No One's Hero (Chadwell Hearts) (22 page)

“I hope so. But what’s this about a ransom? I need the details.”

“I’ll let him tell you once he stops acting like a lunatic and can behave himself.”

She says it so sweetly that I have to chuckle. I can picture her saying it with total kindness, while glaring at Axel over the phone. And he’ll sulk, and then he’ll behave, because he’d do anything in the world for that girl.

And I’m just starting to get what that is like.

“Okay, I think he’s calm enough now. Oh, but Kevin?”

“Hmm?”

“If you hurt her, I’ll dig out your intestines and feed them to Molly.”

I laugh. “Fair enough.” I know she’s somewhat kidding, because she’d never do that to Molly. Me, on the other hand...warning received.

Axel comes back on the line. “Tess says I can’t threaten you, but she didn’t say I couldn’t kick your ass when we get there tomorrow.”

That’s Axel. Always walking right within the line of the rules. Obviously he’s calming down and feeling more like himself. “Dude, can you hold on a minute? I have to seriously piss.” Axel grunts his agreement, and once I’m done I turn the shower on to let it warm up. “Look, I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

“And yet it did.”

“It did because Lexi goes after what she wants with everything she’s got. And while I can’t fathom why, she wants me. I’m going to do my best to deserve her, although I’ll probably fail miserably.”

“And what about after this assignment’s over, and you go off on another one? What then? You can’t blame me for being concerned.”

“I honestly don’t know. But she and I will figure it out. When the job’s done...” When the job’s done I should be headed somewhere else while she stays here in school. But I can’t imagine not having her in my life. She’s my sunshine, and I don’t want to live in the dark. But that’s all I know, and I’m not ready to tell Axel that. First, I need to tell Lexi what I should have told her hours ago. She’s not the only one who’s fallen.

“Have you looked at the photo yet? Whoever faked it did one hell of a job. I honestly thought it was Lexi and I was ready to kill you.”

As if he could. “One sec.” I lower my phone and swipe through the messages menu until Axel’s text comes up. It takes a moment for the photo to load, but when it does it knocks the breath from my lungs. “Holy fuck. I can see why you freaked. But put your mind to ease. That photo can’t be of Lexi, she hasn’t been out of my sight. It must be Photoshopped, that’s the only thing I can think of.”

—-♥—-

L
exi

I wake alone in bed, but I’m surrounded by the smell of Kevin on the pillow beside me. The shower is running in a nearby bathroom and a wicked smile spreads across my face. I feel a bit sticky still—and sore—and a shower sounds like a fantastic idea. Maybe Kevin will let me join him.

And maybe we’ll end up sticky all over again.

His voice wafts through the door as I get closer to it, and I pause. Who’s he talking to?

“Look, I didn’t intend for this to happen.” Kevin sounds apologetic and it hurts my heart. It’s obvious what he’s talking about and even though I know it hadn’t been his plan, I hate hearing him sound like he regrets it. Maybe showering with him isn’t such a good idea. I turn to head back to the bed when he starts talking again and his words freeze me in place. “I did because Lexi goes after what she wants with everything she’s got. And while I can’t fathom why, she wants me. I’m going to do my best to deserve her, although I’ll probably fail miserably.”

Oh Kevin. My heart breaks for him. I want to throw that door open and tell him he’s wrong. He already deserves me. Hearing him say that...love swells in my heart. If he’s worried about deserving me, then I’m enough.

I’m enough.

Tears well in my eyes.

“I honestly don’t know. But she and I will figure it out. When the job’s done...”

Of course. The job. He sounds hopeful, but it’s a harsh reality I didn’t want to be reminded of. I may be more, but I’m also his job. And when the job is over, I can’t expect him to stay in this little college town.

“One sec. Holy fuck.” Kevin swears, and he sounds surprised. I’ve heard Kevin be a lot of things, but surprised hasn’t been one of them. It always seems like he’s prepared for anything.

“I can see why you freaked.”

My heart pounds. Hearing Kevin rattled rattles me, and I want to crash through the bathroom door so he can wrap me safe in his arms. But then I’d have to admit I was listening outside the door.

“That photo can’t be of Lexi, she hasn’t been out of my sight. It must be Photoshopped; that’s the only thing I can think of.”

This is about me? A photo of me, faked?

“Let me call you back. I need to get a shower and then I’ll start looking into it. It goes without saying, don’t pay the ransom.”

Why do people always feel the need to clarify that something doesn’t need to be said, then say it? It’s a contradiction. My heart is still racing. If I’m understanding his conversation right, someone sent a photo to someone, demanding a ransom for me. But they don’t have me, obviously, because I’m here. So what in the hell is going on?  The only thing I can figure out is that maybe when I was in Tanner’s car someone snapped a photo and now they are claiming that’s them taking me. Could Tanner have been working with the people who are now asking for ransom? Maybe whoever was following us that night?

None of it makes sense. Maybe if I see the photo, it will.

I wait a few minutes until I’m sure Kevin is off the phone in the shower, then I crack the door. “Do you mind if I come in and use the bathroom?”

“Not at all.” His voice is deeper, sexier than when he was on the phone. Suggestive. “If you get in with me, I’ll wash your back.” The way he says it, I’m pretty sure “back” is code for something else. The idea of being soaped up with Kevin is more than a little appealing. The scent of jasmine and vanilla wafts from the other side of the shower curtain enticingly.

But that’s not why I came in here. “Maybe in a minute.” Kevin’s phone sits on the vanity, on top of his jeans, and my hand trembles as I pick it up. I’m almost positive Kevin can hear my heartbeat from inside the shower, it’s hammering that loudly in my ears. I hate that I’m invading his privacy like this, and I tell myself that I’m only snooping about myself. That should be allowed, right?

Somehow, it doesn’t make me feel better. But I don’t stop, either.

I suck, but if I don’t look I’m going to drive myself crazy with wondering.

The photo comes up on the screen as soon as I press the power button to wake up his phone. I nearly scream out loud, and I drop the phone as if it bit me.

“You okay?” Kevin’s head appears at the edge of the shower curtain, peaking out. Droplets of water are beaded in his hair, and I imagine the rest of him is just as sleek and sexy.

“Yeah, sorry. I knocked your phone into the sink, but don’t worry, it didn’t get wet.”

He flashes me a come-hither smile, then disappears behind the curtain again.

It can’t be.

It just can’t.

In the photo, a girl who looks almost identical to me is tied to a chair, a dirty gag in her mouth. Her eyes are set just a bit different than mine, and her hair’s shorter. There’s only one possibility—except it should be impossible.

Yet something inside me recognizes her instantly, like the other half of myself. The girl in the photo isn’t me. She’s my twin.

I just heard Kevin tell someone not to pay the ransom, and I doubt I can change his mind. And I can’t beg him to run off and save my sister, unless I want to give him memories of Nuri begging him to do the same. But one person has already died in my place today; if whoever is doing this has taken my sister, thinking she’s me, I’m not going to let her become the second. Even if she is supposed to already be dead.

I can’t be sure, but I think I recognize the wall in the background of the photo, even though I don’t recognize the room. One of the posters hanging behind the girl is for a special event at the club Megan took us to. It’s hard to be sure since I’ve only been there once before, but I’ve got the nagging feeling that the photograph was taken at the club.

“My throat’s dry. I’m going to get something to drink from the kitchen and then I’ll be back for that shower.” I hope I sound more sexy than scared. If he does pick up on my nerves, hopefully he’ll just think it is due to my inexperience with sex.

As soon as I’m out of the bathroom, I look around. My only chance is if I get a head start. There’s no way Kevin is going to let me go off and save my sister, so I’ve got to slow him down. There’s a chair in front of a small dressing table on the far wall, and I jam it under the doorknob. I don’t know if this will work, but I’ve seen people do it in movies, and I don’t have any other ideas.

Two minutes later I’ve scrambled into my clothes, found the key to the SUV, and headed out the door, alone.

—-♥—-

K
evin

How long does it take for a girl to get a drink of water? And hell, there’s water here in the shower. Plenty of it. I guess maybe she wants a cup and ice or something. Girls. Gotta love ‘em.

Despite my mild annoyance, I’m smiling. I haven’t been able to stop smiling the entire time I’ve been in here. I should be worried about the ransom demand, but Lexi has completely abducted my brain, and I can’t help but feel excited about the prospect of spending more time close to her. Very close to her.

Trying to distract myself from my growing hard-on as I anticipate her returning to climb in here naked with me, I shampoo my hair again even though I just did it. Twice. “Lexi, you coming?”  I call out. If she isn’t yet, she’s going to be soon. I smile to myself at my joke.

When she doesn’t answer and more importantly doesn’t return, I start to grow anxious. Maybe she changed her mind. Dammit, I knew I took things too far. She wasn’t ready for this, and now I might have ruined things. Either way, it’s been too long, and I need to do my job and check on her.

I shut off the water, my ears straining to hear any evidence of her moving around the townhouse that will put me at ease. I dry off just enough to get my jeans over my hips, although they stick a bit as they fight the dampness of my skin. “Lexi?” I call out again. As soon as my jeans are snapped my hand is on the doorknob, ready to storm through the townhouse and give her a piece of my mind. I never wanted to make her feel pressured to do more than she was comfortable with, and if she’s making excuses to not get in the shower with me rather than just telling me no, we obviously need to talk.

The knob turns, but the door doesn’t budge. What the fuck? Unease slithers across my skin, tightening like a vise around my chest. Something’s wrong. I know it.

Putting more of my weight into it, I attempt to open the door again, to the same result. “Lexi!” I scream. My first thought is that someone came into the townhouse and took her. My second thought is that I’d better get a grip. Two seconds later, my phone is in the palm of my head and the GPS tracker program I’ve got on there is loading. When Axel gave Lexi the bracelet, it was also a security measure. All I’ve got to do is pull up her location and everything will be fine. I’m even trying to convince myself that I’m making a big deal out of nothing, and she’s just on the other side of the door.

As the program boots, I ram my shoulder into the door, calling her name over and over.

She doesn’t answer, not a word, not a whisper. And the goddamn door doesn’t move.

I take two deep breaths, trying to tamp down my rising panic. I need to think clearly, and figure out what’s going on. The door is stuck, not moving. But the good news is that the door opens inward, meaning the hinges and I are on the same side. I always keep a utility knife in my pocket, and it makes a great makeshift screwdriver.

I glance down at the screen of my phone and let out another curse. The tracker confirms my fear: Lexi’s gone. As soon as I’ve got the door unscrewed, I’m able to wiggle it open. I’m dialing Axel even as I kick the chair that was wedged under the door out of the way. I don’t know if she left of her own volition or not, but I know the only thing that matters: I’m going to go get her back, and God help anyone who gets in my way.

—-♥—-

L
exi

My phone’s on the seat beside me, Google Maps helping me navigate streets I barely know. I’m tempted to dismantle my phone, because I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Kevin uses it to track me when he inevitably gets free of the bathroom. On the other hand, if he uses it to track me, he can help me save my sister. I’m not foolish enough to think I can do it alone.

At least I’m not unarmed. My eyes glance to the seat again, this time eyeing Kevin’s gun.

The perky voice of the GPS app tells me to turn left, then right. I swear sometimes that evil robotic girl is trying to get me lost intentionally, but hopefully this isn’t one of those times.

Luck must be with me. Although it looks differently during the day than it did the night Megan brought me here, I’m sure this is the right place. The neon lights are turned off and the street is deserted, or at least it seems to be. I’m sure there’s someone around, and I swear I feel eyes watching me. I slide my phone into my pocket—still assembled—and then the gun. It’s small, but heavier than it looks, and the weight is a constant reminder of how dangerous what I’m doing is.

I park a few blocks down from the club, hoping it will let me approach without being seen. Although my plan of just being a pedestrian out for a stroll would have worked a bit better if I wasn’t the only person anywhere in sight. For an area that’s so hopping with activity at night, this place sure empties out. A loose piece of gray siding flaps in the wind, sending a shiver crawling up my back. Or maybe it’s the light drizzle falling from dark clouds above.

I’m not quite sure exactly what it is I plan to do. Maybe find a vantage point to peer in some of the windows high on the wall of the nightclub. If I’m especially lucky I’ll be able to see Amelia from one of them. Then, I’ll find a spot to hide and watch to make sure they don’t take her anywhere while I call the police and report a kidnapping. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to work up the nerve to check and see if one of the doors is unlocked so I can sneak in. But I’m hoping it doesn’t come down to Plan B.