Modest Seduction - Book 7 (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter 11 - On me you can depend

On me you can depend

Jennifer bangs on the tinted separator, "Hello?" She is furious, her cheeks flamed red and her fists sore from slamming on the window. "Take me back to the airport! Why are you just going in circles?"

She thinks of Liam, the way he must feel. Only hours after their wedding and it looks like she's done a runner. She would never leave him, yes she has doubts and fears but she would never do that to him. After everything they have been through, all the hell and turmoil. All the pain and loss, she wouldn't put Liam through something like her and Flynn leaving him. Jennifer wasn't sure his heart could take the devastation, or her own.

She dials his number, over and over but he rejects the calls. She screams at her phone, "Liam answer the fucking phone!" She calls him again, it goes to voice mail. "Liam, please answer the phone I need to talk to you. Please wait for me!"

Her phone beeps, almost out of battery and she hangs up the call in frustration.

"Let me out of this fucking car!" She screams at the barrier, "Before I call the goddamn police."

The window winds down, "Jennifer."

She jumps and looks up to see Jacob Manning behind the wheel, "Jacob?" Her heart begins to hammer in her chest. "Jacob, why are you driving the limousine?"

He laughs, dryly. "We needed to talk, you and I."

She sits back, arms folded. Jennifer wants to feign irritation, but doesn't want to let him see how frightened she is. Jennifer always knew there was something off about him. He swept in with his credentials and flashy suits, threw money in peoples faces and suddenly wielded control over the most sought after band in the world.

"Jacob," her voice quavered. "I need to go on my honeymoon. Liam's waiting for me."

"No," he shook his head as they pulled up at the traffic lights. "He and Valerie think you got cold feet, they have no idea. Liam's probably writing up his divorce papers as we speak," he flashes a wicked smile at her through the mirror.

Jennifer lunges for the door handle, they click locked and he laughs. "Please," she begs. "I have a child now."

"Yes, that was quite a mess you caused for management."

"I don't understand, what do you want from me?" Jennifer's whole body is cold, she has a sinking feeling this won't end well. She tries to find her resolve but it's long gone, tears burn in her eyes.

"It's not all about you, Mrs. Payne." Jacob clicks his tongue, playfully. "This is about your dear friend Dakota, or should I say... Daisy."

Jennifer catches her breath, "What?"

"What... what?" Jacob mimics her. "I'm so scared, poor Jennifer not so big without her boy band to protect her." He slams on the accelerator.

"I said, what the fuck did you say?" she spits.

Jennifer looks down at her hands, the phone is on two percent battery. She begins to type, as carefully as she can while he's distracted by driving. 

'Call Police, Manning has me trapped in Limo. I need help.' She sends it to Zayn, Niall, Harry, Louis, Valerie and Abigail all at once.

She's staring desperately at the phone, waiting to see the blue line trace across the screen and read 'delivered.'

The car suddenly lurches so fast she drops the phone and slams into the window, she lets out a yelp. "Jacob, please!"

Jennifer knows he saw her with the phone, she feels sick to her stomach. There's always been something terrifyingly familiar to his face, to the way he held himself. The charismatic allure of his smile... "You of all people, considering your past should know better then to fuck with someone like me!"

The tone of his voice, the menace in his laugh finally triggers a connection in her memory. Then, all at once it hits her.

His brother was the one Daisy was tied up with, the one Dakota went to do the robbery with. His brother was the one who got photographed when Louis set the tail on Dakota, the night of Liam's buck's night. The realisation makes her feel violently ill, she holds her stomach. Terror washes over her, cold and isolating.

The car stops, he cuts the engine and slams his door so loudly it makes her whimper. He opens the door, grabs her by the hair and hauls her to the curb. She screams out, no one is listening. To her horror they are at the shipping warf, surrounding them are hundreds of shipping containers. The sound of seagulls and lapping water against the pier fill her ears, along with her own heartbeat.

"You texted for help?" He laughs, holding the phone in her face. "You fucking idiot, they won't know where we are."

"Liam will find me!" She spits back, "They'll track my–"

He throws her phone over his shoulder, it slaps the water loudly. "Will they track you now?"

She cries louder, "Please don't hurt me. I'll do whatever you want I–"

"She escaped the hospital, she got away from me. How am I supposed to get revenge on that stupid bitch when she's with the police?"

"You're hurting me!" She screams as he hauls her up, wraps his large fingers around her throat and begins to squeeze. "Ja–" She can hardly breathe, speak.

"Shut the fuck up!" He spits in her face and throws her to the ground. "I need to think, I have to think for a minute."

Jennifer cries louder, her hands bleeding from when she hit the ground gravel slicing into her palms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about your brother."

"They threw him in prison, they threw him in fucking prison and because of our father he was..." he broke off. His hazel eyes wide, manic as the memories flashed behind his eyes. "He was killed after three days, as soon as the other prisoners realised who our father was."

"It's not your fault it's–"

"It's Dakota's fault!" He screamed. "She set him up! The cameras, the robbery was supposed to be easy. Follow in our fathers footsteps, continue the legacy of his gang. Continue to reap the benefits of a lifetime in crime and she fucking ruined it!"

"No!" Jennifer tried to stand up, her dress tore loudly but she didn't care. "She had no idea about the tail it was–"

"Who?" He spun around, his dark skin glistening with sweat and eyes filled with madness.

There was a scar above his eyebrow that went from his forehead to right above his eye. Jennifer never realised how menacing his face truly was, she didn't see the signs. Now she was frozen with fear.

"I don't know," she lied.

"Tell me!" He grabbed her by the hair, dragged her to the car and slammed her face into the door. "Tell me you fucking bitch!"

Blood fell from her nose, gushing down her face and all over her beautiful wedding dress. Her wedding seemed so far away, now she was in a living nightmare. She thought of Liam, of Flynn and prayed to God she would be able to see them one last time. It can't end like this.

"My brother is dead because of Dakota! She has to pay the price!" He screamed, a wrangle cry followed.

"No." Jennifer was filled with insurmountable rage, how dare he take her away from her family. A small part of her former self slipped out, the angry and vicious girl who clawed and fought to get out of a life of drugs and pain. "Your brothers dead because you didn't let him leave the life of crime, he's fucking dead because of you. You're the older brother, you should have protected him." She sobbed, angry tears fell down her cheeks, mixed with the blood pouring from her nose and bloody bottom lip. "He's dead because of you and you'll never be able to live with that, with what you've done. You."

He hit her, he hit her so hard she heard a loud crunch and saw black spots as she fell to the ground. Jennifer's body slammed to the pavement with such force, the wind was knocked from her lungs. In her last moments she thought of Liam and Flynn, nothing else.