Masterpiece (Adrenaline Series Book 3)

by Xavier Neal

  “Me too.”

  We stay embraced for another moment before she pulls back and slugs me in the shoulder. “Ouch!”

  “That's for getting me into this shit!”

  Knox giggles and leans back on her palms. “I knew I liked you.”

  One Knox is enough. We don't really need two of them.

  Unsure of what else to say I sigh, “I'm sorry.”

  “Don't be sorry.” She folds her arms across her chest. “Be smart.”

  “I will be.”

  “Be quick.”

  “You better fucking believe it.”

  Stabbing me in the chest with her pointed finger she demands, “Be the one that brings my best friend back.”

  “At any cost,” I firmly assure her.

  “Good, Romeo,” Hayli whispers before flopping down on the bed next to Knox. “I need Jovi.”

  “I need her too.”

  In a defeated tone she asks, “So what's next?”

  That's a good question. That's a damn good question.

  Jovi

  Seeing his face immediately makes me smile. The playful smile I've fallen head over heels in love with is not one I'm sure I could ever live without. Merrick's hand reaches for me through the open window. As soon as I reach for it, there's a burning sensation in my back. The high pitched ringing in my ears is enough to drop me to my knees, but the throbbing pain is what floors me. My eyes drop to the floor where there's a dark red puddle. My blood? That's gotta be my blood. Who else's blood would it be? I take another two breaths before all goes black.

  Terrified I shoot up, inhaling sharply, desperate to get as much air in my lungs as possible.

  Thank God that was just a dream. It was right?

  I touch my chest then my back, the thin string around my wrist wiggling around. While I'm double checking for wounds, a gorgeous female with a dark braid strolls in the room breakfast in her hands again.

  Who is she? Do I know her?

  “Have we met?”

  “Yes, Jovi. I'm Melody,” she announces lowering the tray beside me.

  Shit...why don't I remember?

  “Why am I here?”

  Kindly she starts to unroll my silverware. “You were taken.”

  “Taken?!”

  “Yes. Are you hungry?”

  My eyes wander to the fresh fruit and buttered toast. “I feel like I already ate.”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Yesterday?” I shriek.

  She nods. “The drugs are strong. You barely stir.”

  “D-D-Drugs?” my voice is barely able to stutter out. “I'm being given drugs!”

  “Yes,” Melody softly answers. “Non-addictive sedatives mostly. It's to keep you the least coherent as possible and your memory unclear. You're not supposed to remember anything you see or hear here.”

  “How?” I whisper out confused. “How am I taking them?”

  Melody bites her bottom lip and nudges the glass forward. “Drink your juice last...”

  At least she doesn't seem to be heartless or terrifying. Maybe she's a prisoner all on her own. See that scar by her collarbone? Maybe...just maybe there's a story there.

  Suddenly we're no longer alone. A man who looks like he might be in charge of a big business enters the room that is starting to feel like a shoe box rather than a room. Certain if I've met Melody before that I've met him, I strangle my brain to recall his name.

  Help me!

  The man hums, “That'll be all Melody. Miss Carter, it is time for your check in with your beloved.”

  Excited I scoot forward, my attention grabbed by my change of clothes.

  Did I...did I change? Who changed me? How drugged up am I? Holy shit...I don't think I can get any more terrified.

  “Madden negotiated for proof of life checks. However, if I get wind of you trying to hint him into your location, you will not like the results. Am I clear?”

  Cautiously I nod, “Yes.”

  “Good,” he hums cheerfully. Turning to the opposite direction of the door, he turns on a T.V. and I see something that I needed to.

  “Merrick!” I scream and reach a hand out for him.

  “Baby!” He screams back moving for the screen. “I'm so sorry, baby! For everything.”

  Sniffling away the tears that have started to form I shake my head. “It's okay.”

  It really is. No. I mean, it's not his fault I'm here right? Wait. Wait. What do you mean it it is. He's...wait, he's who? No...how could...How? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. That's a good point. Stealing things and all the other criminal bullshit he does is not okay, but you're right. That's not who he is any more. Did someone tell me Merrick wanted out of this? That he was trying to get out? That he wanted to be done. No, it doesn't fix everything, but that damn sure counts for a lot.

  “I never meant to hurt you,” he whimpers, tears in his own voice. “I...I...I just...this was supposed to be the end of it all. This whole deal was supposed to get us a future together...not ruin a chance at one.”

  A sniffle comes out of me. “You just...you focus on getting me out of this okay? I'll yell at you later for the rest.”

  The short attempt at humor causes him to try to smile. “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “Good, because I promise to spend the rest of our lives making this up to you baby. Every day and every night. I love you. I love you so much Jovi Carter McCoy.”

  My lip trembles at my future name.

  You're damn right I still wanna marry him! How could I not? No one's perfect. This is...this is just something that if I live through we have to work through. Right. When I live through it. Don't think there won't be hell to pay or that it'll be a quick fix, but there will be a fix. Come on, he's my soul mate. How could I not try to work shit out?

  “I love you too.”

  “Isn't that just beautiful,” the man, whose name I think starts with the letter D interrupts our talk. “You got your proof of life McCoy. I want my package. Tick-tock.”

  Neither of us are allowed another word. He turns off the screen and any flicker of hope I had is smothered away by the darkness of it.

  “Eat. Sleep. See you tomorrow,” he declares exiting the room.

  The door shuts behind him and I stare at the food in front of me. Instead of eating it, like I know I'm expected, I push it to the side and begin to bawl uncontrollably.

  I'm scared. So fucking scared. What if I never see him again? Or Nadie? Or my dad? What if I die in this room? This poorly Hawaiian themed decorated abomination of a room. What if my whole life is over? Tell me I'll be fine. Tell me that you have faith he'll rescue me. Tell me...tell me you think I'll be okay.

  Merrick

  Today was supposed to be our wedding day. Our goddamn wedding day. We were supposed to have said vows earlier and right now we should be laying together in a hotel suite. She should be moaning my name and I should be whispering her new one. The one we should be sharing.

  Scrubbing my face I lean back against the couch. “I'm fucking going out of my mind.”

  “That makes two of us,” Hayli sighs from beside Daniel. “I've never been stuck in the house this long.”

  “Better safe than sorry,” Drew says from the kitchen table across from Destin who's typing away furiously on his computer.

  “Easy for you to say, you remember what the outside world looks like,” Hayli snips. Snapping her head at Daniel she gripes, “Do you have to breathe so goddamn loud?”

  “Do you have to chew so loud?”

  Normally I would snicker, but given the situation, the timing, the subject, I just don't have it in me.

  Madden strolls out of the bedroom shouting into the phone, “Fuck! No! I can't-just- shut the fuck up. I'll be by in a few.” As soon as he hangs up, he demands, “Drew. Let's go.”

  “Where?” Drew questions. When Madden glares, he stands up, and surrenders. “Nevermind. Let's go.”

  Before they're out the door, I call to Madden, surprised he's even stopped movin
g for this long. “Hey, Mad Man. I have an idea on how to save Jovi.”

  Holding the door open for Drew to go through he bites, “I don't need your fucking ideas. I need you to just sit the fuck tight and wait for us to get something together that'll actually work.”

  The pain from his lack of faith in me echoes with the slam of the door behind them.

  I turn to Destin, “Will you-”

  “Nope.” Destin rises to his feet. “I'm gonna grab a nap. Not much more I can do until Madden decides what it is he wants to do next.”

  “But I-”

  “No.” Destin strolls out of the room with his laptop.

  Defeated, I slouch further down as Hayli sighs, “I want a bath.”

  Daniel cocks a grin. “For two?”

  She tilts her head at him. “I'm not that desperate yet.”

  “Run the girl a bath and then swing by the bar to get your dick wet,” Knoxie demands entering the room.

  “Love that fucking idea.” Daniel hops up. “Come on fire crotch. Let's get you wet.”

  “There's so much wrong with those sentences,” Hayli grumbles following behind him in the direction of the bedrooms.

  Knoxie flops on the couch beside me, clearly exhausted from more than just what I've been seeing.

  I've seen Madden treat her like shit before, but this is even worse.

  “Wanna talk about it?” I quietly ask.

  “You wanna listen to my idea about how to get Jovi back?”

  She shakes her head and we enter a small stretch of silence.

  Quietly I confess, “I gotta get outta here and get some air, Knox.”

  “You heard your overbearing dickhead brother. He wants you to stay in the house.”

  “Yeah well, he's not always right.”

  Knox lifts her eyebrows. “Ain't that the fucking truth.” She rolls her head over to me. “However, I can't let you go out.”

  “What if...” my sentence stops as Daniel rounds the corner.

  Taking out his keys he announces, “I will be back. Full. Fucked. And feeling fantastic.”

  “Just go,” Knox demands.

  As soon as he shuts the door, I suggest, “What if you didn't see me go out?”

  Sarcastically she tilts her head.

  “What if...no one did. So no one is to blame.”

  “Then we're all to blame.”

  “Madden included,” I point out cleverly.

  “You really think that's gonna hold up?”

  “It'll hold up well enough not to let all the blame fall on you.” She folds her arms across her chest, her defenses weakening. “Come on, Knox. I'll be gone just a couple hours.”

  “Where do you wanna go?”

  I have a plan. It's crazy. It's insane. I think it'll work, but you've seen this whole fucking household. No one is gonna listen to me. No one wants to hear it, but it needs to be heard. Trust me on this one. Just...go with me on it.

  “Just...on a drive. I'm going insane here. This is the longest I haven't been behind the wheel of car since I was 10.”

  “Aw, I remember when we let you drive the 4 wheelers.”

  “This shit is killing me. Between Ben's death and Jovi's kidnapping, I need something...anything I can control.”

  Knox lets out a deep sigh and shakes her head. “I don't condone this.” Standing she gives me a mischievous smirk. “I'm gonna go shower while you sit here, in a house with no big brothers to watch over you, and grieve over photos of Jovi on your phone.”

  “Yes,” I lie like she wants. “Grieving over photos of Jovi.”

  “Try not to make yourself too upset,” Knoxie winks and heads back the direction of her room.

  The window of escape is small, but perfect. As soon as I hear her door shut, I quickly grab my keys off the bar where Madden has demanded they stay in his sight.

  Yes. He's that controlling right now.

  Darting out of the apartment before Knoxie can rethink her decision about looking the other direction, I start to play over and over in my head exactly what I plan to say when the chance comes.

  I've got one shot to make this right. I won't fuck it up. I swear.

  After zipping up my hoodie, I cautiously jog around the corner from my car towards the one place I know I need to be even if no one agrees with me.

  My side remember? You're supposed to be on my side.

  Looking around constantly to insure I'm not being watched, I arrive at the front door giving it a heavy knock.

  Thankfully the first face I see isn't going to bash mine in. “Merrick...”

  “Nadie,” I greet her sweetly in return.

  Gripping the edge of the door, she leans her face against it. “Now's not really a good time. Jovi's not here. She hasn't been here for a couple days. Actually, now that you're here, I should ask. Have you seen her? Please tell me you've seen her.”

  My mouth drops to reply when the door is yanked open harshly and a face that I prayed when I finally did meet it, would be under completely different circumstances and he would be trying to figure out how to divorce us not kill me.

  Oh yeah. He's gonna try to kill me.

  “Who the hell are you?” The Commissioner's voice booms.

  “Hello Commissioner Carter. My name is Merrick McCoy.”

  “McCoy? As in-”

  “The McCoys.”

  “What the hell is a McCoy doing on my door step?”

  “I'm your daughter's fiance-”

  They shriek together. “Fiance?!”

  On a deep breath I push past it. “And I'm the reason she's been kidnapped.”

  Much faster than I anticipated, he wheels himself quickly around and tosses me against the wall. His large hand wraps tightly around my throat, fingers digging into my pressure points.

  Fucking impressive for a guy his age. He's commissioner for a reason right?

  “Nicholas!” Nadie screams banging on his arm to let me go.

  I don't struggle for him to drop me. Instead I ease as many shallow breaths as I can while waiting for him to give up on trying to kill me on his front porch.

  We all know I deserve much worse than this.

  “You can't kill him,” Nadie pleads.

  The Commissioner crushes my windpipe tighter. “I can.”

  “Nicholas!”

  His hand unclenches and air rushes back to my burning lungs. As he watches me struggle for oxygen he grunts, “In my house. Now.”

  Nodding rapidly I slink past him inside, looking around my surroundings once more.

  Can't be too careful with what's about to happen next.

  Nadie leads me around to the living room, a place I've never actually been before.

  Come to think about it, besides the kitchen where Nadie made us breakfast and Jovi's amazing bed, I haven't seen much of this house. Not complaining. Right...Head in the game.

  Carefully I have a seat on the couch while stroking the bruising flesh.

  “I'm going to get you an ice pack,” Nadie volunteers.

  The Commissioner immediate says, “No.” With an even more livid expression than he originally was wearing before, he stops in front of me and demands, “Speak.”

  “My name is Merrick McCoy-”

  “I heard you the first time.”

  “Jovi's my fiance.”

  “Heard that lie as well.”

  “It's not a lie,” I cautiously argue. “Today would've been our wedding day.”

  He quickly shuts down the idea. “That's impossible.”

  “Fiance?” Nadie whispers at me. “When did...How did I not know?”

  “You knew they were together?” He bites at her.

  “Not now,” Nadie brushes him off.

  “What the hell do you mean not now?” The Commissioner snaps. “This is the time to have that kind of discussion!”

  “It's really not,” Nadie calmly disagrees.

  “To hell it isn't! You knew my little girl was dating a thug and didn't tell me?”