Chapter 15
November 5, 2011 Baltimore, MD
Antonio felt better in the gym. All the stress and worries of his business, his enemies and problems poured out of him with the sweat. He loved to push himself, to feel his muscles tearing and his arms burning. He held up his fist high in a boxing stance, training as he does every day. The punching bag was old and worn but it did the job. He pounded it with a series of jabs and hooks jumping back and forth keeping light on his feet.
“Boss,” Rome had to talk loud over the sound of Antonio beating the punching bag.
“What?” He replied grunting with every strike.
“I know you don’t like being interrupted when you’re working out…”
“And yet here you are.” He said obviously annoyed.
Rome watched his boss perfectly strike the bag and he often wondered if it ever came down to it who would win in a fight between the two of them. Antonio could have been a world class boxer growing up where they did. But Rome often entertained the thought that if it ever came down to it Antonio would lose. The boss stopped and faced him, staring him down as if he knew what he was thinking.
“I found her” Rome said quickly. He didn’t give the details about how he’d found her using her social security number. He left out that she’d changed her last name and was living with a man. It would only upset Antonio more.
Antonio’s face softened slightly at the thought of Chey coming back to him. Finally one less thing to take out on the punching bag, he turned his back to Rome and continued his training.
“Bring her to me” He said sternly in between jabs. Rome turned to leave giving one final glance as he stepped through the door. Antonio was slowly loosing it and he knew it. Should he ever try and betray him Rome would be ready.
November 5, 2011 Annapolis, MD
Jaxon sat in the rocking chair looking around the empty nursery. The house was so quiet lately and he missed the sounds of Chey moving around in other rooms. He missed holding her through the night and he missed talking to her. He just missed her and he wondered if the baby had a name yet. He’d screwed up and overreacted when he saw the child. He should have calmly asked about it. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and most of all he shouldn’t have said those things to her.
He had no reason to believe she’d betray him in anyway and everything she’d said had been right. He’d pushed until she moved in with him and hadn’t even told her he was paying her medical bills until she’d found out on her own. Then he’d insisted that she not pay him back. He’d done all of this and now he hadn’t a clue where she was staying.
He got up and went into the bathroom. He couldn’t bring himself to go back into the room he’d shared with Chey. He looked in the mirror and cringed at what he saw. He looked terrible, his eyes blood shot and a full blown beard had grown in the past few days. He hadn’t showered or changed his clothes since leaving the hospital the day the baby was born. He’d expected her to come home after she was released from the hospital; he depended on having her as a captive audience. She had nowhere else to go, well he’d thought. He wondered where she was and if she’d chosen a name for kid.
He shaved and showered telling himself it was time to go get what was his. He couldn’t just let her go because he’d put his foot in his mouth. He had to go make things right and it wouldn’t hurt if he looked good while he did it.
As he pulled his shirt over his head the doorbell rang and he rushed downstairs to answer it hoping it was Chey, maybe he wouldn’t have to hunt her down after all. He swung open the door to see a tall white man; he was the same height as Jaxon, but he had more bulk to his build.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m looking for Cheyenne Hunt.” Rome said with a smile. He held flowers in his hand trying to look as unthreatening as he could.
“I’m sorry, she’s not in. Can I ask why you’re looking for her?” Jaxon said something about this man just felt wrong.
“I’m Romeo Tate,” Rome said. “We grew up in the same group home. I live nearby and I was hoping to catch up on old times.” Jaxon tensed his first thought was that she had called this man for help. Then he remembered that she’d told him the only person she’d kept in touch with was Preston.
“I’ll be sure to tell her you stopped by,” He said pushing the door up.
“If you don’t mind I’d like to come in and wait for her. We used to be really close and I kinda promised our house mom I would make sure she was ok.” He said placing his hand on the door to keep Jaxon from closing it. Jaxon didn’t like how pushy this guy was; something was wrong about this.
“Oh how is Mrs. Marcy doing?” He asked giving the wrong name on purpose and putting on a caring face. That caught Rome off guard; he hadn’t expected this guy to know that much of Cheyenne’s history.
“Oh she’s fine. She’s still doing great.”
“We’ll since I’m not sure when she’ll be home I’d hate to hold you up.” He tried again to close the door, this time Rome allowed it to be shut. He knew he had been found out.
Jaxon locked the door and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. There was a glock nine in his drawer and he had a very bad feeling about this guy. When he was half way up the stairs the front door burst in and Rome fired an automatic gun at him. Jaxon leapt up the stairs and dived into his room. He could hear the man chasing after him so Jaxon got to his feet and ran to his drawer. Just as he was cocking his gun the bedroom door was kicked in and he was fired at again. Jaxon fell to his back to avoid the bullets and as he was falling he fired back at him. Rome took cover behind the wall outside the room and Jaxon reloaded his gun before crawling behind the bed for cover.
“Look man I’m a Marine ok? I’m a veteran. I’ve been through hell and back you don’t want to do this.” Rome laughed, Jaxon didn’t think this would work but it didn’t hurt.
“I don’t care who you are man, just tell me where Chey is and maybe I won’t kill you.” It angered him to hear this douche bag to call her by her nick name.
“What do you want with her any ways?” He said clearly angry.
“I just think she has a really hot ass.” Rome said, peeking his head around the corner with a smug smile on his face. Jaxon stood up and fired at the wall and didn’t let up until his clip was empty obviously infuriated. Rome dropped low to the ground as some of the bullets penetrated the wall until he heard his gun go empty.
Rome laughed, “You’ve got terrible aim my friend. Marine, my a…” Jaxon ran full force into the wall right where Rome was standing. The entire wall broke apart and Rome fell to the ground with Jaxon on top of him. He started pounding his back as hard as he could but Rome recovered quickly and he elbowed Jaxon in the chin. He ignored the blow and picked him up then tossed him through the banister and onto the first floor.
Jaxon stumbled over the rubble and debris from the wall as he struggled to straighten up and walk downstairs. Once he made it to the top of the stairs he could see Rome trying to lift himself up.
“Jesus you don’t give up easy do you?” Jaxon said as he walked down the steps. Rome stood up and crack his back followed by his neck before assuming a fighting stance.
“You gotta be kidding me. Look man I’m a marine, hell I just got into a fight with an 8 foot giant in the middle of the jungle. Your outta your lea…” Before he could finish Rome’s foot was across his face. Jaxon turned back towards Rome with a busted lip and a shocked look on his face. “Ow!”
Rome followed it by a right hook but Jaxon blocked it and countered it with an upper cut but Rome managed to block that himself. They went back and forth swinging neither one landing a hit until finally Rome caught his fist and used his weight to throw Jaxon into the far wall. Rome walked towards him as Jaxon slowly sat up and before he could stand Rome kicked him hard in the chest slamming him back into the wall. He gripped Jaxon by the throat and lifted him up.
“Where is she?!” He screamed as his fist went across his face over and over again. Rome kept hitting him then suddenly tossed him onto the ground. Jaxon just laid there trying to get his bearings and struggling to stay conscious. Rome grabbed his hair and lifted his head so he could see him.
“Listen Marine, I work for the biggest arms dealer on this side of the country. Boss wants Cheyenne Hunt, I’m here for Cheyenne Hunt, where . . . is . . . Cheyenne Hunt?” He asked through his teeth.
“W-why” Jaxon struggled to ask. Rome’s punched him in the face again.
“I’m not here as a messenger, one way or another I will find her, and if I’m lucky I’ll get to enjoy a piece of her myself.” Jaxon’s eyes shot open and he slowly sat up clearly in pain. “Now let’s try this again,” Rome took out a knife from his boot. Jaxon managed to get to his feet and slowly stand up.
“Where’s Chey?” Jaxon just stared at him with death in his eyes.
“Fine have it your way.” Rome thrust the blade at Jaxon’s chest, a killing blow. But Jaxon stepped to the side avoiding the attack and countered by slamming his elbow right into Rome’s throat.
Rome stumbled backwards gripping his neck, stunned and disoriented. Jaxon didn’t give him a chance to recover and followed up by a left jab and a left hook busting his nose and his mouth wide open. Rome swung wildly desperately trying to keep Jaxon away from him. Jaxon block all of his hits and sent an upper cut right under his chin so hard a tooth broke and blood poured from his mouth. Rome had nothing left in him, but there was no way he was going back to Antonio without the girl. So he drew his fist back and swung as hard as he could but Jaxon caught his fist like nothing.
Jaxon tightly gripped Rome’s wrist and bent his arm at the elbow with such force that his arm snapped in half. Rome dropped to his knees and just stood there disoriented until Jaxon kicked him hard in the chest sending him flying onto his back. He laid there flat on his back struggling to stay conscious, blood covering his face, and his arm broken and limp. Jaxon stood over him, his face hard and blood all over his fist and shirt.
“Your boss, what’s his name?” He said in an eerily calm voice. Blood poured from Rome’s face and as he struggled to breathe through the pain.
“S. . .Screw you!” Jaxon kicked him across his face hard, sending a spray of blood across the floor.
“Your boss, his name.” Using the same stern voice.
“S...s...stop...” Rome screamed in pain as Jaxon kicked him even harder in the same spot bruising his cheek and making his eye swell.
“Your boss?” Jaxon said through gritted teeth and lightly pressing his foot on his broken elbow, Rome screamed in pain until Jaxon’s foot went across his face again. “Who is your boss?” He lifted his foot above Rome’s elbow preparing to stomp down on it.
“Wait! Ok ok ok . . . Antonio . . . Antonio Frost. He operates outside of east Baltimore. Please please . . .” He screamed desperate and beaten. Jaxon studied him for a second trying to see if he was being played, he believed him. The marine turned away from Rome and picked up his knife. He spun the blade in his hand as he walked back over to the broken and beaten man. Jaxon stood over him with hate in his eyes but Rome tried his hardest not to show any fear and Jaxon tried his hardest to restrain himself. He grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him up and slammed him into the wall.
“Listen to me, you go back to your boss and you tell him this. Leave . . . Cheyenne . . . alone. Or he’ll have the entire Bravo Elite Marine unit bringing hell down on him and I promise he won’t like that one bit.”