Nix
“Your father wants to meet with you,” Rod barks.
“Well, I don’t want to meet with him.”
My foot taps rapidly. Tick. Tick. Tick. Sage made me promise to pick her up from her dad’s at a reasonable hour.
“You’ll want to listen to me, Nix.”
His voice has a tone to it that sets my teeth on edge. I move the phone to my other ear and sigh.
“God, what now?”
There’s some shuffling. Then…
“Nix, I’m sor—” Sage’s voice cries rapidly into the speaker. It’s jerked away before she can finish.
“See, your thing has to hang with me until you get this job done.”
My blood turns to molten lava.
“Let her go, Rod,” I say in a voice so low that it’s nearly a growl, “or I will come kill you and anyone else who gets near her.”
He tsks. “No can do. Aaron gave me no instruction to kill her though.”
I hear a squeal in the background like Sage is being jerked around by her hair. My lip curls, my knuckles fist, and a tear escapes my eye.
“She’s simply insurance, Nixon. Calm your dick.”
“If you touch her…”
“Don’t worry. I prefer women who aren’t peeing themselves.”
Oh God, Sage. My heart throbs, squeezing hard like someone just set fire to it.
“Rod,” I almost beg. I nearly do, but I can’t. I know how to play this game. I have to control this. I have to play the game how my dad wants it played, just smarter.
I hiss out a breath.
“If you lay a finger on her, I will come kill you and anyone else involved. You know me. I know you know I hate killing, but mark my words, I’ll have no problem killing you if you touch her. It’ll take me time since you have my father’s protection, but mark my words, I’ll find a way.”
“You’ll try. Enjoy your visit with Daddy.”
Click.
“Motherfucker!” I roar, throwing my cell phone at the wall and by some miracle not breaking it. “Fuck!”
My hand runs frantically through my hair. I look around the world, lost. They took her. I promised I’d keep her safe. How did they even pull this off?
My phone rings again. I already know who it is. I’m desperate to ignore it, but he deserves better. Already storming to my car, I pick it up.
“I already know, Charles.”
“Sage isn’t at the house!” he cries into the speaker. “She… Lucinda saw her leave with her security guard, Ronald, and she’s been missing ever since. I can’t get a hold of him. My staff must always be available to me, Nix. All my cars are here. Oh my God!”
It’s the scream of a father missing his daughter, not a CEO’s bruised ego.
“I’m gonna get her back.”
“Nix, what if we lose her again? Her mind…” I can tell he’s crying. I know he’s trying not to.
“I won’t let her lose herself. I won’t.”
“That hippo she always has…”
“Pamela,” I whisper.
“Is at my house. On the couch by her Kindle.”
My eyes water.
“I’m picking them up after I talk to Aaron,” I bark.
Then click off.
Aaron pushed it too far this time.
TOO FUCKING FAR!
He messed with Sage, and one day, he’ll die for it.
* * *
I storm into the room they have waiting for me. Even handcuffed and trapped, he has all the power. This is the last time. The last fucking time.
“Where is she, Aaron?”
“Who?”
He knows I can’t kill him. Not now. Not here. I grit my teeth.
“Sage, I swear to God—”
“Don’t worry. I just need a little favor. You may even like this one.”
“Nothing until I get Sage.”
His eyes darken. “Unless you want her in a less beautiful form than when you last saw her, you’ll do what I say, when I say, and how I say it.”
He leans forward on his elbows, eyes glistening.
“I fucking own you, son.”
For now.
“What’s the job?”
He smirks. “Remember your sister?”
“Of course,” I grind out, jaw clenching.
He glances at his nails. Like we have all the fucking time in the world when, second by second, Sage’s mind is slipping further and further away.
I won’t lose her. I can’t.
“Seems she’s gotten herself into some trouble with the mafia. Guess who gets to protect her, Nixon? Ding, ding, ding… you!”
My world goes temporarily fuzzy.
“My sister,” I whisper. “You want me to meet Rose. Why?”
“She hasn’t spoken to me since I got arrested.”
Okay, she gets some bonus points from me.
“But she came to me for help with this. I promised her the best. And, well… what’s better than an older brother with a hero complex who’s desperate to meet her?”
“I’m no hero,” I grumble.
“Nope, but you so wish you were. Now you get to be one. You’re welcome.”
“Why do you need to hold Sage for this? Of course I’ll protect my sister.”
“Insurance,” he says simply. “Rose can’t afford any distractions. She can’t afford for you to sneak off for a quick fuck.”
My hands shake as I fight not to punch him.
“So I’ll hold her to be sure you have your full attention on my precious girl. She can’t die, Nixon. You hear me?”
“Why do you care? Why do you care so much if she dies?”
I actually am truly curious about his relationship to her.
“I’m not really sure,” he ponders on it. “I’ve taken a liking to the way she loves me. It interests me. I produced one bad egg and one good egg. I like the balance of that. It works for me. I’d hurt her if I had to, but it’d be for a very particular reason and by my hand. But I can’t see that happening. The closest I’ve come to love is her and she will not die, Nix.”
“Tell me where to find her. You have my word. I’ll keep her safe.”
“I know. If she dies, Sage dies. You’ll lose your sister and your toy in the same day. Remember that, Nix.”
I glare at him.
“Oh, and one more thing: if you turn Rose against me, Rod will take a piece of Sage, physically or otherwise. If she hates me instead of expressing gratitude when she sees me again, something will be missing from Sage when you see her again. Rose will come see me again and at that point, I’ll have saved her life. You don’t know your sister, but that’s enough of a reason for her to love her daddy again. Good luck, son.”
He’s dead.
Why do I have to meet my sister now? Why like this?
My sister… blue eyes, white-blonde hair. The famous Rose Marketta.