Dani ripped off her sunglasses and fired off another text to Janet, asking her to warn the brothers. She watched and waited, hoping to see Logan get another text, but nothing. She bit her lip. She couldn’t let this happen. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her.
Dani was still standing in the doorway. She was at least a ship’s length from the guys. She could yell, but they wouldn’t hear her. Even if they did, who was she to them? She wasn’t sure Gage gave them her picture or anything, and she was still in the disguise.
She made up her mind. She went into the building and started walking along the inside aisle that ran parallel to the pier, keeping her eye on Gage’s brothers through every doorway.
She glanced back and caught Dottie’s eye. Dottie waved but must have seen something in the way Dani was moving because she dropped her hand and then brought out her phone.
Dani got a text.
Everything okay, doll?
No. The Asian men are back, and I think they are going to hurt Gage’s brothers.
Dani stopped texting and started to jog up the aisle. She came to the last doorway where she was directly across from Logan and Mitch.
She stumbled sideways, tripping on the muumuu again. She slapped her hand on the doorjamb to catch herself but caught a bunch of hair from the wig as well. It went sideways on her head. Swearing up a storm, she righted it as quickly as she could.
One of the Asian men was looking in her direction and nudged the others. They all shifted slightly so they were heading directly for her instead of Logan and Mitch. They were maybe thirty yards away from her. They’d definitely recognized her. They’d seen the wig debacle for sure.
She looked around. There were a lot less people at this end. Everyone was heading toward the bathrooms or the street. No one was close enough to offer assistance even if she asked for it.
The situation she’d been trying to avoid was playing out in slow motion before her. She wanted to be done with Gage and his brothers, but she’d wanted to warn them. Now she needed their help. She started waving her arms frantically.
The tattooed men started to run toward her.
The taller one of Gage’s brothers, Logan from Gage’s earlier description, looked up at Dani. His brows went down, and he frowned. The blondish one, Mitch, turned to see what was going on. His expression immediately changed. He must have put two and two together because he hit Logan and started racing in her direction.
He and Logan were only steps away when one of the tattooed men yelled and tried to grab her. Mitch punched the tattooed guy in the kidney, dropping him to one knee.
Mitch then positioned himself in front of her, and Logan followed suit. Dani was left facing the ship with a wall of Callahan men directly between her and the bad guys.
The other two tattooed men came to an abrupt halt a few feet away. “Give us the software.”
“Not a chance in hell,” a voice said over Dani’s left shoulder. She turned to look. Gage strode up the aisle, brushed by her, and came to stand, shoulder to shoulder with his brothers in front of her. Dani’s knees went weak. Gage was fine. The air rushed out of her lungs. It was like she’d been holding her breath for hours.
Then a wave of nausea washed over her as she saw the water off to the right. She backed up into the building. There was a yell from down the aisle but it was just a kid. Dani was tempted to run, but who knew how many more bad guys were around the bend in the pier?
She couldn’t see what was going on and she didn’t want to be next to the water, but there was no way she was getting by. The Callahan men were doing their job and protecting her. They weren’t going to let her be exposed.
She moved slightly to the side to get a better view. Sweat immediately broke out on her palms. Two of the men had guns out, pointing the wicked looking barrels at Gage. The tallest of the men, who was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, demanded, “Give us the software and the programmer.” The “or we’ll shoot,” part was very clear. He seemed to be the leader. He was flanked by the two gunmen.
One of the gunmen kept his gun low but waved it around a bit. He was wearing jeans with work boots and a tight-fitting white T-shirt. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He was the one Mitch hit. A mixture of pain and rage warred on his face.
Dani would have thought of the gunman as good looking in any normal circumstance, but this was so far beyond normal—even her normal which was borderline crazy for anyone else.
Did he think they didn’t notice his gun? Dani wiped her palms on her muumuu and tried very hard not to hyperventilate. She needed to go with the men. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
She must have made a small sound because Logan, who was standing in the middle with Gage on his right and Mitch on his left, turned slightly and shook his head once.
“You gentlemen need better manners,” Mitch said. “We’re visitors to this country, and you aren’t being very friendly.”
Oh my God. What was he doing? How could he antagonize them? He’d already punched the one with the ponytail. Dani wanted desperately to tell him to shut the hell up, but her voice locked in her throat. Her hands shook as she held on to her backpack through the muumuu. She didn’t want to give the men her laptop. Carly needed it, but she wouldn’t get anyone killed over it either.
“Excuse me. We’re lost. Do you think you can help us find the bus for the city tour?” Dottie’s voice floated over the men. She’d come up the outside of the building and was now standing directly behind the men.
Dani had forgotten she’d texted Dottie, and she’d been so engrossed in the men with the guns she hadn’t noticed the gaggle of ladies approaching.
“No,” she whispered. She’d wanted to shout it, but her voice was not working. She swallowed and tried again. “Dottie, no,” but it was too late. The ponytailed gunman turned around to face the ladies.
“Oh, my God! He’s got a gun!” Ann exclaimed. Her eyes were the size of golf balls. Elenore, who was standing immediately to Ann’s left, shrieked and stumbled back a few steps.
Dottie swore a blue streak and then hit Ponytail in the arm with her carryon bag. He staggered back under the assault and came within arm’s reach of Gage. It was all Gage needed. He reached out and grabbed the guy, wrapping his left arm around the gunman’s neck. He grabbed the arm with the gun and slammed it against the doorframe.
It made a horrible thunk, but the man dropped the gun. It went under a display case.
“Yay!” Dottie whooped but her joy was short-lived as the second thug grabbed her and put the gun up to her head.
Gage immediately stopped struggling with the first gunman.
“Let him go,” the tall guy demanded.
Gage released Ponytail with a shove. Ponytail stumbled but righted himself and turned back around.
The leader said, “Now give us the software and the programmer, or we’ll kill the old lady.”
Dottie’s eyes were big, and for the first time, there was fear in them. Dani whirled around, frantic to call for help but their end of the building was empty and there was no security in sight.
“Like I said, no way in hell. Let the lady go.” Gage wasn’t giving an inch.
Logan spoke up, “Ladies, please step away from these men.” He gestured toward Ann and Elenore and pointed them to the next doorway over. “We wouldn’t want any of you to get hurt.”
Dani wasn’t going to let Dottie get hurt either. Not instead of her. This was her mess. No one else was going to be put in the crosshairs.
“Move,” she demanded, but the Callahan brothers ignored her.
Dani saw out of the corner of her eye a phalanx of security officers coming down the aisle toward them. She turned back. “Security is coming,” she said quietly so that only the brothers could hear her.
The tattooed men must have amazing hearing because they glanced at each other. The leader shrugged slightly. “An exchange. The old lady for the software and the programmer. We’ll be in touch.” They st
arted backing up away from the doorway.
Gage threw them a cell phone. “Don’t wait too long.”
“Otherwise we’ll miss you!” Mitch piped up.
The gunmen each took one of Dottie’s arms and held her tightly as they walked down the pier while their leader strolled along behind them. They disappeared around the bend in the wharf.
Dani watched them go. “Can’t you go after them? They’re taking Dottie!”
“If we chase them, there’s a chance that when they get close to their vehicle, they’ll shoot Dottie or someone else. We don’t want to take that risk.” It was Mitch who spoke.
Dani protested. “But—"
“Is there a problem here?”
Dani turned to see the security officers standing behind her. “Ummm—”
Logan came to stand at Dani’s elbow. “No, sir. We’re just collecting our friends and leaving.” He put his arm around Dani and walked her out the doorway onto the pier. Gage and Mitch fell in beside them.
Dani’s knees were wobbly. She stumbled, but Logan caught her. He moved his arm from her shoulders to her waist and kept it there. Gratitude swept through her. She couldn’t have handled being near Gage at the moment, but she couldn’t walk on her own.
“What about the girls?” She gestured toward Ann and Elenore who looked so pale they might pass out.
“Don’t worry, Mitch will get them.”
As Logan spoke, Mitch moved over and put an arm around each woman. He brought them in close and started chatting with them. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Ann leaned into Mitch.
She closed her eyes. What a mess Dani had made. All she’d wanted to do was help Carly, but now she’d put the people who’d helped her in danger.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
They pulled up in front of a hotel, and the doorman rushed out to the SUV. He opened the door for Dani and the other women, then reached in and tried to help Dani out of the truck. She paused, blinking. What was this guy’s deal? Then she remembered the disguise. She even had her sunglasses on. She hadn’t wanted the other ladies to see her cry on the ride over. She just kept seeing Dottie’s big eyes full of fear. She sniffed as she got out of the SUV.
“Sorry for not being able to get closer to the sidewalk. The construction makes it difficult.” The doorman smiled apologetically.
Scaffolding were covering the front of the hotel and construction machinery created an obstacle course of sorts. “Not a problem,” she said quietly as she moved toward the sidewalk.
The doorman waved over a couple of bellmen. One came up beside her.
“That’s okay. I—”
“No arguing. We don’t want you to have an incident in the middle of the street.” He took her arm and started guiding her toward the sidewalk, but a skateboarder zoomed by just in front of them.
“Ahhh,” Dani yelled and jumped. She’d had her head down so she hadn’t seen him coming.
“Damn kids,” the bellman said. “Such a menace.”
The kid went up the ramp just to their left and made a jump. The ramp was part of the construction to help workers get wheelbarrows over a load of gravel in the street to load it onto the scaffolding. The kid arced over the gravel and landed down the street. It was a good jump. The kid had skills.
“Here you are.” The bellman deposited her on the sidewalk and then went back to get the luggage out of the truck. She saw her bag. Gage must have sorted stuff out with the cruise line. She looked down at the muumuu she wore and grimaced. It would be nice to have her own clothes again.
Another doorman held open the door and ushered her, Elenore, and Ann inside. She walked into the lobby and stopped dead.
The lobby was done in a white marble with cream and brown furniture. A long fireplace dominated one wall, a few people sitting in front of it. The shops were all upscale boutique places that carried high-end clothing and jewelry.
The woman at the reception desk smiled at her and, automatically, Dani smiled back. The hotel was part of the five-star hotel chain called the Jasmine Door, which was owned by Jameson Drake. The initials JD were everywhere. It screamed opulence.
Logan approached the desk and spoke with a female receptionist. A moment later, she handed him two keys. He nodded and came over to Dani.
“Right this way, ladies.” He gestured toward the elevators. Ann and Elenore, who were standing beside Dani, started moving. Neither woman had said much since the scene at the pier. Dani couldn’t blame them. What was there to say? She’d gotten one their best friends into a life and death situation. It wasn’t exactly time for small talk.
Mitch came in between the two elderly ladies and offered each an elbow. That elicited a small smile from Elenore and a slight nod from Ann. He walked them into the elevator.
Logan had the ladies’ luggage, including Dottie’s, and he followed them. He hit the button and the doors closed.
“We’ll take this one,” Gage said and gestured at the empty car next door.
Dani nodded and walked in. Gage followed with their luggage. The doors closed. Gage reached over and hit the button for the twenty-fifth floor.
Dani took a deep breath. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as she stood staring straight ahead. She didn’t need a lecture from Gage on how her irresponsible behavior and poor career choice had put Dottie in danger. She already knew that. He could say “I told you so” all he wanted and she wouldn’t argue with him.
Gage cleared his throat.
While she might not have deserved his vicious attack before, she certainly deserved it now. She braced herself for the onslaught.
“It’s not your fault.” Gage’s voice was low and gravelly.
“Wha-what?” Dani blinked and turned toward him.
“I said it’s not your fault. You didn’t get Dottie kidnapped.”
Tears welled up, and Dani did her best to blink them back, but one slipped free and slowly ran down her cheek. “Yes, I did,” she mumbled.
“No. You didn’t. Ponytail and the others were never going to shoot us on the pier. They couldn’t get away, no matter how fast they were. They were always going to take someone. They just wanted it to be you. We weren’t going to let that happen. They would’ve taken one of us if Dottie hadn’t stepped in.”
“But it was my fault she was there. I texted her there was trouble, and she came to help. If I hadn’t texted her, none of this would be happening.”
The elevator dinged. Dani quickly took off the sunglasses and patted her face with the sleeve of her muumuu. She didn’t want to smear all the makeup Ann had spent so much time applying to her face. Not that it mattered now. She saw Gage’s frowning reflection on the elevator doors just before they opened.
They disembarked and turned left down the hallway. Logan, Mitch, and the ladies were only a few steps ahead.
“Ladies, this is your room.” Mitch opened the door with a flourish.
Ann and Elenore entered, murmuring appreciatively. Mitch followed them with their luggage.
“This is your room,” Gage said as he opened the door directly across from Ann and Elenore.
Dani slid by him into the room. The “girls” were right. It was gorgeous. There were floor to ceiling windows that had a beautiful city view on the opposite wall from the door. A king-size bed was located in the middle of the right wall with a doorway to what must be a bathroom.
There was a blue suede sofa on the remaining wall to her left. It was filled with fluffy cushions, and it had a coffee table directly in front of it with a small chair angled next to it. The carpet was a deep cream-colored shag, the same shade as the duvet on the bed. A blue throw across one corner of the bed matched blue lamps on the bedside tables positioned on either side of the bed.
Gage closed the door and then smiled slightly. “Nice view.”
Dani nodded. Finally, a view that didn’t include water. She walked over by the sofa and dropped her sunglasses on the coffee table. There was a knock on the door.
Gage
turned around and looked through the peephole. He opened the door to admit his brothers.
“Hey,” Logan said as he entered, followed by Mitch who was close on his heels. The brothers walked around Dani. Logan sat on the far end of the sofa and Mitch plunked down on the chair. Gage moved over to stand next to the coffee table, closer to Mitch’s end.
“I gotta say, your disguise is amazing,” Mitch said. “No wonder you got off the ship with no one noticing.”
Logan nodded. “It’s very well done. Come and sit.” He gestured to Dani.
“Ann is a former theatrical makeup artist. She did a great job. I really do look like an old lady. Except for my hands.” Dani moved around the coffee table and was about to sit but then thought better of it. She reached up and pulled off the wig then tugged the muumuu over her head.
“Jesus,” Mitch mumbled. “Did you wear this all day?”
Dani just nodded and bit her lip as she slipped her backpack off. Her back was killing her. She collapsed on the sofa.
“Do you want water?” Logan asked.
Dani nodded. Gage walked over and grabbed a couple of bottles off the nightstand. He came back and gave her a bottle and then offered one to Mitch, who declined.
“So,” Gage said. “What are we going to do to get Dottie back?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gage winced as he sat on the floor of the hotel room. He’d pulled something in his back when he’d grabbed Ponytail guy earlier.
“What do you know about the Triads?” Logan asked Gage and Dani.
Mitch was across the room on the hotel phone.
Dani blinked as she took another sip of water. “Um, they’re organized crime from Hong Kong and Macao. They’ve branched out all over the world. Why?”
Mitch hung up and announced, “Food’s on the way.” He came back over and sat in the chair. “I spoke with Ann and ordered some things for the ladies as well.”
Dani nodded to him. Under normal circumstances, Dani would be starving, but if Gage had to guess, he’d bet she was anything but hungry.
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 18