by Kelly Moore
She leans her wet head on my shoulder. “I’m so glad you had Jake when L.J. was born.”
“I don’t know what I would have done without him. I’m glad he has you now. He deserves to be happy. Go get dressed so we can go to the lab and put our heads together and I can keep an eye on your contractions.”
“They were a little more intense when I was under the warm water, but they aren’t as bad now.” She gets up and goes into the bathroom to get dressed.
I hear the chirping the front door makes when it’s being opened. I glance down at my watch; John hasn’t been gone that long to be back already. I tiptoe to the bedroom door and quietly close it, locking it shut. I pat the pocket of my jeans. “Damn it.” My cell phone is downstairs. I rush over to John’s side of the bed and pull on the drawer of the bedside table. John always keeps a gun close by, but it’s locked because of the kids. I feel around for a key but can’t find it.
“What are you doing,” Zoe says when she sees me on all fours.
I raise my finger to my lips. “There’s someone in the house,” I say in a hushed voice.
“Maybe Jake escaped.” She throws down the towel and heads for the door.
“Zoe, no!” Before I can stop her, she unlocks the door, and it comes crashing open, pushing her against the wall.
“Well, well, look who I found,” Knox says, pointing his men toward me.
I scramble to my feet to be at Zoe’s side. “Get away from her!” I scream.
His men yank us apart and tie our hands behind our backs. Knox stands only steps from me. He reaches out and brushes my hair back out of my face. “God, no wonder John fought so hard to get back to you. You get more beautiful as the years have passed.”
“And you’re still an ugly bastard,” I snarl.
He has a sick smile on his aged face. He reaches toward me again, and I latch onto his hand with my teeth. He screams out in pain as I feel his flesh tear from his skin as he pulls away. He strikes out with his other hand, slapping me across the face. “You bitch!” he yells as I fall back against the wall. One of his men snatches the towel off the floor and wraps it around Knox’s hand. I watch as his blood soaks through.
“I should have known John would never be married to a woman that wasn’t a fighter like him,” he growls. Grabbing me hard by the arm, he pulls me to my feet. “You are going to give me what I want, or I’m going to kill her and the baby right in front of you.”
“John will be back any minute.” I say it so hard, spit flies in his face.
“I waited and watched him leave. With the amount of weapons he was loading, I’m sure he’s going after your brother-in-law. My men will stop him before he even gets to his brother.”
“No!” Zoe shrieks, but I’m not sure if it’s from his words or if she’s in pain.
“She’s in labor, Knox. Let her go, and I will willingly go with you.”
“She is not going anywhere.” His men drag us to the door and down the stairs.
“You know John will never be caught by your men again. If you hurt either one of us, it won’t matter what cure you have. He will kill you with his bare hands.”
“If you don’t give me the cure, your children will be orphans! Now shut your damn mouth and tell us where your lab is!”
“You’re a man of many means, and you don’t know where the lab is?” I snicker. I know I shouldn’t taunt him, but hate is brewing in my gut for this man.
He is almost nose to nose with me. He starts to point his finger in my face but thinks better of it. His expressions are seething to the point his face is turning red. He takes a step back, reining in his temper. “You will not open your mouth again other than to tell me the location of your lab.” He cuts his eyes in Zoe’s direction, and one of his bulky men pulls her head back by her hair, causing her to yelp.
“Okay. I’ll take you there, but you have to promise not to hurt her.”
He grits his teeth, and I see a slight nod of his head. I give him the address, and he puts us both in the back seat of his black SUV. One of his men gets in the back with us and keeps a gun pointed at us at all times. Knox gets in the passenger seat and plugs in the address of the lab into his GPS that is displayed on the dash.
“Are you all right?” I whisper to Zoe.
“My contractions are getting stronger,” she says, biting her lip. She has a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.
“I will give him what he wants and get you to the hospital.”
“You don’t have the cure,” she whispers.
“He doesn’t know that.”
Chapter Seventeen
John
I ride back over to the property as quickly as I can. Knowing Knox is out, and is probably on his way, I didn’t want to leave Brooklyn. But with Zoe in labor, I have to get to Jake now more than ever.
I’ve already tried the sneak-up approach, so this time, I ride the bike right up to the front door. No element of surprise here. I’m tired of fucking around. I cut the engine and just as I’m swinging my leg over my bike, two men barrel out of the door, guns aimed. I jump and roll to hide behind the black SUV that’s parked in front of my bike while pulling my gun out from my waistband. I get down on my knees and peek under the vehicle. I see their feet, and they are running around the vehicle in opposite directions to better their chances. I shoot one in the ankle, causing him to fall, just as the other man rounds the front of the car. I shoot him in the head; he falls lifeless to the ground.
The other man, he’s lying on the dirt, screaming in pain and holding his ankle. I walk around the vehicle and point my gun at his head. “Where’s my brother?”
“He’s inside!” he yells.
“Give me the key.”
“Fuck you,” he spits out.
I cock the gun, causing the bullet to fall into the chamber. The sound is enough to put anyone on edge, especially if the gun is being pointed right at your face.
His eyes grow wide, and he starts digging around in his pockets for the keys. He pulls them out and holds them in the air. I grab them and slide them into my pocket. “Let’s go,” I say, pulling him up by this shirt.
“Where?” he asks, hobbling on one foot.
“You really think I’m going to leave you out here alone to call for backup?” I push him through the gravel. “Now, take me to my brother before you end up like your partner out there.”
He leads me through the house and back to the cell Jake’s being held in. I unlock the door and shove the man through it, causing Jake to turn in our direction. “John! What are you doing here? Where’s Zoe?” He rushes toward me.
“She’s at home. Let’s get you out of here. I’ll explain everything later.”
The man I pushed into the cell rolls over on the floor to look at me. “Don’t leave me here. I’ll die.”
“Should’ve thought of that before you decided to work with a known felon.” I close the door and lock it, dropping the key on the floor so if the bastard is lucky enough to have someone come here looking, maybe they can save his ass before he dies.
I lead Jake outside, and we both hop on my bike.
“You do that?” he asks, pointing to the man on the ground.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I say, kicking the bike to life.
Without another word, I shift into first gear and twist the throttle, giving enough gas to soar through the air at record speed. The bike is loud, being pushed to top speed, and the air in our ears is so loud we can’t talk on the ride back. I’m sure Jake is wondering why I’m driving so recklessly, but I have to get back home before Knox shows up to find the girls alone.
We pull up a while later, and the second we stop, I cut the engine. Jake is in just as big of a hurry as I am. He’s off the bike and rushing toward the front door. I put down the kickstand and run to the house. How’d he get in? That door was locked. Knox has already been here. I run through the house, yelling Brook’s name, but there’s no answer. I meet back up with Jake in the living room.
“They’re gone, man. Where’d they go? Do you think Brook took her to the hospital?”
My eyes fall on the TV where I see a news broadcast. The words, prisoner escaped and could be in area, scrolls across the screen. “I don’t think so.” I nod toward the screen.
Jake pushes past me to watch the TV. “Knox is free?”
“He knew I’d never do it. He had a backup plan. And now he’s coming for the cure. Come on. We need to check out the lab.”
We both run back out the door and jump on the bike. I’m about to push the button when I finally realize that we no longer need to be on the same bike. I look over my shoulder. “Get your own bike. Both our asses on one is slowing us down!”
“Right, sorry,” he says, jumping back off and running toward the garage.
While I wait, I pull out my phone and call Brooklyn’s and Zoe’s phones. They both go straight to voicemail. I’m sliding the phone back into my pocket when I hear the roar of the bike and the garage door open. I kick my bike to life and shift into gear just as Jake’s pulling up to my side.
“Let’s go.” We both twist the throttle and shoot through the air, heading for the lab.
I lead us to the lab and stop a few hundred feet away, to scope out the place. The building is quiet, but there is a strange black Hummer parked out front. The windows are so dark I can’t make out if someone is inside or not.
“What are we waiting for?” Jake asks, coming up behind me to peek at the building.
“We can’t just walk in there. We need a plan.”
“The fuck we do. Zoe is in there, and she’s in labor.” He takes a step forward, but I stop him by putting my hand on his chest.
“Knox isn’t going to kill them. Brooklyn doesn’t have the cure as far as I know. If he kills her, he’ll never get it.”
“Yeah, if he kills her. What’s stopping him from killing Zoe? I’m going in there, man, whether you like it or not.” He pushes past me, heading toward the lab.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath as I chase after him.
I’m checking out the surroundings as we draw closer to the building, but I don’t see anyone on guard. That’s strange. Knox should know better.
There are no windows in the building, and there are only two exits — one in the front and one in the back. Brooklyn only uses the back to keep from being seen as much as possible. The front is always locked, so I direct him to the back.
The door is made up of metal; no window is in the door. There’s no way to get a visual inside the building. I put my ear to the door, hoping to detect who all is in there.
“This is ridiculous, man. Just go in. They might not even be here.” Jake pushes my shoulder, trying to get me to move.
I stand up straight when I hear, “Freeze.”
Slowly, we turn around, and we’re face to face with the two men holding guns at our heads.
My anger makes my blood boil. I knew he had to have someone on watch. If Jake hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have found them and taken them out before they even saw me.
“Hand over your weapons,” one of the men says.
I grind my teeth together as I dig around my body, handing over every last gun I have hidden. While one man holds the gun on us, the other searches us with a quick pat down. When he’s happy that we have nothing, he pushes us inside.
“Look who we found.”
Brooklyn, Zoe, and Knox all look up.
“Jake,” Zoe says, breathing out from her position in the desk chair. She’s holding her stomach and breathing heavily. I can tell labor is getting closer.
“Brook.” I rush toward her and pull her against my chest. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, John. Are you okay?”
I nod, not taking my eyes off Knox who’s standing there, watching us like we’re his favorite TV drama.
He smiles wide. “Now that we’re all caught up, why don’t you come over here with me, John, and let Brooklyn get back to work.”
I look at her. “Did you figure out the cure?”
“I’m close,” she says, but there is something in her eyes that I don’t understand.
“John, now,” Knox says from behind me.
I press a kiss to her forehead and release her to get to work as I walk back over to Knox. The second I’m close, one of the guards draws his weapon and aims it at me.
Knox holds up his hand, silently telling him to lower the weapon.
“How’d you get out?” I ask.
He shrugs and laughs. “I’m a pretty important guy. I have my ways…no thanks to you.”
I shake my head as my jaw twitches with anger. “You knew I’d never do it, didn’t you?”
He lets out a menacing chuckle. “You played your part just like I knew you would. I knew you’d leave your wife alone to save your brother. What I wasn’t expecting was this.” He motions toward Zoe. “Her being in labor is a problem. She’s hampering my progress. I should kill her and the little brat she’s carrying.”
I step toward him with my teeth bared but retreat when I hear the sound of a bullet fall into the chamber.
Knox snorts. “Take it easy, John. As soon as this gorgeous wife of yours has what I need, we’ll be out of your hair.”
“It’s not that simple!” Brooklyn yells from behind her lab equipment.
“You better hope you get it figured out and soon. I’m a wanted man. I need my cure so I can leave the country and disappear forever.” He looks at me. “Just think, this could be the last time we see one another. Makes this meeting a little bittersweet, doesn’t it?”
“The only thing stopping me from killing you once and for all is the fact that my dumbass brother rushed in here half-cocked. I would’ve had your men killed by now, and I’d be coming for you.”
He opens his mouth to reply, but Zoe lets out a scream that gets all of our attention.
“Better hurry, Brooklyn. It seems we’re running out of time.”
Brook looks up from her work. “What is it that you want from me? You expect me to put this cure together in a rush just because I have a gun on me? I haven’t been able to figure it out, and I’ve been working on it for years!”
He trains his eyes on her but doesn’t talk.
“Are you really going to inject something that hasn’t been tested into your body. It could kill you immediately. These things take time!” she says, sternly.
Knox pulls his gun from his waistband and aims it at her while taking a step forward. “Time isn’t something we have!”
“Hey.” I jump in front of the gun, more than willing to take a bullet so Brooklyn doesn’t have to.
Zoe lets out another painful scream.
“I think the baby is coming. Her contractions are getting closer together,” Jake says, looking at his watch.
I look at Knox. “She needs to go to a hospital…unless you want to be the one to deliver the baby.”
“No! Nobody leaves.” He waves the gun around at each of us.
I hear a gasp and turn around to see a confused look covering Jake’s face.
“My water just broke. This baby is coming now,” Zoe says.
I look back at Knox. “I hope you took some medical classes while you were in prison because it looks like you’ll be delivering a baby.”
He aims the gun at Brooklyn. “She can do it.”
I look over my shoulder at her and back. “If she does it, that’s time wasted on finding your cure. She needs to go to the hospital,” I try again.
“Fuck!” Knox screams, pacing the floor.
We all stand around and wait for him to make his decision. “Fine.”
Jake helps Zoe stand and moves slowly to the door.
“But not you.” He points at Jake, and they stop.
“What? She’s having my baby!” Jake is seething mad.
Knox shakes his head. “No.” He looks at me. “You take her.”
“Me?” I ask, confused.
He nods. “You want her to go so b
ad, you take her.”
I try to argue, but he stops me. “You see, if this all falls apart, I’m going to kill Brooklyn and Jake, ruining two families — not just one.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jake
I release Zoe and charge after Knox, only to be grabbed by the shirt collar from John, mere inches from Knox’s gun. “You son of a bitch! I’m going with her! You will have to kill me to stop me!”
Gunfire pierces my eardrums as I feel the whoosh of the bullet shoot past my head, crunching into the wall behind me. “I’m growing tired of you not doing what you are told. You have been a pain in the ass since you were captured. I have no fucking problem killing you!” he snarls and points the gun in my face.
“Jake, it’s okay, please just do as he says,” Zoe cries.
I’ve never in my life wanted to kill someone with my own bare hands before, but right now, I can envision my fingers gripped around his throat, pressing into his fleshy skin, closing off his airway. Watching as his last breath leaves his evil body.
“I’ve seen that same look in your eyes before from John.” He laughs.
“Make no mistake,” I say, “I will be the one to kill you.”
John steps in between us and faces me. “Don’t taunt him. I will take care of Zoe. You make sure Brooklyn stays safe,” he says with his voice lowered as he is slowly moving me backward away from Knox. He mouths the words, “kill him,” and walks past me, wrapping his arm around Zoe’s waist to help her walk out the door.
“Wait,” I yell. I glare at Knox and walk over to Zoe. “I love you, baby.” I place my hand on her belly. “I love this baby, too. I’ll get there as soon as I can, I promise.”
“Just don’t get yourself killed,” she says. “We both need you.”
“If she’s not out of here on the count of three, I may change my mind about letting her go at all.” Knox waves his gun around. One of his goons opens the door and follows them out, leaving only one behind with him. He’s the size of a brick wall, and I’m not sure how I’m going to take him out, but I will. I have a moment of feeling completely helpless as the door closes behind Zoe and John, then a determination like I’ve never felt fills me. I bump Knox’s shoulder as I walk past him to stand next to Brook.