13. XANDER
Watching Wren today has me feeling some new type of way. At the spa, she was relaxed and at ease, a blissful look upon her face the entire time. I watched her from the shadows. Not that I was hiding. She knew I was there, but I couldn’t take my eyes off this version of her. At the restaurant, I was only a table away and listened as the girls gossiped about their lives. I learned a lot from just listening.
My little bird had big dreams. She wanted to see the world and experience new things. I noticed how she avoided any conversation about Adrian. The moment you mention him, she completely changes the topic. I can’t blame her. Before today, she was still afraid of little things. Mav mentioned he caught her jumping at the sound of her shop’s front doorbell. Jax has seen her flinch at the loud noises. And I’ve seen the way she sometimes stays quiet around the house, almost like she is afraid to make a noise.
From what she’s told us about her relationship with Adrian, I can’t blame her. He trained her to be afraid of everything. To be seen but not heard. Just the thought of that bastard stirs the rage within. We still haven’t caught the slippery fuck. The prick is playing games and I’m getting sick of it. He thinks he has the upper hand, but someone can only hide for so long.
Arriving at the first little shop, Abby planned goes smoothly until we enter and were greeted by an older woman rushing towards us. “Aww, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Ashford.” I smirk at the fact I feel Wren tense under my hand, resting on her lower back. That is, until Wren breaks out into a sneezing fit because of this woman, who bathed in old lady scented perfume. You can almost taste the chemicals if you open your mouth. I glance over at Abby and nod to the back of the shop, where all the women’s clothes are located. She gets the message because she loops her arm under Wren’s and guides her away, and I do the same.
“Ma’am.” I start, but am interrupted by the woman who bats her lashes up at me.
“Please, it’s Miss Dumont.” She reaches out her hand for me to take and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes at the very obvious flirting going on. Miss Dumont looks to be in her late forties, early fifties. She’s taller than my Wren, I’m guessing 5’6”-ish, has reddish brown hair and bright-green eyes. I bet in another lifetime she caught every man’s eye. Shit, if I didn’t have the most perfect woman as mine already, I might have thought about giving Miss Dumont a go.
“Miss Dumont, my-“ I pause for half a sec before deciding to just go with it. I plan to make it true someday, anyway. “-wife hates spending money. Never wants to get herself anything nice. I’m wondering if you might have a jewelry section. Maybe some bags.” The smile that lights this woman’s face at the mention of me wanting to spoil my wife is almost blinding.
“Now you’re speaking my language, Mr. Ashford. Right this way. Was there anything specific you were looking for?” she asks, leading me further back into the store.
“No, but I’m sure I know it once I see it.” Across the floor, I spot Abby swiping through racks of clothes and the top of Wren’s head close by. Probably doing the same.
I pick out small but simple pieces of jewelry, knowing Wren’s not big on it. A few studs or small dangling earrings. Thin chain necklaces and bracelets with small charms. I even found a link bracelet that charms can be added to. I’ll have to find unique charms that represent important things in her life. Her shop, love for books, friends, that mutt and one for each of us. I think it would actually be something she wore often. I’ll have Abby choose bags to go with whatever outfits they get today as well.
I’m on my phone looking up charms that could work when Abby rushes up to me, worry and a bit of panic in her eyes. “It’s Adrian.” She rushes out, but I’m already gone. I hit the 2 on my speed dial as I make my way around racks of fabric. Rounding the last of the racks, I spot Wren, phone to hear ear, and face drained of all color. I’m going to kill that bastard.
“What?” Mav answers, sounding annoyed still that I’m the one who got to go with Wren.
“Trace Wren’s phone now.” I hiss out, then disconnect the call, knowing Mav will do it. All anyone has to say is Wren’s name and we would do just about anything.
I make my steps louder than normal, so Wren can hear my approach. Gently reaching out, I grasp her waist, holding the phone. She flinches, and I let out a curse under my breath. “Give me the phone, Little Bird.” I watch as her whole body shakes, but slowly releases the phone. The second I have the phone in my head, I pull Wren to my chest and place the phone to my ear.
“Why don’t we settle this like real men, Adrian?” I tell him a second before Abby rounds the corner with one of the guards that was with us today. I circle my finger in the air to signal a search of the area. This wasn’t a coincidence that he called today or that she was alone when he did. He wants to torment her.
“Now, where’s the fun in that, Xander?” The bastard laughs like this is all a joke, only making me picture punching his teeth in or maybe cutting out his tongue.
“This won’t end well for you. You know that, right?” I grip Wren tighter to me and can feel her whole body shake. Abby steps up next to me and opens her arms, so reluctantly I turn so she can take Wren into her arms. The moment Abby wraps her arms around Wren, she slowly lowers them to the floor. Smart girl. I might have to give Abby a bonus. Keeping my eyes peeled, I head for the window. I know he’s watching, I just don’t know from where. Pulling out my other phone, I send a quick text to our group chat.
ME: Adrian contacted Wren.
MAV: Keep him on the line, we’ve tracing.
JAX: I’m going to skin that bastard alive.
ME: Send more men.
“That might be so, but I’ll be long gone before any of you find me.” he lets out another taunting chuckle. “Is her pussy as tight as it used to be? Man, was she a good fuck.” Clenching my fist, I dig my nails into my palm. Needing the pain to distract myself, I force myself to not react. That’s what he wants, a reaction. For me to make a mistake. “You know, when I first met her, I figured I would keep her around to fuck, then when I got bored, I would throw her back. I never expected to want to keep her, but she was such a good submissive. Easy to bend to my will. I said jump and she would ask how high.” Another fucking chuckle. “Then one day she thought she could leave. She thought she could break up with me. That was the first time I had to teach her a lesson. You see, my little Wren is to blame for my issues. The first time I enjoyed hurting someone was her. The way her creamy flesh turned red. The way she screamed and begged me to stop. She showed me how sorry she was all night long that night.” The bastard lets out a dreamy sigh, as if remembering all the awful this he’s done.
“What’s the point of this call, Adrian?” I grind out. His words dig deeper under my skin the longer he talks. It’s taking every ounce of strength not to respond.
“My point is that you only have a few days left until Dolly needs to be returned to me. I’m being gracious with the time I’ve already given you.” I’m going to need to see a dentist after today with how much grinding I’m doing. “Has she told you about how she used to moan around my cock while chained to my bed? She used to pretend she hated it, begging me to stop, but she always got wet for me. Those beautiful baby blues staring up at me, tears ruining her makeup, but would still suck my cock like a lollipop. She wanted everything I gave her. Plus, her eyes shouldn’t have wandered; it was a shame when we had to finally end things. I was so heartbroken when I heard she had an accident and didn’t make it.” He mocks, his tone casual, as if he didn’t just reference him attempting to kill Wren.
I’ve held my tongue long enough. “When we get our hands on you, you’re going to wish you succeed at killing Wren. Everything you put her through will be done to you. You will wish for death, but it will never come. I’ll keep you alive for as long as it takes to satisfy our revenge and give Wren the justice she needs. You’re a coward, Adrian. Not willing to face the consequences of your own actions. So run and hide like the pathetic little rat you are and enjoy the time you have left.” My phone vibrates and I look down.
JAX: We got his location. Our men are on the way.
MAV: Take Wren back to the office. We need to know what he said.
Suddenly, Adrian laughs, the sound grating on my ears. “Big talk for someone who can’t even protect his own merchandise. Like I said before, you have until the end of the week to return my Dolly, or you’re going to have bigger problems.” The line goes dead.
I immediately dial Mav. “Did we get him?” my other hand fist Wren’s phone. The plastic creaking with the force.
“No.” That single word turns what was supposed to be a relaxing girl’s day into another nightmare for Wren.
“We’re on our way.”
After I hang up on Mav, I scooped up Wren into my arms and we made a B-line for the car. The other men I’ve requested to escort us are already here and waiting. I slide into the backseat, Abby climbing in after me. I keep Wren tight against my chest, her entire body still shaking, and I saw tear tracks staining her cheeks. When she goes to shift off my lap, I pull her in tighter.
“I got you, Little Bird.” Looking up, I give the driver a nod, to signal to get us on the road. Wren buries her head deeper into my chest, and I have to force myself not to tighten my grip on her, afraid I might hurt her.
The driver wasted no time weaving in and out of traffic to shorten our drive back to the office. The normal thirty-minute drive only took fifteen. By the time we pull up to the parking garage, Wren is fast asleep in my lap. Abby jumps out and rushes to the other side of the car to open the door, allowing me to step out.
“Why don’t you head home, Abby? Wren will be safe with us.” She stares at Wren for a long minute, a worried look in her eyes, before nodding and slowly climbing back into the car. I turn back to her. “Thank you, Abby. When we first met Wren, she had only had one friend. She smiles more when you’re around. You don’t treat her like a burden but a friend. You will always have our protection and we owe you.” She glances down at Wren sleeping in my arms and smiles.
“I think you’re wrong. She smiles more because she finally feels safe and loved. Wren’s something special Xander, I hope you three take care of her.” She proceeds to close the car door and drives away. She’s right about one thing, Wren, is special.
Footsteps rushing up behind me have me letting out a deep sigh as I turn to face a furious-looking Jax and Mav. Their eyes instantly go soft when the spy Wren still passed out in my arms. “She’s fine. I don’t know what he said to her, but I think it brought back memories she’s been trying to forget. Let’s get her upstairs, then we can figure out our next move.” I can tell both men want to reach for her, if not to comfort but to make sure for themselves she’s okay. Both keep their hands to themselves as we make it to the elevator. The entire ride up is quiet, all three of us just staring at the woman in my arms. To anyone looking in, it would seem creepy, but to us, it’s fear that if we blink, she could disappear.
It’s clear that Wren is good at running and hiding. She’s been doing it for two years. Adrian probably would have never found her if she weren’t involved with us.
When we reach the top floor, Jax rushes ahead of us to my office. Once we enter, he already has my couch set up like a bed. We all keep a pillow and blankets in our offices for unexpected long late nights. Gently, I place Wren down on the couch and Mav immediately covers her up. Wren snuggles down into the warmth, and I get my first good look at her face. Her usually soft look is gone, replaced by red rimmed puffy eyes from crying. I place a kiss on the top of her head before heading to my desk, taking a seat and booting up my computer. The guys follow suit, taking a seat across from me, with their chairs slightly shifted to keep an eye on our woman.
“Let’s get straight to it. What did we find out?”
“The coward ran before our men could get him. We found pictures of Wren all over the place. It was a small loft apartment about three blocks from where the shop was. It’s also about the same distance from Wren’s shop.” Jax grinds out.
“They also found a couple of computers. It looks like he found a way to hack into some security systems. They saw the spa; the shop you guys were in and the Cozy Nook. We have a guy working on back tracing the IP addresses to see if we can trace him the next time he logs in.” Maverick adds.
“What did he want this time?” Jax questions. His grip on the chair is turning his knuckles white. It’s killing him that Adrian was even able to get a hold of Wren.
“The same thing he’s been asking for. Wren. He says we have until the end of the week before he makes his next move.” I run my fingers through my hair and tug. The frustration that he’s been able to get away, not once but twice, is borderline insanity. “Let’s start making a list of everyone he might work with. Pay whoever you need to extra if you have to. We need to end this now because from the conversation earlier, I have a feeling, if he can’t have her, no one can.”