AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Going in search of my phone, I spy it on the counter. Immediately, I dial his number. It rings over and over and over, voicemail eventually picking up. Hitting end, I call again. Same result. I keep trying, and eventually, there’s an answer.
Only it’s not his voice. “Miss Taylor.” That man from school…Vega. His tone is detached. “How nice of you to call. Cage can’t come to the phone right now; he’s otherwise engaged.” The sound of flesh hitting flesh burns through the line, and bile rises up my throat.
“What are you doing to him?” I don’t think I want the answer, but I can’t help asking.
“Exactly what he did to my own father.” Which means nothing good.
“What do you want?” I doubt I have anything to trade for the man I’ve come to love so passionately, but I can’t allow this to happen.
“You know what I want.” His words are soft-spoken. To some women, they could be construed as seductive.
“Me,” I whisper, seeing Joss shaking her head back and forth. “Where are you?” There’s a shout in the background, followed by crashing and cursing. I know Cage is putting up more of a fight now.
“I’ll send you the address,” Vega says, then hangs up.
“I’m not a hero,” I breathe out. I don’t have the faintest idea how to rescue Cage. “What do I do?” My terrified eyes meet Joss’, and she looks as clueless as I do.
Great.We’re going to make a hell of a pair. Hurrying to get dressed, I secure a dark-colored scarf over my bright red hair, figuring it’ll make me harder to spot. Searching through Cage’s bags, I’m hoping to find a weapon. Gun, knife…some sort of missile, I’m not picky. All I find is extra ammo and a pocketknife. Slipping the knife into my pocket, I find Joss standing in the front doorway, staring down at something on our steps.
“What is it?” I call out, and she steps aside. “Cake!” All four boys startle awake, jumping up like they’ve been doused with a bucket of cold water.
“What? We’re up!” Cake shouts.
“Cage is in trouble,” I state as we step outside. They all stand at attention, ready to do as we ask. Tilting my head to the side, an idea forms; not a good one, but one nonetheless. “Do you have any firecrackers or cherry bombs?”
They share a knowing look while Joss silently wonders about my sanity. It’s written all over her face. “Yeah…” Cake hedges.
“Good. Go get ‘em all.”
“This isn’t going to end well,” my friend mutters as the boys scatter.
Within minutes, everyone is in my Jeep, a box of cherry bombs in the back, and boys ready for a fight. Insisting I let them come along, they made a few calls, and now there’s going to be a dozen other friends meeting with us.
A pregnant woman, a romance author, and a group of teens to the rescue. Sounds like the beginning of a seriously bad movie, but it’s all we’ve got.
The drive to the bay doesn’t take long, but the silence is deafening. I let everyone out where Rio told the other guys to meet us with their box of explosives. Rolling up slowly to the house, I park across the street. I was told they needed five minutes to set everything up.
My phone is on mute in my sweater pocket while they listen in, too. One of the older boys suggested I try to figure out how many men are in the house when I get in there. I have no idea if the distraction will last long enough for me to get the gun someone gave me to Cage or not. But I know if he has it, he’ll be able to handle the rest.
“Here goes nothing,” I mutter as fear wobbles my legs while I walk. I don’t know how I’m still on my feet. My heart pounds so furiously it’s making me dizzy, and my stomach rolls like I’ve shoved myself on the tumble dry setting in the dryer.
Approaching the door, I have no idea if I’m supposed to knock or not, so I stand like an idiot for a full minute before trying the knob.
“This is a bad idea, Magnolia.” Mumbling to myself helps calm my nerves. I leave the door open as I step into the house.
A low light emanates from the back of the building, so I head there, gently patting under my bump to make sure the small pistol is still tucked away. Held up by yoga pants and sheer will.
“Cage!” I gasp as I see him on his knees, blood trickling from the side of his face and pooling on the floor. Dropping down in front of him, I ignore the other men in the room, obviously not worrying that I’m a threat.
“Are you okay?” I wrap my arms around him, having slipped the knife I found into my hand, dropping it into his grasp.
“What are ya doing here, pet?” Oh, he’s angry. Very angry.
“I couldn’t leave you on your own,” I cry, tears falling freely from my eyes.
“Enough!” Vega barks, and hands drag me away from Cage. A steel glint enters his eyes, and even though he doesn’t show an outward reaction, on the inside, I can see him plotting a lot of mayhem.
“Ouch! You goon!” I shove the man off me, falling to my knees with a shout. I glance behind me to find two other men. I mutter the number, hoping my backup hears me. “Let him go,” I snap, my own anger spiking, fighting for dominance over the fear I’m feeling.
