time you got here. The cops have been waiting.” Carl drops his cigarette and steps on it.
“What the fuck happened?” I brush past him towards the shop.
“I don’t know. Got a call that the place was on fire.” He follows. “They won’t let me in to look at the tapes because I’m not you.”
“Are you Jaxon Montgomery?” The fire official asks.
“I am. This is my building.”
“Was there anyone inside?”
“Are you telling me that there’s damage inside?”
“I’m afraid so. There was a fire to this unit.” He turns and points to my 2014 Volester Turbo. When I actually begin to see the damage done to it, I start seeing red.
“Oh shit.” Carl says. “Boss?”
“Mother Fucker!” I shout, turning towards the fire official. “Can I see the rest?”
He tucks a file under his arm and nods. It’s a good thing he stayed quiet about my little outburst, because I won’t be responsible for whatever comes out of my mouth next. When we make it around the back of the building, I can’t help myself. “You’ve got to be shitting me!”
“Sir, you need to calm down.” He says. I look around and on top of the fire, it appears that I was vandalized. Spray paint over almost every car with “Wife Stealer, Slut” and “You’re dead” sprayed on them.
“Do you realize these are not my cars. This is my business and my life in this building.” I run my hands over my shaved head. This can’t be happening. “Can I go inside?”
“Absolutely. Carl says you have a surveillance set up?”
“I do.”
“If you don’t mind, I would like to take a look at it as well.”
“Of course.” I nod and we enter the building. When I get to the office door, I noticed it’s not locked. I know for a fact that I lock it every night and Carl does too. When we enter, he takes a seat. As I walk around the desk to get the computer up and running, I reach into my pocket while the surveillance program sets up and call Brad.
“My guy is still there, don’t worry.”
“It’s not that. He was here.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I’m pulling up the cameras now, but I know it was him. He left me a loud and clear message.”
“Okay, calm down. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
“It’s coming up now.” I keep my eyes on the screen. In the top left corner, I can see a figure. At first, it’s not very legible but as the image gets closer, you can tell it’s a man. “Brad, can you send me a picture of Frank again? I need to make sure it’s him.”
“Yeah, sending it now. Check your fax.” Right when he mentions it, the fax machine comes to life. Carl grabs the paper and hands it to me as the image on the screen becomes clearer. My worst fears are coming true. “Jax?”
“Sir, can you freeze that image?” The fireman says. Carl keeps nudging me asking me who’s on the screen.
I don’t freeze the feed. I keep watching it. My chest is pounding harder as I watch him walking around the building. It’s obvious someone must have tipped him off. But what gets my attention most is not what he’s doing to the cars, it’s what’s in his hand.
“Brad, is there any way I can zoom in? It’s him alright, but he has something in his hand and I don’t know what it is.” He proceeds to tell me how to zoom in while the fire official keeps asking questions.
Just as I figure out how to zoom in, Brad comes barging into the office. “Did you get it?” I don’t reply, he comes around and leans in behind me. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“What’s in his hand?” I lean in to get a better look. When I finally realize what it is, I freeze. “No!”
“That looks like a picture. Who is that?” Brad leans in closer, as does Carl.
“That’s Sofie and Ben.” Carl blurts.
“Wait, who’s Ben?” Brad asks, with a bit of jealousy in his voice.
“I gotta go!” I push away from the desk and run out of the office. Brad follows close behind.
“Who the fuck is Ben?” He asks again. When I don’t answer, he takes me by the shoulder, making me look at him and asks again.
“Don’t you fucking get it, man? Frank has a photo of my sister! Do you have any idea what that means? He knows I have Lanie and apparently he knows my family.” I grab him by the shirt and white knuckle it. “I never thought to protect Sofie and Ben. I have to get to them!”
He follows me to the car and gets into the passenger seat. “I’ll call for backup.” He pulls out his phone. “Can you please tell me who the fuck is Ben? He looked young. Can’t be her boyfriend.”
“Ben is my nephew.” I answer annoyed. I pull out of the parking lot and head towards Sofie’s place.
“Nephew?” He’s shocked. “I didn’t think she dated after me.”
“Seriously Brad. Do we have to have this conversation right now?” I slam my hands on the steering wheel. “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! Shit! I need to call Dad.”
“He’s fine. He’s with your brother.”
“What?” I look over at him. “When was I going to be told about this?”
“He said he found someone and wanted your pops to meet her before you did. I don’t know man, that’s all he told me. All I know is that he met her recently while he was on a case.”
“Wait. You’re telling me he’s been working for you this whole time?”
“I thought you knew.” Brad holds onto the car door handle when I make a sharp turn. “Slow down Jax. You’re going to kill us.” I know he’s trying to distract me. It’s not working, but I’m answering his questions anyways. “How old is her kid? Who’s the father? I really didn’t think she found anyone else.”
“What does it matter anyway, bro? Ben just turned eighteen a few months back. Sofie never did tell us who the father was, even though I think Zane knows.” Thankfully, Brad stays quiet for the rest of the ride. I know he still has feelings for my sister since he always finds a way to ask about her when we chat.
When I pull into the driveway, I only see Ben’s car. This doesn’t surprise me since Sofie keeps hers in the garage most of the time. With the car running, I run out and burst in through the front door. Looking around, it appears there was a struggle.
“Sofie!” I shout. “Ben!” nothing. Brad comes running in after me.
“I’ll check upstairs. You check the rooms downstairs.” Brad commands. I don’t bother arguing, I just want to find my sister and nephew. I’ve checked every room and when I make it back to the living room, Brad calls from upstairs. I take the steps by two until I reach him.
“What? What is it?” I reach my sisters room to see her lying on the center of the bed. “Jesus, Sofie!” She’s tied up with rope around her ankles and wrists. Duct tape is wrapped around her head with a sock shoved in her mouth.
Brad and I work frantically to remove the ties and tape. She’s in hysterics and I have no idea how to calm her. When she’s released from everything, instead of her clinging to me, she wraps her arms around Brad. I’m going to assume it’s because he was releasing her hands and was closer to her arms.
“Sofie, are you okay?” I ask. “Sis, where’s Benjamin?” She’s shaking and crying so much.
“That man. He said he was Lanie’s husband.” She shouts. “He said he was going to hit you where it counted.”
“Sofie…” Brad takes her face in his hands and forces her attention on him. “Sweetheart, I need you to calm down. Now focus. Breathe with me.” He begins making slow, deep breaths and encourages her to follow. He must be trained to calm people or something. “That’s right, sweetie. Keep breathing.” I’m not sure why, but these little terms of endearments are bothering the shit out of me. He left her high and dry almost twenty years ago and he comes back during a crisis and calls her sweetheart and shit. What the hell is that all about?
“Brad. I need to know.” I mention softly so Sofie isn’t distracted. He eyes me and nods.
“Sofie. Ben? Sweetheart, where’s Ben?”
“Oh My God! Brad! Ben!” She begins shaking profusely. “Ben. Our baby boy is gone. That monster took him!”
“Did he say where he was going?” Brad ignores the huge elephant in the room. All these years and I was too stupid to put two and two together. Ben is his. She shakes her head frantically.
“Sofie, we need you to focus.”
“He said by the time you got here, it would be too late. He said that no matter what happened, she was his.” I freeze.
“Brad… Lanie.” He’s already pulling his phone out of his pocket. When he looks down at the screen, I begin to worry. “Brad. Are you calling the guy watching Lanie?”
“He’s not picking up.” Noticing his gun is laying on the ground, I reach for it and head out. “Fuck, Jax! Wait!” He hollers after me, but it’s too late. I’m already out the door and at my car.
Peeling out of the driveway, I’m focused on one thing only. Saving my nephew and making sure my girl is safe and sound. My phone continues to ring and ring. I really don’t want to deal with Brad right now, but the constant ringing finally gets on my nerves and I pick up.
“What?”
“Jax, don’t do this. He’s dangerous. You aren’t equipped to deal with him.”
“He has Ben and possibly Lanie. The last time he was near her, he was strangling her. Damn near almost killed her if it wasn’t for you. Who’s going to save her now?”
“I don’t know, but you can’t do this, Jax.”
“You need to take care of Sofie for me, okay? Promise me, Brad.”
“I’m taking her to the hospital to get checked out then I’m going to the cabin.”
“No. Call Zane and have him watch Pops. I need to make sure they’re okay.”
“No Jax, I won’t let you do this alone…” I hang up. He’s not talking me out of this. I need to do what it takes to keep the most important people in my life safe.
Instead of pulling into the drive at the cabin, I decide to park on the road just in case they’re still inside. I don’t want him to know I’m here in case he does something rash. When I get out, I look inside the car that’s sitting on the road. It’s supposed to be Brad’s guy watching over the place. He must have went to get a closer look when Brad called him before.
As I rush towards the cabin quickly and quietly as I can, something catches my eye. A buzzing light is coming from just outside the drive. When I get closer to the distraction, I realize it’s a phone. Brad is calling it. This must be his guy’s phone.
“Brad.” I whisper. “It’s Jax. I found the phone on the ground just off the driveway to the cabin. It’s sitting here alone.”
“For the love of God, Jax. Please don’t do anything until I get there.” I’m listening to him and looking around at the same time. To my left, I hear the crackling of leaves. Holding the phone between my ear and shoulder, I draw the gun and step closer. “I just dropped Sofie off at the hospital. I should be there soon.” My eyes narrow and I realize it’s someone I’ve never seen before.
“Who are you?” I kneel down with the gun pointing straight at him.
“My name’s Max. Brad sent me.” He holds his hands high so I can see them. “I swear, ask Brad. That’s my phone.”
“What happened?” I believe him. Especially with Brad chiming on the other end of the line. I tuck the gun in my pants and try to help him up.
“I was sitting in the car making sure everything was clear when Brad called. He asked me to get closer to the cabin, so I did. Things were quiet and I needed to take a leak. I stepped off to the side and after I was done, I turned around and was struck in the head.”
“How long ago was this?” Brad asks. I repeat his question to Max.
“About an hour ago. I guess I’ve been out for a while.” He holds his head. I hand him back his phone and begin sprinting to the house.
The door is open. It’s apparent it was kicked in. Grabbing the gun, I prepare myself for the worst. I want to shout for them, but if Frank is still here, I don’t want him to do something drastic. Unhurriedly pushing the door open further, the living room is a mess. The end table is tipped over and the lamp is shattered. You can tell someone put up a fight. I’m sure Lanie didn’t back down one bit. We’ve been working hard on self-defense, not only for Frank, but for her confidence level too.
Gradually, I head towards the kitchen. This shit is nerve wracking and scaring me. I don’t know how Brad, and my brother for that matter, does it. I’m on pins and needles already. The table is toppled on its side and the dishes that were done earlier are on the ground, shattered. My worst fear is quickly becoming a reality. I’m scared to death to walk into the two bedrooms. Heading into the master bedroom first, I gently push open the door. I told her to use the master, so I’m hoping she’s in here. The room looks the same as I had left it. I see her clothes on the floor in a neat pile. After making sure it’s clear, I head towards the bathroom. Water is everywhere. There’s also streaks of blood too. The bathtub is full of water even though the bubbles are gone, but by the looks of it, it’s apparent there was a struggle.
Feeling defeated, I drop the gun to my side and sit on the bed. Moments later, Brad comes rushing in.
“Where is she? What about Ben?” Kneeling over my knees, head in my hands, all I can do is shake it. “They can’t be far. Did you look everywhere?”
“Not the spare.” I stand and rush towards the door barging in. Ben is laying on his side in the center of the bed, tied up the same way Sofie was. “Ben.” He’s crying. We rush to him and set him free. “Are you okay?” I ask, noticing there’s blood on the bed. He’s been hit in the head.
“He wanted Lanie, Jax. I tried to fight him, but he’s strong. He kicked open the cabin door. When we got inside, I tried to fight him, even though my arms were tied up. I shoved him as hard as I could. You know the way you taught me? I tried, Uncle Jax. I tried.” He begins crying again. I take him in my arms and hold him tight.
“You did the right thing, kid. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“Ben, was Lanie here when you got here?” Ben sits back up and nods.
“She was. She was in the bathroom, but I couldn’t do anything. He already had me on the bed with my legs tied together after knocking me out. I’m sorry Uncle Jax. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t do anything more. She kept screaming and I couldn’t help her.” He’s so distraught.
I don’t really know what happened next. I was having an out of body experience. Everything from that moment on seemed to be a blur.
Frank has Lanie and I’m scared to death to know what’s going to happen next.