I was safe—for the time being. They hadn’t cut off the head of the snake, which told me this wasn’t over. I still wasn’t entirely sure if I was on the right side of this whole thing. I hoped I was, considering that Axel had violently kidnapped me, but it was hard to know anything for sure.
My eyes opened, and I caught Colton staring at me again. “What is going on? Please tell me. I think I deserve to know why I was kidnapped.” My voice was harsh, but I didn’t care.
He and Kevin exchanged a look. I waited for his canned reply that he would tell me later. Later had come. I wasn’t going to be put off another minute. I wasn’t going to hide out with him and pretend he was my knight in shining armor.
Colton drew in a long, deep breath. “I worked for Axel for a short time back in Boston. I had just done my last fight and wanted a steady job. He asked me to work security for him and offered me a ton of money to do it.”
I nodded, encouraging him to keep going.
“Axel is a wealthy man and tends to make enemies. He has security around him all the time, wherever he goes, guarding the big-ass mansion he lives in. It seemed like a nice, cushy job with regular hours. He owns a shitload of property and he isn’t a nice guy to folks that don’t do what he wants. I had only been working for him for about a month when I started to figure out he wasn’t who he said he was. He wasn’t the upstanding businessman who rubbed elbows with some of the city’s most influential people. His wealth hadn’t come legally. I wasn’t sure how to get out of the situation. Then, I saw how evil he really was.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to finish the story, sensing I was about to hear something horrible.
He looked at me in the mirror once again. “One night, we were out at a club,” Colton said in a dry, monotone voice. “I was on his security detail, but I wasn’t allowed into his inner circle. He had a couple guys that went everywhere with him, even to the closed-door meetings. Axel and a couple of his guys left the main area. I followed them without them knowing. I wanted to know what they were up to. I guess you could say my curiosity won out and nearly got me killed. I walked in on him roughing a guy up. He ended up shooting him.”
“Oh,” I muttered. “But why does he want you? Or me for that matter?”
There was a long sigh. “Because I witnessed a murder. He saw me standing there like an idiot. Axel wiped his hands and left his guys to take care of the body. I followed him back to the VIP section he had been sitting at and pretended nothing happened.”
“But now you’re running from him. Why? Did he threaten you?” I was trying to understand how we had gotten to where we were today.
“I showed up to work the next several days while I figured out what to do. I pretended nothing happened and so did he. Once I got shit figured out and made the plan to move here, I left in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, no one quits working for Axel. You’re either in it for life or your life is cut short. He doesn’t like to leave loose ends. He doesn’t want a witness running around that could threaten to shatter the perfect image he has created for himself. While there are plenty of people in power who know exactly what he is, they look the other way because he donates large sums of cash to their political campaigns and charities. He’s the guy they call when they’ve screwed up and need help getting out of trouble.”
“Why would you ever go to work for a man like that?” I asked with disgust.
“I didn’t know. I thought he was the man I saw on the cover of the do-gooder magazines. I had no idea what he was truly like. I took him at face value—a mistake I’ll regret for the rest of my life. However long that may be.”
“And you picked Beatrice, Nebraska to hide in?” I asked, shaking my head at my own dumb luck for hooking up with the one guy that had some serious baggage.
He smiled. “My grandma grew up here. I figured it would be off his radar. I should have been more careful. I hoped once he realized I was gone, Axel would forget all about me. I was wrong.” His voice was grim.
I nodded in understanding. He looked at me once again and I could see the regret in his eyes. I actually felt bad for him and what he had been going through. I wished he would have told me early on. It would have made a huge difference. Or would it?
I felt a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. Colton wasn’t a bad guy. I hadn’t fallen for a man with a criminal past. He was the good guy. I wanted to jump up and down, screaming while clapping my hands.
“Thank you for telling me, although it would have been nice to know that a little earlier,” I quipped.
Kevin chuckled. “I told him to tell you, for what it’s worth.”
“Thanks,” Colton muttered.
“I wish you had. I would have been more inclined to believe you when you said I was in danger.”
“I told you,” he said.
I shook my head. “Don’t even start with that. You could have said a lot more. You could have told me you were innocent. Instead, you led me to believe you were some thug on the run.”
Kevin was softly laughing in his seat.
“I’m sorry,” Colton muttered. “You’re right.”
I nodded my head once. “Damn straight I am.”
“We’ll be to the motel in about twenty minutes,” Colton announced.
“I need food. I’m starving,” I complained, beginning to feel human again. The fear and terror at what was to come had taken care of my appetite. Now that I felt relatively safe, I was famished.
“We’ll order a pizza,” Colton offered.
I nodded, dreaming about all the pizza I was going to eat. “Better make it a couple, and since this is your fault, you’re buying.”
Kevin laughed again, slapping his hand on his jean-clad thigh.
I was glad he was amused. I had had a shit day and wanted nothing more than a cold beer, a hot pizza, and a bubbly bath. I hoped the hotel had one of those big tubs. I was going to soak for hours.
Chapter 29
Colton
It had been a long night. Kevin and I had split the watch, with me taking the second half at two this morning. I could function on little sleep. I had offered to stay up all night. There was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, I didn’t think I could sleep anyway. Kevin insisted, reminding me I needed to be sharp. If I went forty-eight hours without sleep, my senses would be dulled, and Axel would get the jump on me. Surprisingly, I had managed to get a good few hours.
I saw the sun come up as I watched over the people that mattered most to me in this world, and that included Jenna’s friend, Rose. It was a little strange to have widened my inner circle in such a short period of time. Jenna had practically fallen into my life, and as much as I told myself it was a mistake, I wanted her there. She had been through hell because of me and yet, here she was, sound asleep, trusting me to keep watch.
We had decided to stay in one room last night. It would be easier to protect the women and Abby. Jenna had suggested it. I was sure she was afraid of being alone. She’d never admit it and I would never ask her to. I kind of liked that she wanted to be near me, even if she wanted to kill me at the same time. I grinned, thinking about the last time we had been together. She loved to hate me.
I glanced over at Rose and Jenna, sound asleep in the queen bed they had shared last night. Rose had proven to be a dear friend and had helped Jenna clean up while Kevin and I kept Abby occupied.
Abby had a lot of questions. Jenna told her she fell down some stairs. Abby seemed to buy the story and lectured her about being careful when she walked and to always use the rail like Daddy said. It had brought a smile to Jenna’s lips, reminding me how beautiful she was, even when she was bruised and battered with tear-stained cheeks.
When I had first seen her tied to that chair yesterday, I had wanted to kill those men all over again, nice and slow. She wasn’t in bad shape, but it was evident she had put up a hell of a fight at Rose’s apartment. Her face was bruised on one side where she said Axel hit her. Thankfully, the knot on her he
ad wasn’t horrible and she wasn’t showing any signs of a concussion, which was a huge relief. I had offered to take her to the hospital, but she adamantly refused. I wanted to ask her if she had been violated in any other way but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was going to assume she hadn’t. She didn’t mention it and I wasn’t going to bring it up.
My gaze traveled to my sweet baby girl, snug as a bug on the pull-out couch. I had brought along one of her favorite blankets to make sure she had some comfort. She didn’t appear to be bothered in the least by our vacation, as Rose had dubbed it. We ate pizza, watched a few cartoons, and did our best to give her a normal evening.
Kevin groaned before flipping to his back, his hand moving to his eyes as he rubbed them.
“What time is it?” he mumbled.
I looked at the red numbers glowing on the alarm clock. “Eight.”
He moaned and sat up in bed. “My eyes feel like sandpaper.”
I chuckled. “You got a good six hours in.”
He shook his head. “I’m old. I need a full eight these days.”
“I’m going to run into town and get breakfast. Can you keep watch on everyone?”
He rubbed his hand over his face again. “Yep. Get me some coffee. Strong.”
“Of course. Any other requests?”
He shook his head. “A lot of coffee.”
I took one last look at Jenna, thanking my lucky stars she was in one piece before grabbing my keys and heading out. The hotel wasn’t a five-star place by any means, but it did have rooms that opened directly outside. That was a plus in case we needed to make a hasty escape.
I looked around the parking lot, certain that Axel would have ambushed us by now if he knew where we were. He was going to be pissed about his guys. I smiled thinking of what he’d returned to, though it was short-lived. I had poked the bear. He was going to be pissed and seeking revenge.
The drive into the city was quick and easy with almost no traffic to speak of. I found a McDonald’s and ordered plenty of food for everyone before hitting the Starbucks on the corner. I didn’t stay gone long. I was nervous as hell being away from them. I trusted Kevin with my life but couldn’t help but feel I should be there to protect them.
When I arrived back at the motel, I did my typical scan of the area. I drove through the parking lot a few times and down the highway to see if anyone was following. I didn’t see anything alarming and decided our location had not been discovered. I grabbed the two large bags of food and the tray of coffees, knocking on the door once, then twice in rapid succession.
Kevin opened the door and ushered me inside. Everyone was awake inside the dark room. Kevin had kept the heavy room-darkening curtains closed. Abby was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with Rose and Jenna on either side of her.
The bruise on Jenna’s face was much darker than it had been last night. I hated to see the purple and black mottling her creamy pale skin. It reminded me that I had failed her. I had failed to keep her safe. It was becoming a trend in my life that I didn’t like. I couldn’t keep allowing the women who got close to me to be hurt or killed.
“Food!” Kevin exclaimed. “Who’s hungry?”
“I got biscuit and muffin sandwiches. I wasn’t sure what everyone liked. I ordered a lot, so eat up.”
“What about me, Daddy?” Abby asked in her perfectly innocent voice.
I smiled. “For my special princess, I got a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.”
She grinned. “That’s my favorite.”
“I know. Come sit at the table so you can eat. I got you some orange juice, too.”
Passing out the plain black coffees and apologizing for not knowing what anyone liked specifically, I hoped the ladies weren’t the type that could only drink fancy coffees.
“Black is good,” Jenna said, sipping the strong coffee.
Rose smiled and nodded. “Straight caffeine—perfect. Thank you.”
We all found seats in the room and chowed down on our breakfast in silence. I knew the reality of the situation was sinking in. Yesterday, we had all been scared to death over what had happened to Jenna. Now that we had gotten her back, we were in a holding pattern.
We couldn’t live in the hotel forever. Something had to happen. I looked over at Kevin, noticing he was perking up with his infusion of coffee and breakfast. Once he was finished eating, I gestured with my eyes that we needed to step outside. He nodded in understanding.
“I’m going to grab some ice and sodas from the vending machine,” I announced. “Kevin, can you give me a hand?”
“Of course.”
“Keep the door locked,” I said, looking at Jenna. “We’ll knock once, followed by two fast knocks, okay?”
She chuckled. “As if I’m going to be dumb enough to open any door ever again without knowing exactly who’s on the other side.”
I was glad she could joke about it but pissed that it was something she had to joke about. Kevin and I left, walking toward the ice machine.
“Jenna said there were seven men plus Axel,” I stated, getting right to the point. “We took out four. That means he’s still out there, planning another attack.”
“You think they’ll go back to the warehouse?” Kevin asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Probably.”
“We need to strike first. We can’t give him the chance to attack first. Four of them against the two of us.”
“We took out the first four,” I reminded him.
“We had the element of surprise on our side. Axel’s going to be waiting for us.”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but I’d prefer to do it there. I don’t want him getting anywhere close to us.”
“We do what we have to do,” he said in a low voice. “I think we need to be armed this time.”
“I agree.”
“You know, you could keep moving. Drive west and don’t stop,” he suggested.
“With all of you? He knows you’re involved. He’s going to go after you. And Rose? I don’t even know her. I can’t ask her to run away with me.”
He laughed. “But you can ask Jenna, the woman who already ran away with you once?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I can get her out of the state. She was talking about going back to school. There are schools in California.”
“Is that where you’re headed?”
I groaned. “I don’t know. I don’t want to keep running. I don’t want to constantly be wondering if he found us.”
“Then we stay and take care of this once and for all.”
I nodded in agreement, feeling a little better at having some kind of plan. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was more than what I had ten minutes ago.
We made our way to the vending machine, feeding in dollar bills and buying cold drinks for everyone. Back in the room, we sat around watching cartoons. The nervousness and tension in the room was palpable. I knew Rose and Jenna wanted answers, but I had none to give them.
“Is this our plan?” Jenna asked, waving to the room.
I knew she was choosing her words carefully to avoid Abby catching on to what was happening.
“We’re working on it.”
She rolled her eyes. I knew she was frustrated and didn’t expect anything less.
“I think your phone is vibrating,” Rose said, nodding her head toward the kitchen table where my phone was dancing.
I looked at the number. It was a Boston number, which meant it could only be one person.
“Hello?” I answered, opening the door and walking outside. I didn’t want the women or Abby to overhear my conversation.
“You’re going to pay dearly for what you did,” Axel hissed.
“What’d you think was going to happen?” I snapped.
He laughed. “You’re tough when you’re on the phone, protected. I know where you are. I know where your hot little girlfriend is, and I know where your little girl is. They’re going to pay for your crimes.”
“My crimes?!” I s
creeched at the absurdity of his statement.
“I’m not one to practice violence against women and children, but you’ve pissed me off now. I won’t show them any mercy. I’m coming for you, Colton. You can keep running, but I will always find you. The longer you run, the harder you’re making all this on yourself. That sweet little piece of ass you’ve got with you? She’s going to pay the dearest.”
The line went dead. I wanted to vomit. The breakfast I had scarfed down earlier was not sitting well. Axel was not going to stop. I knew his threats were not empty. He would follow through. I didn’t want to imagine the horrors my daughter and Jenna would be forced to experience. This was all my fault. I had brought this down on them.
I knew what I had to do. It didn’t make me happy, but I would not risk Jenna or Abby’s lives.
Chapter 30
Jenna
I hated their plan. Hated it. It was stupid and reckless, and I was convinced it would get one or both of them killed. That would leave me to protect Abby and I wasn’t so sure I was up for the job. I wasn’t ready to be an instant mommy by default. I assumed I’d be the one to take care of Abby. Maybe her mother had family.
I groaned, shaking my head. I was worrying about something that hadn’t happened.
“You okay?” Rose asked from her seat beside me on the couch.
Colton and Kevin had gone out to run an errand. I had a feeling that errand involved buying guns or retrieving guns he had stashed around his house. That was another discussion we were going to have, assuming we all made it through this thing alive.
“Yeah, my thoughts are running in a million different directions.”
She scoffed. “You and me both. If I call in sick another day, I’m going to be out of a job.”
“I’m sorry. This is so unfair to you.”
My hand stroked through Abby’s hair as she sat between us. She had to be going a little stir crazy, sitting in this rather cramped hotel room for nearly two days. I knew I was.
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