ROMANCE: The Bad Boy Meeting (59 page)

Chapter Seventeen

              “I think you pissed him off, man.” The taller, gangly man said, scratching his scabbed cheek. Every time he dragged his nails along the skin he pulled off another scab.

              “Do you think I care? Look, we’re getting the money and then we can blow this joint. We’ll go down to Mexico where the drugs are cheap, okay? Everything Is going to go smooth this time.”

              “That’s what you said like time we did this shit and now we’re on the run.”

              “Will you just fucking trust me, Rick? It’s going to work out this time             

              “It’s just hard to trust you, man. You make up these plans when your high and they never work out the man murmured.

              Rebecca heard every bit of the conversation as she slowly started to come back to the real world. All she could remember was Jimmy  and some strange man, snatching her up on her way home. They’d thrown her in a van, knocking her out and now she was tied to a chair.

              She lifted her head and looked around, temples throbbing with an insistent headache. She squinted her eyes to try and make out where she was but there was very little light. The sun had been setting when she was taken and now it was completely dark outside. The only light that managed to get through the blinds was a small sliver of moonlight that barely cast even the faintest glow across the familiar tiled floor.

              Rebecca’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she gasped softly, realizing that she was in the home she’d put up for sale only a few months prior. Why was she here?

              “Ah. Look who finally decided to wake up.” Rick said, offering her a rotten grin. All of his teeth were black and rotting, threating to fall out at any second.

              Rebecca turned her head, disgusted by the way the men looked at her. Jimmy  pushed himself up off the floor and walked over to her, gripping her chin between his dirty fingers and forcing her to look up at him. Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t hesitate to meet his gaze. She’d spent so much of her life afraid…She wasn’t going to be afraid now.

              Jimmy  hummed and cocked his head to the side. “Did that rich asshole light a fire under your ass? The last time I saw you…You were barely keeping it together without me.” He said, offering her a crooked grin. “You missed me soooo bad and would have done anything to get me back. You found someone better, did you?”

              She pulled her chin out of his grasp and glared at him. “I found a real man. A man who supports and loves his woman!” She spat, pulling at the zip ties that held her arms to the chair.

              “We’ll see how much of a man he is soon.” Jimmy  said with a wild grin, reaching into the back of his pants and producing a small, silver revolver.

              Rebecca’s eyes widened and her mouth went dry. The sight of the gun horrified her and she felt her heart drop in her stomach. Jimmy  grinned and ran the muzzle of the gun along her jaw, humming.

              “He’s coming for you, you know. He’s bringing us cash and when he gets here we’re going to shoot him and then we’re going to shoot you.” He whispered. “He’ll be dead before he even realizes what hit him, but you? No. I’m going to take my time with you. Show you how much of a man I really am.” He whispered in her ear.

              Rebecca screamed and pulled away from him, throwing all of her body weight from side to side in an attempt to knock the chair over. Rick cursed and stood up, looking around nervously.

              “Shut her up, man! Make her stop!”              

              Jimmy  ’s hand shot out and his open palm met her cheek, causing a loud ‘smack’ that echoed through the empty house. Rebecca’s head spun when his hand made contact with her cheek and she felt a hot gush of blood burst from her nose and drip down her chin. Her body slumped forward and she let out a sob as the crimson liquid began to drip onto the tile, creating little rivers.

              She stared at the floor, her face and head throbbing as she tried to wrap her mind around what was going to happen. She felt so stupid for putting Jimmy  out of her mind so easily. He was clearly insane, though she was sure the drugs had a lot to do with that. When she’d been married to him, he’d been a relatively even keeled man even if he was unorganized and a bit dim…He’d never been violent and he’d never raised his hand to her. Rebecca never could have guessed in a million years that he’d do something this heinous.

              A loud knock at the door made them all jump and Jimmy  swung his head towards the door, a grin spreading across his dirty, cracked lips.

              “That’s our piggy bank.” He murmured, standing up to answer the door.

              “Are we really going to kill ‘em, man? You said we weren’t going to kill anyone else.”

              Jimmy  turned around, his eyes narrow slits. “We do what we have to do, Rick.” He said firmly.

              He turned back towards the door and through it open, grinning at Jude who had a suitcase in one hand, his other hand curled into a shaking fist.

              “Welcome to our humble abode, Jimmy  ! Won’t you make yourself at home?” Jimmy  said gleefully.

              Jude stepped forward and his eyes landed on Rebecca, immediately narrowing and turning back towards Jimmy  . “I told you not to hurt her.”

              “She got a little mouthy. You know how women can get.” Jimmy  said with a casual shrug, the gun hanging limply in his hand. “Now…Let me see that cash.” He sang, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

              Just shoved the suitcase into Jimmy  ’s chest, being none to gentle about it. Jimmy  grunted and took the suitcase, frowning as he kneeled down to open it.

              “Hey now…We still have your little bitch. You better show us some respect.”

              “You don’t deserve any respect. You’re a fucking dog.” He hissed, spitting at Jimmy  ’s feet.

              Jimmy  glared and took the safety off the gun, turning it on Rebecca, his hands shaking violently from withdrawals.

              “You want to say that again?”

              Jude was silent for a moment, glancing over at Rebecca’s terrified and bloodied face. His cool gaze turned back to Jimmy  and he smirked.

              “You’re a dog…Now get on the ground a beg!” He snapped, whipping his own gun from his belt and taking out Jimmy  ’s left knee in one clean shot.

Chapter Eighteen

              The sound of bone splintering was sickening and it made Rebecca’s stomach roll. A large pool of blood was starting to form under Jimmy  where he’d hit the ground. He took to screaming like a banshee, rolling over to grip what was left of his bloody stump of a knee. Rick jumped up and threw his hands up in the air, eyes wide. It was clear that Jimmy  was the mastermind of this entire operation, which was rather surprising. Rick was terrified and willing to say or do anything to save his own skin.

              “We weren’t going to do anything, man! We were just going to take the money and go to Mexico!” He said quickly, backing up until he was pressed against the nearest wall.

              Jude kneeled down and grabbed the gun out of Jimmy  ’s hand, tucking it into his belt. “Get on your knees.” He ordered, his voice calm but firm.

              Rick was shaking but slowly lowered himself to his knees and put his hands behind his head, whimpering and nodding. Jude kept the guns trained on Rick since Jimmy  wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. He’d be lucky if he didn’t bleed out. Jude stepped forward, his eyes trained on Rick as he held up the gun and pressed the cold metal of the muzzle underneath his chin.

              “I didn’t come here to negotiate. I told you not to hurt her.” Jude whispered, his eyes burning with homicidal rage. “I should put a bullet in your fucking skull!”

              Rick let out a weak sob and dropped his head. “We’re just…We’re just fucking addicts. We’re just addicts, man! We didn’t mean for it to go this far.” He whispered, his voice shaking

              “Man up and quit crying! If you’re going to die at least die with some dignity.”
              “Jude…No…” Rebecca whispered weakly from the chair.

              Seeing Jude so animalistic and unpredictable terrified Rebecca. She didn’t like this side of him, even if it was directed towards men who’d kidnapped her and threatened to rape her. She knew she couldn’t let Jude kill these men. Something deep inside of her knew that if he killed Rick or Jimmy  , she’d never see him the same way again.

              Jude’s head snapped up and he ran over to her, cupping her cheeks gently and trying to wipe away some of the blood. Jude could see Rick out of the corner of his eye but his main focus was Rebecca. She looked so scared and so hurt. He hated himself for letting this happen to her. He knew it wasn’t his fault but he couldn’t help but feel like he should have been able to protect her.

              “I’m here, angel…I’m here…Oh god, they hurt you…They need to pay, Rebecca.”

              “Don’t…Don’t kill him…I…Please…I don’t want you to have that blood on your hands.” She whispered pleadingly. “Don’t…Kill him.”

              Jude set his jaw but nodded and kissed the corner of her mouth, reach around her to saw at the zip ties with his pocket knife. He finally got them loose and lifted Rebecca into his arms, just as the swat team kicked in the flimsy door of the house and stormed it. They didn’t look even stop to look at Jude as he carried his beloved out of the house and into the cool night air.

              They flood around Jude and Rebecca, like water around a rock. The sounds of walky talkies and handcuffs snapping closed was all the justice Rebecca needed. The night air felt cool on her skin and she allowed herself to relax against Jude, her head still spinning from the slap. She felt dizzy and weak and as she closed her eyes, all she could hear was Jude begging her to keep them open.

Chapter Nineteen

              It was so dark here. So dark and so cold. A steady beeping sound in Rebecca’s mind was the only thing keeping her even semi-aware. In her mind, the beeping took the dorm of a tall, white and red lighthouse. When she heard a beep, a bright light would flash, beckoning her closer. The closer she got, the brighter the light became and as she got closer she felt like she wasn’t alone.

              A warm hand was wrapped around hers and a man was muttering soft words over and over again. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry.” He was chanting it like some type of mantra.

              That mantra was what finally pulled her into the waking world. She let her eyes flutter open slowly and the bright hospital lights nearly blinded her. She gasped and brought an arm up to shield her eyes from the florescent lights, blinking until she could finally see again.

              Jude jumped up when Rebecca’s eyes shot open and he was immediately over her, kissing her face and holding her cheeks in his hands.
              “You’re awake! Oh than god!”

              Rebecca’s body felt sore and her mind was racing, trying to put everything together. The peppering of kisses along her bruised face felt nice but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. She finally managed to lock eyes with Jude and those pretty emerald orbs reminded her of everything. This was Jude…Her Jude.

              She smiled and reached up with a shaky hand, ignoring the wires and tubes connected to her arms. “Hey Jude.” She whispered, smiling and singing it in the tune of the Beatle’s song.

              He laughed and shook his head, his eyes wet with unshed tears as he leaned over her and kissed her forehead. “You’re lying in a hospital bed with a busted up face and IV’s all in you and you’re cracking jokes…This is why I fell in love with you, you know.” He whispered.

              She smiled weakly and managed to push herself up into a sitting position. “I can’t disappoint my fans.”

              He smiled and helped ease her back against the pillows, offering her a sip of cold water. She was thankful for the cool water. Her mouth felt like a desert and she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she’d nearly drank half the bottle in one big gulp. Rebecca took a deep breath and wiped her mouth before looking over at Jude.

              “What…What happened?” She whispered, her voice stronger and more defined now. “The only thing I can remember is that you had a gun to that man’s chin…” She whispered, sounding almost frightened.             

              “Nothing happened, angel. You told me not to, so I didn’t. I wanted to but…I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”

              She smiled and reached up, touching his cheek gently. “Thank you, Jude…I know it was hard for you to let the police take them in but…It was the right thing.”

              He nodded slowly and sighed. “They had a warrant out for the murder of a girl named Ashley Richards. So they were extradited to Florida for that charge. They’ll only get brought back here if those charges are dropped…and I don’t see that happening.” He said simply.

              Her brow furrowed together and she looked down. “Ashley Richards? That’s the girl he left me for…He killed her?”

              Jude nodded solemnly. “He still has to go to trial but the evidence is pretty damning.”

              She fell back against her pillow and put a hand to her head, hoping to stop the throbbing. “This is insanity.”

              “I know, angel…But it’s over now…He’s going to jail for a long time and we never have to deal with him ever again.”

              Rebecca nodded and sighed, taking another long drink of her water. “When I was waking up…I kept hearing you say you were sorry.”

              “I was…” He said sadly.

              “Why?”

              “I feel like…I should have been able to keep this from happening. I feel like I should have been protecting you better.”

              Rebecca sighed and shook her head, reaching out and taking his hand. “The only way you could have protected me was if you locked me up and never let me go anywhere alone.” She paused and ran her fingers over his knuckles. “I was strong when they took me, Jude. I fought and I screamed and…It’s all because you’ve made strong. I don’t want to be afraid anymore and I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to let them win. I’ve proved my strength and I’m going to keep on fighting. I want to get better every day and I want you to be a part of that. But you have to understand that bad things might happen…I might get hurt but you have to let me be strong and fight for myself. I don’t want to go back to being the girl I was before I met you.”

              Jude sighed but smiled weakly and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Of course, my love. Of course…You just can’t expect me not to worry.”

              Rebecca smiled and held out her hand to shake Jude’s. “Deal.”

              He laughed softly and shook her hand in return, pulling her in for a long, adoring kiss. She melted into his lips and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pressing her forehead to his. They stared into each other’s eyes and they knew that even though things were going to be rough for a while, they were going to get through it stronger than ever.

              Rebecca leaned back and ran her fingers through her hair. “Now…When do I get to go home? I’m feeling frisky and this bed is way too small for the two of us.” She said with a teasing grin.