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I force myself to look back at him, blinking my eyes, hopeful that he’ll disappear like some sort of mirage. But, he’s real, so very fucking real. As reality begins to set in, I find myself totally petrified. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. Soon, the room begins to spin faster and faster. Desperate to try to regain my balance, I brace my hand on the wall for support, praying I don’t black out.
Fight. You’ve got to hold it together.
Seemingly amused by my fearful reaction, he sucks in his bottom lip and looks me up and down, drinking every inch of my body in with his disgusting eyes.
“Miss me?” he smirks.
You’ve got to get out! Run!
I immediately bolt toward the kitchen, running as fast as I possibly can. I’ve got to get to my son. Broderick’s sick laughter fills my ears behind me. Just as I sling open the door, I collide with a solid wall of leather and muscle.
“Going somewhere?” A tall bald man says in a British accent.
“HELP!” I scream.
He hurriedly suppresses it by placing his hand tightly over my mouth and shoving me back into the house. He spins me around and releases me, pushing me toward Broderick. The second his vile hands touch the sides of my arms, I feel acidic bile churning in my stomach. Taking a few gulps, I manage to choke it back down my throat.
“Nice color.” He grins, taking a strand of my hair and bringing it up to his nose. He slowly inhales before gently brushing it back over my shoulder. His icy fingertips feel like needles stabbing into my skin. For so long, I’d rehearsed what I’d do
to him if this ever happened, but I’m so frozen with fear that I can’t move.
Broderick lets out a long, exasperated breath.
“God, how I’ve missed you.”
It’s then that my body finally regains the ability to push away from him. His brow instantly furrows at my actions. Pissed, Broderick lunges forward and grabs my arms, digging his nails deep into my flesh as he pulls me against him.
“Leave us, Tango. And make for certain we are not interrupted.” He orders. Keeping a ruthless hold on my arm, he drags me to the living room and slings me onto the couch.
“You and I have a lot to talk about, it seems.” He turns and picks up another picture of Kason off the shelf behind him.
“We don’t have anything to discuss.” I bite out in anger at him. The rage in his face begins to show, but he seems intrigued by my newfound defiance. He’s never seen this side of me before.
“Oh, I think there’s plenty. Let’s start with this.”
He tosses the picture into my lap. I stare down at my smiling son’s face and close my eyes to hold back the emotions.
Keep your head straight! Lie. You have to keep him safe.
“Yeah? What about it? He’s my friend’s little boy. The one I live here with.” I lie, desperate for him to believe me. Hopefully, there are enough pictures of Kyra and Kason together, that I may be able to convince him of my story.
Broderick gives me a smile and strides toward me, crouching down in front of where I’m sitting on the couch. He reaches out and gently caresses my face with his finger before sliding his hand up into my hair. Grabbing a fistful, he jerks me toward him, pulling me closer until my face is merely inches away from his.
“Do you think I’m a fool, Devyn?”
With my long waves still wrapped tightly in his grasp, he lifts the picture up to my face.
“Are you seriously going to lie to me? He looks just like you!”
“Leave him out of this. He’s no concern of yours.”
“No concern?” He releases my hair and shoves me back, bracing his arms on the top of the couch to pin me in place.
“Broderick, please. Just go. You’ve got this all wrong.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I meet my son.”
No! Try harder. You’ve got to convince him!
“He’s not your son!”
“Did you really think you could keep something like this a secret? How dare you keep my son away from me?” His hand lands hard across my face, instantly busting my bottom lip on contact.
“I already told you! He’s not yours!”
Yet again, he brings the back of his hand across my face.
“Where is he?” he roars.
Warm, thick blood gradually pools in the bottom of my mouth. Looking him straight in the eye, I swallow the salty fluid and smile at him as it coats the back of my throat. I’ll die before I ever tell him where my son is.
Broderick angrily jerks off his jacket and tosses it to the floor. I watch his monogrammed cufflinks pop off the ends of his shirt as he rolls up his sleeves. I’ve seen this play out too many times in the past, to not know exactly what’s coming.
“You fucking cunt! Tell me or I’ll remind you of what happens when you disobey me. One way or another, you will break.”
“Go ahead. I’m not afraid of you anymore. Besides, you can’t break something that's already broken.” I’m astonished by my sudden display of bravery.
As I’m thrown to the floor, I watch Kason’s toy dinosaur fall to the ground along with me. Knowing what’s coming, I focus on the toy’s glass eyes and prepare for the pain. The first blow of his foot lands square in my stomach, knocking my breath out of my body. In agony, I curl into the fetal position, gasping loudly as I struggle for the air to return to my lungs. I barely recover before he lands another violent blow to my side. Everything shuts down inside of me. I’m floating. I think of my beautiful son’s smile.
“Tell me, goddamnit!”
Deep down, I’d always known this day would come. Today, I will pay the hefty price for leaving that day.
Will I ever see my son again?
“Senator?” The bald guy from earlier interrupts him before he can land another blow.
“What?” He huffs and turns to face him. “I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want any interruptions.”
“Sir, I know, but we need to get moving. This place isn’t secure. You can resume this elsewhere.”
“Fine.” He huffs, backing away from me. “Put her in the car.” He orders, picking up his jacket and brushing it off with his hands.
“Figure out some way to keep her quiet. The last thing I need is for her to make a spectacle of herself.”
There’s no way I can possibly fight. I’m far too weak to even move. Staring weakly into the bald man’s face, I can see the sick exhilaration in his eyes as he raises his hand into the air.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” And then… darkness.
PAYNE
My tires loudly screech against the asphalt, as I barrel into her driveway. Throwing my truck in park, I grab the 9mm off the seat beside of me, and rush to the front of her house.
Dear God, don't let me be too late.
As I get closer, I can see that the front door is slightly ajar.
This is way too careless for her. Something is wrong.
Gulping down my fear, I tighten my grip on my gun and cautiously push the door open with my other hand.
“Honey?” I shout, stepping inside.
Silence.
I frantically repeat her name. “Honey!”
Again, there’s nothing but deafening silence. Carefully inching my way into the house, I aim my gun down the short hallway and cross over into the living room. My heart plummets the moment my eyes land on the dark, red stains saturated on the large area rug.
Blood. So much fucking blood. No!
As I take one final step around the chair, I see the stuffed animal I’d given Kason, sitting in the middle of the couch. Attached to the middle of the toy is a bright yellow note.
I’ll be waiting for your call.
As I stand there, it hits me that the camera in the toy may have captured valuable information. The only way of knowing what I’m up against is to review the recorded footage from Kason’s toy. Stumbling over my feet, I quickly run out to my truck to retrieve my laptop.
“You fucking cunt! Tell me or I’ll remind you of what happens when you disobey me. One way or another, you will break.”
My stomach violently churns as I watch the recorded footage. I want to slam the laptop shut, but I can’t. As excruciating as it is to watch, I can’t look away. It’s the only way I can know how many men are with him. Swallowing my anger, I clench the sides of the laptop and force myself to continue watching the horrific attack. The tears pouring down her face is heart wrenching. My heart stops when I see the tears falling from her cheeks. Even through her brave front, I can see the fear in her eyes.
Goddamnit!
I should’ve been here to protect her. I promised her that I would keep her safe. None of this would have happened if I’d stayed in town. I never would’ve allowed Masterson to get this close.
I swallow my anger and place my focus on the conversation between Tango and Masterson, hoping for clues about the abduction. From what I can gather, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else involved in this. Even so, it still doesn’t make this situation any easier. Tango is extremely dangerous. I’ll have to keep my head straight in order to take him down.
Once I’ve regained my composure, I pull out my phone and call Masterson. The sooner this is done, the better for everyone.
“Hello, Foxfire. I see you’ve gotten my message.”
“Where is she?”
“Now, now, I don’t think you’re in the position to be so demanding, do you?”
“What do you want? Money? Name the price.”
He chuckles at my offer. “Do you really think this is about money?
“
Then, what’s it about?” I wait for him to give me the answer I fear. Right now, I hold out the hope that he doesn’t know about Kason.
