Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Parker
“Case dismissed.” The judge banged his gavel. “Mr. Grant, you’re free to go.”
I turned and shook my client’s hand.
“Thank you, Parker. I mean it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Russ.”
After leaving the courtroom, I headed to the restroom. As I washed my hands, a man walked into the bathroom and stood next to me. Then everything went black.
I slowly opened my eyes. My head throbbed.
I tried to move, but my wrists were bound tight behind the back of a metal chair, the restraints burning into my skin.
Same with my ankles. What the hell happened?
How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was being in the bathroom, and the man who walked in. Then nothing.
Dizziness swept over me as I tried to focus. Concrete walls. No windows. A single steel door across the room.
“You’re awake.” A man’s voice from behind startled me.
“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked.
“You can blame her for this,” he said, his hands tucked tightly into his pants pockets as he circled me.
“At first, I wasn’t sure. She’s good at disguising herself.
It was two things that gave her away. The way she moved, like she was already mapping the gallery before she stepped inside it.
And the dimple in her right cheek when she smiles.
She’s had it ever since she was born. So, I had her followed.
“I have no idea who or what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Your girlfriend.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend. This is all a mistake. You have me confused with someone else,” I shouted.
“Do I, Mr. Hamilton? You knew exactly what and who I was talking about the moment I said ‘her.’ You can pretend you don’t know who she is,” he said, smoothing the cuff of his suitcoat like this was nothing more than a business discussion.
“But I don’t make mistakes. After she left my gallery, I had my men follow her.
Your lunch at the deli looked delicious.
Did you enjoy your sandwich, Mr. Hamilton?
Here’s the thing. Do you know what really caught my attention? ”
I didn’t answer him, and he didn’t seem to care.
She looked—” he paused for a moment. “Content. That surprised me because that’s not how she’s supposed to look.”
“You do not get to decide that!” I shouted.
He waved his hand, and one of his henchmen punched me in the face.
“I already did. She was never meant for normalcy. She was efficient, focused, and uncompromising. She understood what needed to be done, and she did it. And now? All I saw today was happiness. You did that, and you will pay for altering my creation.”
“You failed!” I shouted and received another punch. My head hung low from the pain.
Paige
It was eight o’clock in the evening, and Parker wasn’t home yet. As I was cooking dinner, I heard a knock at the door. It was Roman.
“Hey,” I said, opening the door.
“Have you heard from Parker?” He stepped inside.
“No. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
“He never came back to the office after court. I tried calling him several times, but it went straight to voicemail,” he said.
“What?” My brows furrowed. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed my phone off the island, dialing his number.
It went straight to voicemail. Something was wrong.
I could feel it in my gut. I pulled up the tracking app I had on his car.
It was still parked across the street from the courthouse.
“Fuck!” I shouted, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs. ”
“Paige, what’s going on?” Roman followed me into the bedroom.
“I think someone kidnapped him, Roman.”
“What?” he shouted. “Paige!”
“I will find him.” I grabbed my black bag.
“How? How are you going to find my brother? You have no idea who took him or where he is?”
“I think I do. Go home, Roman. I’ll be in touch.” I grabbed my keys and flew out of the house.
I tapped my earpiece and called Gabriel.
“What’s up, Paige?”
“I’m on my way to the gallery. Gerald has Parker.”
“Are you sure?”
“Almost sure. He must have recognized me somehow when I was at the gallery earlier and had me followed. I led him straight to Parker, Gabriel.”
“Paige, calm down. I’m tracking your location, and as soon as you get to the gallery, I’ll shut down the system. Remember, you only have five minutes until the backup system turns on.”
Parker
The lights went off, and the backup generator kicked on. I looked up at the flickering lights.
“She’s here.” The man smiled, looking at the four men standing in the room. You four go get her. Be careful. She’s not stupid, and she’ll see and smell you coming from a mile away.”
A smirk formed on my lips, for I knew what she’d do to them.
Paige
I threw my black bag on the ground before I pulled my gun and rapidly fired three shots, crossing the room fast and pushing through the partially shattered glass. Four men. I expected more. That was Uncle Jerry’s first mistake.
One of the men was already down, gripping his shoulder. The other three reached for their weapons. I grabbed my other gun, firing both simultaneously at the men, hitting all three, putting them down for good. I turned to the man on the ground, gripping his shoulder.
“No. Wait. Please don’t—”
I fired, hitting him in the head.
“Sorry, but you were going to kill me first,” I said as my eyes diverted to a concealed panel in the far back wall.
I pressed my palm against. A quick click sounded, and the wall slowly slid open.
I quietly stepped down the stairs into the underground.
When I reached the bottom step, I stopped and listened.
A man’s voice was coming from one of the rooms. I followed his voice.
Kicking open the door, I pointed my gun at the man, who quickly turned and stared at me.