“Where is she?” I scream at him.
He knows he has found my Achilles heel and how to make me react. I can see it in his malicious eyes. There’s blood pouring out of his nose, and it gives me a tiny ounce of pleasure to know I caused him at least some pain.
“She’s locked away. You’ll never see her again once I’m done with you.” He grins with blood on his teeth. He turns away and grabs a towel from the kitchen for his face. My eyes trace the entire room looking for an out, but I’d never leave without Katie. My eyes fall on who I think is Athena. She looks a little worse for wear herself, bruises on her arms, a cut above her left eye, and a blackening bruise forming as well. I don’t however feel sorry for her. I only feel more hate and, I know he would have punished her if she didn’t help him. Obviously, she tried and failed, to get away from him. Melodi attempted to warn her and she didn’t want to heed her warnings, knowing what he was like. She laid down with the snake and got bitten.
“What do you want from me? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” The tension in the room is high and I will have to tread lightly if I ever want to make it out alive and with Katie as well.
“I want you to pay for what happened to me.”
“I don’t care what you do to me, but if you harm a hair on my daughter’s head, you’re going to pay for it.” I look behind him toward Athena, who remains silent. “You were warned, you silly, naive little girl. Now look what you’ve done—” Before I can get another word out, Jacob’s hand connects with my face, causing that side of my face to tingle in pain.
“You don’t get to speak to her!” he yells in my face, his turning a bright shade of red. Without thinking, I spit the blood from my mouth at him only making him angrier. His hand connects with my face once again. “You’re going to suffer for what you did to me.”
“Do it then!” I yell back into his face. As frightened as I am, I will never back down again. I finally built a backbone and will not allow anyone to treat me how he did ever again. I don’t care what he does to me, but I want my daughter safe. I know Blake will never allow anything to happen to her. She’s his blood –his daughter, our daughter.
The way he’s smiling sends a chill down my spine. “Oh, my sweet Abby, you’re going to suffer in more ways than you think. Your other half will be here soon, after receiving a disturbing text from her dear, sweet, trustworthy sister.”
“No,” I breathe barely in a whisper. Fear grips me tightly across my chest. I open my mouth to speak, but then I hear the door being unlocked and my instincts kick into overdrive. “Melodi, run! Don’t come in here!” I scream with everything I have in my chest. Jacob kicks me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
“Let me go, you back stabbing bitch!” I hear Melodi fighting with Athena. Regret overwhelms me as a few warm tears slide down my cheeks.
“See, I know your weakness. I knew you wouldn’t care so much for yourself, but when I bring your pregnant sister into the equation, you become putty in my hands.” He’s stooped so low this vile, hideous man.
“You have a sick and twisted mind, Jacob. You need help.”
“Abby!” Melodi yells as she rushes to me, only to be stopped by Jacob grabbing her arm. Dragging her away from me and shoving her backward, he causes her to fall, hitting her head on the bench. She whimpers, pulling her legs up to her chest to protect her little ones. If something happens to her or them, I will never forgive myself and will be wishing for Jacob to finish me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Blake
Seriously, how can two people drop off the face of this earth? I’m pulling every string I can to find out where this lowlife and that stupid girl are. I haven’t even been able to work much on it today. It’s like everyone wants to start fights or rob a store. It’s never ending here. Since moving to New York work has been nonstop, even more so since Abby came back.
“Oi, Blake, you need to remember to take your phone with you. It’s been going off like crazy,” one of the other officers called out to me.
Oh, crap, how could I forget to take it? When the call came in about the robbery, I got caught up on the job, doing the best that I could to apprehend the culprits. It was probably some person trying to score cash for some drugs. It never ends. I grab my phone from my desk and see like ten missed calls from Corban and two from Abby. Along with about a million messages from Corban, Rachel, and three from Abby. Panic grips me as I know that Corban would only ring persistently when something was wrong. I call him back and he answers on the first ring.
“Where the hell have you been? Melodi is missing and I can’t get her on her phone.” The panic is evident in his voice and hearing that sends my mind into overdrive.
What did Abby’s messages say?
I ask Corban to hold on while I check my messages and seeing that she left the apartment without me makes me furious as, she knows not to leave without me. Dread fills me.
“What did Melodi say to you?”
“She didn’t tell me. She told Rachel that she got a message from Abby and that someone was in trouble. Rachel told her to wait until you or I went with her, but she didn’t!” he yells down the phone in frustration.
“Settle down, everything will be okay. Did she tell Rachel where she was going?”
“Rach said that she needed to stop by her apartment as Abby had asked her to grab something for her. Is that where she is?” Well, what a sneaky little mole Jacob was. He’s been hiding in plain sight. A place we haven’t been too often because Melodi has been staying with Corban and Abby at the new apartment, but why did he wait till now to make his move it’s been over a month.
“How long ago did she leave?”
“About twenty minutes.” Crap…that’s a long time and who knows what he’s been doing to our girls. Hate wells within me and I feel like I might lose it. I quickly reign in my emotions because I don’t want Corban to know how terrified I am for our girls.
“I’m going to get a few people together and get over to Melodi’s right away.”
“I’m heading there now.”
“Calm down and don’t do anything stupid. Wait for us to get there.” I don’t need Corban throwing himself in the line of fire. We don’t know what Jacob has in there and, for all we know he could have a gun.
“Don’t tell me to calm down! That’s my future wife possibly in danger and she’s having my babies, it’s not what I want to hear right now.” I understand how he’s feeling. I’m trying to keep myself together because if Jacob has Abby then he also has Katie as well, and that alone strikes fear into every fibre of my being. I want Abby and Katie in my future and if he harms one hair on either of their heads, I’m going to take him out. He has messed with my family for the last time in his lifetime.
“Just don’t do anything stupid!” Is all I hear as a grunt comes from the other end before he disconnects. I hope I get there before he does and with enough time.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Melodi
Oh my goodness, what just happened? My head aches and then I remember my struggle with Athena when I walked in the door. My hand instantly goes to my stomach. Please, let my babies be okay. An overwhelming sensation of fear rushes over me. My heart races and I know this situation is not good. Abby, Katie, myself and my babies may not get out of here alive.
“Please, let her go, Jacob. I can’t do this anymore.”
I open my eyes to see Athena standing before me with Jacob. His fist quickly connects with her face, causing me to jump in shock and Athena lets out a loud cry in pain.
“You’re a part of this?” I say to her as she clutches her face. Tears are streaming down her face while my anger is at boiling point. “How could you?” I cry.