41. Felicity
felicity
You know what I didn’t have on my bingo card for this year? Being drugged and then kidnapped at four months postpartum.
The room I am in is in some log cabin house. I’m not sure where I am, but based on the window in the cabin, I am guessing not that far from home.
Jax’s dad.
I don’t know what I was thinking, walking through town alone without Ezra, whom I’m certain if he knew what was going on, would flip his lid.
I guess with all the excitement of becoming a mom, raising a baby, preparing for an album release and a tour, I didn’t take into consideration that Jax’s dad was still pissed.
When he told me everything after Law was born, my brain filed that as completed. Like, it was Jax telling me he put his father in his place, and the trouble was over.
What I didn’t consider is the fact his father is after money, and what better way to get it than kidnapping a very famous and wealthy musician?
Someone knocks on the door, and I raise an eyebrow. I am currently tied with actual rope—which I found funny considering duct tape is so much more convenient—to a chair that is tied to the bed.
“Oh, don’t come in. I’m not decent,” I reply to the knock sarcastically.
I honestly am terrified of what his father is willing to do to me, but humor keeps me comforted in the darkest of times, and all I want is to survive this and get home to my son.
A head pops in, a frown on his face, and I blink, trying to connect who the heck this could be.
“Uh, sorry. I brought food.” He comes in, a grocery bag in his hand. He is tall, blond, and lanky, with a nervous twitch to him that I found is often associated with too many drugs.
Who is this kid? Is he in on this with Jax’s father? Is he just a kid who got caught up in the drug world like Jax nearly had?
“Thanks.” I shrug my shoulders, wiggling my hands. “I can’t exactly eat it, though.”
He hesitates for a moment, looking back over his shoulder to where I hear loud laughter and the smell of weed drifting in. “Just for a minute.”
Then he comes over and unties my hands, looking at me like I am about to bolt. I wouldn’t. Not yet. I need some sort of plan first.
“Here, crackers, cheese, uh…” He pulls out a can of olives and then realizes his mistake. “I guess this won’t really work.”
“Crackers are good. Do you have water?” I ask, my throat parched.
“Oh, yeah,” he says, grabbing the last item out of the bag. He sits on a bench against the wall after handing me the items and lets me have at it. I take a long sip of the water.
I eye him as I pretend to fiddle with the food. “So, what’s the plan here?”
He looks back at me, shocked, I think, that I am conversing with him. “Uh, what do you mean?”
I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “I mean, you all took me.” I see him flinch. “I assume a ransom has been demanded.”
He holds up a hand. “I honestly didn’t even know what was going on until we got here.”
“That doesn’t exactly mean you’re innocent.”
“I didn’t know they were kidnapping someone!
” The guy seems to grow more agitated, and I wonder exactly who he is to Keith Cash.
“I never would have gone along with that. I’ve tried telling them that they need to let you go, but they won’t.
Keith is strapped. Tried too much of his own product. Now he has nothing.”
I look at him. There is sweat on his brow, and his hands are rubbing nervously along his jeans. “Why are you here?”
He glances up at me, maybe deciding if he can trust me or not. I don’t really care if he does. All I need is an opportunity, just one, to get away from this place so I can get home to my son. And Jax.
God. He was probably beside himself with worry. I’d just left and not thought I’d never see my boys again, and now I wasn’t sure I would make it to the next sunrise.
“I fell for the fucker’s words, I guess.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Life hasn’t been easy.”
I sigh, biting into a cracker I didn’t want. “Life is not easy for anyone.”
Scoffing, the guy leans back against the wall. “Says the famous millionaire.”
I shake my head, having heard this before. Everyone thinks that because they didn’t have to see me struggle, everything was handed to me, when it is far from the truth.
I worked my ass off to get to this point, to a place where I can settle down and work when I want to, instead of having to.
“Yeah, well, saying no got me to a lot of places in life.” I lift a brow, and from his reddened cheeks, I can tell he gets my meaning. “But I had to say yes to more things than I wanted to as well. Being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
I actually hate it now. I appreciate my fans and those who loved my music, who spent their hard-earned money on my music.
But being famous…I didn’t want that anymore.
Not that I could ever get away from it, but moving back to my small town was one step closer to just living that normal life I ran from so many years ago.
“How did you say no?” His question surprises me, as does his open expression. I have no idea how this guy got here, but being that he looks awfully young, I’m guessing it was a series of unfortunate circumstances.
I pause, uncapping the water and swallowing before I answer him.
Sighing, I look at him and say, “I don’t know.
I guess…I saw the people that said yes. I saw how they went from creative, imaginative, happy, and talented, to not being able to get through the day without something to help them.
I’m not someone who wants to rely on others to help her.
I like being in control of my own life.”
The guy leans onto his elbows, and I don’t know which part, but something that I said seems to hit him.
“Woo hoo!” I hear from the other room, then the door opens again, and Keith is standing there, looking victorious. “Look what just went live.”
He turns his phone to me, and I see a news article announcing that famous singer Felicity Vogel has been kidnapped months after having her baby. Great.
“You leaked it to the press,” I state rather than question. I mean, it was right there in front of my face.
“That’s my job,” he announces proudly, kicking the leg of the guy who is talking to me.
I watch him leave the room almost sadly, wishing I could do something for the guy who is obviously here after making bad choices.
Then again, aren’t we all? “Now I’m going to get that ransom and never have to deal with my sniveling ungrateful sons again. ”
I scoff, unafraid of what this bastard could do. At this point, it feels like he is all for show. “Ungrateful. That’s hilarious. Your sons are some of the most respected men in our town, and you think they’re the scum under your boot.”
He waves his phone around, that smarmy smile not leaving his lips. It makes me want to smack him across the face, but I don’t. “After this, I’ll be a king compared to them. They’ll always work nine to five on that old bastard’s ranch.”
He was speaking about Cal Trevors, of course. CT’s dad was nothing but a nice old man who took care of his family. Something that Keith was obviously incapable of doing.
“So does Jax even know you have me?”
“Of course.” He shrugs. “Why not get double the money? He’s working on his portion to come rescue you, and now your people are working on theirs for you. It’s a win-win for me.”
“Ha!” I shake my head, almost not believing how fucking ridiculous this guy is. “You’re insane. They’re not going to just let you take the money and leave.”
“They will if they want you to live. Plus, I have extra insurance coming.”
I freeze, my mind immediately racing with what he could mean. “What does that mean?”
He walks over, roughly taking my hands again and wrenching them behind my back, wrapping the scratchy rope back around them.
“It means, sweet thing…” He leans down, his weed breath and scratchy beard rubbing against my cheek and making my stomach clench with disgust. “That you’re about to have company. ”