Chapter Sixteen
Evening had fallen by the time NSYNC, Lonnie, and Dre stepped off the chartered plane in Los Angeles. A large van was waiting for them, thanks to a special favor Dre had called in to a few old friends. JC hopped in behind the wheel and slammed on the gas without giving anyone else a say in the matter.
"You*ve already almost killed me once today," Justin spoke up from the passenger side of the front seat as he put his seatbelt on. "How about we not do it again?"
"Shut up," JC retorted, though not as harshly as he had earlier in the day.
"Where are we going?" Lance asked skeptically from the rear of the van. "Or do we not have a plan? Are we just going to drive aimlessly around LA? Because, let me tell you, that doesn*t seem like such a good idea."
JC glared at Lance in the rearview mirror. "I*m not a complete idiot, you know?"
"Could have fooled me," Joey mumbled under his breath.
Lance chuckled.
"We*re going to Jim*s Family Restaurant," JC stated coolly, ignoring both of them.
"Oh, and that makes all the sense in the world," Lance replied sarcastically.
"I think Lance might be right this time," Chris spoke up. "You really think now is a good time to stop for food?"
"Oh my God!" JC exclaimed, banging his fist against the steering wheel. He was clearly angry with the entire situation. "It*s where Lex and Alona work. I*m gonna see if their boss can tell me anything about where Alexa lives. Is that alright with everyone?"
He took the silence in the van as a good sign and drove on.
~*~
Black*everything was black. But then, suddenly, the darkness began to fade. She almost didn*t want it to. In the darkness she was safe. In the darkness she didn*t hurt. In the darkness she didn*t have to think about the fact that she had just been raped. Several times. The darkness was her shelter, her comfort. Sadly, it was leaving her.
Alona could taste the blood on her mouth and hated to think of the other places she was probably bleeding. She had never in her life felt as much pain as she was feeling now. And all at the hands of one man. No, not a man. A real man wouldn*t do what Tyrell had done to her. He was nothing but a child. A little boy who let his anger and jealousy take control of him. A little boy that she hated.
"No, Tyrell*please*not again."
Alona regained consciousness fully when she heard the sound of Alexa*s voice. It was nothing more than a soft whimper. She hated to think of what Tyrell had done to her since she*d passed out.
"I*m gonna teach you this lesson for good, Lex," Tyrell replied angrily. "You*re never gonna leave me again. And you sure as hell ain*t ever gonna cheat on me. You understand that?"
"Yes, Tyrell*yes. Baby, I*m sorry. I was stupid. I*ll never do it again."
"Damn straight you won*t."
Alona looked up from the bed she was still tied to just in time to see Tyrell slam Alexa*s body back against the wall. She flinched at the mere sight of it.
Alexa closed her eyes tightly as Tyrell began to beat her again. She slid to the floor and spit up a small amount of blood as he kicked her in the stomach. For the first time in their entire relationship, she honestly feared for her life. And then, out of nowhere, an image of JC and Justin appeared behind her eyelids. They were standing inside of Jim*s restaurant, talking to one of the waitresses. She wasn*t sure if she was hallucinating or not, but she prayed to whatever power would hear her that she wasn*t.
Taking a deep breath as Tyrell pulled her to her feet and held her head tightly with one hand as he slapped her with the other, she focused all of her energy on JC and Justin. Never in her life had she believed in the ability to send telepathic messages or anything of the sort. But if a newfound belief would help her and Alona get out of this situation alive, she would try it.
~*~
Chill bumps broke out over Justin*s arms as JC hounded the waitress in front of them for any information she could give them on Alexa, Alona, or Tyrell. It was strange, but Justin could almost hear Alexa*s voice. She was saying something about Compton Blvd*he thought, anyway. This was getting a little too crazy. He looked around to see if someone might be playing a trick on him. He saw no one, though.
In mid-sentence, JC stopped talking and turned to look at Justin. The younger man*s eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and unbelief. "1769*" JC began softly, afraid to find out if he had completely lost his mind this time.
"Compton Blvd," Justin concluded.
Without so much as attempting to give it a second thought, JC and Justin spun around and headed for the door. "Thanks for your help," JC called back over his shoulder to the now very confused waitress.
"No problem," she shouted back, a little hesitantly. "But guys, that neighborhood ain*t good. You shouldn*t go over there alone." She wasn*t sure if they heard her or not. The door to the restaurant closed without them ever giving her an answer.
"Find anything out?" Chris questioned, obvious excitement giving his voice just a little of an edge. He was just as ready to find Alona as Justin and JC were to find Alexa.
"Umm*yeah," Justin replied hesitantly, glancing sideways at JC. "We*re going to Compton."
"What?" Lance squeaked out, his eyes wide with horror. "Are you two trying to get us killed?"
Joey just slumped down in his seat and shook his head.
Dre laughed. "I*ve got family there. We*ll be alright."
Lonnie looked at him like he*d lost his mind. He knew damn well that all of Dre*s family lived in Alabama. But if Dre thought lying to the boys about their safety was a good idea, he would go along with it. That was why Dre was head of security and not him.
"I*m gonna ask all of you again," JC stated very seriously. "Are you in or are you out? Because if you*re out, you can stay here at the restaurant and I*ll come back and get you after I find Alexa. This is your last chance."
No one said anything.
"Lance?" JC continued, turning in his seat to stare at his friend. "You sure?"
"I*m sure," he mumbled, "I*m sure. Let*s just get out of here before I change my mind."
Putting the large van into drive, JC once again sped off. But this time, at least, he was fairly certain of what would be awaiting him at his final destination. He wasn*t sure if he should be relieved or scared out of his mind. In all honesty, he was a little bit of both.
~*~
Tyrell stared approvingly at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He felt good about himself. Damn good. He had his woman back and there was no doubt in his mind that she was all his again. Alexa wasn*t stupid enough to cross him again. And if she did, he wouldn't be as kind to her next time. She was lucky right now. He had let her live. Just barely, though. She*d been blacked out for about 45 minutes. But he figured she*d come to sooner or later. And when she did, he*d be there. He wasn*t quite finished with her yet.
Stretching his arms high above his head, he smiled. It was wonderful to be in control again. As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, he heard a soft whimper coming from the bedroom. It wasn't Alexa. Alona must be starting to come around. Great, just what he didn*t need. He*d flirted briefly with the idea of just killing her and being done with it. But he wanted to have his fun with her first. And now it seemed like she was waking up for round three.
He walked into the bedroom and stood threateningly, staring down at her bruised, bloody, and beaten body. If he were a better man he might have felt sorry for her. But he didn*t. Instead, he winked at her. He actually winked.
"How you feeling?" he questioned calmly, stepping towards the bed and leaning over her.
A sudden flare of anger flashed through Alona*s blue eyes. And much to the surprise of Tyrell, she smiled. And then spit in his face. He flinched just slightly and turned to the side, at first to shocked to do anything in return. But then his temper took over. Wiping the spit from his eye, he stood up.
"That was a very bad idea," he barked, his fists clenching at his sides.
Alona*s smile never faded. She wasn*t even sure why. All she knew was that, somewhere, deep down inside, she suddenly wasn*t afraid of Tyrell. He could only take as much as she was willing to give him. And her strength wasn*t something she was willing to hand over so easily. She was a fighter. Always had been. And now Tyrell would have to deal with that. If this was how her life was going to end, she was at least going to make sure that she went down with a fight.