CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE)

by Julia Gardener

“What if Charlotte’s dead by then?” I replied, barely keeping my anger in check. This wasn’t the time to have a temper tantrum. My lover’s life was on the line. “Fuck, I’d give every cent I have to get her back safe. Megan, can you wire the money?”

  “Heath, it’s not going to be easy getting that much money together in an hour,” Megan replied. My heart fell like a stone. “Big transfers like that can’t be done in an hour. It raises a lot of alarm bells in our banking system. Hell, it’d take over a day to move that dollar amount. I can try rushing it through but I can’t be sure he receives it by the deadline.”

  Dave looked confused. “Why’d he tell us to give him so much money in one hour?”

  “Jared must be desperate and not thinking straight,” Ryan replied. “He’s been backed into a corner. With luck, he releases Charlotte if we get the money to him in time.”

  Mr. Han didn’t look convinced. “A man like him will not honor this deal. He will take your money and kill Ms. Rosen.”

  I shuddered at the thought but I knew there was a kernel of truth to it. “Then we have to find him and free Charlotte.”

  Tyler shook his head. “We don’t even know where Jared is. Los Angeles is a big county. It’ll be like searching for a needle in a stack of needles.”

  “The security at the Santa Monica property went off,” Mr. Han replied. “Jared was likely the trespasser. He would have the means and motive to kidnap Ms. Rosen and hold her hostage at the property.”

  “That’s no guarantee that he’s still there,” Dave countered. “For all we know, he’s hiding in some hole in the wall in Santa Monica city.”

  “Wait, that metal sound in the background during the phone call,” Megan said out of the blue. “It’s the boiler room in the Santa Monica orphanage. I swear that’s the same noise we kept hearing during our visit down there.”

  “You’re right,” I whispered. The boiler room was old but functional. Its lack of use had led to contractions in the metal. “It’s the sound the pipes make when they contract. He’s holding Charlotte hostage in the boiler room.”

  “Even if we know where he is,” Ryan sighed. “How do we take him down? Even if we call the police, it might be too late to mobilize a SWAT team and rescue Charlotte. Even sending a cop car down there might spook Jared into doing something stupid.”

  “He doesn’t know that we’re aware of his exact location in the complex,” said Mr. Han, stroking his chin. He was seeing this from the point of view of a soldier. Perhaps, that was what the situation needed. “This is a tactical advantage.”

  Tyler massaged his forehead. “Well, we know that he’s probably holding Charlotte at gunpoint in the boiler room. What do we do about it?”

  “I’d go in alone with the money,” I said to everyone’s shock. Well, except Mr. Han. That man was as cool as a cucumber. “I’ll text him that the bank couldn’t wire the entire amount. We’ll wire him a few thousand and I’ll have another thousand or so delivered to him in person. I’ll lie about security cameras finding out that he entered the construction site so I could deliver the rest of the money in person. Megan, can you at least get a few thousand I can put in duffle bags?”

  Megan looked dumbfounded. “Heath, this is insane. What do you hope to accomplish going there alone?”

  “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing,” I admitted, fighting back tears in my eyes. I knew I had to focus and stay strong. Yet, I was at a complete loss. This was all falling out of my hands. Worse, the woman I loved would pay the ultimate price for my failures. “All I know is that I have to save Charlotte.”

  For a good moment, no one spoke.

  Mr. Han broke the silence and placed a hand on my chest. “I have a plan.”

  “That wasn’t part of the deal!” he roared. “You’re in no position to negotiate!”

  He was arguing with someone, probably Heath, over something. Jared looked crazier by the second. I wasn’t even sure if he even cared about the money. He seemed to just want to get back at Heath.

  “Fine, but know that she’s a dead woman if I so much as hear a police siren,” he conceded. “Break the speed limit if you have to but get here now! Have the money and getaway car ready.”

  There was no talking sense into him so I didn’t bother. It only seemed to antagonize him further. I hoped Heath didn’t bother with trying to calm him down. Jared had it out for him.

  The handcuffs weren’t that much easier to deal with. I struggled against it without much success. The only thing I accomplished was spraining my wrist. Soon, Jared got irritated and told me to stop.

  I wondered if Heath and the others had called the cops. They would have Jared dead to rights. He was no criminal mastermind or gangster. However, I might be just as unlucky if a gunfight ensued.

  “You have half an hour remaining,” he said, tapping his gun against the phone. “Come alone or else!”

  It sounded like Heath would pay the ransom and accept all of Jared’s demands. I didn’t know whether to be thrilled or terrified. Jared seemed unhinged enough to kill me and Heath and pocket the ransom.

  He turned to face me. “I’m not the bad guy here. I spent years getting paid peanuts while he got all the glory. I was the one cleaning up his mess. I never got my fair share!”

  I gave him the silent treatment. There was no point having a discussion with this man. It seemed to annoy him but not enough for him to be violent. Even if he got his money, he’d just piss it away again.

  “As much trouble as you’ve been to me,” he continued. “You’re going to help me make back my money. That bastard is going to learn that there is a price for falling in love with your teacher.”

  I felt a pang of guilt. Jared knew Heath had fallen for me. In turn, he had used this love as a weapon to extort Heath of his money. I knew this was all Jared’s fault but I couldn’t help but blame myself. If I had been stoic and kept my distance, then Heath wouldn’t be risking his life for mine.

  Then again, I couldn’t deny my feelings for Heath no matter how hard I tried. In this life and the next, we were soulmates. With luck, this life would last as long as it could.

  The minutes passed by as hours. I supposed I should have been thankful. Jared looked like a time bomb that would go off at any second. I’d have a front-row seat when he went boom.

  Suddenly, we heard the pitter-patter of approaching footsteps.

  “Who’s there?” Jared demanded, pointing the gun at the source of the noise. “Show yourself!”

  Heath emerged from the shadows. He wore a bulky jacket that was a world apart from his typical rock star attire. He carried a large duffle bag in one hand.

  “Relax, it’s me,” he said, waving before glancing at me. I had known him long enough to know when he was on the cusp of becoming enraged. However, his emotional growth showed through his restrain. “I got your money. Let her go.”

  “Hands where I can see them,” Jared barked, still aiming his gun at the man. “And the car?”

  “A Cadillac with a full tank,” Heath replied coolly, waving a pair of keys in his other hand. Its jingling echoed in the metallic walls of the boiler room. “It’s waiting out for you in the front.”

  “Put it on the floor!”

  Heath placed the money on the ground. “It’s all there.”

  Momentarily lowering his gun, Jared said. “Back away!”

  With Heath stepping back, Jared kneeled before the duffle bag and began opening it. I could see crisp dollar bills. I didn’t know how much ten million dollars would look like. Or if it would fit in one bag.

  “I trusted you,” Heath said, distracting his opponent. His words made Jared point his gun at the rock star again. “I gave you the keys to the vault.”

  “You got what you deserved!”

  “You didn’t just betray me,” he growled, undeterred by the gun. “You betrayed innocent children. Orphans without homes. Kids thrown to the street by their abusive parents. Teenagers bouncing between broken foster homes. You betrayed all of
them with your little money-making scheme.”

  “Don’t pretend you give a fuck about anyone but yourself,” Jared fired back. “You always look out for number one.”

  “I’ve changed,” Heath replied, his voice having a steely edge. “I may have been a prick but I do give a fuck about the people you’re going to hurt. I care about the kids you’ve been stealing from. I care about Charlotte.”

  “Fuck you, Lawrence,” Jared retorted. “You spent years fucking groupies and getting drunk. You think you can change after that? You thought you could live so large and leave me the table scraps! I’m going to claim what was supposed to be mine!”

  Heath stared him down. “This money belongs to the orphans.”

  Suddenly, Jared got up and aimed his gun at my head. “It’s time you learned a lesson. Back away if you want her to live, Lawrence.”

  Heath’s eyes widened in rage but he slowly stepped back. He was almost out of the boiler room. There was no way for him to tackle or surprise Jared.

  I panicked and tried to free myself to no avail. “Please, don’t kill me.”

  “Whatever grudge you have is only against me,” Heath stated, locking eyes with mine. “Leave her out of this. You got your money-”

  “I have a better idea,” Jared replied with glee. The man grabbed my head and placed his gun against it. I yelped in both pain and fear. “I’ll take her out first before I end your sorry life.”

  Pure rage flashed in Heath’s eyes. “You have your money, Jared. Let her go and end this. If you want to claim a life, then claim mine!”

  “I think it’s time you got knocked down a peg,” Jared replied, with a sinister smile. His finger lingered over the trigger. “Any last words, darling?”

  Time itself began to slow down. Memories of my time with Heath flashed before my eyes. I remembered the diagnostic test I had given him. It was when we had first met in person.

  Most would have written him off as lost cause but I stuck with him. I had come to him for financial reasons but stayed because I genuinely cared about him. I wanted Heath to succeed. I wanted to be with him because I loved him.

  Day after day, he improved beyond my wildest expectations. Was it because no one gave him a chance before? Did my unique teaching methods help him? Or did he try because he loved me? I still didn’t know what drove him. Now, I might never know.

  I remembered the love we made. He was rough when I wanted it. He was tender when I needed it. We shouldn’t have worked as a couple. I was a buttoned up tutor who to settle down. Heath was a wandering rock star chasing one thrill after the other.

  Yet, we made it work.

  Now, it would come to an end.

  I began to utter an unintelligible scream.

  However, it was Heath who spoke. “By the way, you forgot these.”

  Jared glanced at the rock star in confusion. “What-?”

  He was cut off by the pair of keys thrown in his face. Jared yelled in pain before wildly firing the gun. His shots missed but the sound of gunfire echoed in the boiler room.

  Suddenly, I was tackled to the ground.

  It was Heath.

  He had covered me with his body to protect mine from any stray shots.

  “You son of a bitch,” Jared cursed, regaining his composure. Looking over Heath’s shoulder, I saw him aim the gun at us. “This ends now.”

  BANG!

  BANG!

  He fired the gun.

  My lover’s body cushioned the massive force of the bullets.

  I heard Heath grunt in pain as the shots hit his back. “AHHHHH!”

  I felt his body go slump in my arms. My heart felt like it had been torn out of my chest. “Heath? Heath! Are you-?”

  Jared cut me off. “Now, it’s your turn.”

  He raised his gun again.

  Suddenly, a blur of a man came between us. Like greased lightning, the mysterious man attacked Jared. He landed a flurry of punches on the mad gunman.

  Then, my rescuer took Jared’s elbow in his hands. In one fluid motion, he bent the arm back against the joint. I even heard the sickening pop of the joint amid Jared’s screams.

  With his arm utterly wrecked, my kidnapper fell to the floor.

  Mr. Han stood triumphantly over the defeated Jared. He took out a pair of handcuffs. Not that Jared looked to be in any condition to fight back.

  “Mr. Han?” I whispered in shock. However, the body in my arms stirred. My attention came back to my wounded lover. “Heath? Heath! Are you alright?”

  To my surprise, my lover turned to face me and give a strained smile. “God, this hurt likes hell. I’ll leave the heroics to Mr. Han next time.”

  I watched as he leaned against the wall for support. I moved in to help him as well. “Heath, how are you still alive?”

  He turned over to reveal flattened bullets against the back of his jacket. Then, he unzipped the front of the jacket. “Mr. Han gave me body armor to wear underneath this heavy jacket. It looks like he took care of Jared as planned.”

  I pieced together the plan. Heath would come alone to Jared and get him to lower his guard. Mr. Han would move in to apprehend him when he was distracted. They had the blueprints to the location so it would be easy for them to plan their approach to the boiler room.

  Mr. Han walked to the rock star with Jared’s gun in his hand. “Mr. Lawrence, are you well?”

  “My back hurts like hell,” he groaned, taking a knee like a battered boxer. “I can barely stand.”

  “Then don’t!” I shrieked. I was torn between hugging him and hitting him. “How can you be so stupid? Why didn’t you call the police instead of acting like some action hero?”

  “I couldn’t take the risk,” he whispered, locking eyes with mine. “Even if there was a slight possibility that Jared would hurt you, I couldn’t take it. I was ready to give my life in exchange for yours, Charlotte.”

  I wanted to cry on his shoulder like a little girl. But I was just so physically and emotionally exhausted. I gave a laugh that came off sounding like a sigh of exasperation. “Why did I fall in love with an idiot?”

  “You should thank Mr. Han instead of the idiot you fell in love with,” he said, glancing at the head of security. A coughing fit interrupted him before he spoke again. “He came up with the idea of wearing a bullet-proof vest and distracting Jared so he could come in through a flank.”

  Those bullets could have easily hit me instead of him. “God, I screwed up, Heath. I shouldn’t have let Jared trick me like that.”

  Heath reached out to kiss me gently. God, it felt like drinking purifying holy water. “He tricked all of us. It’s over now.”

  “Even if the vest stopped the bullets, there could still be internal damage,” I warned, taking the jacket and vest off him. I could tell there was bruising at the very least. “We have to take you to a hospital.”

  As if on cue, we heard sirens in the distance.

  “Megan phoned called them ten minutes ago,” Mr. Han answered, going back to check up on Jared. The man didn’t sound like he’d get up any time soon. “They should arrive shortly.”

  “Ye of little faith,” Heath chuckled before coughing. He reached out for my hand to support him. “Let’s get the hell of this place, Charlotte.”

  I held his hand and helped lift him to his feet. “Yes, let’s go home.”