by Kadi Dillon
On the shore, Gideon cursed as the boat sped away from Avery. Seconds, he thought seething. He’d missed her by seconds and it could possibly cost her her life.
Zoey had been going crazy and he’d woken up to find Rebecca and the painting gone. He was already dressed and phoning Colin when he saw a movement outside his house. Pistol in hand, he, his brother, and father had dealt with the men who hadn’t run when he’d fired the warning shot.
He heard the commotion by the water, heard Rebecca screaming, but he couldn’t get to her in time. With something dark churning in his gut, he slipped the pistol in the small of his back and stalked back to the house.
His family was waiting for him in the kitchen. Jess’s eyes were huge from shock and she clung to their father. Colin was on the phone with the police, telling them they weren’t in danger but there were bodies that needed to be seen to. Gideon probably wasn’t the only one who heard the grim satisfaction beneath his words.
After he hung up the phone, Colin finished lacing his boots. “How are we going to find her?”
He’d thought about that on the walk back to the house. “Rebecca left that track phone in my dresser. I’m going to give her father a call.”
“What if he doesn’t cooperate?” Jess’s voice was laced with the fear she was clearly feeling. “What if he doesn’t tell us where she could be?”
“He will.”
Gideon went upstairs to his room with Colin and his father behind him. He retrieved the phone and punched in the number one.
“Hello, baby girl.”
“Austin, my name is Gideon Avery,” he said without preamble. “The bastards you fucked over just took Rebecca with them. What I want to know is where they’re going and what the hell they want.”
He stuttered several times before saying, “What?”
“You heard me. This is your one and only chance, Austin. Because if you tell me where she is and I find her in time, I won’t bother you again. If you fuck around with me, I’ll hunt you down myself and you’ll be sorry. You got that?”
“They took Rebecca?”
“Where the hell did they take her?” Gideon growled. “Austin!”
“The warehouse, maybe. We were supposed to meet there.” His breathing was ragged. “Oh, shit.”
Gideon was already heading out the door. Praying he wouldn’t lose reception, he bounded down the stairs. “What warehouse?”
“There’s one in Cleveland. South side by the marina. It looks like an old auto-body shop or something but all the glass windows are boarded up. That’s where he does his deals now. Where we were supposed to do our deal.”
Gideon snatched the spare keys to Aphrodite and another set from the peg board. “What kind of deals does he do?”
“Guns. He sells guns now. Oh, man. You’ll find her, won’t you?”
“I’ll find her. Now, I’ll ask you one more time. What do they want?” Patience straining, he grabbed his mom and kissed her, then his sister before heading out the door.
“Money. It’s only about the money.”
“How much money?”
“Two million.”
He choked. “Two million dollars? How in the hell did you con someone out of money like that?”
“It’s a long story. The paintings a fraud—”
“We figured that out.”
“—and he figured it out before I could think of something.”
Gideon handed the keys to Colin as they boarded the boat. “Listen up, Austin. You want to be real careful in the future how you treat Rebecca. If you ever put her in danger again, I will take you apart limb by limb.”
“I didn’t think…”
“Obviously. Stay close to the phone.” He hung it up and slipped it into his jean pocket. “All right, speed. There’s a warehouse downtown Cleveland by the marina. He’ll have her there.”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know. Gun dealer who’s been taken for two million.” Colin’s eyes bugged out of his head. “Yeah. We need to figure out how to get Rebecca out before they hurt her.”
“We should get the police there.”
Gideon shook his head at his father. “To risky just yet. We need her out so they don’t use her. Once she’s safe, we can call the police. If he’s rich enough to buy a fake painting for two mill, he’s no small change in the crime world. They’ll want him.”
“How many bullets you got in that thing?” Colin asked indicating the bulge at Gideon’s back.
“Three.”
“All right.” Colin increased the speed. “Let’s go get us a ballerina.”
Gideon grinned then sat back on the padded bench. “Just look for Avery. That’s what they came here to get Rebecca with. Idiots used my own boat.” He patted his pocket, where he’d put the keys. “I grabbed the spares to her so we’ll be bringing her home with Rebecca.”
Austin dropped the phone when the man disconnected it. He couldn’t remember his name, didn’t even know how he knew Rebecca. But his words played over and over in his head. His stomach pitched and rolled, as much from the alcohol he’d drunk and the fear that balled in his gut.
They took Rebecca, his sluggish brain repeated again.
Austin fumbled with the lamp, wincing when it finally lit the room. The woman beside him stirred—hell, he couldn’t even remember her name.
But Rebecca needed him.
His legs felt like noodles, but somehow he managed to cross the room. He pulled on a pair of wrinkled slacks and buttoned his shirt up, missing several holes. He cursed low, and yanked the cotton.
After rummaging through the mini-bar, he pulled out a bottle of water and downed a few pain-killers. His mind was still fuzzy, but he was thinking more clearly now.
He sunk down on the sofa and stared out the window. Chicago stared back at him, mocking him. Look what he’d done now. His daughter was in the hands of a mad-man. He’d underestimated his mark, took him for the fool he wasn’t. And now Rebecca would pay the price.
The senator’s money had already been spent. Hell, the savings account was probably in the red by now. He had nothing to barter with.
Who was he? This person who put his own daughter at risk?
Rebecca.
Austin covered his face with shaky hands. In his mind, he saw his little girl. Her toothy grin when she handed him the painting she’d made at school. For you, Daddy. It’s like a dance.
Her blue eyes glowing as she unwrapped the first and last gift he’d bought her. How she’d played with that doll house all damn day. Her small face smiling sadly as he drove away for what he thought would be the last time. Should have been the last time.
He didn’t know how long he’d sat there—torturing himself with the few memories he had of his baby girl. There wasn’t anything he could offer as a trade for her life—except himself. But would it be enough?
An hour after she’d been shoved on the boat that had brought her here, Rebecca stewed in the tiny room they’d stuck her in. It looked to have been an office at one time. There was an old, dented metal desk in the corner. She’d looked for a weapon of some kind, but besides the desk and a single chair, the room was empty.
Chills ran up her arms as they had since she’d been locked in the room. She didn’t try to fight them anymore. There wasn’t any point trying to rely on strength when theirs was so much greater. She was smarter and she would use her wits to get out of this mess.
Right now, her wits were telling her the only way out was through a window. The problem was that they were all boarded up. There was a guard at every exit and they all had a mean looking gun.
Rebecca scanned the dim little room again looking for a weapon or a tool of any kind. If she could pry a board loose, she might be able to open a window and climb down or signal help. The lamp wasn’t very bright, but she used it the best she could while she scoured the room again.
Finally, she found a broken handle inside one of the drawers of the desk. She picked it up and tested the shar
p edges. Knowing it was the best she would be able to get; she slipped her hand beneath the board and the wall and pulled. After several minutes, the board began to give way. Her knuckles were bloody and they stung like mad. She used the broken handle to pull the board and nail from the wall. She managed to pull out all three nails on the right side of the window before she heard footsteps.
She yanked her sweater off and wiped quickly at the blood. She gritted her teeth against the pain the entire time then wrapped the broken drawer handle in the sweater. She put it just inside the door so the goons wouldn’t see it and so she would know which room to go to if she had the chance to get away from them.
It was a long shot, but it was her only one.
The door opened and Rebecca stood rigid with her heart pounding in her throat.
“He’s ready for you.” With only those clipped words, Greer pulled her out into the dark hall. She was thankful he only had one arm because it would make getting away easier. And he had left the light on in the little room.
When they reached the stairs, Rebecca would have made a move but a voice had her stopping. The brute yanked her back in motion and she took the stairs in silence.
She knew that voice. It was so familiar, like a distant memory. It was more curiosity now rather than fear that led her down the second flight of stairs.
“Get that bastard on the phone,” the voice said darkly.
Greer knocked softly on the door and announced himself. When he received permission to enter, he pushed the door open and shoved Rebecca inside.
The light was blinding at first, long white strips of light that hung on the ceiling. The room she’d been pushed into was full of crates. Her mind began to whirl. Drugs? Stolen merchandise? What had her father gotten her into?
The man rose from behind a wood desk with a large, wide surface and grinned. Rebecca stared blankly while her childhood caught up to her in a blink.
“Uncle Blade?”
“Hello, Rebecca. You’ve gone and grown up on me, haven’t you?” He held out his arms, but if he expected Rebecca to rush into them, he’d be disappointed.
She recovered quickly enough. “What is going on?”
“Honey, your father has gotten himself in way over his head. You know we haven’t been partners for some time now.”
“Actually, no. I haven’t spoken with Austin in years.”
“Until recently. Don’t bother denying you forged that painting. I’ve seen it.” Blade walked around the desk and stopped in front of her.
“I painted it,” she admitted. “I was probably five years old at the time. He’s kept it all these years and gave it to me weeks ago. I had nothing to do with this. So will you call off your hounds and leave me alone?”
Her chin lifted because she didn’t like the predatory gleam in her father’s old friend’s eyes. He’d aged magnificently over the years. His jet black hair, still thick and now had grey at the temples, was combed back from his lean face. His eyes had more creases around them, but they only added to his handsome, angled face.
Once he was her family. Now he was her enemy.
“Even if I believed you had nothing to do with this, I’m afraid I can’t let you go.” His grimace looked anything but sincere. “Your father really caused me an inconvenience with this last venture.”
Stalling, Rebecca crossed her arms. “So you’re still in the business?”
Blade’s gaze fell on the stacked crates throughout the room. “Among other ventures. But Austin has screwed me over for the last time.”
“Think about this, Blade. If I were going to pull a con on you with the painting, why would I have signed it?”
He stopped and a frown pleated his babied skin. “You mean you didn’t keep your foot in at all?” When she shook her head, he scoffed. “Why the hell not? You were good at it.”
“I make an honest living.”
“Ah, dancing. Don’t be so surprised. Your father still talks about his baby girl. I guess that’s how I got the impression you two were close.”
She didn’t know what surprised her more. That her father kept tabs on her or that he talked about her. Blade walked behind the desk and slid a drawer open. He pulled out a cell phone and handed it to Rebecca and his voice grew grave. “I’m going to need you to call him.”
“No, Blade.”
“Rebecca,” he chided. “This will all be over if you can get him to show up here within the next couple of hours.”
“And if he doesn’t come?”
He would kill her. She knew it even before she saw the cold look enter his pale eyes. “Then, I’m afraid,” he spread his palms out. Rebecca could easily imagine her blood on them. “I’ll be sending you to him in pieces.”
He held the cell phone out for her to take. She only stared at him. What showed as pure defiance was nothing but a stalling tactic. What she was stalling for, she wasn’t entirely sure. Gideon wouldn’t know where to come, if he was still alive.
Her chest tightened as the pain shot through her. She hadn’t let herself think about Gideon or his family. There was nothing she could do now. She was comforted by the memory of men running for their lives to get to the boat. That must have meant Gideon had protected his family. If only…
But she pulled herself back into the present. If she was going to survive this, she had to think fast.
“How do I know you won’t kill me anyway when he gets here?” Hadn’t she heard one of his men say to leave no loose ends?
He sighed. “I guess you’ve always been bright.”
“I could work for you.” She glanced at the crates and tried to hide her distaste with interest. Anything to buy her time.
“Ah, but you see. I’m bright, too.” He pulled a gleaming, black gun out of his coat. “And I’m a very impatient man. The call, Rebecca.”
“You have the painting—”
“The painting is worthless!” His polished veneer cracked. He shoved the phone into Rebecca’s hand and pointed the gun to her heart. “Make the goddamned call.”
Before she could protest again, she heard the quiet click of the gun being cocked. Her heart stuttered in her chest and her breathing came out in jerks. She dialed the number Austin had left in the track phone he’d given her and waited.
“He isn’t picking up.”
Blade’s jaw tightened but he shrugged. “Have a seat, Rebecca. We’ll wait a while and try again. I’ll give him two hours to answer.”
With dread’s icy fingers squeezing her throat, she followed him to a chair and sank down on it. He ordered his men to get him a drink. “Anything?”
“Whatever you’re having.” She wasn’t an avid drinker. Maybe she could get drunk enough that she could die without fear or pain. Or at least she wouldn’t care enough to know the difference. She wouldn’t think about how utterly unfair her life had turned out to be. That when, at last, someone cared about her and loved her for herself, she would die.
Anger took precedence over fear and she welcomed it. She choked back vodka and waited to die.
Chapter Sixteen
With Aphrodite docked out of the way, the three men walked up the pier and toward the shore. Gideon saw his boat immediately. There seemed to be no damage to her but he would have to wait until later to look her over. Right now, he had someone more important to see.
The warehouse stuck out like a sore thumb against the waterfront businesses around it. It looked to be an abandoned building. Knowing it was only a disguise, the men searched for an entrance. The chain link fence was high, but easy enough to climb. They chose a dark spot, shadowed by the trees and scurried over.
Gideon shined his flashlight at an empty dumpster behind the building. Above it, there was a frail looking staircase that would have served for a fire escape. The door at the top of the three flights of stairs seemed to be boarded up, but the window beside it had shimmers of yellow light coming through one side of the board.
He snapped his fingers to get his brother and father’s attenti
on. Without a word, he hoisted himself up on the edge of the dumpster. With his flashlight between his teeth, he grabbed hold of the black iron and swung himself up on the staircase.
It creaked and swayed but felt secure enough. He kept his pace slow and tried to balance his weight. If it collapsed, he would at the least break a bone.
When he reached the top of the fire escape, he glanced down and watched his brother climb up the same way he had, then his father followed suit. After looking at the window, he handed the flashlight over to Colin and dug out his pocketknife. Paint had dried the window shut and he spent precious minutes digging it out of the cracks.
Hoping it wouldn’t screech, Gideon pushed the window up enough so he could climb through.
“Got it,” he muttered under his breath. He pushed the board back as far as it would go. Graceful as a cat, he climbed through the opening. He took the flashlight from Colin and held the board back so he could slip into the room. While Colin made sure their father got in, Gideon scanned the tiny room.
His stomach clenched when he saw her white sweater balled up inside the doorway. “She was here.” He picked it up, saw the blood, and cursed viciously.
“That’s not much blood, Gideon. Calm down.” Colin’s quiet voice had Gideon spinning around. “Chill. You won’t be any help to her if you give up our position.”
“Think, son.” His father took the sweater from Gideon’s iron grip and laid a hand on his shoulder. “How do you think the board came loose on that window?”
The red veil over his vision lifted slightly. Still, the thought of Rebecca hurting herself trying to escape pissed him off. She should have been safe in his bed. She should have woken him up when she realized those bastards were there.
“All right. Dad, go ahead and get the police on the phone. Tell them to be damn careful because they’ll have a possible hostage situation. If we don’t have her out by the time they show up, maybe they’ll be the distraction we need.”
“I think Dad should stay up here,” Colin added.
“Like hell,” his father grunted.
“He’s right, Dad. Work on that window.” He pulled his knife out of his pocket and handed it over. “Stay on the phone with the cops so they can get the location. Just be quiet.”