Page 86 of Twisted Obsession

44

Ansel

An epic fucking failure.

The banner hung around my neck like a big flashing neon sign. I’d left Regina at a time when she needed me. I’d left her alone long enough for someone to execute a plan to take her.

When I strolled into my apartment, Rob was there with the building manager and two firefighters. I expected the scent of smoke in the air, but Regina’s scent lingered.

“Mr. Knox, I apologize for this mishap. The sprinklers in your gym were triggered, but there isn’t a fire. We think it may be a malfunction. I assure you, Sir, we are going to do everything in our power to find out how this happened.”

Without rendering a reply, I walked away from the men. When I stepped into my gym, the floor was a small lake of water. I scanned the room from top to bottom, but nothing appeared out of place.

“Mr. Knox, we have a team on the way to clean this up. We will replace your equipment if any of it is damaged.”

Again, I didn’t answer. I swiped and pressed the number I needed and lifted my phone to my ear.

“Ansel,” the voiced sounded in my ear.

“D, I got a big fucking problem.”

“What’s up?” he asked.

D and I had gotten to know each other relatively well, so he was aware that if I called in a problem, shit was serious.

I stepped away from the building manager and firemen as they remained in the gym talking about what they thought had happened to the sprinkler system.

“D, someone triggered the fucking sprinkler in my home gym. I think they did it to get Regina out of the building. JG is taking her to the safe house. Marcus and Scott are trailing them. Is there any way you can get eyes and clues as to who did this?”

Before I could finish my question, D’s fingers striking keys, registered. “I’ll see what I can do. Call you back.” Click.

The men talked in the background as I headed for the elevator. Rob sent me a quick head’s up as I acknowledged him with one of my own. They would take weeks to give me an answer D could provide in hours. I wasn’t sticking around for them to ease my mind over a wet room when Regina was out there being targeted by a fucking predator. One who’d been crafty enough to lure her out into the open.

For a second time, I placed my phone to my ear. “Yes,” came my cousin’s groggy voice.

“Aaron, Regina’s been lured from my apartment. JG is taking her to the safe house.”

“What? Why the fuck aren’t you with her?” Aaron questioned. The sound of him running around getting dressed registered in my ear. He and Megan had just returned from their trip the day prior.

“Aaron, what’s wrong?” Megan’s question sounded in the background.

“Something’s going down with Regina,” he told her before the unmistakable sound of a gun being charged registered in my ear.

“I want to come with you, Aaron,” came Megan’s pleading voice.

“Megan, please, baby. Stay here for me, and I promise if we can use your kind of help I’ll call you, okay?”

If he meant her help on how to torture someone, he may as well bring her. Megan had an innocent face, but there was enough horrific shit swimming around in her head that she could scare the devil. It was why I believed I got along with her so well.

“Ansel,” Aaron’s voice came back loud in my ear. “Why the fuck is JG taking Regina to the safe house? Where the fuck are you? It’s after one in the fucking morning.”

“I was out,” I stated, knowing my cousin knew what ‘out’ at that hour meant.

“You put your fucking obsession with killing before the woman you were supposed to be protecting? Fuck, Ansel! I left Regina with you because I knew if anybody could keep her safe it would be you. Regina is smart and strong and caring, and I clung to the hope that maybe she might have been able to help you too.”

The silence that followed left his words echoing inside my head.

“I’m on my fucking way,” Aaron announced before he hung up in my face.

I couldn’t even be mad at Aaron. I already felt like a sack of week-old shit for not being with Regina. Having my cousin angry with me for fucking up had me feeling lower than a yellow belly weasel. My fucking jaw ticked so hard, I was grinding the enamel off my teeth. If something happened to Regina because I couldn’t control my shit, I don’t know what the fuck I would do.

I swiped her number. “Regina,” I called into my phone.

“Yes,” she answered, fear lacing her voice.

“It’s going to be okay. I need you to believe that I will not let anything happen to you.”

“Okay,” she replied. Her shaky tone was followed by the unmistakable squeal of tires that sent my nerves jumping up like juiced up jumper cables.

“Regina,” I called as a loud impact exploded in my ear. “Regina! Regina!”

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