Page 22 of Unlocked

Luke returns to our table and the berating of my behavior continues for a bit, but then we all settle in to wait on the women’s return. I order a fresh beer, sipping on it as I settle into the fact that Shelby Brooks is mine. I contemplate how I’m going to convince her of this fact when she’s so reluctant. She and I have talked more about her father’s drinking. She had adamantly insisted, I not change my habits for her. When she told me she trusts me not to act like her father, I’d strutted like a peacock. However, she’s remained reluctant to let me get any closer.

Marley had mentioned someone treating Shelby badly in the past. I remember a conversation I’d had with Shelby where she’d basically said the same. I wish I knew who the bastard is so I could teach him a lesson. The others are talking around me, but I’m lost in my own head not really paying attention to them. I keep checking the opening to the hall, watching for Shelby and Marley to emerge. I know Marley asked me to give Shelby some space, but I’m not sure I can do that. I keep thinking about how she lets her guard down sometimes, lets me hold her in my arms. I replay every moment we’ve shared over the last several days,sleeping with her in my arms at night. It’s in the dark of night she lets her guard down. She doesn’t push me away when I pull her to me.

When it’s only she and I, it feels like I’m making progress, getting her to see how good we could be together, but when the light of day comes, she withdraws from me, and I’m left to start all over again. I will start over again and again as many times as it takes until she accepts me. Luke’s booming voice draws my attention from my musings. He’s asking Ace to have Daisy check on the girls. Worry creeps in as I hear the concern in Luke’s voice.

My apprehension triples when I see Daisy hurrying over to our booth from the direction of the bathrooms, all alone. I can tell something is wrong the moment I make eye contact with her. I leap to my feet. “What’s wrong, Daisy? Where are Shelby and Marley?” I look from her to the hall, hoping to see them heading our way, but I all see are strangers milling around the dance floor. There is no sign of the women.

“They weren’t in the bathroom,” Daisy relates breathlessly. “There was a woman in there. She said the bathroom was empty when she entered, but she had noticed someone going out the back door as she’d started down the hall.”

I’m already moving. There is no way either of them would leave the bar without one of us to watch over them. They both know how serious the situation is with Marley being hunted by the Brotherhood. I shove open the back door to find only a few cars, likely the employees’, in the well-lit lot. I spin back around and storm back inside. Someone has taken them. I’m certain of it. Rage consumes me. I’m going to burn the earth if one hair has been harmed on my sweet girl’s head.

Back inside, I find Luke and the others in Jay’s office. They are trying to pull up the security cameras from inside and outside the bar. “They aren’t in the parking lot. Where the fuckcan they be?” I ask no one in particular, pacing around the room. I don’t want to believe the Brotherhood has taken them, but what other explanation is there? I rub at the ache in my chest. I’ve only just accepted that I need Shelby in my life and now she’s gone.What if I never get her back?I can’t accept that. I won’t accept it. I will get her back, and may God have mercy on those who’ve taken her, because I sure as hell won’t.

Shelby

How long we’vebeen here, I don’t know. I’ve been in and out of flashbacks living in my past. The men holding us have beaten me repeatedly, demanding Marley tell them what they want to know. She hasn’t been able to tell them anything because she doesn’t know anything. They are using me as a weapon against her. I can tell how much it’s hurting her to see them hitting me. She’s begged them to stop, pleading they’d hit her instead. She’s fought against her restraints in an effort to stop them.

I roll onto my back, wincing from the pain in my face, ribs, arms, and legs. My whole body is throbbing in agony. Slowly I take assessment of my injuries. I’m mostly certain I don’t have any broken bones. I’m sore and hurting, but not as badly as it could be. Our kidnappers have separated Marley and me. I have no idea where she’s being held or if she’s even still alive. I inhale deeply, cringing from the pain it causes, but I know it’s necessary. I’ve been in this shape before. I don’t need to develop pneumonia in case I survive to get out of this place. I take another breath, a cough ripping through me, causing me to cry out from the pain. I need a distraction before I break down completely.

My mind drifts to Bo like it’s done so many times while I’ve been here. Does he know we’ve been taken? I’m sure he knows by now. Does he care? Is he worried about me or just Marley? I mentally roll my eyes at myself, because it hurts too damn bad to actually do it. Heaving a sigh, I chastise myself. I shouldn’t be hoping Bo comes riding in like a knight in shining armor to save me, but that’s exactly what I find myself doing. I can almost see the fierce expression on his face as he takes down the bastards who’ve kidnapped and tortured us.

Memories of him holding me at night, his naked body pressed up against me, floods my mind. I grasp hold of them, recalling every touch, every conversation we’ve shared in the time I’ve been staying at Marley’s house. I can almost feel his lips on my forehead, hearing him whisper, “Sleep well, sweet girl.”

The memories of him holding me on the lounger while watching the sun come up those last few mornings, before I ended up here, comes to the forefront. We’d talked about so many things, music, movies, and favorite foods. He related stories to me of his time in service. Most of them were about funny things that happened between him and his teammates, but a few times, he’d let his real emotions come through when he told me about losing one of the men on his team. I’d wanted nothing more that soothe the pain that radiated from him. He’d coaxed more than one story from me about my childhood and the abuse I’d shared at my father’s hands. I told him about my mother, too. I shared some of my happiest memories of her and me, when Daddy wasn’t around. He’d talked about his life before his father left and after. My heart ached for the little boy he’d been and the happy childhood he’d lost. It’s odd that feeling of sadness for him. I didn’t have a happy childhood.Why should I care that Bo didn’t have a good one either?

A sob escapes me, racking through my body viciously. I care for him, but I’ll never feel his arms around me again. I’m goingto die here having never known love. Bo has given me a glimpse of what it might have been like to have someone to love me, to want me, and treat me well. Another sob leaves me. I’m being ridiculous. I’m so pathetic. I’m not a woman who could hold his attention for long. Just because he’s been kind to me doesn’t mean he cares for me. I’m such a fool because I’m falling head over heels for him.

Not that it matters, now. These men aren’t going to let us go. I can’t imagine they will wait much longer either. I can tell the leader is getting more agitated every time they try to get Marley to tell them what they want to know, and she doesn’t give them the answers they want. When he gets what he wants, we will be dead, but after the last beating, I think he’s going to kill us anyway.

The thud of boots on concrete drifts down the hall. Here comes the pain, again. I brace myself for the coming torture. Being as I’m going to die anyway, I let Bo comfort me through the pain. He’s there holding me together with every punch, every kick that lands on my battered body. I lose myself in my head, blocking out the physical pain, letting the feel of his warm body behind mine keep me in my head and away from my reality.

Chapter 14

Bo

Days after my sweet girl had been stolen from the bar, I’m at the end of my rope. We haven’t been able to find the girls despite all our efforts. The security footage at the bar had been tampered with, but Kelvin has finally been able to recover it. Luke calls us in to watch. I’m seething when I see Kristen Jones, Luke’s former secretary, enter the women’s bathroom. Kristen had been fired when Enos and Rosco overheard her talking shit about Marley and hinting that she thought she could get Luke to fall for her because he is in a wheelchair. She had thought she’d be free to fuck who ever she wanted while she spent Luke’s money. Little did she know she never had a chance. Luke only has eyes for Marley.

The video continues; Kristen is followed a few seconds later by a man who we now know is her brother, Konner Jones, and two foreign appearing men. Jones is apparently a member of The Brotherhood but also works for the FBI. He has been helping The Brotherhood elude capture. We don’t know how much information he has been able to gather and give the Brotherhood or if he is aware of the mole the FBI has implanted in the organization. Kelvin is working overtime to hack Jones’ account access at the FBI. Agent Morris, who has been onMarley’s case from the beginning, has given us his blessing to do whatever we need to find the girls. He’s as pissed off about this situation as we are.

Hours later, much to my displeasure, this is taking so long, Kelvin calls us back to the conference room to show us all the evidence he has found after hacking into Jones’ desktop. It seems the Brotherhood is planning to use Marley and Shelby to carry bombs to the Stars and Strips Fourth of July celebration and set them off when the President of the United States makes his speech. They are eager to make a name for themselves and killing the President along with thousands of others would be the way to do it. I have every intention of stopping them before they can carry out their plan. In addition, I will kill Jones and every one of those fuckers if either of those women have been harmed. Marley had been beaten badly when she’d been abducted before. I haven’t been able to sleep thinking about what horrors the women may be enduring. I refuse to consider they have been killed already. I will bring Shelby home. Failure is not an option.

“What the hell are we waiting for?” I ask when no one moves after hearing the information Kelvin has given us. “Come on! Let’s go!” I demand, heading for the door. I need to get my woman so I can let her know that sheismy woman. I’m no longer going to let her keep denying me. I’ve realized these last three days all that I have to lose. I’ve gotten used to sleeping next to her at night, waking up with her in the mornings to watch the sunrise.

“Hold up, Bo,” Rosco calls out, jogging to catch up with me. “We can’t just run down there. We need to be organized, have a plan.” He places his hand on my chest to stop my momentum. I growl in frustration. He is pressing his luck. I’m beginning to think he wants me to kick his ass. We should be there already.What if they’ve begun implementing their plan?Shelby couldhave a bomb strapped to her, this very second. “Come on, sit down while we work out a plan.” Rosco coaxes me back into my seat. I clench and unclench my fists, needing to be doing something, but fighting with my brother isn’t going to help the situation.

The rest of the room is a flurry of activity while they are deciding how to go about this. I bang my head on the table in impatience. I can’t take another second of sitting here, talking, when we need to be moving. I get up to pace the room for the hundredth time in the last hour. I can tell I’m making the rest of them nervous, but I can’t help it. I have to be doing something. As I make my way around the room, I duck out the door while no one is paying attention. I make my way to the parking lot and slip into one of the company’s SUVs. I pull out of the parking lot, on two wheels, heading toward the Pier. My phone begins ringing before I reach the first stop light. I huff and roll my eyes, but I answer it, knowing I’m going to get an ass chewing.

“Robertson,” I answer and brace for what is about to come. I don’t care how mad Luke is or what he says, I’m going to find Shelby.

“Bo, what are you doing?” Luke’s annoyed voice comes over the car speakers.

“I’m going to get the girls,” I inform him. “I can’t sit there doing nothing. I get that you need to coordinate everyone, but I need to be doing something, or I’m going to lose it. I need to save my meltdown for when I get my hands on Jones. When you have your plan made and everyone gets here text me where you want me. In the meantime, I’ll be scouting the area, and I’ll let you know if I find anything.” The silence drags on. I glance at the screen to see if the call is still connected. He sighs loudly.

“I understand how you feel,” Luke says after a bit, sounding weary. I can hear the fatigue in his voice. “I didn’t realize how you felt about Shelby.”

“I know,” I reply. “I didn’t realize how much I wanted more with her until that night. Now I may never get the chance.” I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat as I voice the fear I’ve been trying to ignore. “Text me when you arrive.” I end the call not waiting for his reply. I’m not in the mood to share the feels with my brother. We can do that when we have our women back.

Arriving at the location, I park along the street and exit my vehicle, clicking the locks and pocketing the keys. I stroll down the street with my head on a swivel while scouting the location. A lot of people are heading toward the boardwalks. The President will be arriving tomorrow to make a speech to the crowd. People are lining up to camp out and await his arrival. It’s a first come, first served venue for the general population. Security will be tight, only those who’ve been vetted will be allowed closest to the stage area, but there will be thousands hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

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