21. Noah
We pulledup to Steve’s house only about half an hour behind them. We had been following the signal from Jade’s necklace the entire way back. There was a fraught ten minutes when her signal stopped and didn’t move, but once it started again, we figured it would stop somewhere in Chicago. I noticed the house when we drove up. I’d been here a few times for family dinners and events.
I had to wonder how long he had been planning this. How long had he been obsessing about her and getting her away from me and her parents? Once we realized the address Jade’s tracker had stopped at, I knew Steve was behind this whole thing. So, we found out some disturbing info from a friend of Ryder’s dad, a PI. We asked him for leverage and after a deep dive background check, I finally had what I needed on this fucker, and I wasn’t afraid to squeeze to get Steve to let Jade go. I had no idea what his real plans were, but since he had already had stalking charges on his record, with a minor at the time, I could guess they weren’t good.
Finn parked the car on the side of the road, up the street a little. We didn’t want to pull into the driveway, nor did we want him to be able to see our car.
“So, what’s the plan, Noah?” Ryder asked, turning around in the passenger seat to look at me in the back.
I sat and thought for a moment. I tilted my head and smiled. “We’ll all go in, but you and Finn are coming in to get Jade and get her out of there. Oli and I will handle the perv.”
“You always get the fun jobs,” Ryder grumbled to Oliver.
“Perks of being the best friend. Shouldn’t have been such a bitch in middle school.” He chuckled.
I slapped his chest playfully but used my serious tone. “I need the biggest guys here to keep Jade from running back inside. I thought you and Finn would be able to handle that.”
Ryder gave me a begrudging smile, but I could tell part of him was proud. I really was telling the truth. Finn was solid and built like a linebacker. Ryder was a wing defenseman, but he was sturdy as well. They were the best picks for the job of keeping Jade in check. She was less familiar with them, but I needed Oli by my side in there, because he would be the only one that could keep me under control if shit went sideways.
“Let’s do this, guys. I don’t know his exact plans for her, so we need to get in there now.”
We all exited the vehicle, and after I grabbed my stick from the trunk, we walked down the street to Steve’s house. Ryder was taking the lockpick kit we had stopped to buy out of his pocket and pulling the pieces out of the leather pouch. When we stepped up to the door, a scream sounded from inside the house, and it took everything in me to not knock that damn door down. That was Jade and I needed to get to her. Ryder worked faster, and eventually, the door popped open. We rushed into the living room. Steve was pulling his hand back like he was going to slap Jade. Steve was already standing, but with the commotion we caused, he turned to look at us.
“Steve, been a while. It’s so nice to fucking see you,” I sneered.
When he walked away from Jade to us, I reminded Ryder and Finn what they were supposed to do.
“Finn, Ryder, get her out of here,” I demanded, looking at each of them. They had played with me long enough to know the mask of an eerie calm was just for Jade’s benefit. Steve had unleashed a whole new monster that was going to enjoy hurting him.
“No, Noah!” I heard Jade yell. I looked at Ryder and he nodded, picked Jade up, and carried her out of the house with Finn rushing behind him, trying not to get kicked by Jade”s flailing limbs.
I turned to look at Jade’s “uncle,” and I just wanted to check his ankles with my stick and send him sprawling to the floor. But messing with his head was an intriguing idea too. He looked like he was winning, but I”d wipe that smug smile off his face.
“You must be a special kind of stupid boy. You broke into my house, and you think that you”re gonna leave here with Jade. I should call the police.”
I chuckled darkly. “Oh, yeah. Yes, please call the cops and tell them you were the one who kidnapped Jade.” I walked a circle around him, twirling my hockey stick. “There is surveillance footage of you carrying her out. We had someone check. You were very sloppy thinking I wouldn”t have connections. Then we can also tell them that you were stalking her. This would be your second charge of it, and since they were so lenient with you the first time, I would assume they won”t be this time. You”re looking at some hard time.” I glanced over at Oliver and addressed him. “What is that, Oli? Fifteen years?”
An evil smile broke out on his face as he nodded. “Oh, easily. Although Jade does look a little roughed up. Adding assault and battery makes it worse by far.”
My anger glared white hot at that thought. I turned back to Steve. “You”re going to jail for a long time, but the punishment for touching what’s mine—you”re gonna pay that right now,” I gritted out. I hooked his feet with my hockey stick, pulling his legs out from under him. He yelled out and I put my foot on his chest, keeping him from trying to get back up.
“This is assault!” Steve yelled.
“What?” I gasped. “Man, you fell. Even Oliver saw you trip over your own feet. So clumsy.”
“Yeah, we were concerned for your well-being,” Oliver agreed.
“Even though I could use your head as a puck, I think that fall caused you to break your leg.” I cocked back my stick and smashed it into his leg. His scream of pain made me smile. “Jade is mine, and that will never change. I will burn down this entire fucking world for her. You made a mistake when you started stalking her, and you really screwed up when you threatened her.” I smashed his leg again, hearing the crunch of bones. “You fucked up when you kidnapped her, and when you hit her, you completely obliterated any chance of repentance you may have had.” I towered over his sniveling form and pulled his face closer to mine. “I swear to God, if I find out that you ever touched her sexually, I will make sure you are fucking shanked in the prison yard.” I let go of him and pushed him away from me.
“So, Steve. We”re gonna call the cops. We did break into your house because we knew Jade was here. You fell down the steps trying to stop us and broke your leg. We were nice enough to stay here and make sure that you got medical care before you”re handed off to the authorities,” Oliver told him, nodding to Steve, making sure he was getting it.
Steve grimaced in pain but finally nodded to Oliver.
“Good. Let”s do that,” I said as I took my phone out to dial 911.
Once we got done talking to the cops, including Jade, we were free to go. We admitted to the breaking and entering, but seeing as to why we did it and that Steve passed on pressing charges, we didn’t have to worry about it. Jade immediately threw her arms around my waist and buried her head in my chest the minute she could. I wasn’t able to pry her from my side in the back seat, so I let her sit in my lap and just held onto her. She had just been through a traumatic event, and she needed my comfort.
Oliver called Callum and Ruby, letting them know that we had Jade, leaving out all the sordid details because Jade didn’t need to know them. It was exactly why I wanted her out of that house. I didn’t want her to see what I did to her uncle. What I would do to any person that tried to take her from me. She knew I would do anything; she just didn’t need to see it. I told Steve that I would burn the world for her, and I meant it. Fuck the greater good because Jade was my greatest good. I knew that, for now, the danger had passed. Jade’s stalker was going away for a long time.
We bid farewell to Finn and Ryder at our curb after they dropped us off at our house. Oli, Jade, and I all walked inside in silence. Oli gave Jade a brief hug and gave me a half-hug. I led Jade down the hall to our room. We got ready for bed in silence. When we finally lay down, she scooted closer to me, facing me. I kissed her softly and wrapped my arms around her. She relaxed into me and started to cry. I just let her get it all out. Now the only looming danger was telling our parents what was going on, but Jade and I needed to talk about that and make a plan. There could be one of two outcomes: either they would be upset and get over it or they would cut her off. If we waited until after I started playing for the NHL, then I could pay for what she needed, but that was something that needed to be decided at a later time. For now, we needed to heal.