Page 53 of Wicked Truths

Before I can take another shot, the attacker collapses to the ground, landing on top of Francesca’s leg. He wraps both hands around his bleeding leg as he lets out a long, pain-filled groan.

Francesca pushes him away before jumping to her feet. Without looking back at her kidnapper, she sprints toward me.

My heart pounds as I imagine her running into myarms, but a bigger man barrels through the open gate, passing his accomplice and tackling her to the ground. He bear hugs her from behind and lifts her up.

I raise my gun again, but can’t shoot the man without shooting Francesca. She continues to fight and scream, but the man throws her in the backseat of the car.

My body moves all at once. I sprint toward her, but I’m not quick enough.

The tires squeal as they drive off with her, leaving their man behind.

“Fucking hell.” I say as I watch their taillights disappear around a building. I channel all my anger and turn around to face the guy that was kidnapping her.

“Who the fuck are you, and what do you want with her? Why were you trying to kidnap her?” I seethe.

He looks up at me, confused. “I wasn’t kidnapping her.”

I level my gun at his head. “Bullshit. I know a kidnapping when I see it.”

“Why would I need to kidnap Francesca?”

“If it wasn’t kidnapping, then what was it?”

“I know what it looked like, but I’m her boyfriend. She moved out of the blue, and I only knew where she was because I showed up at her place and her roommate told me.”

What the fuck?

I thought we were being honest with each other.

I thought she was in this fully this time.

“She didn’t look like she was willingly going with you. Look it up, dick, but that’s kidnapping.”

Arturo comes around the corner of the building and starts barking orders. “Reed, Montgomery, Marino chase the car. The rest of you finish loading up the shipment, clean this up, and take that one in for interrogation.”

Everyone moves at once, not wanting to be the one to piss off an already fuming Arturo.

I jog over to my car, tossing my keys to Spencer.

“You drive. I’ll be in the back shooting if it comes down to it.”

Chapter Fifteen

FRANCESCA

All the lessonsDad and Uncle Tony gave me about escaping from a kidnapper prove to be pointless.

Even though I tried to fight back, I failed to remember anything that served to be useful.

All I could do was plead with Jax and wonder what the fuck was going on.

How could I be so clueless about everything?

How could I not see that Jax wasn’t who he said he was?

How could I not see this coming?

I was so set on moving on from Rhett that I didn’t even ask Jax about his classes. I didn’t meet him in the hallway after his classes. We always just met at my apartment.