Four Horsemen: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 5)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

“Can you see anything inside the car?”

  “I can’t zoom in any further.”

  He walked out of the office and pulled down the parking lot to an end room. He got out alone and went inside.

  “Shit,” I gasped. “What if she’s not with him?”

  “You know…Antonio doesn’t live far from here.”

  I looked up at him, wondering what the hell he was getting at.

  “Jack, you know we can’t do this on our own.”

  “No, I’m not asking him for help,” I said angrily.

  “Would you really put Christy’s life at risk over your vendetta against him?”

  That stopped me in my tracks. He was right. Whatever anger I held toward Antonio meant shit as long as Christy was missing. I needed all the help I could get right now, even if it meant siding with my enemy.

  “He wouldn’t help me if I was drowning right in front of him.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “You need Josh,” Andrew added. “He’s your friend and Antonio’s brother-in-law. If anyone’s going to convince him to help, it’s Josh.”

  “Thanks for coming.”

  Josh shook his head. “I can’t believe this happened. I’m so sorry, man.”

  My emotions were barely in check at this point. The longer she was missing, the more I felt the life draining from my body. “I can’t lose her.”

  He gripped my shoulder tightly. “I know. We’ll get her back.”

  I nodded, hoping he was right, but my gut was churning. “Do you think he’ll help?”

  “Honestly? I can ask, but in the end, it’s going to come down to you.”

  I stared up at Antonio’s house. I could see him standing by the window. I was actually a little surprised that he hadn’t opened the door and pulled a gun on me yet.

  Knocking on Antonio’s door was something I never thought I’d do. But here I was, standing on his doorstep ready to beg him to help me if that’s what it took. When the door swung open, I wasn’t at all surprised. Of course he knew I was here.

  “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you. It’s after five.”

  I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

  “I don’t trust anyone that shows up here after five. So, what do you want?”

  “Christy’s missing,” I choked out.

  “And you think I took her?” he questioned.

  “No, I…” The words stuck in my throat. Asking for help after the way I’d treated him was a lot harder than I’d imagined.

  Josh stepped around me, his face grim. “Antonio, they have a location, but we need your help.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “He entered the motel room on his own,” I finally said. “There’s no guarantee he has her with him. And if she’s not, I need someone that can get that information from him.”

  “You’re her man. Go get it,” he snapped.

  “Extracting information isn’t exactly my area of expertise. I can’t risk going in there and coming out empty-handed. I need someone that knows what they’re doing.”

  Antonio’s jaw ticked as he stared at me. “No.”

  “What?” I asked, baffled that he just flat out refused.

  “You’ve been trying to pin something on me since I showed up here. Now you expect me to go with you and beat the fuck out of some guy to get you information? And I’m just supposed to believe that it won’t come back on me?”

  He was absolutely fucking right. I had done everything to show my distrust in him, yet now I was asking him for help. If the situation was reversed, I wouldn’t trust him either.

  “Please,” I said quietly, feeling my throat close up. “Someone was in our home. He attacked her, drove her car out here, and lit it on fire. Now she’s missing and this could be our only lead to find her.”

  His jaw clenched hard as he stared at me. “Fine, but if any of this comes back on me, you’ll have bigger problems than this fucker on your hands.”

  I nodded, grateful that he was helping us. Ciara was in the living room and gave us a funny look as we came in.

  “Ciara,” Andrew nodded to her. “Looking lovely as ever.” I glared at him, but he just shrugged. “What? It doesn’t hurt to keep the psychopaths on our side.”

  “I don’t think hitting on his girlfriend is going to be very helpful in that,” Carter muttered.

  “Right,” he nodded as we followed a scowling Antonio through the house.

  As he led us down the hall, he stopped outside a door. “You didn’t see anything in here, understood?”

  I gave a tight nod. He was right, nothing else in this house mattered right now. I just had to focus on getting Christy back. He walked over to the far wall and entered a code on a keypad. A door opened and inside was an arsenal of weapons. He grabbed several guns, then slid a large knife into a holster at his side.

  When he walked out, I looked at him suspiciously. “That’s all you’re bringing?”

  “I don’t need anything else to get him to talk.”

  The tone in his voice sent chills down my spine, and for once, I was grateful he was on my side.

  “Let’s go. Hippie boy stays here.”

  “What?” Andrew said emphatically. “Hey, I found this guy—”

  Antonio spun on him, shoving him up against the wall. “You’re a hacker. You don’t get your hands dirty, not like this. And above all that, you’re Josh’s brother. There’s no fucking way I’m letting you come along.”

  Andrew glanced at Josh for help, but he just shrugged. “He’s right. You don’t belong there. Besides, if we need help, I need you at the computer ready to go.”

  “Fine,” Andrew said, jerking out of Antonio’s grasp.

  “You’re not seriously going,” Ciara said from the doorway. “Antonio, think about what you’re doing. He’s treated you like shit since you came to town, and now you’re going to do something that could very well land you in prison?”

  “What if it was you?” he asked, staring at her for just a moment before she nodded. He turned to me and nodded. “Let’s go.”

  39

  Jack

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Carter. “You’re risking a lot.”

  “So is everyone else. If we do this right, no one gets caught.”

  I nodded to him, grateful to have him by my side.

  We watched from across the street, making sure no one came or went from the motel room. Andrew was keeping an eye on him back home, and from his intel, this guy was still in the room.

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Antonio said, turning to us. “You and Carter will stay here, keep an eye out for anyone that could potentially cause trouble. If you see anything you call Josh immediately.”

  “I can’t just hang back while you go in there. I need to be there.”

  “We’re not doing this here. We’re just grabbing the guy. Shitty motel or not, this isn’t the best place to take care of this. I need someplace where we won’t be heard.”

  “We need answers fast,” I argued. “Christy’s life is at stake.”

  “Are you willing to risk that no one will hear his screams? I’m not,” he snapped. “You stay here and you do your fucking job. Josh and I are trusting you to have our backs.”

  I hated to do things this way, but he was right. We couldn’t risk this guy alerting anyone, and I asked him to come do this job. I had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

  I gave a curt nod and watched as he and Josh slipped across the street in the darkness, moving through the shadows so smoothly that I could barely see them. I kept watch like I promised, but couldn’t help but look back at the door from time to time, needing to know what was happening. Carter’s phone rang, making me jump. I definitely wasn’t cut out for all this cloak and dagger shit, not when the life of someone I loved was on the line.

  “Yeah? Alright, we’re on our way.” He hung up and nodded to the room. “He’s ready for us. Pull around to the s
ide of the building.”

  I did as he asked as he got on the phone again. “Andrew, I need you to work your magic with the cameras. Make sure we aren’t seen.”

  “He can manipulate the cameras?” I asked.

  “According to Andrew, he can do anything. We just have to trust that he has us covered.”

  I nodded and pulled up to the side of the building, putting the truck into park. Antonio and Josh hurried out of the motel room, carrying the limp form of Woods between them. They tossed him in the back of the pickup and lowered the tonneau cover so he wouldn’t be seen. They got in the back, shutting the doors.

  “Where to?”

  Antonio was quiet for a moment. “Back to my place.”

  “I thought you wanted to do this somewhere else?”

  “I changed my mind,” he bit out.

  Without further explanation, I headed back to Antonio’s house. I didn’t know why he would risk having any of this on his property, something that could tie directly to him, but I wasn’t about to question him now. It was silent as we sped through the night back to our small town. When I pulled down Antonio’s driveway, I wasn’t quite sure where he wanted me to go, but he answered the question just moments later.

  “There’s a trail just beyond the shelter. Take it into the woods.”

  I nodded and did as he said.

  “Stop here,” he muttered.

  We were in the middle of the woods, surrounded only by darkness. I didn’t know what he was planning, but I didn’t question him as we got out.

  “Grab him out of the back and follow me.”

  Glancing at Carter, we pulled the tonneau up and dragged Woods’ body out of the back. Antonio was already making his way through the woods, not even using a flashlight to guide him. We hauled him probably fifty yards through the woods before finally stopping. Antonio brushed away some leaves, revealing a metal door. He punched in a code into a keypad, then lifted the door when the light turned green. Bright lights flickered on below, revealing a basement of some kind.

  Antonio climbed down the ladder first, followed by Josh. I glanced at Carter, wondering if he still wanted to go along with this plan.

  “Into the fire, as they say,” Carter shrugged, then climbed down. Once at the bottom, he held out his hands for Woods. I lowered him down then climbed down myself, pulling the door shut behind me. Antonio was pulling down chains as Josh dragged Woods’ body over by Antonio. I noted the drain in the floor and the hose attached to the wall. This place was rigged specifically for disposing of evidence.

  “Haul him up,” Antonio ordered Josh.

  He immediately complied. I felt like a fish out of water here. Sure, I’d beaten up Thomas, but this was nothing like that. I watched as they strung him up in chains, putting a metal ring around his neck, then locking him in place. His arms were held up above his head as he hung from the ceiling. I was immediately grateful and sick to my stomach over what I was witnessing. Antonio’s life was nothing like mine, and that was something I just couldn’t stomach. But without knowing a man like him, I wouldn’t be this close to finding Christy.

  Slamming his fist into Woods’ face, he flexed his hand and waited as the guy slowly roused. I watched as Antonio pulled out his knife and slowly sharpened it in front of the man.

  “Where’s the woman?” Antonio asked.

  Woods grinned, his smile bloody and menacing. “What woman?”

  “You know who the fuck I’m talking about. Where is she?”

  “What’s she to you?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” Antonio retorted.

  Woods’ eyes flicked to mine. “But she means something to him.”

  Antonio grabbed the man by the jaw in a punishing grip. “Which is why I’m dealing with you. I don’t give a fuck if you’re missing a few fingers at the end of the day. I don’t care if you beg for mercy or bleed out like the filth you are. I want answers and I’ll do anything to get them. The only question is how long you’ll last.”

  Woods grinned, his eyes still flicking to meet mine. I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t stand to see his face. But then I remembered that Christy had to look at him. Steeling myself, I stood tall and stared him down. Whatever was about to happen, this fucker deserved it. I might not know how to get the answers I needed in a timely manner, but I could watch every second of it and not show how much this was rattling me. Anything I gave him would be used against me and slow down the process.

  “Let’s get right to the point. You have answers I need. Either you give them to me, or I’ll chop off one body part at a time.” Antonio leaned in and whispered. “And I don’t start off easy.”

  Woods chuckled. “You’ll never find her,” he stared at me. “She’s right under your nose. You’ll wake up every morning and swear you can still smell her.”

  Antonio motioned to his pants. “Take his jeans off.”

  Josh walked right up to him and yanked his pants down, exposing him to us. My breath stalled in my chest as I realized what was about to happen.

  “Where is she?” Antonio bit out.

  “Right in front of you,” Woods grinned.

  Antonio shoved the knife in his groin, yanking it down to the man’s cock. I blocked out his screams, not wanting to feel anything for this man. I cringed as he carved around his flesh until it eventually fell to the floor in a bloody heap. Slowly, the sounds of the enclosed space came back to me. The screams of agony had died to whimpering, but the man was now half crying, half laughing.

  “Do you really think that’s going to get me to spill my guts to you?” He threw his head back, laughing hard. “No one will ever hear her. She’ll slowly wither away, knowing no one is coming to find her in the darkness.”

  Antonio watched him for a moment. To me, he was just spouting random shit, but I could see the wheels in Antonio’s head working. He walked over to me, speaking loud enough for Woods to hear.

  “He’s buried her at the cemetery.”

  “What?”

  Woods barked out a laugh. “If only I made things that easy.”

  “She’s right under your nose,” Antonio continued. “She’s going to wither in the darkness…he’s buried her in the cemetery.”

  But Woods didn’t stop laughing. “She’s closer than you think, and if you don’t hurry, she’ll live with you even in death.”

  Antonio walked back over to him, slamming his fist into face so hard that Wood’s head snapped back, rendering him unconscious.

  “She’s at the house.”

  “What? You just said she was at the cemetery.”

  “I just said that so he would confirm my suspicions. Right under your nose, indicating she’s still at the house. Right in front of you…Again, she’s within reach of you. No one will ever hear her or find her in the darkness. He’s probably buried her somewhere on the property.” I shook my head slightly and Antonio’s nostrils flared. “She’ll live with you even in death. She’s at your fucking house!”

  “Jack,” Josh said, sauntering over to me. “Trust him. This is what he does. This is why you asked him to help you. Now go fucking find her.”

  I didn’t need to be told again. I hauled ass up the ladder, pushing the door up as I climbed through. Carter was right behind me as we raced back through the woods to my truck. I ran around to the driver’s side and hopped inside, then backed out of the woods. Once we were back on the road, I was on the phone with Tyler.

  “Search the house again. We think she’s still there.”

  “Jack, we’ve already covered every inch of the house.”

  “You checked all the closets, the basement, the attic…”

  “Yes, it’s clear. I’m telling you, she’s not here.”

  I glanced over at Carter, both our faces grim. “Start searching the property. Look for any signs of disturbed ground.”

  There was a pause on the line. “You think he buried her?”

  “Yes, and if we don’t hurry, she’ll run out of oxygen.”

  I hea
rd him walk to a quieter area of the house, his voice low. “Jack, where are you getting this intel from?”

  “Don’t worry about that. The less you know, the better. Just do this for me. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  I hung up and continued into town, my fists gripping the steering wheel tight. I tried not to think about her buried alive, barely able to breathe. I didn’t allow myself to think about whether or not she was conscious, praying I would come save her.

  “We’ll find her, man,” Carter said quietly. “The question is, what are we going to do with that fucker once we find her?”

  I slowly looked over at him. “Make sure he disappears.”

  “Jack, we’ve searched every inch of the property. There’s no sign of the ground being touched.”

  I paced the front lawn as Tyler informed me that we were still no closer to finding Christy. The sun was up, and with every hour that passed, we were that much closer to losing her for good.

  “She has to be here.”

  “I’m telling you—”

  “Then we’ll search my property,” I said angrily.

  “Jack, you have to give us something to go on here. How are you so sure that she’s here?”

  “Instinct,” I said instantly.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “If you know something, you have to tell us. We’re searching blind here. Look, if things aren’t totally on the up and up, I’m not judging. Nothing will go in the official report. But I can’t help if I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

  It would be so easy to tell him, but I had three other people to think about. Their lives were on the line for helping me, and I wasn’t about to destroy them.

  “Send a team over to my house.”

  He sighed heavily and walked away. I turned to Carter, rubbing the back of my neck. “What are we missing?”

  “I don’t know. We’ve been over every inch of the grounds. You’ve seen it yourself. Nothing is disturbed.”

  “Then she has to be in the house somewhere.”

  “Where?” he asked incredulously. “Do you think he stuffed her in the walls somewhere and we just didn’t notice?”