Page 40 of The Deceived

Son of a bitch.

I can’t believe that I didn’t see what was right in front of my face.

“Where is she?” I yell into the phone and I am greeted with maniacal laughter. Tori is fucking unhinged. I should have seen this coming. I knew she had feelings for me when we were younger, but I chalked that up to a childhood crush. Why the fuck didn’t I see her jealousy coming? Maybe I gave my old friend too much credit.

“Awe Rex. She’s okay__ for now. I tell you what, cut her loose and we can kill her off and frame Steven for it and you and I walk away. We can be together like we are meant to be. You know, I thought that you would realize that by now. How perfect that we are for one another because we are. Everyone sees it. Everyone but you, apparently. But that’s okay. I’ll take care of this little problem and we can move forward. Together.”

I hang my head in shame. I allowed Winter to be put in this situation. I should have noticed that Tori was coming unhinged and that she was losing her grip. It wasn’t just Winter that I failed.

“Tor. You’ve lost your grip on reality. Just tell me where Winter is. Don’t fucking hurt her and we can get you the help that you clearly need. We can move on from this. We go way back, Tori. I don’t want to hurt you.”

If she so much as harms a hair on Winter's fucking head I will kill her. Friend or not.

“Rex, you just don’t get it. Now, do you still not get it? I will do anything for you to make you happy. And this infatuation you have with this woman, is going to ruin you and your career. It already is!” She screams into the line.

“But I will take care of this just like I have taken care of so many other things while we have been on the path to get you to the Presidency. I will take care of this, too.”

She is fucking crazy. She is obsessed with me and the idea of us and the Presidency and she is fucking crazy. My old friend is no longer there. Maybe like she said, she’s been doing this for a long time. I shudder to think of the shit she has done to others in my bid to become President.

“We’ve got a lock on the phone.” Wild Man whispers into the din of the van and Lazz wastes no time hopping into the drives seat. He starts the engine, and we take off as he punches some things in on the screen. Tori’s cell phone dings off of a tower and we head in that direction.

I look at Lazz. This isn’t civilian technology. He shouldn’t even have access to this but he just smiles that carefree smile and waggles his eyebrows at me. I let him do his thing and focus on keeping Tori on the line. The more accurate we can get to her location, the faster that we can extract Winter.

I shouldn’t poke her, I know, but I can’t help myself. My kindness only spreads so far, and right now I am feeling anything but kind toward this woman.

“Tori, listen to me carefully. I am not the one to be fucked with. Do you understand me? This isn’t some fucking game. Return Winter to me or I will fucking kill you once I find you. And there will be nowhere to hide, Tori. Not for you and not for Steven. I promise you my face will be the very last thing that you both see on this side of the dirt.”

I will bury these two fucks for this.

Tori just carries on as if I didn’t just threaten her life. That alone lets me know that she is a lost cause. Even if I spared her, she may never stop coming after me and what I hold dear.

“We’re closing in,” Lazz whispers to me as he follows the GPS.

“I understand you’re upset right now, but once we’re in the White House you’ll see what all I’ve sacrificed to get you there. I expect that you’ll reward me by making me the First Lady.”

“I have to go now, Rex. I suspect you might be close by at this point and I need to take care of your little storm before you show up. See you soon, sweetheart.”

“Tori! Tori!” I shout her name again but there’s no response. I look at the phone and the call has been dropped.

“Fuck!” My frustration nears a crescendo and I have had all I can take. I can go in and topple a fucking government no problem but I can’t track down two psychopaths who’ve kidnapped my woman?

“It’s okay. We’ll find her.” Lazz says in that laid-back way of his and I’m just finding it hard to believe at this point.

“The aunt has a few rental properties in this area. A couple are more remote. I’d suggest starting there.” Ghost calls from the back and I watch as Lazz taps the screen and new coordinates pop up on it.

“We will find her. I promise you.” I look over at the man that I am putting my complete faith in because at this moment, I don’t have much of a choice. But I can see that he means what he says and the forlorn look that now crosses his face tells me that this happy, go-lucky, laid-back guy works hard to be this way. Whatever he has been through I hope it isn’t selfish to think that maybe I don’t want to be dealt the same hand.

“We’ve got a location coming up. We’ll take point. Are you strapped?”

I pull my firearm from the waistband of my pants. “I’m good.” I wait impatiently as Lazz kills the lights and I hear his club members shuffle around in the back of the van, preparing to get out with us. Once he slows to a roll, I hop the fuck out.

“Goddamn it!” Lazz says to my retreating form but I don’t wait.

I don’t give a fuck, I storm up the steps and kick the fucking door in, gun drawn and ready.

CHAPTER21

WINTER

---