Mine to Take by Lila Fox
Chapter Nineteen
Zoe tried to steady her breathing as she watched him walk away. She pressed her hand to her chest where it felt her heart was about ready to burst from her chest it was beating so hard.
After she’d gained some control, she started walking home. She had the door closed and locked behind her was when she remembered her phone.
She frantically pulled it out of her purse and saw it was still taping. Oh, God, she hoped she’d gotten enough to put the horrible family behind bars.
A gasp of relief hit her when their voices came over loud and clear. The video was terrible, but it got a few shots of Freddy as he walked away. That would identify him.
She closed her eyes, rested her head against the wall, and exhaled. She’d done it now. She had to get the guts up to take it to someone, and she didn’t know who to trust.
The thought of calling Amelia popped into her head. She knew the club had a few friends on the force. Maybe she could talk to one of them. It was the best idea she’d come up with.
She dialed the phone.
“What?” a male voice said.
At first, she thought it was Savage. She was both relieved and disappointed it wasn’t.
“Can I talk to Amelia, please?”
“Yeah, I’ll get her.”
She didn’t have long to wait before Amelia was handed the phone.
“Hi, it’s Zoe.”
“I’m so glad you called. Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure.” She told her about the conversation she’d just had with Freddy and that she got it on tape. “I just don’t know what to do with it.”
“Oh, this is good. I’m going to get you to Fury. Tell him what you just told me.”
“Okay.”
Fury got on the line. “Amelia just said you have a story to tell me, honey?”
“Yes.”
“First, tell me if you’re all right.”
She was taken back a moment at how concerned he was about her. “I’m locked in my house at the moment. My nerves still haven’t settled.”
“Okay, good. Now tell me.”
She went over the story again with him and then waited for him to say something.
“I just don’t know what to do with it. I want them busted, but he talked about the club. It would be best if you didn’t get in trouble. I did this to protect you guys.”
“I don’t want you to worry about that. I’ve got that covered. I’ve got a few guys watching you. I want them to bring you back.”
“No. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can, and you will.”
“No, Fury, I can’t see him right now.”
“He’s not here. Besides, the two of you have to talk.”
“No. I’ll be okay, especially if you can tell me who to go to at the police department.”
“You don’t get it. You don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, I do. I’m not a part of the club.”
“You’ll always be in the family.”
That made her feel so good to know they cared. At the same time, she was sad that she’d never been a part of them.
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll just go to the state police.”
“Don’t fucking do that. We don’t know if they’re dirty or not.”
“Then I’ll go to the FBI.”
She heard him snort and comment on stubborn women.
“How about I send someone to you, and we can at least get you to a safe place until it’s taken care of. If Freddy says anything to his dad about talking to you, you’re in a lot of danger, honey. The guys and I will call our contacts to meet us here, and then we’ll go over the tape.”
“I … okay. I can do that. Will I be able to go to work tomorrow?”
“No. Not until this is hashed out.”
“They’ll fire me.”
“We’ll find you another job.”
“No, I can do that on my own. I was going to start looking for one in Jacksonville.”
“That’s three hours away.”
“I know.”
She heard him sigh. “Hold tight and pack a bag. We can always go back and get more, but I want you out of there as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay, good.”
Zoe jumped into the shower and then dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She packed a bag and was ready to go. While she waited, she downloaded the video and emailed it to herself and Fury as a backup.
She jerked and just about screamed when the front door of her house was kicked open. She grabbed her purse and bag on the bed and dove into her closet as quietly and quickly as possible. In the back was a panel door that took her into a hidey-hole. It was tiny, but they didn’t know it was there. She’d just closed the door and latched it when her bedroom door was thrown open.
“Where the fuck is that cunt at?”
God, she’d never heard the man’s voice before, but then when she heard Freddy, she knew the situation was dangerous.
“She has to be here, Dad.”
She dug into her purse and texted Fury before she turned on her recorder again. She just prayed it still had some battery left.
“You fucking dumbass. Why in the hell would you tell her that shit?”
“I told you she’s not going to tell anyone.”
She heard what sounded like something hitting the wall and then a grunt.
“Fuck, Dad. Why did you do that?”
“Because, you asshole. The fucking cunt taped your conversation.”
“No way. She didn’t have time. I got her when she was coming out of the library.”
“Well, she did it. I got a call from Bryant. Fury called him and told him about it.”
Freddy laughed. “All he has to do is get the tape and destroy it.”
“That’s what he’s planning on doing.”
She could hear them going through her things.
“How in the hell did you get him on our side?”
“I pay him better,” Clarke said. “She’s not here. Let’s get out of here. We’ll find her one way or another.”
“What if she’s already at the compound?”
“She’s not. Bryant’s keeping me updated.”
She heard more rustling and then silence. She stayed where she was.
Oh, God, what had she gotten herself involved in? She had to remind herself it was for the club. Just about every one of them had caught her heart, and she didn’t want them to get hurt because of her fear.
She needed to be stronger than that.
