Page 87 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)

MAX

T ime stands still. It’s like I lost my way of breathing without my sunshine.

Waking up to her not beside me sets off alarms that ring in my head.

It’s unlike Rainey to leave without telling me.

I waited after I called her several times, and it led me right to voicemail.

I drove around town, searching for her. Then Justin called and said Rainey was leaving and needed some time away to think.

I’d give her space if she needed it, but leaving without telling me has ripped me to shreds.

I understand she’s going through a lot. A part of me feels responsible.

It was either walk away from her or tell her the truth.

I’m a selfish man. I can’t walk away from her, but we can work through it.

Last night was overwhelming for her, a long damn day.

I knew when I told her the truth, she would want to walk away.

I wanted her to fall in love with me again because she needed to see that we have always been made for each other.

Deep down, she’s always known it. As sappy as it sounds, her heart has always stirred her in my direction, and vice versa.

“This is Rainey. Leave a message.”

Damnit. I slam the phone down. “Fuck,” I curse, pulling on my hair. Two days. “Baby, where are you?” I just needed to know she’s okay. Johnny has been searching for her. Justin’s getting worried. She’s not picking up his calls. I called Lana as well, and nothing.

Anxiety pierces my skin. What if Daniel has her?

I’ve been checking security cameras since the day she left to get an idea of her direction.

It’s a little difficult because not everyone uses my business.

Extending the search distance, I check twenty minutes out at as many stores as possible.

Zooming into the parking lot, I notice Rainey’s car.

She’s on the phone. A black SUV drives up behind her.

The second she gets out, a man grabs her.

A boiling rage surges within me as I watch the scene unfold.

She fights back fiercely, her legs kicking and fists flying, though he towers over her with a menacing presence.

He’s about to shove her into the back of the SUV when his fist collides with the side of her head.

Her head snaps to the side, striking the metal frame of the vehicle with a dull thud.

He has her.

Fuck.

“Why hasn’t he called me?” I mumble to no one. I retrieve my handgun from my safe in my office at home and call Johnny.

“Hey, I found her car. She was at a pharmacy when Daniel’s men took her. That motherfucker has her. He had better not lay a hand on her.” My heart thuds, and worry wraps around the pit of my stomach.

“Has he tried getting a hold of you?”

“No,” I say, shoving the gun in the back of my jeans.

“Should we call the police?”

“I’m going to the warehouse, guns blazing. Call the police if you don’t hear from me. I got her into this mess. I’m getting her back.”

“Max, we need to call the police. They’ll kill you on the spot. These men hunt to kill.”

I know they will. I’m no pussy. Like I said so many times, I’ll tear the world apart until I get to her. I’ll give my life for her.

Always for my girl.

“Fuck, you stubborn ass. I’ll meet you at the warehouse, but I doubt she’s there. He wouldn’t hide her there.”

No, he wouldn’t, but I don’t know where his other locations are or where he lives. Once I get there, they will contact him.

As the car rolls into the warehouse’s vacant parking lot, the gravel crunches beneath the tires.

Above, the street lights buzz and flicker sporadically, casting eerie shadows that dance across the cracked asphalt.

The place comes to life in the next two hours.

The Underground is where fighters and spectators lose their shit, where you let loose.

Johnny drives up next to me. Another guy is with him.

My blood boils with rage like a storm brewing in me. I am ready to unleash.

“Stay behind me,” Johnny commands.

I sneer. Like I’m going to hide behind him. He shakes his head at me, gun drawn.

“Put the gun down,” I tell him. “Let me handle it.”

He huffs, putting his gun away.

My knuckles rap harshly against the cold, dented metal door.

The same burly guy with the buzz cut and permanent scowl swings it open, his beady eyes locking onto mine with suspicion.

“I need to see Daniel now,” I declare, shoving past him with a determined stride.

He stumbles slightly before leveling a glinting gun at my chest, his hand shaking ever so slightly.

“Hand me your guns, knives, or any weapon on you,” he demands, his voice quivering like a leaf in the wind.

“Where is she?” I bark, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of her.

“Who?” he retorts, glancing nervously around, the gun still trained on me as if it’s the only thing anchoring him in this tense moment.

Either he doesn’t know because they didn’t bring her here, or he’s playing it off. Another man, Gilbert, walks up. “The Master of Disaster. Did you come back to make some real money?” He laughs, then takes a hit off his joint.

“Where is he hiding her, damnit?”

Gilbert smiles smugly. Some of his other guys appear from the shadows. Then I see them dragging a man. “Rainey is safe,” he says, turning from me to the man with his mouth taped.

“Hand her over, or I’ll tear this place down piece by piece until I find her.” My steps close in as I push the gun away, pointed at me. Not a smart move, but getting her back is all I can think of. This is all my damn fault. I showed them my weakness.

His phone rings. With a smirk, he answers it. “Hey, boss, we have company.” I can’t hear what they are talking about, but he looks up at the camera. Daniel can see us. “Boss wants a word with you.” His brow rises, handing me the phone.

“We had a deal.” I grind my teeth.

“I kept my word. I don’t do that often. The thing is, I like you, Max. You have ambition. You are a lot like me.”

“Where do you have her?” Doors creak in the background.

“She’s safe at my house in the basement. She’s been fed.” He clears his throat. “Drop the guns, Max, along with your men. That would be the smart thing to do. Your girl wants you alive. It seems you’re the only one who can save her.”

The men drag the man toward me. It’s dark here. I can’t make out who it is—the size and shape of a man. I drop my gun on the table, and so do the guys.

“It’s Rowan who broke the deal.” The fluorescent lights flicker to life, casting a harsh glow over the dimly lit warehouse.

In the center of the room, Rowan sits slumped against the cold floor, his mouth sealed with a strip of silver duct tape.

His hands are bound tightly behind him with rough cords that bite into his skin.

The sharp creases of his normally immaculate pants are now wrinkled and stained, betraying the chaos of his capture.

“What the fuck?” I yell. “What did he do? You took Rainey because of him? She has no part in this bastard’s shit.”

Rowan’s head snaps in my direction. Almost as if he’s pleading.

“He owes me money. He broke a deal. I took his daughter. I didn’t know at the time that your girl is connected to him.

Anyway, the dick has no money to save his daughter.

The dickhead attorney here has been giving his whore money.

It seems she stole from him, leaving him broke.

” Daniel’s voice muffles, papers shuffling around him.

“What did he do? What was the deal about?” My jaw tightens, and my fists pump, ready to punch the old fart in front of me.

“He’s a shady attorney, but he helps me. I help him. Of course, it comes with a cost. So, if you want your girl back, I need the money he owes me.”

“How much?”

“250k.”

My breathing comes in waves, a bull ready to strike.

“What did you do, Rowan? What shit have you done?” I ask him, stripping the tape from his mouth with a rough pull. “What did you get yourself involved in? I swear if something happens to Rainey, I’ll kill you myself. Fuck the consequences.”

“That’s why I like you,” Daniel adds.

The times I’ve encountered him he’s never had a face displaying he’s going to shit his pants. I crave the look on his face. “I…I… would have Daniel ruffle up a witness and threaten them.” So that’s how he’d won his cases. Rowan is known as the best attorney in Vegas.

Fuck, man.

“Your girl mentioned he’s her adopted father?” Daniel asks, interrupting me.

“He is.” Tension hardens my jaw to stone. “Give me Rainey. She has nothing to do with him or the shit he did to get to the top. You have him here. Make a deal with him.”

He tsks. A door slams on his end. “He has nothing of value.”

“Max,” Rainey’s voice trembles.

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I love you,” she whispers at the end.

“Max, you want to save her, then I need you to pay your father-in-law’s debt,” Daniel says, as a door clamps shut in the background.

My gaze is murderous on Rowan.

“You want to know why he never wanted to tell Rainey about her adoption? I managed to get it out of him. Turns out a knife to his throat can make a man squeal.”

I stay silent.

He continues. “It wouldn’t look good for his career.

He needed to appear as a family man. You see, he’s been having an affair for a very long time with multiple women.

Jenna couldn’t have more kids; she was told.

In order to make her happy and try to patch things up, he agreed to adopt.

He didn’t want them to know he had adopted a child, for one, his long-time infidelity could come out.

Also, because Rainey’s genes are not from a higher-class family, he decided Anderew would be a good marriage match. ”

Makes perfect sense. That man only thinks of himself. It’s all about money.

I’ve had enough of his rambling. “I’ll get the money. Let her go.”