Chapter 75: Chapter 6

NATE

I end my call with Dante and immediately dial Jesus to fill him in on our plan. I shoot a quick text to Jessie and Dad, urging them that we need to leave immediately. In less than ten minutes, we’re all dressed and piling into the SUV, overnight bags in tow, pulling out of the driveway.

I brief them on the situation and it’s like we’ve all turned into a pack of wild animals, ready for the hunt. We’re still a day’s journey away. I can’t help but wonder what’s going through Jesus’s mind.

He’s probably on edge, counting down the minutes until we reach the warehouse. The thought that in just a few hours, he’ll be with us, in our custody, is exhilarating. It’s like a gift for the boys.

I just hope we can get to him before the cops do. We pull over in a small town about six hours from our destination as evening falls. It’s been a long drive and we’re in need of a break.

We spot a decent-looking hotel and decide to call it a night. We quickly check in, drop our bags in the room, and notice a restaurant-bar across the street. We lock up the room and make our way over, the night air cool against our skin.

As we wait to be seated, a petite blonde waitress approaches us, only to be yanked back by the owner. He’s in her face, and it’s clear she’s uncomfortable, flinching and tearing up. I glance at my dad, he gives me a nod, and Jessie and I approach them, our hands instinctively going to our holstered guns.

I draw mine, pressing it to the owner’s temple. He releases her immediately, and she steps in front of me, trying to defend him. The restaurant goes silent as all eyes turn to us.

“If I ever see you manhandle an employee like that again, you won’t live to tell the tale. Got it?”

“Hey, man, we were just talking!” he protests, looking up at me. His face pales when he recognizes us.

“Oh, you’re the Maxwells. Shit, I didn’t know!”

“It doesn’t matter who we are! You shouldn’t be treating anyone like that! Who is she to you?”

“My name is Connie,” the girl interjects, “I’m his girlfriend. He didn’t mean it, sir!”

I look at her, noticing the heavy makeup on her face. I glance at my dad, who’s visibly uncomfortable.

“Connie, go wash your face and come back out here.”

She nods and leaves. Just then, a couple screeches into the parking lot and jumps out of their truck, rushing toward us. Something tells me these are Connie’s parents.

“I’m Murry, and this is my wife, Mabel. What the hell is going on here?”

“Murry, I’m Nate Maxwell. This is my dad, Caden, and my brother, Jessie. We came here for dinner and saw your daughter’s boyfriend manhandling her. We asked her to wash off her makeup because we suspect there’s more to this story.”

Murry’s eyes narrow at the boyfriend, his anger palpable. His gaze is only broken when Connie returns, her face clean. Her mother gasps, and Murry’s face turns red.

Connie’s face is a patchwork of healing and fresh bruises. It’s like looking at my mom and Mandy all over again. I can only stare as her mother starts crying, burying her face in Murry’s shoulder.

“Give us your address and take Connie home. We’ll stop by tomorrow on our way back through town. We’ll discuss what we can do for her then. Connie, this is not how a woman should be treated.”

They take Connie and leave. My dad looks at me, and I smirk, saying, “Charles!” His eyes light up.

Charles is a new guy, a big, burly, black-haired beast who rarely speaks and is always looking for his goddess. I call Niko, telling him to bring Tony and Charles with overnight bags to meet us at the hotel.

We’re going to have a quiet dinner, but I have a feeling we won’t be sleeping until we have that piece of trash in our car.

MARCUS

Shit! Shit! Shit! I can’t find the fucking girls. I promised I’d have them today. I spent so much time training them to be obedient and submissive, and now all that work is fucking gone!

Maybe I can buy more time. Yeah, I’ll ask for more time and try to get them back. They’ll listen to me because I’m their dad.

I just need to find a way to contact them. I pull up to the warehouse and see a car outside. I hope I’m not too late.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and jump out of the car, rushing through the door. I navigate through a few more doors until I reach the exchange room. There are two guards and a man sitting in a chair.

I wait for him to say something, anything, but instead, his guards grab my arms. “Look, Mr. Barella, I know I fucked up! I went to the house, and they’re gone. I don’t know where they went, but I’ll find them, I promise! You just have to give me some time!”

“Well, see, Mr. Barella gave you time!” The man gets up and turns around. It’s Ezra.

“You had twenty-four hours to bring the girls here. We’re at the deadline, and there are no girls. So, Mr. Barella left, but he got a better offer from someone else in exchange for you! Tie him up, we have a present to wrap for the Maxwells!”

I’m quickly tied to a chair as Ezra pulls out his phone and makes a call.

“Jesus? It’s Ezra. How long until you get here? I have a nice package waiting for your boss! You’ll be here in an hour? Great, we’ll be waiting!”

“Who are you giving me to?”

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise! Jesus will fill you in. His boss is only a couple of hours behind him.”

JESUS

After I hang up with Ezra, I’m beside myself with excitement. They’re going to hold him for us, and we’ll be there in an hour.

I’m in the passenger seat, and soon enough, we pull up to the warehouse. I told Nate I’d keep him alive, but I’m going to get my licks in. Little does everyone know, I’ve been keeping tabs on them myself.

These girls are my cousin’s grandkids. No one fucks with my family. I knew he wasn’t their dad, but when I found out what he did, he’s lucky I have orders to keep him alive.

I jump out of the car, bat in hand, and run into the warehouse. When I enter and make my way to the back, I see this piece of shit look up and stare wide-eyed. That’s right, you motherfucker, you should be scared!

I grab his head as Ezra backs away.

“Do you know what this jerk did?” I spit out, my voice echoing in the warehouse. “Those girls are my cousins’ grandkids. He didn’t just win their trust, he manipulated them, violated them, gave them diseases and got them pregnant, only to force them to lose their babies.

“The boss found them bleeding and violated. And you just ran away like a coward!”

“What kind of sick, twisted stuff is this?” I hear someone ask.

I release his head, pulling back the bat and swinging it hard into one knee. The sound of a loud crack and his wails fill the warehouse, but I don’t care. I swing again, connecting with his other knee.

I hit his arm next, hearing the bone snap. His screams are getting louder, but they only fuel me. I throw the bat aside and start punching his face, breaking his nose and other facial bones.

His screams start to fade, so I take one more swing, hitting his stomach. I pull back just as I hear the boss yell.

“Jesus, enough!”

Caden’s voice echoes through the warehouse. I step back slowly and walk over to him, handing him the bloodied bat.

I glance back at Marcus. “You’re lucky he showed up and I had orders not to kill you! Those girls are my cousin’s grandkids. No one, and I mean no one, ever messes with my family!” I make sure to yell the last part directly at Marcus. I walk outside because I can’t stand to be in the same room as him right now.

Orders or not, I’m tempted to put a bullet in his head, but that’s not my call to make. I pull out a cigarette and light it, taking a drag as I see Nate and Jessie come out, dragging Marcus tied up to the back of a car.

I turn my back, unable to look at him. I feel sick to my stomach. My cousin passed years ago and would be heartbroken about all this.

I can’t believe Martha let this happen. I stand there, looking out into the distance, taking another drag as Caden comes to stand next to me.

I don’t say anything, knowing I let my emotions get the best of me. I take another drag as he sighs.

“I get it, Jesus, I understand why you did what you did. I don’t blame you, but next time, can you leave some good bones for us to break? We want to have our fun too!”

I turn to look at him as he smiles and walks back toward the car. He starts directing the men to take Marcus straight to the basement.

I’m staying with him, Nate, and Jessie. I quickly put out my cigarette, grab my bag, and jump into the other SUV. We head out, going back to the hotel to sleep and wait for the guys to arrive in the morning.