I slump back in the chair, roughing my hand through my hair and tugging on the ends. "Lex and I had a huge fight. I was a dumbass and she dumped me." Zander’s eyes get big and he coughs a little.
"Damn, bro. That sucks. What are you gonna do to get her back?" His lips twitch a little at the end because he knows me so well. I won't go down without a fight.
"I…" my phone ringing in my pocket cuts me off. I hold up a finger, "Hold that thought," I say as I dig my phone out of my pocket. "Hello?"
"Ford, it's Detective Layne. I got a hit on that number you gave me. It pinged at a tower close to your neighborhood thirty minutes ago." I shove out of the chair and it clatters to the ground.
"Close to here?" I'm already on the move and out the door by the time he can confirm. I can hear Zander behind me, shouting at me to wait up, but I can't. I hit end on the call and stuffed the phone back into my pocket, jogging across the yard between our houses and onto Lex's porch. I start banging on the door.
"Lex, I know you're pissed but open the fucking door." I shout, trying the doorknob but it's locked.
"Ford, what's going on?" Zander asks from behind me. I'm still banging on the door.
"Alexis's crazy fucking husband. He's been stalking her for months. And I just got confirmation that he's in town." I try the knob again. Nothing. I take a step back and kick the front door open, splintering the door frame. I'm halfway to the back of the house looking for her when I hear Z call for me.
"Uh, Ford. I think you should come here," he says, and I follow his voice to the living room.
"What the fuck?" Zander is consoling Sophie, who's tied up with tape over her mouth in the living room closet. He helps her to her feet and gently pulls the tape off her mouth.
"Hey, hey. Shhhh. It's okay. Shhh." Zander is consoling her while he unties her bounded hands and feet. I can't believe she's standing in front of me. She's been missing for almost a month.
"Where's Alexis, Sophie?" I ask her, tears still streaming down her face.
"Th… that man. The one with the badge. He t-took her." I fucking knew it.
"Where, Sophie? Where did he take her?" Zander asks while still soothing her.
Sophie's eyes bounce between the two of us, hesitating before she finally answers.
"Home. He said he was taking her home."
Lex
s
taring blankly out the windshield as the countryside flies by us. Jason’s in the driver’s seat, fidgeting with the radio like it even fucking matters what song is playing while I’m being kidnapped. He finally speaks first.
“Never should have ran in the first place, Alexis.” He sneers at me, glancing back and forth between me and the road. I cannot believe this mother fucker. I laugh at him and shake my head.
“Never should have beat me in the first place, Jase.” I mock, turning to look out the passenger window but my head is ripped back when he grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me to face him, the car swerving violently with the motion.
“Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to me or I’ll finish you right here and leave your lifeless body on the side of the road,” his voice is so calm and cold, same as always. He shoves me away, returning his hand to the steering wheel. His fingers flex against the smooth leather of the steering wheel. I take in his features - sharp jaw, clean shaven, close cropped dark brown hair, a crooked nose from a bar fight he got into when we first started dating. Bright green eyes that I used to get lost in. I think back to the first time I met Jase. I was at a going-away-party for one of my friends from high school. He was leaving to go into the Marines. Jason was a friend of a friend of a friend. He and I started talking and he made me believe that we were perfect for each other. That I was the only girl for him. That I was special.
“Did you ever really love me?” I ask, flicking my eyes to the windshield. The rain that started to fall has turned into a steady pitter patter against the glass. He flips the wipers on and cuts his eyes to me and back out to the road.
“Of course I loved you. I still love you Alexis,” he sighs, propping his elbow up on the door and running his fingers through his short hair. I’ve been calm so far, reasonable. Honestly, I’m probably a kidnapper's dream. I haven’t really resisted much, but something inside me snaps when he says he loves me.
“Remind me Officer Crenshaw,” I spit out, still turned in my seat with my back against the door and my arms crossed over my chest, “when was it you loved me? Was it the time you threw me down the stairs because I forgot to wash your work shirt? Or was it the time I was late getting dinner on the table and you dumped scalding hot water down my leg? I still have the scars, by the way. Or is it now, finding me after letting me stay gone for four years and manipulating me to come with you?” My voice is rising, each word getting sharper and sharper. “If you loved me, we wouldn’t be in this situation now. If you loved me, I never would have left in the first place!” CRACK! He backhands me in the mouth, effectively shutting me up. I can feel blood trickling down my face, wet and sticky. I reach up to wipe it off.
“Point proven,” I whisper, shaking my head. This is not the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I’m not sure he was ever the man I thought he was.
Turning in my seat to face the windshield, I flick the glove box open, rifling for napkins to clean my face up. Slamming it shut, “so, where are we going?” I wince, pressing the cheap paper to my cracked lip.
“Back to Jersey,” he answers, settling back in his seat from his assault on my face. I don’t say anything else. I don’t have anything left to say. There was never a question when Jason showed up, saying it was me or them. I would never let him lay a finger on those kids. I would choose this life a thousand times over if it meant keeping them safe. My mind wanders, worrying what Ford must think. I hope he only knows how much I love him.
The rain is coming down harder now, slicing in sheets dancing in front of the headlights.
“Jase, you should probably slow down,” I say nervously, as he takes another corner dangerously fast, fishtailing a little coming out of the turn. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye and then back to the road. He lets off the accelerator a little. I settle in for what’s bound to be a long drive back to Jersey.
Ford
I’m pacing the length of the living room as detectives search every inch of her house. I don’t know what the fuck they’re looking for. I told them what Sophie said, that he was taking her home. Home is Jersey. Why the fuck are they searching here like they’re going to find her in a closet? Zander is talking in hushed tones to Sophie while the paramedics look her over and the detectives ask her more questions. I tug on my hair.
Detective Layne approaches me. In his hand he’s holding two phones. One belongs to Alexis and the other must be Crenshaw’s’.
“I found these on the bed in the master bedroom. Assuming one of these belongs to Alexis?” He asks, and I reach out and snag hers, powering it on. The screen comes to life and it’s a picture of all four of us, Aria on my back with her arms around my neck and Lex and Zane giving each other bunny ears at the pumpkin patch. My heart breaks more than it already has.
“This one is hers. Why the fuck are these officers all still here?” I gesture at all the nonsense happening around us, “I told you exactly what he said. He’s taking her home. Home is fucking New Jersey.” I’m so angry. Mostly angry at myself for not seeing through the whole facade she put on earlier and kicking the door in when I had the chance.
“We’ve sent a car from New Jersey State Highway Patrol to the address for Crenshaw. The couple that answered the door said they bought the house from him a few months ago. They didn’t have a forwarding address. We have detectives searching databases now trying to find any properties listed in his name. These things take time.” He says and I see red.
“We don’t have fucking time! The last time he put his hands on her he almost killed her.” My voice cracks. Zander clasps his hand on my shoulder.
; “Hey, let's take a walk,” he says, steering me out of the living room and through the front door and out into the yard. I shrug his hand off of me and huff out a breath. I can’t just sit here and do nothing and I tell Zander exactly that. He cracks a grin and slaps me on the back.
“Well big bro, why didn’t you just say so? I’ve got friends in low places.”
Lex
The car slowing to a stop wakes me from my slumber. Rubbing the back of my neck from how I was sleeping, I glance around. I don’t recognize where we are.
“What is this? Where are we?” I ask as Jason gets out of the car. He grins.
“This is home.” He slides out and closes the door, coming around to my side to open my door. How chivalrous, this motherfucker has never opened a door for me. I climb out and take in my surroundings. This isn’t Jersey, we are obviously out in the country of Alabama somewhere. There are trees surrounding us and it’s quiet. No noises from the city. No neighbors. No one can hear him when he hits me. I feel the bile rising up in my throat. Jason is halfway to the door by the time I realize I’m still standing by the car. I clutch my purse tighter to me as I wait for him to unlock the door. He ushers me inside but I freeze in the doorway.
This house is a carbon copy of our house in Jersey right down to the way our wedding picture is hanging in the foyer. He gives me a little push through the threshold and closes the door, throwing the lock. He squeezes my shoulder to the point of it being almost painful.
“Welcome home, sweetheart,” he says before pressing a kiss to my cheek.
Shit.
Zander
Removing the sling from around my neck I toss it on the couch. Stupid fucking mission. Stupid fucking Special Forces. I knew one more mission would almost kill me and this last one nearly fucking did. I rub at my shoulder, trying to ease some of the tension. That tends to happen when the mission you’re on is botched, your entire team is captured, and you’re chained by your wrists from a ceiling for nearly a full day before you can finally bust your asses out of there.
I’m sliding into my desk chair when I hear my apartment door slam shut and Ford comes barreling into my living room. He’s in a mood. Shit, I would be too if some psycho kidnapped my girlfriend. I wiggle the mouse and both monitors come to life. I start punching keys as Ford drags a chair up beside me.
“What’s the plan?” He huffs out, scrubbing his hands down his face.
“Patience, big bro,” I murmur, pulling up the street cameras near his neighborhood and narrowing it down to the time we think Alexis left with Crenshaw.
“Holy fuck, Z. Did you just hack into the town's street cameras?” Ford breathes out, his eyes pinging back and forth between the monitors.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to….” I trail off. “Bingo. Gotcha motherfucker,” I say, zeroing in on a newer black Toyota Camry. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial those friends in low places that I was telling Ford about earlier.
“Yo, bro,” Caine answers the phone, “what’s up?”
“I need you to run a plate for me.” I say, zooming in and rattling off the plate number.
“Sure thing. Gimme a sec,” I hear him whispering something to someone over the line and I hear a woman giggle in the background. I crack a grin, “Shit Caine, am I interrupting something?”
He chuckles, “Nah, she’ll wait. They always do.” I hear a keyboard clicking in the background. Ford’s now pacing the length of my living room practically coming out of his skin.
“Alright, got it. The car is registered to one Stanley Flemming. Looks like he retired from the Spring Lake police department about 10 years ago. Died about 8 months ago. Dead men don’t drive, ya know,” he cracks up at his own joke.
I’m on the move at this point, locking up my computer and heading for the coat closet where I keep all my weapons and ammo. Caine’s still relaying information to me. He lets out a low whistle, “shit son, this fella owned some real nice property in Blountstown before he kicked the bucket.
“Blountstown. Where? Is it remote?” I throw on my shoulder holster, tossing Ford a gun. “You haven’t forgotten how to shoot, have you?” I crack at him and he narrows his eyes.
“I’ll shoot your fucking ass right now if you don’t shut your mouth,” he responds, expertly loading the gun and stuffing it into his waistband. Caine cracks up.
“Super remote, off the grid type shit. Looks like his estate is still in probate, he’s got a couple of bratty kids fighting over it, so it’s empty.”
“It’s not empty. Send the location to my phone. Thanks bro,” we disconnect and a second later my phone pings with the location.
“Let’s go get your girl,” I say as I clap Ford on the back and prowl past him and out the door.
Lex
Jason locked the door behind me when we got here. Like, locked from the inside and stuck the key in his pocket. There are locks on every door and window that require a key. He said he had some work to take care of and disappeared into the back of the house. I’m still trying to take it all in.
This house is a carbon copy of our home in Jersey, right down to the paint on the walls. What the fuck? I meander into the kitchen to look out the windows above the sink. They overlook the backyard that butts up to a body of water with trees all around. I thought when I agreed to go with Jase to keep him from hurting the kids and Crawford that once he got me to our home in Jersey I’d be able to get away at some point, but we definitely aren’t in Jersey. The lake and the marsh surrounding it resemble Alabama so we can’t be too terribly far from home.
Home. That’s what Monroeville is to me. But it’s more than just the town. Home is wherever Ford, Zane and Aria are. Home is nights at the local pub with Avery. Get togethers with Ford's family. It’s away games and stolen kisses in my classroom. Oh my god. The girls on my cheer squad. My heart’s breaking. A quiet sob escapes me as I continue to peruse the kitchen, looking for any way out. There’s what looks to be a butler’s pantry off to the left so I swing the door open and I freeze.
The walls are covered in photos of me. Photos from the last four years. I walk in farther and slap my hand over my mouth. There’s pictures of me at Half Moon doing yoga. Photos of me and Ronnie shopping in Neptune City and a snapshot of me unloading my jeep at the bungalow. Newspaper clippings of all the football games we’ve won. A picture of Ford and I at the hotel bar on the weekend of the state championship. Pictures of Aria and Zane playing in the front yard. Bile starts to rise in my throat and I scramble, making it to the nearest trash can and violently throw up.
I stand after I’m done. He’s been watching me. I can’t even believe it. I can feel his presence behind me and I spin, suddenly filled with rage. Rage that he’s been stalking me all this fucking time. Rage that he’s been taking pictures of our fucking kids when he has no right. None. I shove him.
“I can’t fucking believe you,” I hiss, continuing my onslaught. “All this goddamn time I thought I was free of you. Changing phones, moving on with my fucking life. And all this time you’ve been following me.” I throw my arm out at the pictures. “Why?! Why let me have something that means so much to me just to rip it away?” I’m hysterical at this point. My chest is heaving, tears streaming down my face.
“How does it feel?” Jase says, taking a step for me. Ever the calm, cool, and collected detective that he pretends to be. “How does it feel,” he continues, “to have something so precious and then have it stolen from you?”
I scoff. “I was never precious to you, Jase. I was a pawn. Something you used to get off and discard whenever you didn’t want to play with me anymore. You didn’t love me. You think I didn’t know you were sleeping with all those prostitutes?” He narrows his eyes at me, taking another step towards me.
He reaches out to touch my hair and I flinch backwards, which makes him smile.
“Of course I loved you, Alexis. And of course I’ve been following you. Biding my time, watching you with him,” he spits, reachin
g out and grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me towards him. He presses his lips to my mouth and I gag. He brings our bodies flush, and I can feel he’s hard and he presses it against me, thrusting. He yanks my head backwards, tilting me so I’m looking up at him. “I was fine letting you go until I found out you were fucking someone else.”
“Jase, you’re hurting me,” I manage to say through the pain. He pushes me backwards until my back is against the wall and he leans down, hissing in my ear, “watching you fuck him when it should have been me. Do you know how angry it makes me to know my wife has been sleeping with another man?” He takes his hand from the wall and presses it against my throat, and I’m taken back. Back to that night so many years ago when I thought I would die before I ever got away from him. He closes his hand and squeezes, positioning himself so my legs are straddling his leg and his knee is wedged against my crotch. There’s so much malice in his eyes as he squeezes harder, reminding me of just who he is and what he’s capable of. I push at his shoulders, gasping for air.
“Jase, I...can’t...breathe…,” my vision starts to go dark around the edges. He takes a slight step backwards, still squeezing my neck and I do the only thing I can think of. I reach out and claw his face with my nails and he jumps back, dropping me.
Fall for You: Boys of Alabama Page 17