Chapter 24 Rescue
Daxton
Panic surged through me, blood pounding in my ears as it drowned the faint opening notes of Clair De Lune that sounded across the room.
Like the therapist had said. ‘Don’t overwhelm her. She isn’t a bird that needs to be caged’
But how was I supposed to not overwhelm her when Verena believed that she was a burden to me? I mean that was the only reason she hadn’t taken money from the card given to her yet, that was why she didn’t share anything about her divorce with me.
I’d watched her for the past few days, watching the distress that slipped on her face whenever she was turned down by a law firm. Whenever I asked what the problem was, she would beam with a smile and respond with ‘nothing.’
Knowing that she would meet the same fate today, although slightly different since she would be slammed with the truth on her face, I had given Josh the instruction to secretly follow her. From the video of her breaking down outside the coffee shop while on a phone call, it must have hit her that Kian had somehow influenced all the law firms not to want to represent her.
All she had to do was tell me the difficulties she faced and what Josh had to do was keep to simple instructions—Follow her and report back to me!
But he had gotten distracted over some stupid doughnuts, lost track of her since noon, and made me believe that he was still on her track until he failed to find her.
Her phone was still turned off. Her car was still parked from the street across the coffee shop and she was nowhere to be found!
A growl rumbled from my throat, my eyes snapping to the phone that vibrated on the table—displaying Josh’s name. “You had better give me some good news and—“
“We have been able to track the last place she has been and is currently believed to be in”
My heart slammed against my ribcage, thudding hard in my chest. “Where?”
“At a club”
“And the club doesn’t have a name?”
“The wild groove club downtown…”
I disconnected the call immediately, shoving to my feet as I grabbed my black coat and snagged the car key off the table.
I pulled up at the entrance of the club as Josh rushed up to meet with me but a single glare from me sent him skidding back.
Just as I entered the club, the beat transitioned into an electronic dance track that sent half of the club, raising their hands into the air, jumping so hard that I could feel the ground trembling underneath my feet. Bodies were mashed together, one humping the air but there was no sight of Verena.
I swept my eyes around the club, eyes trying to penetrate through the neon lights that danced on their hair when—
A red-haired woman with grim makeup popped in front of me, startling the hell out of me as I almost jumped back in fright. It wasn’t even Halloween yet!
She winked at me before shouting over the loud music. “Want to have a drink with me!”
No. Heck No.
I didn’t say a word, as my eyes combed through the vip section and she had now clung to my side, shouting. “Searching for someone?”
Again, no response from me until—
An idea popped into my mind as I whipped my phone out of my pocket, showing her a picture of Verena. For a second, all she did was dart her eyes between me and the picture before she stared into something.
What was I even doing? She couldn’t have known Verena or—
All of a sudden, she snapped her fingers, those eyes painted with heavy mascara on the outside, widening at me. “I think I saw her…she was being escorted through the exit by two weirdass dudes. She was pretty drunk and her body language screamed uncomfortable and when I tried to report it to the club manager, all he had done was hit me on the face…”
She whipped her head to the side, showing me the obvious red mark on her face. “He is my step-dad and I guess it is okay to hit me”
By the time she had finished her words, I could feel anger racing through my veins, consuming me until my face twisted in fury.
As I shoved the bodies out of the way, she yelled after me. “This has been going on for a while here, drunk women are always taken advantage of and no one bats an eyelid”
Those words fueled my rage as I started towards the exit. Cold air slammed directly into my face, fingers curling into fists as I stared into the group huddled at the side, before they flitted to the sober man trying to help his staggering friend to the car to the—
My heart stopped, everything fading into a blur when my eyes landed on the black truck on the path that disappeared into the alley. Two boys who were probably in their early 20s or around the same age as Verena puffed smoke in the air and they took pictures—
Pictures of the legs hanging outside the backseat. Black Heels. The same ones Verena wore before she left.
Something feral and dangerous stirred inside of me. At that moment, the only thing I saw was red. Blood.
My stride broke into a sprint and I only slowed when I was just a few steps away from these bastards who had successfully handed their lives to me tonight.
The pink-haired boy whose hair was packed into a ponytail laughed, stepping on a cigarette as his hands moved into his pocket to retrieve a condom. “I would go first, can’t ruin my life with this whore that could be a powerhouse of STIs”
The one who recorded, only laughed and when Verena’s small and confused voice filled my ears, my heart shattered into pieces.
“Argghh…are you the waiter? My head hurts” Her voice was barely a whisper.
As I inched closer to them with fury racing in my veins, they laughed at her mockingly. “Yes and…”
Their words trailed and they both stilled at the same time, obviously noticing my shadow that crept behind them. Before they could turn, I fisted both their hair and slammed their heads together before driving the head of the pink-haired boy into the glass window of the driver's seat.
Glass shattered on the ground and my mind moved to Verena. I hoped that she wasn’t hurt.
The boy whose hair I fisted, tried to swing a fist at my face but I ducked it, pushing him forward before driving a punch into his spine. He let out a painful cry as the sickening sound of bones cracking echoed through the night.
Stumbling forward, he yelled. “Who the fuck are you?”
A slow sinister smile that mirrored the storm in my eyes, pulled at the corner of my mouth. “Me?” The word played on my tongue. “Your nemesis” I slammed my fist directly on his jaw.
The pink-haired boy who had been shuffling to grab a weapon suddenly wielded a pocket knife, blood trailing down his forehead.
A cold smile pulled on my face and when he least expected it, I grabbed his wrist mid-air and slammed his head against the car. Twisting his arm behind him as he let out a sharp cry, I disarmed him and drove the knife straight into his palm as the end of the blade pierced into the car steel.
A scream of agony escaped him and the other one on the floor, struggling to scamper to his feet only to get kicked across the face by Josh.
My eyes slid to his face as he breathed heavily. “What do I do with them?”
With a face void of emotion, I responded. “Redeem yourself by disposing of these two properly and cleaning this mess!”
Josh knocked them out, lifted them into the trunk of the car, and off he went. I turned to the open car where Verena remained unconscious and a flurry of emotions crashed over me.
I couldn’t protect her and the fact that those filthy men touched her, the things they imagined doing to her—
I sent a text to Josh. “Torture them in the cruelest way possible before putting an end to them”
I shoved the phone back into my pocket, leaning inside the car as my eyes lingered on her face. Despite all the chaos, she slept peacefully.
I cradled her face, fingers brushing through her face and in the next second, I carried her out of the car—into mine.
Reclining the seat, I positioned her head properly, strapping the seat belt around her. She shifted, eyes fluttering open and for a second, all she did was stare at me before her face broke into a faint smile that melted my heart and reminded me of the two bastards that wanted to taint her soul.
I was sure they slipped something into her drink.
Those beautiful eyes blinked at me as her hands looped around my neck and despite being wasted, she pulled me closer to her until my face was just inches away from hers.
“I knew that I was having a nightmare” Her voice was faint and groggy. “Hi, handsome…” She smiled.
“Hello Princess…” I pushed back the strands of hair that were on her face.
“Kian…” She yawned, eyes closing on intervals as she whispered out. “He is a shitty human”
“I know”
He was the reason something bad almost happened to her.
“But you are not shitty like him, you are cool…” She turned her head to the side, eyes fluttering closed, and just like that she fell asleep.
A faint smile appeared on my face as I pulled away from her, covering her with my coat while rolling up my sleeves as I removed the pistol under my car seat. It was time for that club manager and this horrible ass club.
I pulled the trigger, the sound of gunshots booming through the air, sending everyone scattering out of the club and when that shitty manager came outside, I hit me with the butt of my gun, knocking him out.
The grim-faced girl handed me a can of gasoline and with a nod of approval, I set the whole club on fire, watching it burn.