Chapter 16
Alexis woke up in a chair with her arms tied behind her back. She looked around the small room with no clue where she was. It appeared to be some sort of industrial building with concrete walls and a musty smell.
The only way in and out of the room was through the door on the other end. She was alone at the moment, her captors having left the room without a word after tying her up.
The tracking device sewn into the hem of her dress was the only saving grace she had.
When they were still in the hotel room, Lonnie pulled out a tracking device from a bag of gear he kept on hand.
Alexis hesitated for only a moment before agreeing to it.
She wouldn’t have put it past Vic to always have people searched for trackers when they kidnapped them.
But she knew if they were to grab her, a tracker might be the only way she would be found alive.
Alexis agreed to add it to her dress in a discreet spot. Lonnie had a small sewing kit in his bag, so Alexis got to work sewing it into the hem of her dress.
She knew Lonnie would head her way. She only hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Alexis didn’t know what Vic’s cronies had planned, but she also didn’t want to find out.
She worked at trying to free herself from the zip ties around her wrists, but it was proving futile. The only thing it was doing was tearing up her wrists. But she had to try. She had to do something.
The door opened again, and in walked her captors.
She recognized only two of them. Vic’s right-hand man, Thomas, and the creepy man who kept coming into the shop.
Alexis had always found Thomas charming, but now that she knew he was a drug dealer and helped murder people who got in Vic’s way, she had lost all respect for him.
He wasn’t the man she had thought he was.
“Thomas, let me go. You know me. We were friends,” she said.
Thomas smiled, but it was menacing. Not like the nice guy she had grown to know over the years. “Now, now, Samantha. We were never friends. I told Vic you’d cross him. But he didn’t listen. He should have let me pop you sooner.”
Her blood ran cold. They had discussed murdering her. While she had expected that they had, it was different hearing it from someone she had known for a long time. She needed to do something.
Buy some time for Lonnie to come.
“Now, now, Thomas. Is all love lost?”
He backhanded her across the face, and the force had her head pulling to the side and tears stinging her eyes. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
“Shut your mouth, bitch,” he said gruffly. Then he dialed a number and held the phone in front of him.
“You got her?”
Alexis would always recognize that voice. Vic.
“Got her, boss,” Thomas said.
He turned the phone so Alexis could see Vic sitting at a table with a large steak in front of him. He wore an orange jumpsuit with a prisoner number on the breast.
The smile on his face reminded her all too well why she had run… why she was testifying against him. If she made it to the courtroom.
“My dear, Samantha. Or is it Alexis now? It looks like you misspoke and Thomas had to teach you a lesson,” Vic said.
She shook her head to get the hair out of her face before sneering at Vic. “My dear, psychotic, pathetic excuse of an ex-boyfriend. It looks like you’ve manipulated the system to get what you want. A steak and a cell phone in prison? Glad to see how my tax dollars are at work.”
Vic laughed, and Alexis’s stomach rolled. But she kept a straight face. She wouldn’t dare show she was terrified of him.
“It pays to know people,” he said.
“I guess so.”
“Now, now. What are we going to do with you? I think we need to teach you a lesson.”
Alexis swallowed hard and stared straight into the phone at Vic. “You think hurting me will give you satisfaction?”
Vic laughed. “More than you could ever know.”
The door banged open, and Alexis’s head snapped up. Lonnie, Amy, and Clint were in the room, holding Vic’s men at gunpoint.
“Put the gun down,” Lonnie said to Thomas.
Thomas only smirked before turning the gun to Alexis.
Her life flashed before her eyes, and a gunshot rang out as she squeezed her eyes shut.
The surrounding noise was deafening, and her arms were cut loose.
She opened her eyes to find Lonnie in front of her, pulling her into his chest. To the side, she could see Thomas’s slumped body on the ground. The other men were being restrained.
“What the hell happened?” a voice roared.
Alexis looked down to find the cell phone face down on the ground. She picked it up and held it so Vic could see her. Lonnie peered over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the screen.
“You didn’t win this time.” Before Vic could respond, she ended the call.
The police came in and cleared the scene after taking statements.
The U.S. Marshals were set to fly in to debrief Alexis in the morning, but for the night, they turned her over to the security of Lonnie, Cass’s agency, and the local police with her agreement.
They would have around-the-clock protection until the Marshals arrived.
After transferring to a safe house with the promise of protection, Lonnie turned toward Alexis.
The two of them stood in the living room of the small house as several men were strategically placed around the neighborhood, monitoring the property.
Lonnie’s first priority was making sure Alexis was okay.
Lonnie took her hand and led her to the couch, taking a seat with her and grasping her hands with his.
“Talk to me. What’s on your mind?” Lonnie asked.
Alexis shrugged. “Nothing.”
He released a hand and rested his fingers below her chin, tipping her face up to his. “I think you might be in shock.”
Her eyes flicked between his, and she started laughing. He raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t the response he had expected. Crying, screaming, panic—that’s what he expected. But laughter? Nope.
“Alexis, it’s okay to be upset.”
She only laughed harder, resting her hand on his shoulder as she doubled over. He continued to watch her, concerned about her well-being. Who should he call? Did she need a doctor? A psychiatrist? Was this a trauma response?
“Lonnie, I’m okay. Really,” she finally said. Her laughter subsided as she wiped her eyes, where tears were coming out. She sighed happily. “Do you know how good it was to tell Vic he lost? I feel amazing.”
Lonnie smiled hesitantly. “It’s also okay to be scared.”
“Oh, I was. Trust me. I was terrified out of my mind. But I knew you would come, and you did in the nick of time. It was so satisfying how it all played out. They thought they'd won, and then you and your badass friends came busting in there and showed them what’s up. It was so hot.”
Lonnie snorted. “So you’re okay? You don’t need me to call someone?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m great. Don’t get me wrong. I know there’s still a threat to my life, and he’ll likely get desperate. But it was so great seeing that look on his face when he realized he'd lost. All I have to do is survive until the trial next week.”
Lonnie chuckled. “Baby, I can promise you, you will survive. I will be your permanent bodyguard until then.”
She scooted closer to him so their thighs pressed together. “Oh, yeah? My personal bodyguard, huh?”
“Yep, I’m at your service.” He groaned when her hand rested on his thigh as his cock thickened and strained against his pants.
She looked up at him with a coy smile on her face. “So perhaps you can service me.”
Their eyes met, and then they both burst out laughing.
“Sorry,” she said between fits of giggles. “That was so corny. I told you I’m not good at dating… or seducing for that matter.”
He stood and hauled her up into his arms at the same time. Her laughter died down as she stared into his eyes. “I don’t know. You’re pretty good at it in my opinion.”
He carried her to the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. Of all the rooms in the house, this room and the bathroom wouldn’t have cameras. Instead of giving the security team a show in the living room, he opted for privacy.
Alexis still wore her gown, and she still looked gorgeous despite it being torn and scuffed in a few spots and her hair being messy.
“Have I told you how gorgeous you look?” he asked, still cradling her in his arms.
“Yes, but say it again.” She giggled.
He chuckled. “You look gorgeous. The most beautiful woman at the ball tonight.”
“Damn straight,” she said.
He laughed loudly and laid her down on the bed. Then he worked his bowtie off as she watched hungrily from where she laid. “I like this new side of you.”
“I think you’ll like this side of me, too,” she said, attempting to work the gown off her shoulders, but only succeeding in rolling around for a bit before stopping and staring up at him. “A little help with the zipper, please?”
Lonnie pulled Alexis’s zipper down. While she worked her dress off, he took his tux off. And then they were naked. She leaned back on the bed, her body bare, while he stood before her.
He slowly crawled over her and settled his body between her thighs, having already rolled a condom down his shaft. His lips found hers, and they spent several minutes kissing while wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“As much as I love making out, it’s been a very long time since I’ve been with someone. And I’m ready to kick this dry spell out of here,” Alexis said.
Lonnie chuckled. He shifted and took hold of his shaft, notching himself at her entrance. “You, my dear Alexis, will keep me laughing for the rest of our lives.”
“Oh yeah? You think you’ll want me around for that long?”
He sank into her, and they both groaned. He rested his forehead against hers and kissed her lips softly. “Forever.”
Then they moved. Their bodies glided as if they had known each other their entire lives. As if this wasn’t their first time with each other.
“Lonnie, please.” Alexis moaned.
“Alexis.”
“Lonnie.”
He drove into her. Her nails bit into his scalp as she gripped his hair. She cried out, and her body clenched around him, making black spots appear before his eyes.
“Come for me, baby,” Lonnie said.
Alexis screamed as her body convulsed. He groaned and pumped into her until every last drop of his seed had spilled.
They lay on the bed beside each other, breathing heavily with their fingers intertwined.
“I mean, I don’t want to brag or anything, but I think we’re pretty good at that,” Alexis said.
Lonnie barked out a laugh. He rolled onto his side and rested his hand on her stomach. “That we are.”
Her eyes widened, and she sprang out of bed. “Oh, shit!”
Lonnie jumped up too, and he immediately went on the defensive, looking around for a threat. “What? What’s wrong?”
“I forgot about Melissa! She has no idea I left the ball!”
The two of them looked at each other wide-eyed and then burst into laughter. Lonnie pulled out his phone and shot a text over to Clint.
Lonnie: Can you let Melissa know Alexis left and we’ll fill her in later?
Clint: On it.
Lonnie set his phone on the nightstand and took Alexis’s hand, pulling her down into the bed with him. “Clint is taking care of it.”
“Thank God. But considering it’s like three in the morning, I’m pretty sure she figured it out.”
“I’ll have flowers and coffee sent to her house as an apology,” Lonnie said.
“You’re the best.”