Sleeping With the Enemy

Sequel: Chapter Twenty

Anthony

I sat in the passenger seat of Brandon's truck, gripping the handle on the door so hard my knuckles were white and aching. By now, I'd lost track of just how long we'd been sitting in front of Ben's apartment complex, waiting for some any sign of him. So far there was nothing, and I was getting restless. The longer this went on, the longer Gemma was gone.

Hurting. Scared. Suffering.

Brandon was stone faced, eyes locked on the door and a harrowing look in his eye that I'd never seen before. On the outside, he was calm—the pillar of composure and strength—and if I didn't know better, I might have believed him.

Seeing Brandon crumble the way he had nearly brought me to my knees. His voice broke as he shouted out orders, calling in the calvary to find her. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he said goodbye to Sadie, promising to bring their daughter home and praying to God that he could. He was in a new level of Hell, and this was testing every limit and moral he had. Gemma was his little girl, and in moments like this, I saw him for the adoring father he was, and not the powerful Don.

Every man he had was combing the city, looking for her right now, and he, Alex, and I were on our own mission to get information from Ben. So far, we were coming up empty. At first, I didn't think Ben was smart enough to pull something like this off, but I was starting to think that wherever Gemma was, he was with her.

Just when I was about to say so, Brandon nudged my shoulder. Ben came around the side of the building, heading into the gym and ready for a workout. From our spot on the street, I could see that there was only one other guy in there, and I knew this was our chance.

"Let me go." I pleaded. "Ben and I have some unfinished business."

Alex shared a concerned look with Brandon, but neither one of them had any room to stand here. She was Brandon's daughter. Alex's niece. My girlfriend. Every single one of us had a deep emotional stake in finding her.

"Okay." Brandon agreed. "Make it quick. We can't have any delays tonight."

I nodded, shrugging out of my coat and leaving it in the front seat. I hopped out of the truck, rolling my sleeves up as I tore across the street. This was personal for me. I should have finished him weeks ago after he disrespected Gemma the way he did, and I'd regret that for my entire life. Maybe if I had, we wouldn't be in this position now.

Shoving all of those thoughts out of my mind, I focused on what I had to do now. I couldn't stand in my own way.

The door required a fob, but I slipped in behind one of the residents and went straight for the gym.

I nearly threw the door off of its hinges as I went inside.

"Get out." I snarled at the other guy, who looked at me as if I was death himself, and scrambled out of the room.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Ben rolled his eyes, tossing the dumbbells he was holding to the ground. "What are you doing here? I haven't even spoken to Gemma in..."

Before he could finish his sentence, my fist collided with his jaw, catching him off balance and knocking him to the ground. I lunged on top of him, landing another jab in his gut. Ben sucked in a sharp breath, clutching at his stomach.

"Jesus Christ." He sputtered. "What is the matter with you?"

"Where is she?" The voice that came out of my mouth didn't even sound human as I lurked above him, waiting for another reason to hit him.

"What are you talking about? I told you I haven't..."

I grabbed his forearm, slamming it against the spinning belt of the treadmill.