"What's with this fucking traffic?" Keith exclaimed as he saw the pile up in front of them.
"Morning traffic starts from early these days," Marshall mentioned while honking his horn.
"Unbelievable! At this rate I'll start walking if I have to!"
"Calm down, I know a shortcut," Marshall rolled his eyes and tried to merge into the lane next to him.
"I'm going out of my mind not knowing how she's doing— if she's okay." He sighed.
"I understand, Keith but you need to have some faith. She may have made a stupid decision but she's a smart girl."
"I know she is but it doesn't stop me from worrying about her. I will always worry about her well-being."
"Who would have thought you'd fall for a girl almost half your age," Marshall chuckled.
Keith smiled a little as he thought about their situation. Their age was definitely a big problem and he didn't know how they would break it to James and Priscilla but he didn't care— they'd figure out a way. He loved her too much to let her go.
"One thing's for sure... I never saw this coming at all,"
_______________________
The sudden scream of fear jolted both Lily and Kimmy awake with a splitting headache. Kimmy could feel a dull ache in the back of her head as if she had been hit there by something. The last thing she remembered was leaving her hotel room to catch her plane to London for a new shoe collection she was working on.
She had told Keith it was a few weeks and spent the first week cooped up in a hotel room with Phillip. Kimmy remembered taking the stairs because the elevators were full and she was already running late. As soon as she started to descend the stairs, a sharp pain hit her in the back of her head and now she woke up here.
Both girls looked ahead of them to see Janessa struggling against Reese's grasp. Kimmy's eyes instantly widened as a pinch of fear shot through her. She hadn't seen Reese in months nor did she keep any form of communication with him. She used to visit him at the institution until she realized it wasn't worth it anymore.
Reese used to promise her that he would leave Janessa for her. Back then it was all that she wanted because he was a good fuck and a nice fling to upset her father so that he would hopefully pay more attention to her instead of waving her off with a wad of cash. She also wanted to get back at Janessa for taking her spot. Her father spent more time on the movie set with Janessa and the crew more than his own daughter.
She had refused to believe that Reese was capable of the things he was being accused of— he swore to her that he was innocent. Reese assured her it was just Janessa trying to be a bitch and play the victim card. After that it just seemed fitting that she blamed her for Reese's absence. As silly as it sounded, she started to develop feelings for Reese despite everything. Her father never approved and it drove her to latch onto Reese even more.
That was until she met Phillip, the owner of a small mechanic shop whom she met while her car broke down in a shady part of town. His tow truck was passing by and she shamelessly waved him down. He flirted a little bit but she dismissed the idea because he wasn't her type but as the days passed for her car to be fixed... her walls started to come down and she started to think he was cute and charming— only to find out that he was married.
At first she wanted to end all communication but she decided against it and gave him a shot; a one chance to win her over at dinner and he did. He made her laugh like no one could and he saw underneath all her superficial bullshit. He was her dose of reality— actual reality.
Being tied up to a chair in a dingy, smelly room now made her wish that she had put her pride aside and told him that she loved him— whether or not either of them were married. She had never loved anyone before.
Once he helped her take a step back and look at life differently, she couldn't forgive herself for defending Reese after all this time; after all he's done... seeing him now made her fear for what he could to her— or worse, what he could do to Janessa.
"Hey, asshole! Get your hand off my friend!" Lily yelled from her chair as she squirmed against her ties.
Kimmy had to do something to help. "Leave her the fuck alone, you psycho!"
Reese suddenly stopped and slowly turned around with Janessa still in his firm grip. "Looks like sleeping beauty is awake," he hissed.
"Reese, please," Janessa sobbed. "Please let them go. I'll do anything you want,"
"Soon, darling but now it's time for a little confessional," he pushed her closer towards the girls.
"Are you hurt? Did he do anything to you?" Lily asked her.
"I'm f-fine, are you hurt?"
Lily shook her head, wondering what the fuck was going on. The last thing she remembered was being at the bar with Luke after Barry left and saying she was going to the bathroom. She could have sworn someone came up behind her but it was all a blur. She couldn't remember anything after saying she was going to the restroom.
"What do you want?" Kimmy asked Reese. "It's been two years, we have nothing to offer you."
"That's where you're wrong," he pushed Janessa forward until she fell to her knees. "Tell her how you begged me to be yours... how you helped me sell her photos to those tabloids you love so much,"
"I know you cheated with her... the things she did for you, I'm not surprised," Janessa said from her spot on the floor. "I don't need the details,"
"I'm not too proud now to say yeah, I did beg you to leave her but that was when I thought you were worthy of it. When I thought I'd do anything you asked of me— until I stopped believing the lies you kept feeding me. You were never my first choice, Reese. I only dated you to make my father mad and to get back at Janessa— it's my misfortune that I had feelings for you but that's done now. You have no leverage here," Kimmy took a deep breath after to calm down. Her voice had started to shake towards the end of her speech and she couldn't let him know that she was scared of him.
"Is that right?" Reese mumbled while narrowing his eyes.
Janessa suddenly started to chuckle. "For the first time ever, I agree. You have no leverage over us, Reese," she said while turning around and raised her head towards him. "You lose,"
Suddenly, a hard slap connected with her cheek and she fell to the floor. The burning sensation coupled with the echo of the slap in the room made her gasp in shock as tears formed in her eyes.
"You fucking asshole! Don't you ever touch her again!" Lily screamed from her chair while Kimmy was frozen in shock.
Stooping down to her level, Reese placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to face him. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again. You should learn this quickly so that we don't have this happening again in the future, understood?"
Still shocked as tears rolled down her face, Janessa could only nod as he caressed her burning cheek.
"Do you see what you do to me? What you made me do?" He continued to speak to her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered; her strong-will now crushed to pieces.
"It's okay," he placed the same hand he was using to caress her cheek, around her neck. Applying a light pressure, he brought her closer to his face. "I forgive you," he said then gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Why the fuck are you apologizing?" Lily exclaimed, "fight back!"
Reese rose to his feet as a small chuckle escaped his mouth, "she'll never fight me back,"
"Why the hell not?"
Walking closer to Lily, he smirked, "because she's mine— to do with as I please. Always will be." With that said, he raised his hand with a small block that Lily didn't see before and knocked her out cold. "And you talk too fucking much,"
______________________________
Shutting the car door, Keith surveyed the area and exhaled. He saw his car just up ahead and shook his head. The beach was deserted at this time of the morning and there was nothing except a run-down shack in the distance. Keith expected a house or even a building of some sort. He doubted she was in that shack— it could barely hold him if he went inside.
"I doubt she's here. He must have taken her somewhere." He commented.
"How are you so sure?"
"I'm not... but I don't want to waste my time searching some run-down shack that she may not be in."
"No offense, Keith but in my line of work... no time is ever wasted. We exhaust all of our options until there's none left." Marshall gave a leveled stare as if to say I'm the expert here.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You're just all over the place right now. I've been there... I understand."
"What really happened with your wife, Marshall?" Keith asked him as they started to walk towards the shack.
Sighing, Marshall looked towards the ocean while getting his thoughts together. "I was working this case— big drug cartel that moved here from Bangkok and built an empire in just three short years; he spilled blood without remorse and left bodies for us to find. It was my first big case since being discharged from the army and I jumped in head first."
"and things got complicated," Keith assumed.
"I was barely home because I pulled the long hours trying to find his minions. I found two of them and had them talking in no time. Despite my wife's pleas to come home— I just couldn't. Once I got the information I needed, I set out a full investigation and manhunt for this guy... until I got a warning," he shook his head as they got closer to the shack.
"and you ignored it," Keith assumed again.
"A dead cat on my porch with a note saying I should stop digging— I thought it was child's play and that they were getting scared... so I pressed harder. I didn't go home for days, booked more gangsters and filed more paperwork than I would have liked. One night I get home and I knew from the front door that it wasn't good.
The stench that hit me... I knew from experience that the smell was at least a day old. I opened my door and there she was... on display for me. The color of her face..." he broke his sentence as a wave of emotions got to him. "I found them though, I found all of them and avenged her. I'm not proud of what I've done— but it had to be done. So trust me when I say I understand your situation."
"I'm sorry, man. No one deserves to go through that."
"I couldn't save my wife because of my job... but I can save Janessa because of my job. So let's go save her,"
_________________________________
Thank you so much for reading!
I have the final chapter planned and then the epilogue!
Thank you so so much for going through this journey with me. Your support means sooo much to me!
Xoxo,