27. Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
N ever in Vanessa’s life had she felt more useless. After tracking Oakley’s phone for over an hour she finally found it. And scared the hell out of a cab driver who hadn’t even known it was in his backseat. She gave him a twenty for his troubles and was on her way back to the hotel when Balthazar called.
By the time she got there, the detective was waiting. And didn’t look happy to see her.
He didn’t waste time with a lecture, simply told her to wait while he approached the front desk. Apparently a warrant wasn’t needed for him to obtain whatever information he needed. Or the key card for the room.
Either that or the desk clerk was too scared to deny him anything. Either way, minutes later, Detective Clark Greyson was leading the four uniformed officers to the elevator. He didn’t object when Vanessa followed—with Balthazar and Josh who’d shown up right after she did—but there was a definitely zero-tolerance expression on his face as he looked them over.
“Stay out of my way, that’s all I ask.” He turned his focus to Josh. “I see you pull that gun without damn good cause and I’ll shoot you myself.”
Josh’s jaw hardened, but he didn’t respond.
Vanessa frowned at the officer. “I’m the only one armed and I have a fucking permit. If you shoot Josh for pulling out the fucking walkie-talkie he has strapped to his belt, you’re next.”
This was going South real fast. The cops were eyeing Vanessa warily and the detective had his hand rested on the handle of his gun. Balthazar’s lips parted and he met Vanessa’s eyes, clearly not having the first clue what to say. Not that anything he said would make a damn bit of difference.
But he did step forward to put himself between Vanessa and the detective, holding his gaze until the man lowered his hand.
Once they’d reached the floor where Ray was keeping Oakley, the cops seemed to be back on mission. Waving Balthazar, Vanessa, and Josh back, they closed in on the hotel room, two on either side as the detective approached the door, making sure his men were prepared before unlocking it, their weapons loaded and in position.
He opened the door and the police stormed the room.
“Hands above your head!”
Two shots rang out and Vanessa flattened herself against the wall by the door, glancing over to make sure Josh and Balthazar were out of range as well. Inside the room she heard harsh voices, speaking low. Vanessa had a feeling no one had expected Ray to be armed. They’d gone in with a certain amount of readiness anyway, but catching him by surprise hadn’t gone down as expected.
She eased back when Ray came out of the room, gun pointed at Oakley’s head as he dragged the man along with him. “You just made things much more complicated than they needed to be. Tell Tate I’ll be in touch. It would be smart of you to let me pass so your boy here doesn’t end up with his brains all over the fucking wall.”
The fear in Oakley’s eyes tightened her throat and her palm itched for her weapon, but it wouldn’t do her any good now. If only Oakley had fucking told her what he was planning, she could’ve…well, talked him out of it. Sure, him getting them everything that was on Ray’s phone was good, but it wasn’t worth his life.
Blood spilled over Oakley’s bottom lip and his pants were undone. She didn’t want to think about what had been done to Oakley already, but she damn well knew she couldn’t let Ray take off with him. Ray must have shot the cops or the detective. He had nothing left to lose.
And no reason not to kill Oakley the minute he got bored of him.
She held her hands up in front of her, approaching slowly. “Ray, you don’t want to do this. Tate’s in the hospital because of you. Don’t you want to see him?”
Uncertainty filled Ray’s eyes. The gun shook in his hand. “You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. Whatever you gave him didn’t react well with alcohol. Being on the road stressed him out. He’s been drinking a lot.” She sighed and shook her head. “Did he drink a lot when he was with you? I have a feeling you were more careful with him.”
Ray nodded. “He liked trying shit, but I never let him take too much. He’s a tough kid. Always has been.”
“He really is.” She took another step. “I can bring you to him. If you let Oakley go, you can take me instead. We can go see Tate. I’m sure, once you talk to him, he’ll be more than ready to go home with you. He was with you for months.”
“He had no fucking choice.”
“Are you sure about that? The video you have wouldn’t make a very strong case. I’ve seen it.” She was bluffing, but the uncertainty in his eyes told her she was on the right track. He might enjoy having control over Tate, but she suspected he wanted to believe it was on his own power, not because of any threats. His ego would be his downfall. “Tate’s not stupid. He could’ve walked away so many times, but he didn’t.”
Brow furrowing, Ray looked from her to the two men a few feet away. “They’re not going to let me take some chick hostage. If your boy couldn’t defend himself, what chance do you have?”
Holding out her arms, she decided to play into the image many had of her. Even Oakley, when they’d first met. She was too pretty. Tall, in good shape, but not build like the GI Jane image many men had of ‘tough women’.
“Can they really stop you? You’re the only one armed, Ray.”
With a jerky nod, he motioned her forward and shoved Oakley toward Balthazar, who quickly pulled the other man behind him. “No sudden movements. The little lady and I are leaving now. You heard what she said. Tate wants to be with me. You’re going to need to find another drummer.”
Gripping her arm hard, Ray shifted sideways with her in front of him until they’d passed the men. Then he turned them both, backing up, tensing as the detective stepped into view. There was blood on his hands and splattered on his face, but he appeared unharmed.
But not unarmed.
“Let her go, Ray. Backup is on the way. You’re not getting out of this building.” Detective Greyson’s tone was calm. Pacifying. “Surrender and no one else needs to get hurt.”
Another few backward steps, hesitant now. Ray pointed the gun at the detective. “Don’t come any closer!”
Moving swiftly, Vanessa latched onto Ray’s hand, directing the gun away from the detective as she snapped the heel of her palm into the center of Ray’s wrist. The gun dropped and she kicked it out of reach.
Ray turned and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her into the wall. She stabbed her fingers into his eyes. His grip tightened as he cried out. Her vision spotted with white. Reaching out, one hand on his jaw, the other on the back of his head, she shoved against the wall and forced him into the one at the other side of the hall with all her momentum.
A loud CRACK and his entire body went limp.
Letting him fall to the ground, she moved out of the way as the detective and two of the cops rushed to Ray’s body. The detective checked his pulse.
She didn’t need him to tell her Ray was dead. His wasn’t the first neck she’d snapped. Though she really hoped it would be the last.
Neither Balthazar or Josh looked shocked by what she’d just done, but Oakley was staring at her, lips parted.
For a second she thought he’d shy away if she tried to touch him, but when she reached out to him he immediately wrapped his arms around her, giving her a shaky smile as she cupped his cheeks. Tears of relief filled his eyes.
“Holy shit.” He let out a tired laugh. “I knew you could handle yourself, but—”
“So you don’t think I should be a model anymore?” Her voice was hoarse, and her throat hurt like hell, but she managed to grin at him when he rolled his eyes. She traced her finger gently over his bottom lip. There were still traces of blood on them. No cuts or swelling though. “Where are you hurt?”
He frowned and brushed her hand away. “I bit the inside of my cheek when he punched me, it’s no big deal. You’ve got big blotchy red marks on your neck.”
“You’re both going to the hospital.” Balthazar’s tone was firm, and he moved close to them with Josh as more officers came down the hall from the stairwell. He glared at Detective Greyson when the man walked over. “I hope there won’t be any objections. Vanessa was defending herself.”
The detective’s eye twitched as though he was struggling not to argue. Then he nodded. “I’ll still need to file a report, but I can meet you at the hospital.” He turned to Vanessa. “You saved my life back there. Thank you.”
Vanessa shrugged, looping her arm around Oakley’s waist and encouraging him to lean on her. Whatever he’d been drugged with was still messing with him and she needed to have him checked out before she’d relax. “I’m glad you’re not dead, Detective. I hope your officers are all right.”
“They’re stable and the EMTs are on their way up. You can wait for them if you’d like.”
“We’ve already got a ride. But thank you.”
That settled, she helped Oakley toward the elevator, leaning heavily against the wall once they were inside and her adrenaline began to fade. Being strangled had cut off her airway and circulation, which could be an issue, but she hadn’t lost consciousness and she was still walking. Last time she’d been strangled, she’d pissed herself and blacked out. Another experience she didn’t care to repeat.
Setting her self-assessment aside, she focused on Oakley. He seemed to be fading in and out, to the point that she wasn’t sure he’d make it to the van. She squeezed his hand as they got off the elevator and his steps faltered.
“I shouldn’t have spoken for you. Do you want to wait here and let the EMTs bring you in?”
Shaking his head, Oakley braced himself against a pillar and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to…leave with anyone. Maybe it’s stupid, but seeing the three of you was a fucking relief. My skin feels weird and if anyone I don’t know touches me I might flip out.”
Nodding slowly, Vanessa exchanged a look with Balthazar, whose expression was grim. She stroked Oakley’s knuckles with her thumb. “Babe, did Ray… Did he do anything to you while he had you in that room?”
Oakley shuddered and shook his head again. “No. He planned to, but he was waiting for the drugs to make me compliant. The second dose seems to be kicking in…or maybe it’s the third? Fuck, I need to know that, don’t I?”
“Oakley, are you having trouble moving your muscles?” Balthazar approached Oakley slowly, tipping his chin up and looking in his eyes. He gave the other man an encouraging smile when he nodded. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to pick you up and carry you to the van. Once we’re at the hospital either Vanessa, Josh, or I will be with you at all times. You could be experiencing some side-effects from the drugs, or simply from the shock of what you’ve been through. Either way, you’re safe now, understood?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Oakley’s cheeks went red when Balthazar picked him up, holding him securely against his chest. By the time they reached the van, he was fast asleep.
Josh opened the back door of the van, stepping aside for Balthazar to lay Oakley on the back seat. Vanessa got in beside him, stroking Oakley’s hair as Josh started the van, grateful that Balthazar had taken the middle seat. He wasn’t a doctor, but between his time with the band and his training in the military, she trusted his judgment.
“Do you think I should wake him?” She glanced out the window as the sky began to darken. Fuck, it had been a long day. Oakley was probably exhausted. “Is it safe for him to sleep?”
Balthazar inclined his head. “He should be fine. The drugs obviously weren’t good for him, but he hasn’t shown any extreme symptoms, like North did. He’ll probably be in observation overnight—they may take some drug tests to find out what he was injected with and he’ll need a follow-up to make sure there aren’t any complications.”
That made sense. From experience she knew she’d likely need the same, but after this she could check in with the doctor she’d been referred to in Detroit for her arm. There was a bit of an ache in her shoulder. Nothing too serious, though she’d be careful with it for the next few days and have the doctor take a look at it when she had her neck examined.
No need to tell Balthazar about that. He was aware of her medical conditions.
If all went well, everyone would be out of the hospital and expect the tour to continue. Only…she hoped Oakley would help her convince North to at least cancel a couple of shows. They could fit them in at the end of the month, even do an extra one to appease the fans.
The show must go on was a nice saying in theory.
Multiple near death experiences should be the exception. Whatever was decided, she’d do her job and protect them all, but…maybe this should be considered one of her responsibilities. Worse came to worse, she’d call in reinforcements.
Reese would be more than happy to weigh in.