Nik puts his finger against his lips and stares me in the eyes.
I nod my head and back away, following his lead. My heart’s beating so fast and loud. I can feel it pounding against my chest.
As soon as I’m in, I hear her. The warehouse is nearly empty. To our right, I can see half a dozen folding tables with boxes piled high in two rows in front of them.
This must be where they pack and ship the product.
In an instant my head whips to the left.
I can hear her muffled cries for help. They echo off the wall. I move straight back, to the left. There’s one hallway on this side, and her voice is easy to follow.
Keep screaming. I need to hear you, peaches. I need to know which door. My feet move of their own accord, and I’m only half-aware of Nik moving behind me.
I hear her cries from the far door, and I’m on it instantly. I’m there. She’s still alive. I’m here. I can save her.
I go to grab the door handle, but Nik pulls me back. My fists clench and I almost knock him out. But his attention isn’t on me. It’s on the door.
My shoulders heave as I wait for him to get going. I hear her scream out, and it’s too much.
Nik’s hand settles on the doorknob, gently turning it. I resist the urge to kick it open. I need to get to her. Her cries are louder now, and I don’t know what’s happening to her. My hands grip my gun and sweat pours down my face. My heart’s beating too fast.
Maddy. I’m here.
Nik gently and soundlessly pushes the door open enough for us to creep through. As soon as I’m in, I see her in front of a desk, on the ground tied to an overturned chair. Vlad's standing above her with a large knife in hand. There’s plastic wrap and duct tape on the desk. Their equipment.
Maddy’s struggling against the ropes, trying to pull her hands free as she bucks off the ground. She’s helpless and trying to scream through a gag. Tears are running down her face. My heart pangs in my chest.
Vlad’s got a sick smile on his sunken-in face as he cuts her leg with the knife. Behind him, Garret’s setting up a video camera.
Sickness threatens to take over, but more than that, anger. How dare they touch her? My body trembles with barely contained rage. Those sick fucks!
I can’t let him touch her. I won’t. In the distance, I hear gunshots. Alec and Lev must have found other people in the warehouse. But now we've lost the element of surprise as Vlad and Garret look up and realize we've come for Maddy.
I hear Nik yell as I run out to the middle of the room, my gun pointed at Vlad and firing. My hand’s shaking so hard, I miss. The bullet sounds off and barely grazes Vlad’s back. Garret comes from my left and throws a chair at me. The fuckers aren’t armed.
Good. I aim my gun at him as the chair flies through the air.
It hits my calves and trips me up as I try to run to Maddy. I try to cover her, but I fall and the gun slips from my hands. It lands on the ground with a loud clank next to me, and I brace myself. I'm quick to get up and move to her side.
At the same time, I hear another bullet go off and see Nik go after Vlad from the corner of my eye. Garret’s quick to run into Nik, knocking the two of them to the ground. Vlad’s focused on Nik, and I can tell Nik is his target. I reach up to the desk and grab the knife.
Maddy first. I have to save her. Before I do anything else, I need her to be safe. I need to give her a fighting chance at least. I crawl to her and quickly cut the rope from her wrists. The knife saws back and forth.
I hear the sound of bones crunching and fists slamming into flesh. By the noises echoing off the walls of the small room, I know Nik must be putting up a hell of a fight.
Finally, the rope breaks and I hear Nik call out for me. “Zane!”
I put the knife in her hands, knowing she needs to cut the rope on her ankles. “Run, Maddy!” I yell at her. “Run!”
I grab the gun on the floor next to me and turn to aim, but I can’t fire. I could hit Nikolai. I move quickly through the room, kicking the chair and aim as soon as I have Garret lined up. He lifts his head and sees as I pull the trigger. He ducks and kicks off the ground, shoving his weight forward and pushing his body into my thighs.
I fall hard and the gun goes off as I crash to the floor. My hand hits the floor hard and I wince as Garret punches me in the gut. The gun slips from my hand and he reaches for it. I grab his waist and yank him down and away from it. He kicks my thigh and reaches for the gun again, practically climbing up my body. I headbutt his stomach, and he keels over in pain. I slam a fist in his jaw and it sends him sliding away from me, away from the gun.
I reach for the gun. I can feel the barrel with the tips of my fingers.
I see Maddy using the knife to cut the rope around her ankles from the corner of my eye. I need to kill him. I can’t let him get to her. I need to get the gun first.
Maddy’s screaming, and keeps looking at me. She needs to get out. Just save herself. But she’s not running. She hurls her body at Garret with the knife in her hand. But he’s too quick. He kicks her hard in her face, sending her flying backward. Fuck! “Just run Maddy!” I scream to her, but she ignores me. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her.
The knife slices his leg, but doesn’t do anything more than slow him down for a moment. It’s a moment I’m able to scoot closer to the gun than he is though.
Garret grabs my leg and tries to pull me away. I kick him. Hard. I miss, but on the way down my foot hits his jaw and he slips off of me. I kick against the ground watching Garret, and look up to see Maddy crawling on the floor and pushing the gun to me. I take it in both hands and roll onto my back, steadying it down my body and just as Garrett looks up, I shoot.
Bang! Maddy shrieks. Bang! Bang! I keep shooting until the gun’s out of bullets.
Garret falls to the ground lifeless, but the fight’s not over. I turn to my left and see Nik and Vlad both grappling on the ground, both with their hands at each other’s throat. I aim my gun and fire, but it’s empty. Fuck! My body’s hot and my heart feels like it’s racing to climb up my throat.
I search for another gun, but I can’t see one. There’s nothing.
I watch as Vlad puts all his weight on top of Nik and tightens his hands around his throat. Nik doesn’t let up, but he’s losing the fight. I can see it happening.
I run toward them and slam my body against Vlad’s. He falls, and his hands slip. Nik takes in a heavy breath, coughing as his lungs fill for the first time since Vlad started choking him. I struggle to get up as Nik pushes against me and tries to pin Vlad’s heavy weight down.
Nikolai’s hands wrap around Vlad's throat. Vlad tries bringing his legs up to pin Nikolai to the ground, but I’m quick to grab him. I leave Maddy behind me and grip onto his calves. I push all my weight down and pin him. I don’t let up until I see Vlad’s hands move from Nik’s throat to the hands strangling him.
The blood vessels in his eyes pop and his face turns red. Maddy screams. She doesn’t stop screaming. I leave Nik and scoot backward to hold Maddy. She’s on the ground, knife in her hand with the cut rope on the floor next to her.
Her clothes are torn, and the cut on her leg is bleeding pretty bad. I grab her in my arms and push my hand against her cut to stop the blood from flowing. I try shushing her. Her body shakes in my arms.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe.” I try petting her hair, but she’s pushing me away.
My eyes focus on Alec and Lev as they come into the room with their guns out. I start to push her behind me, but they take in the scene and lower their weapons.
I hold Maddy closer to me as I see the life drain from Vlad’s eyes. Lev walks over and holds a gun out to Nik as Vlad’s body goes limp.
I turn Maddy’s head away and watch as Nik puts the gun to Vlad’s head and pulls the trigger.
Bang! Maddy jolts once in my arms, but she doesn’t scream.
A clean shot in the skull. Blood spills from the wound as the head turns slightly and Nik moves
off his chest.
“It’s over, peaches. It’s alright,” I whisper into her hair, but she doesn’t respond. That’s when I notice she’s not holding on to me anymore. She’s limp in my arms.
“Maddy?” I give her body a firm shake as my heart races with panic. She’s breathing, she’s alive. But she’s not responsive.
Chapter 25
Zane
She won’t stop shaking. I hold her closer to me. I think she’s in shock. “It’s alright peaches, I’ve got you.” I repeat the words over and over, holding her tighter to me.
I look up at Nikolai. “I need to take her to the hospital.” She needs help. She needs it now.
He looks back at me with hesitation. That’s something the mob doesn’t do. At the hospital they ask questions. Questions are something for snitches.
I grind my teeth. I’m not going to let her go without a fight.
“I’m done with this shit, Nikolai.” I nearly spit my words out. I look up at him, holding my girl closer to me.
He’s the only one I had in my life for the longest time. But that’s over now. I’m ready to move on. And this isn’t the life I want. It’s not the life of a man she deserves. And more than anything, I want to deserve her.
“What’s that, Zane? You’re done with what?” he asks with a small threat in his voice, but I don’t care. I’m not letting go of Maddy, and her and this life simply don’t mix.
“I’m out. I don’t want this anymore. Take the shop, do what you want. You’re the Don, and I’m asking to go. I’m asking for peace.”
Nikolai looks at me and then back at his men. They heard, but they keep their heads down. Nikolai is the boss now. He holds the power.
He takes a few steps back and runs a hand down his face. “Get these fuckers out of here now!” he yells at his men.
“You need to wait till it’s clean.” I nod and agree, but I don’t like it. Nik passes me the plastic wrap and duct tape and it takes me a minute to realize it’s for her cut.
I take care of it and keep an eye on her as time passes. I rock her in my arms and watch her breathing. She seems to be doing better and not worse, so that’s a good thing.
“She’ll be alright,” Nik says. I look up at him and his eyes move from her to me. “She’s alright.”
“I wanna take her to the hospital.”
Maddy nestles into my chest, she’s quiet and still trembling. This was too much for her.
Nikolai nods his head at me. “Call 'em.”
I don’t hesitate to reach in my pocket and dial up the ambulance. I’m short and to the point. “I have a young woman in shock on 32 and Sussex.” They ask questions that I don’t answer. “She needs an ambulance.” And with that, I hang up the phone. I may want out of the mob, but I’m sure as shit not going to give them any information.
I’m not a rat.
A long moment passes. “You okay, peaches?” I whisper into Maddy’s ear. She nods her head and offers me a small murmur, but her eyes aren’t focused.
“What’s the shop worth?” Nikolai asks, bringing my attention back to him.
“No clue,” I answer him. I don’t fucking know. I don’t handle the books. “You can check the books.”
Nikolai looks at me for a moment. “I’ll give you the money, whatever it’s worth, and you go where you want.” I hold his gaze, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.
I nod my head as I hear the sirens coming. They’re always fast when you hang up.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Nikolai says. “I’m proud of you, Zane.”
I don’t know why, but it hurts to hear him say that. My eyes water and I’d feel like a little bitch if Nikolai’s weren’t all glassy-looking, too.
“It’s over,” he says.
I nod my head and lean down to give Maddy a kiss.
“It’s over, baby; we’re safe now.”
Chapter 26
Madeline
“I think she’s awake, Mr. Murphy,” I hear Katie say. Her voice sounds muffled, almost as if I’m under water. I hear other people talking too, but their voices are too distorted to understand what they're saying.
Groaning, I struggle to open my eyes. They feel heavy, like they weigh a thousand pounds. On top of that, my body is sore all over and I feel incredibly weak. After a moment, I’m able to lift my eyelids enough to see. Everything is blurry. There are several people, I think, standing over my bed. I blink rapidly to clear my vision, and slowly the room comes into view.
I’m lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by Daddy and Katie. Katie is holding my hand and looking down at me with a mixture of relief and love. Daddy looks like a man who’s been told he’s won the lottery.
As grateful as I am to see these two, I notice one person missing.
Zane, I think with panic. Where’s Zane?
I try to lift my head to look around, but it’s too much for me and I fall back. Seeing my distress, Daddy rushes forward and places a hand on my shoulder to calm me. “I’m here, baby,” he reassures me, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on my forehead. “No one is ever going to hurt you again. I swear it.” For a moment, I feel comforted by his words.
“We’re both so glad you’re alive,” Katie adds, her voice filled with joy. She places her hand over her chest. “For a while there, I thought you wouldn’t make it. You almost gave your father and I a frickin' heart attack.”
I smile briefly at her, so she doesn’t think I’m an ungrateful twit. “Where’s Zane?” I croak. My voice sounds raw, like I’ve smoked a hundred packs of cigarettes.
“He had to leave,” Katie says, glancing apprehensively at Daddy.
“Why?” I demand, sensing something’s not right. Why would he leave me like this?
“Because I told him to,” Daddy replies sternly, his smile morphing into a scowl. “I told him to get out and to never come back. He's the reason why you’re here, and he can go to hell for it.”
Anger swells up from the depths of my stomach. “Why would you do that?” I snap. “Zane saved my life!” I can scarcely remember the events following my rescue, but I clearly remember being held in Zane’s loving arms before I lost consciousness. My father was wrong to send Zane away when he’d risked his life to save me.
He snorts. “Saved you? Had you never met the lying bastard, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“I’m only alive because he saved me!” I yell, my voice croaking like a frog. Through the large doorway, I see several nurses stop to stare at me, but I don’t give a damn. I’m fucking pissed.
“You have no idea why you’re alive,” Daddy says. “You’re clearly delirious, so I’m going to forgive how you’re acting toward me.”
“I am not delirious. As soon as they say I’m well enough, I’m out of here! And the first thing I’m going to do is find Zane to tell him how much I love him.”
Daddy’s face turns red with fury. “You’re going to do no such thing, young lady!”
I glare back at him, pretending not to notice Katie fidgeting and looking uncomfortable. I know she must feel pretty conflicted right now, stuck between her best friend and my well-meaning father. “I'm a grown woman. You can't tell me what I can or can’t do!”
He glowers at me, the veins standing out his neck. I swear if I wasn’t already half-dead, he’d strike me. He takes a deep breath, as if to calm himself and opens his mouth to speak. “You know--”
“Mr. Murphy,” Katie says, quietly interrupting him. “I think Maddy and I need a second alone.”
He turns on Katie, and at first I think he’s going to cuss her out, but he just stares at her.
“Please?” Katie pleads. “Just a few minutes, and I’ll let you take the helm.”
Daddy turns his gaze back on me for a long moment before grudgingly saying, “Alright. You have five minutes.” Not saying another word, he bends down and kisses me on the forehead, and then he walks out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.
“What happened?” I ask h
er as soon as the door clicks shut. Katie grabs a chair from the corner of the room and drags it over to the bed. She sits down and takes my hand.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes filled with concern.
I shake my head, tears welling up into my eyes. “No,” I sigh. “I’m not.” Tears roll down my face as I relive the trauma of my kidnapping, and it’s an effort to wipe them away. “I need Zane,” I say.
Seeing my distress, tears well up in Katie’s eyes. “Oh Maddy,” she sighs. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”
My throat feels like it has a lump the size of a bowling ball in it. “They were going to…” I can hardly get the words out. “Rape me... and kill me.” I’m grateful my father isn't in here to hear this part of my story. I fear he might blame Zane and go find him and shoot him.
Katie places a hand over her mouth in horror. “Oh God, Maddy, no.”
I nod. “It was so awful, Katie. I didn’t know if I was going to live or die.”
“And Zane really saved you?” she asks in wonder.
“Yes,” I reply. “Against all odds, he found me. And then he killed them. He saved me.”
Katie's eyes go wide with shock. “He killed the guys who kidnapped you?”
I nod. “And they fucking deserved it,” I snarl, half-rising in the bed, my eyes blazing with hatred. “They deserved to be fucking dead!”
Katie’s taken aback by the venom in my voice and the savage scowl on my face. I know she thinks that this behavior isn't like me, but she wasn’t there. She didn’t live through the horror like I did. It changes a person.
“When was Zane last here?” I ask, looking all around as if he’s about to pop out of thin air.
“Yesterday, when you were admitted. He called me and told me to get your dad. I did, and then when I got here he told me you had been kidnapped, but everything was fine now. He didn’t say anything about killing anybody, though.” She bites her lower lip anxiously.
“He didn’t tell you because he didn’t want Daddy to know. Daddy hates him, so imagine if he knew what Zane did, even if it was to save me.”
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