Taking Jake

by Kelly Moore

  “John…she’s gone. Zoe’s gone.”

  “I know.”

  “Did you find Jake? Is she with him?”

  “They’re not here. But I know where they are. I’m heading there now,” I say into the phone as I damn near run through the overgrown forest.

  “Be careful, John. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I hang up the phone and slide it back into my pocket, ready to track down Jake and Zoe and put an end to all this shit.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jake

  “Oh my God, Zoe, are you okay?” I rush over to her and pull her into my arms, and then I feel the stickiness on her face. I pull back to look at her. “I will fucking kill them!” I run to the door and beat on it with my fists. “You fucking cowards! I’ll kill you for touching her!”

  “Jake, I’m okay,” she says, wrapping her arms around my waist, trying to calm me down. “I’ve been so scared. Are you okay?”

  I turn in her arms to hold her. “I’m fine, but they are not going to be when all this is over.” I brush her blonde hair that is stained with her blood out of her face and kiss her lips. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I think so. I was having some sharp pains in my belly earlier, but they’ve stopped.”

  I take her hand and pull her over to the small two-seater, beat-up sofa and sit down beside her. “How did they get you?”

  “I went to the house to pick up some papers, and they were inside. I shot one of them in the foot, and the other one was too strong for me to fight, and I didn’t want to hurt the baby.” She starts crying.

  “Shhh…it’s okay. I’m going to get us out of here one way or another.”

  She digs in her pocket and places something in my hand. “This is the only thing I could find to use as a weapon.”

  “Good thinking. The bolt is long enough that it could do some damage.”

  “Have you been kept here the whole time?” She looks around the room as she brushes the tears from her pink cheeks.

  “No, they moved me. I think they suspected that I got word to John about where to find me and they changed locations. I’m not sure if I’m on the same island or not, but I think this place will be easier to break out of. All the windows have been boarded up, and at least I’m not behind a steel cage anymore.”

  Her tears start to flow harder. “I’ve never been so scared. I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”

  I kiss the tears streaming down her face and holder her tighter to me. “I’m not missing out on this little one or you. You’re my life, and I would kill to get back to you.” I pull her into my lap. “I promise that I will die before I let anything happen to you and the baby.”

  “I want us all home, safe and sound,” she says, then winces in pain, holding her stomach.

  “Are you having contractions?”

  “It’s too soon.”

  “I’m getting you out of here now!” I stand and grip the bolt in my hand. “Stay right here and close your eyes. I don’t want you to see what I’m about to do.” Walking over to the door, I beat on it with both my fists. “We need help in here!”

  I take a step back and get ready when the doorknob turns. As soon as he steps inside, I drag him through the door and put my body against the weight of the door to shut it and grab him around the neck from behind. He drops his gun, and I jab the bolt into his eye. He lets out a piercing scream and bends over, holding his face. I scramble for the gun, and as I dive for it and roll over, he lunges toward me, and I squeeze the trigger. He falls face-first on top of me with a bullet hole to the chest.

  The other guy bursts through the door, and I take aim. “Don’t shoot,” he bellows and throws his gun on the ground.

  “Get over there.” I point to the far side of the room. He moves slowly with his hands in the air. I get off the ground and take Zoe’s hand with my free hand and pull her toward the door while keeping aim on him. “Throw me the keys to your car,” I tell him.

  He tosses them. “It won’t start.”

  “Don’t come after us or I will kill you too.” I drag Zoe through the door and shut it behind us. “You can open your eyes now.”

  She does but bends over in pain. “The pain is getting worse, Jake.”

  I pick her up in my arms and carry her to the car, laying her in the back seat. I climb in the driver’s side and put the keys in the ignition, but it doesn’t turn over. “Fuck!” I yell and get out and open the hood of the car. I glance over at the rundown house, and the guy is looking out the front door. I take aim with the gun and shoot it in his direction, hitting the door as he slams it shut.

  I pop the hood of the car quickly to figure out why it won’t start and fix a couple of the wires. I get back inside, and it starts up. Zoe lets out a scream as the engine turns over.

  “The baby kicked me hard!” Fear is radiating from her.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’m getting us out of here.” Placing my arm on the back of the seat, I put the car in reverse, sending dirt and dust flying into the air. When I get to where I can turn the car around, I see the guy come out of the house aiming a gun at us. I throw it in drive but feel the pop of the tire as he shoots.

  “Keep your head down,” I tell Zoe and take off. The car bounces out of control with the flat tire on the dirt road. As I round a corner, I catch sight of a motorcycle just in time to serve out of the way. It sends us bouncing into a ditch, straight into a tree. The airbag flies out and slams into my face, dazing me.

  I come around when Zoe cries out in pain again. Someone is opening the back door, and I scramble out of the car sweeping my gun toward whoever it is.

  “It’s me, Jake. Don’t shoot.” John’s hands go in the air.

  I lower my gun and shake the fog from my head and so relieved to see my brother’s face. “Zoe’s in labor. We have to get her to the hospital.”

  We both hear the click of the gun. “Don’t fucking move.” The guy from the house has his gun pointed at my head. “Drop your gun.”

  I look at John, hoping like hell he has his. He glances over to the motorcycle, and I see his black duffel bag and know we are screwed.

  My captor keeps the gun aimed at me and opens the back door. “Get out of the car,” he tells Zoe. She crawls out, and he yanks her into his side. “I said drop the fucking gun!”

  “Okay, man. Don’t hurt her.” I toss the gun in the bushes. “She’s in labor and needs to go to the hospital.” I keep my hands in the air.

  “That’s not my problem,” he snarls.

  “It will be your problem if the baby dies,” John says. “Knox didn’t instruct you to kill anyone, especially an innocent child.”

  He bends his neck to the side, cracking it. “Well, if you would have done what he told you to do, she wouldn’t have been taken.

  John steps around to the back of the car with his hands in the air. “Let her go, and you can keep me.”

  The man chuckles. “No way in hell do I want to keep you prisoner. I’ve heard stories about you.”

  “Then keep me and let him take her to the hospital.”

  “No,” Zoe cries out.

  “You still have a job to finish,” he tells John.

  “I’ll take her to the hospital, and then I’ll free Knox, but you need her alive. Brooklyn needs her to help with the cure that Knox is looking for.”

  He contemplates what John is saying to him. He walks with Zoe over to John’s motorcycle. He keeps the gun aimed at her and takes John’s bag off the bike. “You”—he waves his gun at John—“take off your belt and strap his hands behind his back.”

  John hesitates. “Just do as he says,” I tell him. He removes his belt, and I place my hands behind my back.

  “It better be tight,” he snarls again.

  Once he’s done, he tells John to step back. He walks toward me with Zoe and shoves her at John while grabbing hold of my arm. “Get her out of here, and I’ll be in touch with Knox to make sure you’re doing your job. If not, you can k
iss this one goodbye.”

  “If you hurt him, I will hunt you down and slowly kill you.” It’s the first time in a long time I see the killer in John’s eyes.

  “Just take care of her and make sure the baby is okay,” I tell him.

  He pulls me away, but I keep looking back to see Zoe. John is helping her straddle the motorcycle. I watch until I hear the roar of his bike, and he takes off with Zoe’s arms wrapped around his waist.

  He shoves me all the way back to the little house, pushing me inside. I trip over the other man’s body and land beside him. His eyes are fixed, and there is a puddle of blood pooling around his body. My stomach rolls, knowing that I killed a man.

  “You’re lucky I need you alive, or you would be dead right alongside him.” He kicks me in the side and then goes outside.

  I lie on the floor with my hands bound behind me. All I can do is think about Zoe and hope like hell John can get her to the hospital in time.

  Chapter Fifteen

  John

  I’m sitting at Zoe’s side, one hand in hers and the other covering my eyes so the doctor can check the progress of her labor. I would’ve loved to be out in the hallway for this, but she wouldn’t let go of my hand. I have to be here for her any way I can, so here I sit, hoping and praying that I don’t see or hear anything I shouldn’t.

  “Okay, Zoe,” the doctor says. “John, you may open your eyes now. She’s all covered.”

  I remove my hand slowly, peeking in small amounts just to be sure he’s not trying to trick me. Once I see the blanket at the foot of the bed, I remove my hand completely and sit upright instead of being scrunched down in the chair.

  “It looks like you are in the very early stages of labor.”

  “What? No, I can’t be going into labor yet. Jake isn’t here!”

  The doctor holds up his hand. “This could take hours or even days. I suggest you go home and relax. When your contractions are closer together or your water breaks, come back.”

  She takes a deep breath and nods before the doctor leaves the room. “What are we going to do, John? We have to get Jake out of there.”

  I look over at her and brush a stray hair from her face. “I will. I’m going to take you back to my house so Brooklyn can keep an eye on you, and then go after Jake. I have to hurry before they try moving him again.”

  She nods as she sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “Hand me my clothes.

  I turn and grab her clothes off the table and pass them to her. “I’ll be outside when you’re done.”

  I make my way into the hallway and pace back and forth while waiting for her. Somewhere in the middle of my pacing and being lost in my thoughts, a nurse’s voice pulls me away.

  “Can you believe that? Now tell me, why would they put such a dangerous man in a minimum-security prison. Someone had to know he would bust out eventually.”

  My pacing stops, and I turn toward her voice. I take a few steps in her direction to find her in a patient’s room, standing in front of the TV.

  Without thinking, I walk into the room and turn to look up at the TV to see the words, jailbreak, scrolling on the screen over and over. The announcer is going on about not picking up any hitchhikers, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen. The images are flashing from the police, to the guards, to the prisoners all behind bars while they cheer for their fellow inmate.

  “Who broke out?” I ask the nurse, still not averting my eyes from the TV.

  “That big pharmaceutical bigwig, Knox,” she answers. “Hey, don’t I know you? You’re the one that led to his arrest, aren’t you?”

  I don’t answer her. I spin around and head for the door, nearly bumping into Zoe. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, I just need my discharge papers.”

  I take her arm and lead her down the hall. “No time for that.”

  “What’s going on, John?” she asks once we’re in the elevator.

  “Nothing for you to worry about. I’m just in a hurry to get to Jake.”

  It doesn’t take long before I’m leading Zoe through the house. I sit her down on the couch and walk into the kitchen to find Brooklyn pouring a cup of coffee. She spins around to face me, and I immediately notice the dark circles around her eyes. She’s been working too hard and not getting any sleep.

  “John! Did you find Jake and Zoe?” she asks, rushing into my arms.

  “Zoe’s in the early stages of labor. She’s on the couch resting.”

  “And Jake?”

  I shake my head and walk her a few more steps into the kitchen, so Zoe doesn’t overhear what I’m about to tell her. “They still have Jake.” I place my hands on her biceps and level my eyes on her. “Knox broke out.”

  “What?” she asks, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “I had to take Zoe to the hospital, and I saw it on the TV. That means he’s coming here for the cure.”

  “But…but it’s not ready!”

  I pull her against my chest and hug her to calm her nerves. “I’m afraid he will have no use for Jake anymore. I have to get to him before he’s killed.”

  “What? This is what you’ve been keeping from me since we left the hospital?” Zoe says, rushing to my side.

  Damn it. I didn’t want her worried any more than she already is. I turn to face her but keep Brooklyn at my side. “It’s okay, Zoe. Knox just got out. It will take him some time to get here. I can get Jake and be back before he arrives.”

  She’s shaking her head while tears flow freely from her eyes. “If he’s out, what if he’s already had him killed?” Her legs give out, but Brooklyn and I each catch an arm before she hits the floor.

  I help her back to the living room. Just as she sits down on the couch, she grabs her stomach and calls out.

  I turn around to face Brooklyn. “I need you to keep an eye on her. Time her contractions. If they get closer together or her water breaks, get her to a hospital even if I’m not back with Jake. Got it?”

  She nods and follows me to the door. “John!” she calls out, stopping me.

  I stop and to see her come running up to me. Her arms are wrapped around my neck, and her lips are against mine. “Be careful. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked. Don’t let anyone in while I’m gone.” I lean in, press one more kiss to her lips and walk out the door.

  I stop by my shop and load up with guns and ammo since I lost all mine. I’m going to kill the guy, save my brother, and get my guns back.

  After I have a handgun strapped to my body and another riffle on the bike, I’m taking back off to save my brother. Nothing will stop me this time. I feel like a dumbass for being caught off guard to begin with. Running into them like that took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to crash into them, nor was I expecting Zoe to be in labor. I admire Jake for what he did; I would’ve done the same thing, but now it’s time to get him out of there. I missed L.J. being born, no way will I let him miss out on an experience like that. All I hope is that he’s still alive and in the same place. There is no time to waste.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brooklyn

  “Zoe, lay down and take a nap. I need to go back to the lab. I feel like I’m so close to the cure, but I’m having a hard time staying focused with everyone’s lives in danger.”

  “Let me go with you. I can help.” She gets up off the couch, holding her lower belly.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “I’m not going to be able to rest knowing that our men are still out there. Jake looked so tired, and I know this ordeal will change him forever.” She looks down toward her feet.

  “Jake is tough. He’ll be fine.” I run my hand down her arm.

  “He killed a man today. I know when he stops to think about what he did, it will weigh heavy on him.”

  “Jake did what he had to do to get you out of there. He would do it a million times over if it meant saving your life. Jake has
been through hell and back with us. He’s a survivor.”

  “I know you’re right. I’ve just never seen him angry much less in an all-out protective mode.”

  I take her by the hand. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up a bit. Maybe a warm shower will settle you down enough to rest.”

  She follows me up the stairs. “I think a shower is a great idea. I’d love to get this caked-on blood out of my hair.”

  “Take as long as you need. I’m going to go back downstairs and put on a kettle of your favorite green tea.” She goes into the master bathroom, and I shut the door behind her. I know I need to get to the lab, but I can’t leave her. I’m going to have to take her with me.

  After setting the kettle on the stove, I lean against the counter and bite at my nails. I’m missing something in the process for the cure. Maybe I need to turn up the hertz to cause the plaque to disintegrate. The sound vibrations need to be stronger. I can refigure my calibrations to increase the intensity.

  The kettle whistle gets my attention. Placing the tea bags in each mug, I pour the steaming hot water into each cup. I place them on a bamboo tray along with some cheese and crackers and head up the stairs. When I walk into the room, Zoe is sitting on the edge of the bed with a towel wrapped around her and one covering her hair.

  “I don’t have any clothes over here to change into,” she says, squeezing the ends of her hair with the towel.

  “I’ll get you a pair of John’s sweatpants and a T-shirt.” I place the tray on the bed beside her and rummage through John’s dresser drawers. “These will work until we can run by your house for you to change.”

  “I’ll be glad when I can wear my own clothes again.” She laughs, taking the clothes from me.

  “I remember that feeling well. I didn’t think after Jack that I would ever be able to fit back into my clothes. It seemed so much harder.” I take a mug and sit next to her. “I think with L.J., I was so stressed, the weight fell off me, but with Jack, I was fat and happy.” I take a sip of my tea.