Thorne gave a low, humorless chuckle. “I want nothing except her safe return, that’s why I’m calling. It’s illegal for me to believe someone is in imminent danger and not report it. I’m calling the Darling police after we hang up, but I thought you might want to know where she is. Because, believe me, Jaxon, she’s definitely in imminent danger. So, if I were you, I’d hurry.”
Jaxon was already turning toward the General’s house. It didn’t matter if it was a trap. Didn’t matter if it meant his life. No, the only thing that mattered was Tazzy.
“I’m guessing this is some kind of trap. Is that your game?”
Thorne’s voice, normally under complete control, dropped to something cold and sharp. “No one fires me. No one.”
The line went dead.
Jaxon didn’t waste a second. He hit Reid’s number as he leaned harder into the wind, cranking the throttle.
Reid answered on the first ring. “What’ve you got?”
“I just got a call from Phillip Thorne,” Jaxon growled. “He says he saw the General pull up to Breezy’s old house in a black SUV with a small dark-haired woman in the back. According to Ghost, Thorne and the General had a big blowup last night. Thorne says he’s not representing the General anymore. I’m headed there now.”
“Don’t go in there by yourself, Jaxon. You know this is probably a trap. They’re probably trying to set you up. Or worse, kill you.”
“Maybe, but for once I think Thorne was telling me the truth.
“Look, brother, we’re right behind you. Ravage and Brick will get there even before we do, at least wait for them, before going in. I’ll callEzra on the way and tell him where we’re headed. After that time in prison, we don’t want to lose you now.”
“He’s got my girl, Reid. Nothing will keep me from getting to her.”
“Jaxon—”
All he heard was the engine screaming beneath him as he pushed it to its limit. All he saw was the General standing over Tazzy’s broken body.
No!
That was not happening.
Something ugly stirred inside. All the pain, all the anger, all the darkness that he’d been trying to hold back broke free. The walls holding them in were gone. Now there was only darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tazzy watched the dark gray Audi pull onto the street and drive away. It slowed for a moment. Her heart leaped, thinking maybe someone had seen her. Hoping someone might help her. That was before she spotted Phillip Thorne on the driver’s side. No way would he be any help.
She swallowed hard, refusing to cry. She knew Jaxon. She believed with everything in her that her Daddy would save her. Surely, he’d realized by now that the General had her.
What was going on? They were pulling up to Breezy’s old house. And then she remembered. Breezy was the General’s daughter. This was the General’s old house as well.
The General’s cold voice cut through the silence. “Let’s go inside and have a chat, shall we?”
He pressed the gun hard against her ribs as the driver opened the back door. Tazzy climbed out on shaky legs, the afternoon sun too bright after the tinted windows. The General shifted across the seat and got out behind her.
“Don’t run,” he warned quietly. “Don’t scream. Don’t draw any attention to yourself. If you do, I’ll put a bullet in you and drag you inside anyway. Understand?”
She nodded once. Her mouth was dry, but she lifted her chin. “Jaxon’s coming. You know that, right?”
The General laughed, low and ugly. “I don’t think so, but keep telling yourself that, little girl, if it makes you feel better.”
He shoved her forward across the driveway and into the garage. Tazzy had been inside before, back in high school when Breezy had invited the girls over for a sleepover. It felt like a lifetime ago.
The door was already unlocked. Thorne had probably left it that way for the General. Even though she tried to resist, he dragged her through the kitchen and shoved her into the large den. Dread skittered down her spine as the strong odor of gasoline was her first clue to what he had planned for her. She prayed she was wrong. A wave of nausea rolled through her as dread settled like a rock in her belly.
She turned on him, voice shaking but defiant. “Jaxon will come and save me. You’re going to be sorry you ever touched me.”
The General’s eyes narrowed. He laughed again, but this time it sounded forced. “You really believe that, don’t you? That your precious Daddy is going to ride in and rescue you like some white knight. Pathetic. That kind of thing only happens in movies. I’m guessing he doesn’t have any idea where you are.”