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“Search the whole house. Rip it apart,” Garcia tells Alesandro. And I watch, my heart heavy in my chest, as Alesandro stalks out of the room.
Garcia turns to me, his knife now held to my father’s throat. “You want to play games, bitch. Let’s play.”
In the blink of an eye, he moves to behind my mother, yanking her head back and placing the knife against her skin. I try to jump to my feet, but I’m pulled back, and everything slows down as Garcia begins to draw the blade across my mother’s neck.
A piercing cry breaks through my own and halts Garcia’s movements.
“Jessica, Jessica, help me.”
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Garcia says, as Alesandro carries Max into the room.
Forty-One
Rick
“Daddy.”
One word that stops the breath in my lungs and the beat of my heart. My vocal chords close temporarily as I try to get some air back in my lungs.
“Max, son, are you okay?” The words burst breathily from my lips, forced through the relief at hearing his voice.
“I’m okay, Dad.” I hear rustling on the other end before another voice speaks.
“Mr Sullivan. Such a lovely boy you have here.”
“Cut the crap, Collins, and tell me what you want?”
He chuckles. “Ah, it seems that you and my daughter have been doing more than just fucking. I hope you enjoyed her while you could.” I slam my hand down on the roof of the car, and the sound echoes down the quiet street. It does nothing to alleviate my rage, and only seems to make Collins laugh more.
“I’m not the only one on Garcia’s hit-list, Collins. Maybe you should watch your back,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Yes, but I have something he wants. Two things actually. Have a good evening, Mr Sullivan.” The line goes dead. I almost throw the fucking thing, but Jay’s hand swipes out, stopping me.
“Don’t. We need that.”
I lean my hands against the roof of the car, head dropped between my shoulders, and close my eyes as the sound of my son’s voice repeatedly rings in my ears.
There are only a handful of times in my life when I’ve felt completely out of control of myself and everything around me.
This feeling right now, eclipses them all.
Hopelessness is a funny word. It means lack of hope, despair, but I’m not hopeless in the sense of being useless, far from it. Do I hope I’ll get my son and Jess back unscathed? While my heart still beats and there is air in my fucking lungs I will hope.
“Rick, we’ll get them back. I know how hard this must be for you, but—”
My head snaps up. “Do you, Roxy? Do you really know how hard this is for me? I don’t think you could possibly understand what it’s like to hear the fear in your son’s voice while he’s being held against his will. Or what it’s like to know that the woman you love, the woman you’ve let into a heart that’s been barren for five years, a woman who should never want to speak to you, let alone love you, is in danger, hurt, in pain, dead even. I don’t think you truly understand that. Jess is my second chance at love, at being a family. She’s my redemption. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some cunt take her from me.” I yank open the car door as Jay runs around to the other side. “Tonight, there is no law and no one that will stand in my way. So, you better choose your side, Roxy, because I won’t hold back. I will get my family back, and I don’t give a flying fuck who I have to cut down to do it.” I get in, slamming the door on whatever words Roxy is saying. Gunning the engine, I pull away, leaving Roxy at the roadside.
I blow out a deep breath and glance to Jay as I speed away.
“Do you know where Collins lives?”
“Yeah, I fucking do. But I don’t think he’ll be there. The man might be a dirty, corrupt wanker but he’s not stupid, Jay.” I take the slip road onto the motorway, heading towards Judge Collins’ house. “Do a search on him. Let’s see what other properties he owns. A wide one because I bet you it’s not in his name.”
Jay nods and gets to work on his phone while I drive. With each mile, my emotions become more difficult to hold on to, my gut knots and my grip on the steering wheel tightens, turning my knuckles white.
When Kuffs and I were being held five years ago, I physically couldn’t do anything, but I can assure you that I mapped out, in very minute detail, how I would punish those holding us. And I did. To this day, I still have no idea where the energy or strength came from for me to do what I did.
My need for redemption isn’t solely based on not being able to save Kuffs or Sam, it’s because I became someone else when I escaped those men.
