CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE“He is fucking crazy” Ethan snapped, rising to his feet and cradling his face.They all had not expected Jackson’s presence and he had been invited over by Amelia’s mother because she felt his presence would somehow help Amelia out of her sadness.According to what he had been told, she had just showed up on their doorstep and had not said anything about what had happened between herself and Jackson or why she was back.It was obvious that it had not worked out between them and Ethan considered this a sign to make his own move since he had ended things with his own wife.They had decided it was better to part ways because he did not think he wanted anything to do with her again.Ethan had to admit that he had been scared when Jackson had made that declaration on national Television and he had thought it was all over for him with Amelia but it would seem that the man had fucked it all up.“Are you okay?” Amelia asked as he rose“I am fine” he muttered, watching Jack
CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO“Do you think that maybe you are overreacting a bit? You said you saw her with her ex and then you punched him in the face and walked out?” Liam asked.Jackson was back and had gone straight to Liam’s apartment.It was obvious that he was boiling in anger and wanted to let out some steam so Liam had insisted that they head off to the gym so he could punch some bags and so they could talk about what had happened with his trip.“Overreacting? Have you not listened to everything I have been saying, Liam. She was laughing and having fun with her ex when she should have been…”“She should have been what? Pining after you? Waiting by the window for when you deem it fit to come back for her? What exactly do you think she should have been doing while you took your sweet time”“Not laughing with her ex; anything else but that” Jackson responded darkly, punching the bag in front of him as he envisioned Ethan’s face.The guy had been lucky that he wasn’t on his turf and he had
CHAPTER EIGHTY THREEAmelia stood by the door, her heart pounding with a mix of shock at Jackson’s words. She was unsure of how to react but she could not stop the tremor that raced up her spine as she stared at him.She took a step forward, her eyes meeting his. He was waiting for her to say something, his expression was a mixture of determination and vulnerability and she could not help but notice the uncertainty etched across his face.He was afraid she was going to refuse and send him on his way; if only he knew that that was extremely far from her mind.“Come in” she murmured, opening her door wider.He took a deep breath, brushing past her and stepping inside while she locked the door behind him. Her parents were asleep so it was just both of them and she did not want to wake them up so she signaled that he followed her up to her room. She bolted the door and turned, her eyes on him as he stood at the center of her room.Jackson approached her, his voice carrying a tremor of n
EIGHTY FOURLiam and Anna sat on the cozy couch in their living room, wrapped in the warmth of each other's presence. The crackling fire in the fireplace cast a soft, flickering glow that danced across their faces, setting the perfect ambiance for their intimate conversation. Liam's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his best friend, Jackson.He wondered how it was going with Amelia and if he had finally summoned up the courage to talk to her about his fears. It was time to confide in Anna, to share the secret he had been keeping."Liam, you have been distant since you came back from the gym with Jackson," Anna said, her eyes filled with concern. "Is something bothering you?"Liam took a deep breath, his gaze shifting between the fire and Anna's concerned face. I am not exactly bothered, just curious as to if he finally went over to Amelia’s”Anna's brows furrowed with curiosity. “Who? Jackson? Why would he go over to Amelia’s?” "He is in love with her; I thought that was quite o
CHAPTER EIGHT FIVENatalie was just concluding her day before her phone rang, jolting her from the thoughts of how well the interview with one of the highest oil mogul in the country had gone.He had asked for her to visit his yacht whenever she was free and although she considered a generous proposition, she had declined.“Hey” she muttered as she clicked her phone “Amelia and I are getting married” Jackson told herShe paused for a bit, waiting for him to tell her he was joking or laugh like he would always do when he made a silly joke.“You have got to be fucking kidding me” Natalie screamed into the phone“You think I would call you to kid?” Jackson asked, surprised at his friend’s reaction.“You have to think about this really well, Jackson.” Natalie managed to stammer, her voice betraying the pain that surged through her. "Jackson, you can't be serious. You barely know her. This is a mistake."She whined, her voice taking up another toneThe words hit Natalie like a thunderbo
CHAPTER EIGHTY SIXNatalie watched the clock in front of her, waiting until it struck eight in the morning so she could call Liam. She knew he was an early riser and probably already awake but she did not want to disturb whatever he had going on at the moment.She had found it hard to sleep after the news from Jackson and to think that he wanted her media station to host him professing love to another woman?She was nothing like Sophia; Sophia was a cold hearted gold digger that would have been the end of Jackson of she and Liam had not been by his side through the tough times and when she had discovered that she liked him more than she cared to admit, she had kept her feelings in check.The clock struck eight as Natalie impatiently dialed Liam's number, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and hurt. While she had been harboring her feelings for Jackson in secret and trying not to put him in that position… trying not to be like Sophia 2.0 all over again, he had been falling in love
CHAPTER EIGHTY SEVEN“So you finally did it?” Liam bellowed as soon as Jackson picked up the phone. He had been calling him for a while but had been unable to reach out to him.They needed to discuss the burial of his father which was yet to be concluded thanks to his mother who was making it difficult for them to fix a date.Liam had told him that it did not matter and they just had to fix the date without her approval but Jackson had said that he knew exactly what she was up to and they weren’t going to give her the chance to smear the Logan’s name like she wanted to. He wasn’t going to allow her smear the name of his father and act like the bereaved widow when she had been nothing more than a blood sucker. It would seem that that was what they always attracted and he was more than grateful that Amelia was nothing like that.“Keep your voice down, man” Jackson muttered into the receiver.“Why? Who do you have there with you?” Liam yelled“For fucks sake, you are a pain in my ass” Ja
CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHTAmelia's eyes fluttered open, the soft morning light gently coaxing her awake. As she stretched lazily on the bed, she couldn't help but let out a contented yawn. It was one of those rare mornings where she felt utterly refreshed and at peace. As her senses gradually sharpened, she realized that something was missing. She turned her head to the side, expecting to find Jackson lying beside her, but the spot was empty. Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion. She wondered where he had gone off to."Jackson?" she called out, her voice still tinged with sleep.There was no response and so she figured he was probably somewhere out of earshot. She stretched again, her mind moving towards the events of the previous day and how they had spent the day together, exploring the city and basking in the comfort of each other.Amelia smiled, reminiscing about Jackson's sweet words of love, which still echoed in her heart.She could remember her father tell her that he was the
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TWELVE“He sent an address… we have to go” Jackson declared, reaching for the gun on the table.Liam and Simon got up with him wondering what the fuck he was on about “What are you talking about?” Liam asked“I was on the phone with Damien, he wants us to meet. Just me and I know it is a trap but there is no way I am going to allow him make good on his threat of sending me Amelia in pieces”“We cannot… I understand what you are saying but we cannot go there alone” Simon told himIt was the first time he and Liam were agreeing on anything “You are right, we aren’t going there alone… I am going on my own. I cannot let anything happen to her”“Nothing will but we have to figure this all out , come up with a plan. We are going to his own turf and he might as well kill the both of you.” Simon argued“He is right” Liam muttered. “We are going to go in with a plan, Jackson if we are going to have any chance of reaching the both of you alive.”Liam made a couple of phone
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND ELEVENDamien stared at the television in front of him, his teeth grating against themselves as he watched the news. It would seem that the man he had asked to do a good job of keeping Jackson off his scent was doing a rather poor one because why the hell was his picture in the fucking news.The fucker had put a bounty on my head, Damien thought as he stared incredulously as the voice of the news presenter droned on. He was hot topic at the moment and he did not need that for his business. It would seem that he had underestimated Jackson. He wasn’t going to let him go scot free; it only meant that he had to kill the guy and the one way to do that was to lure him here to his own tuff.It was going to be easy once he dangled Amelia in front of him like a fucking worm on a hook. He knew the man would come running because he loved her.Damien laughed at this; he was going to enjoy killing Jackson and it was one way to take Amelia if he did it in front of her. She had
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TEN“How could I have let this happen?” Jackson asked for the hundredth time, beating his hand on his thigh.He had contacted the cops about the kidnap and although Liam had spoken to one of them, he had sounded super vague which Jackson found suspicious“You could not have known what kind of asshole he was, Jackson. It is not your fault and the only thing we can do now is figure out a way to make sure we rescue her unharmed.” Liam told himThey were sitting at the table in a bunch with Natalie supplying snacks as they plotted. She had come along with Simon whom Liam still had not taken a shining to but she had said they had been together when he called so she could not refuse when he asked to accompany her.He wasn’t saying anything but he looked contrite as they tried to figure out what was going on and Jackson could not deny that he needed all hands on deck if he was ever going to see Amelia again.“I don’t think the detective is telling us everything we should
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND NINEDamien opened the car door and helped Amelia out who was still unbelievably silent even after all he had told her about Jackson and how he was going to make sure he wiped the bastard from this earth for daring to touch her.She had grown he had to give her that but she had to be aware that he was no longer the man she used to know. The one that tolerated indiscipline and had allowed her enjoy her years while she was running from him.He guessed he had Jackson to thank for making that open proposal. It has made him see his baby again and realized how much he wanted her back for himself.Oh, the things he planned to teach her and make her do to him. By the time he was done, she would never think of fleeing again.He escorted her into the house and straight for the den where he pushed her inside. She collapsed unto the floor, her eyes widening as they happened upon a portrait of her on the wall.He had had it made on the night he had seen the proposal by Jackson
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND EIGHTAmelia remained silent as the car moved, her head buzzing with thoughts and my mind far away. She was unexpectedly calmer than she had thought she would be and she made no move even as Damien touched a hand to her thigh, grinning at her.She had no idea where they were headed and tried to regulate her breathing as much as possible so she did not behind panicking.She knew by now that Jackson would be aware of what had happened and would come for her. She only hoped it wasn’t too late.“You have been specially quiet; aren’t you going to rave and ask me questions?” Damien questioned herHe was surprised at her level of calmness; nay, he was disgusted by it.He wanted her to scream and he wanted to enjoy the terror in her eyes but she wasn’t giving him the satisfaction he craved.She was nothing like the fiery girl he used to know who would scream and curse even as he hit he countlessly.“I promised to do whatever you want; do you want me to ask you questions?”
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND SEVENAnna could the loud screams that was hers as she watched the car drive away with Amelia.Her heart pounded violently against her chest as she clutched the phone, her trembling fingers struggling to dial the numbers. Fear and panic gripped her as she attempted to call Liam. She was finding it hard to breathe and unable to form coherent thoughts as she waited for him to pick up “God please” she muttered to herself.She wasn’t much of a prayer person but at the moment, she hoped Amelia would be safe and they find her before Damien did something to her or worse killed her.The phone rang once, twice, and on the third ring, Liam's voice finally filled the line. "Hey, Anna, what's up?" he asked casually, unaware of the turmoil brewing on the other end.Anna's breath hitched, her voice barely a whisper, "L-Liam, it's Amelia. She's... she has been kidnapped. Damien came and he… oh my God, I am sorry for leaving her all alone in the house but I had to. I don’t know
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND SIX“You don’t have to keep watch over me like a hawk, Anna. I will be fine and you did say that the meeting is quite important for work; do not let me be the one to keep you here” Amelia declared“I know you will be fine on your own but I still think I should stay back and maybe reschedule the meeting for…”“For when? Whenever Damien is not chasing after me? Don’t think about doing that and just go for your meeting. I will be fine and he has absolutely no idea that I am here so what could go wrong” she interrupted“Fine, I will be back in a jiffy so don’t go anywhere” Anna warned, taking the stairs in twos so she could prepare for the meeting.It was impromptu but it was important and although she wanted to stay home to watch over Amelia, she also had to consider her job and it is as Amelia had said. Damien had no idea where she was and even if he was looking for her, he would have eyes on either her house or Jackson’s and definitely not hersShe soon was ready an
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND FIVE“I need all the information you can get on him” Jackson told Liam when they were alone.“I have already done some digging on him. I started looking into his operations, and it wasn't easy. He is elusive, leaving no traces behind, but I managed to uncover some crucial information."Jackson's eyes widened with surprise. "You investigated Damien already? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked“Of course I investigated him; how would you think I would after hearing all he had to say that evening. I needed to know what we were up against and how best to address the situation” Liam told him“So? What are we up against?” Jackson questioned. “What did you find out?” His curiosity now piquedLiam leaned forward, his voice hushed.“His full name is Damien Lodge and he is a well known drug dealer. It wasn’t hard getting information on him because he is wanted in about nineteen states for different crimes and no one has been able to pin him to any of the crimes. His empire is
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND FOUR“You look really sick, Amelia. Is there anything I can get you?” Anna asked as she opened the door to her friend’s room who had not come out in days “I don’t need anything; thank you for asking” Amelia muttered, her eyes drowsing from sleeping too much “I know you don’t but is there not a way or anything I can do to get you out of that bed? You have been like this for days and it is scaring me; when was the last time you had a fucking bath” She questioned, her eyebrows shooting up in concern.Amelia groaned. She did not want to talk about what was bothering her, only that she wanted to be left alone to her misery and fears but if there was one person who would understand seeing as she had accommodated her when she had run out on Damien then it was going to be Anna.Amelia could see that she was waiting for an explanation or a lifeline but she did not know how exactly to begin talking about it without falling apart and she wanted no one to tell her she was e