The next three days Elizabeth cleaned the entire house top to bottom, nothing was left untouched. Dinner was on the table every night promptly at six, breakfast was ready when Jordan woke up and his lunch already packed.
Not once did Jordan mention their children and Elizabeth bit her tongue every time her heart begged her to ask.
The house phone rang, almost constantly but she refused to answer it. She knew it was Rhys, she knew it was dangerous to ignore him but she knew that answering would anger Jordan.
On day four she finally caved and asked the question that had been chewing away at her inside for days while Jordan was finishing his coffee.
"When will you bring the kids home?" She asked.
"I want a nice roast for dinner," He said.
"Jordan...please."
"I'll call my mom tonight, I'll get the kids tomorrow." He replied, setting his cup down.
"I could go today, I could go after lunch and get them."
"No, I will go tomorrow. They're find my mother and father have barely seen them since they were born they're enjoying the visit."
Her disappointment must have shown on her face because he watched her carefully as he spoke.
"I don't like doing this Liz, I don't like being the bad guy, the strict one but I'll be damned if I bust my ass for this family just so you can whore it around with whoever the fuck is always here."
"I wasn't and you can't use my children as leverage."
"They're my children too and I'm not. I'm simply showing you that you can leave anytime you wish. I'll sign the divorce papers in a heartbeat if you wish but you will not be taking my children anywhere."
"I don't want to leave."
"Good, I'll see you for dinner."
He turned and walked out the front door without another word, she followed him and after he was gone she pushed the buttons to activate the door alarms. She glanced out the window at the black SUV that had been parked across the street ever since the day she came home from the strip club.
She closed the curtains and moved to the kitchen, the house phone ringing once again. This time she pulled it off the hook with a heavy sigh.
"Don't hang up," Rhys warned.
"Stop, stop calling me. It's over, I'm done."
"I'm not done with you."
"Why? what could you possibly need me for?"
"I need you to move some things for me, I need you to help me get my money back."
"I can't, he took my children. Why don't you understand that? I can't get you your money."
"See the thing is you seem to think that I'm the boss, that I don't owe other people money that it's not my ass on the line for your husband stealing. I'm not in the mood to walk you through the chain of how fucked I am if I don't recoup that money and believe me the next person who comes knocking for it won't care if you have kids."
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, he was probably right. While cold and calculating he had been lenient with her so far. Should the people he worked with decide to take matters into their own hands there was no telling what they might do to her, and her kids.
"He's taken everything from me," She said weakly.
"Go outside get in the car, my driver will give you the directions you need."
He hung up without another word and she had to blink back tears, the harsh dial tone ringing in her ears was deafening in the empty kitchen. If Jordan even suspected she was talking to Rhys and sneaking out he would take the children away indefinitely.
If she didn't help Rhys and his associates decided they needed leverage against Jordan her and the kids were walking targets.
Both options put her children on the line but only one seemed slightly safer.
She hung up the phone and just to cover her own lies picked up her cell phone, sending a quick text to Jordan that she was going to the store to get groceries for dinner. She grabbed her keys and purse, slipping on some flats and walking out the front door to the car waiting for her.
The man in the car climbed out as she approached and opened the back door for her, she hesitated a minute before climbing inside and he closed it without a word. He was bald and covered in tattoos, a lot bigger than Rhys and of course wearing all black.
"I'll drop you at the garage, the car is parked out front and the keys are in the sun visor. You'll drive it to the drop and leave it there. Leave the keys where you found them don't take anything with you. Walk two blocks east and an uber will be waiting for you." He said.
"Where is the drop?"
He handed her a scrap of paper with chicken scratch hand writing on it, it was a nasty side of town. Drivebys, gangs, rapists and drug rings in an abundance.
"This is a dangerous neighborhood," She said.
"Don't talk to nobody, don't look at nobody. Don't knock on the door, stay away from the house. They're expecting the car, there's no reason you should have contact with anyone," He said.
"But...."
"Just do as your told."
"What's in the car?" She asked.
"Just drop off the car."
He parked in a garage parking lot, an old volvo sat a few yards ahead. She glanced again at the address and then climbed out. Walking to the car she got in and folded down the sun visor. A single key fell into her lap.
She glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the car that dropped her off was already gone, everything seemed to happen so fast in this world. Everything was about time, in and out no mess, no contacts, nothing.
She gripped the wheel tightly, took a deep breath and started the car. She drove to the side of town she usually would avoid carefully reading the numbers on every building, aware of the people staring at her, they knew she didn't belong her.
The house she was looking for was small, it sat back from the sidewalk a good distance. The paint was peeling, the grass overgrown, the windows were all covered in cardboard and the porch looked like it wouldn't survive another winter. She turned off the car, staring at the house for anyone to come out but didn't see a soul.
She hesitated then looked around the car, wondering what was so important that it needed delivered. She climbed from the drivers seat leaving the key where she found it and debated knocking on the door. She wasn't sure they noticed the car was delivered, she turned and started walking east wondering how Rhys had convinced an uber to come to this side of town.
She was about a block from her destination when she approached a group of young men, they were most likely in their early twenties and the five of them were listening to heavy metal music. One was smoking a joint, she lowered her head as she passed but it was no use.
"Hey baby, what're you doing my side of town?" One asked.
He stood from the stoop he was sitting on, walking in front of her and she paused. He was wearing white sneakers, baggy black jeans and no shirt, a gold chain hung around his bronze neck and just like Rhys he was covered in tattoos.
"I...I was dropping something off, for a friend. My cars waiting, excuse me." She tried to pass him.
"Hey, hey, no need to run off, Right boys?" He asked catching her arm.
The other four hummed and chuckled in agreement, all of them taking her in from head to toe.
"No, I really need to be going," She said softly.
"What you don't like us?" He teased gripping her arm a little tighter.
"No, it's not that." She said wincing at the pain in her arm.
"Maybe we could show you something you'd like," He said licking his lips.
"I..."
"Why don't you come inside, let me show you a good time?" He pulled her against his body and she braced her arms against his chest trying for some distance.
"No, I don't want to, I need to go."
"Hey Si, I think she needs a little something to loosen her up...and loosen up those legs," The man said.
The one who had been smoking weed stood taking a long drag of his joint he walked up to her, leaned in close and promptly blew the smoke into her face. She turned her head away and tried not to breathe any in but it was no use and she began to cough, her eyes watering.
"Let me go!" She yelled, shoving against the first man.
Out of seemingly nowhere he produced a hand gun, the metal shining in the sunlight sent a chill down her pine. He shoved the barrel into her pelvis and tear broke into her eyes.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way baby, it doesn't matter to me, the choice is yours."
"Okay, okay...okay..I'll go," She said, holding up both hands to show she didn't plan to fight.
He moved the gun to her temple and her lower lip trembled, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Axle, run inside and make sure the pull out couch is real pretty for our special guest." He said.
The four men all turned hurrying inside and he pulled her closer, twisting her arm until she feared it would snap like a twig.
"That couch is the only thing that pulls out," He sneered into her ear.
Sobs racked her small frame, bubbling in her chest and tears blinding her vision as she took a shaky step with him towards the door.
"Drop it, now." A voice behind them spoke.
She didn't move, didn't speak, didn't breathe.
"Excuse me?" The man holding her turned and she heard the tell-tale click of the hammer of a gun being pulled.
"Drop the gun and get your ass in that house." The voice spoke, she didn't recognize it.
"Whose gonna make me?" The man asked.
"Do you know who she belongs too?"
"Should I? Do you know who I am?"
"She's in bed with Rhys."
Almost instantly the man released her arm and she stumbled on shaky legs away from him rubbing her arm. She glanced at him, he looked terrified.
"Ay, I didn't know. How could I know?" He asked.
"Now you do," the man replied.
"Sorry......ma'am I....sorry." He turned and hurried into the house.
She turned towards the tall man with the gun, he was wearing a suit. His blond hair clipped short and a five o'clock shadow. He holstered his gun in the back of pants, like everyone around here seemed to do and turned towards her.
"Elizabeth?" He asked.
She gave a small nod, still rubbing her arm and watching him warily.
"I'm your ride home, follow me we will get you some water and I believe this is for you."
He tossed her another silver flip phone and she caught it, staring at it in her shaking hands.
"Come on, we don't want your husband to get home before you."
He turned and started down the block, with one more look back at the building she was almost forced into she fell instep behind him.