Strike, p.15
Strike, page 15
part #4 of Stronger Series
“Then I’ll handle it. She’s Matt’s cousin. I can’t just go killing the close family members of my allies whenever I want.”
Yet.
“No? Afraid of retribution?” I was pushing it now, but this was a topic I wanted to exploit. Darren was being uncharacteristically open right now, and I needed to see how far I could take this, see how much he would reveal.
Darren’s eyes went dark, his jaw clenching as he stepped closer to me. My skin continued to warm, my senses aware of the potential danger if I didn’t tread carefully.
“Would you like to see how I handle retribution, Jaden?” His voice was soft and low, that dangerous tone sending knots to my stomach, but I remained passive. “If you’d like, you can ask all the bodies I’ve buried over the years just so you can confirm what you already know.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, refusing to be intimidated by his history of violence. “I don’t need to confirm anything, Darren. I’m just concerned with how far your ‘allies’ can push the line before it’s crossed.”
Darren’s brows furrowed. “Not even close to being a concern of yours. Now if you’re finished with pushing your fiancé, you need to get ready.”
I huffed and turned to leave the bathroom to change. “Fine, but if Regina says one thing to me that pisses me off, I’m knocking her ass out.”
“Noted.”
16
A Little Girls’ Night
After changing into a short black pleated skirt and a dark purple T-shirt, Darren let the fact that I slipped into some simple black Vans slide as we headed for the stairs to the foyer together. Camaro walked by my side while Darren held my hand as he escorted me down the steps to find Clive and Owen waiting for me like usual.
“So what am I allowed to do at my bachelorette party?” I asked. “I assume there will be a lack of male strippers, so where’s the entertainment going to come from?”
Darren actually had the decency to crack a smile instead of the backhand I half expected.
“Considering your outlook on life, I doubt you would find much entertainment in sending an oblivious man straight to his death, so I’ll spare you. Unfortunately, you’ll have to entertain yourselves, but I don’t think you’ll have much trouble with that.”
“So I can get drunk and go skinny dipping in the lake then?”
Darren turned and gave me a look, his telltale sign I was being an obnoxious brat, but there were days when I just couldn’t help but tease him when I was feeling brave enough. His stern ass needed it sometimes.
“While I do want you to have some fun tonight, use your best judgment, Jaden. Don’t do something you know will disappoint me. That shouldn’t be too difficult for you, should it?”
“Well, shit, there goes all the fun,” I whined, throwing my arms up in exaggeration.
Darren tapped two fingers against my cheek and scowled at me. “Mouth,” he warned.
Scrunching my face up, I tried to stay playful. “You know, I think you’re already impeding on my party. Don’t you have somewhere to be? Like your own bachelor party, or are you too busy for that?”
Darren chuckled and casually placed his hands in his pockets.
“Actually, you’re right. I do have my own party to attend, but I wanted to make sure you were all set before I took off. Regina may have set something up for you, but I have a strong feeling you’ll be deviating from that plan.”
“And screw up all of Regina’s hard work? Absolutely.” Whatever she had planned, I had zero intention of following that shit. No thanks.
Darren grinned. “There’s my little hellcat. Order whatever you want for dinner, stay light on the booze, and be in bed by midnight. Think you can manage that?”
“Yes, fairy godmother. I wouldn’t want to turn into a pumpkin on the eve of my wedding.”
“Good girl,” Darren praised and leaned down to kiss me.
His hands wrapped themselves around my jawline, his thumbs caressing the underside of my cheeks and stealing the breath from my lungs. I hated it, but these little moments of affection were treasures to me. As if I could collect them like precious gems and hide them away in a jar so I could show myself all the times I’d been good and made Darren happy. The more gems I collected, the safer I felt inside.
When Darren released my lips, he leaned his forehead against mine, resting it there for a moment and taking a deep breath. Realizing I probably wouldn’t see him until tomorrow afternoon, I curled my hands around his wrists and gave him a gentle squeeze. It wasn’t a second later he kissed my forehead and released me.
“Have fun tonight, princess, but try to behave yourself,” he said and then walked out the front door where I could see several headlights waiting for him. I could only imagine the trouble he would be getting into tonight.
Turning to my left, I headed down the hallway toward the sitting room where I heard feminine voices while Clive and Owen trailed behind me. Turning the corner, I found my lips forming into a tight grimace when I my eyes were instantly assaulted by a vision of hot pink and silver glitter.
“Jaden!” I heard Kayla gasp in surprise. She was mid-tapping a paper decoration of an engagement ring on the wall.
“Well, there she is,” Regina called smoothly as she sauntered toward me, holding several strands of hot pink beaded necklaces in her hands, a fresh smirk on her face. “Our little bride-to-be.” She was wearing skinny jeans, a way too tight red top that showed off more cleavage than I ever wanted to see in my life, and hot pink fuck-me heels. Her fake dark red hair fell in long heavy waves, and her makeup was definitely porn-star worthy. Did she miss the memo that we were staying in tonight?
She looked down and practically scowled down at my dog. “Is she going to be with us the entire night?”
“I told you before, Regina,” I said, standing to my full puny height. “Camaro doesn’t often leave my side.”
“I don’t see why she can’t be away from you for just one night.”
I smiled with a shrug. “Darren’s rules, not mine. You’ll have to take it up with him.” Though it wasn’t a rule I minded. I preferred to have my dog with me almost everywhere I went. She may be my guard dog, but she also my emotional support when my anxiety got the better of me.
“Hmm … maybe I will,” she said smoothly as if that was somehow an invitation.
Go for it, bitch. See how far it gets you.
“Hey, now’s not the time to whine over a dog. She’s practically one of the girls anyway,” Kayla said gently, stepping over to me and embracing me with a short hug. “I don’t mind her … even if she tried to bite my head off earlier.”
I smiled as Kayla tried to pat the top of Camaro’s head; she actually let her. Progress.
Kayla was also dressed to the nines in her black, white, and gold printed dress. She wore black flats, her hair had a slight bouncy curl to it, and she’d applied light makeup. Cute as always.
“Hi, Jaden,” said a soft voice from the corner of the room. I hadn’t even noticed Katherine sitting in an armchair near the window. Her honey blond hair fell past her shoulders in soft waves over a tight gray cardigan, white blouse, and black pencil skirt. Her modest outfit made her look like she just got home from an office job, which wasn’t something I envisioned Darren’s brother preferring his wife to wear, but maybe he mandated her modesty too.
She rose from her chair, her black heels clicking against the hard wood of the floor as she moved toward me, a soft smile on her face that revealed rosy cheeks and very little makeup. She was gorgeous enough without it. She had a strange sort of gracefulness in her step, an aura of innocence that almost made me feel like I could trust her. But that was never true in this world. I was even leery of Kayla at this point.
“I just wanted to offer my congratulations again and to thank you for including me tonight,” she said, her voice smooth like butter. I hadn’t gotten to pay much attention to Katherine at any of the other events, but now, I officially had her all to myself. “If there’s ever anything I can do to ease the transition of married life, please just let me know.”
Well, if that wasn’t an open invitation for information, I didn’t know what was. Maybe Katherine was on my side after all. She’d been in the same position as I was once. No wonder Darren didn’t want me to befriend her. So why did he allow her to attend tonight?
“Thanks. And I’m sure I’ll need to take you up on that at some point,” I replied with the tiniest little wink. “Where’s Ella?”
“She’s upstairs with the nanny. Dan is giving me a little break tonight for your party.”
“How nice of him,” I replied dryly.
“Yes, it is,” she said, her smile faltering slightly.
Time to change the subject.
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked aloud, looking around and taking in all the decorations they had put up. “I understand strippers are a no-go, so I guess we’re on our own?”
Testing the atmosphere, I got a mix of reactions to that little joke. Kayla giggled, Regina rolled her eyes, and Katherine actually blanched. Tonight was going to be interesting.
“Well,” Regina said with a sigh, “I thought we could start the night off with a movie, like The Sweetest Thing or The Notebook? The kitchen staff just started putting together an amazing grilled chicken salad for us, and then I also set up the room next door for facials and pedicures. Fun, right? I can’t wait!”
Oh. Hell. No.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to scratch all that. I have a much better idea on how we can spend this night.”
“What do you mean ‘scratch that’? What could possibly be better?” Regina complained.
I smirked. “The guards have a PlayStation in the game room downstairs. And I think it’s our turn to play.” I turned to Clive and Owen. “Hey, Wonder Twins, we’re gonna need two large pizzas, one veggie and one meat lovers, and a twelve pack of Heinekens. Think you can make it happen?”
They both smiled at me. “I think we can manage, Miss Jaden,” Clive said and immediately began ringing out my order into his Bluetooth headset.
Finally! Something was going my way.
“Let’s go!” I said to my little group behind me and headed to the basement in search of the game room while Clive and Owen followed.
“I so love you right now,” Kayla whispered to me as we walked down the stairs. She was putting me in a good mood already, but that didn’t distract me from the winces she made with each step down the stairs. Matt had hurt her again, and I’d find out why later.
Cheers and shouting erupted from a room down the hall where the guards who were not on duty were finding another source of entertainment. I opened the door and walked right in, the girls standing behind me as the room suddenly grew quiet, all eyes on me. Ignoring them and looking at the screen of the TV, I could see they were playing Mortal Combat. One of my favorite video games.
“I think it’s our turn to play, boys.”
My fist struck the side of his jaw for the fifth time that night, and still, he had the nerve to pretend he was clueless. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about getting blood on my shirt tonight, but it was starting to look like I was going to need a change of clothes before the night was over.
“Let me know when you’re done wasting my time. I have no problem changing my methods if you need further persuasion to give me what I want.”
I stared down at the stupid fuck my security team caught snooping around the estate earlier today. He was currently strapped to a chair, his limbs shaking from adrenaline and fear, wishing he were anywhere but here.
The little shit claimed he was one of the workers assisting in the setup of the chairs for the ceremony tomorrow, but after he was found separated from the remaining workers with a tiny camera in his pocket, he was detained immediately. I felt hellfire inside me when I looked through the photos and saw several pictures of Jaden jogging along the property with Camaro.
His sweaty blond hair clung to his bruised bearded face while his torn jeans and fake employer’s jacket were stained with blood and dirt. Scott, Dan, Dom, and Matt stood around the room, amusement on their faces as I went to work. The cement basement of the club we were in was mine, and it wasn’t the first or the last time I’d be down here “working.”
“I told you! I don’t know anything! I’m telling the truth!” His begging barely intelligible with his jaw not working so well at the moment.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the pruning shears from the table, placing his pinky finger between the blades. Suddenly, he forgot how to move or even breathe.
“Here, let’s start with something easy. How about your name? Can you handle that?” Even though his name was the last thing I cared about, I waited for a moment to see if he would finally give me some cooperation, trying not to lose my patience when he took a deep breath.
“Okay, okay,” he murmured, his eyes wide with fear as he kept them on the finger he’d lose if he didn’t talk. “My name. It’s … it’s Jason.”
Revulsion instantly hit me.
“Jason? I fucking hate that name.” Snip went the little finger.
“Oh, my God! You son of a bitch!” Jason screamed, his legs kicking out while his entire body shook from the pain. Blood seeped from his hand, dripping onto the severed finger that now lay on the floor.
“Sorry; another shit bag is associated with that name. Unlucky for you, unfortunately. But, just think, if that’s what I’m willing to do to you just for not liking your name, imagine what I’ll do if you continue to lie to me. Get the picture?”
“Fuck you, man! I told you, I don’t know shit!”
“You willing to lose another digit over that lie?” I asked casually.
Jason turned silent, his face a tight grimace as he forced deep breaths in and out, more sweat dripping down his temple. I imagined he was debating whether or not all the torture we would enjoy putting him through would be worth delaying the truth. Because he was eventually going to spill.
“I already know who hired you. So all I need you to do is tell me everything else you know, and then this will be over.”
Still nothing, just breathing with his eyes focused on the floor, irritating me further.
“I could cauterize that, you know,” I said, nodding to his injured hand. “Prevent you from re-attaching it … in the event you live through this.”
His breathing became heavier, more erratic, his remaining digits curling into fists as his lips pulled back to reveal yellow teeth.
“Fuck you. I ain’t no fucking rat!” he bellowed, officially sealing his fate.
I smiled and turned back to the table, grabbing my favorite little knife used for this exact purpose.
“Maybe not,” I replied, turning back to him, the knife twirling between my fingers. “But I’m sure as fuck gonna skin you like one.”
17
Preparation
“I want snipers set up here, here, and here, and the perimeter of silent sensors needs to be expanded,” I ordered, pointing at the areas of the map of the estate that Scott had spread out over the table.
Scott, Matt, Dom, and Dan stood around the table while what was left of Jason remained decomposing in the chair he was still tied to. The stupid little prick didn’t know as much as I had hoped, but he provided enough information to at least give us a better advantage.
Luckily, the only thing Carter wanted him to do was to take the photos and upload them to a fucking Dropbox account and supply any extra information he could provide.
Dropbox. Unbelievable.
After getting the account, Scott uploaded some of the photos, minus the ones of Jaden, and added some very misleading information to hopefully convince them to enter right where we wanted them. Assuming they took the bait, we now knew exactly where they would attempt to strike first and could easily contain it. The only problem was figuring out when.
“They’re probably gonna strike midway through the ceremony,” Dom said, pointing at the clearing where the chairs were set up. “Everyone will all be in one place and focused on the ceremony.”
I shook my head. “No, they’ll wait until everyone is too drunk, full, and distracted by the loud music to even know what’s going on. I’m betting at least an hour after dinner they strike, which means we need to intercept them first.”
“I agree,” Dan added. “They’ll want us at our most vulnerable, and there won’t be a better time.”
Scott nodded. “I’ll make sure the drones are ready to go. We’ll put two near the estate, and the other four can circle the entire property until we catch them.”
“Did you install the upgraded sites I gave you?” Matt asked Scott. The drones were relatively new but a damn good investment in security. A few weeks ago, Matt had contacted another distributor who developed their own thermographic camera that sensed infrared radiation. It was invaluable tech now compared to before.
“Yep,” Scott replied. “Not even a damn fly gets undetected by those things.”
Matt laughed. “You’re welcome.”
“I want them alive if we can afford it,” I added. “I want Mooch and Carter to watch their men die one by one until it’s just them. I want those fucks sitting in their own piss by the time we get to them.”
“Excellent,” Dom said with a smile, cracking his knuckles. Kid was more bloodthirsty than I was sometimes.
“In the meantime, I want ten invisibles on Jaden at all times. I don’t want her to know shit. I’m not having her on edge on our wedding day. She deserves at least one drama-free night, even if it’s an illusion.”
“You got it,” Scott affirmed.
“Have the fireworks display on standby as well. I want them to go off right before we strike, regardless of the time of day. The explosions will cover the gunfire and keep everyone distracted.”
Scott nodded.
