Page 99 of Fighting Temptation (Men of Honor 1)
“You sorry son of a bitch!” he yells coming at me again.
This time I’m ready for him. Standing up I block his next blow and take a shot of my own.
“Jesus Christ! Take it easy, both of you,” Cooper bellows, pulling me back.
Cade grabs Sawyer and restrains him. I wait for rage to consume me so I can take off Sawyer’s head, but it never comes, because I know I deserved it.
“Is she alright?” I ask quietly.
“No! She’s not fucking alright! What the fuck is wrong with you? I walk in and find your woman on the floor, surrounded by broken glass. Crying her fucking eyes out that you don’t love her or want the damn baby you knocked her up with.”
A sharp ache seizes my chest and I shake my head in defeat, “I know I fucked up.”
“You’re goddamn right you fucked up! And I hope she cans your sorry ass.”
His words set me off and I fight against Cooper’s hold, “Oh I’ll just fucking bet you do. I’m sure you just fucking loved being there for her last night, trying to console her.”
“Oh fuck you, asshole. You know I would never do that to you. I have more respect for both of you than that. But I’ll tell you something, it would have served your ass right. Have someone else step in and take care of her since you sure as hell can’t.”
Our chests are both heaving with fury and I try to calm the rage, knowing everything Sawyer says is true.
Suddenly Cooper’s radio goes off at his hip, “Sheriff?”
Cooper keeps a hand on my chest and reaches down grabbing his radio, “Ya what is it?”
“I’m sorry sir, but you need to get over to the hospital right away. Kayla’s been in a bad accident.”
Julia!
Without a second thought the four of us are running out the door. “Get in,” Cooper yells for us to hop in his cruiser. He flicks on the sirens and hauls ass.
As soon as we break through the emergency doors we hear Kayla crying and yelling, “Please you’re wasting time. You need to find her!”
We follow the sound of her pleas and run into her room. Kayla is sitting up at the side of her bed with a bandage wrapped around her head. Her face is cut and swollen. Grace is sitting beside her, holding her hand and crying.
“Where’s Julia?” I ask looking around frantically.
Before Kayla can answer Cooper pushes me aside and rushes over to her, “Jesus baby, are you alright? What the fuck happened?”
“Oh god, Cooper, you need to help Julia.”
“Where the fuck is she?” I ask again.
My stomach clenches in dread when Kayla starts crying harder, “He took her. He fucking took her.”
Panic threatens to choke me, “Who, goddamn it?”
“Wyatt! He ran us off the road. I passed out but I woke up to her screaming my name. He was dragging her by her hair to his truck, then he hit her.” She starts sobbing uncontrollably, “Oh god Cooper, he hit her so hard that she stopped screaming, he knocked her out.”
My knees threaten to buckle under me. A mixture of fear and rage has my heart pounding so loud it’s all I can hear.
Fuck no! No! No! No!
“Jaxson man, take it easy. We’ll find her.” I hear Sawyer’s voice in the distance.
“Fuck! He’s fucking dead! I’m going to fucking kill him!”
Arms try to grab me while shit flies all over the place. A force knocks into me from behind, taking me to the ground.
“Goddamn it man, get fucking control over yourself. You’re trained for shit like this Jaxson. So get your fucking head together or you’re not going to be able to help her.”
Cade’s words breaks through the rage that consumes me.
My chest heaving with fury and fear I close my eyes and try to calm down, knowing he’s right.
Jesus Julia, I’m so fucking sorry.
“You good?” Cade asks a minute later through an exerted breath.
I nod, “Ya, I’m good.”
He gets off me and helps me up. I look at our surroundings and see the damage I caused. A chair is splintered in a million pieces, a table and tray lay on it’s side, it’s medical tools scattered all over the place.
I run my hand through my hair, “Shit, I’m sorry.”
Grace nods at my apology, looking ghost white. Kayla continues to cry, “Cooper, please. You guys need to go find her.”
I walk over to her, “Kayla, did you hear anything else? Did he say anything about where he was taking her?
She shakes her head crying harder.
A deputy speaks up now, “Sheriff, we have the 911 recording Miss Julia made during the accident. The operator stayed on the line while the crash happened, we have her being taken on tape.”
Cooper nods then looks at Kayla regretfully, “Jesus I don’t want to fucking leave you right now.”
“Cooper listen to me,” Kayla says, taking his face in her hands, “I’m going to be fine. Julia needs you now, more than I do. You’re the best, please go find her.”
“I’ll stay with Kayla,” Grace says through her own tears.
“Alright,” Cooper agrees reluctantly. Then he kisses Kayla, “I love you.”
His three simple words strike a chord deep inside me. I never fucking said them to Julia, all because I was too scared. Now she’s god knows where, scared and alone, thinking I don’t love her or our baby…
Fuck! The baby.
I look at Sawyer and Cade, “Let’s go.” I take off out the door and sprint down the hall.
“Jaxson hold up,” Cooper says catching up behind me, but I don’t stop.
“Goddamn it, I said hold up.” When he grabs my arm I throw him into the wall and get into his face.
“I don’t fucking have time to hold up. I need to find her now.”
“What, you’re going to fucking do it without me?” Cooper asks angrily.
I shake my head regretfully, “I have no choice Cooper, right now the law means nothing to me and it’s not going to. That son of a bitch took my girl and my baby; he’s fucking dead.”
