As I considered Meek’s words, my eyes were drawn to a man who was making his way toward the entrance to the casino. He was well dressed in a fitted black suit that I knew was worth more than the eight-thousand-dollar ring that flashed on his right thumb. I spotted a tattoo on his knuckle and followed the line of his sleeves up to his throat, where another, paler black tattoo winked at me from beneath the collar of his shirt.
I nudged Meek in the ribs with my elbow, and he followed my stare to look at the man. Meek made a sound in the back of his throat. He and I were on the same page.
The man’s dark brown eyes met mine as he approached. He gave me a crooked grin and came to stand about four feet away from me and Meek.
“Mr. Kline,” the stranger acknowledged, dipping his head in a polite bow. “I was hoping you would be open to sitting down for a drink. There are things the two of us need to discuss.”
Meek took a threatening step forward. “You’ll say what you need to say, and then you’ll get off the property.”
“Meek,” I said, putting a hand on my friend’s chest and pushing him back a step. I looked up at the blonde man with brown eyes. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he was staring back at me like he already knew I was going to accept his offer. “A drink is fine.”
Meek glared at me. “Are you serious?”
“We’re keeping it under the radar, remember? We won’t cause a scene unless we have to. I’ll hear him out. I can handle myself. You stay here and keep an eye out for Luccio.” I was trying to suggest, without saying it plainly in front of Luccio’s man, that the blonde stranger might be a distraction.
The tightness in Meek’s jaw told me he was having a hard time digesting my request. “Stay in my line of sight,” he grated before looking away from me to watch the casino floor.
I didn’t say anything as I turned back to the stranger. “Follow me,” I said, and I led him to the bar above the casino floor. We took a table by the railing so that Meek could see us easily. I ordered us each a rum and coke, and once they arrived, I leaned back in my chair and crossed one leg over the other.
“Let’s not waste our time with niceties. Tell me what you came here for.”
The stranger sipped his drink and smiled at me. “You’re in such a hurry to get to business. Don’t you want to get to know each other first?”
“Not in the least.”
The man chuckled. “Well, there are a few things I want to put on the table first. My name is Roy. I work for Luccio. He will not be coming today with the unsigned check. He has made other arrangements that he felt would pay off more in his favor.”
I stared blankly back at Roy.
“Are you interested in hearing these new arrangements?” Roy asked.
“I am sure you will tell me, regardless of my answer. So go ahead, Roy. What are these arrangements?”
“Well,” Roy started. “It was important that Luccio found the proper leverage to get you to see that denying him was not an option. It took him a bit of time. He didn’t expect you to turn him down the other day when he paid you a visit.”
“Spit it out already,” I growled. I was sick of playing games with these goons.
“You forced his hand, Greyson. Remember that.” Roy reached into his pocket. My heart started hammering in my chest, and I wondered if I had let myself walk right into a terrible trap. He could be pulling anything from his pocket. A knife. A gun.
Instead, he only withdrew his cellphone. He turned the screen on, flipped through a couple screens, and then handed the device to me across the table.
I hesitated to take it from him.
“Take it,” Roy said.
I stared at the phone in his hand. After another brief moment, I took the phone, pulled it to me, and stared down at the screen.
It was a picture.
In the image were three women. Three incredibly familiar women.
The shot had been taken from what I assumed was a security camera mounted in the corner of the room they were in. Renee was sitting beside Nikki on a brown leather sofa. In front of both women was a third. Her long black hair hung down her back as she knelt in front of them.
Skylar.
My grip tightened on the phone as my stomach rolled.
I looked up at Roy. “If you hurt her—”
“The photo was taken less than an hour ago,” he said, cutting me off. “She will not be harmed, and neither will the others, so long as you pay up the hundred thousand. Sorry, hundred and fifty thousand. Your incessant delays have incurred interest. You have until tomorrow at noon.”
White hot anger brewed inside me as I stared down at the picture. Roy held out his hand for me to pass the phone back to him, but I wasn’t willing to yet. I was engrossed in the image, looking for any sign that the women might have been hurt. From what I could see, they looked unharmed. I wished I could see Skylar’s face.
I slapped the phone into Roy’s open palm. Roy tucked it back into his pocket and then poured the rest of his drink down his throat. “I hope you understand that this is all just business, Greyson.”
“Fuck you,” I spat.
Roy’s eyebrows inched up his forehead. “You surprise me. I thought you would be much more professional with your girlfriend’s life at risk.”
“You tell your boss that if he lays a hand on her, I will ruin him. I’ll have his money. I can assure you.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” Roy said happily, slapping a hand on the table and drawing the attention of several people around us. “I knew you’d be a good sport, Greyson. You just needed the right motivation to help you see reason. Skylar and her friends will be well taken care of while they are in our company. You’ll receive a text with the address at eleven tomorrow morning. Be there before noon. Come alone.”
“Fine,” I said.
Roy stood and dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “A tip for excellent service.” He winked.
Then he turned and left. I watched him go with a feeling of despair swelling inside me.
Skylar.
How could I have been so blind? Skylar had been such an easy target. The thought that they would have taken her had never crossed my mind. I had been so consumed with protecting my casino, my business, and my staff that I had let her walk right into the line of fire.
I stood and waited a moment for the world to stop spinning. My rage was making me sick. My fear was making everything feel unreal. If anything happened to her, it would be entirely my fault, and I would never forgive myself.
When the world righted itself, I hurried down to the casino floor toward Meek. He wasn’t going to like that I had to go there tomorrow by myself. He would put up a fight.
It wouldn’t be a negotiation. These men had Skylar, and they weren’t messing around. I was not going to take any risks with her safety in jeopardy. I was going to get the money and wait for the text message. Then I would go in alone.
I had to.
Chapter 26
Skylar
I had been pacing back and forth across the rug for at least an hour. Renee and Nikki hadn’t moved from their place on the sofa. They were clinging to one another, and Nikki had worked herself into a state of panic several times. Renee had been able to calm her down each time, but I feared she was edging closer to a full-blown panic attack.
“Nikki, you have to calm down,” Renee said, rubbing her friend’s back. “We can’t control any of this right now. You have to try to keep it together.”
Nikki glared at Renee. “Keep it together? We’ve been kidnapped and locked up a basement. You think they’re going to do what they say and just let us go if her stupid boyfriend pays the money? Why would he fork it over, anyway? He doesn’t owe us anything. He barely knows her!” She pointed at me. “It’s been a week!”
I continued pacing.
Renee slapped Nikki’s accusing hand down. “Pointing blame isn’t going to fix anything right now. You need to relax.”
“I can’t relax,” Ni
kki said in a rush of air as she tried to fill her lungs.
Her breathing was growing steadily quicker. All the color from her complexion had drained, and her whole body had started shaking. I recognized the symptoms of shock instantly.
I went to the sofa and crouched down in front of her. “I know you’re mad at me right now. I’m mad at me, too. But you have to listen to me. You’re going into shock. You need to calm down. Breathe with me, okay? I’m going to help you feel better.”
Nikki shook her head back and forth as tears spilled down her cheeks. She tried to speak, but all that came out were short gasps.
I gathered her hands in mine. “Breathe with me, Nikki.”
I took a slow, deep breath.
Nikki wasn’t following along.
“If you don’t calm down, you’re going to have a panic attack,” I said to her. “Just breathe with me, and it will all go away. Just trust me. You can do this. Breathe.” I took another deep breath.
Nikki followed suit, surprising me. She watched my mouth as I breathed in and out, and she copied my pattern. Soon, Renee was following along, and the three of us were practicing deep breaths to slow our heart rates.
“Very good,” I said slowly. “Just like that. Nice and steady.”
Nikki closed her eyes and took deep breaths without having to follow my lead. I let go of her hands and encouraged her to lay down. She did, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off to sleep.
Renee looked up at me. “How did you do that?”
“She was going into shock. I needed to calm her down. Without proper care, she could have worked herself into such a state that she might have had a heart attack. It’s happened to one of my patients before.”
“It’s a good thing you’re a nurse,” Renee said.
“Yeah, I guess.” I sat down on the opposite couch. Renee stood and joined me. I wrung my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry, Renee. This is all my fault. I can’t believe I put you guys in danger like this. I had no idea.”
“I know,” Renee said. “I know you would never do anything to hurt us. This is out of your control.”
“But you warned me,” I said. My eyes started watering. I looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath as the tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes. “You warned me to be careful about Greyson. You told me that I didn’t really know him. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to you. This isn’t the kind of girl I am. I don’t take risks. I don’t sleep with strangers. I gave him everything, Renee. Everything. And now look where we are.”
“Hey,” Renee said, grabbing my hands and pulling them into her lap. “You couldn’t have known. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.” I sobbed, leaning into her.
She gathered me in her arms and held my head to her chest as I cried. She soothed me by running her hand over my hair. “Listen to me, Sky. This isn’t your fault. I don’t blame you. And what I said yesterday? I never should have said any of it. I love you. And I’m sorry. This whole trip was a fiasco.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I said, sniffling.
We sat together for a while, quietly clinging to one another for comfort until eventually my tears had stopped and I was able to sit up.
“Do you think he’ll pay them the money?” Renee asked.
I couldn’t lie to her. “I don’t know. I thought I knew him. But all of a sudden, it feels like I never really knew him at all. Owing people like this money? What kind of stuff is he into?”
“I don’t know.” Renee shrugged. “But maybe it was real. Maybe he does really care for you. It sure seemed like he did. The way he looked at you.”
“The way he looked at me doesn’t matter. Not when he’s been keeping so much of his life in the dark. These guys are serious. They’re professional criminals. This house isn’t the kind of place casual, petty criminals live in. These guys are the real thing.”
“Gangsters?” Renee suggested.
“Maybe. Don’t tell Nikki.”
“Why the hell would I tell Nikki?” Renee giggled and then covered her mouth. I cracked a smile of my own. Renee looked over at her sleeping friend. “She puts on a pretty big act, you know?”
“I should hope so. No one can be that self-absorbed.”
“It’s a defense mechanism I think,” Renee said. “It helps her keep people at bay. She has a lot of trust issues. I know the real Nikki, and she’s actually pretty great. I think the two of you could be friends if you both tried just a little bit.”
“Well,” I said. “If we get out of this, I’ll extend an olive branch.”
“When we get out of this,” Renee corrected. “We’ll be okay. I know we will. And when we get back home, the two of us are going to spend a lot more time together. We need to. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” I said, trying not to be swallowed up by tears again. “You’re my best friend, Renee. I don’t know what I would do without you. And from now on, I’m going to listen when you tell me something might be a bad idea. I never want to make a mistake like this again. I fell for his stupid face and body and his fancy house. I can’t believe I was one of those girls.”
“To be fair, we don’t know the whole situation yet. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this.”
“Perfectly reasonable?” I asked.
Renee shrugged weakly.
I shook my head. “I don’t know what Greyson could do or say that would make me forgive him for this.”
“But it might not be his fault. Bad things happen to good people all the time. What if it’s all just a big misunderstanding?”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better,” I said.
“Maybe, but I’m also kind of hopeful that he’s not the asshole we think he is. I wonder how much money he owes them.”
“Who knows?”
“He’s really rich, right?” Renee asked.
“Very rich. Like, whole other world kind of rich.”
Renee sighed. “Then we have to hope we’re worth the price they’re asking for us.”
That statement would have made me feel confident a day ago. I had been so sure that Greyson truly cared about me. I even thought he might have loved me. Now, after all of this, everything I thought I knew had been blown apart. I felt like something inside me was missing, like it had been carved out with a dull spoon.
Now, the man I thought I loved was a stranger.
The lock in the door creaked as someone on the other side unlocked it. Renee and I both crammed ourselves against each other and shuffled into the far corner of the couch.
The man who had driven us to the house appeared in the doorway. He looked us over with a neutral expression and clasped his hands behind his back.
“I see you haven’t touched the water we provided for you. Make sure you drink something. You don’t want to get dehydrated. Someone will be down with some dinner shortly, as well. Like I said, we don’t want to hurt you. As long as your sweetheart fronts the bill, you ladies can all walk out of here.”
“He’s not my sweetheart,” I said. The words were out of my mouth before I realized I had even thought them. Renee stiffened beside me.
The man smiled. “Well, it would seem that you are his.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” the man said. “He will pay the money. I could see it in his eyes. He cares about you, doll. To hear you don’t care about him? I’d hate to see his face then. Poor bastard.”
“He knows we’re here?” I asked.
The man nodded.
Anger flared inside me. “And he hasn’t come for us?”
“Doll, it’s more complicated than that. There are rules he has to follow. He’s a smart guy. He won’t misstep. First, he has to get the money. Then, he will be awaiting further instructions. Coming up with a hundred and fifty grand in less than twenty-four hours isn’t easy.”
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
&nbs
p; The man pointed to the water bottles. “Have something to drink. I’ll have dinner sent down in an hour or so. Do you ladies need anything else?”
“No,” I growled.
“Very well. See you shortly.”
He turned and closed the door behind him, leaving Nikki and I staring at one another in shock.
“He’s going to pay a hundred and fifty thousand dollars to get us back?” Renee asked.
“I hope so,” I muttered.
Chapter 27
Greyson
The briefcase with the money was on the floor between my knees as Meek drove. The radio was off, and the only sound was the hum of the tires on the asphalt. Meek looked over at me every now and then, and I knew there was something he wanted to say. I hadn’t spoken a word since getting in the car. I had simply handed him my phone with the text message with the drop off address, and Meek had pulled out of my driveway to get me there.
Finally, Meek spoke. He chose his words carefully. He seemed worried that one wrong thing might set me off. He was probably wise to think so. I was furious. I was also terrified. My whole body felt like it was ready to snap into action at any moment. The adrenaline pumping through me was maddening.
“I still don’t think going in there on your own is the smartest call. There’s no way to send for help if something goes wrong.”
I looked over at my friend. His forehead was creased with worry, and beads of sweat were forming at his hairline. “I know, but it’s the only option I have. I can’t play games with these guys, Meek. They just want their money.”
“They want whatever they can take, boss.”
I agreed with his statement. They could take anything and everything they wanted. Just not Skylar. She was off limits.
The address that had been texted to me directed us outside a massive, gated property. Meek pulled the car up to the gate and put it in park. “I guess this is where I’ll wait.”
“Yeah,” I said, shooting him a glance that I hoped looked more confident than I felt. “Thanks, Meek. Everything will be fine. Just stay here. If I’m not back in half an hour, call the cops, but don’t come inside. Got it? The casino is yours if shit goes sideways in there.”
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