“Fuck!” I yelled when my tire hit the first piece of metal, popped, and flattened. There was one loud pop after the next. Then, my car spun out of control until I landed in a grassy pasture nearby. My head hit the steering wheel, and everything went black.
I didn’t know how long I’d been sitting there when I heard a man ask, “You okay, buddy?” I looked up and saw an old man wearing overalls and a plaid shirt approaching.
The police were approaching, as well, with some of the people from the wedding party who had pulled over to check on me. So now you want to pull up, I thought as I looked at the goofy officers who had their hands on their gun belts as if I was the criminal they were searching for.
“I’m fine,” I said to answer the old man as I gathered my wits about me. I had crashed, but I had to get to Alise.
“You must have passed out when you spun off the road at the end of my driveway there,” said the older gentleman as he pointed to the skid marks that were left on the road, making a trail to his property.
Pushing through the pain in my body, pure adrenaline rushed through me as I jumped out of the car and looked down the road and saw no sign of the Bentley or Alise. I banged my hand against my hood, making a dent in my car.
“I let them get away!” I yelled, go
ing into a rage and saying all kinds of expletives as I looked at my incapacitated vehicle. I needed a car fast.
Goofy officer number one approached me. “Sir, I need you to calm down. We need to ask you a few questions. What’s your name?”
“Bruiser.”
“Bruiser, is that your real name?”
“It’s Rowland Cunningham.”
“Do you have your license on you?” he asked.
I pulled it out and handed it to him. “I have to go. I’ll come back and get my car later,” I said as I saw Jeb pull up.
Officer number two asked, “Are you alright to leave, sir? Do we need to get you checked out by medical?”
I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why they were acting so calm when Alise had just been kidnapped.
“I’m fine, officer. We need everyone you have on that black Bentley. Alise Taylor was just kidnapped by the man driving a Black Bentley, license plate number 2017LVR. His name is Van Deveraux, and they can’t be far,” I said in a calmer, more police accommodating tone.
“How do you know his name, Rowland?” the second officer asked.
“That’s his name. Now, get on your job, and don’t let him get away with her.” I yelled. I couldn’t deal with the incompetence being displayed right in front of me.
Goofy officer number one said, “Sir, we have every officer in town and nearby cities on the lookout for that car. It’s not common for a late model Bentley to be riding through here, so we’re going to locate them.” He sounded confident, but I wasn’t so sure.
At least the second officer was radioing the license plate number that I’d given them.
“If every officer is trying to locate them, why aren’t you two out there looking for her?” I asked, getting agitated.
“Bruise, man. You alright?” Jeb stepped up and put his arm around my shoulder, knowing I was getting agitated with the cops and that this could go left at any moment. Soon, I would turn my ire on the officers who were dead set on wasting my time. Some of the chumps in blue acted tough and mighty but couldn’t count two and two and make four to save their lives.
Thankfully, Jeb’s father walked over and took over talking to the officers who were some of his old friends. I sent a text to Limel and told him to call Dimir and tell him to get back to the office. We had work to do.
I turned to Jeb and said, “Let’s go, man. We have to find her.”
I had let her down. My blood boiled at the thought of another man touching her, much less taking her away from me. I told her I would protect her. I had taken her into my arms the night before the wedding and promised her that much. Van would pay for making me eat those words, and it didn’t matter if I got that payment in blood, sweat, tears, or all three.
Chapter Eleven
Van
Evermore
As I drove to the cabin Raven and I shared in Alabaster, I thought about her and all the wonderful times we had together there. The love we shared. The times we would travel out there with plans to make love all weekend long. And that we did. Sinking inside of her tautness was magical. Every time we were together, it was blissful. Sometimes, we would spend weeks out here, just frolicking around and being together as if we were the only two people in the world.