by Bella Jewel
I clench my teeth together and I don’t dare tear my eyes off his as he continues to rub, making my body tense, which in turn brings me incredible pain. That pain immediately sparks my need and I whimper. He pauses his hand. “I said don’t fuckin’ make a sound.”
I make a pained sound in my throat, and then I shut it off, writhing to get his hand to move again, to get his fingers to bring back the utter bliss they were just causing. “Please,” I beg.
“Don’t fuckin’ beg. Just take what I’m givin’ you.”
His words turn me on. The harsh tone of them makes me explode with pleasure, my whole body heating, my legs twitching, my back arching, pain erupting in every part of me. He rubs slowly, torturing me, and then I find my blissful release, biting down on my tongue so I don’t cry out. My entire body shudders. It is the most incredibly painful thing I’ve ever experienced, and I love every second of it.
The door opens and the doctor steps in. Kendric steps back, slipping his hand from the sheet like he was doing nothing but giving me a hug. He moves away from the bed and my cheeks burn in shame as the doctor walks over. I’m panting and flushed, and I’m damned certain he knows exactly what just happened. Kendric steps back, and in a low voice murmurs he’ll see me tomorrow.
When he reaches the door, our eyes lock and he slides his fingers into his mouth, sucking me off him.
My heart races and my body yearns for more as he turns and disappears out of the room.
My god.
I’ve found him.
I’ve finally found him.
A man as twisted as I am.
The only problem is ... he hates me.
12
ZARIAH
“I don’t think she’s too far from here. If I’m honest, I’d say she is within a ten-mile radius. Someone knows where she is. I’m working on getting a few search warrants. The more we can look, the closer we can get to finding her,” Steven tells me, sitting by my bed drinking a coffee.
We’ve been working all morning, and it has been a nice distraction from everything that’s going on. I’ve been thinking about Jayden constantly and have been only answering Reece’s calls to talk to him. I am trying to keep things as normal and as calm as possible so that I’m able to get my son back without causing too many problems. So far, Reece believes I’ve recovered from his attack like every other time.
I’m letting him believe that until I have my son.
Only then will I change that on him.
“Is there a possibility she doesn’t want to be found?” I say to Steven, sipping my own coffee. “Could she have made herself disappear?”
Steven nods, meeting my gaze. “It’s possible. Incredibly hard, but possible. Some people want to disappear and they don’t want to be found. There’s a solid chance that is the case, from what we’ve gathered so far, her home life wasn’t great ...”
Surely this hasn’t got something to do with Dax.
I frown.
“You don’t think she’s come across foul play, such as human traffickers?” I dare to ask.
Steven shrugs, as if the idea is not even slightly shocking to him. “Again, it’s possible. Girls like her are an easy target. They disappear quickly and they don’t put up a fight. There’s always a chance that has happened.”
“How would you know? I mean, how would you even go about looking for something like that?”
He might be able to give me some information, something to indicate that he knows where to find those kinds of people. In turn, I may be able to find Dax. That would be worth everything and more. If he could give me some idea, without realizing it, on where to start I might just be able to get somewhere on this case. Kendric is running out of time and, so far, all Alarick believes is that Blanche has something to do with it.
I still can’t see it.
I still don’t believe he has something to do with this.
He just doesn’t seem like the kind of person to risk it all for that.
He’s been so good so far, so helpful, so nice, and he’s so smart.
No, I refuse to believe it.
“That would depend on how much evidence you had,” he answers my question, and I focus back on him instead of letting my mind run wild.
“Say you had an idea of who was doing it, but you didn’t know how to locate them? Where would you even begin? I’m sure there are known traffickers, but they’re well hidden.”
“With a name, you can find anyone. Really, you can. It’s just about looking in the right places. You don’t go to the bad guys, Zariah, you go to the good guys.”
I narrow my eyes. “You mean like friends?”
“Better,” he goes on, staring at his laptop as he types something. “Family.”
Family.
Why the hell haven’t we looked into Dax’s family? With his name, and a good bit of digging, we’d be able to find someone in his family that would possibly know where he is.
God dammit.
Yes.
“What if they have no family?” I dare to ask.
“Everyone has someone, that’s just the truth. Everyone has someone that even if they changed their name and disappeared, they’d make contact. Doesn’t matter how bad they are, there is someone they’d give it all up for. A mother, a father, a sister, a friend, a lover ... Someone.”
“Is that what you’re looking for in this case, her someone?”
He nods. “Exactly. You find that person, you find your person.”
My heart pounds against my ribcage as I fight the urge to grab my phone and tell Alarick the almost obvious thing that has just been pointed out to me. We’ve been looking into the bad people, the people who know Dax or Peter, who are involved with them, who work for them, but we haven’t looked on the other side of things. Dax has to have someone out there that he cares about, or someone who would know where to find him.
We just have to find that person.
It seems scarily obvious now.
Steven and I finish up with our work and when he’s gone, I pick up the phone and dial Alarick.
“Zariah,” he answers. “You good?”
“Come to the hospital, I’ve got something to share.”
“On my way.”
I hang up and take a deep shaky breath.
This could be the break we need.
God, I hope this changes everything.
“I WAS TALKING TO STEVEN,” I say, when Alarick, Kendric, and Cohen arrive at the hospital. “We were just talking about cases in general and he told me that when you’re looking for someone who has disappeared, you look for the good side, not the bad side. In other words, you find their family, you go from there. He said everyone has someone they care about, you just have to find that person.”
Alarick stares at me with a confused expression.
I do a better job of explaining.
“He has to have family somewhere, someone he is still talking to, someone he cares about. Surely he didn’t just disappear without a trace. I mean, think about it, he left that house unattended. Someone has to be controlling that. He left everything and just disappeared. Someone knows something. You just have to find that someone.”
Alarick grins, wild and free, a grin I haven’t seen on his face for months. “You’re fuckin’ genius!” He turns to Cohen and Kendric. “Cohen, get Bohdi onto findin’ out who that house is registered to. It has to be under someone’s name, someone is keepin’ it good for him. Find that person. Kendric, you and Samson get onto searchin’ for his family, friends, someone out there who is still in contact with him. Surely the man doesn’t have nobody.”
“What about Peter?” Cohen asks.
“Fuck Peter, we’ve been lookin’ in the wrong places. We’re lookin’ at him because of their connection, but we’ve been wastin’ our time not searchin’ outside of him.”
“Let’s get onto it then,” Kendric murmurs, then looks to me. “What about Blanche, you got anything on him?”
“Blanche isn’t in on this,
” I say. “I’m not risking my job to look into him. I’m sorry.”
Alarick glances at me too now. “Know you don’t like the idea, Zariah, but you gotta know our sources are all pointin’ to him.”
“Some cartel leader? You want me to believe him?” I shake my head. “No, I’m sorry, I’ve spent time with him and he’s smart. He’s clever. He’s so into his job. He’s not going to risk everything help some pathetic idiot like Dax out.”
“Dax is powerful, don’t underestimate him,” Cohen growls.
I shake my head. “I’m not doing it. I’m not looking into someone I know isn’t involved.”
“Need you to be on our side, Zariah,” Alarick tells me, crossing his arms. His big body so powerful it makes me feel a little intimidated.
“I am on your side. I’ve risked everything to help you all out and I still am. I’m not looking into someone who has finally given me a break that I’ve been working my ass off for.”
“So it’s about your fuckin’ job?” Kendric growls.
I look to him. “Do not, Kendric. I have every damn right to want to protect my job.”
“Sure that’s all you’re protectin’?”
I shake my head and look away. “I’m not looking into Blanche; you’re going to have to find something else. Now, can we look into the information I actually gave you that might lead somewhere?”
“You’re protectin’ someone who could be fuckin’ dangerous,” Kendric growls.
“You’re assuming. You have zero proof he has anything to do with this,” I snap, glaring at him.
“We have plenty of people tellin’ us his name, you think that’s a coincidence?”
My chest tightens, and I take a deep, angry breath. “He hasn’t got anything to do with this.”
“You fuckin’ him, is that it?” Kendric throws at me, eyes fierce.
“Go fuck yourself, Kendric. I’m not fucking him. I’m working with him. He’s not a bad person.”
“You’re sure of that. You’re willin’ to risk my fuckin’ life for it? Because if you’re wrong, and I go to prison because we can’t fix this, you’re goin’ to live with your choice right now.”
Guilt slams into my chest and I cross my arms, trying really fucking hard to convince myself I’m doing the right thing here. What if I am wrong? What if Kendric goes down because I refuse to look into Blanche? Am I making the wrong choice? God dammit, I don’t know what to think anymore. Everything is confusing me. Blanche doesn’t seem like the kind of man to do something like this, but Kendric is right, can I be one hundred percent sure of that?
Alarick intervenes before I can say anything more. “That’s enough. Do what I’m fuckin’ tellin’ you to do, Kendric. We don’t have time for this fuckin’ bullshit.”
Kendric doesn’t take his eyes off me.
He’s angry.
I’m angry.
We’re running out of time.
Changing the subject, Alarick asks, “We’re goin’ to get your boy back this afternoon, you ready for that?”
I pull my eyes away from Kendric’s and look to him. My voice strong when I say, “I’m ready.”
I’m more than ready.
I need my son back.
I need my freedom back.
I just need this all to be over so I can finally start my life the way I have been wanting to for so long.
The time has finally come.
13
ZARIAH
“What the fuck is goin’ on, Zariah?” Reece asks, walking out of the house with Jayden and his sister in tow.
His sister has never liked me, mostly because she’s a fucking suck up and doesn’t want anybody getting too close to her and the control she has over her brother. The two of them are close, their whole family is.
In the reflection of the front window, I can see the bikers gathering behind me. Twenty of them, all strong, all powerful, all ready to take what belongs to me. I know this isn’t necessarily the right way to go about getting this to stop, but it’s certainly the most effective. Reece isn’t going to take on a biker club, even he’s not that stupid.
“I’m taking Jayden back.”
“Mommy!” Jayden cries, running toward me with a happy smile on his face.
He moves before Reece can stop him, and the moment he’s in my arms, I exhale a sigh of relief. Pure, utter joy that my baby is safe in my arms again. I lean down so I can hug him, even though my body aches. I breathe him in and thank everything in the universe that he’s here with me and I’ve gotten him back.
The idea that he would be taken from me made me sick to my stomach.
The idea that he’s going to be taken from Reece makes me equally as sick.
He loves his father, and I know Reece loves him, but after what he did to me, I can’t be certain he’ll never do it to my son.
We’re going to have to fight this one out and let a judge decide.
“I’m taking my son back,” I say carefully as Jayden walks toward Kendric and Alarick, standing at the front of the group. He looks at their bikes and squeals happily.
He’s not afraid of them. Not at all.
“What?” Reece’s sister, Tarryn, snaps. “Who do you think you are, coming here and threatening my brother with a bunch of ... what ... gang members?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “This has nothing to do with you, Tarryn.”
“It has everything to do with me. That is my nephew.”
“He is my son, and I am taking him because your brother is an abusive asshole and I’m done with it. I’m not risking my baby boy’s life any longer.”
“I’d never hurt him!” Reece bellows.
“You’re a liar!” Tarryn spits.
“Oh, so your brother hasn’t told you that he’s been abusing me for years?”
Tarryn shakes her head, her expression tight and angry. “You monster. You lying, pathetic woman. How dare you make up lies so you can take Reece’s only son away from him. How dare you.”
“I’m not here to convince you of the kind of man he is. I know what he’s done. I lived it. I’m not going to put up with it anymore.”
“He’s never laid a hand on you,” she screams, throwing her hands up. “Reece, tell her she’s a god damned liar and call the police.”
“I am the fucking police,” I yell back. “Go ahead, Reece. Tell her that you’ve never laid a hand on me. Tell her you’ve never beaten me. Tell her you’ve never shoved my head down a fucking toilet because I was so sick. Tell her you never pushed me down the fucking stairs when I was pregnant with our son. Tell her you never punched me in the ribs, or the stomach, or the legs because you didn’t want to leave marks on my face. Go ahead, tell her you’ve never fucking hurt me.”
I’m screaming now, so much that Jayden makes a little cry.
I immediately stop, panting, rage building in my chest.
I turn and see Kendric lean down and scoop Jayden up into his arms. His eyes flash to mine and I see something in his expression that breaks my heart—understanding. Kendric finally understands why I’m so fucking broken. He looks to my son and, putting a smile on his face, he tells him, “Want to look at my bike, little buddy?”
Jayden nods, his eyes still a little sad, his face still a little distressed.
Reece charges forward, but Alarick steps out, stopping him. “You take another step, I’ll fuckin’ take you down in a way you’ll never come back from.”
Reece pauses, glancing at me with pain in his eyes. “That’s my baby, Zariah.”
Those words tug at my heart in a way that’s almost painful. It is his baby; I couldn’t imagine anything worse in this world then having Jayden taken from me. Everything inside of me is screaming to stop this, hand his son back and just pretend none of this ever happened. I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a mother if I did that. I have to protect my son from even just a chance that he might hurt him sometime down the line.
“We’re done here,” Alarick goes on before I can speak. “Yo
u come near her or the boy again, you even so much as breathe in their direction, and we’ll take care of you. Do you fuckin’ understand?”
“That’s my son!” Reece screams. “My fuckin’ son!”
“You care about your fuckin’ son, you should have thought twice about layin’ your hands on that woman,” Alarick snarls.
“You can’t do this, Zariah!”
I close my eyes, heart racing, trying hard to think amongst this chaos. I look up to see him on his knees, crying. It about breaks me. I take a step forward, but Kendric’s voice rolls in behind me. “Do not go to him, Zariah. You know you gotta do this.”
I’m panting now, chest dragging in and out with pain. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know how to think, all I know is that I feel like a god damned monster right now and I hate feeling like I’m ruining someone’s life. “Get help, Reece,” I say carefully. “Get the help you need because right now, you’re dangerous and I have to protect our son from that. We’ll go to court, have them decide and ...”
“They’ll take him away from me,” he bellows. “You know they will.”
“If they do it’s because of something you’ve done,” I say. “If you didn’t do anything wrong, they’d have no reason to. I don’t want to take him from you forever, but right now, in this moment, I can’t let you have him because you nearly took my life, Reece. I can’t risk him. Get help, proper help, and we’ll discuss the next steps.”
“I’ll fucking kill you, Zariah,” he suddenly roars, leaping up and charging toward me. Alarick steps out, Cohen by his side and the two of them take him down with one, quick movement. Alarick pins him to the ground with his boot and then leans down and growls, “I will put a bullet through your skull and rid the world of your fuckin’ presence if you so much as look in her direction again. Do not fuckin’ tempt me.”
Reece squirms and roars, “Get your fuckin’ foot off me, biker. Get off me.”
Alarick lets him go, and Reece gets to his feet as Tarryn rushes toward him and gives me a look so deadly I flinch. “We’re going to take you down for this, Zariah. We’re going to make sure that everyone knows what you’ve done here. About the bikers. Everything. You think a court is going to favor you when you’ve done that?”