Outwitting Destiny

Chapter 21

Asher's POV

Cole and I spent the next couple days coming up with a plan to break into the warehouse where she is being kept. We have to act fast because Raylee won't be able to hang on much longer. Another note came stating that Viola hasn't beaten Raylee in the last few days. Cole ordered his men to break into the other places. He is getting evidence to lock his mother away for good. All her crimes will be made to light and she won't be able to get out of jail. Cole sent a message to the guy telling him about the plan.

"We should tell Lexi what is going on. I want her squad to be there after everything goes down." I said.

"Yeah, she has to know. But can you tell her we didn't plan on having her help with the rescue mission? he asked

"Why?" I ask.

"I am sorta terrified of her," he says awkwardly. I chuckle, which earns me a glare from him.

"Okay, I will tell her. You will get used to it." I sigh.

"I can't believe it's almost been a month since Raylee was kidnapped." Cole sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I miss her snarky remarks." I said

"I miss that sweet smile she used to wear. When we were kids, she was quite a troublemaker," he said. It must have hurt when she rejected him. They have history.

"You know, even though she chose you, I will never give up on her. I will always love her," he said.

"That's okay. I think I swooped in and stole the princess." I said

"Yes, yes you did." he replied.

"But it doesn't change the way I feel about her, Cole." I said.

"I know," his face went dark. I do feel bad. Raylee told me what they had is gone, she doesn't see him that way anymore. I can't help but feel guilty for Cole though. He waited so long to see her again, only to have his love turned down. We hear a knock at the door and Lexi comes in.

"Geez, you look exhausted." Cole said.

"Yes well I have been up all night trying to figure out how to rescue Raylee." She yawned.

"Yeah about that, Cole and I have a plan. While you won't play a part in helping however, we need you to bring the team of the FBI agents. Once this is all over, we are going to need them there." I said. She was pondering what I said.

"Okay, tell me what the plan is," she said.

So after explaining everything in detail, we decided when to strike. I just hope she is okay. I miss her a lot. I walk into her bedroom and walk to the closet. I look at all the suits in there. I stopped at one. I grab and remember that day. I saw her trying it on at the shop. Blue was her color. That is also when she put Luke on his ass. It was kind of cute. She played dirty and dented his ego. She dented all our egos. What she said that day still plays in my mind 'If you want to take your enemy down, make sure you have the upper hand. Don't underestimate them.' I was confused when Ryan suddenly changed his temperament and after finding out Raylee's secret, it all made sense. I walk deeper into the closet. I found that black dress from the first night I laid eyes on her. She walked up the stairs to the upper deck of the club. She kept her face hidden but it failed because I caught a glimpse of her beautiful face. She turned her back to us. At that point I thought she just wanted to get away from the noise happening below. Then I saw her fiddling with the condiments on the table. She pulled out a mirror and placed it towards us. She was spying on us but I was the only one who noticed. When she heard enough of the conversation, she got up and bumped into one of the girls there that night. Her sweet French accent slipped out and she got all flustered. She locked eyes on me and those eyes were burned into my mind. The girl tripped her. When I saw her knee was hurt, for some reason that made my heart ache. I wanted to reach out to her and never let her go. She apologized and left. One of my friends was intrigued by her, so he followed her to the bathroom. I followed him and I was glad I did. When she walked out of the bathroom, he pushed her against the wall. He was hitting on her but she was not interested. When she tried to walk away, he grabbed her throat. He threw her against the wall again. She was trying to fight back when he started kissing her neck. She struggled to pull the knife out of its holster. I quickly pulled him off and she fell to the ground. She was gasping for air. I held my hand out and she took it. When she looked at me, her face was full of shock. She smelled like vanilla. She thanked me and left the club. After that night, I got ahold of the footage from that night. The video was tampered with, and my mind went to her. I couldn't get her off my mind. When I found out Ryan was Raylee, I was happy. I also found the wig she wore that night. At the back of the closet, was the coat jacket she wore the night she was kidnapped. She threw it off, when she tried to fight the thugs off. I reached out to it. A single tear fell. I should have not left her alone that night. I fell to the ground.

"Why did I leave her alone that night?" I breathed.

"I thought I might find you here. You know it wasn't your fault." I felt a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see Lexi.

"You can't blame yourself for something like this," she said.

"Thank you Lexi, but you are trying to make me feel better." I said. I stand up and hang the jacket back up. I wiped the tears away.

"Then don't do it for me, do it for her. She would be mad if she saw you like this. That's why she fell for you. You are strong," she said.

"Thanks. Are we ready to start this mission? Yes, I just have to call my partner." She said,

"Alright then. Let's go bring back our girl." I said. She nods her yes and dials up her phone.