This was a God damned fucking nightmare!
Dwayne woke up to McKenzie shaking him frantically and pointing toward the laptop before she darted into the bathroom.
He leaned back into the chair in front of the laptop and closed his eyes. Fresh visions of his sister being beaten etched at the forefront of his mind, her cries tormenting and clawing at his soul.
Alejandro was a sick son of a bitch. Dwayne sucked in his breath as he remembered the mortified look on Olivia's face when she was forced to hold up two heads. The skin was removed from their faces; the pink, bloody fleshy substance still held together by veins.
The sound of her pleading with her capturers to not do the deed resonated in him. His stomach churned when she was answered violently with a gun butt to the head.
Dwayne gagged and he could feel the bile in his throat as his sister, though dazed, was forced to 'make out' with both heads before she puked all over the floor and the video was cut.
Alejandro was more than a son of a bitch.
He was a fucking MONSTER!
Based on the hairstyles of the faceless heads, the one with long black and red locs was Rocco and the other with long, green hair was Ford. Two of Richard's friends who he had sent to guard them at the farm. But, where were the other guys? Will they be met with the same fate?
The way he'd left things between his sister as he stormed out of the house, now left a sour taste in his mouth. McKenzie warned him, warned them that Alejandro would do anything to get his daughter back. Now, Olivia was paying the ultimate price.
Dwayne struggled to keep his breath steady. His sister needed him and he had no idea where she was. The video looked as though it had been taken in the old barn on the ranch. He knew they'd be long gone by now.
A tsunami of emotions rocked him as his stomach twisted and guilt set in. Losing his shit wasn't going to help him get his sister back. They needed to find a way to get Olivia and Jasmine back and eliminate Alejandro…permanently.
He should've stayed on the ranch or at least dragged Olivia with him to find McKenzie. At least, she would've been safe and not in the hands of a cold-blooded killer.
It seemed as though all he was capable of doing was making the wrong decisions that inflicted pain on the people he loved.
The bathroom door opened and he turned to see McKenzie hesitant in the doorway. Her face was pale, her green eyes wide with fear as she clutched the doorframe.
"Olivia…" she choked out.
He watched as she inhaled deeply as though she were trying to gather her thoughts.
"Dwayne, you know that Alejandro did this." Her voice strained, a haunted look glazed over her eyes. "He probably knows where Jazzy is by now, which means she could be…"
Dwayne knew McKenzie couldn't bring herself to say it…dead.
She inhaled sharply and shuddered.
Instinctively, Dwayne jumped up from the chair and embraced her as an avalanche of tears bombarded her cheeks. She melted into him, as though she was meant for him, for his arms.
Over the past three months, McKenzie portrayed herself as a strong woman dealing with life the best way she knew how.
But now her world was caving in. And, with Jasmine gone, her walls were crumbling exposing her vulnerability.
God, he wanted to protect her, to keep her safe, to make her feel safe!
But with Alejandro on the loose, it would be damned near impossible!
He whispered gently, "We'll find them both. If they were dead Alejandro wouldn't have sent that video. We have to stay strong for them."
Dwayne knew he was trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure her. Maybe, if he said it enough times he'd believe it as well.
One thing was for sure, he needed to call Richard and let him know what had happened. They needed extra hands and eyes on the ground.
"I have to get hold of Richard. Will your tech guy be able to patch him through?"
McKenzie nodded. She pulled away from him a bit, wiped her red, puffy eyes. Reluctantly, he let her go and she sat in front of the computer and began to type.
After a few seconds, she stood up and spoke, her voice hollow. "Just add Richard's number and press send."
Dwayne squeezed her hand gently then sat. He added Richard's number to the email and sent it off to the guy whose name was Eddie.
He turned his attention to McKenzie who was now sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself like a cocoon.
He sat next to her and tilted her chin upwards forcing her to look at him. He needed her to open up about her past, about Alejandro. It might give them clues into finding out where Olivia was being held.
"Zee, tell me about Alejandro, please."
Dwayne's eyes searched hers for answers but McKenzie tensed and turned away from him. Feeling a bit annoyed, he held back the impulse to demand that she tell him everything he wanted to know…needed to know.
He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. Getting upset with McKenzie wasn't going to make her tell him anything, it will more than likely make her shut down completely, making it a lose-lose situation for him.
He needed to exercise patience with her even though time was against them…Olivia and Jasmine.
"Olivia has been captured and tortured. We have no idea if she told Alejandro where Jazzy is. Please, I need to know," he pleaded.
She looked up at him. Their gaze locked, doubt flashed in her green eyes.
She lowered her eyes and spoke slowly, "Alejandro has over one hundred buildings that he uses in this country. Olivia could be in any of them."
"Did he use any of them for hostages?"
McKenzie swallowed, "He doesn't keep hostages…" Her voice trailed off.
Dwayne's chest tightened. He felt as though someone had stuck a knife in his heart and twisted it. Olivia was the only family he had left. Their parents had died at the hospital after they'd gotten into a car crash three years ago. He couldn't lose her.
Gently, he took McKenzie's hand in his.
"Zee, what happened to you after we left school? Was this when you first met Alejandro?"
And did you keep the baby? Our baby?
He wanted to add but he kept that part to himself.
A knock on the door interrupted them. McKenzie pulled away her hand, got up and opened it.
In the doorway stood a fair-skinned man with golden-blonde hair. The sides were slicked back, while the top was tousled enough to give him that model-like finish. His sharp blue eyes held a dangerous glint, and his face was clean-shaven, not a trace of facial hair. He wore a dark blue three piece suit that was perfectly tailored to fit his six-foot-one frame and slim muscular build.
"Yellows!"
McKenzie threw her arms around Yellows. He held her close, one arm wrapped around the middle of her back while the other rested right above her ass. The way Yellows held McKenzie set Dwayne's nerves on edge. He couldn't bear another man's hands on her…only his.
Dwayne expected Yellows to be a heavily tattooed biker looking guy, maybe even a crazed lumberjack but definitely not someone who looked as though they'd just stepped out of a fucking Forbes magazine.
"It's nice to see you too, Kitten," he said, his voice smooth and soothing to the ear.
No way this was the same raspy voice man he had spoken to on the phone. He probably used a device to disguise his voice. He also sounded like he had the hint of some sort of accent…Italian maybe?
McKenzie turned to face Dwayne, one arm still wrapped around Yellows' waist. Dwayne cringed internally.
"Yellows, this is Dwayne. Dwayne, Yellows."
Dwayne stood up and walked towards them. Yellows extended his hand to Dwayne who shook it firmly.
"Any friend of Kitten is a friend of mine." Yellows smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Same here," Dwayne stated flatly.
Dwayne wondered how McKenzie had gotten the name Kitten and why the fuck her hand was still around Yellows' waist.
Yellows' eyes swept the room. He arched a brow, his face grim. "Where's Jazzy?"
McKenzie's voice cracked, "Olivia took her away from me while I was unconscious. I have no idea where she is."
"Who the fuck is Olivia?" Yellows' voice darkened.
McKenzie's lip quivered and the tears welled in her eyes once again. "She's Dwayne's sister."
Yellows barrelled toward Dwayne, pinned him against the wall, and growled, "Where the fuck is Jazzy?"