by Susan Stoker
Milena also liked Erin. She was a bit standoffish at first, but when their second round of drinks had arrived, and tasted really watered down, she’d stalked to the bar and told the bartender off. She’d ended up making their drinks herself. When she came back to the table, she explained that the bartender had said if she thought they sucked so much, maybe she should just make them herself. Of course, since she worked part time at The Sloppy Cow, a bar on the other side of the city, she’d taken him up on his offer.
Sophie and her friends had hit it off with Sadie, and the four talked for most of the night. Milena had learned they all worked in a lab not too far from the club. When she overheard Sophie talking about how she’d moved in with her firefighter boyfriend who lived next door to her, and a former homeless couple was currently living in her old house, Milena made a mental note to ask her more about that later.
“Who else needs to pee?” Sadie called out over the music. They’d been taking turns, so they didn’t lose their table and somebody was always there to keep watch over their drinks. Other than someone sending a round of free drinks to their table, the night had been uneventful.
Milena and Erin raised their hands.
Giggling, as much for the fact they were grown women raising their hands in a bar as they were for falling into the stereotype of going to the restroom in a group, the three women got up and began to shove their way toward the back of the club where the bathrooms were located.
It took a while to get there because of how packed the place was, but they held hands and stuck together and eventually made it to the back hallway. There was a line—of course there was—so the three women shot the shit as they waited. Finally, they were able to squeeze into the small room.
They were washing their hands and laughing when they heard it.
Milena looked at Erin. “Is that what I think it is?”
The other women in the restroom apparently didn’t hear anything, because they continued to laugh and talk as usual.
Milena felt Sadie’s hand on her arm. “I heard it.”
“Come on, let’s go see what’s going on.”
They hadn’t taken two steps outside of the small bathroom when all hell broke loose inside the club.
* * *
Jonathan had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move, and when his redhead and Jeremiah’s bitch made their way to the bathroom, he knew it was time.
He’d sent a round of drinks to the women’s table to mess with them. He wanted to see the agent, who stuck out like a sore thumb, look around and wonder who sent the drinks. He’d been sitting at the bar waiting for an opportunity to get to his redhead and the other bitch when the cop got up and stomped toward the bar to interrogate the bartender about who sent the drinks to the table.
Jonathan had gotten up to avoid being near the bartender when he was questioned when he saw the two women he’d come for get up and head for the bathroom. It was dumb luck, but he wasn’t going to let the moment slip by.
He positioned himself between the bathrooms and the rest of the club and pulled out the revolver he’d smuggled in. He had six shots. He had to make them count. Had to create as much chaos as possible.
Turning and aiming at the first person he saw, he pulled the trigger.
He watched the woman fall to the ground in front of him, blood immediately spreading on the concrete floor beneath her.
It took her friends a second to understand what had happened, and when they did, they immediately started screaming and backing away from him.
Needing to get the crowd moving in two different directions, toward the front doors as well as the back, he quickly aimed at a man standing near the women who were backing up.
As soon as he fell, more people screamed. The music was still blaring, making it hard for anyone who couldn’t see what had happened to know what was going on.
Then Jonathan turned and shot at someone standing behind him. He didn’t even look to see who he’d killed. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was his redhead and the bitch. He didn’t really give a shit about the woman his father wanted, but if he left to start his own family and didn’t deliver the bitch his father wanted, Jonathan knew without a doubt his father wouldn’t rest until he’d hunted him down. So he’d take her too, but once he gave her to his father, Jonathan was out of there.
The screams around him increased, and Jonathan moved toward the bathrooms. The only part of his plan that was unpredictable was if anyone else had managed to smuggle in a firearm, or if the FBI was able to get through the panicked crowd before he could get away with his prize. Weapons weren’t allowed inside the club, but this was Texas. Jonathan hoped like hell no one killed him before he’d achieved his goal.
Smiling at seeing the now panicked crowd doing exactly what they were supposed to—blindly running for the two main exits—Jonathan shot someone else, just for fun.
He saw his redhead before he saw the other bitch. Tucking the gun into his waistband, he headed straight for them. He caught up with them as the crowd was moving slowly toward the doors, not everyone able to squeeze through them at once. He purposely tripped the third woman who was with his targets.
When his redhead turned and held out a hand to help her friend up, he caught it in his and said urgently, “We’ve got to get out of here! That guy is still shooting. You can catch up with her outside!”
He had his collar pulled up on his neck and was wearing a ball cap pulled low over his eyes. He hoped it was enough to keep his identity a secret from the two women until he got them where he wanted them. By then, it wouldn’t matter if they realized who he was.
“Erin!” his redhead yelled, looking back at her friend, but Jonathan pulled her along, not giving her a chance to stop.
“Go!” she yelled back. “I’ll catch up with you outside!”
“I’ll get us out of here,” Jonathan told his redhead. He was somewhat surprised when she didn’t yank out of his hold, smiling inside when he saw she was holding on to the bitch with her free hand. Everything was working out exactly the way he’d planned.
The three of them made their way with the throng of people pushing and shoving to escape what they thought was a continued massacre behind them. He stayed in front of the women, making sure neither got a good look at his face.
They made it out of the club through a set of doors and as soon as they were in the dark alley at the back of the club, he pulled them quickly to the left, away from the people moving to the right toward the front of the club and the main street.
“Wait, we need to go the other way,” his redhead said, pulling at his hand, but Jonathan didn’t stop. He tightened his grip and got almost to the end of the alley before she finally yanked her hand out of his and came to a halt.
Without pausing, Jonathan turned and pulled the revolver out of his waistband. He held it up and aimed it at the center of the bitch’s forehead.
“Don’t make a sound or she’s dead,” he said calmly without raising his voice.
“Oh my God, it’s you,” his redhead said.
Jonathan smiled. “It’s me, baby. Now, here’s what’s going to happen…”
* * *
Blythe hid in the shadows and watched the chaos explode around the nightclub. She held on to Billy’s hand tightly, refusing to let go of him for even a second. She’d met Jonathan earlier and, after he’d verified that Milena and her friends were inside, he told her where he’d stashed the little boy.
She’d immediately gone to the abandoned building and found Billy right where Jonathan said he would be. His hands were tied behind him, he was blindfolded, and his feet were bound together. Unless he had figured out how to get himself untied, he would’ve been stuck there, and probably died.
He’d been overjoyed and relieved to see her, and even though Blythe wanted to take him straight to Hope, she couldn’t until she saw what Jonathan had planned.
As she watched the panicked mob exit the club, she had a pretty good idea what
he’d done. He’d caused one hell of a distraction so he could get her friend away without being noticed. Blythe reached for the cell phone in her pocket. She managed to keep it charged by going to the public library every couple days.
A few months ago, when she was at a fire in an old building next to a hospital, one of the firefighters had given her his sweatshirt because he’d noticed she was cold. She’d shamelessly stolen it—the nights were chilly, after all—but she hadn’t realized his phone was in the pocket until later. By then, the fireman was long gone and it was too late to return the sweatshirt or phone. She’d felt bad for not being able to give the expensive electronic back.
Blythe hadn’t expected the owner to text his own phone. He gave her the code to unlock the cell and encouraged her to talk to him. So she had.
They’d only texted at first, but eventually he’d convinced her to pick up the phone when he called.
They’d formed a friendship of sorts. He wanted to help her. When she refused, he’d offered to give her money. She’d refused that too. Finally, he’d stopped treating her as someone who was pathetic and needy, and instead talked to her like he would a friend. It had been a long time since she’d had that.
Now, Blythe called him. She was ashamed of what she’d done, but he could help. He’d offered it often enough before, and she needed him.
She clicked on his name and waited for him to pick up.
“Hey, Blythe, long time no hear. Everything okay?”
She searched the crowd for Jonathan and Milena, but couldn’t see them anywhere. “No,” she told the only friend she had. “I need your help.”
* * *
TJ laughed at the joke Daxton had just told. It was the first time since the school had been raided, and he’d found Milena, that he’d let down his guard and hung out with his friends simply for fun.
Daxton, Cruz, Quint, Calder, and one of the firefighters, Chief, were all sitting around a bar called The Sloppy Cow, hanging out until the women were done for the night. Conor was supposed to be there too, but he got called into work. The only single man there was Calder. He was a medical examiner who always had fascinating stories to tell. Earlier he’d said he couldn’t make it, but his plans had changed.
They were waiting on an order of cheese fries to arrive when Chief’s cell phone rang. “Hey, Squirrel, what’s up?” He listened for a moment, and TJ stiffened when Chief’s smile died and was replaced with an anxious frown. “TJ is here with me. Any word on the others?”
“Fuck!” TJ swore, then got up and headed for the door before he even heard what was going on. It was about Milena. He knew it down to the marrow of his bones.
Cruz caught him by the arm. “Wait. Don’t go off half-cocked. We need to know what we’re dealing with.”
TJ controlled himself. Barely. He had to get to Milena. She needed him. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he did.
He was so stupid for letting her go out. Yes, she was a grown woman. And yes, Hayden was there with her, as well as an FBI agent, but he should’ve put his foot down and insisted that he and the other men be there at the bar with them. He could’ve given her space, but still been there to protect her. Whatever happened was his fault.
Chief clicked off the phone, and he and the others at the table headed for the door of the bar. They reconvened outside and Chief didn’t beat around the bush.
“That was Squirrel. Something’s going on at Five. He wasn’t sure what.” He paused then turned to TJ. “Milena and Sadie have been taken.”
TJ didn’t ask how he knew. He’d known from the look on the other man’s face that Milena was either hurt or worse.
“And the others?” Dax asked.
“Their whereabouts are unknown, but Squirrel is pretty sure they’re good,” Chief said.
“You’re with me,” Cruz told TJ.
“I’m coming too,” Quint said.
“I’ll be with Dax,” Calder added.
“I’m going to head to the station and talk to Squirrel. I’ll call Conor along the way and let him know what happened. I’ll be in touch if I find out anything else,” Chief told the group.
“Appreciate it. Let’s roll,” Dax said, already headed for his car.
While they were on their way to the nightclub, TJ took out his phone and dialed Milena’s number. It went straight to voicemail, which wasn’t a good sign, but not exactly surprising. He thought for a second, then dialed another number.
“Hey, Rock. It’s a bit late to be calling, don’t you think?”
“Sadie and Milena are gone,” TJ informed Chase.
“What?”
“They were at a club downtown and something happened. They’re gone. Are the Deltas around? I might need their help,” TJ said.
“They’re not. Last I knew, they were on a mission. But I’m on my way,” Chase said.
TJ heard the other man moving in the background. Heard a door shut.
He sighed. He really could’ve used the Delta Force team Chase’s sister was involved with, but he’d do what he needed to, with or without them.
“It’ll take me about two hours to get down there. I’ll call when I’m closer and you can tell me where to meet you. In the meantime, keep me in the loop.”
“Yeah,” TJ said absently, his mind already on what the next step in finding Milena and Sadie would be.
“Did you hear me?” Chase barked. “I mean it. You call and tell me what you know as soon as you know it.”
“Done.”
“I mean it, Rock,” Chase warned, using his old Delta nickname.
“I heard you loud and clear,” TJ reassured the other man. “When I know something, you’ll know something.”
“Thank you. Later.”
TJ clicked off the phone without saying goodbye and tried to control the anger bubbling up inside him. It had been a long time since he’d been this scared and pissed off at the same time.
The mood in the car was tense, each of the men lost in their thoughts about their own women. He hoped the others were all right, but all his focus was on Milena.
Instinctively, he knew without a doubt in his mind that Jeremiah had made his move. The asshole had come out of whatever hole he’d crawled into and stolen Milena. For what end, he had no clue, but TJ was going to make sure it was the last mistake the man ever made.
Chapter 18
Dax had to park three blocks away from the nightclub because the streets had been blocked by law enforcement. It had taken twenty more minutes for them to find Mackenzie, Mickie, Hayden, Erin, Sophie, and her two friends, because of the chaos and pandemonium in the area.
The FBI officer who had been in the club keeping his eye on the women was standing off to the side, obviously frustrated and worried. He said that by the time he’d realized something was happening, there was no way he could get to the area of the bathrooms where Erin, Milena, and Sadie had gone, because of the stampede of people blocking his way. He’d been trying to find out who had ordered the cocktails for the group, and had fucked up by not noticing the three had gone to the bathroom.
It was Erin who actually had the information they needed.
“We were in the bathroom when we heard the shots,” she told Dax, Cruz, Quint, Calder, and TJ. We ran for the back exit, along with everyone else, and I fell. Sadie tried to help me up, but I told her to go on and I’d meet her outside. A guy had grabbed her hand and told her to keep moving, and by the time I was up, I’d lost sight of them.”
“What did he look like?” Cruz asked. Mickie was curled into his side, and the two hadn’t taken their hands off each other since they’d been reunited.
“I’m not sure. He was fairly tall and was wearing a black baseball cap.”
“What color hair?” TJ asked impatiently.
“It was dark back there, but I think it was light. Blond maybe?”
TJ turned to Dax and Cruz. “It was Jonathan.”
“We don’t know that—” Cruz began, but TJ interrupted him.
&nbs
p; “Who else could it have been? It’s why we’ve been guarding Milena.”
Before anyone could say anything else, TJ’s phone rang. Looking at the screen, he saw Milena’s mother’s name. A sick feeling swept through him as he answered. “What’s wrong?” he asked without preamble.
“TJ?”
“Yeah, Missy, it’s me.” He tried to tamp down his pissed-off tone, but was having a hard time doing so.
The older woman’s breath hitched on a sob as she said, “JT’s been taken! There was a knock on the door, and it was a man in a police uniform. He said that something had happened to Milena, and we needed to get her son and come with him. So Bob went and got JT and came downstairs. Then the cop pulled a gun on us! He made me tie up Bob then he did the same to me. He took JT! We’ve called the police but I don’t know what else to do! We’re so worried!”
TJ didn’t think he could get any more upset. But hearing that his son had been taken did it.
“Did the fake officer have black hair and a mostly black beard?” he asked.
“Yes! Was it…him?” Missy asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. That was Jeremiah.”
Milena’s mom sobbed.
“I’m going to get him back, Missy. Mark my words.”
Something in his tone must’ve gotten through to her, because she stopped crying. “I know. That’s why I called. Find him, TJ. Bring my grandson home.”
“I will. I’ll call later.”
“Okay…”
TJ ground his teeth together when he hung up. He hadn’t told Milena’s mom that her daughter was also missing. Both she and Bob had enough on their plate at the moment. He’d see if he could get an SAPD officer or someone to go over and sit with them.
He turned to the others and informed them of what he’d just learned. Outwardly, he sounded in control, but under the surface, he was more pissed than he’d ever been in his entire life.