Chapter 21 #2
Dylan limped three steps ahead. When he stopped, Mia hurried to him. “Dylan?”
His forehead furrowed, and his eyes glazed over. Without a sound, he collapsed, hitting the ground like his bones had melted, landing on his good arm. He didn’t make a sound.
“Jackson!” Mia dropped to her knees beside Dylan. She reached out but worried about touching him and somehow hurting him more.
Jackson rushed over. He quickly checked Dylan out. Wynne broke out in wild sobs, and Mia jumped to her feet and gently took the girl in her arms to comfort her.
“I don’t know what’s wrong. He might be dehydrated, or it may be more severe. He needs to get to the hospital.” Jackson’s voice shook. He clenched his jaw.
She watched, amazed, as Jackson lifted his brother, who stood nearly as tall as he did, and hoisted him over his shoulder. Wynne ran up to stand near them, keeping close to Dylan as they walked toward the emergency vehicles.
“Moses!” Jackson yelled.
One of the paramedics came running. A second later, another one followed. They gathered Dylan and Wynne and headed toward their ambulance, asking questions along the way.
Jackson remained by his brother’s side.
Mia kept her distance, knowing she’d only be in the way. Now that the danger was over, she relaxed.
“Mia.”
She’d know that cold voice anywhere.
Keeping her face devoid of expression, Mia rotated to face the man who’d made her childhood miserable and cost her the boy she’d loved.
Blaine stood in the shadows. Even now, he dressed in a charcoal suit and tie. As if he’d come from a meeting. His handsome face seemed blurry, but his eyes gleamed out of the dark. She recalled her fear as a child of monsters hiding in the closet. Now a real-life one stood before her.
“I heard about what was happening. I came out here to see if I could help you.” He held out a hand toward her.
She backed away, disgust thick in her throat. He hadn’t voluntarily touched her in years. She wouldn’t trust him now even if she didn’t think he was involved in trafficking.
“What do you want, Blaine? I doubt you want to help me. You’re selfish and evil, through and through.”
Hatred flared in his eyes. “You’ve never understood the power I have.”
She continued backing away. “I don’t care. The police will arrest you, and then I hope you rot in jail.”
A cruel smile spread across his face. “Men like me don’t go to jail. We make the rules. Don’t you know that by now? I snap my fingers and get what I want.”
“You’re part of it,” she accused, disgust seething in her chest. “This syndicate or organization luring our children into drugs. How could you?”
“Oh, please. Why would I turn down this opportunity? I’m rich, and they’re taking care of me and making me richer.”
They had gotten far away from the others. Would Jackson notice she was gone and come after her?
Suddenly, she thought of something. “Andrea. You tried to kill her.”
Surprise lifted his eyebrows. For an instant, she thought she’d gotten it wrong. “Who are you to judge me? You’re nothing but a mutt that I raised.”
He’d called her that before.
She shook her head. “I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t understand this. I was never a threat to you. Just let me be!”
He sighed and looked at her like she was a child. “Between your parentage and making noises about getting your money, you were a scandal waiting to happen. We had to close a profitable business to keep from discovery.”
He had helped run the foundation.
Blaine moved toward her, and she backed away, keeping distance between them. She wouldn’t let him near enough to touch her. He kept coming, then suddenly, he smiled, his eyes gleaming.
She’d fallen for his trick. He’d managed to back her away so she was out of sight of Jackson and the others. She needed to run.
Mia opened her mouth to scream for Jackson, but hard arms closed around her, and a strong hand closed over her mouth.
“Where should I bring this one, boss?”
Blaine Turner grinned. “I have plans for you, Maria. You stuck your nose in too deep about the summer camp, and even after we paid you off, you still didn’t leave it alone.
The syndicate wants you out of the picture, but she didn’t tell me how that had to happen.
Just that Jackson needs to be stricken with grief, making him ineffective.
It’s time you learned to mind your own business. ”
Mia’s brain froze. She heard one word above all. “She? You’re taking orders from a woman? And what syndicate?”
But Blaine seemed to have wearied of answering questions. “Bring her along, Sean.”
Mia struggled in Sean’s arms. She could barely breathe. His meaty hand nearly covered both her mouth and her nose.
Would she never see Jackson again? If something happened to her now, it would devastate him. He’d blame himself forever for failing her. She couldn’t let that happen.
It was hard to fight against someone so much bigger and stronger. She had to point her toes for them to scrape the ground.
She wriggled harder in Sean’s arms, but he merely tightened his grip. She wasn’t going to get out of this one. She couldn’t even lift her legs to put him off-balance, since he was all but carrying her.
She tried to slam her head back against his nose.
Her head banged against his chin, and he grunted. In punishment, he moved his hand until he’d completely sealed her nose and mouth. She couldn’t breathe!
“Let’s see how long you last without air.” He called her a nasty word, but she couldn’t care about words when she was being asphyxiated.
“Enough, Sean.”
His hand moved, and she could breathe again. She inhaled deeply through her nose, nearly gagging at the odor coming off him. He was foul and disgusting. She couldn’t believe what she was considering, but since he’d loosened his grip, she had a bit more maneuverability.
She closed her eyes and braced herself. Then she said a quick prayer. She opened her jaw and bit down on the fleshy hand as hard as she could.
“Ye-ow!” Sean yelled. He dropped her.
She rolled away, jumped to her feet, and took off running into the cover of the trees, welcoming the dimming light that had seemed so threatening before.
She leaped over a fallen log in her path, then hit the ground and stumbled a step before righting herself, her ankle protesting.
She’d keep running even if it was broken. She couldn’t let them catch her.
Two pairs of feet pounded behind her. She could practically feel them gaining on her and expected to feel arms imprison her at any moment.
“Jackson!” She screamed as loud as she could, the force of it hurting her throat. “Help!”
Sean and Blaine were in pursuit. She pushed herself and kept going.
“Mia!” Jackson roared in the distance.
Did she hear more feet coming? A thin tree branch whipped across her face.
She kept running, her sneakers crunching the debris beneath her feet.
Pain stabbed her ankle with every step, but she kept going, praying Jackson and the police would catch the monsters coming after her before they caught her and silenced her forever.