Chapter 7 - Cal
CAL
The message came at six in the morning. I thought it was Bolton replying to the dozens of texts and voicemails I left. I wanted it to be Bolton.
Instead, it was a picture from an unknown number. A picture of my husband beaten, bound, and gagged. Both of his eyes were swollen, and his entire face was caked with blood. I barely recognized him. A message followed it.
Say goodbye to your husband. Hope your bitch sister was worth it.
I send a message to the security firm I work with, including the message, photo, and the code word to allow them remote access to my phone. They can trace the phone number. His cell phone and vehicle are at a rest stop, but I know he isn’t there.
I dress head to toe in black. My old black hockey mask from the very first night I chased Bolton up at the cabin sits in a drawer. I don’t deserve to wear it, but I take it with me to the living room. Maybe it’ll give me the strength to make things right again.
The waiting is driving me crazy. Every second I’m apart from Bolton, they’re hurting him.
Beating him. Or maybe doing worse… The only way I can cope is to free the beast deep inside me.
It smashes the glass coffee table, letting the fractured shards fly across the room.
It rips the curtains down, tearing them into shreds.
It punches the walls and breaks every single chair at the kitchen table.
The beast turns into a whirlwind, working its way through every room in the apartment except the bedroom—making everything match the ruinous chaos magnifying inside him.
It destroys everything in its sight. The penthouse is in shambles, just like my fucking life.
There’s a knock at my door, but I know who it is. Guy Gamble, my head of security.
“The team is ready and we have a location. We’ll debrief on the way.”
They can spend all the time debriefing they want, but I know exactly what will happen.
I’ll kill every person who had a hand in capturing Bolton.
I’ll take down this entire operation, even if it means implicating myself.
I’ll set the world on fire and roast a goddamn marshmallow while I watch it burn to a crisp.
I’ll rescue Bolton by any means necessary.
And anyone who thinks they can get in my way is gravely mistaken.