by Sophia Peony
He’d thought about it but dismissed it. Joel had already gone after Mia and got nothing. He thought Joel would go after someone else. The men Joel sent to sniff around Logan’s business were quickly and quietly disposed of. Those under Logan’s protection knew to go to him right away for these kinds of issues. They got their money’s worth. Any man asking around in his territory are quickly marked and reported.
Logan didn’t bother being quiet as he entered through Paige’s room. The little girl would be scared as is; he didn’t want to appear without warning. He’d barely made it to her door when he heard her running to him. The sound of little steps prepared him for the little body that threw herself at him. He caught her, easily carrying the slight body. She was trembling as she hugged him, hiding her face at the crook of his neck. It reminded him of Natalie when they were younger; he’d been barely a teenager and she’d been just a child, scared of their father’s anger.
Natalie would hide in his arms as they listened to him beat their mother. Natalie cried with the cries of their mother. Since they’re mother had always locked them in the room whenever Luther Slade was angry, he hadn’t been able to do anything but listen. It was her way of protecting them, but it ate at him.
The serious little girl he held in his arms reminded him so much of Natalie that he’d kept their meetings friendly after she’d caught him sneaking out of her room.
“Tell me what happened,” he gently coaxed the story out of her. He had an idea but wanted to know as much as he could before he made his next move.
“You sure you don’t want to hit the house?” Frank asked him again.
Logan understood what his friend was trying to do, and had he been a different man, he’d be agreeing with him. His woman was being held in Joel’s mansion, most likely being abused. He might not have plans on continuing with Mia. The right thing to do was let them go and have a peaceful life away from the violence… but she was still his woman. He craved her, and a part of him belonged to her. She made him want things he never had before and made him feel things he never thought he’d feel. His parents had done a stellar job of fucking him up.
But Mia … she makes him want more. And in this kind of life, more was dangerous. So rather than planning a rescue, Logan was set on carrying out the final assault. He’s going against his instincts to do what needs to be done. Mia would want him to finish it, to end Joel. Even if she wasn’t there, she’d know that he’d take care of Paige.
He glanced at the little girl eating a microwaved cheese sandwich with Dez. Logan’s makeshift house wasn’t a place for a kid, but there wasn’t time to take Paige to another place. Dez, a family man with two kids, would be a good place but Logan didn’t want to risk his family. Anyone associated with Paige wouldn’t be safe until Joel’s dead. Logan had already arranged for an old friend to take care of Paige. Beast, a massive man at six and a half foot tall, was someone he trusted with his life from his military days. Logan had given him instructions on where to take Paige in case he and Mia didn’t come back. Last time he’d asked Beast a favor, he asked him to take Natalie to a good family, away from the violent life Luther Slade had thrown them in. Beast would protect Paige with his life.
“You believe the intel that she’s alive?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then we clean out his bank first, and then walk in there with everything. What’s the update on Damon?”
“He’s found the place. Doing a final recon to make sure she’s there before he hits.” Logan felt confident enough to split his force. They’d managed to track Makayla to a location near the Mexico border. Once she left that location, it would be nearly impossible to trace her. Joel’s life had already crumbled. They just needed to take the last of his money before their face to face. Logan wanted the man to see it all burn in front of him.
Chapter Thirteen
“Tell Me!”
The kick to her stomach sent her flying on her back. Mia denied everything, as she had from the beginning, but Joel had lost total control. He beat her after taking her from her apartment, and then threw her in his basement when he couldn’t get the answer he wanted. She was barely conscious then and hadn’t been able to worry about Paige.
Now that she’s awake and taking another beating? She still wouldn’t tell him anything because she knew Logan kept his end of the deal. The first beating had been to get her to tell him what she knows about Logan, about how he’d managed to get the information if she helped him. This beating was for Paige’s location. He’d gone to get Paige to get Mia to talk but couldn’t find her. She hoped they hadn’t hurt Mrs. Morris trying to find Paige. She took the beating not bothering to answer since Joel wouldn’t accept it. Whatever happened to her now, she at least knew Paige would be okay.
Another kick landed on her back.
“Joel, that’s enough. You’re gonna kill her.”
“Stay the fuck out of this, Ray!”
“She can’t talk if she’s dead!”
“Fucking! Bitch! Tell! Me!” Each word followed a kick. She cried with each hit.
“Enough Joel!” Ray physically restrained Joel, putting himself between Joel and Mia. Joel hit him too a couple of times, but he barely felt it. He was made of muscles and taller than Joel by half a foot. Joel, knowing he wasn’t going to get through Ray, turned and swiped everything on his desk with a savage scream.
He was a dead man walking if he didn’t get the drugs back. Fucking, Logan Slade! He wanted to kill the motherfucker so bad, he foamed at the mouth. The man had fucked him in every possible way. His men had either ran away or have been killed by Slade. Those who hadn’t been killed left knowing Slade was hunting down Joel’s men. He’d kill them all if he could.
“Get that bitch out of here!” he yelled at Ray. He’d kill Ray if he wasn’t the last man with Joel. Loyal down to his bone. He was the only one by his side now.
Ray picked up Mia and carried her out of the office. Her pretty face was bloodied but her skin wasn’t swollen and ugly yet. Taking her back down to the basement, he placed her on the cold floor.
“If you go with me, I can take you out of here,” Ray offered. He’d wanted Mia since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. It was too bad Joel had her first.
“I’d rather die.” He could barely hear her response.
“Suit yourself.” He got up and walked away. He didn’t bother locking the door. Mia wouldn’t be able to get up the stairs and out of the mansion without him hearing it.
When push comes to shove, Ray was loyal to Joel. He wanted Mia, but he loved Joel like a father. They’re down to their last men, others had simply stopped showing up and stopped answering their calls. It pissed him off but he understood. Joel was losing his shit, and they weren’t being paid. Most men were loyal to the money.
Their attempts at getting back at Logan always failed. That was the other thing. The men he’d sent to fuck shit up just disappeared, and that scared the others.
How the fuck do you compete with someone who fucking knows everything before you even plan shit? Ray thought. He could do it himself, but he didn’t want to leave Joel unprotected. He’d kill for Joel; he’d also die for him.
This was as sure as Damon was going to have to be. The girls were being moved. Shit. Damon needed to get them before they reached the border, or they’d be lost forever. He prayed to God Matt’s sister was in there because he didn’t know what else he could do. Matt was his fucking best friend, and he owed it to him save his sister.
After seeing them prepare to move the women kept inside the small house, Damon ran for the bridge. He’d already scouted for the perfect spot in case he needed to kill them if he couldn’t get in the house.
Perching on a well-hidden tree branch, he waited patiently with his gun. The truck carrying the girls would pass through here. Not knowing how many would be there, he planned to take out anyone in the front seat, and then take the car. One or two shots, depending on how many.
Loud as fuck, but he ha
d enough bullets to take on the five or six men he’d seen during recon. The dark of night will help, but the noise of those shots will bring back up. The other thing he’d need to worry about is if there are men inside the truck with the women. He didn’t think there would be, these men were cocky and lazy.
These men weren’t exactly Joel’s, they were the middlemen, transporting between the supplier and the buyer— the kind to dump a package and run at first sign of trouble. They’re not loyal soldiers, they just want quick money. Damon was familiar with these kind of men because he’d started out as one before Logan had gotten a hold of him and put him on the right track. He couldn’t imagine any of them getting locked up in there with the victims.
As the truck came into view, he waited until he had the perfect shot to take both driver and passenger out. The truck wasn’t going fast and the ground was uneven, without slopes. Damon spread himself out on the large branch, hiding himself amongst the leaves, and nestled the butt of the rifle between his shoulder and neck. Waiting.
The loud noise of the truck’s engine signaled its approach. Through the optic, Damon located his target. The magnified view gave him a precise visual. One at the wheel. One at the helm. He waited until they were three-fourths cleared of the bridge.
He had to be quick.
Crack. The lead pierced through the dusty windshield, cracking it and the man’s skull with its force. The trafficker’s partner struggled to keep the truck from catapulting off the bridge and bring it to a stop.
A second shot ended his life.
Quickly grabbing his shit, he ran to the truck. Cautiously checking if anyone else would come out. Chains and a lock had been wrapped around the door handle. No one would be coming out. He quickly pulled the bodies out of the truck and hid them behind the foliage on the side of the dirt road, before hoping into the driver’s seat. He drove for about ten minutes to a location he’d chosen to check if Makayla was there.
After parking the truck in a hidden road, he made his way to the back. The truck key had two other keys on it. Hoping it was for the lock, he tried it. When he heard the click, he almost cheered but kept quiet. He pulled the chain off and then stepped to the side.
“Open the door, and come out slowly. Hands in the air,” he ordered. He waited only a short moment before he heard soft rattles coming from inside the trailer. The door slowly opened, and he couldn’t help but sigh in relief when he recognized the face that peeked out.
“Damon?” Makayla asked in a cry. She didn’t give him time to answer; she stumbled out of the truck before she threw herself into his arms.
“Who’s in there?” Damon asked as he hugged his best friend’s sister. He’ll spend his life making sure she’s safe.
“Just girls,” her reply was shaky.
“Matt’s gone,” Damon told her.
“I know,” she replied, bursting into tears. “I was there.”
Chapter Fourteen
“It’s time to run, Joel. If we leave now, we can be in Moscow by tomorrow.”
“You want me to run like a coward?!” Joel raged. “You think, I’m going to let that son of a bitch win?!”
“He’s taken everything,” Ray announced.
“Not everything.” Joel started laughing.
“What?”
Joel laughed harder. “He hasn’t taken everything.”
“What’s left?”
“The million you took from him.” Joel kept laughing.
Ray noticed Joel said “you”, as if this was Ray’s doing. As if he was the one being hunted. His eyes narrowed on Joel who continued laughing like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard in his life. “Do you mean the million you ordered me to take from Slade and to kill his friend?”
Joel kept laughing. Joel thought he could still fix this.
He could blame Ray. It was all Ray, anyway. Joel was just a boss minding his own business. He can’t stop his men from doing what they wanted. He’ll tell Logan Ray had confessed, and Joel was so angry that he killed him.
It’s all his fault. Joel and Logan could come to an agreement. No hard feelings. NO! He won’t go down like this. He’s not a fucking coward, like Ray. He’ll kill Logan when he comes here.
“Joel, are you listening?” Ray demanded.
He’s getting really bitchy.
“We’re staying here. We’re not running like cowards.”
“Staying here means dying, Joel.”
“You’re right.” Joel opened the drawer next to him, pulled out the Glock he knew was loaded and ready to use, and pointed it at Ray whose back was turned, looking out the window.
“Shit! They’re he—” Ray turned to see the gun pointed at him.
Joel pulled the trigger, hitting Ray in the chest. Ray looked at him in shock, hand on his chest, blood pouring behind his hand. “What the fu—”
Joel fired two more times.
Joel’s remaining few men opened the gate to let Logan and his men in. He wanted to show off his power. Only Joel and a handful of men were left in the house. The two men at the gate held their hands up in surrender, and Frank dismissed them with a wave of his hand. They rushed out of there knowing this was Joel’s end. They probably hadn’t even been paid.
Logan wanted to shove in Joel’s face just how much he’d lost. Sure, it was petty, but fuck if Logan cared. What he did to Joel Clarion was a warning for everyone else. He made an example of what happens when you fuck with Logan Slade.
Gun shots had his men ducking as they stepped out of the cars. It took a moment for them to realize they were not being shot at and the gun shots were from inside the house. His men didn’t need to be told to get in formation; they’re entering hostile territories and knew what needed to be done. One by one, group by group, his men surrounded the mansion, clearing the way for Logan to enter and confront the loser of this game.
It took mere minutes, but Logan felt every single second in his gut. He hoped to God it wasn’t Mia receiving those gun shots. He’d done what he needed to do as fast as he could, like he promised Mia he would. Protect Paige, end Joel, and Mia comes last. He just hoped Mia was still alive so he could tell her, I told you so.
Mia heard the gun shot and knew it was only a matter of time before it was her turn. Ray hadn’t understood Joel the way she did. Joel had been losing his grip and she knew it was only a matter of time before he’d turn on his most loyal man. She could have taken up Ray’s offer, but there was no way in hell she’d ever stoop that low. Pride was a terrible thing to have, but it kept her alive long enough to know she would eventually win against Joel. Paige was safe with Logan, and that was all that mattered now.
She didn’t have many options for defense. There was nothing in the room that could be used as a weapon, and on top of that, she felt weak as a kitten. Any movement hurt. For a long time, she knew her end would come from Joel. He’d controlled her life the moment he had a grip on it. At least with this end, she knew he’d lose too. Logan would win, and Joel Clarion would be gone soon. Nothing but a bad memory in this city. And Paige? Paige would be okay. Logan would keep his promise.
She heard the heavy footsteps approaching the door. She didn’t bother trying to sit up. Joel will either have to shoot her on the ground, or he’d have to drag her wherever he wanted her to be. The door was pushed open without care, hitting the wall loud enough to echo.
“Get up!”
“Fuck you.” She didn’t care what he did now.
“I said get up!” He stalked to her, grabbing her arm that she was sure was broken. Pride, kept her from crying out from the pain. “If I’m going to die today, so will you.” He hauled her up, one arm going around her torso, squeezing her bruised ribs against his body. The hand with the gun pressed against her side as he dragged her out of the basement.
“You ever think about anyone but yourself?” she struggled out. Breathing was hard.
“Shut your fucking mouth!” He shoved her forward, and unable to stand, she went crashing on the marble
floor.
“Do you ever think about Paige? She’s your daughter,” she rasped out as he kicked her legs.
“Get up!”
“Just leave, Joel. Leave us alone. It’s the least you can do for Pai—”
He kicked her back, sending her rolling. “I SAID GET UP!”
“Just kill me now. Kill me here. I’m not moving.”
“FUCKING BITCH!”
She waited for him to get close enough. Caught off guard, her kick hit him on the chest and sent him sprawling on his back. The gun was tossed somewhere; she didn’t see, but she heard it. She didn’t have the strength to get up; she tried to crawl. Her body hurt all over; she wasn’t even sure why she bothered to try.
“FUCKING BI—” Joel didn’t even finish his rage-filled scream before he was on her. He straddled her body, and his hands curled around her neck. “I’m going to take that girl, and I’m going to make her life as miserable as I can.”
“I gave Logan the key,” she struggled out. Fuck Joel.
Suddenly, he was pulled off her; his scream of rage cut off by the movement. His outrage turned into a cry of pain, but she didn’t see any of it. She could only focus on the face standing over her.
“We’re you trying to die?” Logan asked sarcastically.
“Kinda,” she gasped the answer out as she tried to get air back into her lungs.
“We’re going to have to talk about this later. Dez will take you to Paige.” Logan gently picked her up as he explained.
“I knew you’d get her.”
Rather than answer, he gave her a soft kiss on her head, and then carefully handed her to Dez.