Levels Of Exposure (Distortion Series Book 2) Read online

  His words died off and he turned to her. “Sing for me, Rose,” he asked.

  Stephanie shook her head. “I’m too tired,” Stephanie said with a raw voice. “Thirsty.” She slid to the floor and grabbed her knees. She knew she couldn’t bring herself to sing that song.

  “You are my Rose, right? I finally found you again?” He pressed his face between the bars.

  Stephanie nodded her head and pushed a strangled “yes” between her lips. She was too frightened to discover what would happen if she didn’t agree. She could still feel his hand against her neck and knew how easy it would be for him to kill her if he chose.

  “Good…good. Are you hungry?” He turned and began stumbling toward the door. “I will get you some food. Maybe something sweet.” He spun back around and threw her a smile. “Yeah, something sweet for my Rose.”

  Stephanie didn’t release her breath until he disappeared through the door. As hungry as she was, she wished he would never return.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Jackson

  “I swore I’d never come back to this place,” Nate said as they parked on the side of the street and looked up at the sign of Black’s strip club, Shimmy Shakers. As far as strip joints went, this one had some class. The exterior was well maintained and discreet, only showcasing silhouettes of female figures with discreet black on black applications. Tall, dim bar lights framed in the large awning that offered privacy to customers who entered the premises.

  “The last time I saw Slash he threatened to cut my balls off. I’m rather attached to them. Maybe I should wait in the car,” Nate suggested.

  “Slash threatens to cut everyone’s balls off. He said the same thing to me last time I saw him. Let’s go.” Jackson opened his door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t looking forward to this meeting, either, though it wasn’t Slash he was concerned about. He was just a bully with a blade and Jackson could handle him.

  Black had the upper hand on Jackson when it came to their current predicament and it was not a situation he liked to be in. He needed to buy more time to keep Evan alive. He knew Black would not hesitate to kill Evan. He needed to convince Black that it was in his best interest not to. Jackson still had every intention to kill Stodden. In fact, he was more fueled than ever knowing Stodden was injured and his numbers were down.

  Ideally, he would still be on his trail day and night until he found the hole where Stodden was lying low. It was the perfect time to strike but Stephanie and Evan were factors he was not used to dealing with. This was the reason why he lived his life without connections to people that would prove to be a liability, but he needed to make sure both were safe. He knew Lexie would not forgive him otherwise. He wanted to piece her life back together as much as possible with a desire that drove him more than anything else.

  The music poured from the interior as Jackson pulled open the front door. Two intimidating bouncers stood on either side of the interior entrance to instill fear into anyone thinking about stepping out of line. Jackson brushed past them without a second thought. He was intent on seeking out Black as quickly as possible. They didn’t have the luxury of time. Black would have caught wind of the fact that Stodden was still alive by now.

  Nate fell in step behind Jackson as he kept his eyes out for Black. Jackson noticed a familiar face from Black’s crew heading in their direction with two women hanging off his arms. Jackson flagged him down and asked him where to find Black. The man pointed offhandedly toward a roped off section toward the back of the bar before he carried on with his company.

  When Jackson approached, a bouncer stepped in his way, letting him know it was off limits. “No entry,” the man said as he crossed his arms over his skin tight black t-shirt. The man’s head was shaved and he wore a goatee. He looked every bit the stereotypical bouncer.

  “I’m here to see Black,” Jackson said irritably.

  “He’s not seeing anyone tonight,” he replied, refusing to allow Jackson to pass.

  “He’ll see me,” Jackson insisted as he looked over the man’s shoulder and noted that Black had already learned of his arrival. Black stood up from his current company and waved toward the bouncer to allow Jackson to enter. The man stood back and unlatched the rope as he practically growled at the two of them.

  “Nice shirt. Does it come in men’s too?” Jackson smirked as he passed.

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Nate asked in disbelief as he looked back at the bouncer, who was barely containing himself. “I’m pretty sure that guy has serious ’roid rage issues.”

  “You worry too much, Nate.” Jackson shook his head.

  “Someone has to, you never have.”

  Jackson dismissed Nate as he approached Black, who did not look amused. A scowl carved deep into his brow. Nate grew quiet as Black’s eyes fell on him and then looked back at Jackson with a raised brow. “Follow me,” Black said.

  Jackson glanced at Nate, who seemed a little unsure about the situation, but surprisingly determined to stay by his side. Nate had changed over the last decade and it made guilt settle in his stomach. He should have fought harder for his old friend, but back then he could see nothing through his own hatred.

  The past was now water under the bridge and Nate was once again his wingman. This time he felt as if he would be able to depend on him when the waves started crashing. Jackson had always seen a part of himself in Nate. It was one of the many reasons they’d created an unconventional bond all those years ago when Jackson refused to let anyone else close.

  Black led them away from the group he had been entertaining toward a booth. He waved toward a waitress as he sat down. The waitress immediately approached their table with a friendly smile on her face. “What can I get you gentlemen?” She placed her hand on her hip and cast them a flirtatious smile.

  “Whiskey on the rocks,” Jackson answered without pause.

  “I’ll have a draft,” Nate followed.

  Black gave the waitress a nod before she spun on her heels and sauntered away.

  “So I assume you are here to enlighten me as to why Stodden is still alive?” Black grabbed the edge of the table, throwing a displeased expression toward Jackson.

  “He is for now, but that will soon change. He’s injured and licking his wounds,” Jackson said confidently.

  “That’s not what we agreed.” Black leaned back in his seat. “Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet in my little house guest?” He waved toward the back of the bar, where Jackson knew the offices and private rooms were located…the very place he assumed they were keeping Evan.

  “It’s as good as done. I just need more time. You know Stodden as well as anyone. You know how resourceful the fucker can be,” Jackson defended his case.

  “Your guy fucked one of my girls,” Black said before clenching his jaw.

  “No offence, Black, but some of your girls have fucked their way through this entire bar.” Jackson didn’t even try to stay on safe ground as he addressed Black. “Don’t let the fact that one of your girls popped his cherry to cloud the bigger picture. Evan is harmless, but I need him after this is all said and done. I will get to Stodden and finish this, you have my word.”

  The waitress returned with three glasses on her tray, smilingly wildly despite the tension between the men she was serving. “There you go,” she said warmly before darting off to her next customer.

  Black tipped his glass up to his lips and took a sip before setting the glass down on the table and gazing calculatedly at Jackson. “I’ll give you a week.”

  “What’s the catch?” Jackson narrowed his eyes.

  “You work for me after you kill Stodden and I will let your friend live,” Black said as his lips curled up in a sinister smile. He was enjoying having Jackson backed into a corner. Jackson knew this had been his plan all along.

  “And if I refuse?” Jackson asked.

  “Then I will kill him and you,” Black threatened
.

  “Clear enough,” Jackson said. He picked up his glass and tossed the whiskey down his throat, relishing in the blissful burn of the liquor.

  “I see the two of you are together again,” Black raised his brow. “Did Nate mention that his sticky fingers have gotten him into trouble? Now that Seth is out of the picture I would imagine they’ll come to collect what he owes.”

  “I’ll deal with Nate,” Jackson said defensively, knowing Black was trying to rattle him.

  “Very well,” Black said, taking another drink.

  “We’ll need to see Evan before we leave,” Jackson insisted.

  Black waved toward one of his men standing off to the side.

  “A word of advice, Jackson,” Black said, running his finger around the lip of his glass. “The fastest way to a man’s downfall is the love of a woman.”

  Jackson narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Why the fuck are you telling me this?”

  “You have the look of a man under the foot of a woman.” Black laughed at Jackson’s discomfort. “I know about the girl. I wouldn’t be a good business man if I didn’t look into all the details.”

  “The girl has nothing to do with this or me,” Jackson countered, keeping his emotions in check.

  “Of course she doesn’t,” Black said sarcastically.

  The bouncer approached the table. “Take them to see our guest before they leave,” Black ordered. Jackson slid out of the booth to follow the man.

  “Jackson?” Black called after him. “If you don’t kill Stodden, I will kill everyone you hold dear, starting with that girl.”

  “Stodden is already dead. I just have to deliver the message,” Jackson replied before turning his back on Black before he did something he would regret. His fists were clenched so tight he thought his nails might have broken skin.

  The man led the down a long corridor until they came to an open door, and then waved them inside. Jackson took one step inside the spacious room and his eyes landed on Evan handcuffed to a barred window. He was lying unconscious against a woman sitting next to him on the sofa, though on further inspection, Jackson noted there were subtle features that gave her secret away. Jackson assumed she could no longer be considered a male from what he could see. In fact, she was strikingly beautiful for someone not born a female.

  “Well, hello, Duke. You come to collect Country?” she asked, looking him over.

  “More like check to make sure he’s still alive,” Jackson answered as he kicked Evan’s foot but got no response. “Wake up, Evan. This isn’t a fucking party.”

  “You certainly don’t have a soft touch, do you?” she asked with a raised brow.

  “Not for him,” Jackson answered truthfully. “What’d he take?”

  “Not sure. One of the girls sunk her claws into him and left before I could question her.” She tapped Evan on the cheek. “Country, wake up. Wake up.”

  Evan turned his face into her shoulder and raised his free hand up, landing on the woman’s breast. He fondled her for a moment before he became fully awake and opened his eyes. He looked up to see whose he was groping. “Cherry?” Evan pulled back. “Did we make out?” Evan asked groggily.

  “We didn’t do anything, darling, but you did feel me up quite a bit on more than one occasion.”

  “Shit, sorry.” Evan moved to sit up but the quick movements caused his color to noticeably whiten. “I’m gonna be sick.”

  Nate grabbed a garbage can and passed it to Evan just in time. His cuffs rattled against the bars and his skin was noticeably raw. When Evan was finished emptying his stomach, he looked up with one eye open. “Aren’t you the guy from the farm house?” Evan asked before spitting in the bucket.

  “Yeah.” Nate shrugged.

  “The girls?” Evan said in a rush as he looked up at Jackson. “What happened?”

  “Lexie is safe and her mother is in the hospital. John shot her, but according to the doctors, they were very hopeful she would make a full recovery.”

  Evan ran his hand down over his face. “Stephanie?”

  “Still working on finding her, but we have a good lead,” Jackson informed him.

  “Good. Get me the fuck out of here so I can get to the hospital.” Evan rattled his cuff.

  “There is one more thing,” Jackson added.

  Evan’s eyes snapped up to Jackson’s face. “What?” he asked bluntly, as if knowing it would be bad news for him.

  “We didn’t exactly kill Stodden yet, so you get an extended stay,” Jackson said unapologetically.

  Evan sighed and leaned back against the sofa. “I can’t stay here. I need to see Lexie,” he complained.

  “You will after we take care of him. Black already promised not to kill you, so just relax.”

  Evan threw Jackson a dirty look. “I really do hate you,” he confessed.

  “The feeling is mutual,” Jackson replied. He retrieved his wallet and pulled out some bills. “Do you mind making sure he doesn’t OD before I can get him out of here? I need this idiot alive.”

  “I’ll try,” Cherry said, taking the money.

  “We have to go,” Jackson said to Evan just as he grabbed for the garbage can again. Evan began to protest but his stomach wouldn’t comply.

  Nate didn’t say a word until they slipped back into Jackson’s car. “You’re not really going to work for Black, are you?”

  “Not a chance,” Jackson replied confidently.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “One problem at a time, Nate. First we find Stephanie before it’s too late, if we aren’t already.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Lexie

  “Lexie?” the nurse called out as she entered the waiting room.

  Lexie practically jumped out of her seat and looked expectantly at the nurse. Dane, who had been asleep in a chair across from her, jolted awake.

  “You can see your mother now.” The nurse smiled as she watched Dane collect himself from the abrupt wake up.

  “Thank you so much,” Lexie blurted happily. She turned around to see if Dane was going to join her.

  “I’ll wait here.” He yawned.

  Lexie followed the nurse down the hall into her mother’s room. “She’s still groggy from the medication, but she should come around soon,” the nurse said as she laid a gentle hand on Lexie’s shoulder. She reminded Lexie of the librarian from home. She was always so kind and motherly to everyone. “Push the button by her bed if you need anything.”

  Lexie nodded as she left the room. A sob escaped Lexie’s lips as she looked at her mother in the hospital bed. She immediately grabbed her mother’s hand and covered it with her own. “I was so scared, Mom,” Lexie admitted softly. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched the gentle rising and falling of her mother’s chest. Her mother responded with a gentle squeeze of her hand, making Lexie’s face break out in a smile.

  “Mom,” she said in a rush of relief.

  Her mother opened her eyes and offered the smallest of smiles before closing her eyes again. “Tired,” she whispered. Her voice sounded raw but her color was much improved from the last time she had seen her.

  “Rest, Mom. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Lexie brushed her mother’s hair from her face and relished in the fact that her mother would be all right. Lexie took a deep breath and stretched her restricted chest and tried to relax her tense physical state. She forced everything else to the back of her mind and concentrated on her mother.

  Lexie pulled a chair up beside the bed and watched her sleep. She was trying to keep the weight of everything that was happening at bay. She felt like her sanity was stretched so thin that holes would start developing. She needed to trust in the fact that Jackson was working on finding Stephanie, and that with John currently injured, they did not have to worry about him. She leaned back in her chair and took deep, soothing breaths.

  Lexie sat up abruptly when she realized she had fallen asleep, making her head spin. She had no idea
what time it was or how long she’d slept. She had been on an adrenaline high for so long she must have crashed. She sat up in the chair and checked on her mother, who seemed to be resting peacefully. Standing up, she stretched her stiff neck and yawned. She desperately needed some caffeine to rouse her drowsy body.

  Lexie peeked out into the hallway and down to the waiting chairs visible from where she was. Dane was still sprawled out in an awkward position, trying to sleep on the uncomfortable chairs. She shook her head with a smile before heading his way toward the coffee machine. More people were moving around the halls, indicating a new day had begun. Lexie filled up two cups and then looked in the next machine for something halfway decent for breakfast. She settled on a granola bar and punched in the numbers until the metal arm spun and dropped it to the bottom.

  Walking back toward Dane’s large body crammed into the small chairs, she tapped his foot with hers. His eyes snapped open and looked up at her before they immediately softened. “Everything good?” he asked, sitting up and looking a little pained.

  “Yeah, I got you a coffee and breakfast.” Lexie handed him a coffee and the granola bar. “I didn’t want to go far, so the options were limited.” Lexie tilted her head back toward the vending machines.

  “Thanks.” Dane’s face lit up like she had given him the greatest present ever. “This is good.”

  Lexie thought it was strange that he seemed so delighted to receive a disgusting cup of coffee and a stale granola bar. It was like no one had ever given him anything before.

  “I’m going back to check on Mom,” Lexie said as she turned to head back to the room.

  “I’ll be here. Just holler,” Dane said, ripping open the granola bar and practically eating it whole.