Page 30 of Hacker Christmas

I sighed. “Let me get this straight. You promised Aaron would do a movie before you spoke to him because you needed the payday. The reason you needed the payday was that you snorted all your money up your nose, and now you have no way to pay your drug dealer. How could you not have money? Aaron has made millions over the years, and you’ve been his agent. Using Aaron to support your drug habit sure makes you look like an idiot.”

For a crazy, old, fat fucker, he could move. Being tied to the chair didn’t give me the chance to get out of the way before his fist came across my face. The pain radiated through my body. It hurt like a bitch, and I couldn’t stop the tears that leaked from my eyes. Blood poured from my nose, but it didn’t feel broken. Al had broken my nose a couple of times, so I knew what it sounded and felt like. Nope, that was one good thing. I didn’t have to go through the pain of getting it set.

“You will pay for that,” the fat fucker said. “I know what you used to do for Al. Aaron sat and bragged about this woman he fell for, telling me all about how he planned to leave the industry for you. You are nothing but a whore. I’m going to have fun with you.”

“Hey, man, that’s not what we agreed to,” the detective said. “You said this guy owed you money and, once you got what you wanted, we would let her go and you would tell me where my family is.”

I felt bad for the dumbass detective. If anyone kidnapped Neal or Aaron, I would do anything to get them back. But I would also understand that a crazy person would never give me what I wanted. He should’ve gone to his supervisor and let them know what was going on.

Aaron’s ex-agent pulled a gun out of his waistband and turned toward the detective. I used that opportunity to work on the ropes.

“You listen here, you idiot,” my captor said in a low voice. “I will put a bullet through your head if I hear you whine one more time.”

Harry and the detective stared at each other for a minute before the detective grumbled, “I understand.”

“I’m not sure you do,” Harry replied, “but this might help.” I saw his finger squeeze the trigger. He shot the detective in the leg. “Now, it’s time to have some fun with Aaron’s whore.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” I said. “I can make sure Aaron doesn’t quit Hollywood.”

“There is no way Aaron won’t turn me in after this. Time for some fun.”

He took two quick strides my way, then he pulled the ropes from around my wrists. When he had me untied, he pointed the gun at my head. “Walk,” he barked.

He pushed me toward the back of the house. We took a couple of steps into the room, then he shoved me from behind, and I fell onto the bed. He continued to point the gun at me.

“I can’t wait to make you mine. Then every time Aaron looks at you, he’ll know I’ve had you.”

***Aaron

Antonio crouched a hundred feet from the cabin. We could see Harry pacing through the window. The night-vision goggles picked up another individual in the living room. There were three people in the back of the house huddled together. Daisy sat in a chair. I wanted to rush in and grab her but knew I had to wait for Antonio’s call.

I couldn’t hear what Harry said to Daisy, but he looked angrier with each word. I didn’t think it would be long before he lost his cool. And it wasn’t—he swung and punched Daisy in the face.

Asher’s hand grabbed my arm. “Keep your cool, man. Daisy’s strong, and we will get her back. If we don’t do this correctly, someone will get hurt. Trust me, brother, it kills me to see her get punched, but we need to keep level heads.”

“How much longer?” I asked. I didn’t know if I could handle watching her get hit again.

Something got Harry’s attention. He turned toward the other person in the room, and the sound of gunfire startled me. “So, help me, Antonio, if we don’t go in now, I will go in alone and kill the fucker.”

And with that, he motioned for everyone to breach the house.

Brock and Neal entered the back door. When they were inside, Brock notified us over the comm. As we walked toward the front door, Harry grabbed Daisy and dragged her out of the room. Her screams pierced my heart.

We entered the house to find the detective, with blood coming out of a bullet wound, sitting in a chair to the side. Anger coursed through me—the fucker had helped this nutjob kidnap my woman then tried to play it off as if she didn’t want to be with us.

It didn’t take long to cross the room. “Why?” I asked.

“He has my fam—” He lost consciousness.

Asher reached for his belt and tied it around the detective’s leg. Brock’s voice came over the comm. “One woman and two kids. They are out, and I can’t wake them.” Harry must havedrugged them.

Screams from the bedroom had me rushing toward Daisy’s voice.

I looked around. Harry had a gun pointed at Daisy’s head. He had ripped her pants off, and his zipper was down.

“Put down the gun,” Antonio ordered. “It’s over, Harry.”

“I have nothing left to live for. If you don’t kill me, my drug dealer will,” Harry said. “Back off, or I will kill her.”

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