Page 73

“There’s someone I need to go see. We can’t take them on alone. Not this time. Not if they have them where I think they have them.”
“Okay well let’s go,” I push up to my feet, ready to take on the universe if it means getting my men back.
“Oh no, no, no, not you Romeo,” Hannah shakes her head as she stands up and hands her now empty glass to Arsenal. “You are staying here. You’re going to have Travis and Spencer meet you here. You’re going to tell Travis what the fuck is going on and Spencer is going to have to go to a safe house or something. I meant what I said. Zeke opened Pandora's box.”
She turns to face Arsenal as I sink back into the couch, “Stay with him my love, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll have Blaize take me.”
“You can’t fucking go back there Han,” his face falls and I watch with curiosity.
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be back. I promise.”
Nodding his head, Arsenal walks around the couch and plants a kiss softly on her cheek before spinning around and plopping down on the loveseat next to me.
“Alright kid, time to call the boss man.”
Gulping, I swallow my pride and pull my phone from my pocket. Travis is going to fucking murder me.
Chapter thirty-one
Zeke
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
“Let me the fuck out of here!” I’ve been screaming and banging on the door for hours, and my voice is growing hoarse and dry. It feels like I’m swallowing sand.
Pressing my forehead against the door, I slam my aching palm against the dense wood one last time before turning around and sliding down the wall until I’m seated on the carpet. Looking around, I assess my surroundings. A large four-post king-sized bed is pushed against one wall. Art prints in gold frames adorn the burgundy walls with white trim. Recessed lighting is flush with the ceiling, and there’s an attached bathroom. The room is simple, but clearly expensive at the same time. The one thing that gives away that this isn’t just any normal room though? Well that would be the shatterproof glass windows that I already tried busting out with a chair when I woke up. It was also then as I looked out the window, that I realized exactly where I was.
Grove House.
As I finish scanning the room though, I see something interesting. A laptop on a small desk in the corner.
Yeah fucking right. Not falling for that.
The last thing I remember before waking up alone in this room, was a massive man in all black jumping over the bar. I couldn’t even see his face. I shoved Cole out of the way and threw myself in front of him, but the man quickly disarmed me and shoved a bag over my head. I’m fairly certain I was drugged, because everything after that is such a damn haze. I’m tired, exhausted really, and my head is throbbing. But trying to remember makes the fear settle in, because, if they got to me… What happened to Cole?
Steadily, I tap the back of my head against the door over and over while I wrack my brain for ideas on how to get out of here. Not only am I coming up empty, but I am just so goddamn tired. It’s getting harder and harder to fight it. There’s a bed, but I don’t trust anything here. Crawling across the room until I’m crouched in the corner, I yank my hooded sweatshirt off and fold it up neatly. Placing it beneath my head, I lie down, curling up in a ball. Just the way I used to all those years ago.
My fingertips find my hips and I dig my nails into my flesh, moving my fingers back and forth. The scratching grows heavier but it lulls me to sleep.
“Kid! Zeke!”
Rodney’s loud voice booms through my brain, breaking up the nightmare I found myself trapped inside. They’ve been coming more and more frequently. Every once in a while, Rodney hears me screaming when he’s downstairs in his shop and he runs upstairs to snap me out of it.
Drenched in sweat, hair hanging in my face, I pant heavily, gasping for air as my eyes swing wildly around the room, adjusting to my surroundings. It’s my room. I’m here. I’m not there.
I’m ok.
Breathe, Zeke. Breathe.
“I - I’m sorry Rodney, I didn-”
“Hey no, kid. Don’t apologize. But you gotta talk about what’s eating at you. This is the 5th time this week I’ve had to run up here and shake you out of this. You’re scaring me.”
“I- I don’t know if I can…”
“Listen, get yourself together, I’m going to run down and lock the shop up. I picked up some coffee and muffins this morning so come down. Eat. Then, we talk.”