Page 42 of Redeemed

The men turned to run to the elevator. "I meant it about the police," he called over his shoulder. "Call them now!"

The girl nodded and picked up the phone as Julio, Ramon, and JT piled into the elevator headed for the third floor.

The short elevator ride only gave them enough time to put together a basic plan. "I want to take him by surprise. I'll kick the door and get Jesse. You two grab Sofia and get her out of there." He gave them a pointed look. "I don't want her to see what I'm going to do to that motherfucking mountain."

"You got it, Jefe," Julio said as the brothers nodded in unison, their expressions hard and serious.

JT thought he was going to jump out of his skin before the elevator finally dinged on the third floor. He'd have taken the time to find the stairs if he'd known this hotel had the slowest elevator on the planet. He heard voices in his ear again as they spilled out onto the thickly carpeted hallway. They were louder than they had been in the lobby.

"Mmmm hmmmm," the deep voice hummed. "How is it possible you're even more perfect now?"

"Jesse, please…"

"Uh, uh. I said no more whining. Now turn for me like a good girl."

There was a long pause. JT ground his molars together so hard he was sure they would shatter. The man was a disgusting waste of oxygen, and he couldn't wait to take the asshole down. Jesse would pay for treating his Sofia like this.

A low rumble of a laugh vibrated in his ear. "Ahhh! Look at that! Tweety is still as sweet as ever and so is that ass."

JT's nostrils flared as he tried to gather air into his lungs and not scream in rage. If he was seeing the tattoo, he had Sofia at least partially naked. The motherfucker was so going to hurt bad, and soon.

The men finally came upon the door to the suite and listened. JT was going to count down the break in but then heard an animalistic shriek and a crash from inside. "Sofia!" he shouted as he kicked the door as hard as he could right above the lock.

As JT and the Garza brothers invaded the room, Jesse turned in surprise. His face was contorted with rage, and blood was streaming through his fingers where he held a hand to his head. All JT saw was red as he threw his shoulder into the mountain's middle. They fell into a large, round table which collapsed under them with a crash of splintered wood. JT's fists flew to Jesse's face as he straddled his chest. Rage like he'd never felt consumed him as he pounded the bigger man.

"JT!" Sofia screamed in fear as Julio swept her up in his arms and carried her to avoid her stepping on the broken glass and thorny rose stems littering the floor around her from the crystal vase she had used to hit Jesse with.

"Get her out!" JT hollered to the brothers as he drew his fist back for another punch.

Just as they had gotten Sofia into the hallway and Ramon had whipped off his t-shirt to cover her, four policemen came running down the hallway. "Freeze! Hands in the air!"

All three complied, but Sofia cried out, "He's in there! The man who took me is in there! These are friends!"

Two of the officers grabbed Julio and Ramon and efficiently placed them in cuffs while the other two carefully entered the suite with guns drawn. Sofia tried to get to the door. She couldn't let them mistake JT for the guy they were looking for, but she was blocked by another officer. "You don't understand," she screamed at them, tears streaking her face. "It's the guy in the suit. The one in the suit! He's the bad guy. Don't hurt JT!"

JT took a second to get one more punch in after he heard loud voices yelling "Freeze!" behind him before raising his hands high. "This is the asshole who kidnapped her," he said to the officer that pulled him off of Jesse's body, now lying limp on the floor.

"Just hold on, and do what you're told," the officer answered as he placed JT's arms behind his back and cuffed him.

"We have an 11-47," the other officer said into the radio mounted on his shoulder. "Send a bus." A squawking voice responded. The officer looked toward the rest of the crowd in the hallway. "Anyone else injured?" Everyone shook their heads. "Negative. Just one." He turned back to Jesse lying on the floor and began to pat the unconscious man down as best he could.

Sofia launched herself at JT as the officer walked him into the hallway. Her arms locked around his neck before another officer tried to pry her off. "Now, come over here, miss. We need a statement."

JT's eyes flashed and roamed up and down her form searching for injuries. Ramon's shirt covered her down to her knees, though. "Baby, did he hurt you anywhere? Are you okay?" he called as they dragged her away from him.

"I'm fine," she called back sniffling. "Are you okay?" She struggled in the officer's grasp. "Let him go! He saved me!" she yelled at the other policeman marching JT down the hall.

"I'm fine, darlin'. We'll get it all sorted here in a minute. Don't worry," he called over his shoulder as he, Ramon, and Julio were escorted down the hall in the opposite direction.

Chapter forty

Redeemed

Severalhourslater,Sofiasat in the police department's 'family waiting room', her head resting in her mother's lap. The walls were a sickening light green, and the couches looked like they had been rescued from an abandoned house, but at least she wasn't in one of the cramped interrogation rooms anymore. They'd finally let Mamá see her and bring her clothes a little while ago. Now they sat waiting. She rubbed her eyes and forehead trying to will away the headache she'd been fighting. She thought they believed her story about what had happened with Jesse, but they still wouldn't tell her anything about JT and the Garza brothers. She needed to see them and know they were okay after rescuing her.Dios mio!She'd had to be rescued from someone she'd thought she'd loved at one time. Jesse treating her like he did was still surreal to her. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door.

"I'm not waiting any longer. You are going to let us see her. She's not a criminal, for heaven's sake! I'm going to report you to the papers! She's the victim, and I'm taking her home," Maggie's voice held her most imperious tone. Sofia felt a small grin creep across her lips despite herself. These officers didn't have any idea of what wrath they were going to be facing if they didn't obey her when she used that tone.

"Now, sweetheart, let's not threaten the officers," Zane's cool voice came behind Maggie's. "We're friends of Miss Benevides," he told the officers. "Surely, you are done questioning her for the day. We'd really like to get her back to Gladewater. She's been through quite the ordeal."