“How far is it, man?” Zane asks, his eyes flitting between me and the road.
“Not much further,” I say, squinting through the windshield, trying to remember exactly where we are, the rain blurring my vision.
Nate’s hand lands on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. “We should try to…” he says but is cut off mid-sentence by Zane shouting.
“What the fuck, man?” He presses the brakes with force, causing the van to skid in the wet rain, our bodies jolting forward as we come to a heavy stop. I blink down heavily as I try to get a handle on what is happening. My eyes widen at the sight in front of me.
My heart stops beating for a second.
Isabelle.
Standing in the middle of the road.
“It’s her,” I yell. “That’s Isabelle.” Unfastening my belt, I reach for the handle of the door, opening it and using it as a shield. The lights of our van blind them. Isabelle has her arm covering her eyes as she blinks rapidly. I look at the man pointing his gun at her, noticing it’s that motherfucker Harlan. I grab my gun, pointing it at him. The Savages follow me, but stupidly step forward, in front of the van.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the biggest Savage pussy ever,” Nate yells over to Harlan who still hasn’t lowered his gun. Rage rips through me, the level of anger is uncontrollable. I want to rip him to a million little pieces. Nate and his men stand, forming a line. I see the opportunity, so I take it. Stepping out from behind the opened door, I race over to Isabelle.
“Oh my God, Isabelle,” I blurt out, picking her up in my arms and carrying her to the van. Lowering her slowly, I reach down, placing my lips against hers, over and over. Her eyes are wide and she shakes like she is terrified. I can’t help but notice she is completely naked, her body slight and her eyes sunken. I shake with absolute rage at the sight of my beautiful girl who has been reduced to what I see in front of me.
“You need a blanket,” I whisper, parting from her as I look under the seats, grabbing the checkered blanket and wrapping it around her fragile body.
“You’re alive?” she stutters. “He shot you.”
“Carter found me, got me to the hospital just in time.”
Reaching up, cupping my face, she smiles, but I can’t help but notice her eyes look sad. “I didn’t know if you’d be alive. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”
“I made it, baby. Just for you.” My heart beats thunderously and I can’t rip my eyes from her. “Listen, I need to go take care of this asshole. Stay here. Don’t move.”
“Please don’t leave me,” she sobs, her whole body shaking.
“Where is he?” I ask quickly. “Where’s Alvrez?”
“I fought him, Brax. I left him in the pool. I’m not sure he’s dead, but I just needed to get out of there,” she whimpers.
“I’ll be back. I promise.” I place a soft kiss on her forehead before closing the rear door and making my way beside the Savages.
“What are you doing here, Nate?” Harlan asks, dropping his gun and pushing it in his pants.
“I came for the girl, and the drugs and money you stole from us last time.”
“If I remember rightly it wasn’t stolen, it was left. That asshole failed to deliver the deal we had set up.”
“Either way, brother or not. I ain’t leaving here without it.”
“Brother?” I gasp looking between the men. “Harlan is your brother?”
“Only by blood. Dad kicked him out of the family a long time ago. Fucker had no loyalty to us. It was that or kill him. I think Dad went easy on him.”
“Dad…” Harlan screeches. “He’s no father to us. He showed us no love, no compassion.”
“As much as I’d love to be witness to your family reunion,” I interrupt, “we’re not here for that. Let’s finish the job. We got the girl. Let’s get the money and the drugs and get out of here.”
“You think I’m just going to let you take the girl, the money, and the drugs?” Harlan laughs loudly. “This is all mine now,” he says with a menacing smile. “Alvrez is out of the picture, that bitch made sure of that.”
He called her a bitch. How fucking dare he? Before I know what I’m doing, I’ve cocked my gun and pulled the goddamn trigger. The fire rings out, echoing through the empty area of the dark night. Harlan drops onto his knees, clutching his right shoulder. I dart toward him, knocking him flat against the harsh, wet ground. Rearing back my painfully clenched fist, I punch the bastard over and over, his lip splitting wide open, covering me in blood. But I don’t stop. Every punch is an outlet for the years of anger and pain I’ve felt without Isabelle. I want to break his face into smithereens, just like he broke my fucking heart when he took her away from me again.
“Brax,” Nate yells at me, but I don’t stop. He pulls my shoulders, dragging me away from his body. “He’s out cold.”
“I’m gonna kill him,” I growl, pulling back my fist ready to hit him again.
“Don’t…” he blurts out. “We need to get in there. Make sure that Alvrez is dead and get the money, man.” I stop, frozen for a second, letting his words sink in. He’s right. I know he’s right.
I lean back on my heels, ready to stand from the ground. I rub my bloodied hands across my face. “Tie him up.” I look up at Nate, wondering whether he has any loyalty or feelings for this fucker he calls brother. He gives me a nod then races back to the van. He grabs some rope and begins tying Harlan’s hands behind his back. He and Gus drag his body from the floor, a groan escaping him.
“Fucker ain’t dead yet,” chuckles Silver. “We should take him to Jeffries, see what he wants to do with him.”
“No,” Nate snaps harshly. “We deal with this. There will be no mention of Harlan to Dad.” Silver lifts his brows but nods in agreement. I can tell he’s not sure, but follows his orders regardless.
“Put him in the van,” I order to Silver, wrapping my arm across Nate’s shoulders. “I need to know we are on the same page,” I whisper into Nate’s ear. “I can’t let that asshole live. He has to die for what he’s done.” I watch as he pulls his lips into a fine line; his eyes widen a little. “Fine,” he says with a lazy lift of his shoulders. “But we ain’t leaving until we have the drugs and the money.” He’s firm with his conditions and I can’t deny him the reward that was promised.
“Of course. You have my word. That was the deal we had, I don’t go back on an agreement.” He pushes his hand forward, offering it to me and I take it. “I need to get back to my girl,” I say jabbing my thumb over my shoulder.
“We should get in and out as soon as we can. Time is of the essence.” He nods, slapping me lightly on the back. I swiftly turn, making my way back to Isabelle. I feel my heart accelerate as I approach the door. I rest my hand on the handle, looking at her through the window. Her bright-blue, angelic-looking eyes stare back at me. I rub my hand against the back of my neck wondering whether I can be the one to put her back together. I have no idea what she’s been subjected to, all I know is I want to be the one to take it all away. Erase the memories. Turn nightmares into dreams.
“Hey.” She tries to speak, but it sounds more like a whisper. Lowering myself in beside her, pulling her fragile legs over me, I encompass her with my arms. She reaches up, lacing her fingers through my hair, clinging with desperation as sobs pour from her uncontrollably. Sparks of anger course through my veins as I feel her pain transferred to me.
“They will pay for what they’ve done to you, Isabelle. I promise. I fucking promise.” I rock her a little, like you would comfort a child. “This will all end. I’m not going to lose you again.”
“I have done bad things, Brax.” She forces out the words, all the while pulling back her head and looking me in the eye. “I killed Jessica. I had to. I had to get out of there, but I failed miserably. She came into the room and I had to escape. I fought her until she took her last breath.”
Her words resonate with me, and I can see the inner turmoil. I’ve been there. I’ve done bad things, but for good reasons. “You did what you had to, baby. It doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“I just want it all to end. I want to be with you. Just you and me.” She reaches up, pressing her tear-soaked lips against mine.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should’ve protected you, but I didn’t.”
“No,” she exclaims, “none of this is your fault.” Dropping her hand from the grip she had on my hair, she rubs my cheek, using the pad of her thumb against my rough skin.
“Ready to go, man?” Nate turns his head and I give him a nod. The men jump back into the van, dragging Harlan’s body and dropping it on the seats in front. Isabelle presses her body against mine as though she is trying to get away from him. Burying her head into my chest she asks, “Is he dead?” Her heart hammers intensely and her breathing is erratic.
“Not yet. But he will be. Turns out he’s Nate’s brother.”
She gasps, looking up at me through her long lashes. “Who are these guys?”
“The Savages,” I whisper in response.
“Shit,” she mumbles and the words rumble against my chest. “And Carter?” she asks with a wary tone to her voice.
“It’s a long story,” I sigh, stroking my hand over her hair.
“Alvrez said something really weird.” She adjusts herself until she is sitting up, facing me. “He said he knew I’d escaped my father, and he came for me. All the time I thought it was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but now, I’m not sure. I think he knew exactly where I was.”
I listen to her, tilting my head to the side a little. “But how? How could anyone have known? I searched for you. I hired private detectives who could never locate your whereabouts, so how could he possibly know?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not convinced this is the coincidence I thought it was.”
I pull her head against my chest as we start moving again, making our way to the house.
“Why are we going this way?” she asks confused.
“It was the trade. I needed help, and I knew he had the money and drugs from the deal.”
“Don’t make me go back in there,” she says with panic in her voice, fighting to get out of my hold.
“We have to go in, Isabelle. I can’t leave you out here. It’s not safe. I need you by my side at all times.”
“I just want you to take me home. I never want to set foot in that place again.”
“I promise you, when I’ve finished you will never set foot in there, ever again.” I squeeze her hand, pulling it to my mouth. “I need to make sure Alvrez is dead. I need to have closure on this, so we can move on without fear of retribution.”
“I want that too,” she whispers. “But that place… what happened to me holds so many painful memories. Things happened that I can never forget. Visions play over and over in my mind, Brax. I feel broken, so damn broken.”
“Shhh… baby, I got you,” I say pulling her into my hold once again. “I can’t undo what has happened, but I can try to heal you. Put you back together, make you whole again.”
She sniffles, and I feel the gentle movement of her head against me.
“In and out, I promise,” I say as I feel the van coming to a stop. The huge gates to the entrance are locked and there is only one way in. “Use his fingerprint to open the gates,” I instruct, pointing to Harlan. The guys in front nod, opening the door and dragging an unconscious Harlan toward the gate.
I step out of the van, holding my hand to Isabelle. “Jump out, baby,” I coax, watching as her eyes flit between me and the mansion, a look of horror on her face. “I got you,” I reassure her, taking her hand and helping her out of the vehicle. I grab the blanket, wrapping it around her body. “Here, keep this on,” I say, dipping my head, trying to catch her eye. “It’s going to be okay.”
The gate opens slowly and Nate orders Jarvis to stay in the van. He walks in followed by the driver, Zane. Silver and Duke drag Harlan’s body toward the main door. They struggle to lift his bound hands for the fingerprint recognition.
“Oh fuck this,” Silver groans, dropping his body to the floor, face down. Reaching inside his pants, he pulls out his Gerber Gator knife, bending over and slicing away at his wrist.
“The fuck, man?” Nate grumbles.
“Easier than lifting his body every time,” Silver breathes out as he works to cut through the bone of Harlan’s wrist.
“Don’t look,” I say, shielding the sight before me from Izzy.
“Arrrggghhh,” Harlan starts to scream out, his blood covering Silver’s leg, pooling around his limp body on the floor.
“Make him stop,” Isabelle cries out, covering her ears with her hands.
“Shit,” I grumble checking all around us. “Fucking gag him,” I shout over, desperate to stop his shrill, ear-piercing screams. Zane rips the front off his t-shirt, stuffing it into Harlan's mouth, muffling his screams.
Silver stands up from the ground grasping Harlan’s severed hand in his. Nate's eyes widen as he looks between the hand and Harlan squirming on the ground. I know he acted like he meant nothing to him, but I can’t help but think he’s hiding his true feelings about him.
“Stop waving it around and get us inside already,” Nate bites out, snapping his eyes away from Harlan on the floor. Silver laughs as he presses the thumb to the screen. The door beeps and he manages to push it open. “Well, that was easy.” He continues to laugh cheerfully making his way inside, holding it open for the rest of us. “I’ll keep this for later,” he says pushing the bloodied hand into his back pocket. I cringe at his actions, but should expect nothing less from the Savages. Duke helps Zane drag in Harlan, dumping him just inside the entrance, resting his back against the wall.
“So, cocksucker. Where are the drugs? The money, huh?” Silver grabs the material at the front of his shirt, pulling his face close to his. “Not looking so good there, Harlan,” he sneers with a tilt of his head.
He tries to shout back, but the words are garbled, the material in his mouth suffocating the sound. “Listen, I’ll take out the gag, but on the condition you spill the deets.” He smiles, and it’s like he’s enjoying it. He squeezes his chin with a viselike grasp, retrieving the material stuffed into his mouth.
“My fucking hand, man. You cut it off.” He trembles, his forehead beads with sweat.
“Never mind your hand, I’ll cut your tiny dick off if you don’t hurry up and tell us where the fucking drugs are.” Resting the tip of his knife between Harlan’s legs, I watch as his eyes widen. I can’t help but chuckle. This right here is fucked up, but I shouldn’t have expected anything less from these guys.
“Safe. Up in Alvrez’s room. The drugs and money, it’s all in there.” He stutters out his words, his eyes wide and his face contorted with a mixture of pain and shock.
“I’ll stay here with Isabelle, you guys go get the cash and drugs,” I instruct, with a sense of urgency.
“The code, Harlan,” Silver shouts back over his shoulder. “What’s the code?”
“Seven, six, nine, five, one.”
I lean back against the wall opposite Harlan. Isabelle clings onto my side. Noticing that she is still shivering, I wrap my arm around her to try to insulate her.
“He’s dead?” her voice squeaks and her eyes fix on Harlan, and I know she’s referring to Alvrez.
“I don’t know,” he murmurs, his eyes drifting open then shut again. It looks like he’s fading, blood still pouring from his arm. Without stemming the blood flow, he’ll die.
“What do you mean?” she screeches. “He has to be dead. I saw him. Flat in the water,” she gasps. Her hand covering her mouth. “What… what if he’s not… dead?”
“Then I’ll make sure of it,” I reply calmly.
“We should check. We need to make sure. I can’t risk him taking me again, Brax. I need to move on without fear of him.”
“And you will, baby. I promise. Nothing will tear us apart again.” She looks me in the eyes, the once bright blue eyes are a dull shade. Fuck, I need to get her out of here. Footsteps catch my attention. I look over to the huge staircase where the guys are making their way down with crate after crate of money and drugs. They laugh cheerfully, their raucous voices fill the enormous empty house.
“Got it,” Nate yells. “Now, let’s get the fuck out of here!”
“I need to make sure Alvrez is a goner. Prick face here says he’s not sure he’s dead, and I ain’t fucking risking it.”
“Do what you have to,” Nate says, squeezing my shoulder lightly as he passes with the drugs he came for. A look of achievement is etched across his face. This was exactly what he needed to prove his worth to the family.
“You coming?” I ask Isabelle, knowing that she’s been through so much already, but also aware that she needs closure.
“Yes,” she rushes out. “Don’t you dare leave me.”
I pull her into my hold, kissing the top of her head lightly. “There’s just one thing we need to do,” I say glancing up at the camera’s that seem to follow us.
“What?” she pulls back, questioning me with her eyes.
“We need to get rid of all the evidence. Wait here for a second.” I race back to the van, dragging out two large canisters of gasoline, and rush to make my way back to her.
“We burn this place down and everything inside.”
“But… but... we can’t,” she stutters. “Brax, you don’t understand. I wasn’t the first.” She steps closer, her voice quieter than before. “There is evidence in a room upstairs. The women who suffered before me. Their families deserve to find out what happened to them, to know that they aren’t just missing. They were tortured and murdered by him, by Alvrez.”
I push out a controlled breath. “Baby, I have to. I have to get rid of all evidence. I’m sorry.”
“I get it.” She drops her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “I just wish there was something I could do.”
“Me too,” I sigh heavily, seeing the pain in her eyes is like a knife in my gut. “Here,” I say offering her my hand. She takes it and I hold it securely in mine. “We have to make a move. Where is he?” I ask warily. She doesn’t respond, but tugs on my hand, leading me down the hall. We walk toward a door and she opens it slowly.
“In here,” she says, her eyes darting around the room. I see the pool and immediately look for his body, but it’s not there. I proceed with caution, pushing her behind me as I make my way further inside. I notice the door which she used to escape is still open, but with no sign of Alvrez.
“He’s there,” she chokes out, her whole body shakes. My eyes land on him lying near the shower area. “How did he get out? Oh, God. He can’t be alive, surely not.”
Rushing over to his body, kicking out my foot, I try to see if he’s still alive. He lets out a grumble, his chest making the slightest movement. Clenching my jaw, I reach inside my pants, drawing out my gun. Cocking the gun, I aim directly at his head. I press my finger slowly against the trigger, releasing the bullet into this sick fuck's skull. But one doesn’t seem enough. Pulling the trigger over and over, I empty the full case of bullets. Isabelle jerks with every bullet that is fired, but she doesn’t say anything. Blood sprays up my arm, catching my face. “Fuck,” I grumble, dragging my hand across my blood-stained face. “He’ll never bother us again,” I say with certainty. He’s dead, his head blown completely open, and it feels good. My heart races with exhilaration, knowing this sick fuck can’t hurt her ever again, or anyone else for that fact.
Her eyes fix on me. “Please, let’s go.” She tugs on my arm, snapping me from my daze.
“Sure, let me just give this place a kick start.” I open the cap of the gasoline, trickling it over his body, making a trail as we walk out of the room. I splash it all over the wall and floors as we walk through. I dowse the stairs and open the doors, getting it to reach as far as I can.
“What about Harlan?” she asks, drawing her eyebrows together.
“What about him?” I respond coldly. “Cocksucker goes up with the house.” I throw the empty can across the hall, grabbing the second one, I throw some more around until we get to the entrance. “Stand back,” I say, making my way through the door, pouring the clear liquid over an already unconscious Harlan. I walk her over to the van, Silver helping her inside. Making my way back to the front door, I pull out a small box of matches from my inside pocket. I strike the match and let it fall on the pool of gasoline just at the door. Instantly, it ignites, spreading faster than I’d imagined. I stumble back, using my arm to shield my eyes from the heat and bright flicker of flames.
“Come on, man,” Nate shouts to me, grabbing my upper arm and dragging me to the van just outside the gates. I look back at the house as it engulfs in flames. A deep sense of satisfaction courses through me as I feel absolutely nothing. No guilty conscience or regrets, just a finality to the madness those pieces of shit put Isabelle through. I snap away from the sight in front of me, turning and racing to get back where I belong.
With Isabelle.