My mother’s shrewd gaze scrutinizes every inch of my face. Seizing my chin, she crushes it beneath her slender fingers. Tears begin welling behind my eyes from the intensity of her unyielding grip. Sucking in a sharp breath through my nose, I bite the inside of my cheek, willing my tears away.
“Submit. Join me.”
“No.” The word is barely audible over my wavering voice.
Snarling, my mother pulls back, releasing me. “SUBMIT!” The ferocity in her tone causes me to flinch enough to jar the wooden poles and rip a scream from my throat.
Chuckling, Jeong leans forward. “I like it when you struggle, Agassi,” he whispers.
My stomach rolls violently with his admission. Stalking forward like a tigress hunting her prey, my mother moves with deadly grace. “Join me, Ttal. Take your rightful place at my side.”
Raising my head, our gazes lock. Giving my head a little shake, I whisper, “I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Her question makes me pause. I’m not exactly sure what made her ask. To me, it’s evident they’re one and the same. However, judging by the look on her face, they are completely different. Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I reply, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t belong here. I will not stay here and do whatever it is you want me to do. No matter what you do to me.”
Laughing, she tosses her head back, her dark hair spilling in waves around her face. It’s ironic how a delicate, feminine beauty can hide a monster within. But that’s precisely the case with my mother . . . beautiful on the outside, yet she houses an untamable beast within.
“Oh, you forget my darling, Ttal, who your mother is.” She wipes a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “I can be very persuasive. You’d be surprised what people will do when you inflict the right amount of pain.” She nods to Jeong, who applies more pressure.
Searing pain jolts through my shins, traveling up my legs like bolts of electric currents. My hips scream in protest at each outward push. Holding up her hand, he halts, stopping as she asks, “What is your answer now?”
A moment passes as I heave, dragging in breath after breath, trying to sate my starving lungs. Panting, each word is spoken in staccato. “My . . . answer . . . is . . . still . . . no.”
“Very well. Remember you brought this on yourself.” She turns her attention to her henchman, saying, “Suspend her from the ceiling and shackle her. We’ll leave her to hang for a while before we use the cane.”
The smile in his voice is evident as he replies, “Yes, Mamasan.”
He viciously removes the wooden poles as I shriek. I grit my teeth from the white-hot pain radiating throughout my body. The agony is so intense, I feel as if I’ll combust and turn to ash at any moment. Promptly securing me to the hooks in the ceiling, he steps back, visibly admiring his handiwork.
“Let us take our leave and give my daughter some time to rethink her position.” Her eyes cut to me one final time as they make their way to the door. “It would be wise of you, daughter, to end this foolishness.”
Without another word, they exit the room, leaving me with my pain and thoughts. As I succumb to the agony and let the darkness take me, I wonder, not for the first time, how long I’ll be able to keep this up.
NOAH BRISTLES, SHIFTING IN HIS seat. Reaching for his coffee, he takes a sip before blanching at the taste. “Seriously, Alpha, you call this shit coffee? I swear the stuff in the mess hall tastes better than this.” Chuckling, I ignore his barb, keeping my eyes trained on the building in front of us. Letting out a heavy sigh, he aims his gaze back on the storefront. Noah raises the cup to his lips and drinks deeply.
Sputtering, he scrunches up his nose and places the coffee back into the cup holder. Laughing, my voice is strained and foreign to my own ears as I declare, “Stop being so melodramatic. It’s not that damn bad.”
“It is that bad. I really don’t know how you drink this shit.”
“Well, I’ve spent the last ten plus years in the Army . . .” I let the words hang in the air, not needing to finish my thought.
Noah’s deep laugh echoes inside of the small enclosure. “Yeah, well, I guess if you can survive off Army rations for over ten years, you can survive on anything.”
I nod my head in agreement. Quiet settles around us as we vigilantly watch the storefront for any visible signs of Sang-Hyun. My mind begins to wander as I diligently wait for some sign of activity, either from Sang-Hyun or one of his associates. Kylee immediately infiltrates my thoughts, her presence a constant intrusion. No matter what, her safety and protection have always been at the forefront of my mind.
The fact that I wasn’t able to protect her consumes me. A constant pulse in my temples is a reminder of my ever-present anger. It grows worse with each day that passes . . . every hour that drags by without her in my arms. Reaching into my front pocket, I dig the meds out and tear open the packet before chugging two headache pills with the tepid coffee. In my peripheral vision, I see Noah adjust his body so it’s facing mine.
Ignoring him, I continue focusing on the job at hand, my eyes never leaving the store. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he says, “Will you just spit it out already?”
Grunting, I give my head a little shake. What the hell is it with these guys? Always prying. I love them to death—every single one of them—but damn they need to back off. A nagging voice in the back of my head tells me to shut up. I’d do the exact same if the roles were reversed. Stupid conscience.
“What? Am I not good enough for you to talk to?”
Clutching his chest, he falls back in the seat with an expression of mock pain as if my grunt alone had done some untold damage to his fragile ego. The entire scene plays out like an episode of Sanford and Son. A tiny curl of my lips is the only reaction I give. That’s Noah, always the wise guy.
“What? You turning into the resident shrink now?” I tease.
Gasping, he leans forward. “You wound me. I’m a good listener.”
With my gaze still trained on the store, I reply. “Never said you weren’t, but between you and Sam, it seems like we’re gonna start a damn “Dear John” column soon.”
Green eyes grow enormously wide for several seconds before loud, booming laughter sounds. Doubling over, he grips his knees, desperately trying to suck in breaths between laughs.
“It wasn’t that damn funny,” I grumble.
Pushing himself back into the seat, he wipes a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “That was bloody brilliant.”
“Bloody brilliant? Who are you, Brighton, now?”
Chuckling, he responds, “He wishes he had the moves like Noah.”
Groaning, I take another sip of my coffee. This stuff really does taste like shit.
“Seriously, though, we’ve known each other for a long time.” He stops like he’s mulling over exactly what to say next.
“I can tell when something is bothering you. We all can. It’s clear that this is weighing heavily on your mind, and I want you to know that you can come to me if you need to talk. Hell, you can come to any of us, you know that. But you also need to know that you’re not the only one taking this hard. She left her mark on all of us. We might not be in a physical relationship with her, but she’s like a sister to the rest of us. When she went missing, she took a piece of all of us with her.”
Noah clears his throat and turns his body forward. I’m rendered speechless for several heartbeats while we quietly sit, watching people shuffle in and out of the business. Speaking softly, my voice wavers slightly as I say, “I know I’ve not exactly been the easiest person to be around lately. I recognize that. I’d love to say that I won’t be a complete dick, but quite honestly, I’ve never felt like this before.”
Noah nods his head as he sips his coffee. Grimacing, he returns it to the cup holder. “When are you not a dick?”
My head snaps in his direction, my eyes zooming in on the immense grin stuck to his lips. “I’m not a dick. I’m a lovable guy,” I complain.
Noah laughs. “Who are you trying to convince . . . you or me? I know you remember.” Snickering, I turn, watching the store once more.
“Look, I know it’s tough. It’s hard on all of us. But we’ll find the son of a bitch who has her, and we’ll make them pay.”
The vehemence in his voice causes me to pause for a moment. Immediately, my body is filled with adoration and pride for my brothers in arms. It’s just a mission that was assigned to us, but he’s taking it personally. We all are. My Goddess has definitely left her mark on everyone involved.
“Noah, I have to know why.”
“Why what? Why am I doing it? Why is it so important?”
I nod.
“Fuck, Alex, I thought you were smarter than that, man.” He scrubs a hand down the front of his face.
“You’re asking the wrong questions. Shit. Did you even stop to think about that?” Looking out of the corner of his eye, he observes me for several moments.
Sighing heavily, he carries on. “Of course you didn’t. You’re family, man. The only family I’ve got. You know that. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. Hell, I thought you knew that by now. We’ve spent the last six years serving side by side in one shithole or another, and they’ve been the best damn years of my life.” Pausing, he sucks in a breath, his chest rising and falling with the motion.
“If it weren’t for you, Brighton, Sam, and Cooper, I don’t know where I’d be today.” Shuddering, he turns, hitting me with the intensity of his gaze.
“When it comes down to it, Alex . . . I don’t even know if I’d be alive. Let’s face it, we reap what we sow, and if that’s the case, I would have ended up dead from a drug deal gone wrong. History has a tendency to repeat itself, and it’s up to us to break the cycle. But Kylee . . . Kylee is something different. I could tell from the moment she joined us around the hibachi. We all could. You want to know why I do this? It’s not just an Op. I don’t do it just for you. I do it for her. I feel this draw . . . this intense need to protect her. Kylee, she’s like one of those rare shooting stars you find, and once you grab hold of it, you make a wish and never let go.”
The substantial weight of Noah’s words, along with his intent scrutiny, has my chest tightening. On instinct, I reach up, rubbing along the crease between my pecs to alleviate some of the pressure. For once in my life, I’m speechless. It’s not that I don’t feel the exact same way about the guys because I do. I just never took the time to stop and think about how deep the connection between all of us runs. Shit, it’s just not something we do. Well, at least not something I do.
Fuck, I’m an asshole. Noah’s chuckle interrupts my inner musings. Frowning, I glance in his direction briefly before turning my gaze back to the store.
“Try not to sulk so much, big guy,” Noah says, clearly amused.
“I am not sulking,” I rumble.
Noah’s laughter gets a little louder in the small space. “Yeah right. Next thing you know, you’re going to try telling me you weren’t thinking that you’re a grade-A asshole for only thinking about yourself? Hmm?”
My eyes widen just a fraction. Son of a bitch. He pegged me. He nailed it, hook, line, and sinker. Guess that’s what happens when you work with someone twenty-four hours a day for the last six years. I mean, he is right. He is family.
Hell, I see him more than I see my own family. Heck, I like him better than my own family. A laugh flows from my lips as that thought crosses my mind. Noah’s brow furrows as he looks at me quickly before moving his focus back to the business.
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with AJ?” Noah asks.
The use of my nickname has me tossing a smirk in his direction. Pretending to be shocked beyond belief, Noah throws himself back onto his chair. With enormously wide eyes, he hurls his arm to his forehead, palm facing out, and lets out a loud gasp.
“Y-You smiled. W-What is wrong with you?” he breathes out in a shocked whisper, pointing to me with his free hand.
Unable to contain the amusement raging through me any longer, my chest expands as deep peals of laughter rumble out viciously, spilling into the open air. Tipping my head back, I gasp desperately, trying to suck in breaths between bouts of laughter. My laughter is ongoing for several moments before I greedily suck in a breath through my nose. Letting my head fall forward, I catch the humorous expression on Noah’s face. It truly is comical. Noah with his black hair, green eyes, and 6’2” frame sitting slack-jawed with enormously wide eyes. It’s almost enough to throw me into another round of laughter.
I swear, if Noah hadn’t joined the Army, he would have made a great actor. Hell, a great comedian. The man has a penchant for theatrics. It’s one of the things I love most about my brother. He makes us laugh even in the direst of situations. Noah says he doesn’t know what he would have done without us, but frankly, I don’t think he realizes the effect he’s had on the rest of us. The thought sobers me, draining away the solace that was brought on by the temporary elation.
Tightness manifests in my throat, causing me to clear it several times before I can speak.
“You know . . . we aren’t really in the habit of talking about feelings and shit.” I pause, glancing at Noah from the corner of my eye.
Smiling, he quips, “Oh, come on now. We’re nothing if not all about the feels. I mean, if you were to ask anyone else they’d say all we do is sit around a campfire holding hands singing Kumbayah.”
“Smart ass. You know what I mean. What I’m trying to say is, what you said before about us being family . . . You’re right. We are family. But you’re not the only one that would sacrifice anything for the rest of us, man. We all would. Don’t think for one minute you aren’t just as important as Sam, Coop, or Brighton. We need you, Noah. Shit, you’re the damn glue that holds us together.” Chuckling, my frame twists until my eyes lock on his.
“Do you realize that you can bring laughter to the most demanding of situations?”
Noah quirks an eyebrow in response.
“Do you remember that time we were all in Kuwait?”
“Yeah, I remember. That place was a dream,” Noah replies sarcastically.
Ignoring his barb, I roll my eyes and press on. “You know what kept us all going?”
Noah shakes his head.
I jut my chin in his direction. “That was all you, man. Those stupid jokes you told. Always making us laugh. Hell, if it weren’t for you, I think we would have gone crazy on that Op. What I’m trying to say is, I know we don’t say it often, but we’re here for you, man. All of us. Thank you for trying to pull my head out of my ass. I know I’ve been a . . . how did you say it? Oh, yeah, a grade-A asshole lately. It’s . . . tough, and I’m not making any promises, but I’ll try to be less of a dick. So, thanks.”
My words trail off on a whisper as I turn around, letting myself focus on the building in front of us once again. A firm grip clasps my shoulder, squeezing for just an instant.
“T-That was beautiful, man.” Noah sniffles, pretending to cry.
“You’re an ass,” I growl.
“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” Smirking, he centers his attention back on the job at hand.
“More like a pain in my ass.”
“Alpha.” Noah’s sharp, commanding tone has my head snapping in his direction. Discretely, he nods in the direction of the store. Whirling my head around, I see a dark figure slinking in the shadows exiting the side entrance.
“Do you think it’s Sang-Hyun,” he asks.
“Not a chance,” I reply.
“Yeah, I didn’t think he’d come sneaking out the side door.”
“Nope. He’d come waltzing out the front door for everyone to see. The man thinks he’s a god. He fears no one so there’s no reason for him to go creeping out the side entrance.”
“Think we can get anything off of this guy?”
“I don’t know, but we sure as hell are gonna try,” I growl.
“Fuck yeah!” Noah chimes, fist pu
mping the air.
Rolling my eyes, I keep my gaze focused on the man indulging in a heated conversation on his cell phone in the alley.
“What’s the plan? You wanna just stroll up and take him by force?”
“It’s a viable option. I haven’t ruled it out. Coercion is also an option.” Noah’s face contorts, twisting into one of disbelief. He locks his gaze on mine for a moment, his stare penetrating mine. I’m quite sure he’s trying to determine if I’ve lost my mind. He doesn’t believe we can coerce the punk.
Slowly, I shake my head as a feral grin begins to spread across my face. “Noah, Noah, Noah. How you doubt me after all this time.” I tsk. “You should know better than that.” My bloodthirsty smile spreads a little broader.
“Oh, I don’t doubt you, Alpha. I just thought we’d save the mess until we got somewhere that we could . . . contain the situation,” Noah says with a mischievous smile in his voice.
“Well, I’ll be damned . . .” Noah’s voice trails off as he stares at the man whose face is no longer concealed in the shadows.
“Isn’t that Gyeong Chee?” My eyes narrow on the man’s face, confirming my suspicions. Fuck. It is Gyeong Chee. He happens to be a nasty SOB, he has dealings with the Kkangpae, running drugs, prostitution, and even some rumors of human trafficking. If this fucker has anything to do with my Goddess’s disappearance, I will readily inflict excessive amounts of—what do the human rights activists call it—oh, that’s right . . . maltreatment.
If only they knew how many times that “maltreatment” saved their asses from getting blown to bits. Yet we will continue to fight and die to keep them safe, and they’ll never know the difference. Noah nudges me in the side. Glaring at him, I ask, “What?”
“I said, yes, that’s him. And I asked how we’re gonna proceed?”
Scowling, I look back at the man in the alley. “Let’s attempt coercion first. If, and only if, that fails, then it turns into a snatch and grab. I really want to take him willingly first.”
Noah snorts. “When in the hell do they ever go willingly?”
“Never.” I smile.
Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2) Page 6