He froze, his eyes going wide. “What?”
“I asked him to marry me last night. He said yes.”
“Holy shit.”
Lane clapped me on the shoulder. “Fuck yeah, you did. Congrats.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, but didn’t feel much except a great loss. Oleander’s words before hit me where they needed to. The problem was, I couldn’t let go of the fear residing in me that I wouldn’t get to Forest in time. That I wouldn’t be able to locate him.
A phone rang. I wasn’t sure whose it was until Lane answered and held it in front of him so we could all hear.
“What did you find, Lawson?” Lane asked
“Winnie’s boyfriend was reported missing a while back. She initially reported it to the police, but they couldn’t find anything. A day later, she told them he came home to pack a bag and leave. He went on a trip. They found proof of this with a plane ticketand his getting on a plane. The thing is, he never checked in at the hotel. She acted like he broke up with her.”
“She talked like they were still together,” I said.
“That’s because he was kidnapped by her ex. Get ready for some talk show level shit. Winnie’s ex is fucking batshit. He left her and immediately started dating someone else, someone who happened to be dealing drugs in the city. Eventually, we got hold of him and delivered the punishment for such a crime. The ex kidnapped Winnie’s current boyfriend and must have told her to get a job working for Jordan. That was her way in, so she could become close to you. It just so happened that she was put on Forest’s detail because you two are together. All the pieces fell into place, and here we are. Her boyfriend is missing. The ex needs to be cut into many pieces.”
“I barely followed that,” Lane said.
“Where?” I asked.
“Here’s what I know…”
32
FOREST
They didn’t blindfold me as they drove deeper into a rural part of Pennsylvania. What would be the point? I had no phone, no way to contact anyone. It wasn’t like I knew where the hell I was. Every time something came into view that would be recognizable, Isaac, my kidnapper, would say some cruel words to distract me. I wasn’t a violent man, but I would kill this motherfucker if I could.
With the resources Jordan had, I had no doubt they’d figure out where I was, especially with Winnie being the one who took me. They would dig into every corner of her life, see her boyfriend was missing, and follow the trail. Maybe if someone other than Sheldon showed up, they’d live, and so would the person I loved. I didn’t have high hopes for him not being the first through the door to rescue me, wherever that ended up being. I just had to stay positive that we’d all live. Maybe not Winnie or Isaac. I didn’t care that her boyfriend was taken. She could have made different choices. She was in a secure building where Jordan would have gone above and beyond to help her. Yet, she kept everything to herself and pulled this shit.
No mercy. There were options that weren’t taken, so I really wanted someone to remove her from this planet.
Even as we drove down the road with Isaac ranting in the front seat about stop signs, I could hear Winnie whisper how sorry she was and how she didn’t have a choice. I kept my mouth shut, but the urge was there to tell her to fuck all the way off, out the goddamn window, and get run over by a tractor-trailer.
We finally pulled into the driveway of a very nice home. It was a white Colonial with dark blue shutters and a matching door. There was even a fucking picket fence and flowers landscaped perfectly. What in the domesticated nightmare was happening?
Isaac drove into an open garage door and closed it behind us. He didn’t say a word as he shut the car off and got out, opening my door with far more force than was necessary. Really, where was I going at this point? I was handcuffed in a closed garage. The nearest neighbor was acres away. I’d have better luck finding a cow to ride out of here.
He grabbed my shirt and roughly pulled me out of the car, causing me to stumble until I could get my feet steady. My hands were gripped, tugging on the handcuffs. He urged me to a door that took us into the house.
It was clean, like someone came in and made it spotless every week. There were no dishes in the sink in the kitchen. The cabinets were white, and the counters were a light gray marble, all pristine, as if they were for show. There was even a high counter to sit at with stools. Did we go to the right house?
That was when I saw the photos on the fridge of Isaac and Tripp. They were hugging in one, kissing in another. There was a photo of them on vacation somewhere tropical where they could swim with stingrays. Okay, this was sad. It was obvious these two were in love. Still, if Tripp was dealing in the city like I’d heard Winnie whisper to me, no wonder Sheldon got to him. Jordan didn’t allow that shit. And he must have known. So while I could feel empathy for losing a loved one, I couldn’t when thatperson put other lives at risk by selling drugs that could kill them. Yup, I was back to hating them. Screw the family photos.
“You see him?” Isaac asked, getting in my face. “That was the man I was going to live out my days with. Sheldon killed him.”
“For selling drugs in Jordan’s city.” I shouldn’t have said it, but I didn’t care either. No wonder Isaac didn’t call the cops after what he saw.
I saw the punch coming. It fucking hurt and was no doubt bruising already.
“That’s the lie they tell,” he hissed. “He wouldn’t do that. Look at where we live. Why would he go there to sell drugs? Drugs he didn’t even do?”
Well, if he was asking. “Why does anyone do anything? Were you in debt? Medical expenses? Was he an addict and kept it from you? What about repairs to the house?” The list could go on and on. Now that I’d started talking, I couldn’t stop. “It could be anything. Maybe he got in trouble gambling and had to find a way out. Obviously, he didn’t tell you everything. Why the fuck are you asking me? Do you think I have a goddamn clue? I don’t even know who you are outside of your first name.” Jesus, this guy.
Of course, he punched me again. My cheeks needed to match, after all. “Fuck you.”
