Shades of Resolution (Distortion #3) Page 14

  “You telling John about our time together was a very bad thing. You better hope he believes me over you. Your father is not a merciful man. Lucky for you, you found me a little bargaining chip that will make my proposition more appealing.” Flint wrapped his fingers around her neck. “If that doesn’t work, I want to make sure I enjoy what time I have left, and that includes making you suffer.” Flint pressed his face into her neck and took a deep breath. “And I will enjoy every moment of it.”

  She felt the floor disappear from underneath her as he picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. Lexie caught a glimpse of her mother’s open door and then his black shoes as he descended the stairs. She wanted to reach out and grab the railing and struggle against him. It was so close but her hands wouldn’t cooperate.

  Lexie tried to scream when she saw Cherry on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She was so still and blood dripped down her face from a gash on her head. Her inner voice screamed as fear exploded inside her. She tried to allow her anger to burn through the fog that was calling her to sleep. She needed to help Cherry. She wanted to fight Flint and make him stop, but all she could do was be swallowed by the nightmare of being paralyzed. She was completely helpless.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-ONE

  Jackson

  When Jackson came to a stop in front of Mike’s parents’ house, there were no lights on, nor any house on the entire street. It was a quaint little street with white picket fences and well-manicured lawns. It looked more like a scene from a movie than the reality that he had known as a neighborhood growing up. Even the stars seemed to shine brighter over this town. They were all blissfully asleep, and that was exactly what Jackson wished to be doing as he hauled Mike out of the trunk. Low moans escaped him as Jackson heaved him up on his shoulder and walked toward the front steps. Jackson noted the porch swing and decided to let Mike sleep it off on the front step rather than disturb his parents.

  Jackson set Mike down on the wooden seat as gracefully as he could manage and headed back toward his car. He was anxious to get back to Lexie. He didn’t like leaving her without his protection. It was easy to fall under the illusion of safety when the danger was not currently on your doorstep.

  Teddy and Dane had to head back to Westford to help Giles and he was left without another option for taking Mike home. For some reason, Lexie wanted to spare him the embarrassment of involving the local authorities, and he felt he should respect that, despite the fact that he despised Mike. He knew exactly the type of man he was. The only reason he felt comfortable enough to leave was because he knew Stodden was still in Belhaven. He had been in touch with Max, who had given him as much information he could. It wasn’t much, but enough to allow him to believe they still had time.

  Before Jackson could grab the handle of his door, he heard a loud thud. He turned around and noticed Mike was lying face-first on the porch below the swing. It was only a matter of seconds before a light turned on inside the house. Jackson slid into the car and drove away. He did not want to face Mike’s parents too; he didn’t have the patience for it.

  Jackson was barely off the street when his phone lit up the dark interior of the car.

  “Hello?” Jackson answered.

  “Jackson, there’s a change of plans,” Haffey said.

  Jackson knew immediately that something terrible had happened by the tone of her voice. She sounded defeated, something he thought he would never hear from the woman who was an unstoppable spit-fire from the moment they met.

  “What happened?” Jackson questioned.

  “Stodden has my brother…” Haffey trailed off. He could hear her try to conceal the fact that she was close to tears. “I have no way to prove it’s him. I received an untraceable video that shows Carlos being tortured,” Haffey gasped into the phone. “The bastard cut his fucking finger off. The man in the video was wearing a mask but I bet my life it was him. The threat is pretty clear. ”

  “Shit, Haffey.” Jackson said. “Send the video to Teddy. He’ll try and pull anything from it. What do you need from me?”

  “If I make any move, Stodden will kill him. I have to back off, I don’t have a choice. His men are watching me and it’s probably best we don’t talk from here on out.”

  “Understood,” Jackson confirmed. He was fully aware how Stodden worked. Haffey was getting too close and this was his way to extinguish the threat. “Do you still want Stodden alive?”

  “Honestly, I don’t care what you do with that motherfucker as long as he’s stopped,” Haffey said. Her guard was down and she was desperate, Jackson could tell by the sound of her voice how broken she was. “Terence Masten was killed before I could get any information out of him. I can’t prove it, but I know Stodden was making sure he didn’t have the opportunity to talk. No matter what I do that god damn motherfucker is always two steps ahead of me.”

  “Sounds about right,” Jackson agreed.

  “Jackson?” Haffey asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “Get my brother back,” Haffey said.

  “I will,” Jackson assured her before he ended the call. Jackson dropped his phone in the console and rubbed the side of his face. Jackson shook his head. He was always the cop that everyone labeled as the “bad cop,” but as soon as the shit went down, everyone looked to him to clean it up.

  Jackson had just received the green light to go after Stodden. There were no longer any lines drawn in the sand that he was forbidden to cross. Haffey had just released his ties and unofficially told him to burn Stodden to the ground and he had every intention to do so.

  Jackson stepped on the gas. If Stodden now believed he was free of the barriers Haffey had placed around him, then it wouldn’t be long before he made his move toward Lexie. Jackson tore through the quiet streets. It felt all too convenient that Jackson wasn’t with Lexie right now. A sick feeling settled in his stomach as he drove like his life depended upon it.

  When Jackson neared the street, he passed an unfamiliar car, a black Mercedes. Jackson took note of the model as he pulled onto Lexie’s mother’s street. There were only a few cars on the road this time of night in the small town and not many Mercedes, let alone on this street. He read a partial off the plate but the car turned before he could get a good look.

  Jackson pulled into the driveway and jumped out of the car. He headed toward the back door and jogged up the steps. His stomach dropped and his fears were reinforced when he noticed the door wide open. Jackson barrelled in the door with his gun raised. He noticed Cherry on the floor as soon as he entered.

  “Cherry,” Jackson called to her. He scanned the room for anyone else. “Lexie!” Jackson hollered as he dropped down next to Cherry’s body and felt for a pulse. As soon as Jackson felt the steady beat of her heart, he let out a sigh of relief. “Be right back, Cherry,” Jackson said before he bolted up the stairs. “Lexie!” he hollered.

  Jackson pushed her mother’s door open and cleared the room before heading toward Lexie’s room. He kicked something as he neared her door that rolled across the floor. Jackson bent down and picked up a bullet, a quick glance around and he saw the entire chamber of rounds were scattered on the floor.

  When Jackson walked in, he noticed the gun sitting on the floor. Jackson raked his hand through his hair and kicked the nightstand. A cup of tea sitting on top tumbled to the floor and shattered. He knew he was too late. Jackson ran back down the stairs and into Evan’s room down the hall and slammed the door against the wall. Evan jerked awake from the noise, squinting his eyes groggily.

  “Get the fuck up!” Jackson hollered, pulling the pillow from beneath his head and throwing it across the room.

  Evan pushed himself up and rubbed his face. “What…huh?” he yawned.

  “Lexie was taken and Cherry is hurt. Get the fuck out of bed now!”

  Evan tumbled out of bed and rushed to his feet behind Jackson as he returned to Cherry, who still hadn’t moved.

  Jackson dropped on his knees beside her.
“Cherry,” Jackson nudged her shoulder. “Wake up.”

  Cherry moaned and lifted her hand to her head. “What the fuck?” she said when she pulled her hand away and noticed the blood. “Oh Jesus.” She tried to sit up but Jackson placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Just give yourself a moment or you’ll pass out again. What happened?”

  Evan ran into the kitchen and grabbed a dishtowel. “Here,” he said, pressing it to her head.

  Cherry looked at her shaking hand covered in blood. Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t see him come in, Jackson. I, ah…I turned around after pouring tea. I only got a glimpse of him before he hit me. Where’s Lexie?” She looked up at him with fearful eyes. “Oh god. Where’s Lexie?”

  “He took her,” Jackson said tightly. He clenched his jaw so tight his jaw ached. “Tell me everything you know.”

  Cherry closed her eyes. “Um…he wore a shirt…a white one and he had a closely trimmed beard with a bit of grey. I didn’t see his eyes.”

  “Any tattoos?” Jackson asked.

  Cherry shook her head slightly and cringed. “I didn’t see any, but he had a long sleeved shirt on.”

  “I didn’t hear anything, Jackson. I’m so fucking sorry,” Evan said, completely terrified and confused as he ran his hands through his hair.

  Jackson pushed to his feet. “Fuck, he must have taken the files and shit too,” Jackson said, noting the bare table. Jackson didn’t blame Evan because he had screwed up too. He should never have left her. Now Lexie was gone and the evidence they needed against Stodden as well.

  “What files?” Evan asked.

  “We found the shit Stodden is after,” Jackson answered, rubbing his neck in frustration.

  “How long have I been asleep?” Evan blurted in confusion.

  “Lexie tucked it all away in a box on the top shelf,” Cherry said, pointing toward the closet in the living room.

  Jackson walked over to the closet; the door was swung closed, but not latched. A few items rolled out when he opened it and Jackson knew the top shelf would be empty before he even laid eyes on it. Jackson slammed it closed with a curse. He had screwed up worse than he could ever forgive himself for. The two most important things he had in his possession he’d failed to keep safe.

  He was already too far behind to try and track down the car he passed. Jackson pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Teddy’s number.

  “What’s up, man?” Teddy answered with a yawn. Teddy was used to receiving calls at all hours from Jackson and probably didn’t even consider it urgent.

  “I need you to track a vehicle for me right now,” Jackson said, giving him the details he knew.

  “That’s a nice fucking car,” Teddy said, his voice much clearer now. “That was in Freyview? No wonder you’re suspicious.”

  “They have her,” Jackson confessed. “I left for fucking twenty minutes tops and he just strolled in and took her.”

  “I’ll find the car, Jackson. Just give me a few minutes to tap into the satellites.”

  Jackson could hear rustling on the other end of the line. “I’ll call you once I find it,” Teddy said.

  Jackson hung up and immediately dialed Giles.

  “I was talking to Haffey,” Giles said when he answered. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”

  “He took Lexie and the fucking files we found on him,” Jackson said angrily as he paced back and forth. Evan had helped Cherry to her feet and she was now sitting on the sofa with a bag of frozen peas pressed against her forehead. “We had just found everything we fucking needed to crush that motherfucker and he took it.” Jackson practically growled he was so angry.

  “Guess I can’t be surprised. What happened?” Giles asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m gonna fix it. I took a few pictures of the files. There’s enough there to get what we need on Rosh, but unfortunately that’s only part of the story for Stodden…” Jackson trailed off. “I’m sorry, Giles. I had it all and I let him walk away with it.”

  “Do what you need to do, Jackson. Stodden has our hands tied right now with her brother taken hostage. Haffey won’t let anyone make a move; not even our precinct. There’s no way of knowing if Stodden has anyone else on the inside, so Haffey won’t take any chances. I can’t even place a warrant for Rosh because he’s tied too closely to it all. You’ll be on your own.”

  “That’s the way I like it, you know that,” Jackson answered truthfully.

  “I can send Teddy and Dane. Set you up with the proper equipment. We may not officially be able to make a move but we sure is hell aren’t going to let Stodden win. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Giles.”

  “Send me what you have. I need to see it with my own eyes.”

  “I will,” Jackson confirmed.

  “You’ll be on your own until Haffey’s brother is extracted.”

  “Understood.” Jackson hit end.

  Jackson looked at Evan and Cherry both sitting on the sofa. They were staring at him expectantly. “I need you to take Cherry to the hospital. She’ll need stitches,” Jackson said to Evan.

  “I’m fine,” Cherry insisted. “How’re we gonna find Lexie?”

  “You are going to the hospital. The best thing for you both to do is stay here. I’m waiting on Teddy to find me a location and then I’m leaving.”

  “You’re just going after her yourself?” Evan asked. “Why don’t you call in the entire police force to take Stodden down?”

  “We need Stodden to think we’re playing by his rules. He, unfortunately, still holds the winning hand,” Jackson said, tapping his finger on the side of his phone, anxious for Teddy’s call. “This is not a fucking game of cops and robbers.”

  “Just thought that after what happened last time you’d need all the help you can get,” Evan said, pushing off the sofa.

  “Well, sometimes you need to work with what you have,” Jackson responded.

  “What if―” Evan began.

  “Don’t even suggest you’re coming. You are going to that fucking rehab place. You’re no good to us like this.” Jackson waved his hand. “As soon as you get within distance of any type of drug, you’ll lose your fucking head and you know it.”

  Evan closed his mouth and stared at Jackson. “I fucking hate standing on the sidelines being helpless.”

  “Good, maybe it will be enough to keep you clean so you’re not dead weight,” Jackson spat angrily and he immediately regretted it. Jackson raked his hands down his face. “Fuck, sorry. I’m just angry as shit right now.”

  “Don’t apologize. We all know it’s true,” Evan confessed.

  Jackson had to admit he had a lot of respect for Evan. He had only known him a short while and he had gone through two rounds of withdrawal and stayed determined through it all despite the torture. He knew the strength it took to accomplish what he had. Jackson had seen many men waste away from drugs, unable to face what it took to curb it.

  Cherry took Evan’s hand and squeezed tightly, offering comfort.

  “Just say you’ll bring Lexie home,” Evan demanded.

  “I will,” Jackson said. “I will bring her home and end this. I won’t let Stodden win.”

  “Good, that’s the one thing I like about you is the fact that you do what you’ll say you’ll do,” Evan admitted.

  “I haven’t figured out what I like about you yet,” Jackson said without conviction.

  Evan smirked and shook his head. “You can’t just walk away when this is over anymore, you know that, right?” Evan said.

  “I know,” Jackson acknowledged.

  Jackson’s phone barely started ringing before he accepted the call. “What do you have for me?”

  “I found it,” Teddy said.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-TWO

  Nate

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this? We have time,” Nate asked as he pulled to a stop in front of the address Officer Jordan Carlton had given them. Stephanie h
ad her hands balled in her lap, her fingers completely white from clasping them so tightly. She stared up at the blue house with white shutters. A perfectly manicured garden lined the front of the house with white and violet flowers. A lone pink bicycle with training wheels was parked on the grass. The tassels on the end of the handles fluttered in the breeze.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” Stephanie asked, her gaze lingering on the bike.

  “Positive,” Nate assured her. “That’s the right house number.” He pointed toward the mailbox at the end of the driveway. Nate knew that seeing the bicycle had thrown her off. In all of their talks leading up to this moment there had never been any mention that the owner of the ring could have been a mother. The idea of children being involved made the terrible situation that much worse.

  Stephanie took a deep breath but remained quiet. Nate didn't want to rush her. She was already fragile from the trauma that was still an open wound. He could see the pain she still suffered every time he looked into her soulful brown eyes. He didn’t know the first thing about consoling people. He had spent his entire life trying to survive one day at a time, only trusting a select few people.

  Since he and Stephanie discovered their connection through pain and loss, she had begun to desire his company. It was the first time in his life that someone turned to him or sought him out for emotional support. The feelings she invoked in him were almost painful as they swelled too big for him to contain. He knew pain well, rejection and loneliness were familiar to him from a past of people turning away from him. When Stephanie grabbed his hand for comfort and curled into his side, this was strange. He didn’t know this language as he desperately tried to navigate through this unknown territory. He was suddenly terrified about letting her down. The only thing he knew for certain was he wanted to be something solid for her to hold onto when she needed him.