Chapter Thirty-six
I walk out of the hospital in more pain than when I entered, the muscles in my shoulder and arm on fire. All well and good to be able to use the damn thing until they’re forcing you into positions you didn’t know your body could go in.
My car beeps as I hit the unlock button and climb behind the wheel, the temptation to dial Sloane’s number right there, but it’ll take me less than ten minutes to get home, so I hold back.
Pulling out of the lot, I merge into the downtown city traffic, crawling at five miles per hour thanks to it being rush hour.
Maybe I should call her so she doesn’t worry.
I’m about to hit dial when I call comes through, and a smile pulls on my mouth. She got there first.
“Hey Butterfly,” I answer, “All okay, I’m just heading back to you now.”
“Stop, please!” Her voice screams through the speakers, my spine going ramrod straight as panic injects into my system.
“Sloane!?” I bellow her name. “Sloane!”
“No!” She cries, her terror lacing the word. Her fear is an ice-cold bucket of water.
“I’m coming!” I yell, slamming my hand down on the horn. “I’m coming, Sloane, you hear me!?”
“Please,” She begs. Can she even hear me?
What the fuck is going on!? Fuck this traffic; I’ll deal with the tickets later as I swerve and mount the pavement, pressing on the gas.
I take a turn down a narrow street as her cries sound through the speaker, but then I hear shuffling, and breathing fills the line, followed by a bitter chuckle.
“So pretty, isn’t she, Dean?” Richard fucking Taylor says.
Fuck!
“Get the fuck away from her!” I growl.
“It’s really quite interesting watching you all turn weak,” Richard continues, “Malakai with sweet Olivia, Sebastian with that pretty redhead. Even your brother. And now, you.”
“I’m warning you, Taylor,” My tires screech as I take the corner.
“Meet me at the marina,” He says, “Come alone or I’ll put a bullet in her head and throw her in the bay.”
“Put her on the phone,” I demand.
“You’re in no position to negotiate, Dean. Be smart, Mr. Archer, it would be such a shame to hurt something so beautiful.”
He hangs up, the disconnection sound an echo that settles into my blood. Fury works through me, fury and fear. He has her. I broke my promise. She wasn’t safe, he still got to her.
“Fuck!” Pain forgotten, I take the turn onto the road that’ll lead me to the marina. I’ll die for her if I have to.
Pulling to a stop, I’m out of the car, the engine left running, as I sprint toward the container yard, knowing that’s exactly where he’ll be.
Like a rat, he hides and steals, never brave enough to show himself or fight the battles.
My gun is loaded and in my hand, ready, and when I hear voices, I slow, taking a moment to analyze.
I see Richard with his hands in his pockets, his silver-lined hair looking thin and greasy. He’s looking toward an open container, and I see three more men. I can’t risk calling the guys, he has Sloane, and he will hurt her. And what about Lily? Did he get to her too? Is she all alone in the house?
There’s a war inside my chest, my heart pounding so hard it feels as if it could beat right through my ribcage.
She needs me.
Keeping my gun in view, I step out, showing myself to them.
Richard turns to me, his eyes narrowing on the weapon. The three guys with him raise their own, and from the container, another two step out. Richard lifts his eyes behind me, likely expecting the others, but he won’t find them.
“Very good,” He gives me a full, toothy grin, showing a silver tooth at the edge of his mouth. “You do follow instructions well. I shouldn’t be surprised when Malakai has you all on such a tight leash.”
“Where is she?” I demand.
“Who?” Richard keeps his hands in his pockets, the picture of calm and collected, but there’s a sweat on his brow despite the near freezing temperatures. “That pretty little bitch of yours?”
“Where. Is. She?” I punch out each word from between gritted teeth.
“Safe at home, I’d assume.” From his pocket, he pulls a cell and presses a button, the recording of Sloane’s call to the police playing.
He fucking tricked me. I already knew it was him in my computer last night. We’ve been too fucking slack dealing with him, and now me and Sloane are paying the price.
Not anymore.
I level the gun at his head.
“You sure you want to do that?” There’s a shake in his hand as he places the cell back in his pocket. “They’ll take you out if you even move to pull the trigger, and then what? You lose, and I get her anyway.”
“What do you want?”
“What I’ve always wanted,” He shrugs, “Malakai’s business.”
I chuckle humorlessly, “How do you suppose you get that?”
“You’re going to give it to me, Dean.” He says it so simply, like I could just hand over the hundreds of years of business the Farrow generations have worked on.
“Right, of course,” I roll my eyes, “Here, have the keys to the estate. I’m sure Malakai will invite you right inside.”
He laughs as I cut my eyes to his men, their guns trained on my head. I could shoot him dead in an instant, but I’ve no doubt they’ll fire immediately. One against five aren’t great odds.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Richard says now from behind the line of men.
Coward. “You’re going to put everything I want on a hard drive — all of it, all the clients, the names of your mercenaries, the jobs you have taken and are coming up.
You’re going to get it for me and deliver it in three days. ”
“And if I don’t?”
“I may not have Sloane or your daughter, but I can get them. I have a man outside your house right now, waiting for my word.”
“Skin trade not lucrative enough for you?” I growl out.
“Messy work,” He shrugs, “What’ll it be, Dean?”
“I’ll get you what you want,” I lie. I’ve always known Richard lacks the brain cells to truly pull off these big plans of his.
If he were smart, he’d know I don’t need three days to get what he needs, I just need an hour, but what he has just given me is time.
I was slacking before; I won’t make the same mistake twice.
“I knew you were smart,” He nods. “In fact, how’d you like a job?”
“I’m good.” I tuck my gun into the back of my pants.
“You sure?” Even though I am no longer armed, his guys keep their guns trained on my head. “You’re going to be out of work real soon.”
I give him a grin, “No such thing as no work.”
His eyes narrow, and his throat works on a swallow. Such a fucking coward.
“Now,” I sigh dramatically, “If I turn my back, are you going to shoot me? Seems your way, after all.”
“You’re free to leave,” He grinds out.
“Gentlemen,” I nod to his men and turn, though I’m far from relaxed.
I feel the weight of their guns trained on my back, their eyes watching.
My hands twitch, there’s an itch under my skin to get back to Sloane and Lily, to see them with my own eyes.
Then there’s the matter of Richard’s guy watching my house.
I’ll find the prick and end him, regardless of whatever deal Richard thinks he and I have.
There’s a clock ticking down, a bomb ready to go off.
I slide back into the Porsche, the engine still running, and hit dial on Sloane’s number the minute I’m inside and peeling away from the marina.
“Dean?” She gasps into the phone. “Fuck, you’ve been gone for hours! Are you okay!?” She answers, her voice frantic and shaking. My racing heart slows a beat in my chest, the tension in my shoulders loosening at the sound of her voice.
“Take Lily and go to the basement,” I order her, “The code is seven, seven, three, four. It will lock automatically. Go to the bottom and wait for me there. There is a gun in the top drawer; get it out and have it ready.”
“Dean?”
“Just go, Butterfly, please. I’ll explain when I get there.”
“O-okay,” She stammers. I listen as she moves through the house.
“Come here, sweet girl,” She speaks away from the phone to my daughter, likely scooping her up to cradle her the way she does, like her whole life depends on it.
I hadn’t given it much thought, it was so natural, but Sloane with Lily is exactly what I wanted, what we needed.
She is the glue holding this whole fractured picture together.
Fuck.
I’m in love with her.
The code box beeps as she inputs the code I gave her, and then the door slams hard, and she lets out a startled breath.
“Step forward, the lights will come on.” I tell her quickly.
“Are you okay?” She asks a beat later.
“I’ll be home soon, Sloane,” I promise her, “Stay there until I come to you, okay?”
“I understand.” There’s a tremor in her voice.
“I’ve got you, Sloane,” I vow.
The words have never been truer. The threat today, the genuine belief that I was going to lose her, has my stomach in knots. I cannot lose her.
I will not.