Sold: Highest Bidder

by Willow Winters

  But God is either deaf or not listening. The truth is, no one is coming to save me. Not Katie. Not Daddy, and definitely not Zane.

  I feel like there’s only one thing left to do.

  I close my eyes and pray for the end to come swiftly.

  Chapter 24

  Zane

  My chest hurts so fucking bad. It hasn’t stopped hurting since she came to my house the other day. I had to ignore her while she knocked on my door, but hearing her crying was like a knife to my heart. I wanna talk to her. I wanna explain everything. More than that, I wanna leave this life behind and take her away. But we’d have to run. We’d always be running.

  You can’t leave the mob.

  Fuck, I can’t handle it. But it’s for her own good. I know it is. I’ve been keeping an eye on her. Marky has, too. I can’t be around her all the time, and I trust him. He’d tell me if there was anything going on.

  I can’t sleep. Every time I hear a car pull up, I instantly think it’s someone coming to take her. I’ve dialed up Nikolai’s number at least a dozen times, but I never hit send. I need to know she’s gonna be alright, and she’s not on their list.

  He told me she’s alright. I have to believe him. I trust him.

  But at the same time, I don’t.

  And Marky’s still watching her when I can’t. Just in case.

  As if reading my mind, not ten minutes later I get a call. I stop working on the mock-up of the tat I’m doing later and calmly pick up my phone.

  I’m trying to keep the worrying down to a minimum. Every time he calls my heart rate picks up, and dread runs down my spine. But each time it’s always been to tell me she’s fine.

  I answer it and try keep my voice even, but before I can ask him about her, he’s yelling on the other end.

  “They got her.” My blood runs cold. “I wasn’t sure, Zane. I didn’t want to freak you out.” He’s talking rapid-fire, practically shouting, and it’s hard to hear. I stand up and pace the room as my body goes numb with fear. “I didn’t know what to do so I just watched, but it was them and they took her. I tried--”

  “Stop. Stop.” It can’t be true. My lungs refuse to fill. “Who has her?”

  “Garret. That fucker and two others. I wasn’t sure if it was him. It wasn’t till I was pulling in and they got out. I wasn’t fast enough. I followed them as fast as I could, but I lost them.”

  My blood races with adrenaline, anger takes over the fear. I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna slice his fucking throat open.

  “Where?” I ask him as I try to keep my hand from tightening on the phone to the point where it feels like it’s going to break.

  “I followed them onto Washington and then they went past--”

  “Where?!” I scream into the phone. I’m barely able to breathe, my vision’s going white. I need to get there now. Right fucking now. Every second away from her is a second he could hurt her. Fuck, my heart sinks. He’s going to. I know he is.

  “I lost them going north on Market Street.” Market Street? What the fuck is on Market Street? I don’t know. I don’t know shit about the mob’s operations. Fuck!

  I hang up the phone and immediately dial Nikolai. I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll kill all of them.

  He answers the phone, and I don’t give him a second to give me his bullshit.

  “You lying motherfucker,” I seethe into the phone.

  “Whoa!” he yells on the other end, but I don’t stop. I’ll never stop.

  “You told me she was safe. You’re fucking dead.”

  “Zane!” he yells out.

  “All of you are dead.” I’ll start at the top and work my way down.

  “Zane! Who has her?” I pause in my oath to make all them suffer. I wasn’t expecting him to deny it. “Who has her?” he asks again, but I don’t answer. I don’t know if he’s bullshitting me. My body’s shaking with anger, and I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know if I believe him. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

  “It’s not us, Zane! I didn’t lie to you. Zane!” He’s quiet for a second. “Zane! Are you there?” He sounds panicked, and his voice is filled with concern.

  “You didn’t know?” I ask him while trying to calm myself down. A shred of relief goes through me. But only a shred. This will be easier if it’s just Garret. So much easier if I have Nikolai's backing.

  “It’s not us--”

  I cut him off. “Garret took her.”

  He’s quiet for a second. I let it sink in, but in my head I hear the tick tick tick of time passing.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I’m quick to answer.

  “Do you know where?” he asks. My phone beeps, and I’m sure it’s Marky calling back. I pull the phone away from my ear and see I’m right. I ignore the call.

  “They went down Market, but that’s where we lost them.”

  “Give me her cell. They’re probably at the warehouse.” I rattle off her number and pace the room, feeling like a caged beast.

  “What’s the address?” I ask him. That’s all I need. Just the address, and I can go.

  “Hold on Zane, we need to know who’s there.”

  “We’ll find out when we get there.”

  “It only takes a minute, hold the fuck on,” he scolds me, and I can’t stand it. I need to move; I need to go to her.

  “Fuck!” he yells into the phone, and it stops me in my tracks.

  “What? What?” I ask him. Fear runs through me. Not Maddy. Please, fuck, don’t be about Maddy.

  “Vlad’s there.” His voice is hard and devoid of emotion.

  “Vlad and Garret?” I ask him. My head feels dizzy and I have to lean against the wall. Pain tears through my heart.

  “He’s fucking dead.” Nikolai’s voice is cold. I nod my head at his words.

  “How many others?” I ask him. He’s tracking their cells to locate them. I’ve seen him do it before. Thank fuck for Nikolai keeping me from going in with no plan.

  “I only see four of them. But there could be more.”

  “Do you have anyone?” I ask him. I can’t ask Needles or Marky to come with me. They aren’t trained for this shit. They wouldn’t know what to do.

  “Yeah, I do, but you need a vest, Zane.” I don’t fucking want to wait on a vest. “We have the element of surprise on our side. They won’t see us coming. But we need to be smart.” I don’t care about being smart or being prepared, I just need to get to her.

  “If I ever meant anything to you, you’ll help me keep her safe.”

  “Zane, I’m on your side.” He sighs into the phone and says, “We’ll get her back. I promise you.”

  My throat closes as other emotions take over, but I hold on to the anger. I picture what I’m gonna do to them when I get there. They’re dead. Every fucking one of them.

  “Garret’s mine.”

  “You need to be smart about this, Zane,” I hear Nikolai speaking, but I’m not listening. We’re close, so close to getting her back and keeping her safe.

  “You can’t go in there guns blazing,” he says. The fuck I can’t.

  “Nik,” I say as I look him square in his eyes, “If you think I can go in there and not put a bullet in every one of their skulls, you’ve lost your mind.”

  “That’s fine by me,” he replies as he keeps my gaze, “But we need to go in quietly.”

  My jaw clenches. “I don’t like it.” He wants me to sneak in and find her. He wants me to wait for his call. I’m not fucking waiting. If they’re in there… if they’re with her. My throat closes and my fists clench at the thought. “I’ll fucking kill them!” I slam my fist on the dash.

  Nik looks at me like he’s not sure what to do. “If it was up to me, Zane, you wouldn’t be going in,” he says quietly. “And you don't have to like it. But you need to respect my plan. I promised you we'd get her back, and I fully intend to keep that promise.”

  I bite my tongue as he continues. “You need to be quiet. You can’t let
them know we’re there.” He's right. Logically I know that. But logic can go fuck itself right now for all I care.

  I hold his eyes and nod once. “Done.” I’m lying. I’m not holding back. I refuse to stand by and watch and wait.

  Nik looks behind me and asks, “Lev, Alec, you two loaded?”

  “Damn right, boss,” Alec answers. Lev nods. I look behind me at the two men. I’ve seen them before--hell, I’ve grown up with them. But I don’t trust them. I don’t trust any of them. I barely trust Nikolai.

  For all I know, this is a setup and they’re going to stab Nik in the back.

  I’m going in and grabbing my girl, and getting the fuck out. If I can kill those fuckers who took her on my way out, that’s what I’ll do. She’s all that's important. I need to get her out of there.

  “We’ll head in through the back,” Nik says and starts giving orders. We’re parked in a lot just behind the warehouse. He said there’s no cameras here. I’m taking his lead, but I don’t like waiting. I need to make sure she’s safe.

  Nik looks at me while he talks. “This hotheaded fuck is staying with me.” He turns back to look at the other men while my eyes bore into his skull.

  “You two need to make sure the place is secure. Sweep the place and kill anyone in there. Every single one of those fuckers is a traitor. He’s not the boss anymore.” They nod and agree, and with that I’m moving out of the car and I don’t stop until we’re there, staring at the steel double doors to the warehouse.

  Nik is slow as fuck compared to me, but he’s quiet. The other men are also quiet. All I can hear is my heavy breathing, and the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

  I move to open the door, but Nik stops me. His hand flies to the handle and he rips my hand away.

  Nik puts his finger against his lips and stares me in the eyes.

  I nod my head and back away, following his lead. My heart’s beating so fast and loud. I can feel it pounding against my chest.

  As soon as I’m in, I hear her. The warehouse is nearly empty. To our right, I can see half a dozen folding tables with boxes piled high in two rows in front of them.

  This must be where they pack and ship the product.

  In an instant my head whips to the left.

  I can hear her muffled cries for help. They echo off the wall. I move straight back, to the left. There’s one hallway on this side, and her voice is easy to follow.

  Keep screaming. I need to hear you, peaches. I need to know which door. My feet move of their own accord, and I’m only half-aware of Nik moving behind me.

  I hear her cries from the far door, and I’m on it instantly. I’m there. She’s still alive. I’m here. I can save her.

  I go to grab the door handle, but Nik pulls me back. My fists clench and I almost knock him out. But his attention isn’t on me. It’s on the door.

  My shoulders heave as I wait for him to get going. I hear her scream out, and it’s too much.

  Nik’s hand settles on the doorknob, gently turning it. I resist the urge to kick it open. I need to get to her. Her cries are louder now, and I don’t know what’s happening to her. My hands grip my gun and sweat pours down my face. My heart’s beating too fast.

  Maddy. I’m here.

  Nik gently and soundlessly pushes the door open enough for us to creep through. As soon as I’m in, I see her in front of a desk, on the ground tied to an overturned chair. Vlad's standing above her with a large knife in hand. There’s plastic wrap and duct tape on the desk. Their equipment.

  Maddy’s struggling against the ropes, trying to pull her hands free as she bucks off the ground. She’s helpless and trying to scream through a gag. Tears are running down her face. My heart pangs in my chest.

  Vlad’s got a sick smile on his sunken-in face as he cuts her leg with the knife. Behind him, Garret’s setting up a video camera.

  Sickness threatens to take over, but more than that, anger. How dare they touch her? My body trembles with barely contained rage. Those sick fucks!

  I can’t let him touch her. I won’t. In the distance, I hear gunshots. Alec and Lev must have found other people in the warehouse. But now we've lost the element of surprise as Vlad and Garret look up and realize we've come for Maddy.

  I hear Nik yell as I run out to the middle of the room, my gun pointed at Vlad and firing. My hand’s shaking so hard, I miss. The bullet sounds off and barely grazes Vlad’s back. Garret comes from my left and throws a chair at me. The fuckers aren’t armed.

  Good. I aim my gun at him as the chair flies through the air.

  It hits my calves and trips me up as I try to run to Maddy. I try to cover her, but I fall and the gun slips from my hands. It lands on the ground with a loud clank next to me, and I brace myself. I'm quick to get up and move to her side.

  At the same time, I hear another bullet go off and see Nik go after Vlad from the corner of my eye. Garret’s quick to run into Nik, knocking the two of them to the ground. Vlad’s focused on Nik, and I can tell Nik is his target. I reach up to the desk and grab the knife.

  Maddy first. I have to save her. Before I do anything else, I need her to be safe. I need to give her a fighting chance at least. I crawl to her and quickly cut the rope from her wrists. The knife saws back and forth.

  I hear the sound of bones crunching and fists slamming into flesh. By the noises echoing off the walls of the small room, I know Nik must be putting up a hell of a fight.

  Finally, the rope breaks and I hear Nik call out for me. “Zane!”

  I put the knife in her hands, knowing she needs to cut the rope on her ankles. “Run, Maddy!” I yell at her. “Run!”

  I grab the gun on the floor next to me and turn to aim, but I can’t fire. I could hit Nikolai. I move quickly through the room, kicking the chair and aim as soon as I have Garret lined up. He lifts his head and sees as I pull the trigger. He ducks and kicks off the ground, shoving his weight forward and pushing his body into my thighs.

  I fall hard and the gun goes off as I crash to the floor. My hand hits the floor hard and I wince as Garret punches me in the gut. The gun slips from my hand and he reaches for it. I grab his waist and yank him down and away from it. He kicks my thigh and reaches for the gun again, practically climbing up my body. I headbutt his stomach, and he keels over in pain. I slam a fist in his jaw and it sends him sliding away from me, away from the gun.

  I reach for the gun. I can feel the barrel with the tips of my fingers.

  I see Maddy using the knife to cut the rope around her ankles from the corner of my eye. I need to kill him. I can’t let him get to her. I need to get the gun first.

  Maddy’s screaming, and keeps looking at me. She needs to get out. Just save herself. But she’s not running. She hurls her body at Garret with the knife in her hand. But he’s too quick. He kicks her hard in her face, sending her flying backward. Fuck! “Just run Maddy!” I scream to her, but she ignores me. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her.

  The knife slices his leg, but doesn’t do anything more than slow him down for a moment. It’s a moment I’m able to scoot closer to the gun than he is though.

  Garret grabs my leg and tries to pull me away. I kick him. Hard. I miss, but on the way down my foot hits his jaw and he slips off of me. I kick against the ground watching Garret, and look up to see Maddy crawling on the floor and pushing the gun to me. I take it in both hands and roll onto my back, steadying it down my body and just as Garrett looks up, I shoot.

  Bang! Maddy shrieks. Bang! Bang! I keep shooting until the gun’s out of bullets.

  Garret falls to the ground lifeless, but the fight’s not over. I turn to my left and see Nik and Vlad both grappling on the ground, both with their hands at each other’s throat. I aim my gun and fire, but it’s empty. Fuck! My body’s hot and my heart feels like it’s racing to climb up my throat.

  I search for another gun, but I can’t see one. There’s nothing.

  I watch as Vlad puts all his weight on top of Nik and tightens h
is hands around his throat. Nik doesn’t let up, but he’s losing the fight. I can see it happening.

  I run toward them and slam my body against Vlad’s. He falls, and his hands slip. Nik takes in a heavy breath, coughing as his lungs fill for the first time since Vlad started choking him. I struggle to get up as Nik pushes against me and tries to pin Vlad’s heavy weight down.

  Nikolai’s hands wrap around Vlad's throat. Vlad tries bringing his legs up to pin Nikolai to the ground, but I’m quick to grab him. I leave Maddy behind me and grip onto his calves. I push all my weight down and pin him. I don’t let up until I see Vlad’s hands move from Nik’s throat to the hands strangling him.

  The blood vessels in his eyes pop and his face turns red. Maddy screams. She doesn’t stop screaming. I leave Nik and scoot backward to hold Maddy. She’s on the ground, knife in her hand with the cut rope on the floor next to her.

  Her clothes are torn, and the cut on her leg is bleeding pretty bad. I grab her in my arms and push my hand against her cut to stop the blood from flowing. I try shushing her. Her body shakes in my arms.

  “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” I try petting her hair, but she’s pushing me away.

  My eyes focus on Alec and Lev as they come into the room with their guns out. I start to push her behind me, but they take in the scene and lower their weapons.

  I hold Maddy closer to me as I see the life drain from Vlad’s eyes. Lev walks over and holds a gun out to Nik as Vlad’s body goes limp.

  I turn Maddy’s head away and watch as Nik puts the gun to Vlad’s head and pulls the trigger.

  Bang! Maddy jolts once in my arms, but she doesn’t scream.

  A clean shot in the skull. Blood spills from the wound as the head turns slightly and Nik moves off his chest.

  “It’s over, peaches. It’s alright,” I whisper into her hair, but she doesn’t respond. That’s when I notice she’s not holding on to me anymore. She’s limp in my arms.

  “Maddy?” I give her body a firm shake as my heart races with panic. She’s breathing, she’s alive. But she’s not responsive.