The warehouse is set back from the main road, hidden underneath shrubbery and years of overgrowth. The wind rattles the doors against the side of the building, and it sends chills up my spine. The windows are far gone with ripped plastic swaying from where someone tried to patch them up.
It looks like an abandoned packaging plant with rusted equipment and aged boxes littering the concrete floor. Damien forces me into the threshold and ushers me toward a chilled metal chair. I sit down, watching as he makes himself comfortable on top of a conveyor belt, and takes out his cell phone.
After several silent minutes, he glances up at me. "I’m calling your Dad. I'll ask for my money, and you'll confirm I have you with me, and if you try anything, I'll not only kill you, but I'll knock off that goofy brother of yours. He should be here, not you, but that's not how it happened."
Speaking of brothers. I wanted to choke Adam. He caused all of this. Doing drugs? Going in
I press my mouth against Jaden's forehead, and close my eyes. And to think, I thought she had drama when we first got together. This has taken us both down a rabbit hole that is slowly sucking the life out of me. I want this to be finished, but it can't until I take down Dan. To think I've been working for my uncle this entire time, and for him to wear a mask every day, and me not ever see him slip? It feels unreal to me. Jaden shoves against my chest with her palms, and looks at me. The crap I've put this girl through makes my stomach sick. My own dad took her for ransom, which tells me that Dan and Dad are into more than just pimping out women, they sell drugs. And I know who I need to talk to—Adam. That's if I can get to him. Someone bangs on the door thirty minutes after we get home. Jaden gets up, and gives me a look over her shoulder when she looks through the peep hole. "It's my dad." I gesture for her to open the door.
I don't want to do this, but Cade is on a mission, and I'm beginning to think it's a suicidal one. I've never seen someone so determined to find a person that could kill them. Johnny follows behind us in an undercover SUV, while I'm led blindly into the lion's den. Cade's fingers tighten around the steering wheel, and I trace his tattoos with my gaze. How I would love to just have some alone time with him, without all our problems looming over us. "What are you going to do when we get there, Cade?" I ask, trying to keep my irritation out of my voice. I don't want to be mad at him, because I know it's important, but I want to be finished with this. Cade glances over at me. "I'm going to walk in, ask for Henry, and make him tell me." "Okay," I say. "What about after that? Are you going to chase down some criminal?" He reaches over and runs his fingers against my thigh. "What's the matter, Jaden?" I hold back my emotions and my b
Johnny shuts his office door and gestures for me to take a seat. It's been one hell of a week to say the least. After everything Jaden dropped on me the day before, I couldn't drag her into this anymore. She's been through enough, so I decided to drop her off at school and talk to Johnny alone. He sits down across from me. "It was a good idea to leave Jaden behind. She's a great girl, but I would hate myself if something happened to her." "Me too. I'm already beating myself up because she was kidnapped by my own dad. She's been through a lot ... and she doesn't need anything else on her." Johnny leans forward. "Are you sure you want to do this, Cade? Dan is going to be cornered and I don't know how he will respond." I run my palm down my face and then pick at a random string on my jeans. "I'm sure. I need to find out why he is doing this." "I had to pull some major strings to get you approved to do this. You're really okay
Cade has been asleep for over ten hours. He's beaten down and tired. His knuckles are bloody and he looks like a corpse. I had no idea of Cade's plans to catch Dan. But I was glad he came out alive, and it was over. Although, by the look on his face the night before, I wasn't sure it was over. He looked haunted. The tears on his face surprised me. What all had he kept inside of himself for all these years? I cook us breakfast, and bring it to him in bed the next morning. He stirs for a moment before sitting up and rubbing the palm of his hand against his eyes. His dark gaze meets mine and I swallow my anxiety. "Good morning," I say. "I made us breakfast." "Do you need a ride to school?" "I wrote my teachers and told them I was sick. I'll be out this week." He scoots up and brings the tray onto his lap. "You don't have to watch me like I'm a kid, Jaden. I'll be fine." I shrug. "I want to be here w
Jaden hops down from the cabinet and scoops her finger into the cake icing and licks it. I'm immeditely ready to bend her over the sink and have my way with her. She screams when I pick her up and carry her toward our bedroom. But I stop when someone knocks on the front door. "Someone is looking out for you," I mumble. She giggles and waits for me to answer the door. Adam is standing on the other side. He looks good, like a different person from the last time I saw him. It's only been a few months, but it feels like years. "Hey. Can I come in?" he asks. I open the door wider and let him inside. Jaden comes running out a few minutes later, and stops cold. Her gaze moves from his to mine. I can't read her face. "Jaden," Adam says. "I wanted to come over and talk to you about ... everything." She plays with a string on the end of her cutoff jean shorts. "Okay, yeah." Adam sits down on the edg
“Are you listening to me, Jaden?” No, not really. I stopped years ago. My father’s BMW grinds to a halt in front of my brother’s apartment building, or should I say my apartment building. God, this is going to suck. My freshman year of college, and I’m being forced to live with my older brother. Dad wants me to be safe. He says Adam can show me the ropes and make sure I’m hanging out with the right group of friends. If only that were the case. The truth is, I have no friends, and Dad wants to make sure I’ll be around other human beings instead of locking myself in my room with no social interaction. I'm sure others make it fine in life without being forced into social situations that make them uncomfortable. He won’t have anyone to watch over me if I stay in a dorm room. What’s he going to do pay my roommate to hang out with me? With my brother being a social butterfly, I’ll be exposed to people my age. What Dad forgets—or decides to ignore—is that I’m going to be surrounded by
“I’m guessing Sadie went home?” Adam asks from the recliner. I tip back my beer, letting the liquor scorch down my throat. Then I take a slice of pizza from the box on the living room table. “Yeah, she showed me a pretty good time, too.” Adam laughs. “I heard she was good. I’m glad she lives up to her reputation.” I nod and inhale my pizza. I’m starving. “Just like I like ‘em.” Adam grabs the remote and turns the game down. “Hey,” he says, turning to rest his elbows on his knees. “What do you think about my sister?” What a loaded question. She wouldn’t even look at me once she walked inside. Basically ran from the room the first shot she got. I saw her looking at me out in the hallway. Just like my eyes had taken off all of those expensive clothes Daddy bought her. She’s hot … in a fresh-out-of-high-school kind of way. Not that I would ever do anything about it. Adam is my friend and that would cause too much drama. I'm not about drama. Plus, she's cute but too innocent for my t
My stomach feels nauseated and bile rises up my throat. My head presses against the side of the toilet, and I curl up like a snake. The sad thing is that I don’t know if I’m sick because I’m so nervous or if it’s because I vomit regularly from my medication. I’m surprised I didn’t see death on the warning label. She isn’t going to be there, I tell myself. She’s off to college in Florida—a long ways from Utah. Never to be heard from again … hopefully. And yet a huge cloud of despair hangs over me. I shouldn’t let my high-school experience ruin college, but I can’t stop myself from thinking what if? What if someone worse than Selena starts with me? What if my reputation has made it all the way to the university? What if I’m ostracized like before? I wouldn’t be surprised. It seems everyone knows about it. About my … past. My life. My issues. A burning lump travels up my throat, and I dry heave into the toilet. God, how pathetic. I barley slept last night. I laid in bed, staring at th