by Piper Stone
“Do you see anything?” he called.
“Not yet.” I kept going, knowing that if she’d hit the dip in the road it could have been icy enough to toss her down this way. While the sunlight was now blocked, I continued in the direction, finally noticing several broken limbs. Within another thirty feet, I found the truck resting against a tree. I didn’t need to examine every tire to realize all four had been slashed, the glass cracked from two gunshots, likely the ones I’d heard before we’d left.
“The fuckers found the truck,” he said, huffing as he came up behind me.
“That’s how they found Mitch.” I took long strides toward it, yanking open the door and peering inside. It had been tossed as I expected. Even the seat had been cut, the bastards looking everywhere.
“Fuck, man. We’re not going to find anything. My guess is she destroyed the axle.”
“That’s exactly what she said,” I mused, shaking my head. The girl had many talents.
I thought about what she’d told me, finding the lever for the seat and pushing the front down as far as it would go. What few belongings she’d brought with her had been dumped out, the clothes strewn behind the seat. I glared at the back of it, unable to find whatever pocket she was talking about.
“What are you looking for?”
“Check for a pocket on the back of the passenger seat.”
Scorpion snorted but headed to the other side, jerking open the door and feeling the back of the seat. “There’s nothing to find.”
“Just check. She’s one smart girl.” After almost a full minute, I was about ready to give up. Then I noticed he’d pulled out a pocketknife, using the edge to peel away what looked like duct tape.
“Yeah, you’re right. Mitch knew what she was doing. It’s not a pocket, but where one of the manufacturing tags is.” When he held up two jump drives, a grin popped on his face. “She was able to secure it with tape somehow. It was hidden in plain sight.”
“Christ.” I swallowed hard, bile remaining in my throat. “Let’s grab some of her things then get to the cabin.”
I loathed the fact there was no cell phone coverage on the mountain, at least in the dead of winter. I felt an even more urgent need to get back to her and find out what the sheriff had discovered. I was antsy as hell as we drove up toward the cabin. I didn’t need to bother looking inside. They’d likely trashed the place. The front door was wide open.
“Take it easy,” Scorpion said before pulling his weapon from his jacket and checking the ammunition.
Scorpion got out first, taking long strides but pushing his back against the siding. He darted his head inside, holding the gun in front of him then shook his head.
I eased out of the truck, glancing inside the woodshed. They hadn’t bothered with searching inside from what I could tell. There were no tire track marks, so the fuckers hadn’t been here since the main storm. As I moved onto the porch, a fleeting memory of seeing Mitch’s face for the first time shifted into my mind. I certainly didn’t need to go down memory lane right now. When I headed closer to the door, I heard Scorpion’s exclamation.
“Whew. Well, they did a fine job of creating a fucking mess.”
As I walked inside, anger boiled from deep within. Everything had been smashed or tossed over. They knew what they were looking for all right.
“Is this blood?” Scorpion asked as he hunkered down, wetting his finger and wiping it through a darkened stain. He brought it to his nose and took a deep whiff. “It is. Yours?”
“No, I think I shot at least one of them, maybe two.” While there were additional spots, it appeared obvious that at least one of them had been shot.
He snorted before wiping his finger on his jeans and standing. “Well, since we didn’t see any dead bodies, unless their buddies buried them in the snow, I’d say your shots weren’t killing blows, buddy.”
I moved into the kitchen, hissing as my anger continued to grow. They’d broken everything they could get their hands on. Fuckers.
Seconds later, I shifted into the bathroom. The harsh lighting told me what I’d suspected. They’d taken the time to bandage at least one wound. All the items they’d pulled from the closet remained tossed around the small room.
Snarling, I fisted my hand as I stormed further inside, suddenly remembering my damn wallet. I’d placed it in the nightstand drawer, obviously not having any time to retrieve it before we had to get the hell away from the place. I pushed the overturned chair out of the way and made my way into the bedroom, cursing after turning on the light. My eyes settled on the top of the nightstand. My wallet.
It was open, my military identification in plain sight. And next to it? An ‘X’ written in blood. I felt Scorpion’s presence and turned, allowing him to see the mark. “They know who I am.”
He sighed and glanced around the rest of the room. “Is there anything here they would have taken?”
I looked into the wallet, surprised they’d left the cash. My phone had also been left on the nightstand, likely dead given the lack of charge. At least I’d be able to take a few items with me. “I doubt they took a damn thing.”
“Well, buddy, get some shit together. You need to talk to the sheriff. If they’re alive, they’re still in town. And if I had to guess, it won’t be long before this Dante asshole is too. I don’t have any doubts your lives are in danger.”
Snow.
I was beginning to fucking hate it. Every flake, every icicle, even the color white. My anger remained just below the surface as I drove down the mountain, likely exceeding the speed limit based on the still dangerous conditions. But I didn’t give a shit.
I’d followed my instincts the majority of my life and this time, they told me that a freaking enemy I’d never met, couldn’t give a shit about, was on his way to destroy my life. I snorted at the thought. Mitch should mean nothing to me, but I found myself unable to find any distractions other than the gorgeous woman who’d entered my life like a fireball.
One that threatened to consume both of us.
“Slow down, buddy. You’re going to kill both of us,” Scorpion said in a stern voice although he laughed.
“You and I both know the shit is about to hit.”
“No, you don’t know that. How the hell could this asshole find you? I know Missoula is a big little town, but even though they identified who you are, that doesn’t mean they’re going to make a single connection to where you’re staying.”
I snorted as I shot him a look. “You and I have been around the block long enough to know that assholes like this refuse to stop. They are true predators in this world, using their money and threats to get exactly what they want. Who says they don’t have someone on the payroll at the sheriff’s office?”
“Christ. It’s obvious just how much you’re into this girl and I don’t blame you, but don’t let your love for her cloud your judgment.”
“Who the fuck says I’m in love with her? She’s a pain in my ass all the time, her mouth caustic as hell and she refuses to follow any of my rules.”
The full ten seconds of silence made me grimace.
“And I don’t believe in love at first sight,” I snapped in addition.
“Uh-huh. Well, given your reaction, I’d say I have my answer.”
“Fuck you.” I shook my head, twisting my hand around the steering wheel. Thank God we were only ten miles from town. I continued grousing as I yanked the burner cell phone from my pocket, eyeing the connection. While there were only two bars, it might be enough to make a call.
Before I had a chance to dial Mitch’s number, the phone rang, the unknown number making me bristle. “Yes,” I said harshly.
The person on the other end hesitated before a female voice cleared her throat. “Nash?”
Exhaling, a moment of relief flooded in. “Sheriff Robertson. Tell me you found out something worthwhile.”
“Well, I don’t know how worthwhile the information really is, but your gal’s story checks out. Dante Giordani
is considered one of the most ruthless men in Chicago with direct ties to the mafia there. He’s been arrested several times, never convicted. He also owns several legitimate businesses, but from what my friend who works at the Chicago PD told me, there’s always been suspicions that he runs his illegal activities through them. Never proven of course.”
“What about Mitch’s involvement?”
“Michelle Donovan worked for an accounting firm. From what is in the police record, she witnessed a violent crime and agreed to testify. Unfortunately, even with her eyewitness account, Mr. Giordani was able to get off without so much as a slap on the wrist. After that, my friend was unable to tell me much else given the DA sealed the evidence as well as a number of records,” the sheriff stated.
“Is that usual?”
“Well, it is if the witnesses have been threatened. What you don’t know is that one of those witnesses had a mysterious car wreck barely two days after the trial ended. While there’s absolutely no connection they could find to Dante or his men, it would appear the DA wasn’t taking any chances.”
“And what about this DA?” I continued grilling her.
She seemed surprised given the glitch in her voice. “Roger Porter has been around the system for years. My friend seemed to think of him highly. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I found Mitch’s truck. She had evidence that the asshole assailants didn’t find.”
“Evidence? You shouldn’t have tampered with the scene.”
I half laughed. “I did what I had to do in order to keep her safe.”
She sighed deeply. “Fine. Tell me where you found the truck and I’m still sending a couple of my deputies to dust for fingerprints. This evidence you found, what are you talking about?”
“The accounting firm she worked at represented Mr. Giordani. From what Mitch told me, she uncovered discrepancies.”
The sheriff exhaled. “That is very interesting, and you need to bring that evidence to my office. I can tell you have something on your mind. What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting that Mr. Porter may be just another well-paid mule in Mr. Giordani’s organization.”
The few seconds of silence pissed me off.
“Nash, while I do understand your concern and from what I’ve learned, I believe that Ms. Donovan is telling the truth, I don’t think accusing a well-respected DA of being under Giordani’s thumb holds any merit. I talked to him myself. He was as forthcoming as he could be, very concerned that his client had almost been kidnapped.”
“Then how did they find her?”
“Uh… That I don’t know.”
I wasn’t entirely certain what she did know. Other than confirmation of what I’d already learned from Mitch, there was nothing useful or new. “I suggest you try and use your powers of influence to dig a little deeper. And if the man was stupid enough to use a cabin owned by him or any member of his family, then he doesn’t deserve to practice law.” I could feel Scorpion’s heated gaze from beside me. While I knew I was pushing my limits, this was nothing but a time waster.
Time we didn’t have.
“Jesus, Reaper,” Scorpion admonished.
“Look, from what Mr. Porter told me, Giordani is a cunning man and you’re correct that he has several influential friends. The cabin he arranged wasn’t one he owned, Nash. While he didn’t tell me how he managed to secure the cabin, it was clean, or at least to his understanding. He didn’t tell a single person about the location. Not one. There are no notes, no files in the computer and even his legal assistant has no idea.” The sheriff had become more exasperated.
As if I gave a fuck.
“As I asked before. Then how the fuck did the assholes find her?” I demanded.
The second hesitation was ripe with tension.
“I’ll check with another source I have on Mr. Porter’s credibility; however, if you want my honest opinion and I am going to give it to you, Ms. Donovan is likely the reason that she was located. Witnesses rarely understand how vital it is to keep their mouths shut. I’d ask her again.”
The sheriff made an important point, although I doubted that she’d dared lie to me again. If she had, her butt would be sore for a week. Jesus. The thought was ridiculous.
“I do appreciate that, Sheriff. My cabin was tossed and so was her truck. Mr. Giordani’s men are determined to find this evidence she’s gathered. They will stop at nothing to find her.”
“I am well aware of that, Nash. Mr. Porter emailed recent pictures of Giordani as well as several of his soldiers. They’ve already been distributed on the wires. Unfortunately, his organization has been keeping a low profile.” She sighed after making the statement.
“Which means you have no idea which men were sent.”
“No, but by all accounts, he’d send his best men. If they show up anywhere in Montana, let alone Missoula, we’ll catch them.”
Why didn’t I take a damn bit of comfort in that?
After giving her the location of the truck as well as my cabin, I heard the sound of a voicemail coming in. When I looked at the number, my heart began to race. Mitch had left only a five-second message. What the fuck? My hackles were raised, heavy adrenaline kicking in. “I’ll bring Mitch by the department tomorrow along with what she discovered.”
“Good. I’ll continue to make some inquiries. Nash? Don’t do anything rash. Let the authorities handle this.” Sheriff Robertson’s advice was good enough.
But I had no intention of following it.
I ended the call, immediately moving toward the voicemail.
“That was harsh, dude,” Scorpion huffed. “I’m going to try and call Mustang to see if his contacts came through.”
“Not harsh enough if you ask me.”
“You can’t go through life like a bull in a china shop. Trust me, I found out the hard way. Who are you calling now?”
I shifted my gaze in his direction just as we started to roll into town. “A call from Mitch.”
“Hey. There’s been some weird sounds and I…”
The message didn’t just fade away. It was cut short. I glared at the phone, accidentally swerving the truck in the process. After taking a deep breath, I tried the number, the call immediately going to voicemail. “Fuck.”
“Whoa. What the hell?” Scorpion snarled.
“She called because she heard something. Then the phone went dead. Now it goes to voicemail.” I glared at the screen, trying to control my breathing. The message was definitely only five seconds long. Five fucking seconds. I tossed the phone in his direction before pressing down on the accelerator, the truck swerving once again on a patch of ice.
Scorpion snapped his hand on the edge of the dashboard before listening to the message. “Fuck me.”
“Yeah. I swear to God. If something happened to her, I will hunt them down and they will pay.”
“Just drive. I’ll keep trying her number.”
I roared the truck past several slower cars, trying to keep my eye on the road, which was packed with freaking tourists and other idiots. After being forced to slow to a crawl, I shot out around another group of vehicles, narrowing missing an oncoming truck.
“Just get us there alive,” Scorpion barked.
“Anything?”
“Voicemail.”
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, stars floating in front of my eyes. The rage boiling within me was almost overwhelming, my blood ready to burst into flames. We were only five miles out, yet it was too damn far.
“Take it easy, dude. We’ll get to her.”
While Scorpion was trying to calm my fury, I knew nothing would at this point.
Nothing but wrapping my hand around Giordani’s throat and snapping it.
That would occur on my terms.
By the time I drove down the road leading to Bryce’s house, my ears were ringing from the anger. I had difficulty focusing, the entire road one big blur. However, nothing was going to stop me from getting to
her. I swung into the driveway at almost fifty miles per hour, the truck careening from one side of the gravel driveway to the other. When I slammed on the brakes, dust flew everywhere.
I barely had the gear in park and cut the engine before I jumped out of the truck and onto the porch. The damn door was unlocked even though I explicitly told her to make certain she locked it behind me. As I rushed inside, my heart palpitating, I yanked my weapon from my jacket, moving quickly into the kitchen. There was no sign of her. Neither was there in the bedroom or bathroom and the fire was slowly dying out.
“Any sign of her?” Scorpion asked, pulling his weapon into his hand as well.
“None.”
“No sign of forced entry either.”
“That doesn’t mean shit.” I stormed toward the back door. The damn thing was also unlocked. What the fuck was going on? After racing outside, I was able to see footsteps in the snow. “Footprints.”
Scorpion noticed them too, immediately jumping off the deck and crouching down. “Just a single set and they’re walking away from the house, into the woods.”
“Damn it. What the hell does she think she’s doing?” I raced into the woods in the direction of where she’d gone. “Mitch. Where are you?” There was nothing but the cawing of several birds.
“Mitch!” Scorpion yelled.
When the footprints continued in one direction, backtracking and heading in the other, another bad feeling settled over me. “Mitch!”
“You go that way,” he huffed as he took off trudging through the snow.
A combination of anger as well as gutting fear continued to roll through me as I moved forward, my heart aching.
“Reaper.”
Her voice came out of nowhere, cutting through the quietness of the snowy afternoon. Jerking in the other direction, I was forced to take several deep breaths as I stared at her. For a few seconds that seemed frozen in time, the woman standing in front of me was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.
Mitch twisted her mouth as she remained where she was, her eyes darting back and forth. Finally, a smile crossed her face as she tried to run through the snow.