Feet on the coffee table, beer in hand, I sit with Nate as we talk over our triumph.
“I told you it would be okay,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders. “Jeffries is an asshole, but I think we have reached an understanding.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” I say, reaching out and shaking his hand. “Here’s to working together, fucker,” I joke, tilting the bottle until they meet and clink. I reach down, grabbing my smokes, resting it against my lip while I use the lighter to ignite it. I grunt at the sound of Nate’s phone ringing. Turning onto his side, he digs into his ridiculously tight jeans pocket, retrieving the phone.
“Tara,” he says with a smile that crinkles the skin around his eyes. Loved-up fucking pussy, I think to myself.
“Hey,” he answers, trying to act all cool, and I can’t help but chuckle. His eyes dart to me, and his face falls. “What is it? I need you to calm down and speak a little slower.”
“What?” I ask, sitting up and pressing my cigarette in the ashtray. “What the fuck’s wrong?”
“He’s got her,” she cries down the phone. “It’s Carter. He’s been behind the whole thing.”
Snatching the phone out of Nate’s hand, I hold it to my ear. “Where is she?” I ask calmly.
“She’s at Carter’s. I managed to scramble out of there, but she’s still there, Brax. I couldn’t do anything…” she sobs, and the anger brews deep inside.
“Where are you?” I ask, leaping off the sofa and over to the window.
“I’m driving. I’m coming over. You need to know everything,” she sniffles and I turn to Nate, now standing beside me, handing him the phone. My head thuds as much as my heart does. I start pacing back and forth, waiting for her to arrive. I feel a fucking pain, deep in my gut, like some fucker just ripped it out.
“How is this possible?” I turn to ask Nate. “What the fuck is going on? And what does Carter want with Isabelle?”
“I’m confused as fuck,” Nate says patting me lightly on the back.
“She’s here,” I blurt out, opening the gates and racing out of the door. She parks the car on the drive, jumping out and racing toward me, breathlessly.
“Brax,” she heaves, resting her hand on my chest and I instinctively wrap my arms around the girl who has become more than just Carter’s cousin. She’s become a friend. “We need to get over there. He has her and I’m worried what he’ll do.”
“What were you doing there?” Nate asks, cutting in.
“It’s such a long story.”
“You need to spit it out and fast. What the fuck has been going on?”
“That night at the bar.” She steps back from me crossing her arms nervously. “Carter came into the bathroom, talking all kinds of crazy shit to Izzy. He told her she was destined to be with him or some shit, and that her father was hiding her from him.” She talks animatedly, her arms flying and her words tumbling out faster than I’ve ever heard anyone speak before. “Anyway, we went to see her mom, to try to get the truth. Her mom admitted that her father worked for Carter but got into debt that he couldn’t repay. Carter claimed Isabelle as payment for the debt. Her mom and dad hid her away.”
“Fuck,” I say clenching my fist, rubbing my fingers across it.
“But it doesn’t finish there…”
I look at her with wide eyes. “Carter knew where she was. Those investigators you hired informed Carter of her whereabouts, but he couldn’t do anything because he didn’t want to jeopardize your working relationship. He loved the fact that he had that control over you, Brax. That he gave you a reason to keep working with him because essentially he was funding the search for her. And, as he admitted, you were a hothead working to make him a very rich man.”
“Motherfucker,” I growl. “I will kill him,” I snarl, spinning on my heel, ready to storm back inside and gear up.
“Stop,” Tara shouts after me, grabbing hold of my t-shirt, pulling me to a stop. “Carter found out right away that her father had died, and sent Alvrez to get Izzy. They were in on this together. This was him, all him. And now he finally wants the prize he’s been waiting all these years for.”
“No,” I say in denial. “I know he’s an asshole, but I would’ve known. Surely, I would’ve known, right? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“Because nobody knew.”
“But why did you go there? Why didn’t you come and tell me what the fuck was going on?”
“Izzy was beside herself at the thought that Carter was behind everything she went through with Alvrez. She wanted answers, and I wasn’t about to let her go there alone. I actually thought me being there would help her. That Carter would be reasonable since I’m his cousin. But it didn’t help. I’m so sorry.”
“Her mother knew. I can’t believe this shit. Why the fuck didn’t she come clean?”
“This is fucked up for sure, but what matters right now is working out how we are going to get Izzy back,” Nate adds, reaching for Tara and pulling her into his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his heavily tattooed hand strokes her hair.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she repeats, pulling away from his embrace. “We have to get to her. I felt awful running out and leaving her, but I knew getting help was the only way. I was lucky to get out. I’ve never seen him like that before, Brax. I’m worried.”
“She had a gun. Why the fuck didn’t she use the goddamn gun!” I throw my hands up in frustration.
“I tried,” she says solemnly, dropping her head. “I really did, but he used her as a shield and she looked terrified.”
“Fuck!” I roar, kicking my foot out, making contact with her car. “He’s a dead man fucking walking,” I say, storming back inside, grabbing my gun, pushing it inside the waistband of my jeans.
“It’s time we fucking ended this.”