by HELEN HARDT
Come on, Colin. Come on.
As if on cue, he walked back into the kitchen, Dominic following him. Alex leaned against the counter, looking as distrustful as ever. Dave hadn’t returned for his phone.
So far so good.
If this didn’t work, though, I had a backup plan.
“My turn.” I rose. “I’m going to need my purse.”
“Why?” Alex asked.
“My monthly friend is visiting,” I lied.
“You’re full of it,” she said.
“You want to check?” I glared at her.
“Sure, you dum—”
“For God’s sake, Alex,” Dominic interrupted. “Get her purse.”
I held back a smile. If I could depend on one thing always, it was the discomfort all men shared when it came to female body functions.
“She’s lying,” Alex said. “She would’ve had to go before now.”
“Light flow,” I said. “I’m on the pill.” The second part was true, anyway.
Dominic and Colin had both turned the color of a red delicious apple.
Good. This was going well.
“Lighten up, Alex.” Dominic left the room and came back holding my purse. “Here. And don’t mention any of this again.”
“Dom…”
“We’ve already been through her purse, Alex. We have her phone.”
Ah. As I’d suspected. Thank goodness I always kept extra tampons in my purse, or they’d have had a lot of questions. Since he didn’t mention the blade, he probably hadn’t found it.
I wished for a psychic link to Colin. If only I knew if he’d gotten through to Jade…or whether he’d done anything at all. He could have easily chickened out, which was why I needed plan B.
I grabbed my purse and muttered a “thanks.” Alex led me to the bathroom.
The room was tiny, since this was a mobile home, but I had enough elbow room to do what had to be done. I opened a tampon with as much commotion as I could, just in case she was listening, and I even inserted it, in case she wanted to check for the string. Not that I thought she would, but Alex was a question mark. I couldn’t manipulate her the way I was manipulating Dominic.
Then I pawed through the contents of my purse, removing the bulkier items so I could access the hidden zippered pouch at the bottom.
Eureka!
I fingered the shiny blade.
The scar on my upper thigh began to tingle.
No time for that, though. I couldn’t be bleeding while I tried to make someone else bleed.
These are my friends…
No, damn it. No!
Maybe just one little cut.
Just enough to relieve the tension.
No one would know.
No one would know.
Chapter Thirteen
Bryce
Gotcha.
The entire contents of the email from the Spider.
Gotcha.
What the fuck?
We didn’t know who the Spider was, and as far as we knew, he hadn’t done anything—
Oh, shit.
Cade Booker had given us the information.
Cade Booker.
There was no Spider.
I pounded my fist on the kitchen table.
Who the hell was this Cade Booker? I needed information, and at this point, Joe would spill, even with the silent code of the BDSM club. The guy had attacked us with pepper spray. He’d been armed with three guns, for God’s sake.
I grabbed the last known address from the file I’d gotten via the web and entered it into my GPS. Back to the city for me tonight.
I ignored my eyes. They were sore and tired. Closing them would be a godsend. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
Marjorie never left my mind. What was happening to her? I couldn’t let myself consider any of the vile possibilities. No, she needed me whole. She believed in me, believed I was more than an empty shell.
I had to prove her right. I had to find her, and that meant focusing.
My phone buzzed.
“Talon?” I said. “What’s up? Is Melanie all right?”
“I haven’t heard anything about Melanie, and I’m not going to bother Joe with this. He needs to be with his wife right now. But Jade just got a text from a number she didn’t recognize. It says it’s from Colin. He’s with Marj, Bryce. They’re being held in a mobile home somewhere.”
“Oh my God. Anything else?”
“Yeah. After he sent the text, Colin called Jade and left the line open. We’re tracing it now.”
“We’ve got to move quickly. I’ll be right over.”
“We’re already on our way,” Talon said. “Ryan and Ruby are with me. We’re going after our sister.”
I marched into my bedroom and retrieved my alternate pistol, as the one I’d been carrying earlier had been taken when I was at the hospital, and I hadn’t thought to get it back. I was armed again.
Armed and ready.
“Two hours away,” Talon said when I got into the passenger seat of his truck. “Fucking two hours away.”
“Could be a trick,” Ruby said. “In fact, it’s probable. The best way to keep us off the trail is to send us off the trail.”
“We have to try,” Ryan said. “You know that.”
“Of course I know that. Why do you think I’m with you? You need me. I’d do anything for this family. Everybody armed?”
“Always,” I said, echoing Joe’s response I’d heard so many times.
Talon had been in the military, and Ruby had been a police detective. Clearly, they could shoot. Joe said he had taught Ryan, but was he any good? Did he carry a gun?
“Yeah,” Ryan replied.
That answered that question.
“Of course,” was Talon’s response.
“I still think we should tell Joe what we’re up to,” Ryan said.
Talon shook his head. “He has enough on his mind. Let him become a dad. He deserves it.”
“I agree,” I said. “We can handle this. Everyone in this car loves Marj just as much as Joe does. Plus, his baby is premature. He needs to have his head in that game right now.”
“I talked to Melanie,” Ruby said. “There’s a good chance the baby will be fine without incubation. Babies have survived that are born at twenty weeks. Everything will likely go well, so I agree with Bryce. Let them have this time together.”
“Joe will be pissed,” Ryan said.
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “He will. But after he gets over his hotheadedness, he’ll realize we did what was best.”
“He needs to be with Melanie,” Talon agreed. “Besides, we don’t know what we’re getting into. This could be dangerous.”
“Said the new father of almost three,” Ryan reminded him.
“I’ve gone into many a battle,” Talon said, “and I’ve come out of all of them, even when I didn’t want to.”
Silence after that.
We all knew Talon’s story, how he’d tried to get himself killed in Iraq. Seemed life had other plans for him. Plans with a wife and kids.
Talon would come out of this alive.
We all would.
Including Marj.
She would.
She had to.
I needed her.
We drove in silence for another half hour, when all of our phones dinged with a text simultaneously.
From Joe.
He’s here. Four pounds even. Tiny but breathing on his own. Strong as an ox and gorgeous like his mom. He’ll be in NICU for a week or so. Expected to do fine.
We all sighed in relief.
“Won’t he be expecting us at the hospital?” I asked.
“It’s late. I’m sure he’ll expect that we’ll come see the baby tomorrow,” Talon said.
Joe was a father.
Wow.
Being a father was something that had enriched my life in so many ways. It would be great to watch my best friend enjoy those things for the first time.
“What’s
his name?” I said.
“The text doesn’t say,” Ruby said. “You know, it’s funny. Melanie and I talk all the time, and she never mentioned any names they were considering. The few times I brought it up, she said they hadn’t decided.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Ryan said. “He can’t be nameless forever.”
“Melanie was worried for so much of this pregnancy,” Ruby went on, “because of her age. I wonder if she was just trying not to get too attached to the baby, you know?”
“You have been spending a lot of time with Melanie,” Talon said. “That sounds exactly like something she would say.”
“Her pregnancy has been textbook easy,” Ryan said. “Nothing like Jade’s.”
Talon visibly stiffened in the driver’s seat. “Jade’s doing a lot better. She’s been feeling pretty good since that scare.”
Silence again.
Then, “Shouldn’t one of us text him back?” Ryan said. “Or call?”
“I’m driving,” Talon replied. “Jade will text him for us.”
I hurriedly tapped into my phone. “Wonderful! Congratulations! Welcome to fatherhood. Your life is about to change drastically, but you’ll love it. Love you, bro.”
“Text sent,” I said.
“Yeah, me too,” Ryan said. “I feel like we should call him.”
Talon kept his eyes on the road. “He’s busy. We’ll call him when we’re done with this.”
When we’re done with this.
Interesting choice of words.
This could very well be leading us to nowhere good.
Chapter Fourteen
Marjorie
No one would know.
Slowly I lowered the blade to the scar of my flesh. Tingles shot through me at the chill of the sharp blade against my skin.
Just a little cut…
Just a little, to relieve all this tension—
“What the hell is taking you so long?” Alex banged on the door.
Reality set in with a brick to my gut.
What was I doing? This was no time for my ridiculous self-indulgence. I had a job to do, especially if Colin had failed.
“Give me a break,” I said. “Haven’t you ever had a period before?”
“Yeah. And I take care of it quickly. You’ve got two more minutes before I knock this fucking door down.”
Shit. Okay.
The blade burned hot against my fingers.
Alex on the other side of the door, ready to pound her way in…
My friend.
Almost no thought in my head as I cut a centimeter incision into my scar.
The pinch of pain flowed through me, calming me.
Yes, and I could make this work. I opened another tampon, sopped up the blood, and then threw it in the wastebasket next to the toilet. I’d flush the extra wrapper.
Ha! Let Alex check the trash. She’d find what she needed to find, and I got the pleasant calming of the pain in my thigh. I tore the wrapper off a bandage and taped up the cut. Wrapper from the bandage went in the toilet as well.
Later, I’d berate myself for succumbing.
Later, when I had to think about what I’d done.
For now, I had a job to do—get Colin and myself out of here.
What to do with the blade? I was wearing sweats with no pockets, a sports bra, and a workout shirt. My bra seemed the safest place. I carefully placed it on top of my left breast, taking care not to scratch my skin. Then I adjusted my sweatpants and flushed the toilet. Yes! The mobile home toilet had handled the extra stuff. I washed my hands before opening the door.
“Took you long enough,” Alex said, frowning.
Actually, had I ever seen her smile? Nope. The frown was a permanent fixture on her face. I smiled sweetly…which took a lot of effort. “Thanks. I feel better now.”
No truer words.
She scowled at me and led me back into the kitchen.
Dave still hadn’t returned for his cell phone, which was making me nervous. How did a person not know his cell phone was missing? Especially someone in the business of crime?
Thoughts filled my head. Did he have two phones? Was the cell phone a plant? Were they setting us up?
Maybe. I had no idea. All I knew was that I had a plan, and I’d stick to it. What else could I do?
The blade prickled against my breast. It was only my imagination. The chill from the cool metal had warmed almost instantly.
No, this was the tingling I was used to. The vibration I felt whenever I held it. Held my friend.
I had to ignore it.
So I had the blade. What next? If they tied us up again, I wouldn’t be able to access it. I needed a plan. Colin still sat at the table, white as a sheet. I assumed he still had Dave’s phone hidden…somewhere. Most likely in his crotch, the place he figured Dominic and Alex wouldn’t look.
Now what?
Might as well ask.
“What now?” I asked Dominic. I was tempted to ask where Dave had gone, but I didn’t want to bring attention to him or his phone.
“You’ll be comfortable here for the night. Alex will stay here with you. Dave and I have other things to attend to.”
Dave wasn’t coming back. Shit. He’d eventually realize his phone was missing.
Crap. What if Dominic tried to call Dave and the phone rang in Colin’s crotch?
Had he thought to put the phone on silent? I wasn’t sure, because the thought hadn’t occurred to me until this very moment.
Trust. Again, I had to trust Colin. He was a smart man, even though he’d been through horrific times. Horrific times didn’t erase intelligence and cunning. It hadn’t for Talon. I had to believe it hadn’t for Colin.
If Dave was gone for the evening, Dominic and Alex would have no reason to call him.
Right?
Nothing I could do about it, at any rate.
“You two will have to share a room,” Dominic said. “There’s a bed, and everything is clean and comfortable. It’s connected to Alex’s by a door. That’s the only way out. The windows are barred, so you’ll have to get past Alex if you’re thinking about running.”
“Let’s just tie them up and be done with it,” Alex said.
“No. Our orders are to keep them comfortable here.”
“Fuck the orders,” Alex said.
“You’re getting more like our brother every day,” Dominic said. “You want to switch sides? Say the word.”
“No. I don’t want to switch sides,” she said with sarcasm. “I’m just tired of dealing with these privileged little fucks.”
Privileged?
I was a Steel, and Colin came from a privileged background as well. After all we’d both been through, though, I had a hard time thinking of either of us as privileged.
Whatever.
“I’ll need access to a bathroom,” I said.
“Alex will take you if you need to go,” Dominic said.
“So I’m reduced to being a babysitter. Taking the little toddlers to go pee pee.”
“Alex…”
She sighed. “Sorry.”
I held back a scoff. Bitch wasn’t sorry at all. If she hated this line of work so much, why was she in it? Why did she let Dominic run the show? She put on a tough act, but maybe she wasn’t so tough after all.
I intended to find out.
“All right,” Dominic said. “I’m out of here. I’ll be back in the morning with your breakfast. Dave might get here before me, if he finishes—”
“Shouldn’t we have heard from him by now?” Alex interrupted.
Dominic looked at his watch. “I’ll call him from the road.”
Alex nodded, and relief swept through me. Now Colin would have time to silence the phone if he hadn’t already—assuming he could do so without being seen.
“You two behave yourselves,” Dominic said to us.
“Sure, Dad,” I said dryly.
Colin said nothing.
Dominic left, and I sat, my nerves jit
tering, waiting for the phone to ring in his crotch, or wherever it was. After a few minutes, I allowed myself to stop worrying. A little.
“Come on,” Alex said.
We followed her into what I assumed was a bedroom. It looked as if an extra wall and a door had been installed to make a nursery or something. “You two are in here.”
“Uh…there’s only one bed in here,” I said.
“Then you’ll be cozy. Shut the fuck up.” She walked through the door. “This stays open, by the way.”
I didn’t dare speak to Colin until I hadn’t heard anything come from Alex’s room for about ten minutes.
“Phone?” I mouthed.
“Died,” he mouthed back in a light whisper. “Battery was almost dead, but I managed to send a text and keep the line open.”
I gave him a thumbs-up. Hopefully its juice had held out long enough for Jade and Talon to trace the call.
“Take the bed,” Colin whispered. “I don’t mind the floor.”
I held a finger to my lips, urging him to be quiet. It didn’t really matter who took the bed. If we came up with a plan, we wouldn’t be here long.
Then I pointed to my left breast. I lifted my shirt and showed him the blade secured in my bra. I still didn’t know what I’d do with it.
“If the phone’s dead,” I whispered, “just tuck it somewhere. Dave will think he left it behind.”
He nodded. “When we go.”
“Plan?” I mouthed.
“Slit her throat,” he mouthed back.
Chapter Fifteen
Bryce
Roughly an hour and a half later, we drove into what appeared to be a deserted mobile home park. Trailers sat in ruins.
“They can’t possibly be in here anywhere,” Ryan said.
“You’d be surprised,” Ruby said. “In my day, I busted a lot of drug rings that were run out of places like this. They could very well be here.”
“You said it could be a setup,” Ryan said.
“It still could be. I don’t know, Ry. But this is a den for criminal activity, I can tell you that much. I feel it in my bones.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” her husband gibed her.