Corruption - Leigh Lennon Page 0,72
the same.
“Yeah, boss, this fucker’s not going anywhere,” the man I know as Weston replies.
I don’t care about Danner and race to Jewel. “Cady,” Luke commands, “get them out of here. We’ll wait up here with this asshole until the police arrive.”
Jewel’s not given a chance to walk as I scoop her up, following Cady out of the room in a blanket and not looking back at the fucker who, after tonight, won’t be an issue in our life ever again.
Even after Cady ran upstairs to grab Jewel a change of clothes, my girl hasn’t stopped shivering. I take her into the laundry room where we have space to help her change from her uncomfortably wet underwear and blanket into a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie.
She’s sitting on my lap with a blanket covering her after the detective takes our statement. I’m holding her so tight, so close to me, the shivers that wrack her body resonate through me. “I’m his sister. This is his best friend.” The familiar voice of my sister wafts into my home.
“Cady, let them in,” I ask, and she pops up, not missing a beat.
“Maddox,” Calla almost screams, crossing the entrance to my front door. “Holy shit, are you okay?” She runs to me, kneeling in front of us. Her stare turns to Jewel. “Oh, honey, are you okay?”
Jewel, who instantly has bonded with my sister, falls into her embrace. To Jewel, Calla represents the feminine love of an older sister. She misses this same affection from her mother, and with Jewel, Calla has instantly become the second best thing.
Anton moves his head to the kitchen, though I won’t get too far from Jewel. “I have her,” Calla cries when she sits on the couch and envelops my girl in her embrace.
I stand between the kitchen and living room in the hallway to keep my eyes peeled on my precious gem. “Chadwick is calling in every single favor he has to get that motherfucker the most severe sentence.”
I give him a slight bob of my head. “I have a hotel room reserved for you two. I figure if you go back to the club, everyone will have questions for you. And, I can’t imagine the police will be done with this house anytime soon.” A thought occurs to me in all this fucked-up shit, and I wonder what they think of our playroom. I push the thought out of my mind as Anton continues, “And I don’t want you to have to think about anything else but Jewel right now.”
I’ve not spoken a word, only giving him another nod. “Can I do anything for you tonight?”
I shake my head, then walk over to my girl to be near her because she’s the only thing that matters at this moment.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jewel
I didn’t sleep at all, and it may have been the unfamiliar hotel room, but every time I closed my eyes, the large body of Drake’s towered over me, and I’d wake in a puddle of tears and sweat. Maddox’s condo had become my home in a short amount of time, but now I was not sure I’d be able to step foot back into it.
When I gave up on sleep and quietly pushed from the bed, Maddox’s hands reached for mine. “Where you going, precious?” He never likes waking up without me, but I can’t just lie here for the same reel to play over and over again in my mind.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” We’ve barely spoken since Calla ran upstairs to pack a bag for the both of us.
“No, I can’t sleep.” He surrounds my body with his large arms and pulls me with him as he sits up against the headboard. “And you know I can’t stand to be in bed without you, right?”
His hearty chuckle makes me smile, the first time since Drake kidnapped us. “And you know we’re going to have to talk about what happened. Maybe not now, but…”
He stops when I nod in agreement. He kisses the side of my cheek, pulling me in closer. “And I only told you not to fight him because I knew help was on the way.”
“I know, but what if he uses his money to get off on a technicality again?” It’s been my worry since Cady and Luke stormed into our playroom.
“He has money, but believe me, between me and all the guys, we’ll bury him. There’s proof this time, too. Plus, Chadwick has people in high places,