Chapter 1312
Kevin's guilt gnawed at him. He knew how desirable Audrey was, how men looked at her. He should have known better than to let her walk alone at night. He was a fool.
"It's okay, Kevin. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been so angry with you," Audrey whispered, holding him close as she felt his tears against her cheek. "It's over now. It's all over."
Just then, they heard the pounding of boots in the hallway. The police were here. A few scattered gunshots rang out – some of the thugs were resisting. But they were quickly cut down by the cops, who weren't taking any chances. Scum like that didn't deserve to live.
With Audrey's help, the SWAT team located all the kidnapped women, including Vanessa. Vanessa, however, was in much worse shape than Audrey. Unconscious and incontinent, she was rushed to a nearby private clinic for emergency treatment. The clinic, with its state-of-the-art equipment and specialist doctors, was actually better equipped than the city hospital.
Besides the thugs who'd been shot, the SWAT team only rounded up a few low-level gang members. Neither Jerome nor Douglas was anywhere to be found. Quentin, the only leader present, was still unconscious.
Kevin glared at Quentin's prone form. His anger surged. As the police searched the room, he impulsively unzipped his pants and pissed on Quentin's face. The sudden stream startled Quentin awake. He instinctively opened his mouth and tasted the acrid urine. He choked and coughed, then saw Kevin standing over him. Fear and shock washed over him. He tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot through his hands. He gasped, sweat beading on his forehead. His hands felt broken. "Kevin…man…easy… I didn't touch her. Ask Audrey. She was with Jerome all night. If you want revenge, go after him."
"Jerome?" Kevin frowned, looking at Audrey.
Audrey blushed. She quickly explained to Kevin that she had been with Jerome, but he hadn't touched her. He'd actually been protecting her.
Kevin let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He was stunned. Jerome was the guy he'd been looking for all this time. "Where's Douglas, Quentin? And where's this Jerome hiding? Talk fast, or you might lose something precious."
Quentin shivered as Kevin's eyes flicked down to his crotch. He knew Kevin wasn't bluffing. "Jerome should be at Fairy Lake Reservoir. He's supposed to be meeting with the Northside gang today. I don't know about Douglas, I swear."
Kevin remembered the incident at Fairy Lake, and Jasper and Natalie's involvement. He wasn't sure he could trust Quentin. Even if he hadn't touched Audrey, he was still responsible for her kidnapping. Enraged, Kevin slapped Quentin repeatedly across the face. Quentin cried and begged for mercy. Audrey stopped him, realizing that what happened to Quentin could affect Kevin's future.
Just then, the SWAT team leader came over. Kevin quickly relayed the information he'd gotten from Quentin. The team leader immediately radioed the police department. Detective Mark, who was following up on leads, reported the information to Task Force Leader Justin. They mobilized all available units and headed straight for Fairy Lake, hoping to catch both gangs in one fell swoop.
Despite a thorough search of the building and the basement, the police couldn't find Natalie. Desperate, Kevin questioned Quentin again, but he had no information. Kevin was consumed with worry. He blamed himself for not insisting Natalie stay put. If she hadn't left, she wouldn't have fallen into Douglas's hands.
Meanwhile, in a hidden room beneath Douglas's apartment, Douglas smoked a cigarette, a smug look on his face as he stared at the bound Natalie. She was chained to a pillar, her arms tied behind her back. Her hair was messy, obscuring half of her pretty face. Her gray trench coat was dirty and torn, evidence of her struggle before being overpowered. He'd lost two men subduing her, and he'd almost been tasered himself.
Douglas's eyes raked over her body. Even under the loose coat, her curves were evident. With her arms pulled back, her already ample breasts strained against the fabric, threatening to spill out. Whoever had tied her up had a thing for breasts; two thin chains crisscrossed her cleavage, making them look even fuller, more prominent.
"Well, well, Ms. Flores," Douglas blew a smoke ring in her face. "Can't say I didn't warn you. You ditched Jasper, and I told you to stay out of it. You brought this on yourself."
Natalie remained silent, her gaze steady. She knew Douglas. Any pleading or cursing would only excite him. She knew her chances of escaping unscathed were slim. She needed to play this smart, look for a weakness, an opening.
"Admit it, Natalie," Douglas reached out and stroked her cheek, his eyes gleaming. "The Northside gang is finished. The Southside owns this town now. You were smart to leave Jasper. You'd be collateral damage by now. Be a shame to see a beautiful woman like you get wasted. Why don't you join me? I'm running the Southside now. Could be second in command soon."
"Join you? Douglas, you're delusional." Natalie's lip curled. "You're a traitor, nothing more. You think the Southside respects you? They're using you. They'll discard you the minute you're no longer useful. Don't you see that? The day the Northside falls is the day you die."
Douglas's face hardened. He was momentarily speechless. Her words hit a nerve.
When Quentin first approached him about leaving the Northside gang, he'd dismissed the idea. But Quentin had offered him a leadership position, a million dollars cash up front, and a hefty annual bonus. It was hard to resist. All this fighting and struggling, it was all about the money. He'd seen Lawrence and Natalie leave the life and become legitimate businessmen. He envied them.
Besides, Jasper had become increasingly unstable, beating his men, growing more paranoid, more suspicious of Douglas. He was afraid he'd become Jasper's next target, an example to the others. So, after weighing his options, he'd betrayed Jasper and joined the Southside.
To prove his loyalty, to gain Levi's respect, he'd been on the front lines, taking down five Northside locations, personally crippling two of their men. He'd made himself an enemy of the Northside. Levi praised him, but the others, especially Jerome, treated him with contempt. They looked down on him.
"Don't be stupid, Natalie. I have you. Nobody can touch me. If Levi tries anything, I won't hesitate to…" He trailed off, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw. "You should be worrying about yourself. You're my prisoner now. What am I going to do with you? How about you use those pretty little fingers to make me feel good? I've always wanted to sample Harmony County's number one whore."
A flicker of resolve hardened Natalie's eyes. She wanted to castrate him. But she had to wait, had to think of a way out of this. All she had was his obsession with her. And she only had one shot. Feigning fear, she said, "Douglas, please. Don't. I have money. I'll pay you. Anything. Just name your price."
Douglas was taken aback, then his eyes lit up. He'd almost forgotten. Natalie wasn't just beautiful and powerful; she was one of Harmony County's leading financiers. She controlled the finances of the Imperial Bar. Even though a lot of the money went to the Northside, she must have skimmed plenty for herself. He knew how much he'd made on the side. She must be worth ten million, easy. If he could get his hands on her money, he could walk away from all this, even if things went south with the Southside gang.
"Alright, Natalie. You've made a killing at the Imperial Bar. Don't try to fool me. I won't be greedy. Just this much." He held up his hand, spreading his fingers slightly, wiggling them.
Natalie's expression remained neutral, but inside, she scoffed. Five million. He was trying to extort her. She had skimmed money from the Imperial Bar, but it was less than five million. She'd used that money to invest in stocks, high-interest loans, various ventures. She'd parlayed it into a substantial fortune.
She'd recently formed a business alliance with a dozen out-of-town investors, creating an investment company. She was on her way to challenging Lawrence as a business tycoon. She'd poured her heart and soul into this, schemed and even used her body to seduce Kevin to get where she was. And now Douglas wanted to take five million with a snap of his fingers. Fat chance.
Besides, she didn't even have a million in cash. All her money was tied up in the business alliance. To secure a controlling stake in the investment company, she'd even mortgaged several properties to the bank. She only had a few hundred thousand in liquid assets. If she could just get the pedestrian commercial street project off the ground, she'd have the capital to really compete with Lawrence.
Nobody was taking a penny from her. This was her lifeline.
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