by Posey Parks
My husband texted an hour ago, asking to see me. The first clue the guys wouldn’t be far was our chat with Rémy and Romeo. They said Tony would be our bodyguard while we were in Chicago. I caught Nadine walking away from Tony not long ago.
Ever since Carmen disappeared, we’ve been on the lookout for her. I shot her a text. She said she was on her way to the table.
Sydney interrogated the VIP bouncer. He said our friend had entered the area about twenty minutes ago.
I peeked at our table. Another bouncer stood guard. My brow wrinkled.
I nudged Zoey’s shoulder. “Hey, do you think that’s normal for the bouncer to guard a parties booth when unattended?”
Her forehead creased. “No.”
Zoey’s eyes fell over the group. “Looks like dodging our bodyguards didn’t work the way we planned. You know, leaving the bus parked and taking a car service.”
“So basically, our little detail followed us from the RV park.” Samantha tapped her cheek.
“But who paid the bouncer to watch our table?” My eyes met Nadine’s.
She twisted her lips. “What?”
“Carmen,” Sydney blurted out.
Saved by the bell.
She waved. Carmen appeared a little flush. “Hey girls, sorry it took so long.”
She went to the restroom and didn’t freshen up her make-up? Interesting.
I hooked my arm through hers. “We want answers.” I peeked over my shoulder at our friends. “The truth.”
“Yes, the truth,” Samantha groaned.
We acknowledged the bouncer as we sat at the table. The waitress rushed over and brought two fresh bottles of whiskey and vodka before last call.
“Nadine and Carmen spill,” I growled.
Another guy leaned over the booth, whispering in Sierra’s ear.
The guys at this club were thirsty. You’d have thought they’d never seen women who put themselves together.
“Excuse me.” I snapped my fingers in the pale man’s face.
He scowled.
“We need to talk to our friend. Goodbye.”
Sierra smiled and waved, then turned her attention to us. “What the hell is going on? Carmen.”
“Do you remember the guy who asked to dance with me earlier?” She clutched her hand in her lap.
“Yeah, you turned him down,” Sydney stated.
“I did, and he followed me right into the fox hole. Dominic laid in wait.”
“Fuck.” Sierra gripped her head.
“Yeah, Dominic dragged him into the restroom and I never saw the guy again. Dominic said he was still breathing.” She cleared her throat. “For now.”
My head thudded the leather booth. “Shit.”
She lifted her hand. “He shoved this on my finger.”
We stared at her ten-carat diamond ring.
“We all agreed not to wear our wedding rings. You know, just the bands. But Dominic wasn’t having it.”
“Not surprised.” Sierra shook her head.
“Nadine, tell the others Tony’s in town,” I peeked to the left at her.
“I saw you walk away from him earlier.”
“What the hell?” Samantha growled.
“I knew he was coming to Chicago since last night.”
Our brows rose.
“I thought you found out this morning like the rest of us.” I freshened up my drink.
“Wow MW’s why didn’t you tell us?”
“Samantha, you grew angry the moment you thought Romeo and Rémy would tail us. We felt it was best not to mention it.”
“I tried to dodge him, but it didn’t work. Come on ladies, you know who my husband is. What he does on the side. There’s no way he will take his eyes off of me.”
I wrapped my arm around her. “It’s all right. You shouldn’t feel bad. We are a team.” Her head laid on my shoulder.
“Carmen, did he say if the rest of the guys were here?”
Zoey peeked at her from the other side of Nadine.
“I don’t recall. He asked me to spend the night at a penthouse.”
“Wait, Tony asked me to stay at a penthouse too.”
“They think they are so slick.” Sierra retrieved her phone and tapped her Powerbeats. She stared at the screen.
“Hello, Dillon.”
We crowded around her.
“Hey, baby. Are you ladies ok?” He leaned into the screen, wearing a wife beater.
“We’re fine? Where are you?”
“I can’t hear you. The music is blasting.”
She jammed her finger against the red button. “Oh, unreal. He’s not at home. Emoni, call Marco. I wonder if the background will be similar.”
I popped in my earbuds and made the call. He didn’t answer on FaceTime. Instead, he called me back.
I shook my head.
“Baby, are you enjoying yourself?”
“Marco are you in Chicago?”
“I hear the music bumping in the background. Emoni, call back after you leave the club.”
My finger smashed the end button too.
“They are here,” I sighed.
“I’ll text Tony. I’ll let him know a car service is driving us straight to the RV park and not to follow us.”
Her fingers skated across the screen at top speed.
“Hope that works.”
“Emoni, if he won’t be here, he’ll send someone else.” She shrugged.
“Change of plans. Carmen, I think you should call Dominic when we leave. Tell him you’re coming over. Only we’ll be with you,” I snickered.
The girls cheered around me. “Yes!”
“Ok, I’ll do it. Let’s toast before we leave.”
We poured our drink of choice in a glass and held them high.
“Here’s to sisterhood. Bonded by love and soon blood.” Carmen smiled wide.
We clinked our glasses. “Cheers.”
Thirty minutes later, we were about the last to stagger out of the club.
Sydney stared at her phone screen.
The ferocious wind struck my body. I wrapped my arms around myself. “Shit, it’s cold.”
“I’m checking to see if our Uber is en route.” Sydney glared at the app.
Cars in the parking lot were sparse.
“Nadine, maybe you should call Tony.” I hugged her arm.
The girls huddled together.
“Ok,” she sighed. “Great, I just told him not to follow us. He’ll never listen to me again.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened to our ride.” Sydney tapped the screen.
“Beautiful ladies, everything ok?”
We peeked over our shoulders at the three men standing behind us. The tiny hairs stood all over my body. Reaching into my purse, I slipped my hand into the secret compartment at the bottom and gripped the Glock. “Oh, we’re fine. Our ride should be here soon.”
The guy’s gray eyes narrowed. “That’s funny sounded to me like your Uber isn’t coming.” He flashed a wicked grin and tapped his friends’ arm.
“No worries, ladies. We’ll be happy to give you a lift.” The shorter, chubby guy nodded toward the end of the strip of shops.
The lanky guy’s dark brows lowered. “Come on. We’re parked nearby.”
“No, we aren’t going anywhere with you guys. Goodnight.” Samantha rolled her eyes.
I heard a trigger click. “It’s not a request.” He yanked Samantha by her hair toward him.
None of us turned to face the men. We were all carrying. We needed to free Samantha. The moment we did, we’d call Tony.
Samantha burst into laughter. “Of all the women you chose to rob, you chose wrong.”
He slammed the butt of his gun against her head. “Shut the fuck up, bitch.” The guy with the gray eyes might have been the leader.
I winced and my hand tightened on the grip. We had to find a way out of this situation. Couldn’t allow these bastards to keep torturing Samantha, even if it looked like she enjoyed the
tug and pull.
The lanky guy drew his gun. “Bitches move,” he roared, pointing his gun in Zoey’s face.
“Distraction please,” I whispered, eying Nadine.
“Yeah,” she mouthed.
“I can’t move. My body won’t stop shaking,” Nadine cried.
“I’m terrified. Please don’t kill us.” I cried and fell into Carmen. I shoved the Glock into the front of her jeans under her tank. My attire wasn’t Glock ready.
Tugging my arm, the tall guy pulled me close.
“Shut the fuck up.” The lanky man pressed the gun against my temple.
A monstrous shiver shot through my body. Eyes wide, I clenched my teeth, tossing ideas around in my head on how we could get out of this mess.
“Please don’t hurt us,” Sierra pleaded. “We’re moving.”
He tossed me to the ground like trash. My forehead slammed against the cement.
Biting my lip, I palmed the ground. Trickles of blood slapped the pavement. Sierra helped me to my feet. The moment couldn’t come soon enough to beat their asses. My head spun. Get it together, Emoni.
We walked ahead. “The second we’re out of the camera’s view, we’ll make our move,” I whispered.
Sydney blinked twice, agreeing. We couldn’t let the men hear us.
“You’re the dumbest bunch of ladies I’ve ever met. Why would you carry purses worth fifteen thousand dollars to a neighborhood night club?” The lanky asshole must have been the second in charge. The short guy didn’t say much.
“We want the purses and the diamond ring,” the leader barked.
“If you allow us to call one of our husband’s we can get you so much more. We’re worth millions.”
Sierra said millions, but she meant billions. But the bad guys didn’t need to know specifics. At the moment we had one gun between us because the rest of the weapons were in the fail-safe compartment in their purses.
“Millions,” gray eyes chuckled. “Probably more like five hundred thousand between you. Call your husbands. No one’s doing that. I’m not stupid. That call would only alert the police.”
He threw Samantha into Zoey and Carmen. They stumbled.
“Ow,” they whined.
“Shut your fucking mouth were almost there,” the lanky man ordered.
The side door of the black transit van slid open.
The bulky guy’s muscular chest and thick neck popped out at us.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Don’t worry, the bigger they are the harder they fall,” Sydney lightly chuckled.
My eyes averted to the front seats. Two other men laid in wait like hungry sharks, ready to devour us. Bile rose in my throat. Would I ever see my children and husband again? I’d die trying.
The street lamps in the area were sparse. None were in helpful places. Nope, these crafty bitches waited in the shadows.
“Take our belongings and leave us,” Zoey bit out.
The short guy was on her heels. “Now where would the fun be in that? We have seven black barbies to play with and oh will it be fun to watch your tears stream down your faces while we fuck each of you.”
I peeked at her.
Rage engulfed Zoey’s beautiful features. She was ready to fight.
Carmen walked behind me mumbling. “Time to die.”
Shit, she was losing it. Please don’t pull that Glock from the bottom of your purse at the wrong time.
We had to work fast.
The big guy hopped out of the van and threw Sydney inside.
“Don’t touch me,” Carmen roared as she crawled in.
Fuck.
My facial features tensed. I glanced back at Samantha. He kept a tight hold on her hair. He probably felt she might be a problem. Samantha’s lips curled at one end.
Turning back to our kidnapper, tears streamed down my face. “Please don’t hurt...”
He wrapped his big hand around my neck, pulling me close. “Shut the fuck up, bitch.”
My knee came up, slamming into his balls. He bent over, clutching his jewels.
“Ouch,” he barked.
I didn’t waste time pouncing on him. Please tell me the women behind me followed suit, attacking the bastards. My arm hooked around his neck. Holding my fist, I squeezed tighter. His huge fist slammed into my liver repeatedly.
Teeth barred and eyes pinched, I shrilled through the pain.
“That’s it. No more. No more,” Zoey growled.
The blows to my back halted.
My eyes flew open. Zoey held the gun muzzle flush against his forehead.
“We ain’t your bitches. None of us lie down and take shit from any man.”
I removed my arms and glanced to the right; Carmen pointed her Glock at the man in the passenger seat. “Emoni, here’s your Glock.”
Heart beating a million miles a minute, a new high took over my body. The adrenaline pumped through my veins as I grabbed the gun. “Thanks.” I winked.
I stalked toward the guy lying on the ground crying like a bitch as Samantha slammed her pointed toe stiletto into his side.
Scanning our dark surroundings briefly, I kneeled, pointing my Glock in the asshole's face. “In the van now,” I growled.
A few cars crept down the street. We were off to the side next to a brick building. If someone took the time to look, maybe they’d see us. That wasn’t in our best interest. Seven black women beating the shit out of five white guys and one black. Yeah, we needed to take the party somewhere else.
I peeked up at Sam. She stood seething over his body, ready to kill.
“We need to take this party somewhere discreet. You know, get rid of these fuckers.”
She grinned. “Luckily, my husband Jacob Latters...” She ground her shoe into his palm. He whined.
“...has been on location here a few times. I know a place.”
We pulled him to his feet and threw him in the back of the van. Sierra and Zoey tossed the other two guys inside. I hopped in the crowded space and shut the door behind me.
“I’ll drive.” Samantha climbed behind the steering wheel.
Sydney zip tied the driver near the back doors.
“Do we have enough zip ties to go around Syd?”
“Yeah.” She tossed us each a pair.
After we bound the men, the fun began.
I yanked off my shoe and slammed my sharp heel into the guys arm.
“Ah,” he shrilled.
“Yeah, scream all you want,” I snickered.
“Hey save me one.” Samantha met my gaze through the rearview mirror.
“I’ll only fuck him up a little.”
We laughed.
Tonight, our stilettos were our weapons.
Sierra bashed the guy over the head with her shoe until blood pooled on the pewter carpet around us.
“Shit, Sierra, how will we get out of here with blood all over us?”
Tears ran over the smeared mascara and splats of blood on our faces. Our silk presses held on through the turmoil.
She shrugged. “I don’t know and don’t care. These fuckers tried to steal us from our families. You motherfuckers are lucky it’s us causing damage and not our mobster husbands.”
Bright lights flashed through the rear window.
My heart raced, slamming against my ribcage at a rapid pace.
“Shit, is it the cops?” Sydney stared out the back window.
“No.” Samantha glanced out the side mirror. “Someone in a dark Suburban.”
“Just keep driving, Sam,” Zoey blurted out.
A phone rang. Silence fell over the crowded van.
“Whose phone is that?” I peered into my friends’ bloody faces.
“It’s my phone.” Nadine removed her blouse, used it as a glove to dig her phone out of her bag.
She pressed the speaker button.
“Hello.”
“Nadine.”
“Jasper.” I smiled from ear to ear. Felt good to hear a familiar voice.
; During my stay at Sierra’s a few years back, Jasper and I talked over breakfast many times.
“Hey Emoni. What the hell are you ladies up to? Tony is on my back. Nadine, he said your phone showed you were still at the club. They sent me to find you. Pull over.”
“That’s you flashing your lights?” Nadine asked.
“Yeah.” He waved his hand out the window.
“We can’t pull over,” I stated.
“One sec.” He drove on the side of the truck.
We were packed in the back like sardines. I crawled over one of the men lying on the floor. I leaned between the seats and waved. His eyes widened.
I peeked down at my bloody blouse, then kneeled beside Nadine.
“It’s not mine, Jasper.”
He exhaled. “Thank goodness.”
“Tell him to follow us.”
“Ok, Sam.”
“Emoni, I heard her.”
“Jasper, don’t call. Tony will lose his shit.”
“I’m losing my shit right now. You can’t expect me not to tell him, Nadine.”
Her big pretty eyes fell over us. “Ok.”
He disconnected the call.
The guy whose arm I smashed with my heel sat straight up. He lunged toward me, sinking his teeth into my shoulder. I squealed and pounded my heel into his head. Zoey, Sierra, and Carmen's heels slammed into his flesh until blood seeped from his body.
“Fuck, he had to try you.” Samantha shook her head.
“Syd, call Sebastian. Ask him to be straight with us. If he’s here, we need him to scrub the cameras in the area.”
“Got it, Sam.”
“Also tell him to let Jacob know I need him to meet me at the lab by the lake.” Gripping the steering wheel, she massaged the worn plastic. “He’ll know what that means.”
Sadness swept over Sydney’s beautiful features. Her head thudded the wall as she placed the call. I wanted to ask her what was wrong. I’d wait until tomorrow.
“Don’t kill. Don’t kill. Those were Dillon’s words.” Sierra’s face landed in her palm.
“If we didn’t complete the job, our husbands would have. What were we supposed to do?” I shook my head.
“Right, these motherfuckers wanted to rape and kill us.” Zoey stabbed the moaning guy at her feet in the balls with the heel of her stiletto.
“Ah,” he howled. Tears streamed down his dark face.
“Yup, cry like a bitch. That was your intention for us.” Zoey scowled.
“Please let me go, I promise I’ll never harm another soul.” The short guy wiggled under Nadine’s foot.