by Paula Cox
“It still seems like a dream,” she gasped, her body splayed on the sheets next to him.
“To me, too. Let’s do it again to see if it was real,” he winked.
She laughed and stood. “I wasn’t talking about that, you moron. The fact that we stole papers from Raymond’s safe…that was surreal.”
“Not for him.”
She stretched as she glanced down at his magnificent body. “Tempting as it is to snuggle into bed with you, I think we’ve got work to do.”
He pouted. Riley stood. “Ah! Work. That never comes to an end. We should go to the police and finish this story once and for all.”
She marched into the bathroom. “Hey, Jason has been thoughtful enough to leave his clothes for you.” Tania went into the shower and quickly rinsed off. She emerged and got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. “We should go with Jason to the police station. They will take him seriously.”
“But would he want to get involved in such a sordid tale?”
“Let’s ask him. I hope he’s come back.”
After Riley took a shower and got dressed, they marched downstairs. Much to their relief, Jason was in the living room. “So what’s the verdict?” he said.
Riley smiled. “Got everything.” He showed Jason the papers and the two of them went over them. “This isn’t just enough to nail them on the warehouse, but also on a couple of other accounts of fraud. The police will have a field day, especially when Tania slaps in the kidnapping.”
“I don’t think you should add that in,” said Jason.
“Why not?” Riley bristled. He longed to send those people away for a long time. They could’ve killed Tania, and kidnapping was also a serious crime. “We could get them.”
“No, you won’t be able to. She doesn’t accurately remember the people who were in the room, and she doesn’t know the location. Be glad that you’ve got these papers. It should be enough to send them in for a few years.”
Riley rubbed a hand on his forehead. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but it’s the best you’ve got so flow with it.”
Tania licked her bottom lip. “You’re not coming with us to the police?”
“I don’t want to be identified with this right now. When I write this story into a dynamite script, I don’t people to start drawing comparison with this particular incident.”
She shook her head, but Riley understood his logic. As it was, Jason couldn’t add much to their account. The papers proved their story. Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood was going in for a long time and that was all that mattered. “We should get going,” he told Tania.
“Jason, thank you for your help. We couldn’t have done it without you,” she said.
Jason stood and they exchanged a hug. From the gleam in Jason’s eyes, Riley was sure he was sorry to let her go. Maybe Tania didn’t feel anything for him, but Jason sure as hell was smitten with her. Even though jealousy reared through his heart, he kept a rein on it. He didn’t want to lose a new friend because of such issues. Jason came through for them in more ways than one, and he liked the guy.
They shook hands. “You guys come back here. This is the safest place to be – at least until the gang goes away.”
“I think they’d be too busy figuring things out with their lawyers to come behind us,” Riley assured him. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure about that, but the fact was that they needed to start their life again, and it was time to stop being afraid of this group that ruled over them for so long. “We’ll be cautious; don’t worry.”
“It might not be a bad idea to go for a vacation while the police catch them. The trial, if there is one, isn’t going to happen overnight.” Tania wrinkled her brow. “I thought about leaving town earlier, but this is my city. Why should they run me out?”
“Yeah, well, you’re the one who is going to fry their ass,” said Jason.
They bid a warm farewell to Jason and marched out. Riley had one destination in mind, and that was the nearest police station. As soon as they handed in the papers and got their complaint registered, they would be much safer. The Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood wouldn’t dare to attack them if they knew it would bring the police down on their head. These were white-collar criminals, not gangsters who weren’t afraid to go to any lengths. Although, of course, the kidnapping attempt on Tania was vicious and uncalled for.
It must’ve been Raymond’s call. Charlie didn’t have the guts to make such a decision. He was all loud talk and bluster. He couldn’t plan such a thing and, even now, Riley was sure that if there were any attempt on their lives, it would come from Raymond. Had he already informed the rest of them as to what happened? Or was he still sitting in his house and crying?
They got to the police station pretty quickly. It took them much longer to make their statements, present the evidence, and identify the people. Some of the lower lackeys who worked in Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood were known thugs. Others, like Raymond and Charlie, had never seen the inside of a police station.
Finally, when they were done, Riley escorted Tania out. “Where should we go?”
She seemed at a loss now that they fulfilled their primary objective. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“We’re free, more or less.” He opened the car door for her. “Let’s go to your house. I’m sure we would be able to catch news of arrests and official case proceedings against them on TV.”
“We could just head out and go away.”
Riley considered the option. Him and her, together, alone on some island – the idea was tempting. He wanted to do it. It would be heavenly to be free of these worries, to not think about what Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood was planning, and not to be constantly on guard, but they couldn’t do it as yet. They set the ball in motion, but they needed to see if it would reach the desired destination.
“We can’t just leave. The police told us they might need to question us, and we would need to identify everyone, and it’s…we’ve got a lot of work left.”
“I was afraid you might say something like that,” she said. “The insurance company will probably call us for an interview.”
“Yeah, I bet we’re going to be pretty busy over the next few days.” Riley helped her into the car. “I’m going to collect some clothes and then we’re going to hole up in your house. It’s the best place to be. Hopefully they won’t disturb there.”
“And what if they do?”
“I doubt that they would barge in without an invitation now that we’ve gone to the police. If something happens to either one of us, the police would latch on to them.” Riley felt fairly confident they wouldn’t be attacked, but, of course, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. Although he wanted to keep Tania safe, he didn’t think she would agree to stay in Jason’s house without him. And, frankly, he just wasn’t that comfortable living in another man’s space with his girlfriend. “We could take a hotel,” he offered. “It will be safer. They won’t dare attack us in a public place.”
“I thought you were sure that they wouldn’t cross our path?”
Riley ran a hand through his hair as he considered the possibilities. “I’m just not sure. Raymond definitely isn’t silly enough to attack us when he knows it would land him in a greater vat of trouble, but Charlie’s loose cannon.”
“Don’t scare me.”
“I’m simply trying to come up with all the different scenarios. We don’t want to be caught by surprise,” he theorized. Riley’s head was spinning. There was so much that could happen, but as long as they were prepared, they could minimize the damage.
Chapter Twenty Four
Riley didn’t want to take time in his apartment. Tania was pretty sure he was being way too paranoid. Raymond and his friends just got a big blow; it would take them time to recover from it, to regroup, and to think of a strategy. At least for now, they didn’t have to worry about anything. She lounged in Riley’s living room while he packed a suitcase, all the time muttering things under his breath.
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He wasn’t happy. She could tell he was still anxious – not that she blamed him. What they had done was pretty bold and, sooner or later, they would’ve to face the consequences of it, but, for now, she was willing to take it easy and enjoy these moments. Soon, the members of Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood would be behind bars and they wouldn’t have to keep looking over their shoulders.
Riley got out of the room. In his hand was a suitcase. “Let’s go.”
“What’s the hurry?” she winked at him. “We could take a moment to do something naughty.”
“Not in here.”
“No one is going to come after us.”
He sighed and opened the door. Tania’s mouth gaped open. Outside stood Raymond along with three other men. Before they could scream or make a noise, the men strode in and banged close the door. She took out her cellphone but Raymond’s cold voice stopped her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” he said.
She glanced up and was horrified to see a gun in his hand. Tania put down the phone. She might be able to call 911, but Riley would probably have to pay for that with his life. Raymond was pointing the gun at him.
“Don’t be crazy, Raymond. The papers are already with the police. If anything happens to either one of us, they’re going to climb all over you.”
Raymond grinned. “You’re the one who should’ve thought about it before you barged into my house and made a fool out of me. Did you think I would’ve let go of that insult so easily?”
Tania realized they underestimated the man’s foolish streak. He wasn’t acting wisely right now. They’d assumed he would take the best course of action, but he was pissed because they made him look like an idiot. Anger wasn’t good for decision-making. His decision to come here after them was rash and stupid, and it would probably cost him later, but, for now, they were the ones in danger. If she didn’t do something, he might kill Riley and then would come her turn.
For the first time, she regretted getting involved in this mess. Riley was right; she should’ve run away and forced him to come with her. Instead she goaded him into carrying out the plan and it landed them in this trouble. What could she do?
There was no way she could run. Even if she managed to barricade herself in the room, Riley wouldn’t find it that easy to get away with all the men surrounding him. And she was pretty sure that if she made any such attempt, he would aid her and sacrifice himself. She wasn’t ready to lose him to these morons. Her mind worked quickly, but she couldn’t think of a plan. There were too many opponents and Riley and she didn’t stand a chance. Maybe it was a good idea to talk. If they could convince him that hurting would them be counterproductive, he might stop. It was their only hope.
She drew herself to her full height. It was important to let them see she wasn’t scared. “The police have a case against you, as does the insurance agency. Don’t add to it by adding assault and injury.”
Raymond’s grin was so ferocious that she actually felt the urge to take a step backwards. The man was far more evil than she’d given him credit for, and he was smart. Tania suddenly wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear his plan, whatever it was. A resourceful man like him didn’t make such a bold move until he was sure of winning. Perhaps they should’ve been more cautious.
“The case against us hinges on your testimony and those papers. Since I can’t do much about the evidence you’ve already given to the police, my only chance of survival is to make sure I reduce your credibility.” Tania kept quiet as she listened to him. He had something up his sleeve, and she couldn’t figure out what it was. “Imagine if you two were to disappear. We could claim the papers were fake, that it was actually you who hatched this plan because you both were at loggerheads over the warehouse. This could go away.”
“No,” she whispered.
He didn’t have violence on his mind. His thoughts had veered to murder, and there wasn’t much Tania or Riley could do to stop him. “Yes,” said Raymond with a nasty laugh. “I didn’t want to give you time to vanish into some hole. Quick action has always served me well, and it paid dividends now, as well. You’re both fools to have thought you bested me. I invented this game and you’re still learning.”
“I won’t allow you to harm a hair on her head,” growled Riley. His shoulders bunched under his shirt. It looked as if he was about to spring on the men, but Tania prayed he would act with caution. Raymond wouldn’t have shown up here if he weren’t a hundred percent confident he could get away with such a crime.
Raymond’s grip on the gun was steady. “Don’t be stupid, Riley. I can make this easy or I can make it hard. Don’t fight me, and I won’t feel the need to torture your girlfriend. Or else I can drag her away from this place and play with her before I dispose of her body.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Riley growled.
“I would dare,” said Raymond. “You’ve brought this on yourself, and if there is anyone to blame, it’s you. Couldn’t you just leave it alone? All you had to do was get out of town and ignore what happened to the warehouse, but no…you both acted too smart for your own good. Well, never mind that; the time for such theatrics has come to an end. Say goodbye to your lady, Riley, because your time’s done.”
“No, Riley,” said Tania as she saw him lurch forward a little. Raymond would shoot. She knew it. Hearing her voice, he turned to glance at her. “One last kiss,” she said.
Raymond laughed. “Listen to her, Riley. She seems more sensible. I’ll end it quickly; I promise. One bullet straight through your head and then hers, and it will be finished. You’ll be free from the pain this world has caused you and the Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood has inflicted on you.”
Riley’s gaze was still fixed on Tania. Something passed between them, a strange understanding, and then he marched towards her. He neared her and his hands settled on her waist. He drew her closer and she allowed him to pull her into his embrace.
“I shouldn’t have convinced you to go after them,” she muttered as she lifted her chin.
His lips were soft on hers, and his mouth hot. For a moment, she felt his lips brush over hers and then he lifted her and literally threw her inside the bedroom. With a loud cry, he leapt after her as she stumbled inside and then groped for the door. He made it inside before the gun popped. Raymond must’ve been using a silencer because the shots that rang out weren’t loud. Tania’s attention was focused on the door. The second Riley cleared it, she banged it shut and clicked the lock. The door was flimsy, and it wouldn’t hold for long.
Sure, they bought themselves some time but it wouldn’t last. They needed another plan. Her gaze was riveted to Riley’s arm, blood dripping down. He was shot. “Shit! Are you…what the hell?”
He waved a hand as she ran towards him. A body slammed hard against the door and she heard the wood pop. A couple more good knocks and the door would fall. “Call the police,” he yelled.
Phone? Phone? Where was hers? Shit! She must’ve dropped it outside. She glanced around and her gaze settled on his pocket from which he was trying to take his. She put her hand inside and dug it out. Someone slammed against the door again.
“Stand back,” Raymond ordered his men. “I’ll shoot through the lock.”
Tania dialed the number. “Hello,” she told the 911 operator, “We’re under attack. The man has a gun. Please come quickly.”
Riley moved to the dresser and tried to push it against the door but it was too heavy and he couldn’t use his full force, his arm heavy with pain. Tania quickly gave the address and shut the phone. She moved away from the door just in time as a bullet whizzed through a hole next to the lock. It was sheer luck that it didn’t hit.
“What are we going to do?” she screamed.
Riley’s gaze settled on the window. “The fire escape,” he said.
Someone slammed into the door again and a hinge broke. The door was going to collapse and Raymond would shoot them again. Tania rushed to the window and struggled to open it. Riley joined her. They mana
ged to push up the glass until there was enough space for them to get out. A body threw itself against the door again, and it groaned and cracked. The next hit would do it. There was no time left.
Riley pushed her through and followed. Blood now coated his shirt and he couldn’t move his arm, but she helped him down. There was a loud crash in the room, and Tania picked up pace. It was a good thing that Riley’s apartment was on the second floor because by the time the first goon careened to the window and looked out, they were already on the ground. They ran. Someone screamed seeing the blood on Riley’s shirt, but Tania didn’t wait to give any explanation.
Raymond had gone mad. He didn’t care what he did. All he wanted was to kill them so he could escape. Ironically, their death would probably engulf him more into this mayhem, but he didn’t see it that way. They ran to his car and she took the driving seat.