Torn (10 page)

Panic started to creep up from my stomach. I
needed to get the hell out of here. He was between me and the
bedroom door. My only option was the bathroom, but there was no way
out of there.

Oh God, the panic room. I had to get to the
panic room. I would be able to call Jaxon. The panic room was in
the back of the closet off the master bath.
Okay,
I need a plan. I need to get back into the bathroom.

“Drill, what are you talkin’ about? You’re
scaring me.” I wasn’t lying, I was terrified.

“Cut the shit, bitch, I know you know.
Jaxon’s not as sneaky as he thinks he is. I know he’s been askin’
around and lookin’ through the fuckin’ books. He can have you back
when he backs the fuck off. You and that baby are my ticket outta
town. Let’s go.”

He stood and in that split second I spun and
ran for the bathroom. Slamming the door and locking it, I turned
and looked at the vanity for some sort of a weapon and spotted the
small scissors in the cup on Jaxon’s side of the vanity. Just as I
reached the first sink the wooden door frame exploded and splinters
of broken wood rained down over me.

“Couldn’t just make this easy, could ya?” he
seethed and stepped over what was left of the door he just kicked
in. “Now, I’m done being nice, I ain’t askin’ you. Let’s fuckin’
go.”

With those words he reached behind his back
and pulled out a Walther PPQ 40 caliber pistol and aimed it, not at
my head, but at my stomach. All reason left my body and I crossed
my arms over my stomach and silently prayed.

“Don’t, please, I’ll do whatever you want. Oh
God.” I felt the first wave of nausea hit and swallowed back bile.
I hunched over and clutched my stomach and moaned like I was in
pain. I had to buy myself some time. “Ughhhh, I think I’m gonna be
sick.”

“Nice try.” He wrapped his large,
grease-stained hand around my bicep and pulled me to standing as a
contraction clenched my abdomen.

“Ahhhh!” Screaming, I leaned forward and
started panting. “Mother fucker.”

“What the fuck?” Drill tucked the gun into
the front of his dirty, ripped-up jeans and gripped both of my arms
to keep me standing.

“Ughhhh, you asshole. I’m having a
contraction.” I exaggerated the pain and intensity of the
contraction, looking for a way to get to the scissors. Swiftly I
brought my knee up and met his balls with as much force as I could
muster. Pushing him away, I spun and lunged for the cup on the
vanity.

“You fucking whore. You’re dead.” He grabbed
a handful of hair at the back of my head as I got to the vanity and
was seconds away from reaching the scissors. “Shoulda just done as
you were told.”

With the vise grip on my curls, he slammed my
forehead into the large gilded mirror. Pain seared through my face
as the mirrored glass shattered down over me. Even with my eyesight
hazed and askew and my mind muddled, I could still feel the
magnitude of my situation. Adrenaline took over and my body fought
through my blood-filled vision. I knew if I didn’t fight, I would
die right here in the bathroom. A bathroom that Jaxon had built for
me.

You know how they say when you are in a life
or death situation that your life flashes before your eyes? On TV
they showed pictures of people’s lives and it was all happy moments
frolicking in a field or some shit. Yeah, well, in real life that
shit didn’t happen. You had a split second to make the
decision.

And I chose to fight.

Chapter Twelve

Jaxon

After seven p.m. I was finally released. To
all my brothers it would appear that my fiancée’s brother had
pulled some strings to get me released when, in fact, they let me
sit in here long enough so as not to look suspicious. I strolled
out of lockup and grabbed my phone, wallet, and Ruger SR40c.
Immediately, I called Lei, not wanting her to worry.

The phone rang a few times then voicemail
picked up.

“Babe, it’s me. I just wanted to let ya know
I should be home in about an hour or so. Call me back.” She must be
napping. She’d been so tired lately, and who could blame her. The
baby would be here in a few more weeks. To say I was excited would
be an understatement. This little girl would be wrapped in love
from the moment she was born. I would love her like she was my own
flesh and blood.

I met Drew and Tommy in the back parking lot
as instructed. Drew was included because I could explain away being
with him. He was my ride home.

“Tommy, you’ve met Drew?” I questioned.

“Yeah, his SWAT team was in on the raid.
Thanks for the assist by the way.” He shifted his gaze to Drew
momentarily.

“Okay, we don’t have a lot of time. What did
you find?” Knowing they took the computer in and had the FBI
forensics accountant perform a quick comb through every file, I
figured they’d mined some intel. “Can we trace the money?”

“Yup, every fuckin’ penny. From the cartel to
the MC then the small siphoning algorithm that takes a small
percentage from each account once a month labeled as service
charge. Plus he’s got several GL codes set up that are funneled
into his offshore account,” Tommy explained. Drew looked at him
like he had monkeys flying out of his ass.

“What the hell does all that mean?” Drew
looked for clarification.

“Means Drill’s been embezzling from the club.
How much is in the accounts?” I asked.

“You mean account. There is only one, the
dumbass. As of the other day, one hundred, ninety-six thousand,
seven hundred fifty-six dollars and twelve cents. It looks like
he’s been doing this for about four years.” Tommy pulled a pack of
menthols out of his cargo pocket and lit up a cigarette. “We put
out an APB on him and the ADA is working on securing a warrant for
his arrest.”

“Y’all still haven’t picked him up?” Drew
pulled out his phone. “Hold that thought, I gotta get this.”

Drew walked away and left Tommy and me
standing in the parking lot filled with unmarked cars. “I gotta get
home. Leila expected me to only be gone for a few hours.”

“Right, get outta here. Drew’s takin’ you.
I’ll check in later.” Tommy dropped his cigarette and stepped on
it.

“Do me a favor, call Drew if you get word on
Drill.” I turned and walked away before anyone saw us together.

“No problem. Watch your back, man.”

Walking in Drew’s direction, I caught the
last few words of his conversation. “Yeah, I’d appreciate it,
Bobby. I’ll see ya in a few.”

“What’s up?” I wondered why Bobby had called
him and what Drew wanted him to do.

“Huh.” He dropped the phone into his left
cargo pocket on his pants. “Oh, he called to see if I had bailed
you out. He’s on his way to your house to watch it in case Drill
shows up there.”

“Fuck, man, I swear to God if he goes near
her I will kill him with my bare hands.”

“It’s not gonna come to that. Bobby should be
there any minute.” We climbed into Drew’s black Tahoe and sped out
of the parking lot, heading to the house.

Chapter Thirteen

Leila

Blood poured from the gash on my forehead
and ran down my face. I was pretty sure my nose was broken. Drill
still had a death grip on my hair. He spun me back around toward
him and started to drag me toward the door. I managed to grab the
scissors in the midst of the chaos, hiding them with the handle in
the palm of my hand and the blade behind my wrist.

Letting go of my hair, he reared back and
punched me in the right jaw and I collapsed to the floor with a
wail. I couldn’t tell if it was tears streaming down my face or
blood.

“That’s for being a fuckin’ pain in the ass.
I will drag you out of this fuckin’ house by your goddamned hair if
I have to. Your choice.” He squatted on the floor right in my face
and I saw my opening. His neck was exposed and he was balancing on
one hand. This was the only shot I would have to make it to the
panic room, but he stood up too quickly.

“I’ll walk, but I can’t get up on my own.”
The thought of him touching me made my stomach roll and my skin
crawl. Pushing those thoughts aside, he grabbed my left elbow and
yanked me to my feet. I took advantage of the momentum propelling
me forward toward him. Spinning the scissors around, I swung my
right arm around with all the force I had and imbedded the blade
into the left side of his neck just below his jaw, aiming for the
carotid artery.

Blood spurted from the puncture wound and
sprayed all over me. Shock and disbelief covered his face as he
released me to grab at his neck. Turning, I ran for the closet,
holding my stomach, slamming the door behind me and frantically
pulling the clothes off the rod to get to the panic room door. I
ripped the door open, rushed inside, and pushed the door closed as
quickly as I could. Arming the system, I slowly backed away from
the door. I looked around the room I had prayed to never see inside
of again. Remembering the security cameras, I turned on the
computer monitor and tried to remember how to use the system.

“Damn it, why didn’t I pay attention?” I
cussed myself as I pressed buttons. Wiping my forehead on my
sleeve, I tried to see the tiny words on the camera icons on the
screen. Clicking on all of the cameras, I tried to see if Drill had
left, but the only camera that I could seem to get a picture from
was right outside the panic room I was currently panicking in.

“Fuck.” My vision was obscured by blood and I
was getting weaker by the second. I tried to slow my breathing and
collect myself. I sank onto the couch and began taking slow, deep
breaths. It didn’t matter if I screamed at the top of my lungs; the
room was soundproofed. I had to wait until someone came into the
closet and I knew it was safe to leave. In here I was safe and
Drill couldn’t get to me, so I would wait.

I tried desperately to calm down but the room
started to spin, and I knew I was going to pass out. The adrenaline
had worn off and my hyperventilating wasn’t helping. Darkness
started to creep in and the sound of my pounding heart was steadily
getting further and further away.

Chapter Fourteen

Jaxon

Drew sped across downtown as I tried to call
Leila again. Eight p.m. and she hadn’t called me back. Trying to
remain calm, I told myself she was sleeping, which she did a lot.
All of the baby books said the end of the pregnancy was really hard
on the mother because the baby was basically out of room.

Drew’s cell started to buzz. “What’s up,
Bobby?”

The silence was killing me. “Is he at my
house?” I asked only to be ignored.

“We are about a block away,” Drew finally
answered Bobby. “Don’t break the door down, if there’s nothing
wrong you’ll scare the shit outta her and she may very well shoot
your ass.”

“What the fuck, Drew?”

He hung up and dropped the phone into the
console between the seats. “Bobby knocked on the door, but she
didn’t answer. The front door is locked and Ruger’s in the backyard
so he can’t get in.”

“Something’s definitely wrong. She’d never
leave Ruger outside while she took a nap.” Leaning forward, I
grabbed the pistol from my waistband, ejected the clip, checking it
before popping it back in. I unlocked the safety and pulled back
the slide to load the chamber. Flipping the safety back on, we
pulled into the driveway and I was out of the SUV before Drew had a
chance to come to a full stop. Grabbing my keys, I ran around the
front of the vehicle and up the steps. Bobby was waiting on the
front porch.

“I tried her cell again and I can hear it
ringing,” he said as I unlocked the door.

Drew took the front steps two at a time.
“Remember, it may be a false alarm, don’t go in here guns blazin’
and scare her into labor. She’ll kill all of us,” he tried to
reason with my overprotective ass, but damn if he wasn’t right.

“Fine.” We rushed into the foyer.

“Lei, babe, I’m home,” I hollered up the
stairs. Nothing. “Y’all take the downstairs. I’m going up.”

All of the lights were out on the second
floor, but the light shined down from our bedroom. “Leila, where
are you?”

Sweeping the second floor with my gun trained
ahead, safety off, I opened the nursery door, checked the bathroom
and spare room. No signs of her or any struggle. Slowly creeping up
the stairs, I heard Drew and Bobby clear the first floor and start
my way. Halfway up the stairs I could see the door to our bedroom
wide open with all the lights on.

Looking down, I noticed a faint trail of
blood. Immediately, all the hair on the back of my neck stood on
end. Bending down, I ran my finger through the droplet. It was
still wet, not even sticky, which meant it was fresh.

Bobby noticed the trail coming up the steps
from the first floor. “Small drops all the way down the stairs,
looks like they were heading out the house.”

I hauled ass up the last five steps with Drew
and Bobby on my six. Everything looked unscathed as I scanned the
bedroom. Then I turned to my left and saw the bathroom door mostly
closed but there were four bloody fingerprints about a third of the
way down the door. I kicked the door all the way open, not at all
prepared for the scene of sheer horror that was on the other
side.

“Holy shit,” Drew mumbled from behind me.

“Leila,” I bellowed. “Lei, baby, where are
you?”

“Be quiet for a minute and listen.” Bobby
swatted at me. “If she’s here she will be screaming for you.
Listen.”

I stood in our blood-covered bathroom
listening, waiting to hear her call my name, praying to hear
anything.
Please God, let me find her. Please God,
let her be okay
. I would do anything she wanted, just let
her be okay.

“I don’t hear anything. Bobby, go room to
room and check every cabinet, closet, or any place she could’ve
hid,” Drew directed as I just stared at the blood smeared on the
vanity. The mirror was shattered and still had a clump of hair
hanging from the frame.