Chapter 161: No longer safe
1846words
My pacing pursued well into the evening hours with no sign of an officer or any kind of answers. I was told it would only be an hour before my transport back to Chicago would be ready, but that had to have been five or six hours ago. A young jailer had brought me some dinner but wouldn't say a word to me.
The food was awful and after one bite of the dry bologna sandwich, I decided to go hungry.
I could see from the single slit window across from my cell that it was dark out and my nerves were at an all time high. Thoughts of Molly being alone at our home during the night made me nauseous. I knew Diego well enough to know that he'd follow through with his threat, I just hoped she wasn't alone.
My thoughts drifted to my call with Diego as I wondered when he had become so dark. We were pretty close growing up, but once he started slinging drugs he fell into a deep rabbit hole and was never the same. I had tried to help him, but he didn't want it. He was on top of the world and nothing I said would have changed his mind. So I left. Now he was using Noah and Jimmy for money, throwing empty threats of lawsuits in my direction to distract me from what he really wanted.
Then my thoughts clouded over when I realized the time it all went south. An article had been written about lynn and her reconnection to the Tuffin family, but not just to the family. They talked about the family estate and their aerospace company. My mom and Diego showed up right after that. Coincidence? I didn't think SO.
When the jail door creaked open, it was like music to my ears. I lunged for the bars and saw the officer Marching down the hall straight for my cell. He jingled the keys before he unlocked the door and swung it wide open. He didn't look pleased at all.
"You're free to go, Mr. Hudson," he said through gritted teeth.
My ears perked up at his words and even though I didn't want to test my luck, I had to ask. "I'm free free? What about Chicago?"
He ground his jaw. "That has been eradicated. Get out of my sight."
I didn't want to test my luck any further and made my way toward the jail door. The bright fluorescent lights burned my eyes as I made my way down another long hallway before I was greeted by another officer sitting at a desk. He stopped me and told me to sign out. He wasn't pleasant either and wouldn't make eye contact before he buzzed the final door open for me. I wouldn't stay here a moment longer and made my exit. The lobby came into view as an older woman dressed in a long tie dye dress, bracelets running up her arms, and several necklaces greeted me with a smile. I gave her a warm smile as I stepped around her, making my way toward the exit.
But before I could actually leave, I heard a familiar male voice and spun around to find Micky standing at the counter, giving the officer a tongue lashing. Micky? What the hell was he doing here?
I went to move toward him when the woman in tie dye blocked my way.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "No, but you will. I'm Aunt Rose, Lynn's... eccentric Aunt.'
My mouth fell open and closed several times as I continued to study her. This was Lynn's aunt? What the hell was she doing here? Wait, did she bail me out?
"Thanks, but I'm not sure what the hell is going on. I just know that I need to get home to make sure Lynn's okay."
She took my hand in hers, patting it gently. "Lynn won't be there."
My heart sank into my gut at her words. "What do you mean? Where is she?" I could only hope that she was safe. Maybe her aunt got to her before Diego could, but the look on her face told me otherwise.
"Don't panic, but lynn is in the hospital being treated with a bad concussion and a few bruised ribs."
"What?!" I shouted, pulling Micky's attention away from the officers.
He walked over to me, holding his hands out to calm me. "Hey, she's okay, man. We got to her in time. Whoever broke in really did a number on her and the guy in the garage."
"Guy in the garage?"
I felt completely out of the loop and had no idea what the fuck was going on. All I knew was that I needed to get to lynn right fucking now. I needed to see that she was okay before I went after my brother. His threats were real, but I was about to show him how real I could be. He fucked with the wrong guy this time.
"Yeah, he said his name was Lane Parker. Do you know him?" Micky asked.
I nodded, thankful that Lane had been with her but it obviously wasn't enough. "What about luis? Was he there too?"
Micky shook his head. "No, and I can't seem to get him on his phone either. I've been calling since we found lynn ."
My heart sank into my gut again. I didn't have the proof right now but I knew in my soul that Diego had something to do with that Lane had been with her but it obviously wasn't enough. "What about luis? Was he there too?"
Micky shook his head. "No, and I can't seem to get him on his phone either. I've been calling since we found lynn."
My heart sank into my gut again. I didn't have the proof right now but I knew in my soul that Diego had something to do with that too.
"I need to go to her, Micky."
He nodded. "Come on, we'll head there now. She's okay, Drake."
He could say that all he wanted, but until I saw that with my own eyes I wouldn't calm down. We all left the jail and climbed into a black SUV. Micky drove us to the hospital in record time and the receptionist brought me straight up to lynn without hesitation.
When I entered her room, my legs turned to jello. She was lying in the bed with an IV in her arm, oxygen in her nose, and a beaten up face. The closer I got to her, the more damage I saw had been done. Anger tore through me as thoughts of killing Diego entered my mind. He was going to fucking pay for what he's done if it was the last thing I ever did.
I slumped down on the chair beside her bed and carefully took her hand in mine. Leaning forward, I pressed my cheek against her cold hand and swallowed back the sob that had lodged itself in my throat. I was so angry that this happened and even angrier that I had been locked up while this happened to her. Diego did that too.
"I hope you don't mind, but I hacked my way into your security cameras," Micky said as he stepped into the room.
I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head. My jealousy over Micky and lynn had evaporated back in Seattle when I knew I could trust him. He did the right thing back then, so I knew he'd do the right thing now. He might still love lynn, but I was okay with that now. His love for her is what protected her now.
"What did you find?" I inquired in a rough, sandy voice.
Micky stepped up and held out his iPad, showing me the footage he found. It was Diego and my mother. They stalked toward the garage, breaking into the side door before they disappeared out of sight. Then the camera changed to the one inside the garage where they hid in the shadows. Lane entered the garage and went straight for the fridge when Diego came up behind him and bashed Lane over the back of the head with a metal pipe. He went down immediately as blood began to slowly pool around his head.
I continued to watch the horror of what went down in my home when I couldn't be there to protect them. My mother went up behind luis who sat on the couch before she walked him over the head too. It wasn't nearly as hard as Lane was hit, but hard enough to knock him out. She bound his arms behind his back and tied a rope around his ankles.
Then the camera switched to my office where I watched Diego rip a picture down to reveal my safe. He stole from me, but that didn't matter when I saw him put his gun into Lynn's mouth. I physically shook as I continued to watch the horror unfold before my eyes. I whipped my head away when Diego assaulted Molly and then slowly backed out of the office.
When I glanced back, the video had changed to the living room camera where Molly had run out of my office and was clotheslined by my brother. Anger coursed through me as I watched Pierre thrash in my mother's arms. Lynn coughed and rolled on the floor before Diego kicked her. Then he grabbed her by the shirt, lifted her up to say something, and then punched her right in the face.
My hands balled into fists as I turned my gaze back to lynn lying in the bed. I pulled her hand into mine again and kissed the back of one.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there," I whispered to her before I glanced up at Micky. "I'm going to fucking kill him."
"You and me both, Drake, but he's a smart motherfucker, isn't he? We need to play this by my rules. Can you handle that?"
I ground my teeth together, but nodded anyway. "Fine, we'll play by your rules, but..." I paused to look at lynn again, "But I want him erased from this world, Micky. Do you understand me?"
"Loud and clear," Micky replied. "I need to make a few phone calls. You stay with lynn." He stepped out of the room as I put all my attention back on my girl.
She was all battered up and still sleeping. I'd give anything to see her eyes again. I had so many things to say to her but I didn't know where to start. If she had died tonight, I wouldn't be able to live without her. She was everything to me and I was glad she was still here so I could tell her that. Lynn needed to know how important she was to me and as soon as she was awake and better, I'd show her just how much.
