“Good evening, friend,” Jimmy crooned into the phone.
“You’re no friend of mine, and I will show you what I do to my enemies,” I ground out.
His laughter filled my ear and my fingers dug into the edge of the table.
“Quite the character you are,” he commented. “But I’d take it down a notch if I were you,” he said.
“I’m not into games, Jimmy, so you should tell me what the fuck you want before I don’t give two fucks anymore,” I replied.
“I’m more of an actions speak louder than words type of man,” he said, deliberately. “You should receive a video shortly,” he said, disconnecting the call.
“Son of a bitch,” I shouted, sliding my phone across the table.
“What’d he say?” Pipe asked.
“Nothing, just that he’ll be sending me a video including his demands,” I shot a look toward Riggs. “Get a wire on that thing and get it done fast,” I ordered, before pushing back my chair and walking out of the chapel. I ignored the stares in the common room and climbed the stairs to the second floor, making a beeline for my room. I kicked open the door and my eyes zeroed in on the bed, memories flashed of Reina and the night we shared in this room. I closed my eyes and pictured her on my bed wearing my cut, her eyes locked with mine as I filled her.
“You,” I whispered.
“Me,” she affirmed.
“Not going to lose you, Sunshine,” I said in a whisper, to the memory of her living inside my head. I walked to my nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out my prescription bottle and popped off the cap. I swallowed the pills as someone knocked on my door.
“Come in,” I called.
Riggs opened the door, holding my phone.
“Message came through before I could get a tap,” he said.
My phone chimed, alerting me of the message. I stood up and grabbed the phone from him, sliding open the message and stared at the grainy image. My fingers hovered over the play button as I tried to prepare myself mentally for the horror I was about to expose myself to.
I closed my eyes and saw Reina’s face and Blackie’s anguished eyes and that was all I needed. I opened my eyes and hit play.
Chapter Thirty
“I missed you, Sunshine, so goddamn much,” Jack whispered against my neck. He sucked the spot where my neck merged with my collarbone while his fingers dug into my hips and tugged me against his hard body. I arched my back, his erection brushing against my thigh.
I wasn’t sure who moaned, if it was me or him or maybe it was both of us, it didn’t matter either way as I gripped his shoulders and pulled him as close as possible. I was never letting him go. I felt his hands slide up my shirt, gliding over my stomach before roughly shoving my bra aside to grab my tits.
Heaven.
“Such a pretty girl, oh that face, I bet it’s all sorts of pretty when she’s coming,” a voice whispered in my ear. A voice that didn’t belong to the man I loved. My eyes sprang open as I screamed in horror.
So much for sweet dreams, I thought as I woke to face my nightmare. Jimmy was leaning over me trailing his tattooed fingers, dressed in gold rings, down my cheeks.
“Quite the dreamer aren’t you?” He questioned, as he leaned closer, his breath on my ear, his lips dangerously close to my skin. I flinched.
Please don’t touch me.
He suddenly stepped back. “Let’s make that dream a reality,” he said, clasping his hands together. He kicked Blackie who was motionless beside me.
I wish I had paid closer attention when the drug counselor came to my high school but I was too enthralled with the boy who sat in front of me. So, when Mr. Martin lectured us on drug overdoses, I was too busy counting the hairs on the neck of whatever his name was. Good job, Reina. I squinted against the darkness and focused on Blackie’s chest, as long as it rose and fell with each breath, then he was still alive.
I didn’t know if he was sleeping or just unconscious. I prayed he was sleeping, but feared he’d already surrendered himself into a catatonic state. I didn’t know how much his body could withstand but if they kept shooting him with drugs, eventually he wouldn’t wake. I studied his features, noting how different he looked. I conceded that it was his eyes that held all the pain and with them being closed he looked almost peaceful. I wondered what Blackie was like before his wife passed away, before everything fell to shit for him. Was he happy? Did he laugh? I bet he smiled at her, I bet all his smiles belonged to her. Sadly, they died right along with her. One thing I was certain of was that he loved her more than anything and every breath he had to take without her was a twist of the knife in his heart.
There was someone else though, someone who pulled that knife slowly from his heart. Someone he was fighting for. God, I wanted to know her. I wanted to meet the woman who could mend this poor man and make him defy the odds.