You're Not Broken (33 page)

              Desert sand was kicked up into a tornado as the men fought and wrestled. I heard a few bullets go off but most of the men had been taken down quickly enough before they could reach for their weapons.

              I lifted my head and saw Raze in the distance. His face was contorted in surprise anger as he tried to shove away the two agents surrounding him. His face twisted as he screamed in rage as his arms were twisted behind him. But I heard nothing.

              The ringing still echoed loudly in my ears.

              But it wasn’t loud enough to drown out my sigh of relief. Raze was down. Manuelo was down. Low Pointe was finally free. It would finally have a chance at a life without danger, a life where an MC wouldn’t be necessary for protection.

              I had never contemplated a life where there was no Black Wings. I had never contemplated a life where there would be no Raze. I had always assumed that they would always hover in the background of my life like a dark shadow.

              But now that had all unexpectedly, magically changed. 

              I closed my eyes. Now,
I
was finally free as well.

Chapter Twenty One
Rowan

              I watched the people shuffle busily in what was clearly a temporary base of operations. Agents filled the small building on the edge of Bakersfield, the largest town near Low Pointe.

              Black SUVs surrounded the place and people were busily tapping away at laptops and making hushed but clearly important sounding phone calls. I had seen the Black Wings members immediately taken into custody and swept away into a police van that had been waiting.

              I had felt temporary remorse at seeing the few familiar faces being taken away as well but I knew their hands were just as dirty as Raze’s. They had just as much agency to walk away from the club but they hadn’t. So now they had to pay the price for their complacency.

              I sat back on a hard metal chair in the corner. The Feds had taken me along with them. Someone had brought me a small Styrofoam cup of coffee. I wasn’t sure exactly what was needed of me so I sat and waited.

              Finally a man came up to me. I stood and took his extended hand.

              “Mr. Matthews,” he said in a familiar voice. “I’m Agent Phillip McGrath.”

              The agent in the passenger seat. So this is what he looked like without his hair and mask covering his face. I nodded.

              The agent gave a smile as he squeezed my hand familiarly before letting go. “I have to say, although you were unexpected, I’m damn glad you were there tonight.”

              I raised a brow in surprise. “Really? Why is that?”

              Agent McGrath shook his head. “Well, we knew that we’d only have this one shot with Jonas and all of the Black Wings members but unfortunately, we weren’t totally sure we had our subterfuge down.” He sighed. “You see, we didn’t totally know the procedure once we arrived at the drop sight.”

              Agent McGrath made a vague motion behind him towards the open door and the waiting multitude of SUVs. “Once captured, Manuelo had been very forthright. He told us just enough to get our foot in the door in planning the drop but that was it. A very tightlipped and paranoid man,” he commented almost to himself.

              He was. After years of people trying to take him out and seeing all his partners wiped out, Manuelo had learned it paid to be a little paranoid.

              Shaking his head, the agent continued. “So when you showed up, it was quite the help. We might not have gotten as many of the men as we did if it hadn’t been for you tonight,” he said. “I appreciate it.”

              I shook my head. “It was no problem,” I said. And it really wasn’t. I was just as glad to see Raze taken away as the next man.

              Agent McGrath looked like he was about to say more when another agent ran up to him, whispering something in his ear. I could see a crease appear between Agent McGrath’s brow as he listened. Finally he nodded then turned back to me.

              He gave me an odd look, which instantly put me on alert. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

              “You’re with Agent Harrison and Todd on the Jessa Blair case, yes?” he asked slowly.

              I nodded.

              “Are you aware that Jessa Blair had organized a flight to New York tonight and had taken off several hours ago from a private airfield?” Agent McGrath’s face was drawn in concern.

              I nearly sighed in relief. Was that all? Yes, of course I knew that but I couldn’t say that. It wouldn’t do to look complicit in letting her break away from her guards. I almost wanted to grin. So she had gone anyway. She hadn’t let my absence stop her. That brave minx. Did nothing stand in her way?

              But I knew I had hurt her by not being there. And I planned to make that up to her as soon as I saw her. My cock stirred as I thought about just how I would make it up to her.

              “Jessa has an audition in New York, last I heard,” I added vaguely. “She must’ve left for that.”

              Agent McGrath pulled in his lower lip as he chewed over some news that he was clearly reluctant to tell me.

              “Well, the agents must’ve figured that out. Her flight was supposed to have landed in New York about an hour ago. She had a last minute reservation at the Four Seasons that she made while in the air. But so far, no one has checked in,” Agent McGrath said. “A call has been made to the airfield attendants but they all said they had seen Miss Blair leaving in a car after landing. But she was alone. No security. No one knows where she is.”

              A chilling waterfall splashed across my heart.

             
She was alone. No security.

              Fuck.

              Fuck!

              This was my fault. I should’ve been there for her. I should’ve figured something out and have
been there for her!

              “Fuck!” I said, this time aloud, forgetting where I was. I saw Agent McGrath jump a little in surprise.

              She had gotten off the plane and into a car. But she hadn’t checked into her hotel. Obviously the agents must’ve tried calling her so she’s clearly without communication.

             
No one knows where she is.

              Dread darkened the corners of my mind. God, what the fuck could’ve happened to her?

              I looked up at Agent McGrath but before I could say anything, he beat me to it. “There’s a car waiting outside. It’ll take you quickly to the private airfield where Miss Blair had taken off from. There you’ll reconvene with Agent Harrison and Todd.”

              I nodded my thanks and immediately ran outside to the waiting car. I threw myself in and urged the car to fly. No doubt the agents would be wondering what I was doing away from my charge but I would explain everything to them. They could confirm everything with Agent McGrath.

              But even if I had been pulled away against my will, none of it soothed my soul. I had left Jessa on her own while she was in such danger. I had let her fly away from the safety of her protectors without the benefit of her guard.

              “Fuck!” I muttered harshly again in anger.

              The agent who was driving jumped in surprise. “Sir?”

              I ran a hand roughly through my hair. “Nothing. I’m sorry,” I said jerkily. “Just drive faster, if you can.”

             
God, Jessa. Please be safe. Please be safe!

Chapter Twenty Two
Jessa

             
I breathed heavily through the thick rag that was tied against my mouth. Already wet and heavy with my saliva, it was getting harder and harder to breath through the gag.

              I looked around, my vision slowly clearing up. I saw the dark and dim shapes of what looked like a warehouse. I squinted, trying to get my eyes to focus on at least one item.

              A window.

              A dusty, boarded up window.

              Seeing that, the rest of my vision began to quickly clear up. I
was
in some kind of dark warehouse. An abandoned warehouse, by the looks of its raggedness.

              What had happened?

              I groaned trying to get my thoughts in order. I closed my eyes, trying to recall the last things I remembered.

              It had been a relatively smooth flight from California to New York. I had called from the plane to the Four Seasons, my usual hotel when in New York, and had made my last minute reservations. They took my 3 AM check-in request in stride, the professionals that they are.

              I had debated called Agent Harrison or Agent Todd from the plane. The original plan had been for Rowan to call them from the plane. Although I knew they’d be alarmed, I had figured they would cut me a little slack if they knew I was with my bodyguard.

              But now without Rowan, I was hesitant to call. What if as soon as I landed, they ushered me back on the plane, sending me back to LA? Or if they tried to delay my audition because of some security measure?

              I had decided that it was maybe best to just let them figure out my absence on my own.

              Landing, I had grabbed my one bag and headed down to the tarmac. I saw a car and driver waiting for me, like I had ordered. From the LA airfield, I had ordered a car to wait for me in New York.

              The driver had quickly loaded my suitcase and once I had given my thanks to the pilot and crew, I had been helped into the car and driven away.

              But the driver had driven quickly and erratically.

              “Slow down there,” I said. “There’s no rush. I think the Four Seasons will still be there whether we get there in an hour or a day.” I gave a little laugh as the car swerved sharply, making me jostle in the backseat.

              “The Four Seasons will be there,” the driver replied slowly. “But will
you?”

              Suddenly the car pulled off to the side of the road. We were in an empty stretch of road in a very remote part of the state. I had landed in a private airfield after all and we were quite a way away from the city still.

              “What are you—” But my words were cut off as soon as the driver turned around. He was wearing sunglasses but I could see the maniacal expression written all over his face.

              Before I could let my panic take me, the man jumped over the seat, pressing a cloth against my mouth and nose. It took a few deep inhales as I struggled and tried to scream but eventually, I fell into a heavy darkness that swallowed me whole.

              And now, as I opened my eyes, I tried to figure out where exactly I had ended up.

              “I was worried you wouldn’t come out of it till tomorrow,” a voice said from behind me. “You took hours to wake up.”

              I jumped as a man walked around me towards a large work table that stood a few feet away from me. It was dirty and covered in old cardboard boxes and papers. But I saw a shiny metal tray that stood on top of the rubbish heap.

              I jerked my arms but found no give. My arms and wrists were tied behind me. My legs were tied against the legs of the small wooden chair I sat on. Even my torso had been roped off to the chair’s back. From below my neck, I could move nothing.

              A nauseating wave of fear began to choke within me. What was happening? Everything was moving so fast. She had literally just gotten off the plane and now here she was in some weird warehouse with a crazy man!

              The man turned around, leaning against the work table. He crossed his arms and looked at me, smiling. He was completely bald, his head shaved clean. He had a rough look with a broad nose and a short forehead. He looked like a rugby player who had had one too many knocks to his head.

              “Whff garrghh nyuuu!” I gargled against the gag.

              The man grinned. His eyes took on a sparkling quality that might’ve looked beautiful on a blushing bride but just looked plain crazy on him. “Oh my girl,” he said. “Are you asking who I am?”

              I nodded. Would the hangar attendants notify anyone that I was missing? Would they even know that? For all they knew, I got into a car willing and was driven off. They probably figured it was my driver taking me into the city. After all, I had thought that as well.

              Who was this man?

              I looked him over carefully. He was average height but with an incredibly beefy build. He really did look like a rugby player. He had a thick neck which looked odd with his smaller rounder face. Still wearing the driver’s outfit suit, he looked incredibly disjointed and out of place.

              “Don’t you remember?” he asked, almost pleadingly. “Don’t you remember
me?”

              I stared at him. He was a complete lunatic. The rising and falling lilts of his voice made him sound completely unhinged.

              But as I my vision continued to clear, I felt a stirring of a memory from deep within.

              An old bodyguard. Extremely touchy. Extremely possessive. I had had to fire him because he had taken it upon himself to change and rearrange my schedule to his liking. He was always trying to hold me and once I had even caught him trying to brush my hair.

              My skin crawled just remembering.

              “Hhhgyer,” I gargled.

              The man grinned wider, clearly pleased. “That’s right. Myer,” he said. He beamed. “I knew you’d remember me.”

              Myer had only last two weeks before I had had to let him go. He had been by far the creepiest bodyguard I had ever had. He had left such a horrible impression that I had been quite reluctant to hire another one for a long time.

              But now, here he was again. It was his bald head that had made him harder to recognize. He had had a straw mess of stick straight blonde hair, the last I had seen him.

              “I’m so glad we’re finally together again,” he said. “So much time wasted apart, don’t you think?”

              What the hell was Myer doing here in New York? I struggled again, trying to find any measure of give in my bindings. But they were tight and secure. I was going nowhere.

              Oh god, would the Feds have noticed by now that she was missing? Why hadn’t Rowan shown up at the airfield? All the understanding and nonchalance I had had in California disappeared as my panic overtook me.

              I needed Rowan.              

              “I can tell you have a lot you want to say,” Myer said in a teasing voice as if we were old friends. “Would you like me to untie your gag?”

              I nodded fervently.

              He walked over then stopped a few steps away from me. He wagged a finger at me. “Now, we’re in a pretty remote place. I did a search around here and nobody is around for miles. But even still, I’d appreciate no screaming. Let’s just keep this a nice private night between us. Understand?”

              I nodded again.

              Myer leaned in. He ran his hands in a loving manner across my cheeks before reaching for the knot behind my head. I shuddered at his touch. As soon as the rag untied, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed with every ounce of air I had, hoping to reach whoever was in the near vicinity.

              An immediate slap cracked against the side of my face, leaving stars twinkling in my vision.

              “I said, no screaming!” Myer yelled. He gripped the back of my hair and yanked my head back hard, making me cry out in pain. My scalp felt like it was about to be ripped off. He looked down at me, his eyes hooded and threatening. He leaned in close till his lips were nearly touching my ear. “Scream again and I’ll cut out that sweet little tongue of yours. Got it?”

              I nodded as best I could given his hard grip on my hair. Tears were already gathering at my lashes from the sharp pain he was pulling from my hair.

              Myer grinned. He let go but not before running his hand against my cheek again. I tried to tamp down on my instinctive shudder.

              “Wh-What are you doing here?” I asked, breathless with fear. “What do you want with me?”

              Myer returned to his spot against the table, leaning against it with his hip. He looked as casual as if he were in a bar.

              “Well, I’ve waited long enough,” he said, as if it was all obvious. “I didn’t want to wait any longer to bring us together. And you gave me the perfect opportunity to catch you. Finally broke away from all those pesky FBI agents, didn’t you?”

              I could hear my heart thudding against my chest like a drum beating in a tunnel. My vision narrowed then sharpened all at once. Everything fell into place. Everything became painfully clear.

              “You…” I breathed, my chest tightening in the shock of realization. “You’re the stalker. You’re the one.”

              Myer opened his hands as if welcoming me into his home. “Of course! Did you ever doubt it? Did you ever question it? Who could care for you like that except me?”

              Myer had been a former bodyguard. He had been inside her inner circle. And he had been obsessive. It was totally within the realm of possibility that he could’ve learned people’s names and faces, familiarizing himself with my team even in that short amount of time. He knew the people I saw on a regular basis. He knew the protocol I used when entering and leaving crowded buildings or press conferences.

              He had also been former LAPD and had also trained for SWAT. No wonder he had been so good at covering up his own tracks. The training that had led me to hire him had also been the training that he had used to stalk and terrorize me.

              I felt a chill as I remembered the shattered windows in my house. He even remembered the way the gates at my front door locked. He could’ve gotten the code from somebody who was still on my team. He could’ve….

              “How…?” I asked. “How did you do it?”

              Myer stretched himself to his full height, clearly enjoying the success of his plans. “Your FBI need to do a better job in checking everyone’s background,” he said in a mock reproachful tone. Then smiling he answered, “Your driver.”

              I gasped involuntarily. My driver?

              “It didn’t even take that much money,” Myer said. “Just a few hundred bucks and a burner phone and he thought he was giving information to some reporter.” He shook his head. “Loyalty is really hard to find these days.” He looked up, eyes glinting. “Which is why it’s lucky you have mine. My loyalty is everlasting.”

              The driver. The same driver I had paid to take me to the airfield. The same driver that had been in the car during my countless press conferences. The same driver that had been in the car when I was going to meet David Francetti. The same driver that had been in the car when Rowan and I had talked, although discreetly, about our plans.