Page 65 of Dark Notes

“Yeah, man, we’ve got your girl, but just be careful.”

“I’ll see you soon, and bring the others in case you need help.”

He chuckles darkly. “I will, but I’d be good on my own too. I’m going to make him regret the fucking day he was born.”

“Love you, man.”

“Love you too.”

I hang up, and I know he’s worried, because expressions of love aren’t something Jett does.

While I probably should be, I’m not concerned about my own life. I’m terrified of what I’ll see when I walk into that damn space. I can’t trust him to keep his word. For all I know, she’s already dead and I’m walking into a trap, which would explain why she was begging me not to do what he said.

I try to clear my head, because I just need to get her out of there. Nothing else matters. There is nothing I won’t do to keep her safe. Even if it means I have to die in order to accomplish that. Finally, I had her. Really fucking had her. She was going to be my wife, and now I could lose her again. That thought alone makes it nearly impossible to breathe, as pain surges through my chest.

We pull up and I tell my driver, “If one of my guys brings McKinley out, get her to my house. Call Dr. Walton to come and see her. Jett will take care of everything else.”

Do I know trusting my best friend, a fucking heroin addict, isn’t something someone would normally do? Without a doubt, but druggie or not, he’s the one I can most depend on to take care of her, if it comes down to that.

Stepping out of the vehicle, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what I might find. The front doors will be locked, so I walk through the unpaved alleyway to the back door. The place is eerily quiet, as I walk along the mirrored hallway I remember from well before we got a record deal. We spent hours upon hours practicing here. This is the place where our dreams eventually came true, but now it’s the place I go to for my worst nightmare.

I walk around the corner and spot her, and my heart fucking stops. There’s rope hanging from the lighting track over the stage, around McKinley’s throat, and a chair below her where her shaky feet stand. She notices me, and seconds later so does the fucking asshole.

Erik claps his hands excitedly. “Yay, you’re here!”

“Let her go. That was our deal.”

He feigns a sad expression. “She wanted to die. I thought I’d help her out.”

“Erik. Let her go.”

I glance around the room as I try to figure out what the fuck I can do. If he kicks that chair out from under her, she’ll be dead before I get to her. And forget Jett getting here in time.

He laughs like someone told him a funny joke.

“Sorry, Jagger. There’s no way out of this. Sit in the chair and I’ll let her go, after you’re tied up.”

McKinley stares at me, with tears running down her face, and it guts me. I want to run to her and get her out of here. That isn’t an option as the crazy fucker stands close enough to her, to move the chair or shoot her with the gun in his hand.

I walk over to the chair bolted to the floor in the middle of the room, directly across from McKinley, and stand beside it. If she were closer, I’d go to her and risk getting shot, but she’s a good thirty feet from me.

“Hold on, baby. Keep your feet as still as possible. You’re going to be okay.”

A million thoughts run through my head, and I realize I’m playing a very dangerous game with both of our lives. If he has what he wants, it could be game over for both of us.

“Let her go, and you can tie me to the chair, and do whatever you want to me. I will not cooperate until she is safe.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

JAGGER

Erik runs the barrel of his gun along the growth on his chin as if he’s thinking. I wish he would accidentally shoot himself, but unfortunately he doesn’t.

“Change of plans,” he calls out, and then starts talking under his breath. I have no idea what he is saying because it’s all unintelligible.

“I’ll let her down, then tie you to the chair, and she watches you die. If she tries to save you, she dies.”

Her eyes widen, and her right leg slides off the chair. I stop breathing as the chair wobbles from side to side, before she rights it by putting her foot back on the seat. Jesus fucking Christ. I’m going to die from a goddamn heart attack before he gets near me.

---