Chapter Twenty-Nine #2
He responds by squeezing my arm tighter and jerking me down the hallway until we reach the kitchen. I notice only two plates are set at the table.
“Where’s Ty?” I ask, walking to one of the chairs.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s been taken care of.”
My stomach drops and nausea surfaces as the contents of my lunch threaten to come up.
What the fuck does taken care of mean? I’m afraid to ask, but I do anyway.
“What’s that mean? Is he gone?”
Eric sits in the chair across from me, not looking in my direction.
“Eat. Then I want you back in your room.”
“I thought I was allowed to go anywhere,” I say, having no appetite. I can tell Eric cooked tonight and though it doesn’t look bad, it’s nothing compared to Ty’s Southern recipes.
“The rules changed.”
It’s after nine p.m., and as I pace my bedroom, I can’t stop thinking about Ty and what they did to him.
It’s all my fault. I should’ve left him alone and stopped trying to get too close.
Being trapped here with nothing to do and no one to talk to is fucking lonely, and when Ty gave me an opening for some kind of friendship, I took it and demanded more.
Now he could be dead because of me.
My head’s still pounding, and I can’t sleep, so I tiptoe to the kitchen to find some medicine.
When I finally do, I swallow down two pills with some water and reluctantly go back to my room.
Deciding a hot bath might help, I grab some comfy clothes and one of the plush robes I hung up on my door, then head to the bathroom.
As I undress, a hard body presses against my back.
An arm tightly wraps around my waist and a hand covers my mouth.
I try to scream and twist around in his grip, but he’s too strong and squeezes me into his chest. Eric’s probably twice as strong as I am, but I’m not about to go down without a fight.
“Maddie, quiet,” a whispered voice says in my ear, one that I recognize. “It’s Ty. I need you not to scream, you hear me?”
Ty? What the hell is going on?
I wiggle against him, trying to look over my shoulder to see for myself. When I’m met with his intense brown eyes and feel his facial hair scratch against my cheek, my body relaxes in his hold.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he reassures, slowly removing his hand. When he’s confident I won’t yell, he turns me around. “I have a plan, but I need you to trust me. We’re getting you out of here tonight.”
His soft non-threatening voice is different from his normal commanding tone, but I like it. When I trail down his body, I notice he’s dressed differently too, similar to what Liam wears when he’s out on a job. Bullet-proof vest and a duty belt around his waist.
“Are you an undercover cop?” I ask quietly.
Ty slowly reveals a grin. “Not exactly, but I was undercover. You need to trust me, okay? Stay in your room and pack your stuff. I’ll be back for you shortly.”
My heart rate quickens. “What does that mean? If you’re not a cop…”
“I’m a friend of Liam’s,” he tells me. “Tyler Blackwood. I know all about you, Mads.”
At the sound of my nickname, my eyes widen in shock. “Oh my God.”
Blinking, I try to piece this information together. What? How? When? He must’ve been working for Victoria long before I was kidnapped.
“Is Liam okay? Does he know what’s going on?” I ask.
“He’s fine as far as I know. I texted him a couple of days ago to let him know I was getting you out, but that’s it.
” He inhales sharply, then looks at his watch.
“I reset the cameras, and in a minute, they’ll restart so I need to go.
You’ll hear some noises, and then all the lights are gonna go off. ”
“Wait, what?” I panic.
“Stay here until I come back for you, got it? I need to take care of Eric and then handle Victoria so she doesn’t send backup.”
This is too much at once, and I feel like I’m going to let him down.
Ty opens the bathroom door, then turns. “Pack your stuff. We have five minutes or less.”
Then he walks out.
Frantically, I grab the suitcase and backpack I arrived with, then shove my clothes and books in them.
In the midst of it, I hear shouting down the hallway and crashing as if they’re fighting.
My nerves are shot, and I’m terrified of how this plan will affect Liam, but what other choice do I have?
I put on my shoes and a sweatshirt, then impatiently wait for his return.
Abruptly, everything goes quiet, and then moments later, the power goes off.
I see brightness as my bedroom door opens and blow out a relieved breath when I see Ty with a flashlight.
“Ready? We gotta move.”
Gulping, I put on my backpack, and Ty takes my suitcase. “The truck is out back. Let’s go.”
Ty leads us through the house, and my erratic breathing and the hard pounding of my heart are all that can be heard. What did he do to Eric? Where are we going? What happens if we get caught?
He throws my bags inside, then opens the passenger door. “Buckle up. We’re about to race the fuck outta here.” Ty winks, then rushes around to the driver’s side.
“I see your mind’s spinning,” Ty says after five minutes. “I know this is a lot to take in, but since Victoria was about to send a replacement for me, I had to execute my plan a little earlier than anticipated.”
“And what was your plan exactly?” I ask nervously.
“Well, basically this, but I had hoped to get Eric on board. However, since the bastard’s head was so far up Victoria’s ass, I realized there was no way it would happen. So, I took matters into my own hands.”
I’m too afraid to ask him what he did, so I don’t. The less I know, the better in case this doesn’t work out. All I need to know is how we’re getting out of this.
“How do you know Liam?”
“I met him through Mason. I was his boxing trainer in Sacramento before I moved to Vegas and met Liam at the gym one day,” he explains, then something clicks in my head.
“I knew I never told you Mason’s name!” I point at him. “You slipped!”
We both laugh, but I feel better knowing I wasn’t going as crazy as I thought I was being stuck there.
“So, how’d you become one of Victoria’s guards anyway?”
He looks over, smirking. “Now that’s a story for another day. Right now, we need to get into a different car since this one has a GPS tracker.”
I nod. “Can you at least tell me why then?”
“I knew Liam was in trouble with the O’Learys, and when I offered to help, he told me to stay out of it.”
“Which clearly you didn’t.”
“Nah, not my style. I told him I’d figure out a way to help him but didn’t tell him what I was planning in the event they found out.
That way he wouldn’t be forced to give up any information on me.
I knew what Victoria wanted from him and how she was playing him.
I fuckin’ hate them all, so I was ready to go undercover to get information that’d help Liam out of his fucked-up deal. ”
“And did you?” I ask eagerly, staring at him in hope. “Get info that’ll help him?”
“Oh, I sure fucking did.” A wide grin splits his face. “I hadn’t expected this little detour assignment to Montana, and I sure as shit wasn’t expecting you.”
“You knew who I was then?”
“As soon as I heard your name was Maddie, I did. Playing hard ass while wanting to protect you wasn’t a walk in the park, and hell, you didn’t make it easy either, but I don’t regret it.”
“Wow…” I say in amazement, my heart softening for this man who’s so damn selfless. He risked his own life to help save not only Liam’s but also mine. “I don’t know how to thank you, Ty. I wish I’d known so I didn’t get you into trouble.”
“I’m not fucking concerned about Victoria, so don’t worry. She’ll be handled accordingly,” he reassures me.
Ty’s a fucking badass, and I have so much respect for him that I don’t know how to express it properly.
Twenty minutes later, we’re in a little town and switching into a different vehicle outside a brick building. It’s pitch black outside, and I can’t see a thing, but I trust Ty wholeheartedly.
After an hour passes, his phone rings, and we both see Victoria’s name flash on the screen. He previously mentioned he needed to deal with her, but I wasn’t sure what that meant.
“Don’t say a word,” he warns, then answers the call on speakerphone.
“Blackwood,” he says in a deep commanding voice.
“What’s going on with the generators? Eric isn’t answering his phone.”
Ty handed me Eric’s phone earlier before we switched cars and instructed me to throw it out the window.
“The generator’s out of fuel. I’m heading into town to fill up some gas tanks,” he answers. “Eric’s with Maddie, but if he’s not answering, I assume his phone died, and he can’t charge it until the power’s back on.”
“I could’ve sworn Eric took care of that recently…” she mutters as if speaking to herself. “I want those cameras back up and running immediately!”
“Yes ma’am. As soon as we get power, they should reboot.”
“It’s late, and I don’t have time to worry about this, so I expect you to handle it.”
“Absolutely. I’ll text you as soon as it’s taken care of,” Ty confirms.
“Good,” Victoria says, then hangs up.
I blow out a relieved breath. “What a bitch.”
Ty chuckles. “You have no idea.”
Then he turns off his phone and hands it to me. “Throw this one out too. It has a tracker on it, and I bought a burner phone when I went shopping the other day.”
I roll down my window and chuck it. “Now what?”
“I’ll text Liam when we’re closer to Oregon.”
My heart drops into my stomach.
“Wait. We’re not going to Sacramento?”
“Not yet. I’m taking you somewhere safe for now. You gotta trust me, okay?”
I do, mostly. But that was when I thought he was taking me to California. Now I’m being moved from one secret location to another.
“Okay,” I whisper. “How long until I can go home?”
Ty doesn’t respond right away, which means it’s not going to be an answer I like.
“It depends.”
“On?” I prompt. “Tell me.”
I don’t want to be handled with kid gloves. I want to know all the possibilities of how this could backfire and keep me away from everyone I love.
“On when Victoria releases him,” he finally says. “I have enough shit on her to give Liam leverage for a divorce, but it doesn’t mean she’s gonna let him go without a fight.”
“Of fucking course not,” I mumble.
“Don’t worry.” He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You have me on your side, and I’ll stop at nothing to help Liam. Or you.”
Resting against the seat, I try to relax.
I’m still comprehending this whole fucking day, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around it.
Memories of every encounter I’ve had with Ty over the past two weeks flash in my head.
Why he was so invested in me, why he’d be hot one moment and cold the next, why he cared more than Eric did—these questions are finally answered.
“Can I ask you something personal?” I ask after more time passes.
“Sure.”
“Are you married?
“No.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm.” I pinch my lips and move them side to side.
“Why are you asking?”
“Why are you single?”
Ty laughs. “This sounds like a dating interview.”
“I’m shocked you aren’t taken. It makes me believe there’s something wrong with you because it’s certainly not your good looks or heart of gold.
Do you have a weird third nipple or something?
Chicks can be so vain sometimes. And you have that Southern thing going for you, which most girls like, so that’s a point in your favor.
From what I noticed, you’re fit and you’re tall, which women also love.
So honestly, what is it? What’s wrong with you? ”
Ty’s silent before he cracks a smile. “I’ve learned you’re a rambler, especially when you’re nervous or bored, so I’m gonna take what you just said with a grain of salt.”
I laugh and throw back my head because dammit he’s right. “Sorry. You’re correct. I talk a lot when I feel out of control, and right now I’m driving myself crazy with overthinking.”
“I told you to trust me, Maddie,” he states confidently. “I didn’t let Eric near you, nor did you go hungry, and I even bought you tampons you probably didn’t need.”
I cackle at his words. “You’re only proving my point further. The perfect guy. So what’s wrong with you? You wanna keep my mind occupied, tell me about you.”
He shrugs, but I catch the corner of his lips tilting up. “Alright, I guess I can handle that. We’ll be driving all night anyway.”
“Good.”
“For starters, you can call me Tyler. Ty was what I told everyone, so it’d help me stay in character when I heard it.
I’m single because, like Liam, I didn’t have the best upbringing.
I don’t trust myself in a relationship due to past experiences, and now I don’t date women long enough to know if I can trust them. ”
“Well, that certainly sounds like Liam.”
Tyler continues to entertain me by telling me a little about growing up in Lawton Ridge and how he got into boxing and became a trainer. It’s fascinating.
I end up drifting off, and when Tyler wakes me, I realize we’re stopped.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking around and noticing we’re at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.
“I texted Liam to let me know when he was alone and could talk. He just responded. It’s time.”