by M. J. Perry
“Can I help?” She asked in a husky voice.
I blinked. She was weaving a web of desire around me without even being aware of it. “You can finish the coffee; I’ll get the pancakes out of the oven.”
“Katie, what do you want for lunch today?”
“Chocolate spread sandwich please.”
“Chocolate spread it is.” I could see Lexi was nervous about Katie going to school this morning. She had no reason to be worried though. Katie had the best men with her, two of mine and one of David’s. She would be safe. I didn’t think she was in danger though. Jacobson wanted Lexi, and I wished I knew why. I watched her make the sandwich like she had done it a hundred times before which was likely true, she put it in the lunchbox closed the lid and put it on the kitchen table with Katie’s book bag. I carried the pancakes over and sat down. Katie helped herself while I waited for Lexi and the coffee.
All too soon breakfast was over and it was time for school. Lexi held her close all the way to the car. I locked up the house and scouted out the two cars that would be shadowing us. Giving them a nod, I helped the girls into the car and got in myself ready to drive us to school.
“It will be fine Lexi, you’ll see.” I half whispered.
She nodded and seemed to cheer up, but I was sure it was a front for Katie’s benefit. “Radio or CD baby?”
“CD.” She bounced in her seat.
Lexi turned it on. All I had was Metallica, but she was soon head-banging in her seat. When we got to the gates, I lowered the volume. “Do you want me to walk with you?”
“Yes, please Ryder,” This came from Katie. “I want to show you to my friends.”
Lexi snorted. “Me too,” She winked at Katie.
God, she was goofy. We all walked hand in hand, Katie in the middle. I’d never seen her so happy. I could definitely get used to this. She pulled away from us once we were on the playground and ran to a little girl. She tugged her by the hand to stand in front of me. “Maisie, this is Ryder.”
The girl lifted a hand and smiled shyly. “Hi.”
The bell rang and Katie grabbed her bags from Lexi and stood still to let her kiss her. She looked up at me then hugged me around the legs before letting go and running to the classroom. “Bye Mummy, bye Ryder,” She shouted over her shoulder. I waved as she ran off. Lexi looked like she wanted to call her back but she bit her lip. “She will be fine,” I said again.
I didn’t want her worrying, but a part of me was doing exactly the same. Once Katie disappeared into her classroom, I grabbed Lexi’s hand. “There are four men here keeping watch. The head teacher knows what is going on and will call the police if it’s needed. She’s also agreed not to let Julian anywhere near Katie.”
Lexi sighed. “I know you’ve done everything you can to keep her safe it’s just, she’s my baby, it would kill me if anything happened to her.”
“Nothing will,” I promised.
She nodded.
“Come on; I’ll let you choose the music.”
“Could we stop for coffee somewhere? I don’t want to go home just yet.”
“Sure, whatever the lady desires.”
“Maybe a toy shop so I can get a surprise for Katie too.”
“You’ll spoil her.” I teased.
“She may be a little spoiled already but she knows the value of things.”
“She’s a good kid.”
“Yes, she is.”
****
We stopped for coffee and after finishing it Lexi brought Katie a selection of blind bags. I’d never heard of them before, but apparently, you get a surprise toy in them that you can collect. Katie collected pretty much all the girly doll ones so Lexi chose five for her. Now, I was sitting at the table watching Lexi act like a madwoman. She’d cleaned the entire kitchen glaring daggers at me when I’d told her that it was spotless already. Then I’d offer to help her with the imaginary dust and she’d waved me away. When she’d moved to the living room I’d offered to hoover, but I could see she needed to keep busy so I gave up and made coffee instead. She’d come in to get a cup when I’d called her and then she’d got the iron out. I was worried about what she would find to do tomorrow to keep her busy; I think ringing Jen and asking her to ask for Lexi’s help would be a good idea. Lexi could keep herself distracted. I’d stay there with her of course and be bored out of my mind, but at least my woman would be occupied.
I got up and walked to the bathroom. Lexi didn’t even notice. I hated for her to be so worried but until the situation was resolved, this was how it would be. I closed the bathroom door and did my business. Looking in the mirror as I washed my hands I could see the strain on my face. I was just opening the door when a bang came from the front door. Frowning, I headed towards it; it was probably the postman. Nothing was on the mat. I opened the door and looked around. I couldn’t see anything. Something didn’t feel right. I was about to go back inside when I saw Eric walking towards me with Julian trailing behind him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled taking a step towards him.
“Not the time Ryder.” Eric snapped in a whisper. I followed the direction of his stare and saw Lexi standing in front of the window. Her body language screamed scared.
“The sound was a diversion, and I fell for it.” I grimaced.
“We need a plan,” Eric ordered.
“He won’t hurt her. Jacobson wants her alive and unharmed.” Julian explained.
“You fucking did this.” He hung his head in shame. He might be sorry, but it didn’t help us now.
“Let me go to her.”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m not entrusting her life to you.”
“I recognise the man with her, he was at the meeting I had with Jacobson last night when I agreed to kidnap Lexi for him.”
I fisted my hands to stop myself killing him. Lexi came first, I’d have my time with Julian later.
“He won’t think I’m here to stop him.”
“Ryder, I don’t like it either but it’s probably our best option right now. We don’t know what weapon he has. Do you really want to risk her getting hurt?”
I shook my head. “Fuck, if she gets hurt I’ll kill you,” I told Julian.
“If that happens, I’ll kill myself,” He replied. I watched him shake himself then he walked straight to the front door and let himself in.
I could hear muffled speech and I nodded to Eric. He went one way to the back of the house and I went the other. Both of us crouched down on either side of the door out of sight. I prayed Julian wouldn’t get her hurt. I could see them through the window now. It looked relaxed, the guy had Lexi by her bicep but other than fear on her face I couldn’t see pain. Julian walked towards the door and the guy followed half dragging Lexi with him. I ducked out of sight again, tensed and ready to pounce. Julian caught my eye as he opened the door when they’d all cleared the deck and stood on solid ground I lunged at the guy pushing him away from Lexi. He let go of her in surprise and she stumbled. I caught her up in my arms before she fell to the floor and tugged her behind me. The guy wasn’t down for long; he jumped to his feet and looked between us.
“Jacobson will have her. If I don’t take her in someone else will.”
I frowned at the nerve of him. He had three men surrounding him who clearly wanted to hurt him yet he didn’t seem bothered by it.
“He will never get her!” Julian screamed and then he tackled the guy to the floor. He punched him in the face until there was blood everywhere. Eric managed to pull him off of him, but it was a struggle. I kept Lexi turned away from it so she didn’t see all the blood, but it was obvious from the sounds what was going on. Julian had lost it. His knuckles were bloody, and he looked like he was in a daze.
“I need to call an ambulance then the police, he’s a fucking mess,” Eric said into the strained silence. Lexi seemed to come back to herself then, I felt her body shake, and I pulled her into my arms as I heard the first sob pass her lips.
“Hey, baby, you’ve been so brave. Don’t look at him.”
She nodded, and I bent down and scooped her up holding her close to my chest. Walking past Julian and Eric I headed for the front door. Eric had the situation under control. Julian still looked shocked, but at least he was standing. I needed to grill Julian about the meeting he’d had, but I also wanted to know why he was with Eric. If they hadn’t come when they did I don’t know what would have happened. Chances are I would have got her away from him but I’m not sure in what state she would have been in. At least the only person hurt was the stranger, and I didn’t give a shit about that. He shouldn’t have come after Lexi. Julian might need counselling though, I have no idea what the fuck got into him but I’m kind of grateful. I leaned Lexi on my knee as I opened the front door kicking it closed behind me. I walked straight to the sofa and sat down with her on my lap.
“Can you talk about it sweetness?”
She peered up at me, her hands clenched around my shirt sleeves. “He said he’d come for me because Mr Jacobson has a deal with Julian.” She looked shattered by that information and I gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Julian came here to help by the look of his actions. He stopped that man taking you.”
She shuddered. “I saw. There was so much blood.”
“Better his than yours Lexi.”
She grimaced. “The man said Jacobson has big plans for me and my body.” She whispered.
Anger raced through me and I wanted to go and tear Jacobson apart, I wanted to rip his head off and piss down his throat. “He will never get close to you. I promise. We will put him away before he tries again.”
“I hope so because I do not like the sound of him. I don’t want anyone touching me, but you.”
“And no one but me will, Ok?”
She nodded and snuggled closer pushing her face into the crook of my neck. I brushed my hand down her back feeling her body relax. I wasn’t sure how long we sat like that, but when flashing lights flickered through the windows, I gave her a little squeeze. “Lexi, I need to go outside and talk to the police. Will you be Ok? You can come with me but I’d rather you didn’t, you’ve been through enough today.”
“I’ll go and shower.”
“Sure baby. I’ll ring Jen and ask her and Eric to collect Katie from school then you can relax.”
“No, I want to pick her up.”
“We’ll go together. Go and shower and I’ll come to you when we’re done.”
“Will Julian be in trouble for what he did?”
“It was self-defence.”
She pressed her lips together and got up off my lap. I stood and wrapped my arms around her pulling her against me. “I love you, Lexi.”
“I love you too.” She sighed deeply and moved out of my arms. “I’ll see you later.”
Chapter Ten
Lexi
I lay back on my bed with my eyes closed. Ryder thought I was worried about myself, but in that moment, when that man had grabbed me, my first thought had been Katie, my second, Ryder himself because I knew he would never leave me alone and I’d been terrified he was hurt. I’m so thankful he wasn’t. If someone had tried to get Katie, we would have had a phone call that was something I was grateful for. I could not cope with her being in danger, and now with that man spouting his mouth off, we knew that he was only after me. As much as that scared me I was glad my baby girl wasn’t the target.
Seeing Julian like that, as if he wanted to kill that man, freaked me out. The blood on his knuckles made me feel sick. He was a stranger to me. I hadn’t known he was capable of so much violence. I didn’t want a shower and pretend everything was normal, wanted to go and collect Katie and hold her until I felt better, but it wasn’t home time yet and me turning up early would worry her. What I needed were answers. Two men in two days have tried to kidnap me and I wanted to know why this Jacobson had sent them and how he even knew who I was. I know that Ryder will try to hide things from me, it’s in his nature to protect me, but I had a right to know. I didn’t want to cower behind him; I wanted to go and kick some ass.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay here waiting on Ryder. Many ways of how to hurt the unknown Jacobson flitted through my brain and I hadn’t managed to choose one when Ryder walked through the door.
“You didn’t shower.” He stated.
“Nope,” I shook my head at the wary look on his face. “I’d like some answers, please.”
“Lexi, you don’t need to know anything.”
“Yes, I do.” I snapped. “I’m the one in danger along with my daughter. I deserve to know what I’m facing.”
“I’ll protect you from whatever comes our way.”
“I know you will, I’ve never doubted that, but I need to know Ryder. Can’t you understand that?”
He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you earlier.”
“It’s not your fault Ryder. The man snuck up on me.”
“I should have been there to stop him.”
“You were there, you did stop him.” I sat up and put a hand out to him, he gripped it tightly and yanked me up until our bodies touched. “It’s not your fault, its Julian’s.”
“I know it’s his. He is sorry though, him today, beating up that guy was his way of looking out for you. He knows he’s messed up big style.”
“Well, if only he’d thought about the consequences before doing the crap he did.”
“He’s wised up now and trying to make amends.”
“If Katie gets hurt because of him I’ll kill him,” I warned, and I was pretty sure I was speaking the truth.
“If Katie or you get hurt, I’ll kill him myself. That’s not going to happen though; you’re both going to be on lockdown.”
“Can you tell me what’s going on now, please?”
He didn’t look happy, he’d already said he didn’t think I needed the details, but I knew he’d tell me. I needed to know, so I had the whole picture. He didn’t like it but Ryder hated to see me upset and if I had to use that knowledge to get my way I would.
“Sit down Lexi.” He said gently and waited until I did. He stood in front of me with his hands in his jeans pockets. “Julian sold me out.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean after he left here, he arranged a meeting with Jacobson and told him what I’d told him.”
I gasped. “He told him everything? That means he knows you’re investigating him.”
Ryder nodded. “He also made Julian an offer. If Julian takes you to him, he will forget his debt.”
“But why, I mean, I don’t know him.”
His lips pressed together before he spoke. “Jacobson saw you through the window of the salon one day and decided he had to have you.”
“Oh god.”
“It gets worse baby so brace yourself.”
I nodded feeling sick.
“Once he found out who you were he had you and your family investigated. He saw Julian had an outstanding debt and decided to buy it and use him to get to you.”
“That creeps me out.”
“The next part was making sure Julian got into so much debt at the casino that he was drowning in it with no way out.”
“And then he offered to forget it in exchange for me. That’s so ruthless and well thought out. Why did he send those men though if he wanted Julian to get me?”
“Because he couldn’t be sure Julian would play ball.”
“I’m guessing Julian didn’t agree that’s why he’s here today?” I asked a little warily. I wasn’t sure if I could trust Julian. You think you know someone and then, Bam, they turn out to be a gambler from hell.
“Julian deeply regrets going to see him, but he was angry at me. He wanted to make me pay.”
“That’s ridiculous. You were trying to keep me and Katie safe.”
“I hit a nerve. He doesn’t have the resources so he can’t keep you both out of trouble and it stung his pride to have me ordering him around.”
“At least he seems to be on our side now. I hope he feels bad for putting our daughter in danger.”
“Talking of Katie, I’ve asked Jen and Eric to pick her up from school and take her out for tea.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held a hand up. “You’re coming with me to my office to meet David. We’re going to put an end to this business.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure as yet. David said he has a plan but he wouldn’t explain over the phone.”
“So I’m going to get to see where you work? We aren’t staying are we?”
“No, I wouldn’t expect you to leave Katie overnight. We will be back for bedtime, I promise.”
“Good. Let’s do this then.” I stood up with a grin.
He laughed as he watched me almost run to the door in my excitement.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re so goofy.”
I frowned. “Is that a compliment?”
He grinned, “Definitely.”
“That’s ok then.”
****
The drive to Ryder’s office felt long. Julian sat in the back with bandages on his knuckles and a huge grin on his face. He was pleased with himself for saving me. I, however, was still mad at him for causing the situation in the first place, so I wasn’t speaking to him. Ryder hadn’t told me that Julian was coming along for the ride even though he’d had time. I’d opened the car door and saw him sat there. I’d glared at Ryder knowing he’d kept it from me on purpose but he’d just shrugged. We need him, he’d said, and that was it. End of conversation. I got why he didn’t tell me, I might have tried to back out of going with him by pretending to be sick, which wasn’t a stretch after the day I’d had, but he needed me to stay with him to be able to keep me safe. He knew me too well. If David has a plan, then we have to go I just wish I didn’t have to look at Julian’s smug face while we did it.
“How much longer?” I grimaced.
Ryder touched a hand to my leg and squeezed gently. “About ten minutes baby.”
“Good. I need some fresh air.”
“Me too, it’s stuffy in here,” Julian added.
“You could have stayed at home,” I said through my teeth.