Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Game Plan
JACE POV
Commotion by the front door brings Ella and I hurrying from the bedroom. I had just finished changing the bandage on her side when I hear the front door slam open. Ella and I give each other the same confused looks before I rush out, keeping Ella behind me in case there is danger. Jude is setting the bags of Chinese food down on the counter, but as soon as he sees us his facial expression tells me that someone is going to get it.
Before I can utter a single word, Jude beats me to it,” know who that motherfucker is!”
“Which motherfucker are we talking about?” Ella asks and I have to give her a double take for even saying the word motherfucker without being prompted to, but Jude’s words are more important at the moment.
I turn back to my friend and wait for him to start explain ing his outburst, “Your stalker, Ella. I know who he is!”
“Are you going to enlighten us anytime soon, then?” | ask sarcastically
Jude begins to pace back and forth just as Beth and Owen come walking through the door. He looks at the new comers, “Slow pokes!” My friend chuckles and I scowl.
“Seriously, Jude. You can’t drop a bomb like that and then leave us hanging.” I glare at him.
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“Sorry Lil’ D. I didn’t want to have to explain it all again once your guard got in here.” He snickers but still doesn’t elaborate.
Suddenly, both me and Ella yell Jude’s name at the same time, earning us another chuckle from the asshole that I call my friend. I swear to God, if he doesn’t come right out and say it, I may go ape shit on his ass. He must see something in my expression because he stops laughing and rolls his eyes.
“Remember me saying last night how I thought I recog nized that guy at the club?”
“Yeah, the one that Elias didn’t think he knew.” | nod my head.
“Well, I called Master Riku this morning to talk to him about it, and then I talked to the boss man. I also talked to some contacts that I have who can find anyone, even those that are trying to stay hidden.”
“Okay…”
“Well, I found out that a former employee was a bit dis gruntled when he quit, and that’s the mother fucker that I saw last night, except he’s changed his hair color,” Jude glances at Ella for a moment, “That’s not all, though. He’s also the one who moved into Ella’s old apartment.”
“WHAT!?” Both Ella and I say in unison once again.
“Yep, I just saw him leaving this apartment building and Owen confirmed that he is the new tenant.”
“That son of a bitch!” | slam my hand down on the counter and then feel Ella’s hand start to rub my back to try and
soothe me, “Who the fuck is it?”
“Do you remember when we asked you to take Finn’s trainer position?” He asks me.
“Yeah, what does that have to do with Ella, though.” | ask him, becoming confused once again.
“Because apparently, it has to do with you more than her. He’s just going after her to get to you.”
“Stop talking in riddles, man!” I bring Ella into the side of my body, needing to be close to her at the moment.
“You got the job over Davis. Apparently, he did not take it too well.” Jude shrugs almost nonchalantly but I can tell that he’s still upset.
“Fucking Davis is stalking my girlfriend because I was cho sen for a fucking job over him?” | choke out, “Wait a minute, where does Cindy fit in to all this?”
“That’s one thing that I haven’t figured out yet. I haven’t put to two and two together when it comes to both of them.” Jude states.
“Wait, he came into my parents’ house during our gradua tion party?” Ella asks, “That’s a bit ballsy, isn’t it?”
“I would say.” I agree with Ella’s thoughts, “But then again, look how close he’s come to us and was never noticed.”
“Yeah, well now that we know who it is, we can now take him down.” Jude states.
“Actually,” Owen pipes in, “let me talk this over with Kingsly. I don’t want us fucking anything up to where he is
II III
able to walk away without getting in trouble. We have to know for sure that he is the stalker.”
I growl, “Fine, but we better not lose him in the process!”
“I’ll get on it right away.” The guard puts his phone to his ear as he calls the Pl.
“This is bullshit! I know it’s that little fucker. Why else would he be here, in the same town as the two of you, and with an ex-sub from the same Training Center? You should have just hired me, Jace. I would have gotten the job done a lot sooner, and he would never be seen again.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
Ella gasps, “You would kill him?”
| chuckle as I come up with something believable, “No, ba by, Jude wouldn’t kill him. He just meant that we wouldn’t ever see him bothering us again, right?”
“Pssh, of course! What do you think I am, an assassin or something? Does this face look like I would do something like that?” He tries to smile sweetly at my girl, but it doesn’t go over too well, “The only lethal thing about me is my cock.” He grins and I can’t help it as my eyes roll.
We all have a conference on video chat with Ethan once Kingsly gets to our apartment. Filling Ella’s dad in on the in formation that Jude supplied, we realize our mistake was that we thought it was someone who Ella knew. Now that we have the info that we do, we can finally strategize in how we are going to catch the fucker. I don’t want Ella getting in harm’s way, but we may need to use her as bait, and both her father and I hate it. She, on the other hand, is all for it.
“We can come up with something else, Ella. I don’t want you as bait.” I grunt.
“This is my life Jace, and I have all of you men here and willing to stick your neck’s out for me, but you won’t allow me to help myself?”
God, she’s fucking stubborn, but she’s right, it is her life, and I suppose she’s tired of being the victim of psychotic peo ple that only want to see her harmed. We need to make this as simple as possible; I don’t want her being near him any longer than necessary.
“Why does she have to go into his apartment, though?” || ask Kingsly.
“She’s not supposed to know him, correct? So, it won’t be weird if she goes up to introduce herself. She will be wearing her alarm, so if he tries anything we will kick in the door, but we need something, anything.” The Pl states, “If he’s going to try anything, then he will do it when he has her in his own space.”
I mean, I understand where he’s going with this, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like the fact that we are going to be sending my girl into the devil’s lair. Ella going downstairs to knock on the fucker’s door, pretending to want to intro duce herself, is a good plan, especially with her alarm and all of us close by, but I still hate her going anywhere near him. What if Cindy is in there and she decides to freak out on Ella while she’s inside? We may be fast, but the crazy woman could have a gun this time, which will do more damage than a knife and she doesn’t need to be in close proximity.
“It’s settled then, we will set the plan into action tomorrow
morning, then. That way it gives me time to kind of stake him out and try to find out if the woman is in the apartment too, or just him.
“I trust you Kingsly, but please remember that Ella is my daughter, my first born,” Ethan speaks up, “If even a hair is hurt on her head during this process, I will never forgive you.”
“Ethan, there is always a slight chance, so I cannot prom ise you that, but Ella is an adult and if she wants to do it this way then I have to respect her wishes as well.” The Pl doesn’t seem too intimidated by Ethan, probably because he isn’t here, so I turn toward the guy.
“I don’t give a fuck about chances, Kingsly. My girl gets hurt and there will be hell to pay.” I tell the guy.
“And I’m getting in line right behind him…” Jude raises a brow at the investigator, but Kingsly doesn’t seem to be scared, or even nervous.
After having a full apartment for almost the entire day, I’m ready to spend a little quiet time with Ella, so I kick everyone out, telling them just that, and none of them give me any grief. Once we are by ourselves, I pull her into my arms.
“Are you sure you want to do this, baby?”
“I don’t, not really, but I’m done looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I want a real life, with you; a life where I can walk down the street without worrying about someone following me.”
Kissing her forehead, I then press my own to hers, “I un derstand, baby. I just wish it wasn’t you that we are having to send in, but I know it’s the only way that it will work. You will
come out of this unharmed, I promise, because if you don’t, there will be no body to be found, and that, I can and will promise you.”