Текст книги "Weak Without Him"

Автор книги: Lyra Parish

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

FINNLEY
Twenty-nine

The earliest flight left in the morning. Luke had been back in Vegas for forty-eight hours and was impossible to get in touch with. I needed to tell him that Abbot found the driver and that Jennifer was in the States somewhere, but each time his phone went to voicemail when I called. Damn it! Not the best time to be unavailable.

I packed my things and boarded the plane, then put on my Ray-Bans with the hope that no one would recognize me. No one did. When I landed in Vegas, Charlie waited for me and brought me to the office.

While we were on the elevator, my secretary turned and gave me a look. "Didn't know you were coming in today."

I crossed my arms and glared at her. I did look batshit crazy at the moment in a t-shirt and tattered blue jeans. I needed a shave and shower after that flight, but I also had a business to make sure was running properly.

"I won't be here long. Just need to take care of some things, and I left my laptop."

She smiled, and the elevator door opened. I walked to my office and pulled out Jennifer's file. A picture of her smiled back at me, and I ran my finger across her face. Why had I never taken any pictures of her? Or taken her to do fun things in New York or California? When I found her, things would change. A person never knows what they have until it was gone. Regret overtook me.

I flipped through her folder, trying to find a clue, something hidden that she didn't tell me. I knew her parents had died, but never mentioned it because I wanted her to openly talk about it when she was ready. After scanning through the pages, I slammed the folder shut, then tried to call Luke again. No answer.

I opened the laptop and sorted through emails. Jesse's job was currently unfilled, and I needed to get someone in there as soon as possible. A list of women applied, but only one caught my eye: Lori. She would be great at managing the Girls and making sure everything was in place for conventions and meetings. Plus, I got along with her fine. I picked up the phone and called Paisley.

"Have Lori meet me in my office in the next thirty minutes, and join her please."

"I didn't know you were here today. I thought you would be in London for another week."

"Had a change of plans." I hung up the phone, then walked to the window that overlooked the city and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Where are you, Jenn?" I whispered to the streets.

I looked over at the wall where I first touched her, and that hole inside of me spread, making me feel more empty. I balled my fist and punched the wall several times. My knuckles bled, but the pain helped me feel alive and regain myself. Two knocks on the door brought me back to reality.

"Come in," I said, and moved toward the edge of the desk.

When Lori saw me, the look on her face showed nothing but worry, then she glanced down at my swollen knuckles. I didn't hide them.

"Have a seat, please."

They both did.

"Thank you for appearing on such short notice. I know you applied for the management position, Lori, and I don’t want to go through the procedures, annoying interview questions, and all of that. It's a waste of my time, so I'd like to offer you the job. You're more than qualified, and I would be honored to work with you."

Her mouth dropped open and Paisley smiled.

"Are you serious?" Lori asked.

"Very."

"Yes. I would love to. I. I don't know what to say exactly. Thank you."

"The job will come with more responsibilities, a pay raise, and of course, you will not longer be on the line up. Congratulations."

"I am speechless. Thank you so much, Mr. Felton. I will not let you down."

"Paisley, please make sure to have her sign the release paperwork and transition her this week. Also, please let her Number One know as well. You'll move into Jesse's office in the corner."

"I'll get right on it," Paisley said.

"Training will need to begin immediately," I said.

Lori stood to shake my hand, and I smiled. It was the best choice. She was trustworthy, listened to direction, and cared about her job.

Before they left the room, I called Lori back in.

"I'll meet you in my office whenever you've finished," Paisley turned and said to Lori.

Before she sat, she looked over me. "You look like shit, Mr. F."

"I know."

"You didn't find her, did you?"

I sucked in a deep breath then spoke. "I did. She was with Luke."

She held back a smile, and I shook my head.

"Then was kidnapped in front of me."

She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "Oh my God."

"And I'm searching for her. You haven't heard anything, have you?"

"No. She never returned my calls."

"She's here, in the states, somewhere. I know that. I have to find her."

"We will."

I congratulated her once again, and she was on her way.

"Take care of yourself," she said before she left my office.

I tightened my hand into a fist and grabbed the set of keys to the BMW I had in the parking garage for situations just like this. Having an extra car at the office was necessary.

Fucking Luke would talk to me one way or another. We had important matters to discuss, and I needed to find Jennifer before something terrible happened to her.

I sped through the city streets and drove straight to his house. His Volvo was parked outside. I used the spare key to his house and let myself in. His suitcase sat by the kitchen counter and mail was spread across the top. Music leaked from upstairs. I climbed them two at a time.

I slammed open the door to his studio where he was busy painting depressing shit.

"What the fuck?" I yelled at him.

He turned and stared at me like I had scared the shit out of him.

"What. The. Fuck. Luketon," I said again.

"What?"

"I've been calling you, asshole. Answer your phone."

He finished painting the dark clouds on the canvas and slammed his paintbrush into a jar of water.

"I've been working. Give me a break."

"I don't give a shit. When I call you, especially with the current circumstances, I need you to at least call me back in a timely manner. I've left you several voicemails. What is going on with you?"

"Leave, Finn. I can't be around you right now. I've got too much going on, and I really need to finish this project."

"No. Make me leave."

Luke looked down at my swollen knuckles and my flexing fist and shook his head. "You need rest. Go home. Shower. Shave. We can have dinner or something. You're acting fucking crazy. Leave." He stood inches from my face.

"You've not seen crazy yet," I said pushing him away from me. He didn't fight back, and I shook my head at him then slammed the studio door behind me. As I made my way down the stairs, he stood at the top and watched me.

"We can have dinner tonight," Luke said.

"I need to find Jennifer, Luke. I don't give a fuck about anything else." I stopped walking. "And she's somewhere in the US, not that you fucking cared to know."

He sucked in a deep breath and walked toward me.

"How do you know that for sure?"

"Because Abbot found the driver. And when I find out who took her, I will fucking kill them," I said as I slammed the door behind me. He didn't respond.

I slowly slipped away into the shadows. I knew once I fully lost myself there it would be hard to come back. But I hadn't completely given up hope yet.

I had a few favors to cash in from a few gangsters, thieves, and criminals that I hadn't talked to in years. Although I didn't particularly want to, it was time to give them a call.

Thirty

Taxi driver and club guy entered and attached chains with cuffs to the hook in the corner of the room. I rolled over on the mattress and tried to pretend they weren't there, but their annoying fucking laughter became impossible to ignore.

"She has no clue what's in store for her, does she?" taxi driver said.

"No clue. Stupid bitch," the other one replied.

They stood over me, and I pretended they weren't there. I hoped they would walk away and leave me alone and, surprisingly, they did. But I didn't trust them. If Luke hadn't brought me here, they both would have probably had their way with me. After whispering back and forth to one another in the corner of the room, they left me to wallow in my emotionless bliss for hours before I was visited again.

The clearing of a throat woke me from my daze. I didn't roll over or acknowledge Luke, but pretended to be asleep to see how long he would stand there.

"Jennifer."

After a few minutes, I rolled over and looked at him and the tray of food in his hand.

"I've warned you," he said.

I slid off the bed then dropped to my knees and placed my arms behind my back. He left me there until my knees ached. Eventually, I would be numb to not only emotional pain but physical pain too. Once satisfied with me, Luke nodded his head with approval and set the tray of food, real food, on the table.

"Come eat."

Macaroni and chicken filled the plate. The thought of him doing something nice for me, in my current condition, made me sick.

"I know it's your favorite."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Go on. I've seen what you've been eating."

I sat and so did he. Slowly he slid a spoon and fork to me, and I stared at it. I didn't want anything from him, not even food that made my mouth water. Instead, I flipped the tray over. Macaroni slung onto his black shirt, and the chicken landed in his lap.

"Damn it," he yelled and grabbed me by my wrists.

I jerked away from him.

"Why do you insist on being a bitch when I'm trying to help you?"

"Help me? Help me? Are you fucking kidding me? Have you seen where I'm at Luke? The only person I have to blame for this is you. You! The only person who knows where I am."

He grabbed me by my hair and yanked me to the cuffs on chains in the corner. He slammed my wrists above my head and tightly bound me.

"I hate you. I fucking hate you." I didn't raise my voice. No, I didn't need to for my point to get across.

Luke forcefully flipped me around and made me stare at the wall, then he inched his hands under my panties and moved them out of the way.

"Tell me again how much you hate me."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

And that's when his hand slapped my ass, hard.

"Tell me."

Then another slap slammed against my bare skin. Luke wasn't holding back at all, instead he gave me every bit of his strength. I bit my bottom lip and held back whimpers. Then another slap, and another, and another. With every hit, the chains jingled and crashed against the wall. I felt so much pain that I became deadened to it. He kept the hard slaps coming until he wore himself out and panted behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at him, and the tears welled in my eyes. The imprints of his hand on me burned, and the pain radiated up and down my body. My hair fell into my face, and Luke tucked it behind my ear. I flinched.

"I'm sorry. It's for your own good," he whispered.

No words formed. I couldn't reply. I had nothing to say to him.

Luke looked at the marks on my ass and exited. He left me standing with my arms above my head. Today was one of the worst days I had experienced since I'd been taken, and I had a feeling there were many more of these to come.

I closed my eyes, imagined Finnley and my parents, and for the first time since I had left, I wanted to go home. Home as in back to Texas. I leaned my forehead against the wall and wished someone would come in, anyone, to free my arms. Like the devil heard my prayers, the minions entered.

"Looks like you got your ass beat real good," one said. I didn't turn around, but I felt a hand on my other ass cheek, the one that didn't have welts. Forcefully, I pushed my leg out and knocked the skinny one in the balls. Cab driver decided I couldn't do that without consequences and headed toward me to avenge his friend, and he did. With tight hands grasped around my neck, he slammed me against the wall.

"You shouldn't have done that, bitch."

My vision slowly faded to dark. I gasped for air. I needed to live. I wouldn't die by the hands of this bastard. Maybe another one, but not him. My knees went slack, and he released my neck. I gasped for air.

As much as I wished my time in this prison would end, I didn’t want the end to be by death. Club guy stood after he adjusted his balls that I had crushed so easily, and slapped me across the face with the back of his hand.

"I hope Luke fucking kills you, and I hope I get to watch," he said.

Once he physically and verbally abused me, I assumed we were even, because he then released me from the cuffs.

My body slid down the wall and I lay there in a crumpled heap for an unknown amount of time. If I made it out of here alive, I would seek revenge on them all.

Nights drifted into days, and days into night. Time didn't exist. A piece of me wanted to sleep forever but my bastard wouldn't let me. He brought a dress for me to wear along with a towel and new soap. Maybe he understood how horrible the other soap was on my skin, but that would mean he had feelings, and I knew he didn't.

When Luke visited me today, agitation seemed to drift from him. His bad mood practically suffocated me, and I wanted it to. He picked up one of the wooden chairs and slammed it against the wall. It broke in several pieces. He knocked over the table and tried to tear the room apart with his bare hands. I didn't dare say a word. He was in a dangerous place, and I didn't want to get caught in the middle, but I knew the crosshairs were already on me.

He breathed deeply, his chest rose and fell from the force he used to destroy every piece of furniture in the room. Pieces of wood lay around in scattered piles. I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for him to speak.

"We will soon become one. I'm going to fuck you, and you'll beg for more of me. Maybe then you'll finally realize what you've been missing."

I swallowed as he stared at me with crazy in his eyes. I kept my mouth shut for once. He walked toward me, and I backed against the wall. His body stood inches from mine, and I wanted to push him away, but didn't want to light the fuse to a ticking time bomb.

Luke ran his fingers through my hair, wrapped strands in his fist, and tilted my face up to look at his before he forced himself on me. Forcefully, he gave me several lip-numbing kisses. I struggled from his mouth, but when I did, he pushed his lips harder onto mine. Then his tongue was down my throat, and he kissed up and down my neck. I pushed him, but he roughly pinned my body between his and the wall. His breath was hot on my skin.

"Why do you fight it? I know you want it."

He ran his fingers up my dress and held my breast in his hands. He moaned, and it disgusted me. With forceful hands, he grabbed the material and ripped it open. The dress fell to the floor around me.

I stood in bra and panties in front of him, and he smiled. He really frightened me. If he wanted to have sex with me up against this wall, I wasn't strong enough to stop him. I knew that I had no choices, and the thought of that pissed me off and scared me. It sickened me to look at him, so I turned my head away.

His lips swept across the softness of my neck. He moved down my body and kissed the tops of my breasts, then dropped to his knees in front of me.

I took myself from the situation, from it all, and forced myself void of Luke's hands and lips on me. There were memories I wanted to erase from my mind and this was steadily climbing the list of things to forget. Luke hooked the lace of my panties with his index finger, and before he inched them down, the door slammed open and drew me from the abyss.

All I could see were red high heels and skinny jeans.

FINNLEY
Thirty-one

I wrote dark poetry on a napkin at the bar as I waited for the men that watched over the underground sex ring to arrive. My thoughts had skulked in a dangerous place for weeks. But no matter, I had to make sure Jennifer hadn't been seen where the darkness of the industry roamed freely. It was no place for her.

Everything had polar opposites. Where there was a positive, there was a negative. Where there was The Elite, there was prostitution, sex slaves, pimps, and whores. Where there was Finnley Felton, there should have been Jennifer Downs, but someone decided to fuck it up, and for that, I would return the favor. I didn't get back, I got even plus ten.

I popped my knuckles as I waited, my patience waning.

To keep my mind busy, I finished scribbling my thoughts and downed the Maker’s Mark. When two bulky men sat on either side of me, I tucked the napkin in my pocket and snapped for the bartender to bring us a round.

"Gentlemen," I said coolly. I wasn't intimidated by them, especially not after dealing with men worse than them for half of my life. I knew the gangsters on the other side of the spectrum, and they knew me. We agreed to stay out of each other's way, which we did easily, but they owed me, and it was time to pay. If I hadn't bailed their boss out of jail, they wouldn't be where they were today. After saving their asses more times than I could count, they agreed to stay underground and away from me and The Elite. With that, I agreed to leave them the hell alone. Money talked. Always had and always would. Luckily, I had enough to have conversations for days.

The two guys didn't respond, but I didn't expect them to. I pulled the photo of Jennifer, the one that was in her Elite file, from the inside of my coat pocket and slid it to my right. He picked it up and narrowed his eyes, then handed it to his buddy. I continued to look forward and sipped my drink calmly, though my insides blazed with a need-to-know so strong that it almost made me sick. One thing I was good at: poker face.

The man beside me sucked in a deep breath and scooted the picture back to me. I placed it inside my coat pocket. It had been with me since I came home.

"I've seen her," he said.

My breath hitched in my chest, and that's when the violent rage almost consumed me. I had to count to ten, fucking twenty, to calm down and evaluate the situation.

When I was a teen, heavily involved with the gangs of London, I almost killed a group of men with my bare hands after losing control. A screaming girl in a dark alley stopped me in my tracks. Four sick fucks had kidnapped and proceeded to have their way with her, but I caught them with their pants down before they could do any damage. I beat the lot of them to a pulp and left them for dead. A piece of me wanted to burn them alive for being the bottom-feeders of the city, but I didn't. Instead, I told them if they ever fucking touched or kidnapped another person, I would hunt them down, chop off each of their dicks, then proceed to shove them down each of their throats, one by one, as they watched each other choke. To this day, Abbot watched them. Those men never tried anything like that again, and if they did, a sharp knife would be waiting for them.

The unstoppable force I slowly transformed into in London was not the person I wanted to be. That wasn't the life I wanted to lead: always watching my back, fighting for my rights, and killing. I was intelligent, practical, talented, and I had street smarts. Don't get me wrong, I was still unstoppable, but I didn't want to be known as a fucking murderer. Monsters didn't care or have a conscience. I was different.

I needed a change from it all, and Columbia had offered me a full scholarship. It helped that my father was an alumnus. The Felton name became a free pass, almost. Columbia kicked my ass, made me into the businessman I was, and for that, I would forever be grateful.

I finished my drink and so did they. They waited for me to speak though very little would be said between us.

"She’s alive. Make sure she stays that way." I didn’t say it as a question, but as more of a conviction. I knew her heart still beat, and that would keep me temporarily satisfied. If any woman could be slung through the mud and make it out alive, breathing and snarling, it would be her. I hoped she wasn't giving them to much hell, but a little piece of me knew she was. If she acted out too much, Jennifer would get hurt. I couldn't have that. Fucking firecracker.

The leader nodded his head, and I wanted nothing more than to demand he bring me to her, but that's not how deals like these worked. I knew that. Instead, I continued to stay disinterested in them, and the whole conversation, and they returned the gesture.

After they finished their drinks, they swiveled from their stools and stalked out the front door. Although I contemplated following them, it would have done me no good. They could be trusted, especially considering the amount of favors that were owed to me. If they fucked this up, the two of them would be dead, and not by my hands, but by their boss.

Finnley fucking Felton meant something underground. I was not to be toyed with, and even though I wasn't a murderer, they all knew that I would kill and take every single one of them down to get what I wanted. In less than a month, I could have half of the gang of London here to battle it out with these fucks, and they knew it. Plus, I had the money to fund the escapade. My background was on a need to know basis, and all the mob bosses, drug lords, and slave drivers knew what I was capable of, which gave me and my business an unlimited number of get-the-fuck-out-of-my-way passes.

No, they would keep their end of the deal, but if they crossed me… if they fucking crossed me, all I would have to do was make one phone call and all hell would break loose.