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I am free.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CAIN
“I need to see more initiative from you, Cain, because, at the moment, all I see is our assets circling or draining down the fucking plug hole.” His voice is hard and deep, holding a gravelly tone like he smokes too much and needs a glass of water.
I let out a heavy sigh. “I know. I apologize, Hattrick. I am working on bringing in some new clients for the Bachelors. People who aren’t going to undermine us every chance they get. The governor, Zorko… neither of them was good for bus—”
“You thinkIdon’t know that? You thinkIdon’t see the bigger picture? I had plans in place for each of them, Cain, and if you had let it play out like I wanted, it would have all come to fruition. The governor is going to make it into the presidential race. Imagine having him in our pockets.Youscrewed that up forus,Cain.I’m not sure I can forgive this indiscretion.”
I look over at Makaylie sitting soundly on the stairs, none the wiser to how fucking terrible this conversation is going. I turn and walk away a little further toward the bushes to be sure she can’t hear me.
“Look, maybe if you had clued me in on your plans, Boss, I would have known to keep the governor around. You told me to run the Bachelors without guidance, and I have been doing that. I can’t be expected to know what you are thinking.”
He scoffs, and I wince, instantly regretting talking back to him.
“You think you can talk to me like that? With such disrespect? Just because you’re my second-in-charge doesn’t mean I think of you higher than any other Bachelors. It simply means you were the most capable of looking after what needs to be done.” There’s a short pause. “I amnotso sure anymore.”
Shit!I run my hand through my hair and grit my teeth, wondering what the fuck this means. Just how deep the water is, I am drowning.
“So what now, Hattrick?” I ask.
He chuckles a deep, almost manic laughter that fills me with dread.
Instantly, I know why. Billy and Harry are closing in, and I flare my nostrils in annoyance at seeing them. I glance over to Makaylie, who’s sitting on her own perfectly fine, so I turn back to look at Billy and Harry, shaking my head.
“Hattrick, what is this?”
“Just something to remind you that you’ve been spending too much time onotherthings. You belong to the Bachelors. Your life is withus.Your commitment is withus.And if you can’t focus onus,we need to remind you where your loyalties lie.”
My body shudders, and everything in me tells me not to turn and show Harry and Billy where Makaylie is, but I need to ensure she is okay. As I glance over, Alfie and Morgan are walking up behind her. I go to yell out to her, but before I have a chance to say or do anything, overwhelming pain knocks the side of my head, making me drop my phone.
I fall to the side with the blow and dive to my knees while my head spins.
“Time to remember who you belong to, Cain,” Harry sneers as his foot comes up and connects with my jaw. Pain rushes through my face, making it hard to breathe as I fall onto my back, panting. I turn my head and spit out a mouthful of blood, the metallic tang bitter on my tongue.
Billy leans over and hammers his fist into my stomach. I hunch over, letting out what little air I have left in my lungs, rolling into a ball and try as hard as I can to call out to Makaylie to run. But it’s coming out more like muffled gurgles while they start laying kicks into my stomach.
Blow after heavy blow, they bash into me, landing swift kick after kick. Their monsters unleash a tirade on my weakening body. My mind is only on getting to Makaylie while my ears ring so heavily with the pounding of my frantically beating heart. My body aches as blood pools from my face.
I try to crawl toward her, but Harry bends over me and leans into my ear with a chuckle. “I hope she was worth the pain. But your time with her is over. You’re back with us now. So let her go and be a good soldier. Hattrick will be expecting you when you’re able.” He stands with one last swift kick to my ribs, then as quickly as they came, they turn on their heels and leave.
Taking in deep lungfuls of air, my battered body feels heavy as I stagger to my feet, looking over to the waterfront where Alfie and Morgan are running away from the water’s edge, dripping wet with no sign of Makaylie.
I swallow hard as I bend down, pick up my cell, and stumble over to the water’s edge, looking around for Makaylie, but I can’t see her anywhere. Then, time stands still as I see air bubbles popping up from the river’s surface. Anger burns in me so piercingly hot that I want to scream bloody murder as I drop my cell and race full force, not caring how my body is reacting.
I jump into the depths of the freezing water. It is murky, it’s dark, it’s frigidly cold, and it stings all my cuts and abrasions. Everything in my already aching body hurts even more than I thought possible, but if my girl is down here drowning, then Ineedto get to her.
I swim out to where I see the bubbles, then dive down. It’s fucking difficult to see, and the water stings my eyes as I sink lower, but as I go further down, I hit something or someone. Reaching out, I feel the familiar sensation of her puffy jacket. My lungs burn as I sink further into the water, trying to figure out just what the hell is going on.
I run my hands down her arms—they’re tied behind her back in cuffs, but it’s a leather cuff held by buckles. I work frantically to undo them, freeing her hands, but she does not move. I don’t work on anything else. I just need to free her from whatever confines are holding her to the bottom of the river. Working with the Bachelors, I guess it’s a weighted ball chained to her cuffs.
Finally freeing her, with my lungs burning and starved for oxygen, I wrap my arms around her limp-as-fuck body and drag her to the surface. My lungs ache as I take a deep breath, my lungs deprived of much-needed oxygen. Makaylie’s head is hanging limply to the side and covered in a motherfucking black hood.
Swimming as fast as I can toward the shore, I can’t even tell what state she’s in. “Come on, baby, come on!” My heart races so fucking fast I can hardly breathe as I swim the fastest I ever have in my life, pulling her with me and making sure to keep her head above the waterline. I race us over the pebbles and lay her down, yanking the fucking hood up over her face.
The sight shocks me.
