Chapter 89: Chapter 3

MASON

Jeremy and I have plans to grab dinner with our buddies, Christian and Travis, after work today. We’ve been tight since we were kids, so it was a no-brainer when they asked me for a job. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work for the Maxwells?

As the clock strikes five, we pile into an SUV, heading for our favorite hangout, the Striker. We pull up to the club around six, and as we step out, I hear a commotion in the crowd. There’s a guy I don’t recognize, and he’s with a girl who’s trying to calm him down.

My breath catches—she’s stunning. I can’t help but wonder how this night is going to unfold, because I need her.

“Like seriously, they think they own the fucking town! Nothing but a bunch of pussies if you ask me,” the guy rants.

His buddies seem to agree, while the girls plead with them to keep it down. I straighten my suit as one of the girls is suddenly grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch! You three were hired for a good fuck tonight, so better behave before your owner gets called!”

My crew and I exchange glances, then draw our guns and approach. I wrap my arm around the first guy’s neck, pressing my gun to his head. Jeremy and Travis pull the other girls away from their dates.

I signal my girl to step aside while we keep our guns trained on the other two. I release the jerk when he tries to stare me down.

“You can’t just take our fucking girls! We paid for their services tonight!” he shouts.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you paid for! And yes, we just took your fucking girls!” I retort.

I motion for my guys to follow me and we escort the girls into the club. We’ll figure out what the hell is going on once we’re inside.

The girls look young, maybe between sixteen and eighteen. We head for the entrance, watching as the men retreat, likely to find whoever they hired the girls from.

Inside the club, we head straight for the VIP section. The girls cling to each other, crying. We order drinks for us and sodas for the girls, not knowing their ages.

Once they’ve calmed down a bit, I sit next to my girl, studying her.

“What is your name, sweetheart?”

“My name is Sasha, and that is Jaime and Brittany.”

“Okay, so explain to me what that was all about?”

“If he finds out we are talking, he will kill us! That’s what happened when the last girl tried to run!”

“Believe me, he will not get to you guys!”

The girls exchange glances, then slowly nod.

“See, we have a friend, or who we thought was a good friend, named Donald. He said he knew a way we could all make some good quick money. He then picked us all up and dragged us to whatever town and state this is, and made us become escorts. Please, God, do not let him get a hold of us!”

“How long ago did he take you guys?”

“A few weeks now! I know our parents must be freaking out! They probably called the cops, we are probably on the news. Law enforcement is probably looking for us.”

“How old are you girls?”

“We all just turned eighteen a couple weeks ago.”

“Okay, this is what we are going to do! Let’s get a hold of your parents and we will get them here. As long as this guy is out there, he is still a threat. Most likely, he will have friends that will help him to try and get you three back.”

I motion for Sasha to move next to me and pull out my phone. We call her parents while my guys let the other girls call theirs. We will have them meet us at the compound where we can keep them safe.

“Mom?”

“Oh my God, Sasha! Baby, where are you? Are you okay?”

“Yes, Mom, I am okay! I am here with Jaime and Brittany. We are okay, Mom!”

I watch as she starts crying, handing me the phone and burying her face into my chest. I wrap my arm around her as I speak to her mom.

“Hello, ma’am?”

“My name is Anika! Who is this? Why do you have my baby?”

“I would like to introduce myself. My name is Mason Maxwell.”

“Oh my God, are you related to Caden Maxwell?”

“Yes, he is my grandfather.”

“Oh my goodness, Matt! Matt, get over here! The Maxwells saved the girls! How did you find them?”

“We came to our club tonight and saw the three girls standing in line with some men. Your daughter was being choked against the wall, so we grabbed the three of them and brought them inside to get away from the men. They are safe at this moment. They told us what had happened a few weeks ago to get to this point tonight. We are having all the parents meet at our compound here so we can explain everything that is going on. The person who took them is still out there, so until we eliminate him, he is still a threat.”

“Oh my poor girls! They have been friends forever! What is the address we go to? We are in the next state, but we will start driving tonight and should be there by tomorrow morning.”

I give them the address and my guys let the other parents know who are also leaving tonight. I have no doubt these two weeks have been pure hell not knowing what happened.

I hang up when I look down at Sasha and she has fallen asleep against me. The other two are snuggling into my guys. We give them time to rest because no doubt they have had a long three weeks doing who knows what just to survive.

After a few hours, I tell Christian to bring the car around to the back of the club. “We’re going out the back just in case they’re out front.”

After a few minutes, we get a text saying he’s ready at the rear of the building. We wake up the girls and walk with them down the back stairs to leave.

We all walk to the car, helping the girls get in when Christian lets us know that the guys are out front with some darker-skinned guy. The girls automatically start whimpering and shaking, pleading with us to not let him find them.

I send out a text for guards to meet at the back of the club asap and within ten minutes, there are five SUVs pulling up, unloading with their guns. I see about thirty guys and stick six surrounding the SUV.

I have the girls shut the doors and hide down on the floorboards just in case. Half are going to go through the club while the other half are going to walk around the side.

I get my guns situated and we make our way back into the club. We walk through the people on the dancefloor when they notice us and start parting ways to let us go by.

As we approach the entrance, I turn to the bouncers.

“Where are they in the line?”

One of them scans the crowd and points toward the end.

~Perfect. They won’t see us coming.~

I draw my guns, my crew following suit.

We burst out of the door, sprinting toward the back of the line.

Our sudden appearance, guns raised, catches them completely off guard.

The four of them raise their hands, slowly backing away.

They turn to find the rest of my crew behind them, guns also raised.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve, showing up at our club again!” I shout.

“They said you took my boys’ girls!” one of them retorts.

“That’s right! They’re my girls now!” I respond, my voice echoing through the night. “If he wants them back, there’s going to be a fight! Don’t show your faces here again! If he comes after them with his friends, they’ll all end up dead!”

Suddenly, they turn and run.

We watch as they pile into a car and speed off.

~They’ll be back. I have no doubt about that.~

But we’ll be ready.

I’ll make sure of it.

Because no one—and I mean no one—fucks with the Maxwells or our girls.