“Hello, Joanna.” David looked down at me, a man on either side of him. “You’re going to come with me.”
Greyson
I walked up to her door with the crowbar and expected to have to use it. I didn’t expect that the door would be hanging open, but it was. My breath quickened as I assessed the damage.
Fuck.
I walked into the house and looked around. The foyer table had been knocked over, the rug flipped up. There had clearly been a struggle. In the middle of a chaos was a note. A single piece of paper with just a few words scribbled on it.
She’s mine now.
David. It was his handwriting. His fucking note left behind. He took my wife. He took my unborn child.
He was going to pay.
I crinkled the note in my hand and let out an angry yell. That piece of shit was going to get exactly what he deserved.
I turned to leave the townhouse, and that was when I heard it. A snore so loud that it couldn’t be ignored. She was ripped from her home all while her father slept in his bed, probably in a drunken stupor.
Rage filled my veins and left me wanting to punch something, so I turned to the closest target, the living room wall. It gave easily under my fist putting a hole in the already dry-rotted construction, then I stalked down the hallway to another unsuspecting target. Her father.
I opened the door to his room and saw him passed on the bed, a bottle clutched to his fucking chest.
“Wake the fuck up, you piece of shit,” I yelled as I kicked him right in the side.
“What?” He asked, his words slurred.
“You dumb fuck, do you have any idea what you’ve done? You were fucking home you stupid shit.”
“Who the fuck?” her father asked as he came up swinging. “Grey-“
“Joanna, where is she?” I grabbed his collar and slammed him against the head of the bed. I knew he didn’t know anything, I knew he couldn’t, but I was so angry I didn’t give a shit.
“I-I-” he stuttered, the fear very real in his eyes.
“You’re fucking worthless, you know that? If you’d be awake, sober, you might’ve been able to save her.” He wouldn’t have. I was kidding myself when I said that. What I really meant was that if I’d stayed by her side, if I’d refused to leave when she screamed at me to, it never would’ve happened.
She’d be safe in my arms, and not out there with David.
I went through a mental list of all the resources I had. Dennis, but he might not give a shit, he was pretty pissed about the way shit went down. He and my father had started proxy wars with territories and gangs, my father wouldn’t care, hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he fucking gave his permission. The only people I had on my side were Janson and the crew, but they would be enough.
I walked out of the bedroom and grabbed my phone, dialing.
“What is it, Greyson?” my father asked.
“Did you send him?”
“Send who?” I could tell he was tired, probably been sleeping.
“Who is it baby?” I heard the voice on the other end of the phone, it wasn’t my mother. Another one of his damn whores.
“David. Did you give him permission to come after my wife?” I would take down the entire family from the inside out if he did.
“What? No, I didn’t.” He sounded genuine. Like he was surprised David had done anything of the sort. “Greyson, I had no idea.”
I cleared my throat. The threat of tears stung my eyes but I willed them away. Men like me didn’t cry, we got angry. I was furious.
“Well he did, and he left a note. I don’t expect your support in this, but I’m going after him on my own. I need permission to bring my crew.”
A long pause. “You have my permission, but if you capture him, do not kill him. He is my son, and the time has passed when that is acceptable. I will carry out whatever sentence I deem fit myself,” he said. It sounded so final.
I’d never expected him to grant any kind of justice. He never would have with me.
“Fine, but if he dies in a fight, that’s not on me,” I growled into the phone then hung it up. Sometimes I wish we still had phones that could be slammed, because that was exactly what I wanted to do. I fought the urge to throw my smartphone against the wall, to destroy what was left of this tiny little hovel.
I slammed my thumb through each contact until I found Janson’s name.
“Yeah?” he asked, his voice sour.
“I need you to round up the men, we have a job to do,” I said slowly.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“David is going to get what he deserves. Tonight. He took Joanna,” I breathed into the phone. I was livid.
“What?” Janson asked.
“I went to get her, bring her back to the penthouse, and he’d taken her in a struggle. Left a note.” My blood boiled just thinking about it. I’d kicked her out of my home, out of my life, and left her to figure it all out on her own. All because I was afraid of the consequences my father might bestow upon me. I wanted her back, even if she wasn’t pregnant, but when I’d learned that she was, it was the last straw. I was going to have her. I was going to make her see just how much I loved her.
“He wants you to come after him.” Janson said it like it was a revelation. I wasn’t stupid, I knew exactly what this was.
“I know. It was the showdown that was always meant to happen.” The one my father put in motion from the very beginning. “Meet me at headquarters. I have a feeling I know exactly where he is.”
I didn’t care what my father told me to do. That bastard was going to pay.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Joanna
“I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to pull, but Greyson will come for me.” I said it with such anger that I was astounded when he turned to me and laughed.
It wasn’t the kind of chuckle you get from someone who doesn’t believe you, no, it was a full-bodied laugh.
“That, my dear, is exactly what I am hoping for.” He smiled at me, “When I exposed you I did so out of anger. You turned me down. You married him.”
I wasn’t chained. Wasn’t tied down, no. I didn’t need to be David had two of his men posted at the door and even if I got out there was nowhere to go. He had me trapped down by the docks. If I tried to run they could easily overtake me. He knew that and so did I, so I didn’t try to run. I just sat on the ratty sofa and tapped my foot.
“I was never going to marry you. You’re unstable.” That earned me a nasty slap across the face. He swung his hand so hard that the crack rang out across the room.
Fuck.
“I’m not unstable. I’m smart. Strategic. You’d see that if you would’ve just listened. If you would’ve stopped to assess the situation. You could’ve been a fucking queen, and now look at you. Just another pregnant whore.”
He spit the words out like they would infect him just for saying them. He was so filled with disgust with me that he slowed his speech. “You’ve ruined everything. I started chaos, a war, over you. Fucking Helen of Troy.”
“I highly doubt I’m that beautiful,” I said. His wit was no match for mine.
“No, but you are Greyson’s weakness. He will come looking for you, and then I’ll strike. That stupid sap has been moping ever since you walked out of his life. When I found out you were pregnant I knew it was the perfect opportunity.” He was almost fucking maniacal with his hands clasped together. I didn’t know if he was doing it for effect or if it was just the way he was. David was teetering on the edge of insane, I knew that much.
“How did you-”
“The same way Greyson knew. I just paid his PI to tell me first. Money. People are easily swayed by it. Not you though. Not money, not freedom. Nothing I could say was going to convince you. You thought he would love you, but he just threw you away.” It was the truth, and it stung worse than the slap in the face he delivered.
“Ah, I do believe I hear that classic Chevelle engine now. I knew he couldn’t resist.” I heard it just after he called attention to it and I knew instantly it was him. I could feel it in my bones.
It was a trap, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to come. I knew he would rescue me.
And if he couldn’t, I would be subject to David and whatever he wanted.
I’d rather die.
“David, let her go.” Greyson’s voice rang out from an unknown place.
“No. She’s too useful. Fight me for her, the winner inherits the family, the merger.” So that was what he wanted from me. The joining of the two families was still important to him. He thought he could create an all spanning empire from the marriage.
Clearly he didn’t know my uncle.
Two gunshots rang out and the men guarding the door fell.
“The fuck?” David asked.
“You think I just showed up? I’ve been here for a while, little brother. The rest of your guards are in a similar state. Don’t worry, they aren’t dead. Just tranked. Father was curious as to who would aid you in this. So was I,” Greyson growled as he stepped behind the shadows. “There are two ways to play this. You can let her go and we can all walk away alive, or we can fight it out.” He had his gun pointed right at David’s head.
“No weapons, just fists. I’ll fight you.” David set his gun down and kicked it aside.