by Amy Starling
Admitting I did would have been the dumbest thing I could do. But I couldn't deny it. Couldn't lie to myself, or anyone, anymore.
Dad's heavy hands clamped down on my shoulders. I winced. Even in his sixties, the man's strength could sometimes rival my own. It was no wonder folks never messed with him.
“If you were anyone else, I'd have sent a hit squad to wipe you out for this,” he growled. “But 'cause you're my boy, and the best killer we got, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear any of this. And if the time comes you need to eliminate Miss Trenton, you will do so without argument.”
I whipped around, painfully tempted to shove him through the lounge window.
“Why don't you just give her father a break, huh? Yeah, I know he borrowed a ton from you, but there's no way he'll be able to pay it back. So what is it you hope to accomplish?”
He flicked his cigar, sending ash all over the floor. My blood pressure rose steadily higher.
“It's not so much about the money. It's about respect. Imagine if I let this guy off the hook. Then after, every dipshit who borrows from me will think I'm just a big pussy. They'll figure if I forgave one debt, I'll let theirs go too.”
Dad put his arm around me and walked us away from the crowd of dancers that gathered on the nearby floor.
“This isn't just for my sake, son. If I do what you're asking, the family's reputation will take a hit. That's all it takes to start raising questions in people's minds. Then you lose power to some other gang. It's like a chain of dominoes, falling one after another.”
“But there's no need to kill anyone over this.”
He shrugged. “That's the way we've always done it. You don't show folks you're serious, they'll crap all over you. That's a lesson you better learn quick before it's your turn to run this family.”
One of his buddies called to him. He waved back and retreated to his lounge. With that, the conversation was over and I'd gotten no closer to a solution.
“Oh, one more thing.” He paused at the door. “Whatever you got going on with this girl, I highly suggest you nip it in the bud. Ain't like you need her, anyway. If you want a woman, just look around. They're a dime a dozen.”
I fumed as the door slammed behind him. Was he serious? Who cared about all these chicks? They weren't Ceci. Nobody could replace her.
Shit, now what was I gonna do?
My phone rang. I almost ignored it until I saw it was Nico.
“Don't have time for chit-chat,” he said quickly before I could even say hello. “I might have something here.”
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
He groaned. “C'mon, Alec! That traitor your dad's freaking out about.”
Jerry and Sam were busy arguing over some stupid soccer game, but I felt their eyes on me. Not that I didn't trust them, but I went outside just in case.
“Talk to me, man.”
“Well, it's nothing quite so concrete yet.” He cracked his knuckles and began to type. “It's just that I planted a tracker on Roger Trenton's car once I found him in Arizona. I been monitoring his movements periodically the past few days.”
“Get to the point.”
“Maybe it's nothing,” he said, his voice almost a squeak, as if afraid to say it. “But it looks like, from the GPS, he's parked outside of Lucas's house right now.”
Whoa. Oh, hell no.
Lucas? What would he be doing there? They didn't know each other. The only interaction they'd had was the night he and Sam threw his ass in the trunk.
“Like I said, it's weird, is all. Thought maybe you would find it interesting.”
“No, that's real helpful, man. But I gotta go.”
I hung up on him while he was still in mid-sentence. If Roger was at Lucas's place, and I hurried, maybe I could get there before he left.
My stomach churned as I sped across town. Thinking of Ceci was the only thing that soothed me.
I swore to God if Lucas planned to lay a finger on that girl, I would bury his ass alive for it.
I reached his place at Sandy Beach apartments in record time. Just as Nico said, there was Roger's flashy red BMW parked right in front of Lucas's unit.
If I didn't believe it before, there would be no denying it now.
“Better move before they're done in there,” I muttered. Made sure I had my gun, just in case, then dipped into the shadows before anyone could spot me.
On the side of the apartment, light came from one window. I'd been in there enough to know it was the kitchen. The walls were thin, luckily, and it was easy enough to hear muffled voices coming through them.
Inside, Lucas sat at the table drinking something, probably his favorite cheap tequila. Roger stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face and hands in his pockets.
“Sure you don't want anything?”
“I want you to tell me why you had me come here.” Roger glared. “I want my daughter back, damn it.”
“Easy, buddy.” Lucas raised his hand. “And you're gonna have her, but first, I got a proposition for ya.”
He was definitely up to no good, that snake.
“I think I've had enough propositions from you people. I take a couple of deals with your gang, and look where I end up.” Roger tried not to bawl. “My little girl is gone; my wife hates me. My whole life is ruined because of you.”
“Hey, don't blame me for your shitty decisions. In fact, I wish you wouldn't be so hostile. I'm the only one who's genuinely trying to help you right now. You could even say I'm on your side.”
Damn it, Lucas, what the hell are you doing?
“If you want all this to go away, there's just one easy thing you gotta do for me.” Hatred filled his eyes. “I want you to kill Leo Ciarello.”
My whole world stopped in that instant. Dizziness swept over me; I broke out into a cold sweat and would have collapsed if not for the wall I was leaning on. I couldn't breathe. My chest burned with panic and fury and holy hell; did he just demand Roger kill my father?
“What?” Roger laughed weakly. “Are you mad? Kill the boss of the biggest gang in Summerset. You really have lost it.”
Why, Lucas? Son of a bitch! I'd known him for years. Dad trusted him with his life. And now this was how he paid him back?
“If you take him out, the family will be in need of a new leader.” He smiled grimly. “I, of course, will step into the boss role myself. And once that happens, you have my word I'll wipe your debt and set your daughter free.”
Um, what? Did he somehow forget about me, Leo's freaking son?
Killing him wouldn't accomplish anything. Soon as he died, the torch passed to me – and you bet your ass I'd have Lucas executed in the most painful way imaginable once I was in charge.
But Roger, obviously, didn't know that. He paced around the kitchen, thinking hard. Probably thought he had no other options – and unfortunately, he'd be right.
“I can't murder someone,” he said at last. “I'm not like you. I'm a good guy.”
Lucas sneered. “Does a good man empty his family's bank accounts just to gamble it all away?”
Roger seemed to crumple under those words. “I... I won't kill another person. I can't! If you hate him so much, why don't you do it yourself?”
“Because it would surely be traced back to me, and that would be very bad.”
“B-but if I did it, then they'd figure out it was me. And then I would end up on their hit list for sure.”
“You're wrong. I'll have the power to keep you out of harm's way. You and your family.”
Roger might not have been a killer, but he was eating up everything Lucas said. I had to restrain myself from busting through the window and putting an end to his scheme.
“I don't know,” he muttered. “Murder is wrong. I'd never forgive myself. And I could go to jail.”
“But wouldn't it be worth it to ensure their safety?”
Roger turned for the door. “I need some time to think about it.”
“You'd better think quickly. W
ho knows when they'll decide to send you another of those unpleasant videos of your daughter?”
He left the apartment in tears. Soon as he was on the road, I got back in my car and followed.
Didn't know what I was gonna do if I caught him. I just knew if I didn't, something real bad was gonna happen.
When he stopped to get gas at the Qwik Mart, I swung into the parking lot and blocked his car with my own. He stood there in shock, holding the fuel pump as gas dripped from the nozzle.
“Mr. Trenton. We need to talk. Get in the car now.”
He pointed at me with a shaky hand. “Wait a minute. You're that piece of crap who sent me that video, aren't you? You tried to drown my daughter!”
A wave of regret washed over me. I hadn't really hurt her, but the pain I must have caused her parents made me oddly uncomfortable.
What the hell was wrong with me – was I growing a conscience or something? Hanging around Ceci was changing me, and I didn't know if I much liked it.
“I said get in the car.”
I tilted my hip, allowing him to see the gun holstered there. Roger shook harder, nodded, and unlocked the doors of his BMW.
“Okay, yeah. You win. Let's talk.”
I sank into the opposite seat. As I sat, the smell of leather and expensive cologne came to me. Roger, apparently, liked to spend money he didn't have to keep up appearances, just like so many others in this town.
He gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white. His glasses slid down his nose, and sweat beaded on his furrowed brow.
“First things first,” I said, calmly as I could. “Ceci is completely safe. I've been taking good care of her, I promise.”
He bared his teeth. “You call drowning her 'taking care' of her? You sick bastard!”
“Look, I don't think you realize how much shit you've gotten your family into. You hate me, I know, and that's understandable. But right now, if you want to get out of this unharmed, I'm the best chance you got.”
He laughed and shook his head as if he didn't believe it, but there was obvious hope in his eyes. This man was clearly desperate. If I didn't offer him some way out, if I couldn't convince him I had a plan, there was a chance he'd take Lucas's deal after all.
“I know you were just asked to kill Leo Ciarello,” I said flatly. “But Lucas is wrong. He's my father, and when he passes, I'm the new boss – not him.”
“But... But he said –”
“He lied to you, Roger. I don't know what his game is or why he'd ask you to do this, but he's lying.”
Roger lay his head on the wheel and sobbed. “What do you want from me? I'm completely screwed,” he wailed. “If you came to torment me for the money, you're wasting your time.”
“No, I didn't. I want to help you get yourself out of this mess.”
Roger sniffled and whimpered. Ugh, this guy seriously needed to grow a pair. If it hadn't been for Ceci, I would have smacked some sense into him already.
“Shut up and listen. There must be some way to get the money you owe. You'd have to do something drastic, of course.”
“Drastic? Like what?”
“You've got plenty of nice things. Start selling 'em. Trade the BMW for a beater if you got to. You could even sell your house. Place like that would get you a tidy sum for sure.”
“I can't.”
Anger flared inside me. “You'd rather hold onto possessions than rescue your daughter?”
“It's not that I don't want to.” He hid his face in the shadows. “It's that... I can't sell the house. Nobody in the family knows this, but I'm in big trouble with the bank too.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, what a shocker that is.”
“You don't get it. My wife Lonnie thinks I've been making the mortgage payments. In reality, there's never enough left at the month's end to pay a damn thing. I've missed quite a few, and the bank has been sending nasty letters. If I don't pay what I owe them, the house will be foreclosed shortly.”
My heart hurt – not for this moron, but for Ceci. How was she going to react to this, finding out her house wouldn't be home for much longer?
“Okay, well, crying about it isn't gonna help matters. Let's see. You're a doctor and research scientist, aren't you? I imagine they make good money.”
“I was a scientist. Not anymore.”
I just gaped at him, waiting for whatever insane explanation he was sure to give me. But he said nothing, simply stared out the window at the moths fluttering about the bright gas station lights.
“Um, what?”
“Short story is that I was fired for unprofessional conduct,” he muttered, without spelling out what precisely that meant. “A few months ago. I searched for any job that would take me, but they all said I was overqualified. I was lucky to find a cashier position at the Super Saver, the next town over. When Lonnie thinks I'm at the office, that's where I really am.”
And here I thought my family was messed up. Wow.
“So, as you can plainly see, I'm unable to pay your father a penny. I had hoped betting on the races might score me some quick cash, but now I don't even have enough left to do that.”
It became very clear that Roger could do nothing to get himself out of this mess. He probably figured killing dad was the only way.
What if he was right?
No, there had to be something else. Dad wouldn't let the debt go, but his death wasn't the answer. He might have been a dick, but he was still my father and I'd protect him with my life if need be.
“You have my daughter, you said.” Roger's sadness turned to anger. “Give her to me. Then maybe we'd have a chance. We could pack our bags and go hide somewhere. I've got family in London.”
“I'm sorry, but I can't just hand her over to you. I'm the only one keeping her safe.”
He scowled. “You kidnapped her. You hurt her. You're a dangerous criminal, like all the rest of them.”
“I won't deny it – but you know what? She's safe with me because I'm so dangerous. If I sent her back to you, my father would know, and he doesn't like disobedience. He'd just send someone else to kill her. Then he'd go after your wife next.”
There had to be a solution. Dad liked bargains. Maybe there was something we could agree upon.
Or I could check the message boards; could be someone needed a high-profile target taken out. I hadn't sniped anyone in a while, so my aim was probably a little rusty, but –
“Why are you doing this?”
“Huh?
“I want to know why you're trying to help me.” Roger looked at me with suspicion. “Why you're not like the rest of them.”
“Don't get the wrong idea. I'm far from a good guy.”
“But then why?”
I paused, unable to tell him the truth.
Well, you see, Mr. Trenton, I think I'm in love with your daughter. That good enough for you?
Yeah, that'd go over with him real well.
“I guess it's because I can't stand to see a woman hurt. I'm as big an asshole as my father, but that's one thing I can't abide.”
His eyes filled with sadness, and he let out the sigh of a man who'd lost all hope.
“I'll figure something out,” I told him.
“But there's only twenty-five days left.”
“That's more than enough time.” I slid out of his car. “Hopefully you can at least rest a bit easier tonight knowing Ceci is okay.”
He looked as if he might cry again. “Yeah. Guess I've got no choice but to trust you, so... Just take care of her, all right?”
“Promise I will.”
He sped off toward home, while I headed for the highway that led to my cabin. Strange thoughts and feelings hounded me. Tonight had been hard on me, and it felt as if I had nothing left.
There was only one thing I knew could make me feel better.
I needed Ceci in my arms, and I never wanted to let her go.
Chapter 13 - Ceci
It felt kind of weird, doing my homework when I'
d been kidnapped – but what else could I do? I'd already established there wasn't a way out, and even if there were, I'd not be fleeing in the middle of the night.
So I read my physiology textbook, with the TV on in the background so the house wouldn't be totally quiet. Alec told me to help myself to anything in the kitchen, so I was pretty happy to find a box of microwave movie-theater butter popcorn in his cabinets.
The bright red numbers on the clock said it was just past eleven. Alec had left a few hours ago – something to do with work, he said.
I missed him.
It was stupid to have feelings for a man so wrong for me, but I suppose you don't get to pick who you fall for.
“Why couldn't I have hooked up with a cute doctor?” I muttered to myself. “No, instead I'm falling for the mobster who snatched me off the street.”
Although if I was honest, I'd felt pretty good the past few days. No school to worry about, no hectic shifts at the hospital. And none of mom and dad's constant bickering, either.
Maybe Alec did me a favor taking me away from it all.
The words in my book were beginning to make no sense. Sleepiness blurred my vision, and I couldn't stop yawning. Guess studying in bed late at night wasn't so smart after all.
I set the book aside and reached for the lamp. Just as I flicked it off, though, there was a noise downstairs.
The lock jiggled. Alec? Why did it sound as if he was having trouble getting in?
Terror filled me then. Something was not right.
Moving quickly, I slammed the bedroom door and locked it. Then I peered through the bars on my room window, but saw nothing outside.
That was a bad thing – very bad. Alec always parked his car behind the house to avoid attracting attention.
Which meant somebody else was here. Someone who shouldn't be, and they were trying to get in.
I shivered beneath the heavy blankets. Maybe it was those guys mom paid to come get me. I mean, who else could it be? No one knew we were here, right?
Even if they had come to free me, I was still afraid.
Their voices gave them away. All men, maybe four of them, from the sound of it.
“How many freaking locks does this guy gotta have?”