Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
J axon
Our plan set, the four of us and a handful of Ryker’s men prepare to move on Victor’s house as soon as we can. The goal is to get there just after sunset, but I know that means Tia and Kaia will be alone with him for hours at that rate.
God help Victor if he hurts one hair on either of their innocent heads. Ryker’s going to do what he needs to, but I plan to make his brother’s passing from the Earth as painful as possible.
“Make sure you have enough ammo,” Kane says as he sets a box of bullets on Ryker’s desk. “We’re going in hot, and I’m expecting some serious power to greet us.”
Cason begins to say something about the best way to breach the estate when the guard at the front gate of Ryker’s estate interrupts us on the intercom. “Is anyone there? I’ve got an emergency!”
Ryker runs over to the speaker on the wall. “What is it?”
“Mrs. Varens is out here, sir. She’s in bad shape. Someone’s roughed her up but good. I’m going to run her up there right now. She’s going to need a doctor, though.”
I hurry over to where Ryker stands and ask, “Is she alone? Isn’t there anyone with her?”
“No. Just Mrs. Varens. I’m bringing her up now.”
My heart sinks at hearing the news that Tia isn’t with Kaia anymore. Victor’s killed her. He followed through on his threat, and she’s dead.
I stumble back into Ryker’s desk, knocking over the box of bullets and sending them all over the place. Stunned for a moment, I don’t know what to do. With Tia gone, I’m lost.
Then my anger wins out over my sadness, and all I can think about is smashing his head with a cinder block. That fucker took the only woman I’ve ever cared about, and now he’s going to fucking suffer. If it’s the last thing I do in this world, I’ll see him beg for mercy as I pound his skull into mush.
The guard hurries in carrying Kaia in his arms, and every one of us in the room stare in horror at how bad she looks. Blood seeps from cuts on her face, and where she isn’t covered in blood, dark bruises have started to form. Her clothes are torn to shreds and barely covering her, and her legs have cuts and scrapes that make it look like she’s been dragged behind a car.
When he sets her down on the leather couch, she lets out a moan that makes my chest ache. I can only imagine what Ryker’s feeling at this moment seeing the woman he loves like this.
Her husband rushes over and falls to his knees next to her. “Kaia, I’m here. You’re home, honey. You’re safe.”
She smiles and reaches out to touch his face. “Ryker? Is it really you?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m here. Nothing is going to hurt you now.”
“Where’s Jaxon?”
Everyone looks at me, so I walk over to stand behind Ryker. “I’m here.”
I brace myself for what she’s about to tell me. Tia’s dead. I know it. She’s dead, and for whatever reason, Victor didn’t want to kill two women today.
“Jaxon, Tia made this happen. I’m alive and here because of her,” Kaia says, barely getting the words out she’s in so much pain. “She bargained with Victor to let me go. He wanted nothing to do with me, so she told him she’d stay and do whatever he wanted if he let me go. She saved me.”
With a lump in my throat, I ask her the only question I care about now. “Is she still alive?”
I wait for the answer as my chest feels like someone’s crushing it in a vice. All I want to hear is Tia’s still alive. I can hope she’s okay if I know he hasn’t killed her.
Kaia smiles and slowly nods her head. “She was still alive when they took me out of there. She’s so brave, Jaxon. She didn’t fall to pieces or anything, and when she saw a chance to convince him to set me free, she took it. He likes her, so don’t wait to go rescue her because I don’t know how long she has before he does something to her.”
She’s still alive. That’s all I needed to hear. Tia’s alive, and she’s waiting for me to come get her and take her away from that place.
“We need to go now!” I announce as I stuff my gun in my waistband. “She can’t wait.”
Cason and Kane look at me, but Ryker can’t take his attention away from Kaia. I wait for him to say something, but he never turns around.
“Ryker? You coming?” Cason asks.
He lowers his head to kiss Kaia before standing up. “Yeah. It’s time to take care of my brother.”
“What about Kaia?” I ask, knowing how hard it is for him to leave her now. I don’t think I’d be able to walk away from Tia if things were reversed.
Ryker smiles and looks down at his wife on the sofa. “She’s the one who told me to go. Lily and Sophie are here. They’ll take care of her while we’re gone.”
“Go get Tia, Ryker,” Kaia says in a soft voice. “I’m fine. I love you.”
“I love you, and I swear I’m going to make this up to you, baby,” he says, his voice full of regret.
She shakes her head and smiles up at him. “Just rescue her and give him what he has coming, Ryker. I’ll be here when you get back.”
I look over at Cason and Kane and see their concerned expressions as she says that. I know just what they’re thinking. There’s a chance we won’t come back. Just like always in our world, at any moment it can be the last time we see the ones we love when a job like this comes around.
Ryker kisses her again, and I hear him whisper to her, “I’m so sorry, baby. This would have never happened if I didn’t drag my feet. I swear I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“Just come back to me and Maxim.”
When he finishes, he stands up and looks over at me. “Let’s go. We need to get Tia back and kill that motherfucker.”
It’s taken far too long, but finally, Ryker sees what has to be done. Good. I just hope he understands I want the first shot at Victor. I know what he did to Kaia, but that son of a bitch has it coming in spades from me after all he’s put Tia and me through.