t my mother.

  It was Lauren, her lips blue, her skin a matching hue.

  “No!” I cried, pulling her to my chest and cradling her. “I can’t lose you, too!”

  Sweat dripped from my forehead into the duct of my eye, my already closed lids scrunching tighter together from its intrusion. My limbs were heavy, the thought of moving them was exhausting, but when the signal from my brain finally made its way to each body part, I couldn’t move. A rope was firmly secure around my wrists, tying me to a chair, duct tape pasted over my mouth.

  Squinting, I took in my surroundings, pissed off how I’d let down my guard. I should never have gotten cocky. This was a trap. They wanted me to find my way down here. I tugged on the ropes, more mad than ever. My hat was crumbled in the corner of the room, the video camera facing the wall. Hopefully the sound was still working, although the hat must have been stomped on in the middle of our scuffle by its appearance.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Jonah greeted, standing in the corner of the room. It wasn’t a dungeon, but sex room. He smugly walked toward me, stopping and crossing his arms. “Got yourself in a situation, don’t ya?” He glared at me, then took a cheap shot, socking me square in the jaw.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” he glowered, hitting me again. “Boss wants to see you, thought I’d rough you up a bit.” Another blow to the nose now, hard enough to make warm liquid drip from it.

  Pain stung my face. I could feel it swelling up like a balloon, and it would hurt like a bitch for a few days. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten the shit beaten out of me. If I didn’t get out of this situation on my own, Riley’s crew would come by nightfall, and this fuckhead would get what’s coming to him.

  “That’s enough, Jonah,” a voice from the shadows commanded. Jonah smirked then stepped away, the owner of the voice coming into the dim light.

  Riley’s intuitions were true, along with mine. The hollow face was pale from being out of the sunlight, his blue eyes matching the ones in the pictures I’d studied. The police report said he was burned to death, but no body was found. That’s because he was alive, hiding behind the trafficking scheme. Colby Contreras was here, standing in front of me, hating me for more reasons than one.

  He
assessed me, his scowl not giving away his intentions.

  “I didn’t think it’d take you this long to come here, find what I’ve got going on, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re chasing pussy that isn’t yours.” His fists clenched and his jaw ticked. “Jonah, go make sure the door to the safe house is secure. I don’t want my baby to hear or see what her daddy is going to do to this pile of shit.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Lauren

  Colby was preparing a spaghetti dinner, garlic bread and all. It was the only dinner he had perfected since we were married. It was rare when he cooked it, normally after he’d been gone when he had promised he’d be home.

  Tessa colored on the coffee table while I sat quietly on the couch. If we weren’t enclosed by concrete walls without windows, I’d say it were like old times.

  Colby set the table, his focus on the food. When I watched him, my brain was still registering him as a ghost. He stood back and clapped his hands, satisfied with the meal. “All right, dinner is officially ready.”

  Tessa jumped up from the ground, running to the table. Colby kissed the top of her head and sat down, his eyes finding mine. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  I nodded, slowly standing up and heading to the table. Colby’s grin widened when I joined them. “I’m so happy to have both of my girls with me.”

  Tessa giggled and Colby served her plain noodles, scooping a glob of butter on top of them.

  Tessa frowned. “I want sauce.”

  Colby’s hand stayed in the air. “I thought you didn’t like the meat sauce?”

  I cleared my throat. “She’s changed.”

  Colby scowled, then shook his head and smiled. “Of course, she’s growing older.” Taking the butter back, he dumped sauce on her plate, but she was still frowning.

  “Mommy, this looks different.”

  “Tessa, I’m sure it’s great. Try it.”

  She crossed her arms and scrunched her eyebrows.

  “It’s fine. I can’t expect everything to go back to normal. Do you still like garlic bread?”

  Tessa nodded, taking a slice from Colby.

  I stirred my own noodles on my plate, Colby noticing. “What, you too good for spaghetti now?”

  “I’m not very hungry.”

  “You could use the carbs, Lo,” Colby muttered.

  I slurped up a bite, sure to show him I appreciated it. Tessa gnawed on the garlic bread, her eyes on the salad. Setting down my fork, I grabbed the bowl and held my hand out to take her plate. Tessa smiled, her grin growing wider when I dumped ranch dressing on it.

  Colby smirked. “Never thought I’d see her pick salad over spaghetti.”

  “She’s going through a phase.”

  “I’ll catch up soon enough,” he smiled. We both watched Tessa, and soon his hand snaked under the table and settled on my knee. I fidgeted, startled by the contact.

  “I’m sorry,” I stammered, attempting to keep my leg from bouncing away from his touch. “It’s been a while.”

  Colby’s thumb brushed along the inside of my knee. “I know. This will become normal.”

  I frowned. Did he plan to lock us up in this basement? Sure, it was warm and inviting, but if we couldn’t go outside when we pleased, we’d be prisoners. I needed to figure out a game plan.

  “Tess, what movie do you want to watch tonight?” Colby asked, his hand caressing up my thigh, making my skin crawl

  Tessa spit off a few titles, and Colby was pleased we were growing into a normal conversation. I hid my uncertainties until dinner was done and Tessa went to play in her room.

  His hands found my hips when I rinsed off the plates. “See how nice this is?” he murmured against my cheek.

  I gulped, continuing my task. “It was.”

  His lips found the shell of my ear. “Life is going to be so good, Lauren.”

  Setting the dish down, I turned so we were facing each other. He hugged me, resting his chin in the crook of my neck. “I almost forgot how good you smell.”

  I hugged him back, controlling my discomfort. “What are your intentions, Colby?”

  He pulled back, his brows furrowing. “I thought we discussed this.”

  I smiled to cover my wariness. “How long are we going to be down here?”

  His peeked cheeks clenched. “Not long.”

  I played with the hair on the back of his head. “Tessa will start school soon.”

  “You can homeschool her. You’ll have to do that for a while until were settled somewhere.”

  I frowned. “But how long will that take?”

  Colby rolled his eyes. “Lauren, you need to stop worrying.”

  I dropped my hands from around his neck and crossed them over my chest. “How can I not be? You’ve trapped us in a dungeon.”

  Colby dropped his hands from around me, rubbing his eyes and making his hat pop off his forehead. “I can’t believe you,” he muffled through his hands.

  “Tessa and I can live at our house, go on with our lives until you’re ready for us.”

  He shook his head, a mock laughter escaping from his lips. “Why? So you can run off without me?”

  “No, so Tessa can have a normal life.”

  Colby’s voice rose. “Without her father? I’m not a deadbeat, Lo. She’s already been without me for long enough.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You didn’t have to fake your death.”

  He grasped my chin, his grip firmer than it had ever been. His stare was harsh, red rimming the bottom of his eyelids from lack of sleep, dark bags rung underneath them. “I’m not losing you both, and sure as hell not to some surfer boy.”

  He needed to calm down.

  I cupped both of his cheeks with my hands, stroking them with my thumbs. “You’re not going to lose us,” I assured. “Right now, I’m worried you’re losing yourself.”

  He stared at me, water forming overtop his irises. He squeezed his eyes shut, then forced his mouth against mine, a passion erupting that he’d been holding back. Letting go of my chin, he latched onto the back of my thighs, lifting me on top of the counter, urging my legs to latch around his hips.

  I was out of breath when his lips left my mouth to trail down my neck. “Colby, Tessa’s here,” I gasped, my hands tugging on his longer than normal hair for him to stop.

  “She’s in the other room, and the walls our soundproof,” he hushed, grinding his hips against my pelvis. “The only place you can hear is by the main door. You can hear them late at night.”

  He kissed to the fabric of my t-shirt, a grumble releasing from his chest. Tugging on the shirt, he yanked it over my head, leaving me in my bra, his mouth traveling along my shoulder. I wanted him to stop, but he was so broken, and all because of me.

  “Hear who?” I whispered, grasping his t-shirt in my fists.

  He nipped along the tops of my breasts, his hat falling from his head. “You don’t want to know.”

  I pulled on his hair, forcing him to bring his mouth to mine. I kissed him slowly, attempting to get him to calm down. His emotions were running wild; it was obvious in the frenzied way he was clinging to me.

  I pressed our foreheads together. “Colby, what’s happened to you?”

  A tear ran down his cheek. He’d never cried in front of me, only a glimmer of moistness the day Tessa was born, but never real tears.

  “I don’t know,” he choked, burying his head in my cleavage, more tears shedding.

  “I’m here now,” I comforted, hugging him to my chest.

  Colby was always there for me, and he needed me. If that meant I’d have to give up Vance, I would do it, for now. After all he had done for me, Colby deserved my comfort.

  After a few minutes, he collected himself, kissing me chastely. “I love you, Lauren.”

  “I love you, too. We need to get you out of this mess.” I ran my hands through his hair.

  He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, they were stone cold. His walls no longer down. />
  “I’m going to get out of this, and soon. There’s more at stake than selling women.”

  “What do you mean?”

  His jaw clenched. “You’re not going to be happy with me.”

  I furrowed my brows, confused by his change of demeanor.

  “My boss, he’s given me more than one task. I have to kill his rat.”

  “You have to kill someone?” I gasped. “Colby, that’s going to far.”

  His palms were clamped down on the counter on either side of me, caging me in. “I have to, baby, and I hate to hurt you, but I know in the long run, it’ll be the best for our family.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  The door clicked three times, and Colby closed his eyes in frustration. Jonah emerged through it, and I covered my chest, turning my head away from him. Colby maneuvered his body to block me. “I told you not to bother us,” he hissed, helping me off the counter and grabbing my t-shirt from the ground. “And to fucking call me if you need something.”

  “Maybe if you’d check your phone you’d realize I called and texted,” Jonah grumbled. “He’s here, and it won’t be long until he finds his way to the cells.”

  Colby let out an exasperated breath. “I was hoping he’d take a few days,” he mumbled, watching me put my t-shirt back on. “Let us get reacquainted first.”

  He brushed my cheeks with his hands, and I was more confused than ever. He kissed my forehead. “Tell me you love me.”

  My frustration for not knowing what was going on was apparent. “What’s going on?”

  His eyes were wide and his jaw was tense. “Tell me, and mean it.”

  We silently gazed at each other. “I love you.”

  He kissed me, then dropped his hands and went to the main door. “I’ll be back.”

  “Where are you going? Who’s here?”

  Colby didn’t turn around, but stayed by Jonah, not meeting my eyes. “I’m taking one of the steps to get out of this. Keep Tessa away from this door.”

  They slammed it closed before I could say anything.

  What was happening? Where was he going? Who did he have to kill? An anxious feeling settled into my stomach, and I hoped like hell my intuition was wrong.