28. Reagan

Chapter 28

Reagan

J ust as I make it to Wellington, I see my sister, kicking and screaming as three adult women who I can only assume are teachers are watching. A man with salt and pepper hair is holding up on her tiptoes by her elbow. The gate is thankfully open, and I barrel through without checking in, making the women jump out of the way. Pieces of shit. I don’t care what my father told them; you don’t just stand there while a young girl is screaming that she doesn’t want to go with some old guy she doesn’t know.

I’m not fast enough because before I can block his car in, he’s shoved my sister in the back seat. I want to jump out and grab her, but he’s already in the driver’s seat. I know by the time I get to him, he’ll already be gone, and I can’t let them get out of my sight. I don’t know what my plan is. There is no plan. There’s just me, fighting for my sister, and when I say he’ll have to kill me to get me off his ass, I mean it. One of the women I almost ran over starts beating on the side of the SUV and rage wells up inside me. I open my door, slamming it into her and knocking her to the ground. She’s screaming, and she’s lucky that I don’t have the time to curb stomp her because that’s what she deserves for being on my father’s payroll.

The asshole who thinks he’s going to own my sister is pulling out of the parking lot with a quickness I didn’t expect from someone his age. But he doesn’t know who I am. I have enough rage inside me right now to take him on with my bare hands.

I slam on the accelerator, my knuckles white as I grip the steering wheel with all the ferocity of a caged animal. The tires screech against the pavement, echoing the scream in my head as I chase after the sleek car carrying Reese.

The city blurs past me as I weave through the traffic. Panic and adrenaline fuel my resolve, pushing me to keep pace with the man’s car just ahead of me.

I growl under my breath, swerving around a slow-moving van that the shiny black car has passed. The van honks it’s horn, and I flip off the driver and speed up to catch up with my father’s business associate. As I tailgate his vehicle, I can’t help but notice how jerky his driving is. His windows are tinted, so I can’t see what’s going on, but as his car lurches over into oncoming traffic and then back into our lane, I can’t help but think maybe Reese is giving him hell, trying to get him to pull over and let her out. A fierce grin spreading across my lips, I say out loud even though she can’t hear me, “Kick him. Fuck the bastard up.”

Despite the satisfaction that thought brings me, I know I need to act quickly. I won’t let Reese suffer a moment longer than necessary, and I know with her small size, one hit from that asshole could be life threatening. He wants her alive, but I’m afraid with the threat of someone chasing him and her defiance, he might act out of anger. I grit my teeth and tighten my grip on the steering wheel, my eyes narrowing in determination. As I edge closer to the man’s car, I know I need to take a risk—something daring that will force him to pull over and release Reese.

“Fuck it,” I mutter, swallowing the fear that threatens to choke me. My foot presses down harder on the accelerator, and my heart races in tandem with the engine’s roar.

The distance between our cars shrinks until it’s nonexistent. I press forward, feeling the impact of my front bumper against the back of his car. Each jolt sends a shock through my body, a visceral reminder of what’s at stake.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the frantic pounding of my heart. I need to be smart about this and be calculated. I can’t shake the image of Reese’s terrified eyes, the way she struggled against the man’s iron grip. The thought makes my blood boil, ignites a fire within me that demands action.

I think he’s going to pull over, but instead he pulls down a side road. It’s gravel and there’s literally nothing back here except overgrown dead grass, it seems. Unless Reese saw me and mentioned who I am, he probably doesn’t know who’s after him. I don’t know his business, but if he’s fucking around with my father, he probably has more people than just me who want him dead. “Pull over so I can kill you,” I mutter under my breath, my knuckles white around the steering wheel.

“Fuck it,” I hiss, gritting my teeth as I brace myself for another, harsher impact.

With a jolt, my front bumper connects with the back of his car again. He tries to shake me off, but I hold tight, matching his every move.

“Let her go, you bastard!” I scream out my window, my voice raw with desperation. I want him to see me. Penn Blackwood might be a monster, but even he would be no match for me right now. I will not give in until this motherfucker is bleeding out at my feet.

“Reagan, help me!” Reese’s voice reaches me, a guttural cry that shatters what’s left of my composure. She’s opened the passenger window, and I tell by the way she’s moving that she’s kicking at the man as he tries to stay on the road and out of the grass.

“Jump, Reese! Jump out! It’ll be okay!” I scream at her, but she either can’t hear me or can’t get her foot away from him to do what I’m suggesting. It’s better for her to end up with broken bones than what he has in mind for her.

The deafening silence is interrupted only by the screeching of tires. We skid around a corner, and he comes to a halt near an abandoned warehouse it looks like, and I slam on my brakes.

“Reese!” I scream, my voice cracking with desperation as I jump out of the SUV.

“Get the fuck away from her!” My words echo, bouncing off the decaying brick of the warehouse. The man doesn’t respond as he gets out of the driver’s seat, his mouth drawn tight with annoyance. I realize now that he must have pulled over because he figured out that it was me chasing him and not some hitman he screwed over.

We stand there glaring at one another. I don’t have a weapon, and I don’t want to advance on him too quickly because if he kills me, she doesn’t have much of a chance of escaping him.

“Get me out of here!” Reese’s cries reach my ears, sending shivers down my spine. She’s terrified, but she’s fighting—just like I taught her.

“Get out and run!” I scream at her. I want to run to her, pull her out of his car and promise her that he’ll never lay a hand on her, but I need to stay here and distract him. I know I have to be cautious, yet every fiber of my being screams for me to lunge at the man and tear him apart with my bare hands.

“You’re a very stupid girl, aren’t you? Pretty. But immensely stupid.” The man taunts, his voice dripping with malice. “I bought her from your father. Money paid. She’s mine, so I suggest you get in your car and go back home. I don’t want this to turn ugly.”

“Fuck you,” I spit out, my knuckles turning white as I clench my fists. “You’ll never have her. You’re disgusting.”

“Bold words for such a dumb girl. Maybe I’ll keep you too. I’m sure your father won’t mind for all the trouble and damage you’ve caused me.” He chuckles darkly, and I can almost feel the ice in his veins. “I’ll enjoy breaking that defiant spirit of yours, probably more than even your sweet little sister.”

“I’ll claw your eyes out. You have no idea what he’s turned me into.” I retort bitterly, my anger flaring as we circle each other. I manage to taunt him enough so that he moves away from the car, and I can reach out to open the door that’s been keeping my sister locked up.

His voice oozes with menace, sending shivers down my spine. “You’re older than she is. You know what this world is like. You know that I have two choices. Kill you or keep you, and right now you seem like more trouble than you’re worth.”

I need to be clever, cunning—just like my husband. My heart aches at the thought of him. I wish I’d stopped to get my phone, to call him and tell him where I am, but if I’d taken the time, I probably would have missed seeing this motherfucker’s car. I’d have no idea where to look for her, and I’d probably never see my sister again, let alone be able to save her .

I watch as the man’s gaze turns to Reese as she steps out of his car. “Run away, sweetie, and I’ll have to kill your sister. You don’t want that, do you? Get back in the car.”

Reese’s eyes lock onto mine and I snap at her, “He’s bluffing. Run. Run!” I scream at her, but then all I see are his cold eyes narrow, and a sinister smile tugs at his lips. He takes slow, deliberate steps toward me, and my heart pounds in my chest.

“You’re a stubborn little thing, aren’t you?” he taunts, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was wondering if you’d crack, and it looks like I’m going to have to do the breaking.”

I clench my fists, anger bubbling inside me like a volcano about to erupt. What kind of twisted fuck enjoys tormenting two young women like this? My eyes dart to Reese, who is still standing next to his car. I glare at her, trying to convey that she needs to run without telling her again. I need to keep him focused on me, so she has a chance to escape.

“You really are pathetic, having to buy sex. I’m sure you square it away in your mind that the girls you buy aren’t people, they’re things to collect, but the real truth is that no one you’d want to fuck would ever willingly touch you. Because you’re a gross, pathetic old fool,” I snarl, my face contorted into a mask of fierce determination. I stand my ground, refusing to back down despite the danger that surrounds me.

“Oh, that really hurts me. Do you think I care if the women I fuck want me? Sometimes it makes it better if they don’t,” he challenges, his malicious grin widening. “What will you do to stop me?”

“Whatever it fucking takes,” I shoot back, my stance challenging his control over our lives.

His laughter fills the air, causing a shiver to run down my spine. “I see that your sister picked up some of your feistiness,” he muses, seemingly delighted by my tenacity. He turns his face to show me the reddening mark on his cheek from where Reese must have kicked him. She’s in her school uniform, and I’m suddenly thankful for those wooden sole loafers they make her wear that we both agreed are a fashion tragedy. “This should be entertaining. I think I’ll fuck you and then kill you so I can enjoy your sister in peace.”

“Get away from her!” Reese suddenly shouts, her voice laced with desperation. Her outburst seems to amuse the man even more, and his focus momentarily shifts back to her.

“Your sister is quite the fighter,” he says, speaking to me as if Reese isn’t even there. “But she won’t stand a chance against me.”

“Neither will you,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper, but dripping with scorn. The look in his eyes tells me he’s heard, and it only fuels his fucked-up desire for power over both me and my sister.

“Careful, Reagan. Do you think your daddy will miss you if I leave you here to rot?” he threatens, taking another step closer.

“My father can choke on a dick,” I spit out, my heart pounding in my chest. I can’t let him win.

The man chuckles darkly, closing the distance between us. But as he does, I catch a flicker of light, maybe headlights heading toward us. Hope surges through me, but I don’t get to turn to see if anyone is there because the man’s hands close around my throat, his fingers digging into my flesh with ruthless force. The air in my lungs dwindles, and I gasp for breath, clawing at his hands in a desperate attempt to free myself from his suffocating grip.

“Get off of me,” I choke out, my vision blurring as darkness encroaches on the edges of my sight. He tightens his hold, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he relishes in the power he holds over me.

“Give up,” he taunts, his voice low and menacing. “You can’t save her.”

“Fuck...you,” I manage, my voice barely audible through the crushing pressure on my throat. I refuse to let him win, even as despair threatens to consume me.

Suddenly, a sound cuts through the silence. The noise grows louder and louder, alerting me enough to muster a kick in his direction.

“Who the hell is that?” the man snarls, momentarily loosening his grip as he glances toward the approaching vehicle. I turn and see Penn and Ramsey, and they look like they’re ready to kill.

“Your worst fucking nightmare,” I spit out.