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“He’s staying,” I state. I make sure it doesn’t sound like a question.
I look over at Carter and we lock eyes.
“Please?” I finally say, using the one word I know will work on him.
“Fine,” he growls. “We’re going to check this flash drive real quick. You both stay put.”
Saint follows Carter out of the room and I can actually feel the tension leave with them.
“I’m so sorry, Justin.”
“It’s okay, Layla. I’m really just glad you’re okay.”
Giving him a sad smile, I go back to trying to clean up his hand. It looks like the bleeding has stopped but I want to make sure he doesn’t get an infection.
“Can I get some water?” he asks.
“Of course. Just give me a second.” I go into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water, and I bring them back to the living area. I hand Justin his, and I set mine down on the coffee table and then start wrapping Justin’s hand up.
“How bad is the pain?” I query. It may have stopped bleeding, but it’s still so raw.
“I could really use something.”
“I think I saw some Tylenol in the bathroom. I’m not sure how much that’ll help.”
“I’ll take anything at this point.”
Nodding my head I go back into the bathroom and search through the medicine cabinet. I find two different bottles of meds that might help so I grab them both. I’ll let him pick which he wants. I hand him the bottle and he takes a couple of pills from both, chasing them with his water.
“I’m really sorry about Carter. He can be a little much, but I know it’s because he worries about me.”
“You sure you’re safe with him, Layla? He seems just as scary as your father, if you ask me.”
“I know how it seems, but Carter would never hurt me,” I say and take a drink from my water. “I’m just really glad you’re okay. I was so scared when my father said he had you. I have no idea how he even knows about you.”
“He knows about me because,” Justin leans in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, “he paid me to stay close to you.”
Fear shoots through my body. I try to jerk away from him, but my whole body feels sluggish.
“You’re such an easy mark, Layla, but now I’m making my own rules. A finger wasn’t much of a sacrifice to get in here. I’m sick of being under your father’s thumb. You’re going to get me that money, and maybe I’ll let you live.”
I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. I feel myself slipping under.
“It’s time to get out of here before your fucking bodyguards figure out the file I slipped them is fake.”
As he lifts me off the couch, I try to fight him, but my arms are too heavy. I can barely hold my eyes open.
“Don’t you worry though, Layla, they won’t be following us. When we get out of here, your mom is going to give your dad the location of this warehouse.”
Chapter Nine
Carter
“Get that drive pulled up as quick as you can. I don’t trust that little shit.”
“Chill, Carter. I think Layla could probably take him on her own. She’s a tough chick.”
I watch the cameras in our command room as Saint pulls up the info on the computer behind me. I can see Layla talking to Justin, and it makes my skin crawl. Something about him isn’t right. Not just the fact that he tried to touch what’s mine, but something about him has me on alert. I see Layla say something and stand up. I watch as she goes to the bathroom and looks through the medicine cabinet. I go to look at the camera in the living room, but Saint grabs my attention.
“This is weird.”
“What is it?” I ask, turning to see his computer screen.
“It’s password encrypted but the file is blank. Let me dig a little more to be sure, but this seems like a waste of time for a blank jump.”
I turn around in time to see Layla walking back into the living area where Justin is still sitting. They talk a bit more, and she takes a drink of her water. I feel a sudden chill on the back of my neck and I can’t figure out why. Nothing strange is happening, they’re just sitting there talking.
“It’s blank,” Saint says.
Why put an encryption on a blank jump drive? What would be the point of causing someone to search through it?
I turn around to gauge Saint’s feelings about this. “Maybe O’Leary was trying to create a dummy file in case someone found it,” I offer and try to figure out why someone would do that. “Someone would use this to slow a search down.”
As the thought hits me I turn back to the cameras in time to see Layla slump over. Justin leans over her to pick her up.
“Fuck!” I shout and bolt out of the room with Saint on my heels. It takes half a second before I’ve got my gun drawn, and I race down the hallway to the living room. When I get to the big open area I hear the garage door opening. “He’s headed out!” I yell to Saint and run in that direction.
“I’m going out the back. I’ll circle around and cover the exit,” Saint shouts as he heads in the opposite direction.
I get to the garage door and stop, raising my gun as I slowly open the door. I peek around the corner and see Justin has Layla thrown over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. I look him over, but I don’t see a visible weapon. I move towards him, and the sound of the garage door opening muffles my footsteps. I stop when I’m about fifteen feet away, and I aim my weapon.
How the fuck did he plan on getting out of here? I’m on edge, but I feel like I’m missing something. He can’t be this stupid.
I scan the garage but don’t see anyone else. I’ve got my gun trained on his head in case he makes a move for a concealed weapon. The garage door opens fully and clicks into place. Soon silence fills the area.
“Put her down, raise your hands and turn around slowly,” I order all too calmly.
I see his shoulders stiffen, like he knows he’s been caught. I see him take a breath, but this little shit isn’t moving fast enough. I try to remain calm because he’s got my entire life in his hands. The woman I love and our unborn baby are nothing to him, but they are my world. My only focus is getting them safely by my side.
“Do it, and I’ll let you walk out of here,” I say, and I mean it. I would give anything to have them safe, including my own life. “You have my word. You put her down and don’t try anything, I’ll let you go.”
Justin slowly turns around and looks me directly in the eyes. He looks half-crazed right now, like he might be on something. I didn’t notice it before, but maybe the adrenaline from his finger getting cut off masked it. He’s sweating like crazy and his pupils are so enlarged his eyes look like they are solid black.
“You’re too late,” he sneers, and a sinister smile spreads across his face.
Just then Saint comes around the corner of the garage holding a woman, his arm around her neck and a gun pointed to her head. She grips his arm but otherwise looks like a space cadet with the same black pupils as Justin. I’m convinced these two junkies are so fucked up they have no idea what’s happening.
“Hope this wasn’t your getaway ride, Justin. She was too busy using to check the time. Guess she missed the signal.”
I still have my gun trained on Justin, and I see defeat cross his face. I guess relying on a junkie to be on time wasn’t the smartest plan. I look back over at the woman, and I realize I recognize her. It’s Layla’s mother. Jesus! Layla told me she was with O’Leary at the warehouse, but I had no idea how far deep in this shit she was. I don’t have time to figure this shit out right now. I’ve got to make sure Layla is safe.
“Fucking useless bitch,” he rants disgustedly. “All she had to do was drive the car. Four years of planning this shit out, and she’s too busy getting high to remember her one goddamn job. I’ve put up with that asshole O’Leary, and fucked that crazy bitch,” he nods at Claire, “to get my payday, and she can’t do one goddamn thing. But, hey, maybe I can have a little fun with your Ch
erry. I’d bet you would pay for me to give her back to you.”
“Put her down. Now! There’s no way out of here. It’s the end of the line,” I shout, and I see him jump. He glares at me and then makes his move. He pushes Layla roughly off his shoulder and she lands with a loud thud on the concrete. She utters a small cry, and I see red.
I’m distracted by her falling, and for a moment my attention is diverted. I lower my gun and make a move towards my girl. As I step towards her I catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, pulling a kitchen knife out from behind his back.
My body is already in motion but he’s closer to Layla. He stands above her and raises his arm. I see his intention is to bring the big knife down on her, and I react.
In a split second I aim my gun at his head and pull the trigger. No hesitation. Direct hit.
The loud pop rings through the garage and Justin hits the ground as I reach Layla.
I hear Layla’s mother start to scream, and I don’t know if she’s upset he’s dead, or if she’s so strung out she’s just in a panic over a loud noise. I don’t give either of them a second of my attention as I go to my girl.
“Layla, baby, look at me,” I say, frenzied. I rub my hands over her face and head, trying to see if she’s okay. I don’t know where she hurt herself, but, thank God, she’s semi-conscious so she must have hit her head when she fell. Or maybe it just the drugs he slipped her.
Suddenly Jeanette is by my side, helping me wake her up. “I think he drugged her, but it must not have been much. She’s still breathing and her eyes are opening,” she says.
Layla looks up at me with foggy eyes blinking slowly. She doesn’t say anything so I guess she must be drifting in and out of consciousness. “Look at me, Cherry. I’m right here. Are you hurt? Talk to me, baby. I love you so much. I’m right here.” I’m rambling but I don’t give a fuck.
Jeanette helps me in looking her over, and she sees a big bruise already forming on her hip. “She must have banged her hip on the ground when he dropped her. Fucking hell, I’m glad that dick-bag is dead. I want to kill him all over again for that shit. Do you have any idea how difficult that was to watch and not be able to do anything?” She looks up at me and gives me a small smile, like she’s trying to make an inappropriate joke, maybe trying to get me to calm down a little. I feel like my whole body is shaking. It probably is. I’m sure I’ll laugh later.
