Twenty-Eight

Haisley

New Year’s Eve was tomorrow, and I couldn’t wait to spend it with Saxon. He was taking me to downtown Ocala for an event they were having there. We had left the tree up so that we could come back here and sit on the sofa, watching the ball drop in New York City with our tree lights and a fire.

Saxon had been around a lot this past week. He didn’t work at the stables when I wasn’t at the yoga studio. We had been spending all our free time together.

“Hey, Haisley,” Trace said, coming up beside me. “Our schedules haven’t been matching up. It’s almost as if we are purposely being kept apart.”

I glanced at him, realizing I hadn’t seen him but from a distance since the day Saxon had walked in on Trace flirting with me.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied, not wanting to talk to him now either.

“So, you and the baby daddy still getting along?”

“His name is Saxon,” I said. “And, yes, we’re doing great. Thanks for asking.”

Trace leaned too close to me and smirked. “If it goes south, you let me know.”

“It won’t,” I snarled, annoyed. “I have to go.”

I took my purse and headed outside. Trace was laying it on thicker than usual. Maybe our schedules would continue to be at different times. I preferred not dealing with him.

I had two hours before my next yoga class, and I was craving a chocolate milkshake. After my next class, Saxon would be here to get me, and I was anxious to see him. I found myself clinging to him the more we were together.

Silver had been behaving better since Christmas and had even spoken to me on the phone once. She texted me back when I sent her texts, so that eased my mind. My mom hadn’t said anything about the gift certificate to get a pedicure and manicure we’d given her. I didn’t know why I’d expected her to, but it hurt that she hadn’t even mentioned it.

With Silver doing better, I wasn’t constantly worried, and I could enjoy being in love. My future with Saxon felt safe and solid. Life was being good to me.

“Hey, sis.”

AJ’s familiar voice startled me.

I spun around to find him leaning against the wall inside the alley between the yoga studio and the health food store. He had on a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, but I knew my brother, even with his bad excuse for a disguise.

I scanned the area around me before walking into the alley. “What are you doing here?” I hissed.

He smirked. “I thought you’d be happier to see me.”

“I would have been happy if you’d called. You can’t be in Ocala, AJ. You know that!”

He leaned closer to me. “Why? Because your baby daddy and his friends don’t want me here?”

My nails dug into my palm. “So you do know I’m pregnant, and you haven’t called once to check on me?” I asked angrily. “Do you know Mom kicked me out? That Silver was dating some thug in a gang? That she was taking drugs?”

AJ chuckled as if this were funny. “Red Kings aren’t a fucking gang. They’re kids acting like they’re badass because they sell some shit drugs inside the high schools. Silver is fine, and clearly, you’re doing great. Designer yoga clothes, expensive kicks, and Oakley sunglasses. I was surprised when I found out you’d gotten knocked up, even more shocked about who the daddy was.”

I pointed at his chest and pushed hard. “But you weren’t there when we needed you.”

“Because your boyfriend and his Mafia family ran me out of town,” he said with a sarcastic tone.

“You took Aspen from the hospital,” I reminded him. “That Gina woman hurt her. Broke her arm!”

He looked annoyed. “Gina paid for it. With her life. That’s not my concern.”

“Your life had better be your concern. Get out of this town. Go back to Orlando. But call and check on things. Don’t just disappear without a word again. Mom doesn’t need that. She’s already lost one kid.”

He sighed and pushed off from the wall. “Okay, this is getting annoying,” he said as his hand wrapped around my upper arm tightly.

I jerked at it, and his grip became painful. “Let go of me!”

“No, I don’t think I will, sis. You’ve become valuable. I had to wait to be sure,” he said as he began pulling me further into the alley and away from the street. “See, at first, Saxon didn’t want you. He was pissed off about the pregnancy. I wasn’t sure if your pretty face was going to win him over.”

The deeper we went into the alley, the more I fought against his hold. He ignored it, shoving me forward without letting go.

“Then, next thing I see is him coming to get you from work and not being able to take his hands off you. Looking at you with those eyes full of love.” He shoved me around a corner and toward a back parking lot. “That’s when I knew you’d just become important. And fucking easy to use.”

I tried pulling away as he stopped at the back of a van that said something about carpet cleaners. “What is wrong with you, AJ?” I asked, starting to panic.

He was talking crazy.

“Nothing, sis. I’m doing real damn good today.”

The back of the van opened, and two men were back there, smoking. They had on the stupid Viper vests and the snake tattoo that AJ had on his arm.

One with red hair, shaved on both sides, grinned. “You got her.”

“Of course I did,” he replied, taking my purse off my shoulder, then pushing me toward the open doors.

I was not getting in that van. I tried to elbow him, but he grabbed me and tossed me toward the redheaded guy.

“Tie her up, Tick. She’s feisty,” he said to the man.

Tick tossed his cigarette out of the back. I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand slapped over my face.

“Get me a gag!” he told the other guy.

“Don’t trust her. She’s smarter than either of you. Get her to the shack. And don’t hurt her. She’s my sister. If someone has to hurt her, it’ll be me.” His eyes locked on mine. “Don’t make me hurt you. Because I will. I’ll slice you up if I don’t get what the fuck I want.”

My heart raced as I tried to talk over the gag they’d tied around my head.

What was he saying? He would slice me? This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. AJ wouldn’t hurt me. Sure, he wasn’t a great brother. Most of the time, he sucked at it, but he wouldn’t hurt me.

“Play nice,” he said with an evil grin and slammed the doors to the van.

“She’s fucking hot. He said she was pretty, but damn.” The other guy had a fully shaved head and piercings in his nose, lip, and both eyebrows. There were also tattoos of numbers randomly on his neck.

“Don’t touch her,” Tick reminded him. “He’ll fucking take your head off.”

The other guy reached out and ran a finger down my face as Tick finished tying my hands together tightly behind my back.

“He said don’t hurt her,” the guy drawled, tilting his head to study me. “You got the looks in the family, didn’t you, love?” he said.

My throat burned from the bile. I jerked my face away from his touch, and he laughed.

“Fuck, she’s hot and feisty. Acid is gonna love her.”

“No shit,” Tick replied.

The driver’s door opened, and another man climbed inside. “She tied down good?” he asked the two beside me.

“Working on her ankles now, but she’s not fighting,” Tick called back.

“Let’s go to Tampa,” he replied.

Tick stopped and looked at the driver. “Tampa? AJ said to take her to the shack.”

The guy turned around to look at Tick. The right side of his face had been burned at some point and was scarred. He had long, dark hair that seemed to help cover some of it. “Acid wants her brought to him.”

“Does AJ know?” Tick asked.

“No. Acid said not to tell him.”

Tick shook his head and sighed. “Fuck.”

“AJ might control Orlando, but Acid is the boss.”

The other guy beside me grunted. “I’d rather face off with AJ than Acid.”

“Exactly,” the guy up front replied. “We’re taking her to Tampa.”

I screamed against my gag, and all three sets of eyes looked at me. I tried pleading with my eyes.

Did they know I was pregnant? If I made them angry, would they hit me? I had to figure out a way to get away from them.

“Damn, she’s gorgeous,” the driver said. “Don’t fucking mess with her. Acid will burn you both alive. He’s gonna want that one.”

He turned back around and started the van. I closed my eyes as a tear ran down my face. Saxon wouldn’t know where I was or what had happened to me. Would he think I’d left him? Oh God, my chest hurt. What if I never saw him again?

“Don’t cry, love,” the guy beside me said. “Acid don’t hurt pretty things like you. He just collects them.”