Phoenix

I’ll kill him with my bare hands. He will die. I will fucking burn in hell for every sin I’ve committed, but the best one will be his death. My lungs are burning for air as this bastard chokes the hell out of me. I saw her change and lie to my face, but I know whatever Jake whispered to her made her do it. She loves me. She wanted me, and I won’t stop until I have her back in my arms. I don’t care if I have to take on the devil himself. It’s hard to find my bearings when life is slowly being taken from me. One move. That’s all I need. I need this asshole to let up just a little. As I struggle a little more, I finally get the break I need. He moves in closer, his breath near my ear.

“Just die fucker! I want one round with that sweet cunt you had!” His words rip my heart out in shreds on the floor. I ram my head back as hard as I can, causing the fucker to release the chain that was around my neck. As I suck in a lungful of air, I swing the shackles around, grabbing him around the neck with my legs. He fights and claws at me, but I do the best I can to hold him in place. It’s been at least five minutes since Jake left with Jess. I need to get the fuck out of here and find her. I need to do something. I can hear a commotion outside the door. I don’t know if it’s more of Jake’s guys or who the fuck it is, but the more I fight for strength to hold onto this fucker, the more I lose. He pulls out of the grip I had on him as he coughs for air.

“You’re a dumb motherfucker. I’m going to enjoy killing you.” He drops back and pulls a gun from the back his jeans. Aiming it at me, I laugh in the face of death. Kill me. I don’t give a fuck. They took everything that meant anything to me. Jess was all that mattered, and now I have no fucking idea where she is.

“Do it! Pull the trigger!” I scream at the asshole. He grins, and I close my eyes, ready to meet the man that made me, ready to meet the devil himself in hell. One shot. One single shot and I braced myself for it. I was ready for it. Welcomed it. Taking a deep breath, I crack my eyes open to see the guy on the ground, one shot to his head. Cocking my head to the side, my dad stands there with a gun in his hands.

“Dad?” What the fuck is going on here? Why is he here? How did he know?

“Get him down!” he roars. His guys come in, making short work of the shackles that held me in place. As soon as I’m released, I mimic Jess and rub my wrists. I stand in awe of the man that turned me into who I am today. The man that has given me a piece of his world. The man that wanted to sell the woman I love.

“Seems Jake is going a little rogue these days,” he says casually. I nod my head, but I still don’t understand what he’s doing here.

“How’d you find me?”

“Security feed. I went in to check on some paperwork. What the hell is going on?” he asks. I glance around the now empty room that holds the dead body of the man my dad shot.

“Can we get the hell out of here first?” I ask him. He nods and motions for the door. I gladly walk out, only to find we’re in another warehouse. What the fuck is happening? What the hell is going on? I walk toward the door where a few of my dad’s guys stand guard. They nod at me respectfully before I walk outside into the night. Dad steps out behind me, and I can feel his gaze on my back. It burns deeply.

“I won’t let you sell her. She’s the only person I’ve ever loved. She understands me and what I need,” I say without ever looking over. I never thought I’d say that about anyone. I never once dreamt that Jess would be the one solid thing in my world, but she is that. After having her near me those few weeks, I never want to let that go. She grounded me in ways I didn’t know I needed.

“I saw as much on the feed. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for you to come to me?” he asks. I spin on my heel and stare at the most ruthless man that I’ve ever met in my life. The man that didn’t care about hurting or killing others.

“Come to you? Would that have changed your mind? You’ve never given a shit about what I needed, Dad. Come to you? What a fucking joke,” I spat. He knows I’m telling the truth, as I see a hint of shame in his eyes.

“You’re right. It probably wouldn’t have mattered at the time, but it does now. He won’t have her, Phoenix. I won’t allow it. You want the girl; she’s yours. You want out? You’re out. Tell me, your father, what you want.” My eyes stay locked on his, waiting for this to all be some sort of joke, like at any minute a bullet will hit me between the eyes. He can’t be serious. My dad has never given a shit about me or anything for that matter. He’s only ever cared about his business.

“What do I have to do in return?” I snap. I know there’s a catch. There always is with him.

“Nothing. You’re my son, Phoenix. When I saw that feed, I thought that son of a bitch killed you. I had people track them. I thought I might never see my only child again. As much as I want you to be a part of my business, I understand the need to leave. I felt it once with your mom, but I denied it. I stayed the man I needed to be, the one that needed to build a lasting empire. I’m the only thing I can be, Phoenix. The way you looked at the girl; fuck, I wished I would have seen that in your mother so long ago. I’m giving you a choice. You don’t have to answer me right away. In fact, I expect you to think about it, but right now, Jake has that girl of yours at the docks preparing to set her on a ship to Ukraine. That is not someplace you want her to go.” My heart skipped in my chest but clenched at the same time. I’ve never known my father to be this way, but I can say that I like it. He might not be the best person in the world, but apparently, he does have a heart.

“I’ll think about it. I just need to get her back. The things he’s done to her are repulsive.” Dad nods and motions to the car. I rush quickly over and climb in, giving them the orders to take me back to the warehouse. Our warehouse. The driver quickly puts the car in gear and speeds from the parking lot. My chest heaves as I think of all the ways I want to kill him, of all the ways I could slit his throat, shoot him, or stab him with anything I can get my hands on.

But mostly my heart aches with thoughts of her. Will he abuse her again? I have no doubt he already has.