Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 49: Rescue Efforts

Ben let himself in the house and slogged up to his bedroom, grateful the rest of the household was already asleep. He needed liquid courage and some sleep before he was ready to face Mom, especially since Anya would be at breakfast as well. That woman was toxic.

Mom might be mean, but Anya was like a poisonous gas that flowed in, around, and through everything, leaving behind the corpses of her victims. And all the while, Anya would smile in your face and look like a retired runway model.

Ben pulled off his clothes and left them in the hamper. He loved the vibe at the nightclub and the ability to earn and control his own money, but he could do without coming home in the wee hours of the morning reeking of alcohol and sweat.

He showered away the odor and as much tension as he could, considering the circumstances, and then stepped into a pair of pajama bottoms. His nightly face care regime was cut short when he discovered he was out of night moisturizer. He’d pay for that in the morning. Min might have called him unforgettable, but Ben worked hard to maintain his good looks and his reputation as an easy-going, likable guy.

Min. Wow. That came out of left field. Ben wasn’t even aware Min saw him. Min was always at King’s side, but he was the consummate professional, silent and unassuming. That was part of his charm, the way he supported King all these years without asking for anything in return.

In truth, Ben was envious of the relationship between King and Min. Ben never had anyone in his life who had his back as thoroughly as Min had King’s, except for maybe King himself. He wasn’t oblivious. He knew King stood up for him or acted out to take the heat off Ben.

Ben was the only brother who had never been to the reflection room. He knew it wasn’t because he was the perfect child. No, King had always been the buffer between him and Mom. Ben owed King. And now Min had given him a way to pay King back at least some of the interest on the debt owed.

It was just another reason to be attracted to Min, not that Ben needed one.

Jake

Jake stood in the shadows across the street from 1211 Smith Street. He watched as two out of three of the men who had taken Teela polished off enough spaghetti to feed a family of four. The third man was tied up and gagged between two dumpsters nearby.

No sign of Teela.

Sampson joined him. "Are we going to do this or what?"

"Oh, yeah. Nobody messes with Teela and gets away with it."

Teela helped him remember who he was, and she’d given him the first glimmer of hope that he might find the boys. He owed the woman. Plus, he earnestly liked her. She was like a flame that attracted moths, and the moths were good people who he enjoyed working with. If something happened to her, he wasn’t sure everyone would stay together.

Jake instructed Sampson to head around back. Jake would take the front door. Sampson the back. They would make sure the guys stuck around long enough to answer some questions, first for them and then the cops.

Jake pulled a cap down low over his face, tucked the expandable baton into his jacket pocket. He preferred to avoid flashing a gun unless he planned to use it, and he wouldn’t use one unless his opponent pulled one first.

He walked up to the door and texted Sampson the go. Sampson would give him two minutes, then break in the back, if no one came crashing out.

Jake knocked at the door and waited, listening to the muffled conversation inside. The porch light came on, and Perp One came to the door.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry to bother you. My car broke down and my cell is dead. Can I borrow your phone?"

"No, get lost." Perp One tried to shut the door on Jake, but Jake blocked him.

"What the—?"

"Step back and let me in if you don’t want the neighbors calling the cops."

The guy jerked Jake inside and slammed him against the wall. Jake grinned. Dumbass gave him exactly what he wanted, privacy and the first strike. Now he could honestly tell the cops he was defending himself.

Jake shut off his brain and let his training take over. By the time Sampson burst in the back door, Perp One was on his knees cradling a broken nose. Perp Two was doing that dumb dance hot shots think make them look hot in the ring.

Jake relaxed and let the guy come to him. Perp Two was immediately renamed Dumbass for walking right into a roundhouse kick followed by a sweep that put him on his back.

Sampson said, "Glad I could help."

"You can help by tying this one up while I have a chat with the bleeder."

Jake yanked the bleeder up by the collar and shoved him in a chair. He found a towel in the kitchen and threw it at him. "Clean yourself up while we chat."

Perp One’s nasally voice was annoying. "I ain’t got nothing to say."

"I suggest you find something to say about Teela Heavenly. Where is she?"

"Who?"

Jake slapped him. Blood from the broken nose sprayed across the room.

"Try again. We know you and Sleeping Beauty there kidnapped her earlier today."

"If I talk to you, I got bigger problems."

Jake got in his face. "Take a really good look at me. Think hard about what I did to you and your buddy in less than two minutes. Do you really think you’ve got bigger problems than me.

"Oh, and before you get your hopes up, the third in your little trio is tied up outside. He won’t be coming to the rescue."

"Shit," Perp muttered as he leaned his head back to stop the blood flow.

Jake gave him a minute to consider his options.

"Sampson. Bring in the other guy. Might as well keep them all together. We’ll have a party. I’ll call Charlie. I bet it’s been a long time since he practiced the interrogation skills he learned during Desert Storm. I bet he’d get a kick out of these guys.

"Dumbass there acts like a gym rat whose never had a real fight in his entire life. The guy by the dumpster didn’t even hear me sneak up behind him. Good thing I left my Bowie knife at home."

Perp One looked concerned.

"Yeah, call Charlie. Have him bring my knife and the chemicals. Looks like we’ll need to melt these guys down in the tub, since they’re too tough to talk."

Dumbass moaned.

Oh, good fresh meat to interrogate.

Jake grabbed a glass of water from the table and threw it in Dumbass’s face. The guy’s eyes flew open. The man struggled angst the zip ties securing his wrists and feet.

"Steady there, bud. You’ll hurt yourself if you’re not careful."

Sampson said, "But if you don’t, we will."

Jake said, "So what about you? Are you smarter than your buddy there?" He pointed to Perp One. "Tell me where you took the girl before Sampson here gets bored."

Dumbass snapped his mouth shut and shook his head like a petulant child.

"Are you sure?"

Have at it, Sampson, but don’t hit anything vital until we get answers.

Jake lounged against the dinner table with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Sampson inflict some damage on Dumbass. Soon, his face was bleeding almost as much as Perp One.

Dumpster Guy was still out cold. Jake was concerned he may have injured him more than he intended. He let him sleep it off a bit longer.

Perp One said, "Our employer is very powerful. You’ll be dead before dawn."

"Oh, you mean Lettie Heavenly? Yeah, I’m not scared. My backers are scarier than she is. As far as who will be dead before dawn, we’ll see. My bet is your employer not only doesn’t know I’m here but when she does find out, her biggest concern will be if you gave up the location of Teela.

"So when I tell her you gave up her name already, you’ll be the one under a death threat before I will. She knows your name. Me, I’m just a ghost. I’m done here, I disappear back into the shadows like I never existed.

"What about you? Can you say that?

"Hey Sampson, remember that rescue gig in Kuwait? We were in and out in thirty minutes. The only ones we left alive were the children and the victim. Good times."

"Yeah, I remember. It would have been less, but Charlie stopped for a sandwich."

A double tap sounded at the front door. The rabble kicked up a fussy, but Jake quickly put the bleeder to sleep while Sampson quieted Dumbass.