Afterglow: A Brother's Best Friend Romance, page 18
“I need to call Nixon.” The words rush out of me, and I hang up on my brother.
A weird kind of numbness consumes me as I dial Nixon. It’s probably my body’s way of stopping me from breaking down.
“Izzy? What’s up? Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure. Riley just called. Something’s wrong with Dax.”
“I’m on my way,” Nixon tells me and ends the call.
I immediately try calling Dax, but just like Riley said, it goes straight to voicemail.
“For fuck’s sake,” I yell, slamming my hand onto the counter. This can’t be fucking happening.
I’m pacing the living room when the doorbell rings. I rush to buzz Nixon up, about to fill him in on what I know when it rings again. Through the camera, I see all of my brothers and my parents waiting for me to let them up. There isn’t a chance in hell they are going away, so I buzz them up too.
“Tell me what happened,” Nixon tells Riley once everyone enters the apartment.
Riley retells the story he told me, and Nixon nods while typing away on his phone.
“I’m sending two guys to the clinic now,” Nixon informs us after a few minutes. “I’m not going to lie. This doesn’t sound good. I’m putting this apartment on lockdown. No one is going anywhere until we get answers.”
“I’ll finish dinner,” I say, making my way to the stove, my body on autopilot.
My family mutters amongst themselves but leave me alone, thankfully.
“Need help?” Mom asks.
I shrug in response, not wanting to speak right now. I need to keep my focus on the task at hand. If I let my thoughts drift, I’m going to spiral, and that can’t happen right now.
Mom and I work side by side, quietly finishing up dinner. Since I wasn’t expecting the extra company, I had to make extra potatoes and veggies, but the meatloaf should be enough.
I’m setting the table when I start to feel lightheaded.
“I’m going to lay down for a little bit,” I tell my family and Nixon.
“You have to eat,” Mom insists.
“I will, after. I just need a minute by myself, please.”
She presses her lips together, stares into my eye, and says, “You can have a thirty-minute nap, then I’m forcing you to eat.”
I offer her a small smile. “Thanks, Mom,” I murmur and go to the bedroom.
I throw myself on the bed and pull my phone out of my pocket. Knowing it’s no use, I call Dax again, wanting to hear his voice on the message.
“Are you alone?” An evil voice I recognize far too well is on the other end.
“I’m in my room. Where the hell is Dax?”
“He’s… tied up… at the moment,” Leo says.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because you ruined my life, you stupid little bitch,” he grits out, and I can practically see the sneer on his face.
“This was all you, Leo,” I remind him when a conversation I had with Nixon earlier pops into my head.
I put my phone on mute and exit the room, needing to flag down my bodyguard. Once he’s in the bedroom with me, I shut the door, putting the phone on speaker.
“Everything was fucking perfect before you decided I wasn’t good enough for you anymore,” Leo bites out. “Why didn’t you behave? Why couldn’t you be the good little sub I trained you to be?”
“Keep him talking,” Nixon whispers, though we are still muted. “He’s a fucking idiot for turning Dax’s phone back on.”
“I’m sorry,” I lie.
“If you were sorry, you’d be here with me,” he yells, and an idea pops into my head.
“I want to be.”
“You’re just saying that,” he says.
“No. I’m not. I’ve had all this time to think about it. I miss you.”
The words feel wrong in my mouth, but I have to keep him using the phone so Nixon and his guys can track it.
“What about your precious Dax?” he spits out.
“He means nothing to me. Let him go, Leo, and I’ll come to you. We can be together again. I’ll drop all the charges and tell everyone I was lying. I want to be with you, not him. You don’t need more blood on your hands. Just let him go.”
My heart is racing so fast, and I wonder if he’s buying the bullshit I’m spitting.
“Tell me you love me,” he demands quietly.
“I love you, Leo,” I lie again, looking at Nixon, who’s smiling.
He hands me his phone, and I beam at him, so fucking happy they got the location.
They are on their way. Keep him distracted, Nixon types out, and I nod.
“What can I do to get us back together?” I ask, trying to think of anything to keep his focus on the call.
“Help me bury the body.”
I gasp, feeling like my heart was snatched from my chest. “What?”
An evil laugh comes from the other end of the phone. “Do you really think I’m dumb enough to believe your lies?” he snarls.
“Is Dax dead?” I whisper, not really wanting the answer.
“Not yet, but he will be. I’ll be sure to send you the video.”
The line goes dead. “Fuck!”
“My guys are almost there, with the cops directly behind them. They’ll get him out,” Nixon assures me as I crumble to the floor.
Sobbing, I say, “Why did he even answer the call?”
“He wants you to hurt,” Nixon whispers as my mom comes rushing into the room.
She pulls me into her arms, shushing me while rocking me gently. It reminds me of what Dax did the night of my severe panic attack.
“I don’t want to live in a world without him.” I bawl like a baby.
Nixon thinks his guys are going to get there on time, but what if they don’t? What if I have to live in a world knowing that I met my soulmate and he’s now dead?
I don’t know if I can survive this kind of heartbreak.
Chapter 24
Dax
“I love you, Leo.” Izzy’s voice rings loud in my ear.
I glare at the man standing over me, holding my phone.
He hits a button with a menacing smile on his face.
“See, she still loves me. You don’t mean anything to her.” He spits on my face, and it makes me flinch. “She knows who her master is. She was trained to be obedient. Once I teach her the ultimate lesson, she’ll never disobey me again. Thanks for being the final test for Izzy. It really would have been a shame to use one of her brothers to get her to wise up.”
When he walks away, I fight against the rope binding my hands and feet, but there is no way I’m getting out of this. The cement is cold against my face, and holding my head up takes too much effort. I need to save all of my energy.
I could shout if I wanted to, but as Leo kindly pointed out earlier, there wouldn’t be anyone to hear it. We are in some sort of abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. I can’t waste energy on something that will prove to be fruitless. So instead of screaming, I’m trying to figure out a plan. Unfortunately, I’ve been coming up blank. I can’t fight back bound like this. Leo could do anything he wants to me, and I’m sure he will.
Leo continues to talk to Izzy quietly, but suddenly he turns, startling me. That evil smile is still on his face, but it’s more unhinged this time, and my blood runs cold.
“Not yet, but he will be,” he says to Izzy. “I’ll be sure to send you the video.”
He ends the call, dropping my phone on the cement floor and stomping on it.
“Don’t need anyone tracking us,” he states. I pray to God Nixon was already on it while he was talking to Izzy.
The conversation should have lasted long enough to get this location. As long as Leo doesn’t decide to uproot us, I have a chance of getting out of this.
“Do you want it fast and relatively pain-free or slow and gut-wrenching?” he asks as he moves to ruffle through a bag.
Once he’s gotten some supplies, he sets up a tripod, attaching his phone to it.
Holy shit, this sick fuck really is going to record himself murdering me.
“Are you seriously going to let me choose?”
He laughs. “You’re right. There wasn’t actually an option. Slow was always how it was going to go. I want Izzy to be destroyed when she receives the video.”
“Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough?”
He glares at me. “That stupid bitch has ruined everything. But this can still all work out. She’ll come crawling back to me after this, and she won’t even waste a second thought on you. And if she does… I’ll kill her too.”
There is no way I would ever allow Leo to lay a hand on Izzy. Hopefully, my rescue team gets here fast enough that he won’t be able to record the sick torture scene he has in fucked-up mind.
“You’re fucking delusional, aren’t you?” I goad him.
He bares his teeth and grabs my face, his nails digging into my cheeks.
“Do you really think it’s smart to run your mouth right now?”
He’s so close I can smell his rank breath, and it makes me want to vomit, but it also allows me to try something. Taking advantage of his proximity, I use all my strength to collide my head with his nose.
Blood starts pouring out, and I can’t help but smile. I might still be stuck in this situation, but at least I could inflict the smallest amount of pain on the son of a bitch who kidnapped me.
“You stupid fucking piece of shit,” he screams as he backs up, trying to get the bleeding under control. “You are going to pay for that.”
He turns to grab something out of a bag, and when he faces me again, I freeze. My eyes land on a large knife he’s holding. Am I going to make it out of this alive?
Where the fuck are Nixon and his guys?
Maybe they aren’t coming.
Maybe Izzy didn’t think to call Nixon and get him to track the location of my phone.
Maybe this is how I die.
“I think I’ve changed my mind about the torture,” Leo says, far calmer than I was expecting. “I’ve decided I’m going to gut you instead. Then I’ll leave you to bleed out and die.”
I gulp down the lump forming in my throat. The only positive of this situation is that Leo hasn’t turned on his phone, so he isn’t recording this. At least Izzy will be spared from viewing my death. I let out a sigh, accepting my fate. I hate that my beautiful princess will have to live a life without me, but I’m grateful I had her for the short time I did.
A loud bang pulls our attention, and within seconds, a group of police officers storms into the building.
“Hands in the air! Don’t do anything stupid, or we will shoot,” an officer yells.
Leo’s grip on the knife he’s holding tightens as he stares down the officers.
“Drop the weapon!” another one demands.
Instead of complying, Leo is muttering things under his breath, but I can’t make out what. Thankfully, his attention is no longer on me, not that I can move to get away or anything.
As I’m trying to figure out what Leo is going to do, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn to see Denver, one of Nixon’s guys, holding his finger to his lips, silently instructing me to keep quiet. I nod, wiggling to show I’m tied up.
Denver pulls out a knife of his own and cuts me free. That’s also when I notice Beckett, another member of Nixon’s security company, pointing a gun directly at Leo. If Leo tries to pull something stupid like lunging for me as a last hurrah, he’s fucked. If the cops don’t pull the trigger, Beckett will.
“Drop the weapon and step forward now,” the first officer says.
“Don’t think that she’s safe just because I’m gone.” Leo leers over his shoulder before bringing up the knife, slicing his throat, and dropping to the floor.
“Save him,” I yell. “Don’t let him take the easy way out. I want him to rot in fucking prison.”
An EMT is on it, rushing to Leo and putting pressure on the wound.
“Are you okay?” Denver asks.
“I’m a bit lightheaded, and I think I have a mild concussion, but I’m fine,” I grumble as my head throbs where Leo hit me over the head.
“We’re under strict orders to take you to the hospital,” Beckett tells me. “Izzy will be waiting for you there.”
“Is she with Nixon?” I ask, and he nods.
“You guys are definitely worth the money,” I mutter as Denver helps me sit up.
“It wouldn’t look very good on a review if we let our clients die,” Beckett jokes with a smirk.
“Drink this, then we’ll take you to your girl.” Denver hands me a bottle of water.
I do as I’m told, and as much as I want to go home, I know getting checked out is a good idea.
At least Izzy will be there.
I can’t wait to hold her in my arms again.
Chapter 25
Izzy
“Why is every light red?” I complain when we stop once again.
I swear to God, there hasn’t been a light we’ve been able to pass through without having to stop.
“We’re only a few blocks away. We’ll get there before you know it,” my dad assures me from the back seat.
It isn’t fast enough. I need to be there now. I need to see with my own eyes that Dax is okay.
I need to hold him.
Kiss him.
Tell him how much I love him.
The second Nixon pulls into the parking lot of the hospital, I bolt out of the car and run as fast as my legs will carry me. I don’t stop even though everyone is yelling at me.
No, I need my man.
Once I make it to the front desk, I ask for directions to Dax’s room and rush away the second I know where I’m going.
When I arrive at Dax’s room, I gasp and cover my mouth with tears welling in my eyes. He’s sitting on the bed talking to Denver. He’s alive. It’s like my brain didn’t want to accept that fact until I finally saw him with my own eyes.
His eyes meet mine, and his face lights up the room. “Come here,” he says with a tilt of his head.
I run to him and wrap my arms around him. “You’re alive,” I whimper into his neck. “Are you okay?”
“I’m pretty sure I just have a mild concussion, but we are waiting on the results from the CT scan.”
“I was so scared.” Tears cascade down my cheeks as I move to sit beside him on the bed.
He thumbs away my tears before kissing me gently. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“You’re not allowed to apologize. You didn’t do anything.”
“I’m just happy you’re here with me.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, elated that he’s here and alive.
Nixon shows up shortly after me, not looking happy.
“You can’t run off like that,” Nixon says to me.
“Why? I thought you said Leo tried to kill himself. He’s in the hospital, in custody. I don’t need a bodyguard anymore.”
The men in the room exchange glances. I’m clearly missing something here.
“What?” I huff out, sick of being left in the dark.
“It’s nothing,” Dax murmurs, but it doesn’t feel convincing.
“You promised you’d never lie to me,” I remind him.
“Leo said something before he cut his throat.”
“What did he say?” I inquire, my brows pulling together.
“He said, “Don’t think that she’s safe just because I’m gone.” ”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“We don’t know, but we are going to keep you under protection for a little while longer,” Nixon says.
“This is stupid,” I mutter.
“Did Leo survive surgery?” Nixon asks Denver.
“Yup. Once the fucker’s out, he’ll be spending a good long time behind bars.”
“Thank fuck.” I sigh and turn to Dax. “I’m sure Leo was just trying to get under your skin. How was he going to hurt me from beyond the grave?”
“Maybe he’s working with someone,” he suggests.
Shit. That never crossed my mind.
“Who would work with him, though? Most people aren’t psychopaths.”
Again, the men exchange glances, and I sigh. “I can’t read minds, fellas,” I tell them, my frustration running through my veins coming out clearly in my tone.
“Noelle is the only person who fits the bill,” Nixon informs me.
“Are you sure?” I question, and everyone nods.
“Obviously, we’ll do some digging before we do anything crazy, but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?” Bennett says.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. “So this isn’t over yet?”
The bodyguards shake their heads, but Dax grips my chin and turns my face toward his. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assures me. “But the only way I can keep that promise is if Nixon stays on as your bodyguard.”
The pleading look in Dax’s eyes almost breaks my heart, so I nod.
“I’ll agree to this only if you agree to get your own bodyguard,” I counter.
“Denver isn’t on a full-time case at the moment,” Nixon supplies. I can’t help but giggle when Dax glares at him.
I cradle his face with my hands and stare into his eyes. “Please, baby, I need this in order to feel safe. Thinking I might lose you was almost too much for me to take.” Thankfully, his features soften, and he nods.
“Anything for you,” he promises and kisses me again.
Chapter 26
Izzy
“Your life is insane,” Caidance notes, lifting her cup to her lips. She takes a slow sip before letting out a contented sigh. That girl sure loves her coffee.
Insane is honestly the tamest word I would use to describe everything going on in my life recently. I’m just glad it’s almost over.
A little over a week has passed since Dax was kidnapped, and the time has flown by in a mix of chaos and meetings. Tonight, we are putting an end to everything.
“You aren’t wrong,” I murmur and sip my coffee, relishing the sugary taste of the caramel sweetener.
