Uncontrollable (29 page)

 “I’ll find her,” I promise.

 She wraps her arms around me as her body shakes,
and I hold onto her tighter, afraid if I let go she will fall to the floor.

Tate storms past us as he dials a number on his
phone while Parker speaks on his as well.

 “I’ll get her back,” I say aloud. I have to.

 An hour later I’m standing in the back parking
lot. It’s full of police cars and even an ambulance.

 I have passed whatever fucking state I was in, and
I’m so fucking pissed I feel I may explode. I want to punch something. I want
to knock something to the ground. I want to treat someone as if they are my
personal rag doll. My heart is breaking for Angel. And my mind is going in all
different directions.

 Is she alive?

 Maybe she was more than knocked out.

 Where has he taken her?

 What was he planning on doing with her?

The cops have asked me questions, and I just play
stupid. As if I know nothing, but I know everything.

They wanna know what happened to the monitor and
Holly told them that it had broken a couple days ago. So they had to watch it
on another device. She also managed to clean up the mess of broken glass before
they showed. I was just going to leave it.
Fuck them.

“What do you know?” I hear Parker ask another cop.

He points to some black marks on the concrete. “Not
much, man.” He sighs. “There are two sets of tire marks.” He then points to the
others that I know were from her car. “We have an APB out on her car. Waiting
to hear something back from it.” He runs a hand over his short golden hair.

They’ll never find it.
He probably ran it
off into a lake. Even if they do, she probably won’t be near it.

 “Slade?”

 I spin around to see Tate placing his phone in his
pocket. It’s the first time he’s spoken since he walked out of the office.

I walk over to him. “Please tell me you have
something.” He’s my only hope. He’s been on his phone nonstop—he has to have
something.

 He looks around the parking lot and then his eyes
land on mine. “Let’s go.” He turns around and starts to walk off.

I don’t even ask. I take off after him.

 “Wait,” Parker says. “Where are you guys going?
The cops will have more questions for you.” He looks at me.

Tate looks at Parker then to me. “These cops can’t
help Slade.”

“They can and they will,” Parker insists. “The
tires. They can match skid marks to tread. Then that will help narrow…”

“Help him what?” Tate demands. “Help find her
body?”

 I flinch at that statement. No. She’s not dead.
I’ll find her.

 “No offense, Parker, you guys have too much
fucking red tape. I don’t,” Tate continues.

 “What are you going to do?” Parker asks with
concern.

“Whatever the fuck I have to do to get my sister
back. If you have to arrest me afterwards, then so be it.” He turns and walks
over to his truck that he arrived in with Parker. “Meet me at the house. We
don’t have time to waste,” he instructs me, and then he looks at Parker. “Catch
a ride with one of your
buddies
,” he growls looking over at all the cop
cars with disgust. Then he’s off.

I go to walk away, and Parker grabs my shoulder.
“Sister?”

“I don’t have time to explain.” I shrug him off and
continue to my car having a hard time controlling the anger I feel inside.

He comes running up behind me and jumps into my
passenger seat before I go speeding off into the night.

Parker sits stiffly as I slam on the gas and head
to their house. “Does she know?” he asks looking down at his phone. It’s all of
a sudden lighting up the inside of my car. No doubt the cops wanting to know
why the three of us just left.

“No.” I don’t feel like speaking.

We make our way into their house, and Tate hangs up
his phone again. “You know how we thought Jax was into drugs when we went up to
Larry’s? He is. He owes someone money for his addiction. I don’t know how much
or what Sam has to do with it. But she’s connected somehow.”

“Why?” Parker asks. “Does he plan on selling her or
something?”

“Don’t fucking say that!” I snap, fisting my hands
down by my side.

 He turns to face me. “How else would she help him
with his debt? He could be into more than just drugs, Slade. And someone who is
fucked up on drugs will do anything for their next fix.”

I take a step toward him, about to punch his lights
out, when Tate speaks. “It’s true. Right now he is capable of doing anything.
We need to get her back.”

 “Who does he owe?” Parker asks.

Tate shakes his head. “My contact didn’t know.”

 “Your contact?” Parker asks skeptically. “Do you
do drugs as well, Tate?” he asks in an accusing voice.

“I don’t see how that is any of your fucking
business, Parker,” he shoots back.

 “Of course it’s my business. I’m a cop and living
with you,” Parker snaps back.

 “Stop,” I yell. I look at Tate. “I don’t care what
you do, Tate. Right now you call whoever you need to call and find out where
Jax is.” Then I look at Parker. “If you need to leave, then leave. I’m with
Tate on this one. I will do whatever I have to do to get her back. Even if that
means walking up to a druggie and buying some for myself.”

“You are a defense attorney, Slade. That’s putting
your job in jeopardy. What if someone saw you? You would risk your career for
that?” he asks wide-eyed.

 What a ridiculous question. “I would risk my
life
for her,” I shout. “Fuck my job.”

 My nostrils flare, and my hands shake. She has
been taken from me. And all I want to do is beat the fuck out of something. “I
know you’re a cop. There’s no need for you to put your job on the line as well.
Just walk away, Parker.”I wouldn’t hold it against him. He doesn’t understand
love, and what I’m capable of when it comes to getting her back.

“I would never walk away and not try to help get
her back. I’m afraid for her safety just as much as you guys are.” Parker sighs
and looks over at Tate. “Do what you have to do. I’m with you guys.”

 I walk into Tate’s kitchen and grab the rum that
sits on top of his fridge and pour myself a glass. I need alcohol. Not because
of what I’m about to do, but because of what has happened. I wasn’t lying when
I told Parker I would do anything to get her back. I will.

 Tate picks up his phone and looks at both of us.
“Turn your phones on silent and don’t say a word.”

 We do as he says, and I pick up my drink as Tate
sits down at the kitchen table. He holds his phone up to his ear and a few
awkward silent seconds pass before he speaks.

 “Hello.” Pause. “Yeah. Long time.” He looks up at
Parker. “Yeah, I need some. Same as before.” Parker stiffens, and I look away.

I know Tate has a past. He doesn’t talk about it
but I know it’s there. Right now, I’m thankful for that past. It’s gonna help
me find her.

 “Can you meet me now?” He nods his head. “Thanks.”
He hangs up and jumps to stand. “Let’s go, Slade.”

 “I told you. I’m in,” Parker says slamming a fist
down onto the table, running out of patience.

Tate shakes his head. “It’s already risky bringing
Slade, but I can use him. You are a cop. If anyone finds out what we’re doing,
we can kiss Sam goodbye. The people who Jax owes won’t give a fuck about her
being offered as payment or whatever he plans on using her for. They will kill
her. Stay here. Don’t leave and don’t answer your phone.”

“So you want me to act like nothing happened? I was
there. The other officers are already calling and texting me wanting to know
why I left with Slade. They would expect me to be up at the station trying to
find my best friend’s girl.”

“Then go do that. Just keep your fucking mouth
shut. You never know which cops are dirty.”

Parker takes in a deep breath. “No one I work with
is dirty,” he states with rage.

 Tate shakes his head. “I don’t have time to fuck
with you, Parker.” Then he turns around and walks out the front door with me
behind him.

“I need you to control your
temper,” Tate says as he turns off his lights and pulls down a dark street in
his truck.

 This coming from a guy who broke a lamp, a TV, and
two pictures back in the office at Larry’s. “I will.” I think I’ve done pretty
fucking well.

 “No. I brought you to use you, don’t make me
regret it.”

I turn to face him. “What the fuck? I am willing to
do anything to find her. Why are you acting like I will blow the only
opportunity I have?” I slam my fist on his center console.

He looks down to it and then back up to me. “This
guy were meeting, he is an old client of yours.”

“What?” I slam my fist on the dash this time. “Does
he know she’s my fiancée?”

“I don’t know. I was just told that Jax has been
hanging out with him, even owes him money. And I know he always has something
on him.” He brings his truck to a stop and reaches back into the backseat,
grabbing a handful of rope.

 “What’s that for?”

“I told Parker to keep his mouth shut. Once this
guy finds out what we are doing, he will rat us out. He makes money off of Jax,
you think he wants to lose that?”

 I shake my head.
Whatever I got to do.

 We make our way down the darkened street. I don’t
even know where the hell we are. It’s definitely a rundown part of St. Louis.
Tate stops when we come to an old rusted door. “Take this.” He hands me the
rope. “Go to the end of the street and take a right. Enter the first door on
your right. That will put you in the back room of his office.”

I nod my head as I look around to make sure we
weren’t followed. He enters the door, and I do as he says. As soon as I come to
the door I enter it can hear Tate on the other side talking.

“Where’ve you been, Jonathan?” a man’s voice asks.

Jonathan?
Oh yeah he had said back in my
office after New York that Tate was not his real name. Wasn’t Jonathan the guy
who raised him? No wonder he goes by a different name.

 “Around,” he responds casually as if they are
talking about a football game.

 “It sure has been a long time,” the guy says. “Can
I take this as you are back to your old ways?”

 “Yeah.”

 There’s a few tense seconds of silence. “So, I
hear you have been hanging out with Slade Long?” he asks. “Good at his job. He
defended me once. Got me off before I could even say two words.”

 I stiffen as I look down at the floor. I want to
puke. How could I have ever defended someone who is now involved in taking my
life away?

“Yes, I hear he’s good.”

 “I guess a defense attorney is someone you wanna
keep around for sticky times,” the man adds.

“Something like that,” Tate mutters.

 “Why have you been hanging out with him?” he asks
with a hint of bite.

“It’s crazy that you ask about Slade,” Tate
responds coolly. “He would like to talk to you.”

 I take that as my cue to show my face. I open the
back door and walk in. I notice the guy as soon I lay eyes on him. He was one
of my first clients. A first time offense with half an ounce of weed charged
with a misdemeanor. Didn’t seem like a big deal to me back then. Now? Now it
means a fucking lot. He’s part of my world being taken away.

“Slade?” he asks with surprise. “What are you doing
here?”

“You’ve come a long way, Dallas,” I say looking him
in the eye. “For a guy who just once got caught with half an ounce of weed.” My
eyes rake over his desk where he sits. Pill bottles and baggies cover the
surface. Some full of powder, others with various sizes of pills.

 He gives me a cruel smile as he smoothes his
expensive suit jacket down his chest. “I was into more then, they just happen
to catch me on a slow day.”

 I arch an eyebrow. “Plus, you were really good at
convincing the judge that it was not mine.” He smiles.

 “That’s my job.” The words come out making me
sound proud of myself, and I cringe realizing the fact that all I do is help
sleaze balls get off.

 His eyes look down at the rope in my hand, and his
eyes go big. “What is going on?” He turns to face Tate.

 Tate straightens his back and crosses his tattooed
arms over his chest. “Jax. I’m looking for him. Know where I can find him?”

 Dallas shakes his head a few times.

“Don’t play dumb with me, I heard he owes you some
money,” Tate continues.

“Not me.” He looks from Tate to me. “He paid me
last week.” Tate takes a step toward me and holds out his hand. I reach over
and hand him the rope.

 “I’m being serious,” Dallas says wide-eyed shifting
uncomfortable in his chair. “What does Slade and you have to do with Jax?”

 I clear my throat. “I’m engaged to Jax’s
ex-girlfriend.”

He stands from in his chair. “Sam is your fiancée?”
He has the audacity to look surprised.