You're Not Broken (34 page)

              I closed my eyes, understanding and foolish hurt drowning me. I had
known
that a man who could so easily be bribed wasn’t to be trusted. But I had worried he would tattle on the Feds. I had never thought he would be talking to my stalker.

             
Myer.

              I opened my eyes. “So the gate code?” I whispered, feeling almost exhausted at the level of betrayal.

              “Your driver,” Myer responded promptly. “He goes to pick you up on an almost weekly basis. Of course he would know the code.” Myer grinned, unable to help himself from being so pleased. “He knew where your interviews and junkets were. He knew where your lunches and meetings were. And when he overheard the plans for New York, he immediately called to let me know, giving me plenty of time to fly out here to meet you. In fact, he was the one who gave me the idea of dressing up as your driver.”

              Myer shook his head in disapproval of the driver. “And to think, all of that betrayal for the tune of $1000. So cheap. You need to be more discerning in who you hire.”

              I stared at the man, wondering if he could possibly miss such heavy irony. But clearly he had. “Yes, I do,” I said, enunciating every word while I stared at him.

              Myer suddenly stood up, pushing off against the table. He spread his arms out and spun around the room. “Aren’t you impressed at what I managed to snag in such a short amount of time? I was only able to fly out here six hours before you. I didn’t have that much time.”

              I had no idea what he meant. I watched him as he twirled about the dirty space like a deranged ballerina. God, what was I going to do? Clearly no one had responded to my screams. And if somehow I
did
manage to get free from my bonds, what could I do? Myer was thickly built. He could totally overpower me.

              Could I outrun him? I wasn’t sure how fast he was. I didn’t know where I was or how far I was from the nearest town. Could I outrun him for however long it took?

              Myer stopped spinning and pinned me with his delusional gaze.

              “I wanted to find a quiet spot for just the two of us,” he said softly. “It’s a big day, today. It’s the
final
day. It’s the day we finally,
finally
can become one.”

              His words hung thickly in the air like a noxious gas cloud.

              I gulped, my pulse quickening to the point where I thought I would pass out. But I couldn’t pass out! God only knew what would happen if I passed out!

              “What are you saying?” I demanded.

              Myer walked back to the huge work table. He turned his back to me, leaning over the rubbish heap and the shiny metal tray that balanced on top. “I’ve wanted it for so long. Even before you hired me. I knew you and I were truly one soul in two bodies. But do you know how painful that is? To be halved and housed separately? It’s not right! It’s not good for the soul! So today I will fix it,” he said slowly.

He picked something up from the metal tray and turned slowly. His eyes glazed in waxy euphoria, he held up the enormous cleaver.

“Today I will make us one.”

Chapter Twenty Three
Rowan

              I crouched low as I followed Agent Harrison and Agent Todd and a handful of SWAT officers into what looked like an abandoned factory. In careful coordination, we closed in on the building.

              I felt my heart thumping so hard against my chest, I was sure my ribs would be bruised by tomorrow.

              A cool sheen of sweat dripped against my temple as I fought my natural urge to burst into the building and thrash anyone who had their hands on Jessa.

              I saw Agent Harrison make a motion for the nearest SWAT officer to move forward. Slowly, we were getting close.

              It had been a chaotic plane ride to New York. The agents had chartered a smaller plane from the same private airfield. They had already interrogated the airfield manager on any information he had on Jessa from that night.

              As soon as I had stepped out of the SUV, I caught the glare of Agent Harrison.

              He marched over to me and shoved my shoulder hard. “Where the fuck have you been?” he demanded. “What the fuck are you doing away from your post?”

              I had nothing I could say to defend myself. Because no matter the external circumstances, I should’ve been there for Jessa. I should’ve been on that plane with her. Then she wouldn’t have gone missing. Then she wouldn’t be in danger.
Oh god, please be safe!

              “Mr. Matthews was actually with us Agent Harrison.”

              Both Agent Harrison and I turned around to see my driver, an agent from Low Pointe’s sting operation.

              “Agent Browers,” the driver said, extending his hand to Agent Harrison. “Mr. Matthews was in Low Pointe assisting in the sting op for the Black Wings club. You can verify with Agent McGrath, if you’d like. He’ll be expecting your call.”

              Agent Harrison looked between the other agent and myself. He muttered in frustration.

              “I’m glad he was of assistance to you, Agent Browers,” Agent Harrison said in a measured tone. “But the fact of the matter is is that Rowan Matthews was assigned to
our
case and was supposed to be protecting
our
target.” He gave me a stony look. “And he failed.”

              I took in a deep breath, letting the words slash at my heart. I had no defense and I knew it. But I wasn’t about to let the matter lie.

              “I can help,” I said quietly. “I can still help. And I want to.”

              Agent Harrison looked at me in silence. Finally he said, “Why? Why should I let you back on this case?”

              No hesitation slowed my lips. “Because I love her,” I said simply.

              Agent Harrison took a step back in surprise.

              “And I promise you that what I did tonight, although inexcusable, I did to help protect Jessa. And I will explain all to you later. But for now, please let me help you find her,” I said.

              A stony silence passed between us where the agent measured me up to see if I was worth trusting again. I kept my face neutral, wanting to show I was without motives and had the honest intention of only helping. But it was hard to just stand still when I wanted to literally run all the way to New York.

              Our standoff was broken though by Agent Todd calling out from their car, “We got a ping!”

              Agent Harrison whipped around in surprise. “Where?” he called back.

              Agent Harrison carefully juggled a laptop and a headset as he looked up the information. “Just outside the city. About fifteen miles west of the airfield she landed in!”

              Then the action happened all at once. We, including myself, were all hustled onto the small plane where we immediately took off for New York. On the plane, we triangulated the signal off of Jessa’s cellphone. With expert skill, the two agents pinpointed the signal to an abandoned factory west of the airfield.

              Agent Todd called the SWAT team from the air, having them prepared for when we landed.

              On the ground, we quickly stepped into a waiting car that took us out to the pinpointed signal. A SWAT van met us a mile shy of our target destination.

              With the sun still yet to rise, we had the benefit of darkness to cover our movements.

              There was a rusted gate that had been opened by literally driving over it. The culprit—a black SUV, similar to the ones Jessa rode around in—was standing a few feet away from the busted gate.

              Quickly the agents approached. This was wear the signal was leading us. One of the SWAT team members carefully approached and threw open the van’s side door. But inside was nobody.

              But they did find Jessa’s suitcase in the front and her cellphone thrown against the backseat.

              So proof that this was her location.

              I had a hard time swallowing as I stared at her suitcase. She was here. Someone had really taken her. But her stalker was in California. Who the hell could’ve kidnapped her out here?

              It was too heartbreaking to look at that small suitcase without its owner. I turned around quickly, ready to follow the others towards the only standing building—an abandoned factory warehouse.

              But before I could move, Agent Todd put a hand on my arm.

              “Matthews,” he said quietly, “I know you’re as desperate as we are to find Miss Blair.” He looked me over for a bit. “Maybe more,” he conceded. “But tonight, you’ll have one job and one job only. Do you understand? No matter what happens, no matter how angry or upset you feel, you have
one job.
Alright?”

              I stared at the agent. I would have to swallow all feelings of vengeance and retribution. I would have to deprive my fists any target and my soul any murderous satisfaction. But it was all in the name to save Jessa.

              I nodded.

              I would’ve paid a price ten times higher.

              As we neared the warehouse’s wide sliding doors, flashlights swung out into he darkness. A large stairwell was revealed. A SWAT commander began ordering his men quickly into the building. I followed behind the agents.

              We were half way up to the only other level, the second floor, when we heard a short scream and then cry, “Please! Please stop!”

              My vision immediately darkened and I ran on instinct. Luckily, everyone else took the cue to hurry up as well. We ran up the stairs and busted open another large sliding door. There was no need. It had been left unlocked.

              And there towards the opposite end of the large dilapidated space was Jessa, tied to a chair, and a man standing above her with a cleaver raised towards her throat.

              The man turned around in surprise but before he could utter any words of threat or mercy, a SWAT member immediately shot him in the shoulder, making him cry out as he stumbled backwards, dropping the knife.

              This fucker.

              This fucker had a cleaver to her throat.

              I ran towards him, my vision tunneling till all I saw was this man bleeding and squealing on the floor. My fists curled and my biceps roared with the need to let loose on this fucker.

              I immediately threw myself onto the ground, shoving my knee into the perp’s gut, making him wheeze in pain. I raised my fist and let loose all the strength I had, not carrying if I cracked his jaw or broke open his skull. I lost myself in the pure adrenaline and satisfaction of feeling him grunt beneath my blows.

              “Matthews, your job!” Agent Todd bellowed from behind me. “Matthews, she needs you to do your job!”

              The words cut through my murderous haze. It felt as if anger were running through my like electricity on an open wire. But I stopped. It felt as if I were pushing against dried concrete but I managed to get myself to stand back up, my raw fists loosened. I forced myself to turn away from my target.

              SWAT and the agents soon surrounded the man and I was cut off from reaching my prey again.

              “Ro…Rowan?”

              I looked up and saw Jessa. Tears were falling rapidly down her cheeks and a splatter of blood had sprayed across her front. She was still bound but I could still see her entire body shaking. Her normally fair but rosy face was ghostly.

             
My job.

             
Immediately I pulled out my Army knife and cut her ropes. I picked her up into my arms, despairing again at how fragile she felt. This tiny little thing in the open maws of danger and I had almost missed her.
Fuck!
I cried again in my head.

              And without looking back I ran out of the room and down the stairs and into the open night, holding the most precious thing in the world.

             
“Matthews, your job tonight is important. I know you can handle yourself. I know your background. But know and trust that
we
can handle ourselves too. So you’re going to leave the perp to us. No, don’t argue. That’s our job. Leave him to us. We need you to do something more important. We need you to grab Miss Blair and escape to safety. We aren’t sure if there will be one or ten perps there tonight. And if there’s that many, Miss Blair’s survival is critical. We need someone solely dedicated to protecting her. Tonight, your job is just to grab Jessa Blair and run. Do you understand, Matthews? That’s it. Grab her and go. Got it?”

              “Yes.”