Beware 2: The Comeback (22 page)

Come Away To The Water – Maroon 5

I call Bianca repeatedly. No answer.

Either she’s busy, still mad at me and doesn’t want to talk, or she’s in Maurice’s clutches, and he’s filling her head with lies. He’s probably the reason she no longer wants anything to do with me. He knows I’m onto him. He’s planning his escape, and he wants her right by his side. Motherfucker.

All this fucking time I was telling him what happened to me, how it was a nightmare to go through, and how I would take down the fucker that did it and it’s been him all along.

His business, it’s still alive and thriving more than ever. His boats are still at the docks. Men are still watching his area. His men. They never went anywhere. Since my disappearance, he’s prospered. He’s the one that wanted everything I worked so hard for. He’s the one that wanted to take me down.

What’s with the men of my past? Why do they want to see me suffer? Why do they want to tear me down when all I ever was to them was loyal and respectful? I trusted him. I helped him come up. He was close, too close, and I was foolishly blinded by his smile and the way he pretended to care about what happened to me.

Those were his orders. Being beaten by Nixon but still kept alive—that was his call. I told him about Nixon once. I told him he and my father were on bad terms and he’d been threatening us. I told Maurice so fucking much. Things I hardly ever shared with anyone else. I guess the saying is wise when they say
keep your friends close but you enemies closer
.

I walk through the airport, dialing London’s number. Nothing.

I call five more times.

No answer.

“Shit,” I hiss, calling one last time and getting her voicemail. I’m heated. I’ve been betrayed, yes, but nothing feels worse than this. This man, he dates my cousin, yet he sneaks behind her back and fucks around with Baker? This man we grew up with, that grew up with my child? Made London and my son trust him? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Vibrating with rage, I snatch out Baker’s cell phone and dial his number again. This time, he doesn’t answer by saying her name. He says mine.

“Ace.” He’s gloating. I can feel his Cheshire cat sneer through the phone.

“Where the fuck are you, Maurice?”

“Oh, just hanging out with the family here in Creole. You know, cherishing time.”

My heart stills, face going blank. He has them? So he didn’t run away. I knew he was low to want to take me down, but I didn’t think he would go as low as taking my family and threatening them. Using them as bait. Then again, it makes sense. I would do the same thing, and I fucking hate myself for thinking that way. “Let them go.” My voice is dark, full of anger.

“Can’t do that.”

“What the fuck do you want from me?!” My abrupt tone catches the attention of a few by passers.

“You know exactly what I want! I want you gone! I want my fucking money! I want everything you controlled! Didn’t Nixon beat the shit out of you for it, asking you everyday?”

“Fuck you,” I spit. “He’s dead, just like you will be once I get back.”

He chuckles, still gloating. “Oh, hold on. Someone wants to say hello.”

The line swooshes and rustles, clear that he’s moving around. “Hello?” Aden answers.

My heart, the one that stilled just moments ago, drops. “Aden,” I breathe.

“Who is this?” he asks.

“It’s Ace, kid. Ace. Remember me?”

“Ohhh yeah!”

“Are you okay?”

He doesn’t respond.

“Aden, are you okay?” I ask again, eyes burning.

“Mommy was cwying,” he murmurs. “She got hurt.”

Hurt?
“Aden, tell your mom I’m coming for her. Tell her everything will be okay. For both of you. Do you understand me?” I cling to the phone, awaiting a response, but I don’t get one. Instead, I’m greeted with Maurice’s voice again.

“She won’t be okay if you don’t follow my rules. This is what’s going to happen. You’ll come to London’s house in Creole with all your money, a list of the connections for the trades, and their code words, and you won’t come armed. If you do come with anything, and I mean
anything
, I will kill them one by one. Starting with your precious Bianca.”

Bianca?! Fuck! He has her too?

“Greg… well, I’ll let him handle London and Aden.”

Are you fucking kidding me? I knew that motherfucker couldn’t be trusted!

Clenching my fist, I lean against the wall, jaw locked, way too much anger built up inside me. I’m at my boiling point, but what really gets me is that I’m not there. That I’m halfway across the country. He acted as soon as I left. He was waiting for the opportunity to arrive. With a singsong voice, one that really pisses me the fuck off, Maurice says, “You have until four PM tomorrow. See you soon, Crow.” And then he hangs up.

I drop the phone, slow and weary, tears burning my eyes, nostrils flaring to avoid them. I shut them, fighting the unwanted tears off. My family is in danger—in danger because of me. Because I was stupid enough to run off the first chance I got to settle loose ends. My worst nightmare. Somehow, he knew I’d find out about Baker and that I’d go hunting her down. She was bait as well. She thought he was helping her when, in reality, he was only using her. Selfish bastard.

When I open my eyes, Trent is coming my way, his fingers tucked in his front pockets. “Where do we go from here, Boss?”

I study him, my best driver.

A loyal man.

He doesn’t deserve to get mixed up in my shit, and if anything happens to him, his family damn sure doesn’t deserve to be without a husband and a father. “I’m letting you go, Trent. Go back to your family. Back to your life. This is between me and him.”

His eyes narrow, eyebrows stitched. “Ace, you know that’s out of the fucking question. This job isn’t finished.”

Stepping forward, I cap his shoulders before pulling him in for a brotherly hug. When I pull away, I tell him, “It’s over. Live your life, Trent. Be carefree. Enjoy that shit, man. Don’t end up like me… having to pay the price for your wrongdoings.”

Trent’s eyes glisten, but he blinks and steps away, bringing his sunglasses up to cover his eyes. Nostrils flared, he says, “I’ve always had the highest respect for you, Crow. I’ve never worked for a man with priorities as high as yours, and I’ve never had a boss that treated me like a brother… like I belonged. You may not feel this way, but I feel like I owe you my
life
. You picked me up off the streets and took me in. You gave me money to start a life—to build it. You’ve done so fucking much for me.” His head drops. “I’m not letting you go back without me.” He tilts his chin. “You had my back, and now I have yours. It’s not over until it’s over.”

I look away, unsure of what to say to him.

He remains in place, snatching off his sunglasses. I see the sincerity in his eyes. The loyalty. The need to destroy the man that destroyed us and his former family. Our men.

“I can’t have anymore innocent blood on my hands. I have to give him what he wants. That’s my family he has. The whole game has changed, Trent. They’re not safe. I’m done playing games.”

Trent scoffs. “Games? This isn’t a fucking game! Like I told you, he fucked with the wrong person, and we’re gonna show him just how much he really fucked up! The Ace Crow I know wouldn’t be giving up and giving in,” he says, straightening his back. “The real Ace Crow would be ready to go through
anything
to get back what he deserves. Through hell and high water. He’s the one that should be afraid.”

Trent’s face is hard, his body upright and steady. He’s ready. But am I? What if something goes wrong? I know myself. I’m stubborn. When it comes down to the wire, I make dumb decisions. If one of them dies because of me, I don’t know what the fuck I will do. But he’s right. I know he’s right.

My wrath is much stronger. I’ve been through it all, and this shit won’t stop me. Fuck Maurice. Fuck his crew. Fuck it all. I’m going back for mine. I wonder if Pastor Wyatt would tell me to follow my heart if he knew Maurice, a threat, has my family and is holding them hostage? He wouldn’t condone me going to kill him, but he would understand me if I did.

He was right about me paying the price for taking over Crow. With a business as such, there’s always a price. Always something that goes wrong. It’s why I went into it without feelings, without wanting to care for anyone, especially a woman. But all of that changed when I met London. She created a new man in me, and I never thought it was possible.

Inside, I’m suffering.

Dying.

I won’t be revived until they’re all safe in my arms.

And trust me, they will be back in my fucking arms. Alive and safe.

“Alright.” I nod.

Trent sighs with relief, pleased with my response.

I push off the wall, making my way towards the door that leads to my old jet. “Lets get back to Creole.”

I won’t let this one slip away from me, but I need to be smart. I need to stay vigilant. Stay wise. I have to gather a plan. He’ll expect me to arrive hours before four, and he’ll most likely take me down on sight, but I can’t let him read me. I refuse to let him win.

Not today.

Not ever.

My life is just getting back on track.

He
will not
steal the only happiness I have left.

My Blood- Ellie Goulding

My head rolls to the side, and I jolt, sitting up straight, breathing unevenly. I stare around the dark room, eyes wide and frantic.

I can’t make out much. The room is large with one window on the east wall and a ceiling light by the door. I start to go for it, but my body is yanked back, and I tumble to the floor. Pain seizes my wrists, and I hiss, staring down at the silver metal around it. Handcuffs. Most likely the same cuffs I used on Greg. I lick my dry lips, tasting a trace of blood. My tongue runs across a small, painful cut. Was I hit? I don’t remember.

When I think of Greg, I remember all that happened. Them stopping my car, trapping me in my own neighborhood. Taking my son away. Something sharp stabbing me in the neck. Most likely a needle.

Tears threaten to spill when I recall how frightened Aden was. I don’t know where he is or what the hell they did with him. I pull my arm, hoping to break the railing, but I know it won’t work. It’s cemented into the wall. I’m not strong enough.

Bringing my free hand up, I swipe the tears away and stand, sweeping my surroundings. There’s nothing I can use. The room is completely empty. The window allows some of the rising sun to shine in, but not enough.

Rustling sounds in the dark corner across from me. I step back. Has someone been watching me this whole time? The person groans, and I realize it’s light. Girly. “Bianca?” I call in a whisper. She groans again and then a hand falls into the light, a trace of blood on her fingertips. “Shit! Bianca!?”

“London?” she croaks.

“Yeah.” I nod as if she can see me. I can’t see her. It’s too dark in her corner.

Pulling her hand out of the light, she murmurs, “I tried to get him to stop.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her.

“No.” Her voice cracks and something rattles on her side. A chain most likely. “It’s not. I trusted him. He lied to me. All these years, London, he lied to me. I thought he loved me. Like, really loved me.”

I blink in her direction. “Let’s not talk about that right now, okay? Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “Just a little cut on my arm. Put up one hell of a fight.” I can tell she wants to laugh, but with the ache I’m certain she feels in her core, it isn’t going to come out. Not anytime soon.

“Is this why you wanted to leave us behind? Because of him?”

Silence fills the dark room for several seconds. Then, she responds with, “Yes.”

Oh.

“He was telling me all these bad things about Ace, and deep down, I didn’t want to believe them, but they sounded so true. Like things the old Ace would do.”

“Things like what?” I ask.

“Like how he killed someone before he arrived. How he was the one that faked his own death and how he’s only here now because he rebuilt Crow and wants to take you and Aden back to New York with him. Start fresh. He said Ace no longer trusted his men after he found out about Krane, so he was glad they died during the process. A bunch of wild shit. I mean, it sounded like something Ace would do, but then again—”

“You believed that?” I hiss, my eyebrows furrowing.

“No I didn’t believe his shit! I knew from the moment he started telling me things about Ace that he was lying. He started acting strange when Ace returned. He had some kind of guard up. He wouldn’t talk to me like he used to, and now I see why.” Her voice breaks. “I feel like he used me.”

“He used all of us, Bianca. He used my son. He used Ace! You thought Ace was the monster,” I scoff, “No. Maurice is the fucking monster.”

“I know.” She sniffles. I wish I could hug her. She’s in pain. A lot of it. You spend three years with someone and they stab you right in the back—or as I recall, the neck. “I think he was onto me not believing him, so he told me he would get rid of Ace if I didn’t leave with him. He wanted to go to Belgium early. I think he was trying to escape before Ace figured things out. I mean, we all know Ace is going to find out eventually. He didn’t want me to be around him, and every time I asked why, he would never answer me. We got into this heated argument at our hotel when he let Greg take Aden without my permission while I was in the shower. Before that, he’d been acting strange, making calls on his phone, and walking out of the room to take them.

“So when he came back, I had my duffle bag in hand. That’s when we argued. I told him I couldn’t be around him anymore. He wouldn’t let me go, so I shoved him and ran for the door, but he caught me. I fought back, and the next thing I know, I’m out cold and I wake up here. The night I argued with Ace, that’s when Maurice told me he would kill him for making me ‘unhappy’. He said it right into my ear as he pretended to comfort me on the balcony. I was shocked. I knew he didn’t want to kill Ace for my sake, but for his. And I think he knew I’d figured him out and saw right through him when I tried to leave. He claimed he was keeping me safe—protecting me—but I didn’t need protection from Ace. I know him more than he knows himself. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to believe the shit Maurice was spewing out of his mouth. I should’ve known better. This is my fault.”

“No,” I whisper, voice breaking. “Bianca, this isn’t your fault. I don’t want to say it, but I don’t think he’s doing this because he wants to be with you. He told you the part about Ace being taken and beaten by some ex-cop?”

“Yes,” she whispers.

“That was Maurice. He was in charge of that.”

“Yeah, I figured.” More sniffling along with a feeble moan. “Oh, God. I can’t believe this!”

“Bianca, we can’t be weak right now. We have to get out of here. He has Aden. Greg has been working with him. All of this was set up by Maurice. My whole relationship with Greg was staged. Did you know that?”

“No! Oh my fucking goodness. That stupid son of a bitch! And to think I actually backed Greg up!” Her chain rattles and half of her face is revealed from the single light above.

When I see her face, mascara running down her cheeks, I know she’s damaged. But like me, she’s keeping her head held high. She’s ready to fight—fight for what we deserve.

Freedom.

A better life.

I can’t believe our luck. This was never over. For a while, I thought we were free, but we weren’t. All this time we were in Maurice’s grasp, ready to be taken away as soon as his developing plan was ready to hatch.

“We have to get the fuck out of here,” Bianca hisses, looking towards the window. I look with her. The sun is higher in the sky. Dawn.

“We will.”

She peers down at the shackles around her wrist. “I don’t even know where we are.”

“We still have to be in Cali. Maurice wants something, and it’s obviously not from us, but Ace. The only place Ace will come back to is here if he figures out that Maurice is behind this.”

“Where is he?” she whispers

“… He went back to New York. He had a lead with Stella Baker.”

“Fuck,” she curses beneath her breath. “It could take hours—maybe even days before he actually figures this out.”

“That’s why we have to get out of here and find a way to contact him.”

“I don’t know London…” Her voice is perplexed. “This is risky. He has Aden. What if he does something to him?”

“
Nothing
will happen to my son.” Anger splurges, lighting me on fire. “Nothing.” Her eyes expand, staring across the room. I match my stare with hers, and when she finally looks away, I sigh, stepping back and lowering to the ground. I wrap my arms around my legs, looking towards the scratched brown door to my left.

We sit in silence for at least ten minutes. She’s most likely thinking of a way to get out of here, just like me. With these cuffs, I’m not sure what all I’ll be able to accomplish, but something must be done. If I have to cut my arm off to get my son, I will. No obstacle is impossible to overcome when the life of my child is in danger.

Several minutes later, footsteps sound outside the door. I whip my head up, pointing my line of sight towards it. It swings open, hitting the wall with a thud, and light swims in—a bold, bright light, and silhouetted in the middle is a tall, familiar frame. My lip twitches as he walks in, his heavy boots crunching on the cement floor.

He flips a switch, and a light from above illuminates the entire room. I shield my eyes as I look up, right into Greg’s cold blue eyes. “Morning ladies,” he chimes.

We don’t speak. Just stare at him with hatred.

“Well, good news is Crow will be here before we know it. We filled him in on everything. Just waiting on him to arrive.” His tone pisses me the fuck off. It’s the same cheery tone he used when he used to come downstairs for breakfast or home from work with what I thought was a warm, sincere greeting. “Ah, London.” He walks in my direction, squatting in front of me. “You look awful, babe.” The back of his hand runs down my cheek, slow and rough. I jerk my face away, glowering.

“What is wrong with you?” I whisper, voice dark.

“Me?” His eyebrows elevate. “What’s wrong with
me
?” he laughs. “I don’t think I was the one sneaking around behind your back, sleeping with someone else, and lying straight to your face about it.” The sneer on his lips disappears as he looks me straight in the eyes. “And to think,” he sighs. “…I was just starting to like you. We could’ve made something work.”

“You don’t have to work for him, you know.” Bianca’s voice interrupts our stare down. I look towards her as Greg does. “Ace has way more money than Maurice. He’s a lot stronger, and I thought Maurice was much wiser, but I was wrong because he’s actually going through with this stupid plan. The moment he thought about taking Ace down, he fucked up. Ace can’t be defeated. He couldn’t take him down before, and he won’t take him down this time. He won’t go down without a fight. He was already angry about what happened to him, but now that Maurice is messing with his family—his loved ones—he’s just adding fuel to a fire that’s already burning. He’ll make sure Maurice and
everything
he owns burns right to the ground.”

Greg’s face is blank for a mere moment. For a second, I think he’s considering it. I’m wrong. Standing up straight, he walks to the middle of the room, glaring down at Bianca. “Is that what you think?”

She narrows her eyes. “It’s what I
know
.”

He laughs, tossing his head back. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Ace has nothing, and he has no one. He’s alone. He has no team. You really think he can take every single one of us down?” He holds a hand up, pointing at the window. “There are at least eight men here, ready to extinguish that so-called ‘fire’.”

“Don’t underestimate him,” I snap at his back. He peers over his shoulder, one eyebrow inclined. “He came back. He didn’t give up, and he damn sure didn’t die. That alone should terrify you. Maurice should’ve just killed him when he had the chance.”

“But see”—he shakes his head, waving a finger—“that’s the thing. I’m not afraid of him. We have an army. He has himself. He won’t win again. Nah…” He smirks demonically. “Not this time.”

My eyes thin. “What the hell are you getting out of this anyway, Greg?”

He steps toward the door, that same smirk on his lips. “Everything.”

“Like what?” Bianca demands.

He looks around the room, blowing out an unnecessary breath. “More than enough money so I never have to work in an office again. Freedom.
Power
. See, Maurice and I made a deal. I had word that the remains the police found at the crime scene weren’t Ace’s. Very confidential case. It was hard to actually get inside and see what was in the case file, but I have my connections. They believe he’s still out there, but no one’s looking for him. They think he’s long gone, out of the country, but if someone catches him, dead or alive, that person gets paid more money than they know what to do with. The bounty hunters gave up looking years ago. Police called it off.