"Who's this?" I demanded.
"We don't appreciate you interfering with our business," the fake voice said smoothly. "But we're a forgiving family so we'll give you a chance to make it right. We'll pay you handsomely for giving La Familia Noriega a place in Cloverville."
"Forget it and fuck you," I spat. "I'm not on the payroll of any wannabe crime family."
"You may want to rethink that, Officer Barnes."
A scuffling sound came through the phone and then I heard a voice that made my heart shatter.
"Liam? Liam, is that you?" Hazel cried.
"Hazel!" I screamed, panic fully overtaking my body. "Hazel, where are you? Are you okay?"
"I don't know! They grabbed me off the street! Help me, Liam!" she sobbed into the phone.
"I'm coming to get you," I said, my voice thick with guilt. "I promise. It's gonna be okay, beautiful."
"Liam, help me please!"
Her sobs disappeared while all I could do was listen helplessly as the garbled voice returned.
"Think about it, officer. We'll be in touch soon."
"I'll fucking kill you motherfuckers myself!" I screamed.
Click.
The line went dead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
HAZEL
I woke up and tried to open my eyes but all I could see was blackness.
Panic ran through me as I quickly realized I couldn't even open my eyes. Something held them shut.
A blindfold. And not the soft, loosely tied one that Liam and I used in the bedroom. This one was painfully tight around my head and scratched at my skin.
My muscles ached with fatigue but I couldn't move my arms and legs. Panic bubbled up within me when I realized I was tied to a chair.
Only my dry, parched mouth wasn't bound. Not that I even had the ability to scream for help. My tongue felt thick and useless and my throat rasped for moisture, for relief.
Fear and adrenaline pumped through me. I felt like a captured animal. In reality, that's exactly what I was.
Stolen off the streets like property, knocked out, and tied up. But why? Who would do this?
I tried to steady my breathing and listen as hard as I could. It was the only sense I had left.
The floor under my shoes felt like concrete. The layer of goosebumps over my skin told me it was cold. It also smelled musty and a bit damp, like a humid basement.
"Don't worry," said an accented voice right next to my ear. It came out of nowhere like a ghost hovering near me.
I shrieked and nearly jumped out of my skin, but since I was bound to the chair, I felt myself falling to the side instead.
I braced myself for a hard fall since my hands couldn't break it, but a firm hand grabbed my arm and pulled me--and all four legs of the chair--back upright.
"So jumpy," chuckled an amused voice.
"Who are you?" I said in a hoarse, trembling whisper. "What do you want from me? I don't have anything."
"Now we both know that's not true." The voice oozed with a sliminess that made my skin crawl. “You have plenty we can work with.” He punctuated his statement by tracing a finger down the center of my chest and between my breasts.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” I rasped, jerking away from him. If I had any saliva left in my mouth I would have spit at him.
"Oh darling, I wouldn't dare," said the voice. "As much as I would enjoy you, I must keep you intact at least until we get your boyfriend into our pockets."
Boyfriend? Liam?
I froze as I tried to make sense of what he said. They were using me to try to get to Liam?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"There's no need to play dumb, darling. He's already falling right where we want him."
A hazy memory of hearing his voice on the phone floated through my mind. Him telling me it would be okay, that he was coming to get me while I pleaded for him to help me before everything went black again.
"We broke up," I replied insistently. "He won't come for me. You're wasting your time keeping me here."
"Even if that were true," breathed the voice eerily close to my neck, so close I could practically feel his dry, cracked lips on my skin. "We always have a use for pussy and tits as nice as this."
"Ugh, no!" I cried.
My stomach roiled and hot tears stung my eyes as his hands groped all over me. Twisting and moving to get away was no use.
The slap across my face came so suddenly from nowhere that my head jerked to one side and the pain seemed delayed. Sharp stings prickled across my face but I preferred being hit to feeling his hands groping me.
"You'll get to see him for a minute once he's here. But then we're putting you to work. If you're a good girl, we'll give you to our nicest pimp," the voice said, now further away. "You'll live like a queen, spending all your time lying back on silk sheets."
I didn't make a sound. I refused to let him think he could scare me or make me cry.
His footsteps moved further away until I heard a door open and then close again, followed by the sound of a deadbolt sliding into place.
Only then did I release my breath and let out loud sobs that echoed across the concrete walls and floor. Hopelessness and fear filled me.
I wasn't afraid for myself but for Liam. He would play right into their demands to save me, despite going against everything he stood for. If I knew him at all, he would risk everything to save me.
Don't Liam, I prayed silently as if my thoughts could reach his mind. Don't compromise your morals to come after me. Think of the town, the kids here. Keep them safe. Let these bastards have me.
I had no idea how much time passed. After what felt like an eternity, I started thinking I would let any of these men rape me for a drink of water. My throat ached horribly and felt like sandpaper. A hammer pounded at my head and I felt terribly weak.
The soreness in my limbs gave way to numbness. Even if I managed to escape my binds, my arms and legs would crumple uselessly underneath me from lack of oxygen.
My consciousness started to fade along with my hope. If they ever revived me to "put me to work" I could hopefully kill myself before that happened.
And Liam? I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry I put you through another painful loss.
Just before I slipped away, I thought I heard distant voices yelling and the pop-pop-pop of gunshots.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LIAM
“I need to speak with the detective.”
The middle-aged woman at the reception desk peered at me over her thick, clear glasses frames.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Appointment? He’s my fucking father.”
“Watch your language! Hey!”
I ignored her as I stormed impatiently behind her desk to my dad’s office.
When I burst through his door without knocking he looked up at me curiously, his salt and pepper mustache twitching slightly. He was perhaps a bit startled at my sudden entrance but unsurprised.
Nothing surprised Detective Jeff Barnes, the man who had seen it all.
"Thank you for your time, lieutenant," he said to the man sitting across from him. "I'll be in touch."
Both men stood and shook hands before the lieutenant took his leave and Dad trained his laser-sharp, eagle eyes on me.
"What's going on, son?"
He was wise and perceptive enough to know something was desperately wrong with me. Even if my fists weren't clenching and I didn't have monstrous bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, he'd be able to tell.
I admired my dad all my life and couldn't imagine a better mentor. This man was the first to tell me to look at the big picture when I started my police career and not to be distracted by the shiny details right in front of my eyes.
"I need your help, Detective." I always called him Detective instead of Dad when it had something to do with work.
But when I sat down in front of his desk under his watchful gaze, feeling the heavy w
eight of guilt and helplessness on my shoulders, I didn't give a shit about my career. I needed my girl back and safe in my arms.
"I really fucked up, Dad," I choked out, hating myself for letting yet another girl I loved suffer because of my fucking career choice. In that moment I knew I was ready to throw it all away.
Dad came around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge, watching me with my head in my hands.
He asked again with all the patience of a saint, "What's going on, son?"
I opened my mouth and everything flowed out like a waterfall.
Not just about the call I got from Hazel and the sting, but everything to do with Solomon as well. I must have spent half an hour confessing everything to my dad and trying to justify it, even though none of it mattered because the girl I loved wasn't safe. For all I knew she was already dead.
My dad listened silently, not speaking a word while I poured out my soul but sat quietly with his hands folded.
"I don't care what this means for my career," I concluded after my long-winded confession. "Hell, I'll happily do jail time myself after all this is over. All that matters to me is getting Hazel back."
He said nothing for a few moments but I knew his brain was already asking questions and playing out scenarios. Dad was always an unassuming guy. Even when he did regular police work he was never the biggest or strongest man on the force. But he was definitely the wisest and earned being the most respected detective in San Francisco and now Cloverville.
"You're absolutely sure it's La Familia Noriega that has her?" he finally asked.
"Affirmative," I said. "They called me right after we stopped their robbery and said it was retaliation for that."
"And are you sure this Solomon who you've been dealing with didn't lead you into a trap?"
My jaw clenched and my blood simmered as the realization occurred to me. Of course. It made perfect sense. How else would they know to go after her? How else would they get my phone number?
"I don't know," I admitted. "He's been honest with me for a long time. I'm not sure why he'd just turn me over."
"I recommend finding out where he stands," Dad said. "If he's not dirty, we could potentially use his help with finding her."
I nodded in agreement. I didn't want to believe that Sol had double-crossed me but if he did, I'd deal with it. My badge meant nothing anymore. I didn't have anything to lose.
"I'll call one of our best investigators on local crime families," Dad said, walking around his desk and picking up his phone. "We'll find out all we can and start putting a hostage specialist team together."
"Thanks, Dad."
I let out a long sigh as I stood. It wasn't a sigh of relief but I did feel a bit better knowing my old man and his best people were on it.
"I'll find Sol," I said as I started for the door. "And my last act as an officer might be bringing him here in cuffs."
"Liam," Dad said with more than a hint of patronization. "You're not losing your job. We need officers like you on the force."
I stopped in my tracks. There was no way I could have heard him right.
"You serious?"
"Of course I am." I knew from the way he looked at me he was a father talking to his son and not one of his officers. "I'm proud of you, Liam. You know how to see the big picture now." He smiled. "And I'm happy you've found love again."
"Me too. Only we've got to get her back first."
"We will, son. I promise you."
I nodded and swiftly left his office, knowing he'd get in touch once he was ready with the cavalry. In the meantime, I had another loose end to tie.
***
Finding Sol was easy enough. He was at the wine bar in a tight-fitting buttoned shirt that showed off his tattoos again.
One arm wrapped around the waist of a blonde woman in a black dress that clung to all her curves. She saw me approaching over Sol's shoulder and her smile fell when I came straight up behind him.
"Outside. Now." I snarled, dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder.
He looked at me, amused and slightly annoyed that I interrupted his pick up game.
"Wait your turn, Barnes. I'm still celebrating our win here," he said with a wide grin and wink.
"I said. Fucking. Now."
"Alright, alright. Calm your fuckin' horses."
He withdrew his arm from around the blonde and planted a kiss on her cheek before following my hurried gait outside to the back patio, which was thankfully empty.
"So what's with the long face?” he asked. “I was gonna hit you up to party but figured the cops wanted to keep you for a while."
I stood inches away from his face, my shoes practically touching his, searching his eyes for deception as the smile slowly dissipated from his face.
"Was it you?" I asked quietly.
"Was what me?"
"Don't fuck with me!"
My hands shot out like striking cobras and shoved his shoulders hard, taking him by surprise and sending him reeling back a few steps.
"Whoa Barnes, what the fuck!" He squared up his shoulders and stood in front of me again with narrow, suspicious eyes. "I thought we were in this together, man. I don't understand the sudden hostility."
"They took her," I spat, my teeth grinding with rage. "Noriega took Hazel. My woman. They want me in their pocket. How the fuck would they know anything about me, huh? My girl and my phone number? How would they know, Sol?!"
I was screaming at this point, spitting in his face and one wrong answer away from sending my fist into the gangster's face.
His expression remained calm and he didn't even flinch at the accusations. To my surprise, he reached out and put his hands on my shoulders, then spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Liam, I know we're on opposite sides of the track and come from completely different worlds. But you are one of the few men that I trust. That's even including my own people. And in this day and age, trust is hard to come by. When I find people I trust, I never do them dirty. As one man to another, you have my absolute word on that."
He stroked the stubble on his face and licked his lips thoughtfully.
"What it sounds like you're saying is one of my own people betrayed me and sold out to Noriega. Possibly following me around and hacking my phones." He gave me a serious look. "I swear on my life it wasn't me. I have nothing to gain by letting that trash move in here. I have your back, man. One-hundred percent."
My instincts told me I could trust Sol. If he did betray me I had enough evidence stacked against him that would put him away for over twenty years.
"I believe you," I said. "So I'm gonna need help from you to find her. Then we can consider ourselves even."
"Absolutely, man. Anyone that kidnaps innocent women in our hometown needs to be driven out like vermin." His eyes flashed menacingly. "And I'm going to find out who sold me out and make an example of them too."
"One thing at a time. Let's get my girl back first," I said. "My dad's putting a team together and getting more information on Noriega. He knows about our agreement and you can trust him too. If you can give him any information, it could help us find her before it's too late."
Solomon's charming grin returned.
"How romantic. The cops and the thug on a rescue mission together. This'll be one for the history books."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
LIAM
In the tense, silent room, my phone rang to life. It buzzed across the table until my dad's leading investigator nodded at me to answer it.
"Barnes," I said when I picked it up, my heart beating against my ribs.
"Hello again, Officer Barnes. Have you thought about our offer?" asked the familiar, garbled voice.
"First, let me talk to her again," I demanded. "Prove to me that she's still alive and well."
"I'm afraid we can't do that, officer. She's... taking a little nap right now."
Fuck, that didn't sound good.
I'm so sorry, Hazel. Just hold on a little longer.
&nb
sp; "I'll agree to your demands as long as you guarantee her release, safe and alive," I said, clenching my fist as I tried to keep my voice level. "If you don't, I'll bring all of California's police down on your head."
"No need to be so dramatic, officer. She's in good care and we'll hand her over without a scratch on her."
I inhaled a deep breath, cursing the next words coming out of my mouth even if they weren’t true.
"Then I agree."
I lifted my eyes to my dad's, which mirrored mine in their dark ocean blue color and he nodded encouragingly.
"A wise choice, officer. You'll live like a king while on our payroll."
"Tell me where she is," I insisted, getting impatient.
"Come to the almond warehouse just off the freeway heading toward Winters," the voice replied. "We'll have your first task ready to prove your loyalty to us. If you succeed, you'll receive your first payment."
"And Hazel?"
"Come alone and unarmed. We'll be watching."
"Fine. But is Hazel there? I'm not coming unless you're also handing her over to me."
Click.
The line went dead.
"Fuck!" I slammed the phone down in frustration.
"Take it easy, man," Solomon said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He's trying to get under your skin. Don't let him."
"What if she's not there?" I demanded. "What if he's full of shit about everything?"
"He probably is, but that's most likely where they're keeping her," he said. "These Noriegas talk a big game but that's all it is, talk. I'd bet my left nut that warehouse is their one and only headquarters."
"So you don't think it's likely they'd lead us into a trap?" my dad asked.
Seeing my father and Solomon interact like equals was incredibly interesting to watch. They both commanded respect but in completely different ways.
Dad with his crisp suit and detective's badge around his neck was the polar opposite of Sol, with his bicep-hugging T-shirt and tattoos on full display like usual.
"Not at all," Sol told him. "Their egos are too big and their brains are too small. They think they have Liam by the balls. They won't see us coming."
Love and War: A Bad Boy Romance (Small Town Bad Boys Book 2) Page 13