by Lauren Wood
Chapter 2
“I have no choice. I’m going to have to keep you in my sights. That means you’re going to have to come with me to the exchange. I can’t have any surprises and the best way to avoid that is to make sure that they can’t use you against me.” Jordan looked at the woman that had changed everything and wondered if he was making a grave error in judgment. He had never got emotionally connected to any of those bought and paid for girls. It never became a pretty woman kind of scenario, so what made Lila anything special. She said that she was nothing, but he didn’t see it that way.
“I’m a little afraid to go with you. It’s not because I’m afraid to die, because that has already been burned out of me a long time ago. I’m afraid of seeing you in your element and watching you work. I don’t want to feel differently about you, but it seems that that would become possible with seeing the kind of things that I’ve only heard about.” I don’t want to tell him, but I believe that I might be pregnant with his child. This would definitely be a newsflash. I can’t believe that a man like him could care for me and maybe he’s the one for me. I asked him to stop at a pharmacy and now I’m waiting for the results of the test. I’m almost positive what they’re going to be. I have no idea how a man like that could bring me joy, but I found something and I wasn’t going to let it go easily.”
“I know that it’s a risk and that it’s possible that you’ll see me differently afterwards. If everything goes according to plan, then you won’t have anything to worry about.” He was loaded to bear with those two knives now placed within the scabbard at his ankles. He had the Brass knuckles and the wire in his belt ready to go at a moment’s notice. “As long as we can do this under the radar, then they shouldn’t be able to act quick enough to be of any consequence.” Jordan was going through the scenarios in his head one after the other. He played every angle making calculations and adjusting on the fly to account for any variable that might stand in his way.
“I need to use the washroom before we go. Call it a nervous bladder.” He shrugged his shoulders and she took that as a sign that he really didn’t care one way or the other. “I won’t be long. I’m sure that you want to get going, as soon as possible.” “I know what it’s going to say, but I really don’t have the guts to put my child’s life in jeopardy. My life means nothing to me and I’ve known for quite some time that my death was going to come long before I turned old and gray. I think things have changed and seeing that positive reaction on the stick is definitely the most terrifying thing that I’ve ever seen in my life. I have to tell him, but maybe I should wait until after he helps those girls find a better life.”
Jordan knew that Lila was nervous, but he had no idea what was going on behind closed doors. He pulled the case from underneath the bed, lifting it and then opening up that black case to see the pieces that would fit together nicely. He oiled the parts and then put them together and took them apart, almost as if he was doing it with his eyes closed. He knew that all plans have a way of changing, but he was good at predicting all those things that could possibly go wrong. He had made the necessary phone call and the rest was a matter of all the pieces falling into the right place at the right time. “I hope that you are ready. Don’t think, just because you locked the door that I’m not going to break it down and take you with me by force.” He really didn’t like the tone of his voice, but it was something that was living inside of him.
“I said that I was coming with you and I meant it.” “I had every right to face him and he had the right to know that he was going to be a father. I need him to be at its best and the only way to accomplish that is to keep my mouth shut for the time being. I wish that I didn’t have to do this, but I know how protective and possessive he can be. I love that about him. It is what has made him the man that he is today.”
“I have everything that I’m going to need. I’ll coordinate with Melanie. I’m afraid that she is not going to be unscathed by any of this. It’s unavoidable. It might seem unpleasant, but this is the way that it has to be. I will take care of those that get in the way. I will do it from a distance and hopefully they won’t even know that it’s me taking care of things on my end.” Jordan had everything ready and he looked over at Lila and saw that she was chewing on her lip. It must’ve been some kind of nervous habit and one that he was going to have to help break her of. He wanted her to be hardened and not just from life, but from a teaching technique that he had gotten from his mentor.
“Be sure that you really want to go through with this, Jordan. I won’t think anything less of you, if you don’t want to go against the hand that feeds you. You do know that your freelance days will be over. He’ll make sure that your name is blacklisted. I’m sure that you have other avenues and that you have taken precautions over the years to set you up for life. I only know that, because I would’ve done the same thing in your shoes.” “I was giving him this way out, but I was really hoping that he wasn’t going to take it. He seemed like an honorable man, but I think deep down I didn’t want anything to happen to him.” Lila looked at the gun in the case and she had every reason to believe that he was a sharpshooter.
“I do have military training. I was taught how to kill, but it was my mentor in this business that taught me how to do it without putting a face to the name. You’re lucky that he only wanted me to marry you. He could’ve asked me kill you and I would have done it that first night looking through your window, as you had that conversation with Melanie. I’m very proficient at reading lips and I know that you’ve already thought about running away. I guess you’re getting what you want, but not in the way that you wanted it. I need you to pull your weight and normally I would do this myself, but with you here, I don’t have to. Grab that case and say goodbye to the life that you used to lead. I understand the sentiment for getting a clean slate, but we can’t do that without cracking some eggs first.” Jordan couldn’t even imagine what Jamison was going to do when all hell broke loose. He would want to shelter himself from any kind of scrutiny and the only way to do that was to eliminate anybody that might know anything about the flesh trade business. He would kill those that he considered friend, just for the opportunity to survive and live out his life in the lap of luxury with Melanie. Then again, Melanie was secondary and if he were to have to throw her to the wolves, then he wouldn’t hesitate for a second.
“I really don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I really want to. I have no idea how I’ve changed your mind, but I’m glad for it. I thought that I was trapped and the only way out was to gnaw my arm off metaphorically speaking. You could have walked away, but you’re still here. There has to be a reason for that.” I had no idea how I made him care for me. I didn’t want to take his freedom, but by doing this, I was making it impossible for him to live the life that he usually lived. He was going to have to change. I wasn’t even sure if he’s capable of that kind of change.”
“I think I can honestly say that I’ve been blind for too long. I never considered anybody, but myself. I never thought that I could be happy, but maybe I was too far gone to give a damn. Like you, I also had a certain part of myself burned out a long time ago. You awakened something, but a part of wishes that you left it dormant. Once this is done, there is no going back and our lives will never be the same again.”
Jordan went to the window half expecting to see an army outside his door. He was always a bit paranoid, but that was the way that he kept himself alive all this time. He never allowed anybody to get close, except for Lila and she was the exception to the rule. He had several rules that he followed diligently and he was breaking every one of them by doing something like this. He had the strength of 1000 soldiers deep in his heart. He could become something of a weapon. He never wanted what other people had, but now he was actually thinking about the white picket fence.
“I don’t even know how to convey to you how much this means to me.” “I want to tell him that I’m in love with him, but I’m not even sure what that means. I
don’t want to be apart, but does that really equate to the three little words that every man and woman is begging for their partner to say? We both have issues and demons that lurk within our heart and our mind.”
“I want you to fully comprehend what we are about to do. I could easily leave those women to their fate. I don’t have to lift a finger, but I’ve already started the process. These girls will be safe, but unfortunately Melanie will pay the price. There are two schools of thought. One, she will be captured and made to testify against Jamison. I don’t think that she’s going to do that. She will show her loyalty by staying quiet, but Jamison will see her, as a loose end. She’ll die in prison at the hands of some bitch that was tasked to take care of her for a price. It most likely will be something to keep her family fat and happy on the money that will find its way into their account.” Jordan was laying out the probabilities. He didn’t want her to be under any delusion of what was going to happen.
Jordan was broken, but he was free to do whatever he wanted to do. His mind had shattered and the fragments that were left behind made him the killing machine that had been able to put people on notice. He was almost 40 years old. He was feeling his youth and vitality diminishing by the day. With that came a certain realization. He knew that there would be somebody to take his place. He knew that eventually someone would be called upon to take care of him, as a final test. He had been through it himself. He was foolish to think that it wasn’t going to come back to revisit him.
“I am mad at you for making me feel this way, Jordan. I should be trembling to your touch and I am, but for entirely different reasons. I should be scared and wondering when you’re going to turn your particular skill set towards me. I hope that day never comes and I doubt very seriously that you will be able to kill me after everything is said and done.” “I can see the confusion in his eyes. He doesn’t know that I hold my own secret. He’s the type of man that would never lay a finger on the mother of his child. He didn’t know that, but he was about to find out sooner than later. I had to be very careful about how I told him and I didn’t want to spook him.”
“You are not the only one that has been affected by all of this, Lila. You would be wise to remember that.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward him in a forceful way that made her giggle with appreciation. “I know that you want some, but it’s going to have to wait. I think I just wanted to feel your body one last time, in case something happens. I have accounted for everything, but there is always something that can put a wrinkle in any plan.” Jordan strummed his fingers along her spine, grabbing her ass with both hands to keep her close. He felt her yearning for his touch and for the taste of his lips, but he was going to have to leave her wanting.
“I think I forgot how much all of this has made you feel something for the first time. You had your heart locked up tight and then I came along with the key. I should be sorry for that, but I’m not. There are things in my past that I regret, but it was a matter of survival.” “I had waited all of my life to see who I was going to be. Those demons needed us to finally left them go, but that was easier said than done. I had been conditioned to be a certain way and I don’t think that I know any other way. Normal guys would think of me as damaged, but he doesn’t see me like that. I think for the first time somebody notices me.”
“By the hands on my watch, I do believe that it’s time that we hit them where it hurts.” Jordan kissed her, holding her tight and running his hands down over her taut little body. He released her and motioned for her to come with him. This was only the beginning and the end was going to be bloodier than they could even imagine.
Chapter 3
“Jordan, I have no idea what took you so long to get here, but Jamison isn’t very happy. When he assigns an assignment, then he expects the person to be prompt and punctual. You reputation really does precede you. You strike fear in the hearts of men and women alike. The boat should be here very soon to pick up the cargo. The girls are a little restless and the sedative that I put in their food is slowly wearing off.” Melanie was wearing a trench coat and peering into a pair of binoculars. She could see the boat in the distance and it wouldn’t be long before they had another shipment on its way to Saudi Arabia.
“I consider myself to be a professional. You can count on me to make sure that everything goes according to plan. There will be no surprises.” He knew that he was lying, but there was no way to tell Melanie that her days of living in the lap of luxury were almost over. “I don’t think there was a reason to bring him along.” He was referring to Dylan, a cocky playboy wannabe that had the girls eating out of the palm of his hand. It was his charm and that bewitching smile that made it impossible for women to turn him away. He was their greatest asset, but to Jordan he was despicable in more ways than one.
“What is it? Who did she bring with her?” Lila was right beside Jordan on top of the hill overlooking the dock. Everything looked like tiny ants and she had no idea that the worst mistake of her life had finally raised its ugly head. “Whoever it is has made Jordan very quiet. He’s usually quiet in the first place, but this is something different. I can see it in his eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that he has murder on his mind.” Had Lila known that Dylan was there, Jordan would not be the only one that had murder on his mind. He was the one that brought her into this nightmare. He was the one that made it possible for those men to get their hands on her.
Jordan knew that telling Lila was out of the question. He would lose whatever control he had over her. She would undoubtedly do something stupid and put them all in jeopardy. He wanted to tell her and she deserved to know, but doing so would only compound the issue. “It’s an old rival of mine and I prefer that his name remains nameless. I never thought that I would see him again.” Jordan was well aware that Dylan was not all sunshine and lollipops. When push comes to shove, he could be downright ruthless. He cared nothing for the girls and they were a paycheck that continued to grow by leaps and bounds.
Jamison was known to pay handsomely for the best. Dylan had this way of becoming the equivalent of the pied piper. Instead of rats being led to a sunken ship, he was bringing these impressionable girls into a life that they would never want to wish on their worst enemy.
“I don’t know if I believe you, Jordan. You’re obviously trying to keep something from me. I’m no fool and I would rather be forewarned than be hit between the eyes with some kind of surprise. Trust me to deal with whatever you have to say and maybe I will do the same for you.” Lila was referring to the baby in the oven. She felt bad about keeping something this momentous from the man that she had begun to see, as more than just a lover. He was an amazing lover. That was quite evident by what he had already done to her inside that mustang. They had definitely christened it in the right way.
In his earpiece, he heard Melanie “I think that it might be of good idea that you don’t come down here. Jamison told me that you don’t like Dylan and believe me nobody really does. He’s a necessary means to an end and when he out lives his usefulness, then he will be terminated with extreme prejudice. He has been in business with us for the past five years and we’ve already seen a decline in the amount of women that he has brought to us. We have our eye on a younger model.” Melanie had her hands in the pocket of her long coat. The boat was coming into port. It would be no more than a few minutes.
Jordan was listening for a sign that the telephone call that he made was not in vain. He was going to have to act and let the chips fall where they may. His first target was going to be Dylan and seeing that smug look wiped off his face by a bullet penetrating into his brain stem was going to give him immeasurable pleasure. He was sure that if given the chance, Lila would have loved to be the one to pull the trigger. He was sure that there were a lot of girls that would have loved to be in the position that he was in. Looking down the barrel of the gun and seeing Dylan smiling would have made them take him out permanently.
“By not saying anything, you�
��re saying a lot more than you think you are.” Lila pulled on his shirt sleeve and got a glaring response. She raised her hand to show him that she meant to be no threat. “I hope that I never see that look again for as long as I live. It made my blood run cold and my heart literally stopped a beat.” She could see that he was concentrating heavily. It seemed to her that there was a switch that went off in his head and now he was that deadly assailant that nobody would want to meet in a dark alley.
“I’m afraid that I’m going to have to do something that will make them scurry.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tooth pick. He stuck it between his teeth, moving it back and forth with the agility of his tongue. He peered through the scope and he had a bead on Dylan’s face. He was this close to rearranging it, when he heard the distant sirens. He turned his attention to the boat and fired off a shot that was not suppressed by any silencer. The echoing blast made both Dylan and Melanie cringe. They hunched down to take cover from whatever enemy might be out there.
“Jordan, we are under fire. We need your help.” Melanie was talking to the one that was doing the firing. She had no idea that Jordan had turned his back on his profession and on those that considered him to be above reproach. “I don’t know where it’s coming from. There has to be a sniper nearby. I hear the police coming. Dylan and I are going to make a run for it.” She really shouldn’t have said anything of the sort. The response that she got was two shots to the back of the tire of the van with one barely grazing Dylan’s cheek.
That was by design. Jordan cracked a smile at seeing the man child begin to weep like a little girl. He was not a man and he didn’t deserve to wear big boy clothes. He was a coward with his only interest being money.