Hooker (26 page)

‘Jesus, Rupert.’

‘I’ll call you as soon as I know.’

‘Please do, and for God’s sake, be careful.’

Despite what he says, there was no way I can just sit here and do nothing. I head straight for the car.

*

Twenty
minutes after Rupert called me I’m parked not far from M’s house. There’s still no word from him. I’ll give him ten more minutes, and then I’m going in.

A few minutes pass before my phone rings and I jump. I’m on edge.

‘I found her,’ Rupert says when I answer. I can’t explain the emotions I feel when I hear those words. Thank Christ.

‘How is she? Is she okay?’ I ask, exiting the car and walking towards the front gates of the property. The house is bathed in darkness.

‘She’s not in a good way. I’m going to need you to call an ambulance. I’m getting ready to move her now.’

‘What the fuck? What do you mean she’s not in a good way? What did that bitch do to her?’ Jesus. I’ll fucking kill her.

‘She’ll be okay. Don’t panic. I think she’s been drugged, because she’s barely conscious. I’ve gotta get her out of here before we’re discovered. Can I rely on you to get the paramedics? She really needs to be seen to as soon as possible.’

‘Of course. I’ll do anything for her, you know that.’

My hands are trembling as I dial triple zero. I can’t give them any more information other than what Rupert told me, but they assure me help was on its way. My heart beats furiously against my rib cage as I pace outside the wrought iron gates, waiting for Rupert to emerge with Jade.

Dread fills me when I see a light come on in the upper level of the house, followed by another. M must be awake. Instinctively, I set about climbing the eight-foot-high fence. As I’m sprinting down the long driveway towards the house, I hear the sirens in the distance. Help is on its way.

I
hear the distinct sound of a gunshot coming from inside the house as I near the front door.

I freeze.

*

BROCK

I recover quickly and, after removing my gun from my shoulder holster, I reach for the doorhandle. By some grace of God, it’s unlocked.
Thank you, Rupert
. My heart is beating out of my chest, but I try to remain focused. This is the kind of thing I’m trained for. Unlike in other situations, though, my whole existence seems to be riding on the outcome of this one.

Please let Jade be okay
.

The foyer is bathed in darkness, but I can see light streaming from a room at the back of the house. I head quietly in that direction, stopping briefly when I reach the doorway. I take a deep breath and raise my gun.

With my back to the wall, I peer inside the room. My eyes immediately scan the area. Jade is lying on the floor, unmoving. Her wrists and feet are bound. A combination of fear and fury rises inside me at the sight. Rupert is lying beside her, blood seeping from his shoulder. Rupert’s not moving either, but his moaning tells me he’s still alive. For how long, I can’t say. His injury looks bad and there’s a pool of blood beside him. I’m unsure of the severity of Jade’s injuries. I can’t see any blood from here, but she doesn’t appear to be conscious. Please let her be alive.

M’s standing a few metres away with a gun trained on Rupert. I need to disarm that bitch.

‘After
everything I’ve done for you, this is the thanks I get,’ M spits as she takes a step towards them, raising her gun. ‘You’ve left me no choice. Now I’m going to have to get rid of you both.’

Like hell. M’s back is to me, so she’s still unaware of my presence. Moving quickly and quietly, I’m behind her in a flash.

‘Drop the gun or I’ll blow your fucking brains out.’

The colour drains from her face as she swings around and makes eye contact with the barrel of my gun.

‘Drop it!’

When her gaze moves up to meet mine, her eyes narrow slightly. A bitch right to the end. I’m sure she can tell by the look on my face that I mean every word, because, by Christ, I do. I’ll get immense pleasure from taking this woman out.

‘Just try to fuck with me,’ I warn.

We’re in a silent standoff. This woman has balls, I’ll give her that.

‘Police! Open up!’ we hear, followed by a loud bang on the door. I watch as M’s shoulders slump in defeat before the gun finally slips from her hand, landing with a thud.

Twisting the sleeve of her dressing gown in my hand, I hastily march her towards the door. I need to get her out of here so I can go to Jade.

There’s no doubt in my mind that M will be serving time for this little stunt. I’ll do my best to make sure she faces the maximum penalty.

BROCK

My
heart is heavy as I sit beside Jade’s hospital bed, her tiny hand clutched in mine. Hours have passed and she’s still out of it, sleeping now, rather than comatose. She’s stirred on a few occasions, but remains incoherent due to the narcotics that are still in her system. The doctor assures me she’ll be okay once they wear off, which is a huge relief.

I got word that Rupert survived the surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in his shoulder. He remains in a critical but stable condition in ICU. He has some extensive physio ahead of him, but should make a full recovery. I’m yet to see him and thank him for all he has done, because I’m unable to leave Jade’s side. When she finally comes round and I know for sure she’s going to be all right, I’ll go to him. He put his life on the line for my girl, and I’ll be forever indebted to him for that.

Josh called earlier when he realised I was no longer at the house. As far as I know, he and Theo are still sitting in the waiting room, both eager to see Jade when she wakes.

I skim the back of my hand lightly down the side of her face. She’s so pale and fragile looking and I can’t help but
feel responsible. I promised her I’d protect her, and I didn’t. I shouldn’t have left her alone.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper as a lump rises to my throat. I’m grateful to have her back, even though I’m not sure I deserve her anymore—I’ve caused her nothing but harm. I’ll never let her out of my sight again. I only hope she can forgive me for letting her down.

‘Brock,’ she whimpers in her sleep. Concern fills me as her head thrashes from side to side. I hate to think of the trauma she’s faced at the hands of that evil bitch.

‘I’m here, sweetheart.’

When I feel her grip tighten on my hand, I know she heard me. Standing, I slip off my shoes to carefully climb into bed beside her and fold her protectively in my arms. ‘You’re safe now,’ I whisper, kissing the top of her head. ‘I’ve got you, and no harm is going to come to you again.’

I’m not sure how long I lay there holding her, but exhaustion finally takes hold and I’m awoken some time later by Jade’s soft moans. My eyes spring open to find her gazing at me.

‘My body aches all over,’ she says and moans again as she pushes on my chest, trying to sit. ‘I feel so weak. What’s wrong with me?’

‘You’re going to be okay,’ I reply, pulling her back down to me.

‘Where am I? Am I in the hospital?’ she asks as her eyes dart around the room. With all the drugs that have been pumped into her system, she may not have any recollection of what has happened.

‘Do you remember anything?’

Her brow furrows and her eyes squeeze shut.

‘It’s
okay if you don’t remember,’ I say as my hand gently strokes her hair. It’s probably a good thing if she doesn’t. I can only imagine how confused she must be feeling. ‘For now you just need to rest, I can explain everything to you later.’

She doesn’t open her eyes again, and I presume she’s gone back to sleep. Seconds later her eyes fly open. Tears rise in them before her grip on me tightens. ‘Oh, Brock. Thank God you’re all right. I was so worried about you.’

She’s obviously confused. I find it amusing that she was worried about me. Does she have any idea of the utter fear and hopelessness I’ve been feeling since her disappearance? My heart goes out to her. I can feel her body trembling as she clings to me like her life depends on it.

‘There’s no need for you to worry about me.’

‘When your dad came to the house and said you’d been in an accident—’

I cup her face in my hand. ‘There was no accident. You must’ve dreamt it.’

Her brow furrows again. I hate that she’s disorientated. I hope that bitch gets put away for a long time for everything she’s put Jade through.

‘No, I didn’t dream it, I remember your dad coming to the house. It wasn’t long after you left for that meeting. I was heading upstairs to take a bath when he knocked on the door. I wasn’t going to answer, but then he said you’d been in an accident.’

At first I don’t take stock of anything she’s saying—it has to be either a dream or a hallucination caused by the drugs. The more she speaks though, the more concerned I become. Surely my father had nothing to do with her disappearance?

‘I was wary about going with him after the way he treated me the night I met him, but I needed to know you were okay.

‘Once
I was in the back of the limousine, he gave me something to drink, to calm me. Understandably, I was upset and worried about you.’ She smiles at me briefly before concern again crosses her beautiful features. ‘I thought you’d been hurt, Brock. Please don’t be angry with me.’

‘I’m not angry at you,’ I say, pulling her back into my arms. My mind is spinning as I try to make sense of what she’s saying. But it can’t be true—my father would never betray me like that.

‘It wasn’t until I drank what he gave me that I realised he must’ve put something in it. Everything went fuzzy. That’s when … that’s when …’ She takes in a few deep breaths. Her voice is shaky as she continues. ‘That’s when the partition in the limousine came down and I saw M sitting in the front seat.’

‘Jesus, Jade.’ I tighten my hold on her.

‘I don’t remember anything after I saw M’s face,’ she whispers.

I’m gonna fucking kill him
.

*

I try to keep my shit together for the next few hours. Everything in me wants to hunt down my father and rip him apart, but my heart wins out. My need for Jade is stronger than the retribution I crave.

My father and I haven’t been close for years, but deep down, I know I was foolish to believe he cared about me. I’m his son. I may not like or respect him, but I love him if for no other reason than he’s the man that gave me life. And as much as I’ve grown to hate the person he has become, I never thought he’d stoop this low. How could he do something so despicable
to his own flesh and blood? He knows how much Jade means to me. Does he have such little regard for my feelings? He may not like me being with her, but that’s irrelevant. This is the ultimate betrayal. I’ll never forgive him.

Pushing thoughts of my father out of my mind, I focus on comforting Jade and telling her everything she can’t remember about the incident. She’s understandably distressed when I tell her about Rupert being shot, even when I assure her he’s going to be okay. I promise to take her to see him as soon as she’s allowed out of bed.

The doctor comes to examine her, and my desire to pay my father a visit becomes almost unbearable. Standing back, I watch as the doctor checks her vitals, and it only makes my fury intensify. I’m grateful I got her back in one piece; things could’ve turned out so differently. The blame belongs squarely on my father’s shoulders. Without his deviousness, M never would’ve got her filthy hands on my girl.

The doctor informs Jade that he’ll be keeping her in for another twenty-four hours, purely for observation, which pleases me. As much as I want to take her home where I can care for her myself, she’s in the best place for now. When Jade asks about visiting Rupert, he suggests she wait until tomorrow. She’s still extremely weak, so for the interim he’d prefer she remained on complete bed rest. I know she’s busting to see him, but I agree bed rest is what she needs.

The moment the doctor leaves, I pull the chair over beside the bed. My need to be close to her is overwhelming. My fingers stroke her hair once I’m seated. When she starts asking questions about M, Rupert, and how we came to find her, I’m hesitant to give her more detail, but in true Jade form, she takes it all in her stride and again I’m left awestruck by her
strength. She’s been through such a traumatic experience, but seems to be coping better than I am. I only wish I was half the person she is.

‘You’re amazing,’ I say, gazing into her beautiful green eyes.

‘How so?’

‘I love your strength, and your ability to accept the shitty things life continues to hand you. Your strong will to go on no matter what’s thrown your way.’

She shrugs. ‘I’ve learnt over the years that there’s no point dwelling on things you can’t change. Accepting things for what they are and moving forward as best I can is something I’ve mastered. It’s how I survive. I could easily let it get me down, but what good would that do me?’

‘I’m so glad you ran into me that day at the airport,’ I confess. ‘Meeting you has enriched my life in so many ways.’ And that’s the truth. Before Jade, I was just existing—going through the motions of life, not feeling, not really living. I’ve had the world at my feet my entire life, and I took it all for granted. She’s had to fight for everything she has, sometimes just to survive. She’s opened my eyes and made me see my life in a totally different light.

‘I’m glad I did too,’ she says, reaching for my hand and lacing her fingers through mine. I’m again reminded of what she’s been through when I see the bandages covering the rope burns around her wrists. It kills me inside. ‘Although if I could redo that moment, I’d definitely lick the chocolate off my teeth before I smiled at you.’ A sweet blush spreads across her cheeks. I wouldn’t change a second of that moment, or the chocolate on her teeth. It was adorable. Knowing her has made me a better man—a better person.

We
talk about everything and nothing. Eventually, I see her eyelids getting heavy and I know she’s tired. ‘Close your eyes and get some sleep, it will do you good,’ I suggest, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

‘I feel rude sleeping while you’re sitting here, but I’m tired.’