Levels Of Exposure (Distortion Series Book 2) Read online

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  “I want you,” Lexie whispered. Flint smiled and looked down at her body, stopping between her legs. Lexie turned her head and looked at his jacket. A thrill of excitement penetrated her fear like a sharp knife as she noticed the pocket was within reach.

  Lexie moaned when she felt him run his fingers over her sex, only a thin piece of material separating them. She tried to sound as convincing as she could. His eyes flicked up toward hers before he brought his lips down against the skin of her thigh. He licked her flesh.

  “Yes…” Lexie gasped, grabbing the blanket of the bed. She glanced up to make sure he wasn’t looking. She slid her hand over until her fingers felt the cool hard surface of his phone.

  “That feels so good,” she moaned. Once she had a hold on it, she slipped it out and brought it up as she pretended to grab her hair. His attention was between her legs and he didn’t notice when she slipped the phone under her pillow. Once she tucked it away, she knew she had to move fast in case it rang and he discovered she took it.

  “Flint,” Lexie called down to him as he curled his fingers under the waistband of her underwear. “We can’t do this yet.” Lexie scrambled for a convincing plan. “We can’t do this behind John’s back. What if he gets angry? We should tell him first.”

  He stopped moving as her words hit him. He stopped undoing his belt and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He sighed loudly and stared at her silently for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “You’re right,” he finally submitted.

  Lexie sat up and picked up his jacket, holding it out for him. She managed a smile because of the relief that flowed through her so potently. He slid his arm in the jacket and let her assist him in pulling it on. He adjusted his shirt before he leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll tell John and then we’ll continue where we left off.”

  “I hope so.” Lexie smiled.

  His confidence didn’t show in his eyes, making Lexie wonder if he thought there might be a possibility that John would not allow this to happen. It was all the hope she needed. She never wanted there to be a next time.

  “You should go before we get caught,” Lexie said, rubbing her hands down his chest.

  He nodded solemnly before he headed toward the door. The sound of the lock was the most beautiful thing to her ears. She scrambled for the phone, desperate to make a call before she was discovered. She didn’t even leave time to pull on clothes. She grabbed the phone and ran into the bathroom, shoving the chair under the handle.

  She pressed the bottom of the screen and wanted to cry in relief when she noticed it wasn’t locked. She thought about calling the police, but she had no idea what to tell them. Her fingers shook so bad she had to attempt to dial Stephanie’s number four times before she got it correct. She needed to know Stephanie was all right before she could think clearly.

  Her phone rang and rang until it went to her answering machine. She hung up and tried Evan’s number. She needed to hear a familiar voice.

  It rang three times before Evan answered. “Hello?”

  “Evan, oh my god. It’s so good to hear your voice. Is Stephanie with you?” Tears flooded Lexie’s eyes as she spoke.

  “Lexie?” Evan gasped in the phone. The sound of shuffling erupted on the line, it sounded like a struggle.

  “Evan? What’s happening?” Lexie asked as she wiped her eyes.

  “Lexie, where are you?” Jackson’s voice hit her hard in the stomach. Her eyes flashed up to the mirror to see herself standing naked in the bathroom. She grabbed for the robe on the back of the door and frantically pulled it on.

  “I don’t know.” So many emotions bubbled in her chest at the sound of his voice. “I stole this phone. I don’t have long before they find out I have it. Is Stephanie with you too?”

  “What are you talking about? She was taken with you and your mother,” Jackson replied.

  “What? No…she’s not here. Oh my god, Jackson,” Lexie gasped as she pulled on the ties of the robe until it dug into her waist.

  “Calm down. We’ll find her. Give me something so I can figure out where you are,” Jackson said determinedly.

  Lexie wasn’t sure if she could even trust Jackson, but if Evan was with him, it needed to count for something. She knew he was probably the best chance she had at getting out of here. She threw caution to the wind and decided to give him a chance. She would deal with the rest if she ever got out of here. “Um…I was blindfolded when they drove us here. I lost track of time.” Lexie found it difficult to talk as she forced her words through her tight throat. “I know it was still dark when we got here. I think we’re in some kind of hotel under construction. I’m in room 324. I don’t know much else.”

  “I know where you are. I’m coming for you, Lex.”

  “Jackson…” Lexie began but couldn’t finish.

  “Did he hurt you?” Jackson cut in.

  Lexie took a deep breath. “I’m fine, but I don’t know about my mother. They won’t let me see her.” Lexie covered her mouth with her hand so Jackson couldn’t hear her cry. She heard a sound in the hallway that made her panic.

  “I have to go. I think someone is coming. I have to get rid of this phone.”

  “I’m coming for you.”

  Lexie hit end and dropped the phone on the floor. She grabbed the metal garbage bin. She knelt down and began hitting the phone, trying to break it in smaller pieces. When the phone finally submitted to her assault, she collected all the fragments and tossed them into the toilet a few at a time and flushed them away until there was no trace left. Once it was gone, she blasted the hot water in the shower and climbed in. She wanted to wash off Flint’s touch and calm her rattled nerves.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Jackson

  Jackson looked down at Evan’s phone. Lexie had sounded so terrified on the other end of the line. Every scenario within his scope of imagination plagued him and fueled his anger. The only thought that made the whole situation bearable was imagining how he would deliver the fatal blow to John Stodden when he killed him.

  “Let me go.” Evan struggled against Teddy’s hold.

  “You can let him go, Teddy,” Jackson said, holding out Evan’s phone. “I’m done.”

  Evan straightened his shirt and grabbed the phone from Jackson. “I wanted to talk to her,” Evan didn’t even try to contain his anger as he pulled up his screen looking for the number Lexie called from.

  “You won’t get her. She said she was going to get rid of the phone.”

  Evan glared at Jackson. “Why didn’t you let me talk to her?”

  “I needed to find out where she was,” Jackson answered without remorse. He just got confirmation of her location and now there was only one more thing standing in his way.

  “And did you?” Evan asked, dropping his arm. He looked at the phone and saw Jackson was right. It was a private caller and didn’t even yield a number in his call history.

  “Yes.” Evan’s eyes widened as he looked at Jackson. “And we’re going to get her once I deal with this little problem,” Jackson said, pointing at the man leaning against the car.

  “Hey now, Jacks. Is that how you refer to an old friend?” The man threw his cigarette down on the ground and placed his hand against his chest.

  “You were never my fucking friend, Slash,” Jacks replied emotionlessly.

  “True,” Slash admitted with a mock frown. “I still don’t care much for you, to be honest.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” Jackson retorted.

  Slash had long scars that ran down the sides of his face and had a look in his eye that made people turn and walk the other way. He told people that he had gotten the scars in a bar fight but Jackson always suspected that they were self-inflicted. Slash had a fascination with cutting and pain. Most of his exposed skin had scars of various types that he wore like trophies. Unfortunately, his sick obsession also extended to cutting others. Jackson had been witness to his obsession first hand and Slash’s talent with knives was the inspiratio
n behind’s Black’s appreciation for the blade. They both liked the art of intimidation and knives were quite effective.

  “What the fuck do you want? I don’t have time for your games,” Jackson said angrily when Slash pulled out another cigarette.

  “Black wants to talk to you,” Slash said. He took a deep pull from his cigarette and let the smoke escape the side of his mouth.

  “Well, tell him to give me a call,” Jackson bit off in irritation. He heard a vehicle pull up beside them and turned to see a black utility van. Someone rounded the vehicle and opened up the back doors.

  “This is him calling,” Slash said with a sadistic smile. “Get in the van.” Slash pointed toward the opened rear.

  “Why the fuck would I do that?” Jackson asked in disbelief.

  “Do you see those men over there?” Slash tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette as he nodded his head toward a group of four men standing on the other side of the road. One of them waved back. “Their orders are to go into that coffee shop and shoot the place up if you all don’t fucking get in the back of the van.”

  “Is he serious?” Evan burst out in alarm.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Jackson said. He clenched his jaw and stared at Slash in utmost hatred. “I’ll go.” Jackson motioned toward his friends. “But Black has no business with them.”

  “I said all of you,” Slash warned.

  He waved his hand and the men across the street began walking toward the entrance of the coffee shop. “Okay, okay, you made your point. Call off your dogs,” Jackson said with a shake of his head. His patience was thin at best.

  “And just when I thought things were starting to get boring,” Teddy said lightly.

  The man holding the doors open grabbed a small milk crate from the back. “Weapons in here.” Jackson withdrew his guns and placed them inside before he climbed in the back of the van. The others followed after they too were disarmed. Jackson kicked a few dirty rags out of the way before he sat down on the floor of the van.

  “Does the shit ever stop? How are we supposed to rescue the girls with all these psychos kidnapping us?” Evan blurted angrily at Jackson when the doors were closed behind them. A man who shut the back door climbed into the passenger’s seat and told the driver to head out. He turned around in the seat, looking at the four of them sprawled out in the back.

  “Don’t try anything,” he warned, holding his gun up to reinforce his threat.

  “We wouldn’t dream of it.” Jackson said sarcastically.

  “Feel free to swing this baby through a drive through. I could really use a cheeseburger right now,” Teddy added. The men ignored him and turned up the music.

  Dane tried to adjust himself comfortably against the side of the van but gave up with a sigh of frustration. He pulled up his shirt to peel back his bandage.

  “That doesn’t look good, man.” Jackson raised his brow.

  “Yeah well, when my doctor said bedrest, she probably didn’t mean partaking in any of the shit we’re doin’.” Dane laughed as he refastened the bandage.

  “Yeah, sorry about the shitstorm,” Jackson said.

  “Dane wouldn’t know what to do with himself if his life wasn’t being threatened. He’d go fucking crazy,” Teddy said, kicking Dane’s foot.

  “What’s life without blood and pain?” Dane said as he gently patted his side.

  “You are all shades of fucked up,” Evan said, shaking his head. “You’re all fucking cops who I’ve only seen acting like criminals. How do guys like you even get badges?”

  “Even the good guys need someone to clean up the shit,” Teddy said, giving Evan an affectionate rub on the top of his head. Evan pulled away with a dirty look.

  “Lexie said Stephanie isn’t with them,” Jackson said, breaking the mood. “She didn’t even know she was taken.”

  “What?” Evan blurted. “Where the fuck is she, then?”

  “He must be keeping her separate,” Teddy suggested.

  “At least we know where to look,” Jackson confirmed. “If she’s there, we’ll find her.”

  Evan raked his hands through his hair. “What good does it fucking do if we’re now being held by one of your old boyfriends?”

  “I think this will actually work to our benefit,” Jackson said, feeling good about the potential opportunity Black’s involvement might bring.

  “How so?”

  ***

  The rear doors to the van swung open to reveal the interior of a parking garage. The man from the passenger’s seat stood back as he motioned for them to get out with a wave of his gun. Jackson helped Dane to his feet and jumped out of the back.

  They were led through a set of doors and down various hallways until music began filtering through the walls. A few shady looking characters lingered in the hall smoking pot. One of them with a leather vest and bald head blew smoke in Jackson’s face. He sneered and revealed he was missing a few of his teeth. Jackson ignored him.

  Slash stopped in front of a door that pulsed from the base of the music blaring on the other side. He and the other men tucked away their guns. “Don’t try anything stupid,” Slash warned.

  Jackson raised his hands. “Never do.”

  He could hear Dane snicker behind him.

  “Through here.” Slash opened the door. Heavy music poured out to meet them from what appeared to be a nightclub. It wasn’t long before he realized what type of place this was. Women danced on various stages throughout the main bar area. Countless men and the odd woman filled the bar to capacity, eager to watch the provocative entertainment. The women on stage did not disappoint. They knew how to win the crowd as they kept their audience wanting more.

  They continued past what was the largest of the stages, filled with multiple poles that were all being utilized, and toward a back room.

  Jackson glanced behind him to notice on of Black’s men nudging Evan to keep moving. Evan looked a little awestruck by the naked women. Jackson followed Slash and the others as they walked into a hallway lined with multiple doors. A woman was standing halfway down the hall dressed in only a thong as she argued on her cellphone.

  “Take it somewhere else, Mindy,” Slash called to her. She spun around and narrowed her eyes before stomping off and disappearing into one of the rooms.

  Slash knocked on an unmarked door before he partially opened it wide enough to step inside. “I have Jackson and his men,” he announced.

  “Send Jackson in.” Black instructed. It seemed like a different life when he had been a part of Black’s crew so many years ago. It was a time that he had planned to never return to, but life had a way of throwing you into the very thing you wanted to avoid.

  Slash opened the door for Jackson but stopped the others from following. “Just Jackson.” He slipped out of the room and shut the door.

  “Jackson Finley, it’s been a long time.” Black sat back in his desk chair. The last ten years had aged him considerably. His black hair was now mostly white and he now wore a full beard. It took Jackson a moment to recognize the man he once knew. His office was decorated minimally compared to the tacky décor outside the office. A few framed photographs hung on the wall. A small bar sat in the corner and there was a sitting area next to it with a couple of black sofas.

  “Yeah, a few years,” Jackson said conservatively. He knew Black did not favor his unceremonious departure. No one was allowed to leave Black’s company without his approval but Jackson did just that.

  “It doesn’t look like running off to become a cop saved your soul. You’re back crawling in the trenches with the rest of us.” Black closed his laptop in front of him and waved to the seat in front of his desk.

  “I’m a sucker for punishment, I guess,” Jackson said as he dropped into the club chair.

  “It seems so.” Black pulled open his desk drawer and picked up a Ruger handgun and placed it on the desk in front of him.

  Jackson looked down at the gun and frowned. “I thought you were a blade guy.”
<
br />   “Depends on my mood.” Black took a deep breath and looked at Jackson. “I was being paid a small fortune to keep Seth alive. He had family in powerful places.”

  “I was wondering why you didn’t kill him when you found out he was skimming your product,” Jackson said, the pieces finally coming into place. “How’d they feel about you removing some of his fingers?”

  “I couldn’t let him go completely unpunished now, could I?”

  Jackson narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. “So tell me why you haven’t already put a bullet between my eyes.”

  “It has been brought to my attention recently that I am not the only one who wants you dead.” Back raised his brow.

  Jackson scratched his forehead thoughtfully. “It also seems like me and you have a common enemy,” he said, watching Black’s response. Jackson knew that Black would be able to see the bigger picture. Unlike Seth, who was always impulsive, Black had a mind for business and never let his emotions get in the way of opportunity.

  “Tell me why John Stodden wants you dead so bad,” Black inquired.

  “He wants to eliminate a threat.”

  “And are you a threat to Stodden?” Black narrowed his eyes.

  “If you consider the fact that I plan to kill him, then yes.”

  Black laughed and adjusted his weight in his chair. “What the fuck makes you think that you can even get close to him, let alone kill him?”

  “If you don’t think that I can kill him, then why haven’t you pulled that trigger?” Jackson nodded toward the gun.

  Black chuckled. “You were always a smart one, Jacks. That’s what I liked about you.”

  “We all have our strengths,” Jackson said casually. He was waiting for Black to let him in on what was brewing behind his calculating eyes. “I’m sure you are well aware of the fact that Stodden had intercepted our hardware source.”