by S. K. Lessly
“Fuck!” Josh yelled.
He knew once he got out of here and got Kenya to a safe place, he was going to kill every last person associated with this Cartel.
“Start looking,” Shane said quickly.
They had less than two minutes now, and they both moved out in search of some other place they could have put Kenya. Josh called Junior. They were running out of time.
"Are we close to her?"
"Yeah, you’re like right on her man. Also, we got company," Junior replied back.
“Shit!” Josh looked at his brother and hung up the phone. Josh met the questioning look from Shane, but his question was answered when he heard commotion and yelling to put down weapons. Josh said to his brother, “Junior says we are right on top of her."
Josh and Shane looked around the room then Josh looked down at panel under his feet. Time was ticking away.
The tiles underneath him seemed normal to him. They were long panels with screws in all four corners of each panel. He was running out of time in more ways than he knew it, he could feel it.
“There.” Shane pointed.
There in the far corner was a panel that looked the same to the eye, but when you moved closer, it looked slightly different than the others. He moved quickly and tried to figure out a way to open the panel. It was sealed tight. Josh quickly studied the screws and noticed those too seemed to be new compared to the other panels.
“Stand up and put your hands in the air.”
Josh and Shane looked back to see Diane and her team, along with Jacks standing behind them.
“Don’t even think about moving, Josh,” Diane barked.
“Listen to me… There is a bomb that’s set to go off any second. I’m not leaving here until I have Kenya, and she’s buried underneath that panel. You are going to have to shoot me because I’m not leaving her.”
Jacks moved to the area Josh signaled and found they had less than fifteen seconds.
He called out, “We are toast no matter what we do.”
Jacks looked closely at the bomb and the wires coming from the trigger. His eyes followed the wires as he pulled the switchblade from his pocket.
“Josh, no matter if you can get to that panel, we all will be dead anyway. The panel is wired as a second trigger, and once we move this panel the bomb will start again. We have to do this quickly or we’re done.”
Josh nodded and moved to the panel. Jacks resumed looking at the bomb. He disarmed it in less than three seconds left. Then he moved quickly to the panel.
“Slowly and carefully loosen the screws, yeah?” Jacks told him.
Josh nodded, pulled out his Ka–bar knife and did as he was told. Jacks was an expert in bombs, setting them and disarming them. Josh knew Jacks had everything under control. Despite what happened between them, the man knew his job.
Both men worked together to unscrew all four of the screws. Then Jacks slowly moved his fingers in the grooves of the panel to find the wires.
He found one and followed it to where he hoped the trigger was.
He looked up at everyone in the room and said, “We only got three seconds before this blows, I need everyone…”
Suddenly, Jacks was cut off by a huge explosion that rocked the room. The shudder of the blast threw everyone to the ground, and debris fell on top of them.
Josh was knocked to the floor, ears ringing and his head on fire. He called out to his brother and didn’t move until he felt his brother grab him on his leg.
“Shit Josh!” Jacks exclaimed but realized if he couldn’t hear himself think, Josh couldn’t hear him either.
Jacks pushed some falling debris and a ceiling beam from his legs and crawled to Josh. Josh saw him coming and was about to ask what happened when he pointed to where the panel they were about to move used to be.
“Sweets!” Josh yelled and crawled to the large hole in the floor.
He couldn’t see in the darkness, but he didn’t care. Because of the debris from the roof, he was able to use that to climb down in the darkness.
Lead me to her, God, please.
He saw a small pin light behind him and saw Jacks had followed him down. He turned back, and that’s when he saw her. She wasn’t moving. Some debris had fallen all around her. He moved some items out of his way so he could get to her.
He crawled over to her and gently called her name, “Sweets.”
She didn’t move. She had her back to him, so he climbed around, and the moment his eyes fell on her face, he felt like his whole world collapsed.
“What did they do to you?” he said softly. He moved her hair away from her sweat soaked face and forehead just to have a reason to touch her. “God, baby, do you hear me?” He asked again.
He leaned closer to get a feel of her injuries.
Her face was so swollen if he didn’t know her intimately he wouldn’t have been able to recognize her. One of her eyes was closed shut and swollen. The other eye was just staring out into nothing. Blood was caked up on her face, arms, and her nose looked as if it was broken. Her breathing was labored because of her nose, and no doubt the way she was kicked, he knew she had some internal injuries. As Josh laid down on his side next to her, he could see the life leaving her with every breath she struggled to take.
“Fuck me!” he heard Jacks whisper behind him.
“We can’t move her. Go and get fire and rescue down here,” Josh said to him but kept his eyes on Kenya.
“I’m on it,” Jacks replied back and moved back up to the debris to the level they came down from, seeking help.
Josh reached for her hand and caressed it lightly. “Sweets, baby, it’s me. I’m here. You’re safe…”
He heard her whimper, and it seemed as if she was trying to move away from him.
“No, no baby, don’t move okay. Stay very still.” He finally saw her eye move. He touched her arm, trying to sooth her, letting her feel him. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. You’re safe, Sweets.”
She groaned and whispered over and over again, “I’m sorry.”
Josh had to move closer to her in order to hear, and once he did he shook his head.
“No, baby, you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault. Do you hear me?” He touched the top of her forehead. “It’s my fault baby, not yours. I shouldn’t have left you that night. I shouldn’t have…”
His words caught in his throat as his emotions finally got the better of him. He wanted to hold her, to make her pain go away, but he couldn’t. Helplessness was never something he handled well, and it was eating away at him.
“Josh…” she whispered.
“I’m here, baby, I’m not going anywhere. Do you hear me?”
He moved closer to her and lightly kissed her on her forehead. Her whimpers of agony and pain were breaking his heart bit by bit. When he saw her eye closing he spoke a little louder, panic lacing his voice.
“No baby, stay with me. Help is coming… Okay, don’t give up on me, baby, do you hear me? Don’t give up… Shit, Kenya, please…”
He lightly touched his forehead with hers.
“I love you, Joshua…” he heard her whisper and panic settled in…
“Sweets, please just hold on for me. If you do love me, you’ll hold on okay… God, I need you baby please…” he whispered, letting go, and for the first time since he was a child, tears began to fall from his eyes. He didn’t stop them. “God, I love you so much… you’re breaking my heart. Baby, please stay with me.”
Josh took a deep breath, and trying to think of something to keep her with him said softly, “I… I met your parents…but uh… I don’t think they like me very much…” he chuckled when he heard a soft hum come from her lips. He knew she was still with him. He continued. “I met your brother though, and well, he seems to like me somewhat. He’s actually upstairs, a little bit of a badass but a good man. He loves you. I can see it.”
She hummed again. This was a huge encouragement that he needed.
He
said, “You have no idea who else I met… your grandparents…” he waited for a hum or any type of response but didn’t get one. He continued though and said, “They actually sought me out. You wouldn’t believe where they work…”
Jacks stood quiet while he watched one of the toughest, fearless and ruthless men he knew fall apart. He had to admit he was beginning to do the same. He realized the moment he fucked up was when Josh left Kenya’s family home. He was played and ended up losing two very good friends, and family, and he would never get that back.
But watching the agony Josh was going through right this moment, he had an idea that would at least get him on speaking terms. He climbed back up the debris, giving Josh his time alone with his woman and started searching for the very man he would employ to help.
The paramedics finally arrived, and Josh moved back giving them just enough room to work. He wouldn’t move too far away from her, and he didn’t let go of her hand. He figured as long as he held some part of her she would know she wasn’t alone.
It was tricky getting her back up the blown out hole, and even trickier getting past the debris from the bomb blast and a few bodies of members of Diane’s team. Josh helped with the gurney, and when they were on level ground, Josh’s brothers joined him at his side. They didn’t say a word, just followed him, waiting to be there for him just in case he faltered.
The paramedic told him where they were taking her, and he nodded.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to be right behind you. Just concentrate on getting better, beautiful.”
He stepped back and watched as they lifted her up into the ambulance. He didn’t move when they closed the door or when they drove off lights and sirens.
He said to no one in particular, “I want a body on her when she gets to the hospital and at all times, even if I’m there or not.”
“Already handled bro… I’ll let you know when I’m settled and keep you posted until you get there.” Malcolm walked in front of his little brother and placed both hands on his shoulders. He looked deep in Josh’s eyes and said, “I will guard her with my life. No one will ever get close to her again. You have my word… She’s family, and we take care of family… You go do what you need to.”
Malcolm squeezed his shoulder once then walked away with Misty at his heel. Josh gave her a questioning look, and she smiled and gave him a thumbs up confirming she was fine.
Josh took a calming breath and nodded. His head was killing him from the debris that fell, so he knew he needed to get checked out. But after that… he was going hunting… He looked in Shane’s eyes and saw he would definitely have company on this hunt, and he welcomed it…
Kenya
My eyes snapped open, breathing hard as I struggled to bring my heart rate and blood pressure down to normal. I had another nightmare of me running from darkness and coldness that seemed to be at my heel no matter how hard I ran.
I ran my hands through my damp hair and pushed it away from my face. I swung my legs out of heaven aka this huge king size bed and goose feathered comforter and placed a shaky foot on the floor. I started to shiver and looked over at the open window but refused to close it. Instead I tore off the egregious soaked t–shirt and threw it in the corner.
I don’t move to get up right away. I’d been dealing with equilibrium issues for months now, and I still sometimes got dizzy by standing up too fast. As you may imagine, it’s been rough for me. It was four months from today that I was kidnapped, and saying it has been an uphill battle ever since is an understatement.
I moved to the dresser and pulled out another t–shirt, grabbed the goose down and headed for the deck that was off the bedroom. I loved coming out here, even though it’s cold as a freaking iceberg. But hearing the waves crashing against the surf soothed me and allowed me to accept the darkness around me, odd I know. I wrapped myself in the comforter and gazed out into the night.
So let me give you an update on what happened to me. As I mentioned before, giving up was something I was starting to embrace. There seemed to be no hope in sight, but there was one thing I didn’t count on… the unwavering love and undying devotion one man has for me. Much to my surprise, the moment I was resounded to never seeing Josh again, I heard his voice call me. At first I thought it was just a dream. The loud explosion I just knew did the job finally, and I was dead. But feeling Josh’s voice through me, feeling his touch, his lips… I thought I was in heaven.
I cannot begin to tell you how good it felt when he touched me. I mean, God, it felt so amazing to feel his presence, his strength. That’s when I knew I hadn’t died, and I wasn’t dreaming… He came for me. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure if he could. I mean, I hoped he would be able to find me, but as the time passed and after the beating, I had lost hope.
I was comforted by the idea of having the opportunity of finally finding that love everlasting. God granted my prayers, so I thought that was it. I would be seeing HIM the next time I opened my eyes, but as Josh lie next to me and began talking to me, telling me how much he loved me and needed me, I’d never felt so much love from anyone in my life.
As he talked to me, I closed my eyes and just concentrated on the sound of his voice. It soothed the pain I was in and relaxed me. I knew he had me, and it wasn’t because he said so. No, it was the feeling I always got whenever he was close. It was the feeling of being safe and protected, knowing that as long as I was with him, no one would touch me.
The next time I opened my eyes I was no longer in a pit surrounded by darkness. I was in a bright room surrounded by light and windows and looking at the back of a woman I didn’t know. I was about to say something when I realized something was preventing me from talking. I went to grab at it when I heard a deep male voice.
“Ma… she’s awake.”
The woman turned, and the moment she smiled at me and touched my arm I knew who she was.
“Hello there, beautiful.”
I couldn’t reply… I knew I had to be a fright to her, so I was certain I wasn’t beautiful, but she was sweet to say it. I watched Josh’s mom fuss around me calling for the nurse, and when I heard her talking I closed my eyes.
I woke again startled and scared half out of my mind. I thought for a moment I was back with the kidnappers and Josh rescuing me was a dream.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. I’m right here love.” I looked to my right and saw a woman approach the bed.
I touched my throat and tried to clear it to speak.
I managed to croak, “Lights please…”
“Okay let me get them.” She leaned over me and clicked on a light that was close to me. It illuminated the room just enough for me to realize where I was and to stop my heart from jumping out of my chest. “There how’s that?”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
My hand was squeezed tightly and a smile gifted me.
“You are most welcome, sweetheart. Here, why don’t you sit up a little, okay? I’ll give you a little water to moisten your dry throat.”
I nodded slowly, and as she moved my bed up slowly, she reached for a glass of water sitting in front of me. As she opened a straw, I took this time to really take a look at her. Her skin was golden and beautiful, you could tell it was her natural skin shade. She had black hair that she currently wore in a bun. She seemed about my height with a slim waist and a beauty that was undeniable. Her skin was flawless, high cheekbones, and when her eyes fell on mine, I could tell where Josh got his expressive blue eyes.
“There you go, love.”
She handed me the cup, and I took it slowly to my face. She moved the straw to my mouth, and I practically tried to drink the Styrofoam through the straw.
“Take your time and drink slow. We have plenty of water, so you don’t have to worry about drinking it all.” She joked and moved the cup from my hand.
I cleared my throat and asked, “Where am I?”
Josh’s mom pulled her chair close to me. “You
are in Johns Hopkins hospital in Maryland.”
My eyes grew large…how in the heck did I make it here from, hell, wherever I was?
My question was answered when she said, “Jovanni felt it would be better to bring you to family while you recuperate, and I had to agree. I would have brought you here myself if he didn’t. You shouldn’t be up there alone in a hospital without family. You belong right where you are.”
I was honestly speechless. I mean first and foremost, who the hell is Jovanni, and secondly, how was he even given permission to bring me here? Mrs. Cooper kept speaking as if she was reading my mind.
“Jovanni told Leone that he would protect you at all costs, and when my boys commit themselves like that, they go all out. Do you remember giving Leone power of attorney?”
I thought for a moment, and I shook my head.
“That’s okay. We can show you the paperwork to ease any worry. Anyway, Leone gave temporary power to his brother in his absence, which gave Jo the rights to bring you here.” Mrs. Cooper touched my hand. “I don’t want you to worry about anything but getting better. I will be here with you every step of the way. There will be no time where you aren’t surrounded by love and family.”
Knowing Leone aka Joshua Cooper, I knew what this woman spoke was law. And I can say without a doubt, I was eternally grateful. The Coopers were God sent. When I finally laid eyes on Jovanni, or shall I say Malcolm, I thought he was just an older Josh. When Mr. Cooper, who has told me to call him Pops, walked in, he looked like Malcolm and Josh combined. Both men were fit and definitely looked great and attractive as hell. I blushed I don’t know how many times when Malcolm would use Josh’s nickname for me.
His attentiveness was so heartwarming. I never thought anyone could make me feel as safe and protected as Josh, but I was so wrong. The love that this family was showing me, was so unbelievable. Josh’s sister was just as beautiful as her mother and was just as bossy as Josh. I swear she was Josh with boobs. She bossed her brother, husband, father and all of my nurses and doctors every time she was around.
But with me, she was amazing, attentive, and so supportive. She fussed over me, spoiling me to no end, telling me she always wanted a little sister. She was only two years older than me, but she seemed much older than her years.