Hell And Back(72)

I did this to her. I brought this to her. All of this is my fault. I won’t let it fucking hurt anyone else.

“You came here for me. Now you have me,” I say to them.

“This is how it’s going to go. We are going to walk out of here and you don’t try to be a fucking hero. You walk to my car, get in, and if you listen like a good little girl, I’ll fuck you once more before I sell you. How’d you like that? You miss me?” Chucks says to me.

Adam grabs my arm, almost twisting it. I cry out in pain but not for too long since I feel the gun in my backside.

I have Adam on one side, Chuck on the other, both holding my arms in a death grip.

I look over at Lilah, her eyes wide with fear, with horror.

“I love you, baby girl,” I tell her right before they push me forward. Right before they close the door on Brenda lying there, probably dead, and Lilah watching her mother being ushered to her own death.





Chapter Forty-Six


Jackson





Mick does the driving, and we make it to my house in record time. By the time we get there, two cop cars are already parked at the curb, their lights blaring, along with an ambulance.

I run inside and the sight before me is like a sucker punch to the gut. The EMTs are working on Brenda, who is lifelessly lying in a puddle of her own blood.

I scan the room. Nothing seems to be out of place, no signs of a struggle. I continue scanning the room looking for my girls. Lilah sees me first, and she immediately jumps off the police officer’s lap and runs right to me, crying.

I scoop her into my arms as she wails out her terror. “Ackson, they take Momma,” she says between sobs.

“Who, baby girl, who took Momma?” I ask her. “Who?”

She hiccups, her sobs, her breath coming out in choppy pants. “Daddy and his briend.”

I look over at Mick, who is texting the security guys we called on the way here.

Brian arrives and comes straight to us. “So, he came in the side gate from what we could tell by the censor times.” He looks at his phone. “Front door censor indicates it was disengaged and reengaged twenty minutes ago. The silent alarm was activated about twenty seconds later.”

I look down at Lilah. “You did so good, baby girl. Just like we showed you.” I kiss her stain-streaked face. “So brave, my baby girl.”

“I want Momma, Ackson,” she says as her eyes start to close as the trauma of today finally hits her.

“We got the name of the hotel. We are sending two cruisers there right now.”

I look at him, about to ask questions, when my mother runs into the house.

Her eyes are open wide with fear as she scans the area. Tears start falling when she sees Brenda being lifted on the stretcher.

She sees me sitting on the floor holding Lilah. “Jackson.” She gets on her knees next to me, stroking Lilah’s hair softly.

I look at her straight into her eyes. “He did this.”

Her hand covers her mouth, and she gasps in horror. “He came here, into her home, and he took her. He beat Brenda, badly as you can see. And he did this in front of Lilah.”

“Jackson.” That word is ripped from her, pained, but it’s all she gets out before Mick steps forward, drawing my attention.

“Jackson, Bella has her phone on her. We have a location.”

I hand Lilah to my mother before I get up.

“You aren’t going to like this,” Mick says.

My fists clench at my sides. “Tell me,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Same motel Ryan sent us to.”

I look at my mother. “I have to know if you will keep her. If anything happens to us, to me, to Bella, you will keep her.”

“Jackson, get Bella and just bring her home. Both of you just come home to Lilah.”

I nod my head, looking at Brenda, who is being wheeled out on a stretcher. She’s hanging in there, thank God. She’s been shot in the side, and hopefully nothing vital was hit. Her eye is swollen, and there’s an egg-shaped bump forming on the side of her head. Clearly, she was whipped with a gun.

“Mom, I need you to promise not leave her sight. Do not leave Lilah alone for a second, not even to go to the bathroom. I’m going to have someone staying with you both, but I still want you to promise not to let her out of your sight.”

“I promise, Jackson. Go get Bella.”

I nod at her, looking over at Mick as I turn to walk out of the house for the second time today. I pray the next time I walk back in, it will be with Bella.





Chapter Forty-Seven


Bella





They toss me into the backseat, closing the door right behind me. Looking at the door, I notice the door’s handles have been removed.

I quickly scan the area, trying to see if I can escape. Chuck must see what I’m doing because he turns around and points the gun at my leg.