Stone: A Love without Boundaries (The Forbidden Love Series Book 3) Read online

  “Now, you know Mrs. Austin is going to call the police. So, Jackson is going to take care of her. Who do you want to have the kids, Stone or your grandmother?” he asked as if he were writing a grocery list.

  “What?” I asked almost puking in my mouth.

  “Do I stutter bitch?” I shook my head and swallowed hard.

  “Stone.” I said worriedly. I thought he would smack me across my mouth again.

  “Good answer…Stone will have them, but not you. You have to promise to stay with me and the kids won’t get hurt. Do you promise?” The tears flooded my eyes.

  “Yes…I promise.” I lowered my head and cried into my hands.

  “Jackson, drop us off here.” Said Andrew.

  “Why?” Jackson replied.

  “You need to go get those kids and kill Mrs. Fucking Austin. Make it look like an accident or something. Then take a flight to Montgomery, New York and find that hillbilly and give him the kids.”

  Montgomery, New York? I thought to myself.

  “Fine. Stop here, Rich,” he shouted towards the front of the car. “Get out,” Jackson said to Andrew. “The house is around the corner. Here are the keys.” He threw the keys at Andrew. “Try to lay low Andrew. I have to kill someone then deliver these kids. I can’t come and rescue you for at least a couple of weeks, so don’t fuck up…got it?” He glanced over at me. “And you…Just do what you’re told, or you’re next on my hit list.” He smiled, then closed the back door.

  We walked around the corner and walked towards a house with a long driveway hidden in the woods.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “This is your new home. The home where you’re going to bear my children. The home where I’m going to fuck you senseless tonight.” I almost threw up. The thought of him touching me again made me sick.

  We kept walking up the long driveway towards the house. The trees were aligned perfectly and the rose bushes growing between them were in full bloom. As we approached, the front door opened, and a woman stood in the doorway. She was tall with long black hair. She wore a nude colored, see through lace dress and nude pumps to match. Her eyes were the color of the sea and I could tell she was not happy to see me.

  “Mr. Turner, welcome. Mrs. Turner, a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said. I glanced over at Andrew. He grabbed her hand gently and kissed the top of her hand lightly.

  “Thank you for being here, Alessandra. Jackson spoke very highly of you. I hope that you live up to his expectations.” Andrew smiled.

  “I’m here for all of your needs, Mr. Turner. You will not be disappointed, sir.” She smiled and walked towards the living room. He followed her with his perverted eyes until she disappeared into the kitchen.

  “She’ll be here for you as well. She’s bi-sexual you know.”

  “You’re disgusting,” I snapped.

  “So, sue me…watch it sweetheart, you’re walking a thin line. A thin line between living and dying.” He walked away into the kitchen.

  I walked upstairs hoping to find a room I could lock myself in. I found an unlocked door at the end of the hallway. All of the other rooms were locked. I opened the door and closed it behind me, locking myself in. I laid down on the bed with my head against the pillow, wondering how Jackson would kill Angela. Would he kill her in front of the kids? Would he make them watch? I prayed again. I prayed for their safety and I prayed for Angela’s soul. She didn’t believe me when I told her to stay away from me. These two animals cared about no one but themselves. I was frightened. Frightened for my children, frightened for Stone, and frightened just knowing that someone was going to die tonight because of me. Where was my mother? Where was my father? Where were the people who were supposed to protect me? Where? Nowhere…Nowhere.

  Chapter 7

  Stone

  I waited for Dr. Kesslar to come back to my room so we could talk, but he didn’t show up. I sat up all night. I watched the sun rise above the trees that towered near my window. Maddie’s beautiful smile appeared to me. The way she laughed. The way she cried. I needed a bump so badly I wanted to tear the room apart. I took a deep breath and turned around when I heard a knock on the door.

  “Good morning, Mr. Shelton.” A nurse with pale blonde hair and a very pale face to match said as she opened the door.

  “Aren’t you supposed to knock, then ask if it’s okay to come in?” I asked annoyed.

  “I’m sorry, it’s my first day. Would you like me to go back out and knock again?” She asked nervously.

  “No, of course not. I’m sorry.” I rubbed my eyes and walked towards the bathroom.

  “I have to escort you to the cafeteria,” she said.

  “I’m going to brush my teeth. I’ll be right out.” I answered.

  “Do you need help?” she asked anxiously.

  “Um…no thanks.” I stared at her oddly. She noticed and stepped out of the room.

  The weird nurse and I were walking towards the elevator when Dr. Kesslar came rushing towards me with panic in his eyes. He grabbed my arm and pushed me to the side.

  “We need to talk…Now.” He pulled into a room.

  “What is it?” I asked apprehensively.

  “I had a visit this morning in the early hours. A very determined FBI agent who threatened my life, Joanna’s life and Maddie’s life,” he said nervously.

  “Jackson?” I said crossly.

  “Yes…” He said confused.

  “What did he want?” I demanded.

  “Come with me to my office.” We walked out of the room and towards the elevator. My stomach was in knots. Did Jackson have a box with Maddie’s body parts in it? Did he kill the kids? My heart was pounding against my chest. I felt weak at the knees. I clenched my hands together.

  “Calm down,” Dr. Kesslar said softly.

  The elevator doors opened. We stepped in. The anticipation of getting to his office was making me nauseous. I forgot about getting high. I forgot about the reason I was here in the first place. The elevator doors opened, and the sweat trickled down the side of my face. We walked to his office and when he opened the door Joanna was sitting there with two kids on her lap.

  “Daddy!” Daniel shouted. He ran to me immediately.

  “Daddy!” Alyssa cried and ran to me.

  I fell to my knees and grabbed them both. For a minute I felt like I was unable to breathe, I just held them in my arms and cried. I held them so tightly I almost squeezed the life out of them. I didn’t want to let them go.

  “Daddy, oh daddy…I missed you, daddy. Missed you so much. Look daddy, look…this much!” He opened his arms as wide as he could, smiled, then grabbed me around my neck and started to cry. Alyssa just placed her head on my shoulders and placed her middle and index finger in her mouth and sucked them contently. I kissed her forehead gently, and she grabbed me tightly.

  “I’m not letting you go. I’m not letting you go,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Stone. This man dropped these kids off to me around four this morning. He told me Maddie was safe, but you were never to look for her again or they would…kill her.” Kevin was a nervous wreck. Joanna just sat crying, holding her chest and shaking her head.

  “What are you going to do?” she whimpered.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You can’t stay here with the kids. They won’t allow it,” Joanna said nervously.

  “Then I’ll leave. I’m never letting them go as long as I’m alive,” I said.

  “But, you need help, Stone,” Joanna said apprehensively.

  “I’ll come as an outpatient,” I said.

  “You’re three hours away,” Joanna stared at me with a blank look on her face.

  “I need to work. I need to take care of my family and get Maddie,” I demanded.

  “Didn’t you hear what that psycho said? They’ll kill her,” she said as the tears fell from her eyes.

  “I heard you, but you don’t understand. Maddie belongs to me, to us. He’s not going t
o keep her. I won’t let him,” I said sternly.

  “You’re not thinking straight Stone. You can’t go against men like this. They have more power than all of us,” Joanna said, crying.

  “Then help me…please, help me.”

  Kevin looked at Joanna. “What can we do?” he asked.

  “Let us stay with you until I kick this habit.” I said as I stared at Joanna.

  “You can’t stay with her!” Kevin shouted.

  “Kevin, please…” whispered.

  “I’m putting my career on the line for you Stone. You have to be serious about getting the help,” she said, staring at Kevin.

  “I am. They are the reason. They always have been. Please…you won’t regret it,” I said kissing Alyssa on the head.

  “We have to call your boss. He was the one who paid for your thirty-day stay. I think we can switch it to outpatient,” Joanna said. Kevin was pacing back and forth.

  “You better keep your word or you’ll have to deal with me,” Kevin said sternly, turning to Joanna.

  “Let me get the paperwork together and call your boss. I’ll be back. Stay in here with the kids. I’ll call my sister, Jenna. I’ll ask her to get the two guest bedrooms together for you and the kids.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. The kids…they appreciate it, too,” I said as my voice trembled with happiness.

  “I’ll be back,” Joanna said as she turned and walked out of the office.

  “Thanks man. I really appreciate this,” I said to Kevin. His eyebrows furrowed.

  “You need to do the right thing. I’m serious.” He gave me an uneasy look. “And you need to explain who the fuck these guys are, Stone. I mean, come on, Joanna is putting her life on the line for you and these kids. She doesn’t even know you,” he said angrily.

  “Please don’t curse in front of my children,” I said politely.

  “Look, I know you have problems and I know you have your family to take care of. But this…this just fell on our lap. I need to know what I’m dealing with here,” he said as he leaned back against his desk. “Hold on a sec.” Kevin opened the door to call for a nurse. The nurse approached Kevin.

  “Yes, Dr. Kesslar?” She said with a warm smile.

  “Can you do me a favor and take these two to the cafeteria for some ice cream and snacks?” he asked, pointing to Alyssa and Daniel.

  “No!” Daniel shouted. My nerves were shot. I needed a bump so badly. I didn’t need Daniel to act up.

  “Daniel please…Daddy will be right here when you get back. I have to talk to Kevin,” I said calmly.

  “Please daddy…I’ll be good. I promise,” Daniel whimpered.

  “This isn’t about whether you’re good or bad Daniel. Why would you think that?”

  “Andrew always said I was bad,” Daniel said as he began to cry.

  “No…don’t you dare think that. Listen to me. You’re a good boy. Andrew is bad. He’ll never tell you that again. I promise.”

  “Promise me daddy. I never want to see him again!” Daniel shouted. I grabbed Daniel and hugged him.

  “You won’t, I promise.” I kissed his forehead. “Daniel, please. Go with the nurse for ice cream. Bring daddy back a cherry pop tart. Go. Alyssa wants a snack.” I patted his head, and he grabbed Alyssa’s hand and walked out.

  I glanced over at Kevin who sat patiently in his chair waiting for me.

  “Kids are rough.” Kevin said.

  “Especially when they’re scared.” I answered.

  “Have a seat. Tell me what’s going on. I really need to know.” Kevin said.

  “Well, here’s the truth. When I was fifteen, I killed a man who was trying to rape Maddie. I went to jail for six years. Maddie visited me every weekend for six years and her mother had three kids during this time. We raised them all. The last year I was incarcerated Maddie stopped coming up to see me. I thought I would die.” I lowered my head. “When I got out, I went to see her and the kids. Maddie had hooked up with Andrew to be able to pay her rent and take care of the kids.”

  I stopped to blow out a breath not wanting to think about the asshole. “Andrew is crazy. He’s the brother of the guy I used to borrow money from in jail to help Maddie pay for the apartment. The brother tried to rape Maddie, and she killed him in self-defense. Andrew found Maddie somehow…through an internship or something. He made Maddie do a lot of things she didn’t want to do. Andrew is a murderer. He killed Maddie’s best friend Clarissa.”

  I had to stop again feeling the bile rise in my throat when I remembered Clarissa’s dead body on my doorstep.

  “Andrew’s brother, Jackson, convinced me to help him capture Andrew. That plan got messed up when Andrew threw my kids into a lake and shot Maddie.” I glanced out the window in the door and looked at my kids. Thankful they were still alive. “Then I shot him. I wanted to kill him, but he didn’t die. We were promised that we were going to be protected and put into protective custody. I messed up. I was supposed to be on the next plane to Maryland. I killed my father…that’s right, my father. He raped Maddie, and I needed to watch him die. So, because he was already dying from lung cancer, I removed the oxygen from his nose and watched him struggle to take his last breath. And you know what? He wasn’t sorry he raped Maddie. He wasn’t sorry at all. So, I watched him die, and that was the happiest moment of my life.”

  I placed my hands on my lap. I wanted to put my fist through the wall just thinking about that bastard. “I was so depressed for making the wrong decision and not getting on that plane that I started taking drugs and ended up a junkie like my father. Here I am standing with you today.” Kevin stood staring at me. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I will not put Joanna’s life in danger. I promise. I will take the kids and leave first.”

  “These men are dangerous, Stone,” he said seriously.

  “Yes, I know and I promise. They’ll never hurt anyone again.”

  I sat on the couch waiting for Joanna. Kevin needed to see a few patients and left. The door opened, and the nurse entered with Daniel and Alyssa. Their mouths covered with chocolate ice cream. Daniel ran to me with a pop tart in his hand.

  “Here daddy…cherry.” I smiled and grabbed the pop tart. I kissed Alyssa on the top of her head. I missed her so much. She was so much bigger than I remembered. Daniel was the cutest. He looked so much like Bryan it was uncanny.

  I waited patiently for Joanna to return; contemplating on how I was going to find Maddie, kill Andrew and kill Jackson. My mind needed to be clear and my body needed to be clean. No matter what I had to do in this world to protect my family, it was going to get done. The kids would be safe in the meantime, but Maddie would not.

  She is my number one priority now.

  She’s the one I’m getting clean for.

  She’s the air I breathe.

  She’s the beat to my heart.

  She’s the only one that can save my soul.

  Chapter 8

  Maddie

  I had fallen asleep, comfortably nestled underneath the duvet and snuggled between two pillows. I opened my eyes for a moment as the sun beamed its rays into my eyes. The figure before me startled me. I stood up quickly in defense mode with my hands up to see Alessandra staring at me, infuriated.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked with her hand on her hip.

  “I was sleeping. What do you want?” I asked rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “Mr. Turner would like you to join us for breakfast. He asked me to summon you,” she said politely through gritted teeth.

  “Really? I’m not hungry.”

  “I’m not asking.”

  “Fuck you,” I said politely.

  “Well, I had the pleasure of fucking your husband last night, thank you very much.” She giggled, turned on her stilettos and walked away. “I would go down as soon as possible. He hates to eat cold eggs.”

  I walked over to the bathroom and rinsed my face with cold water. I took a deep breath befo
re grabbing the handle of the bathroom door and was walking out when Andrew appeared in front of me.

  “You know I don’t like to eat without you,” he said angrily.

  “I was just heading downstairs.” He eyed me up and down.

  “I’m going out for a while with Alessandra. Get acquainted with the house. By the way, Stone has those orphans. He agreed to let you stay here with me as long as I didn’t kill the little fuckers.” My blood began to boil as he continued, “They’re safe. I know that’s all you worry about. God forbid you ever think of me.”

  “I…” I whispered.

  “Don’t say anything. Everything you say is a lie. You never, ever loved me. You never gave a damn about me. You used me for my money. To pay your rent. To take care of your junkie mother’s kids,” he said.

  “Alyssa is your niece. Don’t you at least have any compassion for her?” I asked shaking my head in disgust.

  “My brother was a junkie, too. Did I ever give a fuck about him?” Andrew asked smugly.

  “Then why were you so angry when I put a bullet in his head?” I asked bravely. He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head against the wall.

  “Because he was going to see his daughter, and you…killed him,” he barked.

  “He was there to rape me and take Alyssa from me. Don’t you get it? He was the bad guy, not me.” He released his grip from my hair.

  “I’ll see you tonight. You can sleep in that room. Alessandra will share my bed with me. You’re not worthy, which can only mean your time here is limited. Tick tock, Madison. You’ll never know when it’s time for you to go,” he said, an evil grin plastered across his face as he walked down the stairs.

  My body trembled in his presence. As he walked away, he blew a kiss at me then stopped.

  “Have a nice day, Maddie.” He whispered.

  The sound of his voice carried a venomous tone. A tone that could only mean that I needed to find a way to get out of this house. How many times had I tried to escape from him and failed? This time I could only blame myself for what had happened to me. He was right. I did use him. I didn’t love him. I created this path of turmoil and now I was going to die because of it. If I ever needed someone in my life right now, it was Stone. I needed him to come and save me more than ever. I was dancing with the devil and Andrew was going to dance until the hot, scorching fire from hell burned down the dance floor…with me on it.