Last night
“Keep the package warm.” We hear Max growl through our headphones.
Rage burns through me. I know there is only one reason that Max wants Joe alive. Revenge. And that must mean one thing. I run out of the van, needing to get to Addison. She’s my lifeline. She can’t die.
I run the two blocks, full speed. Cold air hits my face as my feet pound the pavement. When I see Max start to get into the medic helicopter, I pick up my speed, pushing through the pain in my chest. They are not leaving without me.
We had a plan for me to meet them at the hospital, but it’s two hours away and I was supposed to drive. Fuck. That. I yell for Max to wait, but the helicopter’s blades start to turn, drowning out my yelling. I wave my arms, catching Max’s attention. I see him say something to the pilot. Thank God he’s waiting for me.
When I jump into the helicopter, Max scoots over, making room for me. “You almost got yourself shot. Dumbass,” he grates.
I don’t hear a word he says. My world blurs at the sight of Addison. I thought I was angry when I didn’t know where she was. That was like an open wound. This feels like someone is pouring acid on it. It burns through my core. I fall to the ground by her lifeless body. Half her face is unrecognizable. It’s swollen with yellow bruises covering the entire side. I go to reach for her but then stop myself. She’s covered with a blanket, and I’m afraid to see what is underneath. The medics already have her hooked to an IV.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” I whisper, laying my head down by her body. I don’t want to touch her not knowing what might be broken. Max has his hand on my shoulder. My body shakes as I silently cry.
Addison is rushed into a hospital room as we’re instructed to wait in the waiting room. I can’t sit down. My body is so revved up that there isn’t a single muscle inside me that will relax. I’ve had to pull myself back from punching a hole into the wall. I stalk around the room like a caged tiger waiting to pounce.
While we were in the waiting room, FBI agents come and go as well as the police. Once we got the initial report from Addison’s doctor, that’s when things got a little fuzzy. Dehydration, broken rib, broken nose, and lacerations here and there … the list went on and on. When my eyes scanned over the word rape, my entire body froze. I thought I knew what revenge felt like before. It doesn’t come close to how I felt at that second.
Next thing I know we’re on the helicopter headed back. Back to get the revenge I need to unleash. The beast grows by the second, my restraint slipping every second we got closer.
As soon as our feet hit the ground, I follow Max’s heavy footsteps toward a small guesthouse on the same property of the house we found Addison. I can see the main house in the distance, but it’s not close enough to hear the screams coming out of the small house right now. My hands twitch, knowing who those screams belongs to. I want in on the action.
Joe is tied to a chair, stripped of his clothes, except his underwear. When I see his beaten body, the angry monster inside me wants more. There is not enough pain in this world that can make him suffer for what he did to Addison.
When he sees me, he smiles wickedly through the blood dripping down his face. I step forward, planning to wipe that smile off his face. Max’s arm halts me.
“Not yet,” he growls.
Hudson, one of Max’s men, continues his barrage of assault. I stand with my feet planted and arms crossed, enjoying every fucking second. Every scream that comes out of his mouth makes my heart beat faster. I’ve never been one to torture, but this right now … it’s like my body is inhaling his screams and energizing every nerve within me.
While Hudson takes a break, deciding what to do next, Joe lifts his head. His gaze finds mine. He coughs up blood through his laughs.
“Your Addison is one good fuck. How’s it feel to know I’ve claimed her as mine?” He coughs again. “Every part of her. The best part was her ass.”
My body lunges forward, and my fists connect with his face over and over. Max pulls me off of him, dragging me back. My chest heaves from the rage.
“You can finish him off, but not yet.” Max nods to Hudson. I jerk out of Max’s hold, nodding my head as I lean against the wall.
I look over at Hudson and he clutches a hammer. His nostrils flair as his face is hard as stone. When the end of the hammer is slammed down onto his groin, Joe’s high-pitched cries makes me even clench my ass.
Max can sense when I’ve had enough. He calls off Hudson and hands me his gun. I don’t waste a second as I walk up to Joe and pull the trigger.
The blades of the chopper turn. Tonight’s events run through my head. The last couple of hours have been a blur. I look out the window into pitch blackness except for the flames of the little house lighting up the darkness. Fitting for the Devil himself. I take a deep breath in and blow it out slowly. That was the easy part.
Max and I hop out of the helicopter when we reach the hospital. Max stops me before we walk through the doors.
“You okay?”
I exhale loudly. “No.” I shove my hands in my pockets. The sting of my raw knuckles reminds me I need to wash up. I pull them back out and look down at them.
“She’s tough. She’ll pull through this,” he says.
“Max,” I howl. “I’ll do everything in my power to help her through this, but you and I both know what this does to a person. We’ve seen it. The destruction from the pain.”
“Time, brother. Just give it time.” He grips my shoulder as I hang my head.
“I’ll give her an infinite amount of time.” My hand covers my face as my sobs wreck through me. Max embraces me, holding me up. I take a deep breath, pulling myself together, and stand. I can do this. I can be strong for Addison. Max glances at me, tilting his head in question.
“I’m good.”
As we walk down the white, sterilized hallway, I lean into Max and quietly say, “Remind me never to piss off Hudson.”
Max nods. “He was definitely a crazy, pissed-off motherfucker.” He jerks his head toward the bathroom so I can go clean up.
When I walk into the waiting room, Amy and Ted stand. Amy wraps her little arms around me and her body shakes. “Thank you for finding Addison,” she says through muffled cries. I swallow hard trying to keep my emotions at bay.
Ted looks at my raw hands and our eyes lock. His jaw clenches, and he nods slightly. He’s been in law enforcement his whole life. He’s not stupid. He already knows that Joe wasn’t found in the raid. He also knows there was a reason I wasn’t here when he got here. I know what he’s asking without it being asked. Did he suffer? I grit my teeth and nod. He drops back into the seat, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, and drops his head into his hands. I’m sure he was holding in the worry of Joe still being out there. His emotions flow freely now.
Now
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I scream into the empty car, beating the steering wheel with my palms. I can’t believe that asshole told her I was dead. No, I can believe it. Psychopaths play mind games all the time, but when it’s the woman I love being lied to, being told that I’m dead, it makes it hard to see straight. I pound on the wheel a few more times before I fall into it and let it hold me up. I dig my head into the leather. What am I going to do?
I roll my head to the side when I hear tapping on the passenger window and grunt when I see Max. I’m really not in the mood to talk to anyone. There’s a reason I’m out here alone.
“If you don’t unlock it, I’ll do it myself,” Max says, smirking. I flip him off then press the unlock button. I roll my head back, sighing. Max gets in and shuts the door but stays quiet. I take a few deep inhales and exhales before sitting back up.
“I don’t know what to do,” I say, looking straight ahead. The wind is strong. I watch a couple walking to their car, the woman gripping her dress preventing it from flying up.
“Like I said before, it’s going to take time, Aiden.”
“Before I didn’t think she thought I was dead. Who knows how long she’s had that in her head messing with her.”
“Well, you’re obviously not,” he says, matching my snide tone. “So she just needs time to process it.”
“When I was holding her hand while she was asleep, I felt like everything was going to be alright. She’s a fighter. She’s been through so much that I thought she’d be able to get through this. Then when she opened her eyes and realized I wasn’t dead, I felt every singe of betrayal radiate off of her. I felt helpless. And then seeing her cry without being able to comfort her, killed me.”
“She is a fighter.” Max grips my shoulder. “And she’ll need all the help she can get from everyone to help her fight. Including you.” I sigh heavily and nod in agreement. “Let’s go get something to eat, hospital food sucks.”