Dare to Succeed (The Dare 2)

The construction site filled with lights and the sound of gunshots went off around her. She screamed and tried running through the buildings when she felt the sharp pain to her shoulder. She fell forward, hitting her face on the concrete and then feeling the hands on her, ripping her top and turning her over. She couldn’t move her arm as she tried fighting Tony off with one hand.

He was striking her when suddenly another gunshot went off. Tony instantly stopped ripping her clothes and fell to the side. Men grabbed him, handcuffing him as flashlights illuminated her body and her face.

“Jesus, baby. Oh God we need an ambulance. She’s been shot,” Caldwell yelled out. Him and Monroe looked at her and checked her over carefully.

“That fucking bastard. Is he dead, Max? Did you kill that fucker for what he did to her?” Monroe yelled.

“He’s alive. He’ll suffer every day for the rest of his life. I’ll make sure of it,” Max said as he looked at her.

Alicia was shaking and crying. “How did you find me? How did you know something was wrong?” she asked as Monroe pulled off his shirt and applied pressure to the gunshot wound on her shoulder.

“We were coming to tell you some good news. We couldn’t wait until tomorrow, baby,” Caldwell said and caressed the dirt from her cheeks.

“Thank God we did. When we saw your apartment and realized someone broke in we were so scared. Max figured out it was your ex. What the hell happened?” Monroe asked her.

“I hurt everywhere. My shoulder is throbbing,” she cried.

* * * *

Max felt sick.

“We’ll talk about it later. The ambulance is here. You’re safe now, Alicia. We’ve got you,” Max told her as the paramedics moved them out of the way.

Max watched in horror as their friends tended to her injuries. Her clothes were ripped. Her ex abducted her, beat her, shot her, and tried to rape her. He felt sick, angry, and he wanted answers.

“You guys take care of Alicia. I’m getting down to the bottom of this situation with her ex and what he wanted. The man is going to pay for this.”

“You should come to the hospital. Let someone else deal with it,” Caldwell told him.

Max shook his head. He felt responsible. He should have been with her. One of them should be with her at all times. That was what she deserved and needed.

“No, I want this resolved, and the only way to ensure that this asshole keeps away from her is to make sure he goes to jail for a very long time. I’ll get to the hospital. You two take care of her and watch over her.”

Chapter 9

“She’s my sister. I’m her family and you have no right to keep me from seeing her,” Alvin yelled as Deputy Taylor Dawn held him back. Max pointed at Alicia’s brother.

“You’re not her brother. If you were her brother then you never would have said the things you did to her to break her down and make her feel weak and incapable of surviving without you and that asshole who tried to kill her.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with what Tony did to her or how he tried to kill her. That’s why I’m here so I can see her. I was so worried.”

Max wasn’t sure what to do. Every gut instinct in his body told him this guy was a laying sack of shit.

“Oh really?” Caldwell said as he approached along with some of their friends. Locals in the community, including a lawyer friend of theirs who helped Max earlier. Through many connections they were able to find out some concrete information to put Tony behind bars.

Caldwell read from his phone.

“I have some information here that proves you’ve been working with Tony to get Alicia to sign papers handing over all funds to Tony and nothing to her.”

“I did no such thing,” Alvin protested.

“Sure you did. You’re signature is on this piece of paper indicating that Tony planned on giving you a cut just for helping him make your sister believe his story,” the lawyer said.

“He was going to give you five thousand dollars. That’s it. The store front sold for two hundred thousand. Tony screwed you too.” Caldwell added.

Alvin’s eyes widened and then he became irate.

“That stupid bitch had to come to Chance and met you assholes. If she just signed the damn papers none of this would have happened.”