by Ryan Michele
Disconnecting the call, the couch gave a poof with my weight as I plopped down. My thoughts were all twisted and there was no way to unravel them, because I knew nothing. Not one damn thing to help me figure out where everyone was. My brother was unreachable. Paxton was off doing who knew what who knew where, and I was left with a knot in the pit of my stomach that screamed shit wasn’t good.
The day turned into night with more of nothing. The hours passed, and Ellen Sue went to bed while I continued to pace the space. While I checked every door and window to find them all secured with codes and alarms, I didn’t really feel the rush to leave like I had before. I was too concerned for Paxton and my brother, who I felt Paxton knew how to find.
Time was not my friend, and idle time was even worse. I kept looking at the clock, watching the hours go by. I tried to call Riley seven more times to find the same damn recording taunt me in reply. This was agony.
Fear of the unknown, I heard about that being the thing we truly feared. It wasn’t heights. It was the fear of the fall because no one knew what would occur. Every fear could be broken down into the unknown factor. And that was what I feared the most, the things I didn’t know. Like where Riley was or Pax, or what the future held for me. I tried not to think too far ahead because it scared me. Love scared me. Paxton scared me.
Being without him, though, that was an unknown I wasn’t sure I could face. That gripped me hard and made me realize something. As much as Pax following me all these years bothered me, I found comfort in it. I could’ve pressed charges, pushed harder to get him to go away. I didn’t though, and that said something about me.
Inside, I wanted Paxton around. Just like now, I wanted him home. I wanted him with me. While I might realize all of this, I still didn’t have a single clue what to do with these feelings or the man that stirred them up inside me.
The phone rang, and I darted to it. “Hello?”
“Angel, give the phone to Ellen Sue.”
Anger built. “Where the hell are you? You’re obviously not dead, but you will be once I get my hands on you.”
He blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m fine, angel, but I need to talk to Ellen Sue, now.” His voice strained, almost as if he was biting back pain. It worried me even more. However, the hurt that he wanted to talk to Ellen Sue and not me, well, that stung more than my thumb did from biting it raw. Dammit, Paxton Williams! I wished I could stop getting so twisted up over him.
Screaming would help nothing nor would my frustration. Instead, I went to Ellen Sue’s room and handed the phone to her. “Yello,” she greeted happily like it wasn’t almost one in the morning, and she was sound asleep before I went to her room.
Her once relaxed face took on an entirely new look as she dropped her pillow to the floor, jumped up, and moved to the kitchen with a swiftness I’d never seen her do before. Not being one to be left out, I followed.
She opened a cabinet and pulled the dishes out in haste. “Yes, I’ve got it.” She paused then reached her arm in and a loud buzzer went off once.
“We’ll be downstairs.” Ellen Sue hung up the phone just as metal shutters started coming down over the windows and doors with loud clicks that sounded like locks. It was insane to watch the moonlight get shut out of every outlet in the home. My pulse quickened as Ellen Sue’s expressions became more focused.
“What’s going on?”
Ellen Sue looked at me with every ounce of seriousness in her expression. “You need to go upstairs and get what you’ll need for the next couple of days. You have five minutes to be back down here.”
Confusion over-rode me. “Wait. What’s going on, Ellen Sue? You’re freaking me way the hell out.”
“Good. It’s time to freak out, precious. Get your things, and I’ll explain once we’re downstairs. Go.” I didn’t move. “Now!” she ordered, and I jetted up the stairs and into the closet. I remembered seeing a bag in the back right corner and I grabbed it, tossing some clothes in it then moving into the bathroom and grabbing the necessities. For some stupid reason, I grabbed Paxton’s pillow and darted back down where Ellen Sue stood, her bag in hand.
“Come,” she ordered, grabbing my arm and pulling me down the hallway of the main floor. At the closet, where at my grandma’s Riley and I played Hide and Go Seek, Ellen Sue pushed the jackets off to the side and stepped into the coat closet.
She entered some random code and a door opened. I about shit my pants. If the shutters on the windows weren’t enough to freak me out, this sure as shit did. Ellen Sue wasted no time pulling me through, and I heard the door click shut behind us.
Lights turned on and a tunnel laid before us. Walking swiftly, we came to as set of stairs and moved down them quickly. Ellen Sue punched in another code and a second door slid open. She once again pulled me through. The door sounded like a huge puff of air as it closed, almost like it was sealing us in.
Ellen Sue let go of me, dropped her bag, and began turning on lights.
Speechless.
Completely and totally speechless.
Mouth hanging open, all I could do was look around at the space. The very large space that was built under the freaking ground. There were several doors that were all closed, but the room we were in had deep mahogany walls, almost like paneling, but the lighting made it feel comfortable and homey.
A large black leather sectional was in the middle of the space with three matching recliners. The coffee table in front of them was the same color as the walls. A large television perched on the wall. It was immaculate, very high end, and very exclusive.
“Is this the bat cave or something?” I asked, still scoping out the room, seeing a cart with booze at the other end. First, I needed to find out what was going on, then those drinks would be mine. I needed the damn escape like never before.
Ellen Sue laughed, the seriousness falling away from her face and going back to the woman I remembered. She tapped her chin with a smile. “Or something.” She moved to one of the doors, opening it wide. “This is your bedroom, toss your stuff inside.”
I complied, tossing the pillow as well, and she opened another door leading me into a kitchen that was very similar to the one upstairs. No cost was an issue with this place, that was for sure.
“Please tell me what’s going on. Why are we down here? And why do we even have a here to go down to?” I let the questions tumble out
“Come sit and let’s chat. It’s been a long day and night.”
Ellen Sue opened a door and tossed her bag inside, then came and sat on the couch next to me. The leather was cool under my bottom. Hell, the entire place was shockingly cool.
“Everything is okay. Know that for sure.” I said nothing and waited for her to continue. “The only thing that Paxton said was for us to get down to the safe room. He was very insistent that it was immediate that we move. Now, precious, I know you’re not gonna like this, but he didn’t tell me why, and I didn’t ask.”
This was crazy. “So we’re we not safe up there I take it?”
“That would be my guess, but in here—a nuclear bomb could go off, and we’d be just fine.”
This boggled my mind. What in the hell had I gotten myself into? This kind of shit was not something an accountant would need. What was Paxton really doing?
“Why is this place even here, and what could be so bad we need to be down here where we’re safe from a bomb?”
“Precious”—she placed her hand on my leg and it gave some reassurance. Little, but some. “My boys do a lot of things. Some of those things have complications from time to time. What those are, I’m not privy to, and I don’t care. But this room was built because of it. Each of their homes have something similar to keep the occupants safe.”
“Who the hell has Paxton turned into? The mafia?”
She chuckled. “As far as I know, no. But you never can guess with these boys.”
The pieces of the puzzle wouldn’t match up, further confusing me. “When is he going to be back?”
How could she so easily go with the flow? I had a million questions and not one answer it felt. “Not exactly like a damn campout,” I grumbled, not liking this one bit. This day was going from bad to worse. Fear was gripping me, and my chest felt like I had the weight of a thousand elephants on it.
Ellen Sue left the couch and darted into the kitchen. Cabinets opened and closed as I leaned back on the couch.
Well, this was an interesting turn of events. How long would I be stuck down here? And where the hell was Paxton? Where was my brother?
In less than a week, a matter of days actually, I lost all my money, my life, and I was living underneath a cabin and hiding from I didn’t know what. This shit was too much.
When I got my hands on Paxton Williams, I was going to kiss him and then throttle him.
18
Paxton
With the stooges leaving the room, I had a matter of moments to make my next move. The pain throughout my body was dizzying, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me alert and on the move.
I knew what I had to do if I wanted to live.
The goons were hired men, low on the totem pole because Ivan didn’t have the reach his brother did or the resources. They weren’t shot callers and the way they acted, it was obvious they had zero authority to make any decisions about taking out anyone, especially me. There was no doubt in my mind they were checking in with Ivan for instructions. Melanie sat up in the bed crying. It annoyed the fuck out of me. We didn’t have time for her to break down right now.
“Melanie, get over here,” I ordered, biting back the pain from my injuries. “I need you to untie me.”
She kept sobbing, ignoring me. We didn’t have time for her to break down now. I hated weak women, and she was only pushing the limits of my patience with every tear she shed. Get with the program, we had one shot to make it out of here. Riley did his part which had the men off their game and distracted, now Melanie needed to do hers.
“Melanie, is crying getting you free?” I harshly barked at her. “You can cry later, I’ll even make sure you get tissues, but right now you gotta put your big girl panties on.”
That got her attention. She swallowed hard before moving off the bed with her huge belly and came to me. I felt her hands tremble as she struggled with the restraints. I needed her to find a way to chill out and focus.
“Gotta calm down, Mel. You’re the one to save us all right now. I know you can do this. Be strong for the baby,” I tried encourage her.
She blew out a breath and got back to the task. I could sense her body trembling behind me as she continued to struggle. She was losing the battle in her mind to remain in control. It felt like forever but was really just seconds as she freed my arms. She stood and extended her hands to me to help me up. I shook my head as I struggled to focus my vision. My body was shutting down from the loss of blood.
“I can get up, just give me a sec. You don’t need the pressure of my weight.” She was too far in her pregnancy to help me get up. My weight and injuries would only put her and her unborn baby more at risk. The situation was already far too stressful with as close to her due date as she was. I didn’t want anything to tip her over the edge and her body start contractions.
I looked around the room trying to find something to use for protection. It was empty. Standing, I let out a groan from the pain as my leg had started bleeding again. Every move I made was agony. The adrenaline wasn’t enough to override my pain receptors anymore. I was going to crash soon and needed to get us out of here first.
We heard the shuffling of feet coming upstairs, so I had to think fast. Climbing on the bed, I quickly unscrewed the light bulb. It was the only thing in the room I could see to make a weapon. My fingers burned at the heat on the glass, but I kept at my task. Jumping off the bed, pain radiated up my leg as I purposely dropped the bulb and let it break on the floor.
Picking up the part used to screw the bulb in, I readied myself. The door opened, and short stooge entered first. As soon as he turned to me, I rushed him and pushed the broken glass into his neck, hitting the jugular.
I got fucking lucky.
As he grabbed at his neck, choking on his blood, I took his gun aiming at the man following in behind him who had his gun out and aimed not at me but Melanie. Without hesitation, I released the safety and fired. The bullet hit his forehead as I fired a second round to his chest. He didn’t even have a chance to move his finger to the trigger of his weapon to get a shot off.
Melanie screamed behind me, over and over she let out a blood curling yells.
The third man never came in. I waited. I listened as the blood from the two men pooled around my boots. Taking a moment, I checked the clip in the handgun to make sure it was full minus the two I unloaded in the middle stooge.
“Mel, you gotta get your shit under control,” I told her as I continued to access the situation and keep my ears tuned into the rest of the space for the other man. “We gotta move, and I need you focused.”
She fought to take deep breaths. Then when she wasn’t as loud, I took her by the hand and started to lead the way out of the room. Stopping at the man I shot, I grabbed his gun and phone before I continued to guide Melanie from the space. Her feet made a squishy sound with every step as her slippers had soaked up the blood and were leaving a trail.
I couldn’t worry about this right now. I needed to make a call, find a car, and get the fuck out of here.
Using the dead man’s phone, I dialed the phone number to the cabin. I needed to make sure Laurel and Ellen Sue were safe until I could get someone to them.
Laurel answered, breathing heavy like she ran to the phone, “Hello?”
“Angel,” I spoke as a calm washed over me hearing her voice. I wanted nothing more than to listen to her voice every day for the rest of my life, but right now, I had to keep her safe for this to even be possible. “Give the phone to Ellen Sue.”
“Where the hell are you?” she fired back at me. I didn’t have time for this. “You’re obviously not dead, but you will be once I get my hands on you.” That fight of hers was something I loved, but now wasn’t the moment for this.
I blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m fine, but I need to talk to Ellen Sue, now.”
She didn’t say another word, most likely mad as hell at me which was fine. I could deal with that later. This second, I needed her safe, and Ellen Sue would know what to do. “Yello,” Ellen Sue answered calmly.
“Lock it down and go to the safe room. I can’t explain right now. Under no circumstances do you allow her to leave the room nor do you go out, Ellen Sue. Understand?”
“Yes, I’ve got it.” She paused. I listened as the loud buzzer went off once; she was activating the shutters that would barricade them in. Unless the house was set on fire, no one and nothing would penetrate the walls. If the house caught fire, only the top would burn because Ellen Sue would take Laurel downstairs to the underground bunker that was certified fireproof.
No expense was spared and nothing was unprepared. Laurel would be safe. I took a deep breath. Next step was to get someone on the way to find my ass while I got Melanie somewhere safer than here.
“We’ll be downstairs.” Ellen Sue hung up the phone, and I made the second call to Dane.
“Anderson,” he answered, not recognizing the number.
“Dane, it’s Pax.” I felt my shirt saturate in wetness again where my shoulder was bleeding. The movements had caused the wound to bleed again. When they crushed my leg it began bleeding as well so the more I moved the more blood I lost. I was getting lightheaded, and I knew my health was in jeopardy.
“Where the fuck are you?” he clipped at me. “We got an alarm on Mel’s shit. It went off, so I hacked the security feed Petrov put in. Watched them take you. We’ve been trying to track
it but lost them on a backroad.”
“Find me,” I clipped out. “Look for smoke, we’ll be within a two-mile radius of that.”
Those were the last words I could get out while biting back the pain. I knew I wouldn’t make it far from the house. But I also knew Dane had every resource available to him on the hunt so someone would be close. On a hobble, I managed to get Melanie and I out of the house. I snagged a set of car keys on the counter as we walked to the garage.
Using the gas can I found, I poured the shit all over. Raising the bay door, I looked out to see a Chevy truck that the clicker on the keychain made light up. Pulling out my smokes, I put the cigarette to my lips and used the Zippo that never let any of us down to light it.
“Head to the truck,” I instructed Melanie. She didn’t ask questions and took off as fast as she could with her very pregnant belly. When she was safely tucked away, I had a long pull off the cigarette before tossing it over my shoulder and into the gasoline.
On a quick clip, half dragging my injured leg, I reached the truck. Climbing in, I yelled out my pain as I cranked the truck and pulled off down the driveway.
I was losing blood. Too much, too fast, and I felt the shock settling in.
I was fucked.
Thoroughly fucked.
Finding a dirt road not far from where we were, I pulled off and found a place to park the black truck. We didn’t blend in, but we didn’t stick out either.
I was dizzy, couldn’t focus. The darkness was winning as I blinked, fighting for consciousness.
Laurel was safe. Dane would find us. I kept telling myself that as I was losing the battle.
“Paxton,” Melanie said my name over and over. “Stay with me.”
I could only groan.
“Dane’s coming,” I whispered before everything went black.
19
Laurel
Ellen Sue told me to rest, but that wasn’t happening. I couldn’t turn my brain off. My mind raced with everything that had occurred, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together that made up Paxton Williams and whatever in the hell he got me involved in.