Love Me? Like You Do.

Chapter 26

Jack's motorbike screeched to a halt in front of the musty old motel. Parking hastily, he walked briskly inside. The entire motel seemed desolate. Jack was sure that barely one or two of the sprawling eighteen room mansion had guests in them.

"Where are the Jones?" Jack hissed at the thin weasel-like man at the reception. His yellowed teeth and eyes looked at him mockingly as he let out a humourless laugh. His clothes were dirty and his face looked like it hadn't been washed for days.

"They left a long time ago." His voice was raspy and cracked as he spoke.

"Left? Where?" demanded Jack. It was impossible. This was the only place where Zachary and his uncle could have stayed without fear of the police. The Kormin brothers were well known and the people mostly minded their own business. The brothers appeared to be law abiding, earning money by running an old motel, but Jack knew there was more to it than just that.

"Like I'd tell you." he said lighting a cigarette, blowing smoke on Jack's face.

Big. Mistake.

Jack took out his revolver and shot three bullets one after the other. Two at the ceiling, destroying a perfectly ugly chandelier, and a one at an even uglier carpet.

"Where." was all Jack said as the man squirmed behind his desk. Jack grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him up.

"They left with the Kormin brothers, and a woman, who was unconscious. I don't know exactly where they went, but I have a hunch." said a haggard looking woman, suddenly appearing. She was dressed in a cook's uniform, and was probably in her late twenties. She looked pained.

"Shut up Paula. You're not supposed to tell." snapped the man behind the desk. "When this is over I am going to punish you so bad---"

Jack punched him in the face, knocking him out. Blood splattered out of his nose and mouth as he leaned back against his chair unconscious.

Jack turned to the woman and said, "The Jones and the Kormins had an unconscious woman with them?"

"Yes." she said looking petrified. "They said her name was Gabriel or something, I'm not sure. I was asked to strip her of any cell phone and stuff."

Jack felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart. They had attacked her, his Brielle, once again, while he'd been stupid enough to send her off alone. Arthur...damn it.

"Was a young boy with them?" he asked gruffly.

"No." said the woman looking at him intently.

Jack had kept his phone switched off to avoid having his location traced. Screw it. Let them all find me. 

As soon as he switched it back on, he found endless messages from Arthur and Axky combined. Both of them had written informing him of Brielle's abduction well over an hour ago.  And he hadn't even looked at them once. His guilt would kill him if anything happened to Brielle. In fact, it was slowly gnawing at his insides, cell by cell killing him with regret. 

  He read another message saying that Arthur had returned to their original hotel and had already informed the police.  Jack sighed. The only person with a brain that worked seemed to be Arthur. Jack had thought of Arthur as a lovesick hormonal teenager, but honestly, at this point in time, he was the most sensible of them.

Jack looked at the pitiful woman in front of him and decided he would at least spare her from any further pain. Maybe retribution would lead him to a safe and sound Brielle.

 "Let's go. You never have to come back to this place." he managed to say with warmth in his eyes. The woman visibly calmed down at his tone.

"Henry is my boss and my fiance." she said almost on the verge of crying pointing towards the man Jack had just punched.