Strike Out (Barlow Sisters Book 2)

by Jordan Ford

  The man nods and roughly checks Uncle Conrad’s pockets, yanking out two phones and throwing them both at me.

  I catch mine, but struggle to hold it in my shaking fingers, especially when the boss pulls a gun and presses it against the side of my head.

  “Now, you call your father and you tell him that if he wants to see you again, he needs to pay Conrad’s debts.”

  “He’s a cop!” I snap. “Are you seriously threatening to kill me?”

  The man gets in my space, his goatee tickling my ear as he whispers, “I don’t care what his profession is. People will do anything to save their children.”

  “If you hurt me, you’re going down.”

  “Novia,” he whispers with a snicker. “I can make you disappear off the face of this earth, and he won’t be able to pin a thing on me. I make my own justice, and I won’t be afraid of some little policeman.” He steps back and gives me a smarmy smile before his face goes rigid with warning. “Make the call.”

  My lips tremble, tears smarting as I unlock the screen and find Dad’s number.

  “You have some serious explaining to do!” Dad yells at me the second he picks up.

  “Dad, you need to come get me.”

  “Oh, I am already on my way.”

  I cringe, the heat of his rage blasting my ear. “You know where to come?”

  “Yes, Maddie and Chloe have been very helpful. I’ve even brought them along for the ride, so I can blast you all together.”

  “Don’t let them into the club.” My voice hitches, and finally, finally Dad hears me.

  His tone changes, the hot emotion replaced with a cool calm that should be soothing. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m with Uncle Rad and things…aren’t great.”

  “Tell him to go backstage. Someone will be waiting for him.” The Latino man digs the gun into my temple and I can’t help a small whimper.

  “Max, what’s going on?”

  “He owes money and he needs to pay his debt tonight or they’re going to kill him. You need to head into the club and go backstage. Someone will be waiting for you.”

  The man snatches the phone out of my hands and hangs up before Dad can respond. The phone clunks to the floor in front of me. With a sniff, he tucks the gun away, then raises his eyebrows at the guy who brought me into this mess.

  “Wait at the door for him.”

  Glaring down at me, he pinches his nose and mutters, “Your papi better be good for it, or we’ll be making all three of you disappear.” He snaps his fingers and splays them through the air. “Like magic.”

  40

  A Rotten Piece of Gum

  CAIRO

  After a couple of minutes thumping on that damn black door, I give up and rush back into the club.

  I’ve got to find help.

  I don’t know what the hell those guys were doing with her uncle, but it didn’t look good…and Max ran straight into the thick of it.

  My heart’s thundering as I muscle my way through the crowd, looking for help. The place is jam-packed and it’s hard to see through the strobe lights. The next band is up and their set is loud and intense. I’d usually love it.

  Right now it’s only intensifying my panicked confusion.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Some girl trails her hand down my arm.

  I shake her off me and push through the crowd until I reach the door.

  Two bouncers are standing guard at the entrance. I race over and start yelling at them, “I need your help! My girlfriend’s in trouble.”

  They glance at each other and the taller of the two turns to face me. “Where is she?”

  “Out back.” I point behind me. “She went through this black door and—”

  “Can’t help you.” He cuts me off.

  The guy goes to turn away but I grab his arm to stop him.

  He glares down at me and I feel smaller than I ever have in my life.

  My nostrils flare as I resist the urge to take a step back.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be security?”

  Flicking my hand off his arm, he bends down and gets in my face. “Not behind that black door. That’s Mr. Santiago’s domain, and no one goes in there.”

  “Well, my girlfriend just did.”

  The guy’s barely there eyebrows slowly rise as he snickers and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, man. But I really can’t help you.”

  “Useless,” I mutter darkly as he turns away from me.

  I could spend the next ten minutes standing here arguing, but I can already tell it’ll be a waste of time.

  With an irate huff, I head into the center of the chaos. I’ll find Dad and see if he can do anything.

  My nerves are frayed, my irritation only mounting as I struggle through the gyrating bodies. I see Austin up ahead. He’s having a laugh with my mom as she whoops and dances to the music.

  I strain against the pull of the crowd and spot Luisa to my left.

  My breath hitches and I veer towards her.

  “Luisa! Luisa!” I holler until she looks my way.

  I raise my arm and surge towards her, the crowd propelling me forward.

  “Are you okay?” She laughs as I come to an undignified stop in front of her.

  “It’s my girlfriend. She’s chased after her uncle. He was taken out back by these guys and…” The more I keep talking, the more Luisa’s friendly smile drops away and is replaced with a frown of guilty concern.

  I grab her shoulders and force her to look me in the eye. “You gotta help me.”

  “I’m sorry, Cairo, but I cannot get involved with my brother’s affairs.”

  A lick of fear flashes across her face, dousing my anxiety.

  “What is your brother into? Is he going to hurt her?” My voice rises.

  Luisa looks to the ground. “She shouldn’t have gone back there.”

  “Take me in there right now!”

  A tendon in her neck strains tight before she looks up with a tense smile. “I can’t do that, but I will find my husband and see if he can go and get her for us.”

  “And her uncle.” I nod emphatically, but she kills my power with a pained frown.

  “I cannot help her uncle right now, but I’ll do what I can for the girl.”

  She walks off as I rake my fingers through my hair and struggle to inhale a full breath.

  This cannot be happening.

  Swallowing past the boulder in my throat is impossible, as is waiting around to see if Luisa is successful or not.

  With a string of muttered expletives, I push through the crowd again, heading backstage to wait by the black door.

  As soon as there’s enough room to move properly, I wrench out my phone and go to dial the police. I don’t know what the hell is going on back there, but a little backup’s not going to do any harm.

  Punching in 9-1-1, I glance over my shoulder and freeze.

  Thundering through the club is the first and last person I want to see.

  Chief Barlow.

  He’s accompanied by one of the bouncers and he looks ready to kill something.

  I step towards him and catch his eye.

  He glares at me, his eyes skimming me from head to toe before some kind of realization dawns.

  Stepping right up to my face, he stabs a finger into my shoulder and growls, “Are you him? Are you the guy that’s dragged my daughter into this?”

  “Uh, no, sir…” I wince. “I mean, yes. She’s here because of me, but she’s back there because of your brother.”

  Okay, that was absolutely the wrong thing to say.

  The guy’s icy glare turns glacial and as much as I hate myself for it, I shrink away before finding the courage to stand tall again.

  His jaw juts out as he fights whatever rage is surging through him.

  “I know where she is. I’m coming with you.”

  “No,” he barks. “You are staying right here, and I will deal with you later.”

  He shunts me away but I follow after him, s
till hoping to argue my case. When we reach backstage and that freaking black door, the bouncer spins to stop me.

  “You can’t go back there.”

  “I’m going with him.”

  “No you’re not, kid.” Fisting my shirt, he drags me back to the main club while Max’s father disappears.

  “No! Hey! Wait!”

  But the bouncer just keeps pulling me away.

  My fight has to be verbal—there’s no point trying to take him on physically since he’s twice my size. But my words go unheeded and I’m soon shoved back into the main area.

  “You stay in here or I’m kicking you out,” he warns before brushing past me and speaking into his radio.

  I spot another security guy near the backstage entrance perk up and look my way.

  Shit. So now I just have to wait.

  Slumping back against the table, my jelly legs finally give out.

  Nausea spikes through me as I picture Chief Barlow and wonder what he’s going to find on the other side of that black door.

  41

  Piece By Piece

  MAX

  By the time Dad barrels into the room, I’m off the plush red carpet and sitting in a chair.

  His eyes pierce me the second he enters and I shrink as small as I can go.

  He’s actually looking at me with concern, but the weight of guilt is making me slump. I lied to him, I skipped out on baseball, and I’m now hostage in the small back room of a club I shouldn’t even be in.

  Dad’s gaze moves to Uncle Conrad, hardening by a couple of degrees.

  “I’m sorry,” Uncle Conrad whispers. His lips glisten with a mixture of spittle and blood.

  I blink and look to the floor, too scared to do anything but sit here and wait.

  “Let them go.” Dad’s voice is cast iron.

  “I will happily do that…” The tall guy smiles. It’s a smarmy, grotesque one that makes me grimace. “Once I’ve been paid what is owed to me.”

  Dad crosses his arms, struggling to rein it in. “How much?”

  “Sixty-five thousand.”

  Uncle Conrad whimpers as Dad gives him an incredulous look. “I didn’t mean to. It just got out of hand. I thought I could win it back. I thought—”

  “Shut up!” Dad barks.

  I flinch and wish the chair would open up at the back. I could fall through and somehow be whisked away somewhere safe. Hell, I’d take Wonderland right now. I could find Alice or the Mad Hatter.

  Shit. Fear is turning me crazy.

  My eyes burn with tears that are desperate to spill free. I blink rapidly, fighting that falling apart sensation. Blubbering right now will only make things worse.

  “You’re not running an underground casino in this establishment, are you? I’m sure you’re aware that type of gambling is illegal in the state of California,” Dad informs the bad guys.

  I rise up a little in my chair.

  But the man’s arrogant snicker makes me sink back down. “There’s no gambling here. I’m just collecting a debt.”

  “I could arrest you for battery and assault. And I’m guessing whatever guns you have tucked in the back of your pants are no doubt illegal. I just think you should know that I’m quite capable of tearing your life to shreds. And I will not stop until I find some way to put you behind bars.”

  The man shrugs. “You won’t be able to make anything stick.” He’s smug again. “I don’t give a shit who you are. Nothing sticks to me.”

  Dad’s eyes narrow, his power glare on full beam. “Believe me, I’ll find something, and I’ll make sure it’s glued to you for the rest of your life.”

  “You have no power here, Officer. I own every cop in Brazenwood. I have friends in all the right places. I can make things disappear, so don’t try to take me on. I can destroy your life and walk away without so much as a scratch. Now, if you want your brother to walk out those doors with both his legs intact, you get me my money.” His dark eyes clash with Dad’s. I swear invisible sparks must be flying right now. The current in this room is enough to fry every circuit in this building.

  Uncle Conrad starts whimpering again. Dad’s making him sweat it out and part of me wants to stand up and shout, “Of course we’ll get your frickin’ money!”

  “Your hesitation is not helping your family.”

  Dad’s nostrils flare.

  “Rest assured, I will get my money back, any way I have to. You don’t care about your brother, fine. I’ll keep her until the debt’s cleared.” The guy tips his head at me and I can’t hold back a gasp.

  “You are not touching her.” Dad points at the man. “You’re not looking at her, you’re not speaking to her. In fact, if you even breathe in her direction, I will find a justifiable excuse to kill you. I don’t give a shit who you know, or who you have in your back pocket. You touch my family again, and I will end you.” Dad’s shaking with rage, his threat raw with honesty. “Now, give me my family and we’ll get out of your way.”

  “Not without my money.”

  The vein in Dad’s forehead starts to bulge.

  The man rolls his eyes, obviously running out of patience. With a small chin lift, he gives the guy standing behind Uncle Rad a silent order. Without hesitation, the beefcake fists my uncle’s hair and yanks his head back. My heart freezes with fear when I hear the click of the blade and see the man press it against Uncle Conrad’s ear.

  “Your brother is ten seconds away from losing his pright ear.”

  Poor Uncle Rad starts howling and squirming in his chair as the blade digs in beneath his earlobe.

  I start to hyperventilate, panic blinding me as the asshole starts counting.

  “One, two, three…”

  “All right!” Dad booms. “I’ll get you your damn money!”

  The man orders the knife away with a snap of his fingers.

  He’s completely unaffected by Uncle Conrad’s terror while I’m a shaking mess, tears rolling down my cheeks unchecked.

  “You have twenty-four hours.” He waves his hand at the guy beside him. The man pulls out a card and scribbles something onto it. “You need to drop the cash at this address by eight p.m. tomorrow night. Then you can have Conrad back.”

  “I’m taking him with me now.” Dad snatches the card out of his hands, checking the details before shoving it into his pocket.

  “That doesn’t work for me.”

  “Yeah, well, leaving my kid brother here doesn’t work for me. So unless you want me calling the FBI, telling them that some lowlife has kidnapped my family, then you’ll release him now and meet me tomorrow at eight o’clock.”

  The man lets out a pitiful laugh, mocking my father with a very punchable smirk. I grind my teeth and glare at him when he orders two men to take Uncle Conrad from the room.

  “No!” I go to rise from my chair but am swiftly pushed back down.

  “Don’t touch her!” Dad barks, but his order is drowned out by Uncle Conrad’s wailing. “Let him go!”

  Dad goes to make a move, but three guns are soon pointing at him. The sickening sound of them being cocked and ready to fire makes him freeze.

  Slowly raising his hands, he backs into his original spot and we are tortured by Uncle Conrad’s pitiful cries fading down the corridor.

  The man’s dark eyes narrow into a molten glare that Dad meets head on.

  “You will get him back when you give me the money. If you’re late, I will start with his right ear and then his left, and then I’ll take one finger every ten minutes until his debt is paid in full. After that, I’ll move on to his kneecaps, and then—”

  “I get it!” Dad snaps, his upper lip curling with disdain. “He better be in one piece when I arrive tomorrow night.”

  The man gives him a slimy smile before casting his eyes on me.

  I convulse and shrink back into my chair.

  “Make sure you come alone, and don’t try anything tricky. I’m not afraid of you, cerdo. If you don’t deliver, I will come after your girl nex
t, and I will mail her back to you, piece by piece, until I have what your brother owes me.”

  Dad’s eyes cut to mine, fear lighting the edges of his expression. I’ve never seen his skin pale like that before.

  Flicking his fingers at me, he beckons me over.

  I jump up and scurry across to him. As soon as I’m close enough, he grabs my wrist and tugs me behind his back.

  “I’ll get you your money, but you step within one inch of my family again, you will spend the rest of your life regretting it. I’m not afraid of you either, asshole.”

  The man’s sharp nostrils flare in response to my father’s warning, but he doesn’t say anything, allowing Dad to pull me from the room.

  I should feel a sense of relief as I’m hauled away from danger, but this firestorm isn’t over. Uncle Conrad’s still in their clutches. Money has to be found, and paid! Not to mention all the other things I’ll be facing as soon as I get into Dad’s car. There’s no space for relief yet.

  I don’t know if there ever will be.

  42

  It’s Over

  CAIRO

  I can’t stand still. I’m outside the club now. Velocity and my parents are waiting with me. I managed to spit out the whole story the second I reached our table.

  As soon as Mom heard what I was saying, she dragged us all outside to wait for Max and her father.

  I’m sick with worry. It’s eating me alive. Huge chunks are falling into my stomach acid, burning-hot embers rising up my throat to torture me.

  Maddie and Chloe raced out of the car as soon as they spotted us.

  Their jitters aren’t helping.

  The people lining up to get in are oblivious. We get the odd glances, but they all probably think we’re biting our nails while we wait to find out if we made it to the second round of auditions.

  I don’t give a shit about the auditions.

  I just need Max to be okay.

  Luisa pops her head out the door, pasting on a camera-ready smile as she waltzes out of the club. Her PR speech is at the ready, but I cut off those glossy red lips before they can even open.