Unleash Me, Vol. 2 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series)

by Ross, Christina

  When he spoke, there was a clear undercurrent of rage in his voice. “Then I’ll find out.”

  “How? He lives on the streets. How will you ever find him?” And then a possible way to help him occurred to me. “I forgot—tomorrow morning, Katie is going to send me a photo of Kevin when he was nineteen. She said that I should take it to the police and tell them what he looks like now, and that they could come up with an accurate composite of how he looks today.”

  “Save that photo for me. I can do the same with it. Don’t go to the police.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m handling this now. No one is going to do this to you under my watch and get away with it. Did he do anything else to you?”

  “He did. I got in a cab. He threatened me. He wouldn’t let me close the door. After I slammed my fists down onto his fingers, he leaned into the cab and told me to watch my back. He told me that I’d never know when he'd show up again, or what he’d do to me when he did. That’s when the driver took off. Kevin got in a cab of his own and chased me until my driver lost him. But since Kevin told me that he knows where I live, I’m on edge. I wish you were here with me. More than you know. I’m so embarrassed about those photos, Tank. It’s been so many years, I’d forgotten about them. But they might be out there. It’s a possibility. You need to know that.”

  “He took advantage of you when you were at your most vulnerable. Don’t ever apologize about those photos to me again. That was on him—not you.”

  God, I love him.

  “Here’s what you’re going to do,” he said to me. “Tonight, one of my men will be stationed outside your building. His name is Cutter. He’s a good guy. He’ll call you when he’s there, which should be in about twenty minutes or so. You think I’m big? Wait until you see him. Wherever you go, he or another member of my team will go with you. Maybe Max—he’s very good. Is that understood?”

  “It’s actually a relief.”

  “Until I get back to New York, Cutter is your go-to person. Share your schedule with him, and either he or someone else will make certain that you’re never alone. Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “What does Kevin look like now?”

  I described him to Tank.

  “Katie is sending the photo to you tomorrow morning?”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “If you don’t have it by morning, call her. Then give the photo to Cutter. He’ll take you to meet the team, and they’ll ask you specific questions that will allow us to craft an accurate composite of what Kevin looks like today. Just like the police would have done for you. If we’re going to find him, it’s critical that we have that composite.”

  “Why shouldn’t I just go to the police?”

  “Because I want him. I plan on delivering a different kind of justice.”

  “Tank—”

  “Please just do this for me.”

  “But I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

  “I don’t plan to.”

  “How are you going to find him? There are millions of people in this city. We’ll never find him.”

  “We will find him,” he said. “And do you know why?”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s a meth addict. He’ll reveal himself to us without even knowing it. I have my ways, and you need to trust me now. Have you told Blackwell any of this?”

  “Not yet. I wasn’t sure what time she went to bed. I was planning on telling her everything tomorrow morning.”

  “Make sure she understands the situation you’re in with Boss, and also with Kevin.”

  “I will. I’m so sorry, Tank.”

  “Why are you apologizing? I asked you not to. I meant that. This changes nothing between us.”

  “It’s just that—”

  “Lisa, I’m in love with you. I will protect you. I’m a former SEAL. Do you understand what that means? Do you know how I’ve been trained? I hope you do, because that’s who I am. Seeking out men like Kevin is what runs in my blood, especially for someone I love. I don’t judge you for any of this—you need to know that. I remember what it was like to be seventeen. Who the hell knows anything at seventeen? He did this to you—not you. He took advantage of you, and now he wants to bilk you for a cool million. That’s not happening on my watch. OK? It’s not happening.”

  And that was that. I’d done the right thing. I’d told him everything. I’d told him about parts of my life that I’d forgotten, and he didn’t judge me for them. He did love me. It was as clear as the anger in his voice. I needed to listen to him now. And trust him.

  And so I did.

  “I’m so sorry all of this happened to you tonight,” he said in a softer voice. “And here I thought that tonight was going to be one of the best nights of your life. I’m sick that that didn’t happen for you. I’m sick that I can’t be there with you. I hope you know that.”

  “I can feel you from here.”

  “Cutter will be there in twenty minutes—just as soon as I call him. I’ll also call the doorman and let him know that there’s a situation, and that Cutter and others will be on site to make certain that you’re safe. I might be far away from you in distance, but not in heart. I will protect you from this.”

  “I love you, Tank.”

  “I love you more.”

  “Before you left today, I thought that two weeks without you would be interminable. Now I know it will be. I don’t want to come off as some weak, dependent, ridiculous girlfriend, but I feel like one now.”

  “You’ve been threatened. That fucker actually chased you tonight. I hope you understand the difference of what being a ridiculous girlfriend means, because I do—and you’re not one. When you wake in the morning, go and introduce yourself to Cutter. If you have the photo from Katie, put it on a thumb drive and give it to him. If you don’t, call her and ask her for it. Tell her that you need it ASAP. When you have it, go with Cutter to Wenn. The team will take care of the rest. With your memory of what Kevin looks like now, we’ll construct a clear composite of him and we’ll use it to seek him out. OK?”

  “I know it’s selfish, but I wish you were here with me now.”

  “I do, too. More than you know. But I can tell you this—I’m there in spirit. I’m all around you. Can you feel me? Close your eyes and try to feel me.”

  I closed my eyes and imagined Tank standing behind me while I sat at the computer, and God help me if I didn’t feel a whisper of his hands on my shoulders. He was there with me. We had a connection that couldn’t be divided by space.

  “I feel you,” I said. “I do.”

  “Get some sleep.”

  “That’s not going to happen. I’m way too wound up. I’ll work on Boss’ edits and try to make some headway on the book.”

  “Maybe, by tomorrow morning, Boss will be out of your life.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that, but then I’ll need to deal with a new editor and all of his or her wants for the book.”

  “Try to sleep,” he said. “I’ll see if I can take care of that, too.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next morning, I awoke with a start and found myself leaning back in my desk chair with my hands resting on my stomach. What woke me? It was a sound—and then I knew exactly what it was. Apparently, I’d just snorted in my sleep so loudly that I’d rattled myself awake.

  Classy, I thought.

  At some point in the night, I must have reclined, closed my eyes, and fallen asleep. I looked up at the ceiling for a few moments. Then, I wiped my eyes and squinted around the room, which was blindingly bright from the sunlight pouring through the window at my left. My head was so thick with thoughts of all that had happened the night before, I felt as if I was in a fog.

  Coffee, I thought. No—espresso. I was about to stand when I recalled my conversation with Tank. He’d specifically asked me for that photo of Kevin, and I couldn’t let him down. So, I sat up in my chair, collected myself, woke my computer from its slumber, an
d got to it.

  I checked my email to see if Katie had sent the photo, and was surprised to find that she actually had. I opened it, and the person I saw smiling back at me was now a shock to me. This version of Kevin looked nothing like the man I saw last night. Only six years had passed since this photo was taken, but now, because of how he’d chosen to live his life, he looked a good fifteen years older.

  I reached into my desk drawer, removed a thumb drive, stuck it into a slot on my keyboard, and saved the photo onto it. That’s when my phone rang. I looked at the screen hoping that it was Tank, but it was Blackwell. I wished it had been Tank, but I’d always take Blackwell. I answered.

  “Barbara,” I said.

  There was concern in her voice when she said, “How are you?”

  “You’ve spoken to someone about what happened last night?”

  “Alex called me after Tank spoke to him. I know everything. I’m sorry. None of that should have happened to you, from Marco Boss’ drunken antics straight down to your ex-boyfriend openly threatening you in Times Square, of all sordid places. Can you meet me at Wenn by nine?”

  “What time is it now?”

  “Six-thirty.”

  “Of course I can. What’s the issue?”

  “Things tend to get lost in translation when they’re handed down from one person to the next. I want to hear your version of all of it—straight from you—so I understand exactly what happened. Cutter is waiting for you downstairs. You haven’t met him yet, but you won’t be able to miss him. He’s a giant, but a kind one. You’ll like him. Take a shower. Have some coffee. Then meet me in my office at nine.”

  “When do they land in Singapore?”

  “Around six-thirty this evening. They’ve been flying all night. It’s an eighteen-hour flight from LAX. They have another twelve hours to go.”

  After seeing Kevin last night, I longed to speak with Jennifer, who never had liked him. What is she going to say when I tell her that story…?

  “I’ll be there at nine,” I said.

  When I hung up the phone, I realized just how much I wanted to see Jennifer. She’d give me the perspective that I needed. I pushed back my chair, and dashed into the bathroom, where I showered and then did my hair—just loose enough so it curled up along the tops of my shoulders. I put on some makeup, my favorite dark jeans, and a white silk blouse. I paired my outfit with a funky chain-mesh belt and killer Dior heels. Then, after putting on the cashmere coat Blackwell herself had purchased for me, I had one last thing to do.

  And so I did it.

  * * *

  I arrived in the lobby with two steaming cups of espresso in my hands. I didn’t know how Cutter liked his, so I took a chance and went with how most liked theirs—with a solid dose of sugar in it to soften its bitter edge.

  As Tank and Blackwell had promised, it was impossible to miss him.

  When I walked across the lobby, my heels tapped with purpose. He was standing guard at the front entrance, and, unfathomably, he was even taller and more muscular than Tank or Boss. Where did these people come from? Some alien world? I’d never seen men so tall or so built. Or handsome. Cutter was dressed in a black suit with a blue tie, over which he wore a long black winter dress coat. He had curly dark hair, and, after standing here all night, more than a trace of stubble on his face. When he turned to me, he straightened.

  “Ms. Ward,” he said.

  “Please,” I said as I closed the distance between us. “It’s Lisa. You’re Cutter?”

  “I am.”

  “You’ve been out here all night. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. Your feet must be aching, and you must be bored as hell. I’d extend my hand to shake yours, but as you can see, my hands are full. Would you like an espresso? I brought one for you. I thought we could each have a massive infusion of caffeine before we left for Wenn.”

  “Thank you,” he said, taking one of the mugs. “I need this.”

  “Didn’t the doorman offer you coffee?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “That will be taken care of today,” I said. “I wish you would have called me. I would have brought you down a pot myself.”

  “I appreciate that, but it’s really no issue. I’m fine.”

  Was there a deeper voice on the planet? I thought Tank’s voice was deep. Then I met Marco Boss, whose voice trumped Tank’s. Now, Cutter trounced both of them. He sounded as if his voice came from the hollow of a deep barrel.

  “Are men like you raised on a farm?” I asked.

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “Are we raised on a what?”

  “A farm. Tank is the largest human being I’ve ever met. Then somebody else entered the picture and took the crown. You probably already know who that is, but I’m not mentioning his name. But you, Cutter? You take the cake.”

  He grinned at me. “There are a few guys like us around.”

  “Maybe in the WWE, but who knew that some of you had other professions? How tall are you?”

  “Six-eight.”

  “And you can find clothes that fit you?”

  “It can be a challenge. Let’s just say I generally have to use a tailor.”

  “Me too. I need to pull everything in. Nothing fits me—everything is always too big. Blackwell makes fun of me because I amount to a bit of nothing.”

  “Not in Times Square, you don’t.”

  “That’s just because I’ve been blown up larger than life. By the way, I put sugar in your espresso. I didn’t know how you’d like it—I just went all traditional on you. But now, looking at you, I think I should have brought you a triple shot. That’s hardly going to have an affect on you.”

  He downed his drink and shook his head. “Totally disagree, ma’am. This will get my day started just right.”

  “Please don’t tell me that I look like a ‘ma’am’ to you.”

  “That’s not what I meant—”

  “Just call me Lisa, OK? I’m twenty-five. Barely an infant. I’m not ready to be called ‘ma’am’ just yet. Or ever. Call it vanity. Hell, call it delusion. But I can’t go there yet, especially if we’re about to become good friends. So, it’s Lisa and Cutter.”

  “All right,” he said. “Lisa and Cutter it is.”

  “And by the way—where did you get the name ‘Cutter’?”

  “It’s actually my middle name.”

  “What’s your first name?”

  “Edward.”

  “I like Edward. But I have to say that I like Cutter better.”

  “Me too.”

  I downed the last of my espresso and then held out a hand for his mug. “Blackwell is expecting me at nine,” I said. “If I fail her, I will have failed the Western world and be taken to task for it. Here, let me give these cups to the doorman who didn’t offer you coffee. I’ll pick them up later. We need to get out of here now or my head will roll.”

  “I’ve got the car waiting at the curb,” he said.

  When I returned empty handed, I reached into my pants pocket for the thumb drive with Kevin’s picture on it. “Tank asked me to give this to you.”

  “This is the photo of your ex?”

  “You already know about it?”

  He nodded. “We’ll need to talk later today so you can give the team a full description of the person you saw last night.”

  “I’m there.”

  “Ready to go?”

  “More than ready. She’ll kill me if I’m late.”

  Cutter quickly told me the protocol I was to follow. He then stepped out on to the sidewalk, looked up and down the street, and waved me his way. Within seconds, I was in the car and we were off to Wenn.

  * * *

  When we arrived at Blackwell’s office on the fifty-first floor, she gave me a quick glance, tilting her head to her side as she studied what I’d chosen to wear while I removed my coat. Then, her eyes snapped to Cutter’s.

  “Phase two,” she said.

  “Absolutely, ma’am.”

  “Ple
ase close the door behind you, Cutter. Thank you. And thank you for watching over this one last night. You’ll see a bump in your pay for that.” When he began to protest, she said, “Don’t argue. You always want to argue with me when extra pay is involved, and it renders me deaf. Now, scoot. You earned it. Give us fifteen minutes, and then follow through. When you do, I’ll need you and another member of your security team here. You know why.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He closed the door, and I looked at Blackwell, not sure what to anticipate after that exchange. I thought she looked perhaps the most formidable I’d ever seen her. Her suit was black, fitted, cutting-edge. Her black hair, usually worn in a bob, was spikey and suggested an aggressive, angular look. Her skin seemed to glow from within, and her eyeliner and eye shadow were more pronounced than ever, but her lips were the real statement—they were beyond red. All she needed were broad strokes of paint across her cheeks, and she’d look as if she was about to go to war. There was an energy coming off her that I hadn’t felt before. She’d always been aggressive. But what sat before me was ferocious. She looked like a hawk ready to feast on its first meal in weeks.

  Her face softened and she got up out of her chair, came over to me, reached for my hands, and took them in her own. “I love, love, love what you’re wearing. So on trend. So faboo. I would have paired it all with faux red-rimmed glasses, but you probably don’t have anything like that yet. So, we’ll just get them later. Just you and me, OK? It will be our afternoon out. By the way, the Dior pumps made me tremble when I saw them.”