Don’t Come Find Me

ANSEL

“Max. Which ward is he in?” Ansel’s finger taps a rhythm on his knee as he sits in the passenger seat. Alex, in the driver’s seat, listens in.

“Ward 808? Got it.” He ends the call and slips his phone into his jeans pocket. “Room twenty-four, ward 808, Al. Let’s do this.”

They exit the car and head towards the imposing hospital building.

Weaving through a cluster of paramedics and nurses at the entrance, they stride confidently through the lobby, heading for Jeff’s ward.

They’ve decided that a little pressure might be just what Rainey’s dad needs.

Jeff is propped up in his hospital bed, a pile of white pillows supporting his back. He’s clutching his injured side over his blue pajamas.

A grimace of pain crosses his face and he mutters a string of curses as the door to his room slides open.

“How are you feeling, Anderson?” His doctor, a young woman with thick, glossy black hair and bright green eyes, walks in.

He sighs. “My insides feel like shit, but seeing your pretty face makes it a bit better, Doctor Stephanie.”

The woman, who looks to be in her early twenties, chuckles dryly, shaking her head. “It’s Doctor Meyers to you. You’ll need to take two more pain relievers in six hours.”

“I think your phone number would do more good.”

She scoffs at his flirtation, quickly jotting something down on her notepad. A small, amused smile plays on her full lips. “You’re not exactly my type, Mr. Anderson.”

“What is your type?” Jeff smirks, tilting his battered face to the side.

“To be honest, those two boys waiting at the door are more my speed.”

He scrunches his face up. “Two boys waiting at the door?”

She checks his IV machine and nods. “Two very handsome boys. They say they’re good friends of yours and were devastated when they heard you were in the hospital.”

Jeff narrows his eyes in confusion, trying to figure out who these people could be. He didn’t tell anyone about his hospitalization except Miranda.

“I’ll let them in, since your next exam is in an hour.” With that, she strides away, sliding the transparent door open and politely ushering in Jeff’s two worst nightmares.

Jeff’s face goes pale as Alex and Ansel step into the room. The two boys smirk mischievously while Doctor Meyers blushes deeply.

“You only have an hour, boys.”

Stunned, Jeff opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.

Alex flashes the doctor a charming smile, and she blushes even more as she sashays away, her white gown swishing around her hips.

After closing the door behind her, he follows Ansel over to Jeff, who finally finds his voice.

“Fuck.” He tries to move. “Help… Help!”

“Shh.” Alex firmly grips his shoulder, pushing him back against the pillows. He pats Jeff’s chest in a mock comforting gesture. “Yelling won’t do your messed-up intestine any good.”

Ansel smirks, pulling a chair up to Jeff’s bedside. The man shrinks back from the grinning teen, watching him with wary eyes.

“Haven’t seen you since I put a hole in your stomach. How’s life?” Ansel asks. “Like it here? I gotta say, you’ve got a great view of the city from up here.”

He gestures towards the window behind him, a sinister smile on his lips.

“Are you two here to finish me off?” Jeff tries to hide his fear, but his shaking hands betray him.

Ansel leans back in his seat, his fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the arms of the chair.

Jeff’s gaze drops to the ominous movement, then flicks back up to see Ansel’s lips set in a serious line, his eyes filled with a familiar menace.

They’re like two dark holes, filled with fury and fire. The last time Jeff saw that look, he was met with a bullet seconds later.

“See, Jeff, you’re going to make this easy for us.” Ansel leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he looks at him intently. “And you’re going to make this easy for Rainey’s dad.

“You’re going to turn yourself in to the cops, and you’re going to turn Greg in too. You’re also going to admit that you both abused that thirteen-year-old girl in 2006.”

Jeff’s eyebrows draw together as Alex reaches for an apple from the fruit basket on the nightstand, inspecting it before taking a bite.

The room is silent except for the sound of Alex’s noisy chewing. Jeff swallows nervously.

“Do you understand?” Ansel asks.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t have anything to do with that.” Jeff’s gaze is a mix of guilt and fear. “I didn’t abuse anyone in 2006, so there’s nothing to—”

A knife at his throat cuts him off, and his body shakes with fear as he stares cross-eyed at the weapon under his chin.

He closes his eyes tightly, sweat beading on the bridge of his nose. “H-how did you get a knife in here?”

“Money makes the world go round, Jeff,” Alex says, reaching for a banana nonchalantly. “We just bribed a few security guards. No big deal.”

Ansel presses his pocketknife gently against Jeff’s skin, making him wince at the small sting.

“If you don’t do what we say, I’ll kill you. And it would be nothing for me to kill both you and your friend. I have no mercy for perverts, Jeff.

“I think turning yourself in would be better, if you want to keep seeing the light of day. The cops already know what you guys did anyway.”

Jeff gazes at them, a look of dread in his eyes. He’s learned the hard way that standing up to these guys never ends well. He’s got no choice but to go along with their plan.

He’s sure they’ve already reported the abuse, so what’s left to fight for? He can’t run. He’d be a fugitive for the rest of his life, and he’d eventually get caught.

That’s if these gangster boys don’t find him first. Given their skills with guns and fists, he can’t even begin to guess what kind of mob connections they might have.

“Will you two leave us alone if I turn us in?” Jeff finally asks, swallowing hard.

“Yeah. This works out for everyone. Being in prison is a lot better than being dead, right?”

Jeff doesn’t respond. He just stares at his bedsheets, defeated. He’s hurting, and he’s exhausted. He’ll give them what they want just to get these crazy guys off his back.

Ansel seems satisfied with his compliance.

“Good. You just made things a lot easier for us. We’re even now. You slashed my tires, and I slashed your gut. Funny how things turn out, huh?”

He smirks, and Jeff can see the wicked glint in his eyes.

This guy is anything but good.

***

The brothers climb into their car, and Alex starts the engine, glancing at Ansel. “Well, that went better than I expected. Should we pick up Rainey from the mall?”

“No, she said she’d find her own way back. She’s probably home by now.” Ansel buckles his seatbelt.

“Okay. Are you sure she was really at the mall though?” Alex shoots a quick look at his brother as he pulls out of the hospital parking lot.

Ansel leans his elbow on the window ledge and shrugs. “I put a shared GPS on our phones so I can see where she is all the time.”

Alex raises his eyebrows, and Ansel continues.

“Just for safety. She doesn’t know about it. Last time I checked, she was really at the mall.”

He lifts himself off the seat to pull his phone from his pocket, and Alex grins, clearly impressed.

“That’s smart. I should probably secretly install that on Riley’s phone too.”

Ansel just smiles as he opens the tracking app to check Rainey’s current location. As soon as her device is located, he squints at his screen in disbelief.

“What the hell?” he mutters.

“What?” Alex glances at him.

“It says she’s in Freetown.”

Ansel can’t believe what he’s seeing. The results must be wrong, right? He closes the app, then opens it again to double-check.

“It’s probably a glitch or something. Why would she be in Freetown?” Alex is trying to keep an eye on his brother and the road at the same time.

A thought strikes Ansel. He knows Rainey. She’s the kind of person who would sacrifice herself for someone else’s happiness.

Considering she hid the abuse to protect her dad’s and maybe her mom’s reputation, she would go to great lengths to keep the brothers safe.

“Shit.” Ansel runs his fingers through his hair, his jaw clenched tight. “What the hell are you doing, Rainey? Alex, we need to get to Freetown now. Make a U-turn.”

“I’m on it.” Alex’s forehead creases with worry as he swings the car around, the tires screeching against the asphalt. “Why would she go to Freetown? What is she thinking?”

Ansel’s palms are sweaty as he presses a fist to his mouth, shaking his head over and over as he tries to stay calm.

“Is she turning herself in?”

“Drive faster, Al.”

Alex steps on the gas while Ansel quickly dials Rainey’s number. He holds the phone to his ear as he rubs the corner of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

He’s upset and angry right now, so angry that Rainey would do something so ~stupid~.

RON

Rainey sits in the back seat of the sleek black BMW, as Ron Moretto’s chauffeur, Moscow, drives them down Gordon Road in Freetown.

The car smells like new leather and strong cologne.

The air conditioning is cranked up high enough to make her skin pale, but her hands are still damp with nervous sweat as she picks at the black polish on her thumbnail.

She’s not scared of Ron Moretto, but the thought of possibly dying sends a chill through her. She made a snap decision to offer herself to him in hopes that he would leave the boys alone.

She’s willing to join his drug operation and do whatever he wants if it means he’ll stop targeting the King family.

The car ride is silent and agonizing, and she wonders if Moscow is driving this slowly on purpose, maybe to torment her in her final moments.

If Ron decides he doesn’t want her to work for him, he might kill her.

She glances at the man sitting next to her. He’s staring straight ahead with a small smirk on his face, aware of her watching him.

He hasn’t said a word since they picked her up at the entrance to her neighborhood, and Rainey feels like he’s plotting her death in his head.

Her brown eyes watch every tiny movement of the man and his chauffeur, as if she could be shot in the head at any moment.

Her phone starts to ring in her jeans, startling her out of her thoughts. She looks at Ron as she pulls out the device. Her stomach flips when she sees Ansel’s name on the caller ID.

She swallows hard. He’s going to be so mad at her, but this is for his own good. She prays that he’ll understand someday.

She hangs up, turns the phone face down, and takes a short breath. She looks out the window through the tinted glass. ~I’m sorry, Ansel. But I can’t let anything happen to you.~

Rainey’s phone rings again, earning her a sideways glare from Ron. She quickly silences it, a pang of guilt hitting her as she bounces her legs nervously.

Where are they taking her? How long will this ride last? Why is he driving so painfully slow?

Rainey feels like pulling her hair out. The anxiety might kill her before they do.

Her phone buzzes with a new text, and she closes her eyes. She’s afraid the message might make her back out, but she can’t help wanting to see what Ansel has to say.

She flips her phone over hesitantly and opens his message.

Ansel

Why are you in Freetown?? And why aren’t you picking your phone up??

Rainey’s eyes go wide. How does he know where she is?

Suddenly, her phone is yanked from her hands. Ron rolls down his window, tosses it onto the pavement, and then rolls the window back up.

“No phones in my car,” he states simply.

She stares at him, then back at her abandoned phone through the rear window, then back at him.

He adjusts his jacket as she settles back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. Her phone is the least of her worries.

Her main concern is that Ansel knows where she is, and he’ll undoubtedly come looking for her. That could put him in danger. This wasn’t the plan.

“Please, keep your promise. I’ll do whatever you want if you leave them alone,” she says, her voice steady despite the fear creeping in.

Ron chuckles, shaking his head. “I don’t understand what’s so great about those King boys that you’d risk your life for them.”

Rainey hears the jealousy in his voice and shakes her head, looking out the window. “They’re good people. They’re my family.”

“Family,” he scoffs.

She presses her lips together, turning to face him. “You should know what that’s like. They were your family too…before you betrayed them.”

He meets her gaze, a muscle in his cheek twitching at her words. She holds his stare until he looks away.

“The same love you have for Ansel is the same love I have for Melissa.

“When what I love is taken away, I react accordingly. Just like you’re rashly offering yourself for Ansel.”

“Don’t compare Ansel and me to your strange obsession,” Rainey retorts, and Ron smirks.

“I see a lot of similarities between us. We both love deeply.”

Rainey scoffs, shaking her head.

“You know, Ansel reminds me a lot of his dad. He’s quiet, smart, but very cunning. Austin is the same. He’s polite and kind but will rip your heart out in a second.

“Don’t be fooled, Rainey. When I say Ansel is my ~favorite~, I don’t necessarily mean he’s my ~favorite~.”

She narrows her eyes at him.

“He reminds me too much of Austin, and I hate Austin…so figure it out.” He smirks at her.

She shakes her head, pitying him. “Your reason for wanting to destroy the King family isn’t just because of your ‘love’ for Melissa.

“You were jealous of Austin and his brothers. You’re nothing but a jealous coward.”

Ron laughs, and Moscow looks at them nervously through the rearview mirror. No one ever talks to Ron Moretto like that.

“We’ll see who’s the coward soon enough, Rainey Slate.”

Ron gives her a smile that sends a shiver down her spine. He’s planning something, and Rainey can’t shake the feeling that her plan is about to backfire.

The car finally stops at a hardware store, and she looks around, confused. “Where are we?”

“Stay in the car. Moscow, keep an eye on her.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rainey watches as Ron gets out of the car and heads toward the graffiti-covered building.

As soon as he pushes open the glass door, a skinny boy behind the counter stands up, a nervous look on his face.

“G-good evening, sir.”

Ron raises his hand in a half-hearted greeting as he walks past the auto supplies to the back of the store.

He opens a wooden door hidden behind a display of car tires and steps into a narrow hallway.

He walks down the dimly lit corridor, opens a heavy metal door, and steps into a room.

A large fan slowly spins overhead, and the concrete floor is stained with grease and oil.

The walls are grimy, and spots of blood here and there tell a gruesome story of what happens in this room.

The hardware store out front is just a cover, hiding this dark place of illegal activities.

Several men are sitting around, some weighing drugs, others loading weapons.

The room is dimly lit but bright enough for the men to work. The smell of cocaine and other drugs mixes with the scent of smoke and iron.

When Ron Moretto enters, all the men stop what they’re doing and stand, their heads bowed in respect and fear.

This is his territory. He controls these men, their lives in his hands.

“Get back to work,” is all he says, and the men immediately get back to their tasks as he walks over to the biggest man in the room.

A bald man sits behind an old, broken desk propped up by two crates. A young boy with a grease-streaked face sits next to him, polishing an M16.

“Fred, I need you to gather the men. Things are about to get messy sooner than we thought,” Ron tells the man, who narrows his eyes, a crushed cigarette hanging from his lips.

“What do you mean, Moretto?”

He has a thick Mexican accent and looks to be in his early forties. He’s been friends with Ron for a long time and keeps the business running when Ron is away.

Ron’s a tough-looking guy, sporting a noticeable dent at the top of his left eyebrow. His chest and forearms are so muscular that his tank top looks like a rag on him.

Ron starts to speak, but then he notices the skinny kid sitting next to Fred. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Ian. Local kid looking for work, so we brought him on,” Fred explains, sealing up a bag of weed before adding it to a box full of similar packages.

Ian keeps his head down, avoiding Ron’s suspicious gaze.

“Next time, check with me before you hire anyone.” Ron turns back to Fred. “The girl, Rainey Slate, is with me. She’s ready to get this show on the road. Gather the men.”

“Right away, sir.”

***

Rainey’s legs jitter with anxiety. Something’s off. Ever since she got in the car, Ron Moretto hasn’t mentioned their deal.

It feels like a plan spiraling out of control, and she hopes it doesn’t backfire. She doesn’t need any more trouble.

Why did Ron leave her alone in his car? It’s odd that he didn’t even bother to tie her up, like he’s not worried she might run. What’s he planning?

She glances at Moscow, who’s watching her in the rearview mirror. Clearing her throat, she tries to make conversation.

Maybe if she can get him on her side, she can get some information to calm her nerves.

“So, do you enjoy this? Working for a jerk who kidnaps girls and kills innocent people out of jealousy?”

Her attempt falls flat when he just stares at her, like she’s speaking a foreign language.

“Is the money really that good?”

Moscow stays silent, his dark blue eyes looking at her like she’s just a silly girl talking nonsense.

She can’t fathom how anyone could sell their soul to someone so cruel. He must be making a fortune.

She shakes her head and puffs out her cheeks in frustration. Leaning her head against the leather headrest, she closes her eyes with a sigh. At least she tried.

In the darkness behind her eyelids, she sees Ansel’s face, his captivating eyes, his adorable dimples, and his soft lips curving into his signature smile.

Her stomach tightens. She misses him already, but she can’t back down. She’ll do whatever Ron wants if it means keeping Ansel safe.

She doesn’t regret her decision. She just needs Ansel to ~not~ come for her.

Ansel has always been her knight in shining armor. She doesn’t know how he always manages to rescue her, but he does.

But today, for the first time, Rainey hopes he won’t come looking for her. She doesn’t need to be saved. She just needs him to be safe.

The sudden sound of a car door opening snaps her eyes open. Moscow is getting punched in the face. She gasps as his head slams into the steering wheel, setting off the car horn.

Her door swings open, and someone grabs her arm, yanking her out of the car and pressing her against the warm vehicle. Her eyes widen in shock when they meet two icy blue ones.

“A-Ansel…” His name barely forms on her lips as she blinks in disbelief.

He cups her face in his hands, his jaw clenched as he scans her face for any sign of injury. How did he find her?

“Are you hurt?”

She just stares at him, speechless, as the wind whips her hair around her face.

“Rainey.” He gives her a gentle shake. “Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head, still in a daze. “N-no.”

“Is she okay?” A guy rounds the car, and Rainey recognizes him as Max.

“Yeah. Tell Ian we got her.”

“Okay, I’m texting him now.”

“No. Ansel, why are you here?”

She pulls away from him, and his eyebrows furrow in a tight frown. He looks furious, and Rainey swallows hard at the unfamiliar anger in his eyes.

“You realize what you did was incredibly stupid, right?” His voice is laced with anger, and she winces. He’s never spoken to her like this before.

“I—”

“I don’t want to hear it right now. We need to leave. Let’s go.”

He leads her to a black van parked a few feet away, while Max hops on his bike. As Ansel helps her into the van, she sees that all the brothers are there.

Alex is driving, and Alaric is in the passenger seat, talking anxiously on his phone. “Yeah, we planted a mole in his camp a while ago. He’s the one who told us where she was.”

“Are you okay?” Arden asks Rainey, who nods, glancing at Ansel. He’s avoiding her gaze. He’s more than just annoyed.

Her heart aches. ~He’s mad at her.~

“What were you thinking, Rainey?” Alex sighs.

“What if we lost you?” Aiden adds. “Why would you go after him alone?”

She looks down. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. They weren’t supposed to come for her. She’s made everything worse.

She presses a hand to her forehead, fighting back the wave of regret washing over her.

Max leads the way, and Alex follows on his bike as they quickly leave the area.

Ron steps out of the hardware store, immediately noticing the driver’s door is open and Moscow is unconscious behind the wheel.

He’s not surprised. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the new kid, Ian, is a mole. He purposely spoke in front of him, knowing he’d report back to the brothers.

He's got a plan, and it's all falling into place. He's got everyone right where he wants them. He'll give Fred the order to put a bullet in that kid's head. But first, he needs to make sure his plan is rock solid.

A satisfied smirk plays on his lips as he pulls out his cell phone. He dials a number and lifts the phone to his ear.

“Corporal Dean,” he says, his voice smooth and confident. “I need you to seal off Freetown. Block every entrance and exit. Get your guys to check every car that tries to cross the border. We can't let them slip out of town.”