Lost in Me (Lost Duet #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Shawn

I look down at the ground as the jet lands. My men are standing up, getting their guns and knives ready. I know they are as nervous as any person would be with what we are about to do, and not knowing what we are walking into exactly makes us all on edge.

Most of the flight, we were all quiet, lost in our own thoughts and trying to prepare ourselves for what was about to happen. I am terrified to see what Jesse has done to Emory. It has been hours since he took her, and I know they have been at the ranch house, and a lot can fucking happen in a few hours.

But I also know my Angel is strong, and I know she knows I am coming for her. She knows I won’t break my fucking promises to her. I promised I would keep her safe, and that is exactly what I plan on doing. I will make sure the last thing Jesse ever sees is my fucking face. I want him to know that in the end, he lost, and she will never be his. I want him to know that all his planning and hard work was for nothing because I am about to make his worst fucking nightmares come to life.

I look out the window and can see the cars waiting for us. Everyone Ethan called and asked for is here. No questions asked, but I learned a long ass time ago that if you have money, everyone has a fucking price, and if you can give it to them, they will do whatever you want.

This is no different. The cops and people didn’t ask any questions when Ethan let them know we were landing at their airport or that we wanted several cars waiting for us when we landed. I paid them, and now they work for me and will do whatever the fuck I want them to do, which now is for them to look the other way.

If Jesse thinks I will give him another chance to walk away and start a new life, he is fucking crazy because that is not how this will go. I gave him a chance to walk away, and he chose to stay, spy on us, and then take Emory. I will show him no fucking mercy when I find him. He will really know what it feels like to suffer and be afraid.

It is fucking time he feels what Emory has felt every day since being with him. He has fucking raped her, used her, tortured her, locked her in a room, and chained her to the floor. He doesn’t deserve mercy. He doesn’t deserve to fucking breathe the same air as her anymore.

I am honestly surprised he survived prison, but then again, if you make the right friends with the right fucking lowlives, anyone can survive, and I know that is what he did. He found the ones that were like-minded and stuck close, plotting and planning what he was going to do when he got out. The only thing he didn’t plan for was me. He actually thought Emory would be waiting for him. He is fucking nuts, and he really believes the lies he tells himself.

I take a deep breath as I slowly stand up and turn toward Ethan and the others. Ethan turns around and hands me my gun. I slowly put it in the back of my pants as I slide the knife into my belt. We can never be too careful. The knife is a great idea, but if we have to, we will use our guns. Either way, Jesse will not survive the night.

Ethan turns and looks at me, then turns back around and starts walking toward the stairs to get off the jet. We have brought as many men as we could, and I am praying it is enough to save Emory.

I slowly make my way out of the jet and down the stairs. More of our men came, but they live everywhere. So, some made it quicker than others. I watch Ethan make his way around our car to the driver’s side. Oliver, one of my trusted men, opened the passenger door for me. Ethan is always the one that wants to drive. I think he likes the control.

I slide into the car and buckle in as my guy closes the door. Ethan gets in and shuts the door. He pushes down on the gas and starts driving out of the airport.

This town is small, and the woods are everywhere. Luckily, Emory gave a pretty good description of where the ranch is, so we have some idea of what we are looking for, but the sun is starting to go down, and soon it will be consumed by darkness.

Everything is always worse in the dark, but it also helps us sneak up on Jesse. I know he has tried to prepare for us. I know he is just waiting. He can think he got away with it. Either way, we are about to fuck up his night.

****

Ethan pulls onto the dirt road and begins to slow down, turning off the lights as our men follow. It looks like we might have finally found it. Everything looks the same around here, but I think that is the idea. People that live out here want to be left alone. They like being in the darkness.

So far, we have come across a few different traps that I know Jesse set up, letting me know we are getting close. When we get back home, we are going to sell the mansion. I don’t want to be reminded of Jesse and him being in that house with us, and I know Emory won’t want to stay there. I don’t want my wife and child living in that fucking house.

Every so often, I get more pictures showing me he was everywhere in that house. He made sure to leave clues to show me he was there and to show me Emory was never fucking safe in that house. It is time to sell that house anyway. Emory has changed me, and now that we will be starting a family, we need more of a family home, not a fucking Playboy mansion.

I used to love that fucking house. I loved watching women get lost in it. Watching them crave me and what I had, but that doesn’t matter anymore because the only woman I want touching me is my Angel. The only woman I want in my bed is her. The only woman I want to share my things with is her because everything I have is now hers. I told her once that what is mine is now hers, and that was not a lie. I was telling the truth: my wealth, my power, my clubs, even the center now belong to her as well, and she can do with them what she pleases.

I have spent so long trying to run away and make sure no one could get close, and I never saw her coming, but now that she has walked through the door, I fucking refuse to let it shut. My life is nothing without her, even though we have to deal with Jesse and whatever other traps he has created to try and stop me. There will be a life after this for her, either with me or without me. She will survive.

I am now so fucking close to keeping my promise that I can taste it. My heart is racing, my blood is boiling the closer we get to the ranch of nightmares.

I look out the front and see a gate. The name “Sparks” is in big letters, letting us all know we are at the right place.

Ethan puts the car in “park” as I open my door. He can’t fucking do everything, and I know he is just trying to protect me, but I need to be able to do this. The men follow me because they believe in who I am, just like I know Emory believes in me. What kind of fucking man would I be if I let my men do it all? I wouldn’t be a man. I have asked them to risk their lives for my future wife and unborn child, so the least I can do is open the damn gate that will lead us to change our lives forever.

“Be careful,” Ethan states softly as I slide out of the car. I keep the door open as I walk around and make my way to the gate. There is a fresh new lock on the chains holding the gate closed. Did he really think a lock and chain would stop me?

I look down at the lock and see it isn’t even locked. He is still playing fucking games. I reach out and remove the lock, undo the chains, and push open the gate.

I look down the dirt road and can’t see much now that the sun has gone down. I can hear some animals in the distance, but I don’t hear anything else. It is way too fucking quiet, which reminds me of when Emory stated in her file that Jesse soundproofed the house to make sure the only one that could hear her screams was him.

My heart sinks with the silence of the night. I take a deep breath, quickly turn around, make my way back to the car, slide in, and close the car. Ethan pushes on the gas and slowly makes his way through the open gates.

I turn and look behind us. Our men are following closely behind, ready to fight if they need to. The world finds us to be forbidden, outcast criminals, but I have never met people I would trust more with my life. They are fucking loyal. They will do anything to make sure Emory is safe. That I am safe.

They call us the forbidden, but really, maybe they are. They crave what they fear. They want what we have, and because they can’t, they hate us. They point at us. They look at us as if we are wrong, that how we live is wrong, but who really knows what is right and what is wrong?

To me, this life is right. To me, these men are my family. Emory is my family, and we have no issues with violence. We have no issues getting revenge on those who pose harm to us or our families. We are the ones who will cross the lines that others will not.

I turn back around, shake my head, and smile. I guess we are the ghosts. The ones others don’t want to see or refuse to see, but that is okay. I am okay with being a ghost, I would not change a fucking thing. I am who I am, and I can do things others will never be able to do.

I sit back in my seat and rest my head on the back, closing my eyes. We are getting close. Very fucking close.

It is time we really find out who the fucking alpha is.