Unbroken -Part One - A Second Chance at Love Romance: The Collective - Season 1, Episode 1

by Riley Edwards

  Before I could even finish he was mobilizing.

  “Iron Claw, let’s ride.” I heard yelling and grunts in the background. “Where we headed?” he asked.

  “I’ll have an address for you in a minute. I’ll meet you there.”

  “No, Reid. You stay clean. Your woman and son are gonna need you. We got this. Family, bro.”

  “Appreciate that, brother. But I know you heard me. This motherfucker came into my house, killed my man, took my woman, and scared my boy. I will be the one to slit his fucking throat.”

  “I hear that, we’ll wait for you, my men are ready.”

  “Copy that. Out.”

  I disconnected and glanced at Rick. Fuck.

  I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts. How had tonight turned to such shit? A few hours ago, I finally had my woman in my arms. Now she was gone, and I’d been outsmarted by a Goddamn psychopath.

  “Here’s Carl’s last known address. Start there, and I’ll work with Dustin to find any other locations he could’ve taken her too,” Mac said as he walked up beside me.

  “The motherfucker beat Suzie, knowing that one of my men would lead him right to Ava.” I blew out a breath trying to hold in my temper. “How could I have been so damn stupid? He had to have been watching. How in the fuck did we miss that?”

  “This is not on you, Reid. None of us thought about that. We were all concentrating on Jimmy.” Mac tried to make excuses for my lapse in judgment.

  “FUCK!” I roared. “If one hair on that woman’s head is hurt his death will be slow and painful.”

  I watched as Austin covered Rick’s body with a bed sheet. He died trying to protect my woman. Another good man dead because of my inadequacy.

  As much as I wanted to be here when Rick’s body was picked up, I had to get to Ava.

  “No one call, April. I need to be the one to notify her.” I instructed, referring to Rick’s fiancé.

  “You ready?” Austin asked.

  “Almost,” I answered him. I turned to Mac, “I need you to take care of my boy.”

  I didn’t give two-shits at the moment if I offended him by my statement. I didn’t have it in me to care about hurt feelings.

  “Not even a question. You know I will,” Mac replied.

  I walked back into the room to JJ. He was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. Jesus Christ, how was I going to leave him? In all my life I had never been so torn. JJ needed me, yet I had to find Ava.

  “JJ.” I waited for him to look up at me. As soon as he did, he was on his feet running to me. I caught him when he hurled himself into my arms.

  “Did you find her?” he asked.

  “Thanks to you, we have a good place to start. Uncle Mac is gonna take you somewhere safe, so I can go get your mom.” I told him.

  “No! No Reid. I want to be with you,” JJ yelled. He grabbed my shirt with both of his little fists and pulled me to him. “Bad things happen when you’re not here,” he whispered.

  “I want you to listen to me carefully, little man. Uncle Mac will not let anything happen to you.” I didn’t know how to make JJ understand I had to be the one to get Ava. “I love you, JJ. You and your mom are the two most important people in the world to me. I would never leave you with anyone I didn’t trust with my life. Do you know why?”

  JJ shook his head no.

  “Because you and your mom are my life.” I waited for him to digest what I had just told him. “Your mom needs me right now. I need you to do me a favor and go with Uncle Mac. I promise I will bring your mom to you as soon as I have her.”

  “You promise?” JJ asked.

  “Yes, son, I promise. I will get your mom.” I assured him.

  “Okay, I’ll go with Uncle Mac.”

  Mac was standing in the doorway and spoke for the first time, “Come on, JJ. Let’s get out of here, buddy. Reid will be home in no time with your mom.” Mac tried to smile at JJ, but it looked like a cross between a scowl and grimace.

  I knew Mac was feeling this almost as badly as I was.

  Mac took JJ’s hand and started to lead him out of the room when JJ pulled free and ran back to me.

  “I love you, Reid.” JJ wrapped his arms around my middle.

  “I love you too, little man.”

  I closed my eyes and hugged him back. Please God keep him safe.

  With a chin lift, Mac and JJ were out the door. I heard the elevator squeal to life and knew they were gone.

  “Let’s roll,” I yelled to Austin.

  I’m coming for you Ava Kelley, and when I find you, you are mine…

  To be continued…

  *** Bonus Chapter One ***

  Thank you for Pre-ordering Unbroken Episode one.

  Mac -

  “If Jacob would’ve just minded his own Goddamn business, none of this would be happening,” Jimmy muttered under his breath.

  “The fuck you say?” I asked.

  Before I knew what I was doing I was on my feet, fists clenched at my side. This little scrawny motherfucker had no right uttering Jacob’s name. Jacob hated Jimmy. He despised his entire family. That is one of the reasons he took Ava and fled from Texas.

  “At least uncuff him before you beat his ass,” Austin suggested, egging me on. I didn’t need any encouragement. This asshole was definitely getting a beat down before I took him to the station.

  “Mac, sit down.” Reid stopped my approach. “Jimmy, explain what Jacob has to do with this.” Reid was always the voice of reason. He was the calm, to my short temper.

  Reid and Rick were in the middle of some non-verbal conversation, and all I could think about was how I was going to kick the hell out of this son-of-a-bitch. Ava and JJ were in danger because of this dirty piece of shit.

  “Nothing. Please just give me my money and let me leave. Everyone’s problems will go away. You’ll never see me again.”

  I was fast losing what was left of my patience, and my oath to protect and serve was all but out the window. I was having a hard time remembering I was sworn to uphold the law.

  Rick slid his tablet across the table to Reid, he picked it up and quickly swiped the screen.

  “Let me see your hands, Jimmy,” Reid instructed.

  I didn’t know where Reid was going with this line of interrogation, but years of experience told me not to question Reid.

  “Let me have my bag, and I’ll leave. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself involved in. I am begging you, let it be,” Jimmy pleaded.

  “Not gonna happen. Why don’t you tell me about the tattoos on your knuckles?” Reid asked.

  I looked down at Jimmy’s hands. He was now trying to hide them under the table. And sure enough, he had new ink across his fingers and knuckles.

  “Leave it. Give me my bag. If that money is not delivered by tomorrow, no one is safe. Why the fuck do you think I came to your office? It wasn’t to chat, Reid, I just came here to pick up my bag,” Jimmy argued.

  “Who is no one? Who won’t be safe?” Reid yelled in Jimmy’s face.

  Jimmy remained silent.

  “Austin, pull his hands up on the table.” Reid motioned for Austin’s help.

  Thank God he didn’t ask me. At this point, I had zero self-control. If I could get close enough, I would strangle the motherfucker.

  “Who are you dropping the rake off too?” Reid tried again.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jimmy said.

  “The rake, Jimmy. You know the money you’re transporting. The house’s take on illegal gambling. What’s the going rate these days? Ten, twenty percent? Who the fuck are you delivering the motherfucking rake too?” Reid slammed his hands on the table in front of Jimmy, spittle hitting him in the face.

  What an idiot. Maybe I wouldn’t have to kick Jimmy’s ass after all. By the look of it, Reid was already there. One more stupid move on Jimmy’s part and he was a goner.

  “Okay, you stupid little shit, let me break this down for you. In the five years
since your brother’s murder, I’ve learned a thing or two about the Diamonds. Five years ago, they were low-level nobodies trying to make a name for themselves. Naturally, vice would’ve never made the connection between Jenkins and a bunch of thugs in Texas. I didn’t make the connection either. Since then, they have slithered their way up the food chain. You wear their brand. So that tells me that you run with the very men that called a hit out on your brother. That leads to me having to ask what your role was in his murder? How would a bunch of nobodies in Texas know anything about a San Francisco cop?”

  I sucked in a breath, trying my hardest not to destroy the room. If Reid was saying what I thought he was, James Kelley would die tonight.

  “Lock that shit down, Mac. A dead bird cannot sing. And Jimmy, I suggest you start singing. This might be your only shot to save your life. You’ll be lucky if Mac doesn’t kill you himself. If he doesn’t, I’ll put the word out on the street that you gave up Fuentes. That’s who’s runnin’ the Diamonds right now, isn’t it? The dumb little fuck tattooed ‘Thief of law’ across his damn forehead trying to pretend he’s badass. He couldn’t even come up with something original; he had to quote a fucking Russian. Can you believe that lame shit? Stupid ass thinks he’s as badass as Vor.”

  “You wouldn’t!” Jimmy yelled and started to thrash around in his seat.

  “Why is that, Jimmy?”

  “You think you’re so smart. You don’t know shit. You won’t do anything you just threatened me with because if you do, Ava and JJ will die. They’re collateral. The Diamonds know everything about them. Fucking Jacob started all of this! I had one delivery to make to Redding, thought it would be nice to stop off and see my brother. Nosy prick searches my car and finds three keys of coke hidden in the trunk.”

  My hands flew to my head, and I yanked on my hair…motherfucker…three keys!

  “Holy fucking shit. Three kilos.” I blurted out. “A week before Jacob was killed an anonymous tip was called in about some cocaine that was found in an alley. Jacob was the first on the scene, which was odd because we were off duty. He said he heard the call and was close by; there were three kilos.”

  “Three keys of my coke. You don’t steal three keys of coke without being put in the ground. I told him not to do it. That I would not die because he was a goodie two-shoes sellout pig. I told him! He knew I would tell my crew who stole the drugs. Jacob just laughed. He was a cocky prick and thought that stupid badge would protect him. All it did was get him dead.”

  Jimmy sold his own flesh and blood out.

  I couldn’t stop the memories from rushing back.

  It was Jacob’s birthday. He was so excited to get home. He knew Ava had something big planned. She was never any good at keeping secrets and had been inadvertently dropping hints for days. All he had talked about was that Ava must be pregnant, and he wasn’t supposed to know. He knew his wife would be upset if she had known she ruined the surprise. Jacob being the man he was remained silent, he would’ve never spoiled her fun. I had never seen a man love a woman so much.

  In my mind, the only man that would ever come close to loving her as much as Jacob did was Reid. I had watched Reid over the last four years slowly making his move. I would’ve put a stop to it, if I thought for one second he wouldn’t love her the way she deserved. Her and JJ both. I wasn’t lying to Reid when I told him Jacob would be happy it was him. Jacob respected Reid, both as a man and as an investigator.

  After Jacob’s murder, it was Reid that helped me get through the pain of losing my best friend. Unfortunately, he understood all too well.

  Rick slammed his laptop shut pulling me from my thoughts.

  “You need to hear this, boss. Dustin unwrapped all the money bundles. There were trackers in two of them. No doubt it’s already been tracked. Jimmy’s crew knows what a fuck up he is. There is no way they wouldn’t’ve been trackin’ that shit on an hourly basis. I would expect more company soon,” he explained.

  “Fuck. Just give me the money back.” Jimmy now sounded like the whiny little bitch he was.

  “Have the trackers been disabled?” Reid asked Austin.

  “Hell, no. Everyone knows better than to disable them here.” Austin answered.

  This could get ugly faster than we were ready for. “Hey, dip shit, do something right for a change. Give Austin the address in Redding where the money is supposed to be delivered.” I tried to get Jimmy to talk.

  “Go fuck yourself, pig. Remember when Ava and Jacob Junior die, just like Jacob did, their blood is on your hands.” Jimmy sat staring at the wall.

  Jimmy was going to die, and soon.

  “Have Dustin drive the trackers up to Redding. Tell him to leave them anywhere that is abandoned. Reformat the security footage drive, smash it, then take the shredded paper bin out back and burn it along with the drive. Lots of lighter fluid.” Reid instructed Austin and turned to me. “You do what you need to do. I’m taking Ava and JJ out of here. Roni will be leaving for the day. Austin and Rick are at your disposal. The trash dump is vacant and ready for use. It’s yours if you want it. We all have your back, brother. You know I would love nothing more than to help you, but Ava and JJ are my priority.”

  I gave Reid a chin lift in acknowledgment.

  “One last thing, Jimmy. Who else did you piss off? Vandalizing Ava’s house seems like someone just wanted you to know you’re being watched. If the Diamonds were here already and they thought you had double-crossed them, you’d be dead.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jimmy answered.

  “Piece of shit!” Reid spat out and slammed the door behind him.

  That about summed Jimmy up, a piece of shit.

  “You two ready to roll?” I asked Rick and Austin.

  “Yep.” They answered in unison.

  “You won’t do anything. You’re a fucking pig. Hurry up and take me to the station so I can be processed. You and I both know I’ll be out in a few hours, and when I do, Fuentes will be my first call. He’ll slit your throat, and after that, he’ll find Ava and JJ. Think about that copper. Or you can give me my bag, and I’ll be on my way.” Jimmy mustered up all the false bravado he had. He knew Fuentes wasn’t going to bail him out of this. He was bluffing. He wanted the money so he could run.

  Jimmy had no idea that the words he just spoke were exactly what I needed to absolve myself from any guilt I might’ve felt after I killed him. I would’ve been willing to live with the guilt, but now, I’ll go to about my life with a clean conscious. This was no longer about avenging my best friend’s murder; this was about necessity. I needed to keep Jacob’s family safe. Ava and JJ would not be harmed.

  “You’re right Jimmy. Let’s move this along. The faster you’re processed, the sooner I can stop breathing the same air as you.” I bluffed. This fucker wasn’t going anywhere near the station.

  ***

  “Where the fuck are we?” Jimmy thrashed around in the backseat.

  No one bothered to answer him. We pulled to a stop in front of the run-down shack that Reid liked to call a cabin and parked.

  “Seriously, Mac. What the fuck? Just take me to the station. I won’t call Fuentes. You’ll never see me again.” Jimmy jerked in his cuffs in the back seat.

  The reality of the situation was sinking in. Good. I hoped the little shit was pissing in his pants. A loud cracking sound had me turning around in my seat.

  “Motherfucker wouldn’t sit still,” Rick said as he sat back in his seat, rubbing his elbow.

  Jimmy’s nose had blood pouring out of it, dripping off his chin and landing on his lap.

  “You broke my Goddamn nose,” Jimmy yelled.

  Rick just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. “Stupid fuck, be happy that’s all I broke. I’m leaving the fun stuff for Mac,” Rick taunted.

  Rick opened his door and yanked Jimmy across the backseat and out of the car. Not caring that Jimmy fell to the ground and was struggling to get to his feet. We were in the middle of the T
ennessee Valley outside of the Golden Gate National Recreation Center. The bastard had nowhere to go he could fight to stand all he wanted. Hell, he could get to his feet and scream for all I cared. There was no one to hear his pleas.

  Reid purchased this particular piece of property because it had one valuable feature. A fallout shelter. There were very few bomb shelters in the San Francisco area. With two major fault lines running through San Francisco, earthquakes made it impossible to have basements and underground shelters. However, this piece of property was fitted with the shelter back in the 50’s. Surprisingly, it had survived many major earthquakes.

  Austin grabbed one of Jimmy’s arms and pulled him up to his feet. His face now covered in blood and dirt.

  “You don’t have to do this. Keep the bag. I swear to God you’ll never hear from me again,” Jimmy begged.

  “Changed your tune already? I thought you were at least man enough not to start begging for your lousy life until the gun came out. Pussy,” Austin spit out in disgust.

  “Where is all your big talk now, fuck face? Take it like a man, and shut your mouth,” Rick added.

  I did not take pleasure in Jimmy’s fear like I thought I would. The gravity of what I was about to do weighed heavily on my mind. Taking another man’s life was not without consequence. I had to take a moment and think about the ramifications of my actions.

  Before I killed James Kelley, I had to be morally straight, clear in mind and heart. Would I be willing to go to jail for the rest of my life if I got caught? To keep JJ and Ava safe, abso-fucking-lutely. Could I live with myself knowing I killed my best friend’s brother? Again, the answer came fast, yes I could.

  “Let’s go, Jimmy.” I grabbed his other arm and started walking him towards the house.

  Austin let go of the arm he was holding. “You want company down there?” he asked.

  “I got it from here. You and Rick have helped enough. Probable deniability and all that,” I answered.

  “You know that doesn’t mean shit to us right?” Rick said and pulled a 9mm with a silencer attached out of the waistband of his jeans. “It’s clean, and there’s already hollow-points in the magazine. We wouldn’t want a ricochet down there.” He winked handing me the gun.