Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) (30 page)

“I figured that you’d kill that bitch. No wonder you dumped her;
fucking her is like fucking a corpse.” Deon snickered. “Now we just have to
wait for your lovely wife to show up so I can see if she’s better.”

Since Caroline said that Victoria was
dead, Jack was relieved when Deon mentioned Victoria’s name. But if he thought
for one minute that he was going to get his hands on Victoria, he was deadly
mistaken.

“The instructions were clear. I was
to come alone. Victoria’s not coming.”

           
“Now, Jack, surely you don’t believe that that hard–headed wife of yours isn’t
on her way,” Deon chuckled.

Jack didn’t reply because Victoria
was stubborn and viciously protective of the people that she loved. He clutched
his daughter, protectively, and looked over Deon’s shoulder, toward the exit.
He needed a strategy to get Jasmine out, safely.

           
Deon shouted, pointing his gun directly at Jasmine. “Back!”

           
Jack backed up and turned his daughter away from Deon. “Deon, you’d kill an
innocent baby?”

           
“Possibly,” he answered demonically. “Now get back.”

           
Jack did as he was told and backed up. He wished that his daughter wasn’t
present because he wanted to kill Deon with his bare hands.

“Why are you doing this?”

           
“Shut up! My explanations are for Victoria, not you,” he seethed.

           
“Well, I’m here now,” Victoria could be heard saying from the doorway. “So
let’s hear it.”

Deon smiled and kept his weapon
trained on Jack. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, conceding to the fact that
his wife was indeed hard–headed. Although, something deep within him knew that
Victoria didn’t have the capability of sitting back, doing nothing, while her
family was in danger.

“Glad you could make it. Now get over
there with your family,” he instructed. “But first, take off your shirt.”

Victoria, without hesitation, took
off her shirt. She raised her hands and stood in front of him in her bra. When
Deon stared lustfully at Victoria, Jack was contemplating lying Jasmine down in
the bassinet and charging at him.

“Turn around!”

She turned, proving to him that she
was unarmed.

“Good. Now get over there.”

Victoria walked over to Jack. She put
her hand on his shoulder and stood on her toes to inspect her baby.

“She’s fine,” Jack assured. “What are
you doing here?”

“Jack, I couldn’t just sit home,” she
replied.

“Ha! Told you!” Deon shouted,
laughing out loud.

Victoria turned to Deon.

Her teammate.

Her friend.

Victoria asked, “Why?”

“Why? Because you are a cold, selfish
bitch,” he hissed.

Victoria recoiled at his words. She
had no idea that her friend felt this way about her, and she had no clue as to
why.

“Deon, what have I ever done to you?”

“Victoria, don’t pretend that you had
no idea how I felt about you. I have always been there for you...
always
.
Even when that piece of shit fiancé of yours dumped your ass for his ex, I was
there. I sat back and waited patiently for you to get over that motherfucker.
Just so you could allow yourself to be bought by a white man, like a fucking
slave!”

Victoria couldn’t believe what she
was hearing. She absolutely had no idea of the rage that Deon hid inside, nor
did she have a clue that he had feelings for her. Nothing that he was saying
was making any sense to Victoria.

“So, let me get this straight... You
set Natasha up to be kidnapped by human traffickers, you kidnapped my baby, and
now you’re holding me and my family at gunpoint, because you want me?”

He screamed, startling Jasmine.
“LOVED!”

When she started to cry, Jack rocked
her back and forth.

“I loved you, but that was in the
past. Now, I can’t fucking stand you.”

“I see. So, instead of coming after
me, you targeted the people that I care about. You go after my husband and my
baby, even Natasha?”

“Oh no, that bitch brought this on
herself. When I finally got over your ass and focused on her, that whore turned
around and did the same shit you did. Fuck both of you bitches!”

Victoria couldn’t believe what she
was hearing. She was utterly disgusted by Deon, and disappointed in herself for
not seeing him for the monster that he was.

           
“Deon, since I’ve known you, you have fucked almost every woman that’s crossed
your path.”

           
He tilted his head and looked at Victoria like she had just said the dumbest
thing ever.

“What the fuck does that have to do
with love? I loved you, and you ignored me. If that nut–job, Harold Malone,
had’ve done what he was supposed to do, your ass would be dead now.”

“What?!” Victoria gasped, wondering
what the serial killer that had targeted her had to do with Deon.

“Yeah,” Deon said with a nod,
seemingly proud. “How do you think that psycho knew exactly where you’d be that
day?”

           
“Oh my God!” Victoria was floored. “Wait... When I was kidnapped, you winded up
in a coma.”

           
“Yeah, I didn’t count on that.” His laugh was menacing. “Aren’t you happy that
I survived?”

           
“I
was
,” she mumbled.

           
“Victoria, I’m a surveillance expert. Did you really think that I didn’t see
that man stalking you? I told him exactly where your mission would be that
night. Hell, I even told him about that watchdog that you put on her,” he said,
looking at Jack.

           
“If Steve hadn’t gone to this motherfucker for help, you’d be victim number
twenty–five. Good thing I don’t have to worry about Steve meddling in my shit
no more.”

Victoria tensed. “Deon what did you
do to Steve?”

He responded with a shrug and a gun
to the head gesture.

“Nooo!”  She whined, grimacing
with remorse. “Why, Deon?!”

“He found out that I was fucking that
stripper. I didn’t need him connecting me to her.”

Victoria slid her hand down Jack’s
back. She was in search of the gun that she knew he had tucked into the back of
his pants. But Jack, convinced that Deon was completely out of his mind, placed
the baby in Victoria’s arms and pulled them behind him.

“Oh, isn’t this cute? The great white
hope is gonna save the day,” Deon cracked, sarcastically.

Jack narrowed his eyes and took an
angry step toward Deon, but Victoria grabbed his arm. 

“Jack, please don’t,” she whispered.

“Yeah, Jack, please don’t,” Deon
mocked.

Victoria looked at Deon with nothing
less than hatred.

“You were my friend. My partner. I
loved you,” she admitted, with tears in her eyes.  “Do you know what that
man did to me?! I trusted you... with my life!” She screamed, no longer able to
hide her anguish.

“Fuck your life!” Suddenly a shot
rang out in the abandoned factory. Deon clutched his neck and dropped to the
floor, with his gun dropping beside him. He frantically looked around, while
feeling for his gun. But Jack was already standing over him. He kicked the
weapon out of Deon’s reach and yelled for Victoria to run. For once, she
followed directions and fled from the factory. Jack pulled his .45 from the
back of his pants and aimed it directly at Deon’s head.

“Before you die, you should know that
Natasha was just rescued by her great white hope.”

           
Deon spat, coughing up blood, “Fuck you!”

“No... Fuck you,” Jack replied,
before putting a bullet between Deon’s eyes.

Jack stared into Deon’s cold dead
eyes. Satisfied that he was dead, he looked around for the gunman. He looked up
and found John lying on a rafter holding a rifle. Jack dropped his head and
smiled. His wife was no fool.

“Natasha, baby? Baby? Wake up.” She heard Gianni’s voice, in
her subconscious state. Her eyelids fluttered open and focused on Gianni’s
luminous green eyes.

“Gianni?”

“It’s me my love.”

Natasha attempted to sit up, but the ache
in her head forced her back down. She brought her hand to her head, rubbing the
bandage.

“It’s just grazed,” he assured.

“Gianni, what happened?” She asked,
trying to remember.

           
“They’re dead my love, all of them. You’re safe now.”

           
“You saved me?” She asked, already knowing the answer, since the memory of GI

Gianni popped into her head.

“For the rest of your life, baby,” he
promised. “I love you so much.” Gianni declared.

“I love you too. Thank you, baby,” she
mumbled, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

*********

Natasha walked into the main cabin of Gianni’s jet, wearing a
robe that was left on the bed.

Miguel shouted, “She’s up!”

Frankie, Gianni, Luca, and Hank were
sitting at the conference table. They turned in Natasha’s direction. She sat in
one of the massive leather chairs and said, “Yes. She’s up.”

Tyrece approached. “Mrs. Storm, I
know you need a drink. How about a shot of whiskey?”

“Perfect. Thanks, Tyrece.”

When he exited the cabin, Natasha
looked over at the men gathered at the conference table.

“Thank you all so much,” she said,
unable to stifle her tears. “Thank you.”

Luca shouted, holding up his glass,
“Sei famiglia!”

“Thank you,” she repeated.

She walked over to Gianni. When he
stood, Natasha wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. She
kissed him with passion, while praising God for giving her another chance at a
future with this man that she loved.

**************

A few hours later they were driving down a country road. As
Gianni drove, Natasha stared out the window but seeing nothing. Her mind kept
flashing back to the terror that she faced on her kidnapper’s plane.

Natasha turned to Gianni.

“How did you know where to find me?”

“Tammy.”

“Tammy?”

“Yes. You left your phone at home. It
kept ringing, so I answered it. She called to warn you that you were walking
into a trap.”

Natasha eyes widened.

“Gianni, they knew that I was a cop.
One of the men said so. How did they know that? And how would Tammy know that I
was being set up?”

Gianni pulled over to the side of the
road, turned to her, and took her hand.

“Deon. It was Deon. He was sleeping
with Caroline, and the two of them plotted to set you and Victoria up.”

Natasha mouth dropped open.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“There’s more,” he said, squeezing
her hand. “He was also sleeping with Tammy. She overheard him on the phone with
Caroline talking about setting you up for the auction, so she called to warn
you. But by then it was too late.”

“That fucking asshole!” Natasha
screamed. “He is dead!”

Gianni shook his head, “Too late.
Jack beat you to it.”

Natasha squinted, from confusion. She
couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What?”

“Yes. In addition to setting you up,
Deon and Caroline kidnapped baby Jasmine.”

Natasha gasped, “WHAT?!”

“She’s fine. They didn’t hurt her,
but Jack killed them both.”

A look of satisfaction came over
Gianni.

Natasha sat back in her seat. She
took a deep breath and wondered why Deon would do something so hateful. She
knew that he had issues with her and Victoria’s marriage to the Storm men, but
she had no way of knowing that he could do something so crazy. Gianni swiped a
tear from her cheek and kissed her temple.

“You okay?”

Natasha nodded, although she was far
from ok. Gianni squeezed her hand one more time, before putting the car in
drive and pulling onto the road. They drove for maybe fifteen minutes before
turning into a driveway. Natasha looked up at the big beautiful house at the
end of the driveway. The lawn was perfect, and the house was framed with
beautiful tropical plants and flowers. Gianni put the car in park and hopped
out. He walked around and helped Natasha out of the car.

“Wow, Gianni, this place is
beautiful,” she gushed. 

The front door flew open, and
Catarina came flying out of the house, with Jonathan on her heels. Her long
black hair was flowing behind her as she ran. And when she reached Natasha, she
hugged her tight, rattling off something in Italian. Natasha returned her hug,
not having a clue as to what she was saying. Yet, she was comforted by the
maternal affection. Gianni smiled and patted his mother softly on the shoulder.

“Mama, English,” he reminded.

“Oh... Si. I’m sorry. I’m so happy
that you’re okay,” she said, grabbing Natasha’s face, kissing her again and
again.

“Thank you, Catarina.”

“Mama,” she corrected.

“Thank you, Mama,” Natasha said,
smiling because she loved the thought of calling someone as sweet as Catarina
Mama.

One week later…