by Mia Ashlinn
Adam wasn’t in the mood to argue. He merely followed behind Deke. But they only made it into the hall before the office phone rang.
“Get that, Ansley,” Deke demanded without slowing
Hot on his heels, Adam added, “We’re unavailable until…I don’t know when.”
Either Ansley didn’t listen or she hadn’t heard him because she leaned out of the office and yelled, “It’s Reed. He says it’s urgent.”
Deke swore but stopped.
Adam didn’t. He kept going. There was nothing and no one who could keep him from Sarah. “I’m leaving—with or without you.”
“Adam,” Deke growled. “We have to take this call. Reed might have found something.”
Flipping Deke the bird over his shoulder, Adam snarled, “I don’t have to do anything and neither do you. You’re choosing to, and I’m choosing not to.”
As Adam rounded the corner and jogged down the stairs, he heard the drone of people’s voices coming from each floor, and he heard the sound of his breathing. However, he didn’t hear anyone’s footsteps, other than his own.
Cursing, he sped up. “I’m coming, sweet pea.”
Chapter 19
Feeling more powerless than he ever had before, Deke watched Adam disappear around the corner of the hallway. Unconsciously, he took one step in that direction before immediately stopping himself. He couldn’t go after Adam any more than he could Sarah right now. This call was too important, and it couldn’t wait, not a minute or even a second. Her tears, however, could.
Once he’d heard his private investigator out, Deke would follow her into the pits of hell just to hold her and kiss each droplet of moisture away. But not until after she was out of danger.
Sighing, he pivoted on his heel and returned to his office. As he stalked for the phone, Ansley jumped out of his way, holding the receiver as far from herself as possible like a zookeeper dangling fresh meat in front of a ravenous carnivore. “Here,” she said then tossed it at him.
Reflexively, he caught the receiver then put it to his ear and barked, “What?”
Without preamble, Reed blurted out, “It’s Bradford Radcliffe. He’s Gavin.”
Deke shook his head as though that action alone would clear his muddled mind. “BR?”
“I don’t know how I missed it.” Reed sighed wearily. “But he’s the one.”
Still in shock, Deke’s legs gave way and he fell into his chair. “How?” he croaked.
“Now that I know, it’s disgustingly obvious. Think about it, Deke. BR was seen around Serenity numerous times when Sarah was dating the mysterious Gavin. Then, after the attack, he became a permanent fixture at the club. His visits tripled, man. Tripled.”
Thinking back, BR’s presence had changed last year. He’d always been an active member so no one had thought much of his increased appearances until he’d been spotted lurking in places he shouldn’t have been. Deke had reprimanded him for going into the restricted areas without staff members present. Of course, BR had apologized profusely. And that had been the end of it. Since then, he’d been on his best behavior—to their knowledge.
“Fuck,” Deke growled.
“It gets worse.”
Deke groaned. “Is that possible?”
“Yeah.”
“Great.”
“I’m with you on that one,” Reed retorted. “BR’s aunt lives in Sarah’s building.”
Deke knew that. After all, he and Adam owned the building. “I’m assuming you have a point to this.”
“His aunt is dead.”
A chill ran down his spine. “Dead,” he repeated dumbly.
“Graveyard dead,” Reed replied.
“Explain,” Deke snapped. “No wait. Let me call Adam first.”
Adam. “Oh fuck. He’s on his way to Sarah’s.” Sarah. “Shit, I think Sarah is, too.” Vaulting out of his seat, he growled into the phone. “I’ll call you back.” He didn’t waste time hanging up. He threw the phone down then took off at a dead run.
Tearing down the hall, Deke sprinted at top speed. His legs worked well, eating up the distance at an amazing speed, considering they shook so badly he feared his next step would be his last. By the time he hit the stairs, he was praying he could just get to his car before he collapsed. By some miracle, he made it.
With a curse, Deke hauled his ass into the front seat of his car then turned the engine and took off. His tires squealed, and he flew backward. But he didn’t care. He was too busy fumbling with his cell phone in suddenly feeble hands.
When he finally managed to get a grip on the insipid thing, he realized he needed to warn Adam, to tell him what was going on. But at the same time, he didn’t know all the details. He needed to know everything he could before calling Adam.
Conference call. Grateful for three-way calling, he got Reed on the line then added an irate-sounding Adam. “This had better be good,” his partner snarled. “I don’t have time to deal with a bunch of bullshit.”
“Adam, it’s Reed. I’m at Sarah’s apartment building. I just found Bradford Radcliffe’s aunt. She’s dead.”
“What?” Adam asked. His voice possessed an exorbitant amount of impatience as reality clearly didn’t connect.
“BR is Gavin,” Deke explained.
“Wait, what?” Adam asked, sounding way too distracted for Deke’s peace of mind. “I didn’t hear… Shit. Isn’t that…Sarah’s car up there?”
Panic shredded Deke. “Where? What’s going on?”
“Hold on. I’m pulling over,” Adam replied, still sounding sidetracked.
“Adam,” he gritted out. “Where are you? Where’s Sarah?” When he didn’t get an answer, he screamed, “Adam!” Still, there was no response. All that Deke heard was a rustling followed by a car door shutting. Then there was nothing again.
“Adam,” Deke tried a second time. “Please answer me.” He hated how pitiful he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. He was dying.
“Shut up,” Reed growled. “I’m trying to hear something that’ll help us.”
Clamping his jaw shut, Deke went silent. He attempted to make out anything he could. However, it didn’t work. And in the end, he was frustrated, afraid, furious, and fucking clueless.
* * * *
In a hurry to get to Sarah, Adam shoved his phone in his pocket without shutting it off. Then he jumped out of the car in a rush, leaving the engine running. “Sarah,” he hollered as he strode down to the passenger side of the car then skirted around the corner by the front bumper. “Where are you, sweet pea? Are you okay?”
Each word he uttered sounded more panicked than the last. When he finished his last question, he sounded outright terrified. But that was probably because Sarah was nowhere in sight. No one was.
Then out of nowhere, he heard it—a voice, a man’s voice. “Sam?” he asked.
“Adam,” Sam whispered, his voice sounding off in the distance, the volume so soft it was barely discernible. “Over here. Follow blood. Front of car.”
Blood? Oh God no. Skidding all the way around the front, his eyes fell to the ground. Just as Sam had said, there was a trail of blood leading to the front wheel on the driver’s side. And by it lay Sam. Seeing his friend collapsed on the ground made him sick. But the fact that Sarah was gone made him sicker. “Sarah? Where’s Sarah?”
“Gone. Help her. Not safe.” Tears glistened in Sam’s agonized eyes. “I tried. But BR got h—” Before he could finish, Sam passed out, his entire body slackening.
Fuck. What did he do now? My phone. But he never got to his cell. Something hitting him in the back of the head kept him from doing anything, except crumpling on the ground as his consciousness slipped away.
* * * *
In the front seat of Gavin’s Cadillac Escalade, Sarah leaned to the side. Futilely, she craned her neck to see around the evergreen tree Gavin had hidden his SUV behind. But it was no use. His position blinded her to the road and its activities. Just like her location would be shielded from anyone
on the other side. Stupid tree.
Giving up, Sarah deflated. She collapsed back in the leather seat, shaking like a leaf. God, she wanted to know what was going on out there. No, what she wanted was to go help Sam. But she knew if she got out of the SUV right now, Gavin would retaliate. And it wouldn’t be against her. He would probably wind up hurting Sam further or, even worse, he would go ahead and kill him. No, she couldn’t risk it. She had to stay put for the time being.
Bile crept up into Sarah’s throat as reality set in and the realization of what she’d done only minutes ago hit her. She’d made the call Gavin had ordered her to. Like the spineless jellyfish he had always accused her of being, she’d listened to his demands and complied. Sort of. What the lunatic didn’t realize was that rather than calling Adam and luring him out here like Gavin had commanded her to, she’d called for reinforcements. Using a special code, she’d alerted Hale that something was seriously wrong before she’d recited the message Gavin had fed her.
Big Dog was her safe phrase with Hale. Several months back, Hale had overheard her muttering about him, using that exact name instead of his own. He’d teased her endlessly. Until one day, she’d told him she was going to start calling him Big Dog, just to annoy him. He’d responded with a smart-aleck comment about how she’d better not utter the name Big Dog where he could hear her again unless she was using it as a safe phrase. Well, she had—today. She just hoped he caught on before it was too late.
When the back door flew open, and Gavin’s sinister face appeared, she knew something had happened, and it wasn’t a good thing. “Hi, honey,” he sneered. “We’re home.”
We? Before she could ask, he turned his back on her and lifted something off the ground. With a huff and a puff, he spun as though in slow motion and stuffed a body in the rear seat of the luxury SUV.
As soon as she saw Adam, Sarah broke down, sobs shattering her body. “Adam,” she cried. “Wake up. Please wake up.”
However, Adam didn’t awaken. His big body stayed still, disturbingly motionless, alarmingly soundless. He was utterly lifeless. And from where she was, she couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.
Terror crashed through her as the possibility of losing him, of having already lost him, barraged her brain. Frantic, she crawled between the two bucket seats, over the console, and dove for him. But Gavin stopped her. He jumped into the front seat and came at her from behind.
Catching her by the waist, he hauled her body back and threw her into the seat she’d just vacated. As soon as her bottom hit the soft leather, Gavin smacked her. The back of his hand slapped across her face. The resulting crack of flesh meeting flesh sounded almost as bad as the pain that splintered in her cheek felt.
“Don’t be stupid,” Gavin snapped. “I didn’t kill him. I’ve waited too many years to let him off the hook that easy. No, he is going to pay for stealing the only person who ever mattered to me. And then he is going to pay again because he tried to take you from me, too.” Pausing, he curled his lip. “That bastard fucked up my life—not once but twice—and he is going to live to regret it before I slit his throat and watch him bleed.”
With a maniacal grin that had her squirming, he settled into the driver seat and started the Escalade before pulling away from his hiding spot. Goosing it, he drove past the evergreen tree recklessly, using more speed than she was comfortable with. “Looks like it’s a good thing I drove this bad boy today. The big engine and roomy interior are going to be quite helpful.”
Anxious, Sarah threw her hand over her eyes and covered them. But soon, unable to bear being blind with a madman, she peeked through her fingers. “Slow down,” she screeched as he blew past a side road as though it were nothing more than a blip. “You’re going to get us killed.”
Taking his eyes of the road, he slid a haughty glare her way. “Are you scared yet?” He practically spat the words. “If so, let’s keep you that way.” He accelerated quickly, plastering her body to the black leather seat.
Terrified, she gripped the arm rest with one hand while digging her nails into the console with the other. “N–n–no,” she stammered, refusing to admit her fear to him. “You don’t scare me.”
Chuckling, Gavin glanced out the windshield before immediately back at her. “That’s a shame. I guess I’ll have to fix that.” The moment he finished speaking he put the pedal to the metal, pushing the Escalade to drive at its top speed.
One hundred and twenty. One hundred and thirty. One hundred and forty…
When the needle reached one hundred and sixty, Sarah panicked. “Okay, okay. I’m scared,” she blurted out, despising her weakness as she did.
Gavin barked a laugh. “Are you sure? I think we can push it a little harder. What do you think?”
I think I’m going to hurl.
Rather than waiting for a response, he took off like a bat out of Hades. “We’re about to find out.”
* * * *
Deke was driving like a lunatic, swerving and speeding at will. He barreled down the road, headed in the direction he figured both Adam and Sarah would have gone. About ten minutes later, he spotted Adam’s car behind Sarah’s.
Slamming his foot down on the gas, he demanded his car go as fast as it could. Luckily, it did. And soon, he was racing up to the cars.
Jerking his wheel, he pulled half-ass off of the road then threw his car into park. Without wasting a second, he jerked the door open and lurched out. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he was running. “Sarah! Adam!” His voice was loud in the still silence, reverberating around him, but he didn’t care. He continued to scream their names, time and again, while he searched for a sign of them. Opening and shutting doors, sprinting around the car. But there was nothing. No person in sight. No sound in the air. Fuck.
Panting, he rubbed his head, wishing he had strands so he could pull them. That’s when he saw it—blood. Without questions, he followed the freshly dried blood until he found Sam, passed out and bleeding profusely.
“Oh my God,” he swore, his voice still piercingly loud, as he ran for his car and reached for his phone.
Dialing Hale, he got to his feet and started pacing. When his friend answered, he didn’t have a chance to say a word before Hale started in on him.
“I just got a strange call from Sarah,” Hale said. “I think she’s in trouble. Wyatt’s trying to trace her cell phone.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have much luck,” he replied, remembering that he hadn’t seen her purse or phone in the car. “Try Adam’s. I have a feeling he’s with her, and he’s in danger, too.”
Hale cursed. Then Deke heard him cover the phone and murmur something to whoever was with him, presumably Wyatt. “Give us ten minutes,” he said when he came back. “And get your ass here. I know you, Deke. You’re not doing this without us.”
“I need to take care of Sam,” he retorted angrily. “He’s bleeding like a fucking pig. Then I’m going after BR.”
Hale scoffed. “Stop being stubborn. Get Sam in your car and bring him here. Chason is here with Ansley. They’ll take care of him. If it is something they can’t handle, they’ll get him to the hospital. But it’s a pretty damn long drive to get him there if he isn’t stabilized.”
Hale had a point. “Fine,” Deke agreed begrudgingly. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Hale didn’t reply. He just hung up.
In great haste, Deke hustled Sam into his car with minimal movements. Despite the dead weight, he managed to get his friend settled in the backseat and get back on the road within a handful of minutes.
Racing back to The Edge, he ran through several possibilities of where BR would have gone. But that was the problem. There were numerous places for a rich man to stash whatever and whoever he wanted. And he had no clue where to even begin.
When he finally reached the club, he saw several of the staff waiting for him. Standing together, Chason and Ansley were prepared for Sam. They both held numerous medical supplies in their hands.
Not far from them, Kylia was in a semi-circle with a distraught Declan and fierce-looking Lucian. And by them, Hale and Wyatt were huddled together.
Skidding to a halt in front of The Edge, Deke didn’t wait. He got out of the car, barking orders and demanding answers. For the first time today, he felt nearly in control—at least of this.
“Chason, Ansley, take care of Sam,” he commanded brusquely as he circled around to the group. “Wyatt, did you find anything out?”
Wyatt grimaced. “They’re headed toward the hunting lodge BR’s dad owns outside of Serenity. I can’t swear that’s where they’re going because he’s not quite there. But I’m pretty fucking sure.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been there before. Remember?”
Oh yeah, Deke remembered. They’d gone to one party there, and they’d never gone back. It wasn’t exactly the kind of place they wanted to spend their time in. He hadn’t minded the décor or the dungeon. It was the people’s actions that had revolted him.
“Oh shit,” Deke cursed as he realized what the bastard was up to. “He’s taking them to the dungeon.”
Hale nodded. “That’s what we suspect.”
“Fuck,” Deke swore. “He’ll…” He couldn’t even say the words.
“Not if I can fucking help it,” Delancey Sorensen sneered as she appeared in the doorway. The Edge’s female instructor wore a determined, deadly expression on her face. “I’ll feed him his balls first.”
Deke would’ve felt sorry for BR, if he didn’t want to kill him himself, because Delancey would do what she said. Given half the chance, she would happily castrate BR, and she would sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” while she did.
“I’ll feed him more than his balls,” Sebastian Blackwell promised when he strode out of the club and stepped forward. Immediately, The Edge’s male instructor moved to stand by Delancey. “BR hurt Sarah, and I think we should return the favor.” His severe expression lifted for just a second, a bloodthirsty grin lighting up his face. “Tenfold.”