I couldn’t keep on like this.

Worried.

Frustrated.

Angry.

The threads that held me together would eventually break.

After I left the bar last night, I made the phone call to London anyway. Fuck playing by the rules. I made them. I didn't plan on becoming a follower now or ever. One should stay two steps in front of his enemy, but I always stayed three. If anyone was prepared for what lay ahead, I would be. Fuck with me, and I would pounce with vengeance. Fuck with things I've claimed as mine and prepare for the wrath of a dangerous piece of me that has been locked away for a decade. I've never killed, but I would do whatever was necessary. No one should test that.

Three a.m. flicked on the clock, and I dressed. Abbot and his handful of men would be waiting at the airport within the hour. Together we would wreak havoc.

Before leaving, I poured a shot of Johnny Walker and slammed it back. The alcohol burned, but I welcomed the sensation. It woke me from my haze, took away the numbness, and made me feel something.

The moonlight swept over the slick pavement. The frigid morning air seared my lungs and reminded me of home and running. I missed the constant rhythm of my moving muscles, an experiencing that activity that freed my mind and calmed my body, but I hadn't had time to run. Probably why I felt like shit lately. Well, that and the girl I had feelings for was kidnapped in front of me. Motherfuckers would burn before it was all said and done. Just thinking about it pissed me off again. I pushed harder on the gas.

At the airport, Charlie waited with the limo at the corner. I didn't have to meet them because their itinerary was set, but I needed to speak with Abbot alone. I needed to know that he understood what was to happen, the game plan. I needed to know that he was playing by my rules. Let the man run rampant and he would tear all of the bastards apart with his bare hands. Although Abbot made the perfect partner, because he was unafraid and unstoppable, it also made him a liability. I didn't need him slashing people into shreds.

Who they worked for didn't matter to him. All he knew was they weren't one of his own, which meant automatic enemy. Also, power hungry was his middle name. I knew how he thought. He could wipe them all out and take over the underground, and while that would be nice, it would only create unnecessary wars.

When they stepped from the double doors, the lot of them couldn't be missed. Tall, wearing leather jackets and boots, they looked like fucking Twinkies all dressed the same with disdain painted on their faces. Smile you fucks, but they were emotionless. But then again, it wasn't a smiling matter.

Charlie opened the door to the limo and all of them got in except for Abbot. He made eye contact with me and came to V. I unlocked the door, and he plopped on the seat.

"Nice fucking ride, man. You look like shit. Still."

I lifted an eyebrow at him. He looked wired.

"Like a pile of fucking shit," he added and punched me in the arm.

"How was the flight?"

Charlie pulled away, and I followed behind the limo.

"Sucked ass, but that's to be expected. Any news? Have you found a lead?"

A smile swept across my face, and one filled his too. Amped Abbot was ready to fight, even after flying across a huge fucking ocean. This man had gangster in his blood. He lived it, breathed it, and enjoyed it a little too much, but I understood. That destructive part of me begged to be released, and I pulled back the reigns. Not fucking yet, Finnley.

"I met two men that have seen her in the underground scene. She's there. I know how to get there. They are making sure she stays alive. Watching her for me. But they won't step in if anything else happens. So I thought we could pay them all a visit."

"Right now."

"No."

Abbot flexed his fist, and his knuckles popped.

I laughed at him and added, just a tad of sarcasm in my tone, "You’re so intimidating. When did that happen?"

"When you decided you didn’t want to be in the business. After seeing those four guys you bloodied to all fuck, I decided to step up my shit."

I laughed. "Bastards deserved it. Don’t regret a tad of it."

Abbot nodded his head in agreement.

"I’ve got your back down there, F. I will fucking kill them all if they even try to get near you. My men have my back. Together we will take every single one of those bastards down."

"Just know a large majority of the women down there don’t want to be freed. They are dirty whores. Prostitutes. Addicted to cocaine and money and sex. Drugs course through their veins, and all they are worried about is their next fix. If you opened the door, they would happily stay in the shadows. That’s who they are. That’s who they will die being. There are women who were captured and thrown underground by the human traffickers. The ones who want out, we can try to help, but the others, who refuse to leave, will only slow us down. But remember, behind every prostitute is a pimp, and they will come for us."

We sat in silence as I followed behind the limo.

"The illegal side of the business isn’t glam, clients, and regulations. It’s abuse and slavery and is almost worst than the Moulin Rouge. There is a side of the business here rotting away. Many turn a blind eye to it and ignore it.

"And your girl is there."

I nodded.

"And you have no idea who is responsible for her taking."

I shook my head.

"We go tonight. We fight tonight. We kill tonight," he said between gritted teeth.

I didn't need to give Abbot rules, just basic instructions with only one goal in mind: find Jennifer. Save those who are worth saving and get the fuck out of there. I never crossed the line between the glamorous side of selling sex and the abusive side, but tonight I would go in headfirst with the best men–men who weren't afraid, men who laughed at danger, crime, and rules.

Blood might be shed. People may be hurt. I didn't give a shit what it took. Sometimes love was worth fighting and dying for.

Tonight a war would submerge in the pits of Vegas' mini hell and that vicious part of me that didn't give a fuck, laughed.

My bastard entered and handed me clothes. I took them and laughed.

"This is it?"

"Shower."

He left me to wash in the rusty-colored water, again. A person never realized how wonderful clean water was until they didn’t have it. They didn’t realize how wonderful freedom was until they were locked in the same room for days.

I put on the panties that were nothing more than a joke and the bra that barely covered me. Then Luke entered, along with Jesse. She snarled at me like a feral animal with blood red lips.

"Give it to her."

Luke came to me and held my arms behind my back. Jesse dipped the needle into a glass vial. I jerked away from Luke, and he tugged me to him, then slammed me on the ground. He straddled me and forced my arms above my head. I couldn't fight him any longer. Luke was too strong.

Jesse bent down and shot the liquid hate into my arm. I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I hate you. I hate you both."

Luke relieved me of his massive weight and yanked me to my feet. He latched on so hard that I thought he might bruise my arm. I didn't wince. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. We walked through the hallway, but instead of climbing the stairs, we turned right. Luke stopped walking, turned, and looked at Jesse. The drugs coursed through my body, and my vision wavered. I had to stay focused and tried to blink hard. Nothing worked. Whatever they gave me was different this time.