Chapter 38
The minivan jostled as it hit a pothole, and Lexie winced as her shoulder bumped against the interior wall. She squirmed in her seat, glaring at the zip tie around her wrists and the two women sitting in the front of the van.
“Relax, will you?” DeeDee snapped in exasperation. She was gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity, her tousled blond hair catching the glow of passing streetlights. “We’re not gonna hurt you.”
Julianne, perched smugly in the passenger seat with her perfect hair and expensive perfume, turned around to face Lexie, her manicured nails tapping on the headrest. “Honestly, Lexie, this isn’t personal. We just need to... remove you from the equation for a little while. It’s just business.”
“Business?” Lexie shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Kidnapping me is business? Do you have any idea what Max is going to do when he finds out?”
DeeDee’s laugh was sharp and derisive. “Oh, we’re counting on him finding out. That’s the point, sweetie.”
Julianne nodded, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “We just need Max to realize he’s not as invincible as he thinks he is. Once we...negotiate with him, you’ll get to go back to your perfect little life.”
Lexie rolled her eyes so hard she worried they might get stuck. “Do you two even hear yourselves? This is a terrible idea. Like, epically terrible. You think Max is just going to shrug and say, ‘Oh sure, go ahead and kidnap my fiancée, no big deal’?”
DeeDee slammed the brakes at a red light, muttering under her breath. “God, you’re annoying.”
“I’m annoying?” Lexie shot back, leaning forward as far as her restraints allowed. “You’re the one driving a minivan with an actual kidnapping victim in the back seat! Did you think this through at all?”
Julianne huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Of course, we thought it through. We’re not amateurs.”
Lexie snorted. “You’re driving a minivan. In a city crawling with SUVs, sports cars, and vehicles built for speed, you picked the one thing that couldn’t outrun a determined skateboarder. A minivan isn’t made for escaping anything—it’s made for grocery runs and hauling soccer gear.”
DeeDee growled under her breath. “Shut up, Lexie.”
“Make me,” Lexie snapped back, her voice rising. “Oh wait, you can’t because you have no idea what you’re doing. Do you even know who you’re dealing with? Max doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t play nice. And when he finds me—and trust me, he will find me—you’re both going to regret this.”
Julianne’s smugness faltered, just for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “Max is just a man, Lexie. A very powerful man, sure, but even powerful men can be controlled with the right leverage.”
Lexie barked out a humorless laugh. “You’re delusional. Max isn’t just powerful—he is the power. And you’ve just declared war.”
The light turned green, and DeeDee floored it. “Shut her up, Julianne,” she hissed, her voice tinged with nerves.
Julianne turned around again, her eyes narrowing. “Lexie, do yourself a favor and stop talking. This will all be over soon, and you can go back to whatever fairytale romance you’ve got going with Max.”
Lexie leaned back, her lips twitching into a sardonic smile.
“Fairytale, huh? Let me tell you something about fairytales, Julianne. They usually involve a dragon that incinerates anyone who dares touch his treasure. And guess who the dragon is in this story?” She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with defiance. “You two are going to get burned.”
DeeDee clenched her teeth. Julianne, sitting stiffly in the passenger seat, fidgeted with the hem of her expensive blouse, her confident expression cracking slightly as she avoided Lexie’s gaze. Lexie smirked, her heart racing. At least she’d planted the seeds of doubt.
“Where are we going?” Lexie asked, trying to sound casual even as she thought furiously. She turned her head to watch the trees and highway exits, committing them to memory.
Neither woman answered her, their silence thick with tension. Then, her fingers brushed against her tote bag beside her. Her phone! They hadn’t even thought to take her phone!
Lexie shifted slightly, slipping her hand into the bag, her pulse thundering in her ears as her fingers found the familiar shape of her phone. With one quick glance to ensure neither DeeDee nor Julianne was watching, she unlocked the screen and typed a quick message to Max.
Don’t know where I am, but can you track my location?
The response came immediately. My men are right behind the minivan. I’m on my way.
Relief flooded her, and she almost smiled. Max was coming. She’d known he wouldn’t leave her to these fools. Her grip on the phone tightened as she quickly tucked it back into her bag, her heart lifting at the thought of seeing him soon.
The minivan jerked as DeeDee took a sharp corner. Lexie’s body swayed with the motion, but she caught the muttered expletives. DeeDee’s eyes flicked nervously to the rearview mirror.
“They’re coming for you,” Lexie chirped with mock sweetness. “Just let me out and keep driving. Maybe I can convince them to go easy on you.”
Julianne twisted in her seat, her eyes blazing with fury. “Shut up!”
Lexie flinched, but masked her fear with defiance. “Fine. Don’t listen to me. Just wait and see what happens.”
Suddenly, the faint wail of sirens echoed in the distance. DeeDee cursed again, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly that her nails dug into the leather.
Then came another sound—low, rhythmic thumping that grew louder by the second. It wasn’t sirens. It was something else entirely. Lexie tilted her head, straining to identify it. The noise became deafening, a powerful, pulsing whoosh.
Her eyes widened as a massive helicopter landed on the street ahead of them, its rotors whipping the air into a frenzy. The minivan swerved and came to a screeching halt, the tires squealing as DeeDee slammed on the brakes.
Lexie’s survival instincts kicked in. She grabbed her tote bag, her adrenaline surging and she shoved at the door handle. The door opened, and she tumbled out onto the pavement, her heart pounding as she scrambled to her feet.
A figure emerged from the helicopter, broad shoulders silhouetted against the chaos. Max. She barely registered the police officers shouting orders at DeeDee and Julianne to get on the ground. All she could see was him.
“Max!” she screamed, her voice breaking with relief.
She dropped her bag, sprinting toward him with everything she had.
Tears blurred her vision, but it didn’t matter.
Max turned, his sharp, furious gaze softening the moment it locked onto her.
He opened his arms just in time to catch her as she threw herself at him.
“Max!” she sobbed, burying her face against his neck. His arms came around her, strong and unyielding, pulling her close.
“I told them you would come for me,” she whispered, her words muffled against his skin. “I told them, and they wouldn’t listen.”
His hold tightened, his lips brushing the top of her head as he murmured, “You’re safe now, mia cara. I’ve got you.”
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her tears mingling with a relieved smile. Someone cut away the plastic zip ties and she threw her arms around Max, hugging him tightly. “Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling but full of gratitude.
Max’s gaze flicked briefly to the chaos around them—the sirens, the shouting officers, while DeeDee and Julianne were being forced to the ground.
But then his focus returned to her, his expression a mix of tenderness and ferocity.
“I love you, Lexie!” he growled, pulling her in closer. “I love you so damn much!
She leaned up and kissed him, the world around them fading away as she poured all her relief, gratitude, and love into that moment. “I love you too!” she whispered.
He looked down at her, heat and intensity in his eyes. “Does this mean you’ll marry me?”
Lexie laugh/sobbed and snuggled closer. “Absolutely!”