No Limit

by L. P. Dover

  “We do in Charlotte. Maybe one day you can check it out.”

  All she did was smile and give me a nod.

  My statement had been made to gauge her reaction to Charlotte, but she didn’t give me much to go on. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but the last thing I wanted to do was freak her out. I needed to talk to her about what we were going to do when the case was over, but everything that came to mind made me sound like a selfish fool. I didn’t want to let her go, but I couldn’t ask her to give up her life in Maine either. The question was . . . what would I be willing to give up to join her?

  I had no clue what to say to Jason’s remark. I would love to visit Charlotte, but for what, a weekend? That would be the only time we’d see each other. Two days here, two days there. Would that really work? I didn’t know what to say so I smiled and nodded my head. By the look in his eyes, I could tell it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. But what did he want me to say?

  Kyle’s fight was amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it. After he kicked his opponent’s ass, he joined us at the bar for a couple of drinks. While Jason and Kyle were immersed in a conversation, Megan slid her stool closer to mine. “How do you like Vegas?”

  I shrugged. “It’s okay. I’d probably like it more if it wasn’t for work. Having to deal with the people we’re investigating really makes me lose faith in humanity.”

  “Trust me, I know. I’ve dealt with my fair share of pain. You and Jason seem to click really well with each other. How long have you two been working together?”

  “About six weeks.”

  She choked on her drink. “Really? Wow, I thought you two knew each other longer than that.”

  I shook my head and finished the last of my screwdriver. “I’m from Maine. Jason actually hated me when I showed up at his doorstep.”

  She nudged me in the side. “Don’t worry, that’s how Kyle and I were at the beginning. I despised him. And now look at us, we’re engaged. Are you two serious now?”

  “For the moment.” We continued talking and I realized we really meshed well. I couldn’t say that about many women. All my life I had only guy friends. It was nice having a female my age to talk to. Not wanting to have this conversation with Jason beside me, I nodded toward the dance floor. “Want to dance?”

  Placing her hand over heart, she stood. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  I slapped Jason on the shoulder. “Going to dance. Don’t be jealous.” Before he could say anything, I took off with Megan and smiled over my shoulder at him. He and Kyle both turned around in their stools so they could watch us.

  “I think we got their attention,” she shouted. Jason watched me with his heated gaze and I shivered. Megan moved closer and grabbed my hands. “I think he just answered my question.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked over at the guys and then back to me. “That boy is in love with you. It’s written all over his face.”

  “I know he loves me, that’s not the problem.”

  “What is then?”

  “We live too far apart.”

  She rolled her eyes and twirled me around. “So? You can always relocate.”

  “True, but he hasn’t even mentioned it. I don’t even know if that’s what he wants.”

  “And you’re afraid you’ll look needy if you bring it up first?” I nodded, realizing it for the first time. She twirled me around again and pulled me close, her voice right by my ear. “Things will all work out. I’m a firm believer of that. Before you leave Vegas I have no doubt this conversation will come up. All you’ll have to do then is make a decision.”

  “What if we don’t talk about it before we go our separate ways?”

  “Then if it’s meant to be you’ll find your way back to each other.”

  “You and Megan seemed to get along well,” Jason mentioned, grabbing my hand. He ended up dancing with me for a while at the club, but then we left to spend the rest of the evening by ourselves. We were at the very top of the Stratosphere, gazing out at the city of lights below us.

  “We did. It was nice having a female my age to talk to. I grew up kind of being a loner so I didn’t have that many girlfriends. I guess you can say I wasn’t the prom queen type.”

  “You’d never believe it now.”

  “What about you? Tell me about your life at home, your friends. What kind of house do you live in?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “I don’t know where to begin. Where I live is actually a small city right on the outskirts of Charlotte. My house isn’t much. It’s just a three bedroom ranch, but I own the ten acres it’s on. I know that’s probably small compared to what you’re used to.”

  “No, I think it’s great. When I picture Charlotte, I think of the tall high rises and horrible traffic.”

  “Which is why I don’t live in the big city. I like having my own space where it’s quiet. My friends are what makes it home for me though.” He pulled me in close. “Would you believe I’m good friends with the Carolina Cougars?”

  “The football team?” I asked.

  “Yep. We all hang out at this tavern in town. It’s one of the best places to eat in North Carolina. After I helped one of their players on a case, I became really close to them. It’s funny because all the people from home are like my family.”

  “Sounds amazing.”

  “It is. Now, where my best friend is concerned, you’d either love him or hate him. Luke’s a motocross racer and a complete jackass at times, but he’s never let me down. When my sister died, he was right there for me. It was hard when my parents blamed me for her death.”

  “I can imagine. Sometimes I blame myself for my parents’ deaths. If I’d only ran faster for help or tried to find something for a weapon.”

  Jason gripped my shoulders, turning me to face him. “You’d be dead right now. You were only eight years old.”

  “I know. I just wish I would’ve tried harder.” A tear slid down my cheek.

  “You can’t beat yourself up over that, Aylee. I have scars all over my back from the fire, but I know I tried my hardest to save my sisters. That’s all that matters. The same goes for you. It might’ve taken you a few years, but you got your revenge. The fuckers who killed your mother are dead.”

  More tears fell and he wiped them away. “I know something’s bothering you. What is it?”

  I shrugged. “Lots of things I guess. Once this is over, you have so much to go back to. I’m envious. I have my uncle and the B&B. And now my best friend moved to New York.”

  He brushed the curly tendrils away from my face. “I thought you were a loner.”

  “I don’t want to be anymore.”

  Holding my face in his hands, he lowered his lips to mine. I held him tight and didn’t want to let go. “It doesn’t have to be like that, firecracker.” He kissed my temple and spoke into my hair. “Let’s get back to the hotel and we can talk about it. Then afterward, I’m going to make love to you, all night long. I hope you’re ready.”

  “I’m more than ready.”

  Hand in hand, we walked toward the elevators and I took one last look at the glowing city below. It was strange how something so beautiful could be filled with corruption, violence, and death. I was ready for the waiting game to be over and I knew the end was coming. Once off the elevators, we walked out to his car and drove the four miles back to the Bellagio. Instead of the valet parking, he drove us to the parking garage – which was almost full – and parked the car himself.

  “Is there a reason you don’t like using valet?” I asked curiously.

  We got out and started toward the elevator. “I don’t know. I guess I don’t feel the need when I know I’m capable of parking myself.”

  I held onto his arm. “Good answer. I admire that you’re not like some of the people here. I’d be parking the car myself too.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “And that’s why this is going to work.”

  When we got to the elevator, I instinc
tively reached for my gun and realized I’d left my purse in the car. “I need my purse. Hold the elevator, I’ll be right back.”

  Putting his foot in the door, he pulled out the key fob and pressed the unlock button. I watched the lights flash and hurried over to open the door. Before I could get there, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was wrong and it was close by. I’d been dealing with evil for a long time and I could always tell when it was near. I turned around to find a man dressed in black with a hat hung low over his eyes, sneaking up behind Jason with a two by four in his hands.

  “Jason, look out!” I screamed. I tried to get the words out but my voice felt like it was moving in slow motion while the rest of the world moved on fast play. Jason didn’t even have time to react before he was hit in the head with damaging force, his body dropping hard to the ground. I could see his blood on the two by four and rage consumed me. I wanted to run to him to see if he was okay, but the attacker started toward me.

  My hands shook with fury and I sprang into action. Ripping open the car door, I reached for my purse but a searing pain exploded in my head. My vision blurred. What the hell? Then it hit me when another blow knocked me to my knees. There were two people.

  Before the last blow dragged me into darkness, I looked over at Jason. He lifted his head and I heard his voice scream out my name before I fell into nothingness. He was alive . . . that was all that mattered.

  Pain and darkness.

  Whatever I was lying on was uncomfortable and felt like a ton of bricks. I tried to open my eyes and realized I was blindfolded. My hands and feet were secured by what felt like cable ties biting into my skin. The room spun and bounced as if there was an earthquake, but by the sounds and smells around me I was in a vehicle, most likely a van of sorts. There were people talking but their words were jumbled together and I couldn’t make sense of their conversation.

  All I knew was, I didn’t have my gun and I had no clue where they were taking me or who the hell they were. The car bounced forward and my head hit the floor, the pain causing me to hiss. But that wasn’t the only thing I felt. There was a body beside me. Was it Jason? My captors grew silent and it wasn’t long before I felt the presence of a person hovering above me.

  “I see someone’s awake,” the voice said low.

  I froze and tried to concentrate on the voice. Everything was so loud and my head throbbed to the point of agony. Fingers grazed along my cheek and then I felt a needle pierce the side of my neck. Whatever was inside burned through my veins and made everything feel heavy. I couldn’t move and the voice whispering in my ear grew farther by the second.

  “We have a long drive ahead of us. When you wake up, that’s when the fun’ll begin.”

  Before the medicine could knock me out, I breathed in and gasped. I knew who it was, I recognized her by the smell of her perfume.

  Machines beeped and the smell of alcohol made my nose burn. I thought I’d wake up to a fucking nightmare, but instead Ryan Griffin sat across a hospital room with a glum look on his face. I jerked up and the machines went on alert. Ryan rushed over and pushed me back down on the bed, but I grabbed his shirt, pulling him to me.

  “Calm down, you idiot or they’ll pump you full of sedatives.”

  “Where’s Aylee?”

  Huffing, he jerked his shirt away from me and backed up. “We don’t know. The car she was taken in was found in a parking lot just down the road. It was one of Drake’s.”

  “Does she have her gun?”

  “No, it was found in your car.”

  “Fuck!” I tried to run my hands through my hair, but couldn’t because there was a bandage and a zing of excruciating pain when I touched the back of my head. “How long have I been out?”

  He cleared his throat. “A little over a day.”

  I felt like I’d been sucker punched in the gut. “A day? Do you have any fucking idea what she could be going through right now?”

  Ryan sighed. “You have a concussion and we thought maybe a skull fracture but the x-ray came back fine. Thankfully, you have a hard head. I have everyone on my team trying to find her.”

  My body shook with rage and the machines started to go on alert as I ripped the IV out of my arm. “Have you looked at the video cameras in the garage? There were two people. One attacked me and the other went after Aylee.”

  Ryan sighed and helped me off the bed. “I knew you were going to be like this. Did you get a good look at them? We couldn’t see shit in the video.”

  Pain exploded in my head when I shook it. I brought my hands up to hold my head still. “I didn’t get a good look at the person who attacked me, but I did see the one who hit Aylee. The body clearly wasn’t a man’s.”

  “Are you saying it’s a woman? Who the fuck could it be?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.” My clothes were in a bag on the counter. Pulling them out, my shirt was covered in blood. Before I could put it on, the door burst open and a couple of nurses charged in.

  “Mr. Avery, what are you doing?” one asked. She was a stout woman with short brown hair and a masculine build.

  Baring my ass to the room, I ripped off the hospital gown and put on my jeans. “I’m getting out of here.”

  “You have a concussion and we need to run more tests to make sure you’re all right. If I have to call security I will.”

  I threw the bag in the trash and stalked toward her. The other nurse backed up but she stood firm. “You can call security, but nothing’s going to stop me. I’m the only one who can find my partner and I’ll be damned if I let you or anyone else stand in my way. You can run whatever fucking tests you want when she’s safe.”

  Ryan pulled out his badge, showing it to her. “I’m Ryan Griffin, Chief of Police. You can let him go.”

  The woman stepped aside and I rushed past, followed by Ryan. My whole body ached but I didn’t give a damn. I’d run a fucking marathon if I knew it would get Aylee back home and safe. “Where’s my phone?”

  “It was smashed on the ground when we found you.”

  “Goddammit,” I shouted, punching the elevator button. “Take me to the hotel. I can use my laptop. What about my gun?”

  “It’s in my car.”

  “Good, I’m going to need it.”

  Pulling up to the front of the hotel, the valet attendants gave us a wide berth; especially me considering my shirt was covered in blood. I ran through the lobby straight to the elevators with Ryan on my heels.

  “What if I’m too late?” I rushed into the elevator, pacing like a caged animal. “Fuck, how could I be so goddamned stupid?”

  “We’ll find her. Just do what you have to do and we’ll be on our way.”

  “I sure hope you’re right.” The elevator doors opened and I ran to our room. Once inside, I booted up my laptop and rushed to find a change of clothes. My hair was matted with dried up blood but I didn’t care. Ryan grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and set it beside my laptop.

  “Drink something. I can’t have you dying on me before we get there.”

  I sat down and my fingers went ninety miles an hour as I typed in the codes. It was something I’d learned a long time ago.

  “What are you doing?”

  “When Aylee was brought into this mission, I put trackers on her personal items. It was the only thing I knew that would work.” I continued to type away and was almost there.

  Ryan slapped me on the shoulder, figuring it out. “Well, I’ll be damned. Does she know?”

  I shook my head, remembering that night all too well. “We argued one night and I left. I didn’t really leave, I just went downstairs and blew some money away. After my head cleared, I snuck into her room and inserted trackers into her things. The main one being her gun but that doesn’t help, considering she doesn’t have it. Now all I have to do is pray that she’s wearing one.”

  Taking a deep breath, I typed in the last button and waited on the results to calculate. One by
one, the trackers started to show up on the screen. Most of them were in the hotel with one out in the parking deck that was most likely her gun still in my car.

  “Is that all of them?”

  “No . . .” I zoomed out and found a blinking light. “There she is,” I said, zooming back in so I could pinpoint the address. It was three fucking hours away. “Jesus. We need a helicopter, now. Can you get one?” Slamming the laptop down, I put it under my arms and stormed toward the door.

  “Where is she? I’ll call it in.”

  Rushing down the hall, I felt everything crushing in all around me. If anything happened to her I was going to make sure someone paid for it. The elevator door opened and I marched inside, my body coiled and ready to fight. “Arizona. Now get me the fuck there.”

  I drifted in and out of consciousness, not knowing for how long or what day it was. My head still hurt but I was actually on a soft bed this time and not just thrown on the floor. What I really wanted to know was if it had been Jason beside me in the car. And if it was, was he okay?

  My arms felt heavy but my wrists weren’t tied like they were in the vehicle. Air conditioning blew across my bare skin, making me well aware that I was only in my bra and underwear. I was afraid to open my eyes for fear of what I’d see. When I opened them, I was met with darkness. Only a small amount of light was filtering into the room through a crack in the door. There were no windows; no possible route of escape.

  Voices could be heard in the next room and I immediately recognized the high pitched whine of Georgia Blackwell. I remembered her voice in my ear and the smell of her perfume. As soon as I got the chance, I was going to put a bullet through her fucking brain. The other voice, however, sounded vaguely familiar, but it definitely wasn’t Drake.

  The bed creaked as I moved across it, my feet touching the cold and smooth floor. My stomach rolled with the smell of death permeating the air. Not many people could pinpoint the odor, but after witnessing horrific murder scenes it was a smell you couldn’t forget.