Inside Danger (Outside The Ropes Book 2) (37 page)

“You can’t ruin it from here. Just be sure to take it out of the oven in twenty,” Dexter instructed, pulling out his phone again. “You sure you’re going to be okay?” He looked up from his screen with concern.

“Go, you don’t want to be late for the ultrasound. I’ll be fine.” I waved him away, walking towards the door.

“You can come with, if you don’t want to stay alone.”

“Your brother should be back soon. You go, enjoy the moment with Leona.” I smiled at him, slipping an arm around him for a hug. “I want to see pictures tomorrow and call if you find out the gender.”

“They say it’s too early for that, but I’m sure Leona will have lots to tell you tomorrow. You’re still staying with us for the next couple of days right?”

“Yes, now go.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” He raised his hands up with a grin and jogged back out of the door.

Locking the door behind him, I went back to the kitchen to set out plates for dinner. My anxiety didn’t even have time build before there was a knock on the door.

The pounding grew in intensity, never stopping, as I walked to the door. Checking the peephole, I saw Silas’s baldhead, and I reached for the gun in the entry hall closet.

“Rea, you there?” Silas yelled out, voice at an odd pitch.

“What do you want?” I asked through the door. None of them were supposed to know where we lived.

“Open up, we’ve got to talk, it’s important.”

My heart was pounding as I gripped the glock in my hand and dialed Gage with the phone in my other hand.

“It’s Gage. Things went wrong.”

Silas’s words stopped my heart at the same time Gage’s voicemail picked up. Fuck was I to do?

“WHAT HAPPENED?” I ENDED THE CALL AND tried texting Gage.

Silas is here. You okay?

“Gage sent me to take you somewhere safe. He’s going to meet us there.” His voice was growing tense and louder as I finished typing.

My heart was squeezing painfully in my chest, making me lightheaded. I wanted to open the door and go with him, see where Gage was, make sure he was okay. How else would he have known where I was if Gage hadn’t told him?

I reluctantly dialed Dexter’s number. I didn’t want to bring Dexter into this, especially since I didn’t know what this was. But I needed to make sure someone knew who I was with, in case he was here for Nick or Rusnak.

“Rea, what’s up?” Dexter’s cheery voice spoke over the phone.

“Silas just showed up here. He said your brother sent him, but I can’t get a hold of Gage. Do you know anything about this? About Silas?” I spoke low and quick into the phone.

Silas continued to yell through the door as he banged on it again. “Rea, we don’t have much time. The others are on their way, and we need to leave before they get here.”

Bile burned the back of my throat as Silas’s words drowned out Dexter’s.

“I haven’t heard anything. Stay there. I’m coming back now,” Dexter ordered.

“No, don’t come here. I think I’ll be leaving.” I’d take my chances with Silas over waiting for the others. “But stay on the phone. I’ll keep it on.” I slid the phone into my pocket, unable to make out what Dexter said as I pulled it away from my ear.

Gripping the glock with one hand, I opened the door with the other.

Silas’s fist fell away from the door. His face dropped with relief and then instantly hardened as he spotted the gun in my hands, aimed at his chest. The memory of Nick getting the upper hand when I didn’t pull the gun soon enough was fresh in my mind.

“Put it away Regan, we’ve got to go.”

“Where?” I asked him, unmoving.

A gun was put in my face as another, taller, man rounded the edge of the door and pushed me back into the apartment. Silas twisted the gun from my hand and turned it on me.

I stumbled back when pushed, but found my feet quickly. Standing away from the two men with guns aimed at me, my brain tried to catch up.

“Get her, we’ve got to go.” The tall man looked vaguely familiar as he gestured to Silas and started searching the room, gun pointed at me wherever he went. “You sure she’s alone?”

Silas looked at me with guilty eyes as he pulled a plastic tie from his pocket. “He’s in Florida with Rusnak.”

The tall one peeked inside the bedroom, arm still extended towards me. “That’s what you said about Nick,” He threw back at Silas. “Now come on man, do it quick. I want to still search the place.”

I wasn’t going to correct them, and I wasn’t going to let Silas handcuff me with that tie. I watched him, waiting for him to move, wondering why he wasn’t.

He looked down at the tie in his hand. “I’m sorry, Regan. I always did like you, but…” He shrugged as he took the first step towards me.

“Fuck’s sake man.” The other man approached from behind.

Then it hit me, he was the tall one from that night at the gym, when Rock’s crew robbed Dexter and Silas.

I darted to the open door, quick and low, before the men could close in on me. The bright sunshine blinded me as I sprinted towards the stairs. I was going to leap down them, it was only one flight, broken into two by a landing. But something jerked me back by my shirt and yanked me to them. A rough rag blocked my vision and a sickly sweet smell filled me before I disappeared.

Everything hurt and I couldn’t move. I was laying in the backseat of a car, arms and feet bound. My throat burned, head throbbed, and the metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.

Opening my eyes, the world slowly came into focus. It was only Silas driving the car. The taller guy wasn’t around.

“What?” I forced the word out of my dry throat and mouth, my lips peeling apart.

“Don’t move yet, you might feel sick,” Silas advised, like he was a friend.

I couldn’t move if I wanted to, my arms and legs were tied together behind me. All I could do was wiggle and that caused the ties to bite into my skin. But I couldn’t help but jerk against them a couple of times, as pointless as it was.

“Stop doing that,” Silas cautioned.

My muscles began to shake as shock wore off, or picked up, I don’t even know. But I was shaking and the air was thin.

“Why?” I was almost yelling. “Why are you doing this?”

I rolled to my back, but that was worse than my side so I fell back. Taking deep breaths, I tried to loosen panics grip on me.

“I have to.” Silas was breathing heavily. “Nick and Rusnak pushed me to. They were getting suspicious, questioning everything I was doing after the night we were robbed. Rock offered protection and pays much better.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Talking was keeping me calm, but only barely as I realized the phone was gone from my pocket.

Moving my arms, I discovered one tie was strapped to the seat belt. He was going to have to cut it loose to let me out. If he was going to take me out. Shifting my wrists back and forth, I tried to use the friction of belt and tie to cut through one, as unlikely as that was.

“When Gage came back, he was picked for the jobs I was supposed to get. I’ve been with them for twenty fucking years and they chose the kid over me?” His anger was rising, straining his voice. “But I don’t blame him. No, I’d take the jobs too if I could. But if they aren’t paying me, I’d make my own money.”

He turned back to check on me, and I froze. Then he put his eyes back on the city traffic.

“You know they didn’t even bet on your fight? No one told me. I thought we were all working together, but those fuck’s crossed me. They sabotaged it with that crooked ref and didn’t fucking tell me. Well, two can play that game.” He made a few turns and tall buildings dropped away to row home rooftops.

Now that the traffic was gone, I could hear the motorcycle engine in front of us. Silas was following it.

“What’s the plan? They don’t care about me. This doesn’t hurt them.”

He turned down another street. The sun glowed bright red behind run down and boarded up buildings.

“No, but you’re a form of payment. Sorry Regan, I had no problems with you. But you’re not making me money anymore. And after what happened today I need Rock’s protection more than ever,” his ominous tone got to me more than his words.

“What happened today?” I was still working my hands and the belt beginning to tear as I prayed that Gage wasn’t there for whatever happened.

The motorcycle engine cut off and Silas pulled the car over.

He twisted to face me. “Don’t be stupid, Regan. These people won’t kill you. They don’t want you dead. Just do what they say.”

The car door opening made my skin jump and heart burst. The tall one yanked me up by the cord at my hands, nearly twisting my shoulder from my socket. The quick saw of a knife cut the seat belt, but the ties stayed in place. Then the point of the knife pricked into my neck, burning as it punctured skin. The guy crouched low to look me in the eyes. “Don’t yell, don’t move.”

A thick wool dropped over me, covering my body, and I was scooped up awkwardly between two people. I didn’t try anything. If they dropped me, I couldn’t run, not with the ties. And I saw enough of the neighborhood to know it was abandoned, there was no help to scream for, only a knife waiting for me if I tried.

I heard other voices as they carried me up stairs and then I was dropped on a hard floor, knocking the air from me as my knee twisted with a shot of pain.

The wool was ripped off of me and Damien was in front of me, hands already on my legs, sawing at the tie. It snapped away and he yanked me to my feet, wrapping his arms around me and keeping me balanced. Fire shot from my knee, up my leg to my hip and spine.

“I thought this wasn’t happening for two more days. What happened?” The thick man to my left asked, his face tight with anger.

“Nick and Boris caught us talking. We had to take them out, move up the schedule,” Silas explained, eyes shifting around the group.

Damien’s raspy voice spoke behind me, “So you got her, but what about him? What about the shipment? If they don’t have that yet, everything’s fucked.”

The tall one spoke, “We killed Nick and Boris, hid their bodies, it should be a while before they’re found. The shipment should be coming through now.”

“But why is she here already?” The angry one interrupted.

“In case Nick or Boris told anyone before we got them. She’s insurance.” Silas’s eyes flashed to me and then behind me as he swallowed. “And he wanted her.” He spoke only to Damien now. “You said you’d pay if I brought her.”

Damien’s chest rose and fell against my back and his arms tightened around me. “Hmm I did. I will.” Then he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, “Keep your eyes open.”

And I saw something I never wanted to see again.

The angry one whipped out his gun and fired at Silas. Three clicks of his finger; the silencer on the tip making the shots whisper soft.

Silas dropped to the ground, bright red blood spreading on his chest then pooling on the floor under him. His eyes, wide open, turned to face me, realization filling them. He coughed and spluttered up blood, red foam spilling out of his mouth. His chest fell one last time before he stilled, all life gone from his eyes.

DAMIEN’S HOT BREATH BLEW IN MY EAR as he laughed. But I was stuck watching the pool of blood around Silas spread, causing my own blood to drain.

“That’s what snitches get. He turned on his boys for green, he would have turned on us.” Damien twisted his head to look at my face. “You’re not going to fucking cry, are you?”

The one that shot Silas was crouched by his body, checking his pockets and boots.

I ripped my eyes from Silas to look at Damien, letting him see how far away from tears I was. I wouldn’t cry over Silas, not after he brought me here. The only thing I was in danger of doing was throwing up. But I’d keep it down.

Damien’s eyes flicked over my face with a slight grin. “You think you’re a bad ass bitch? But you’ll find out, you and your boy ain’t got shit on us.” He kept one arm around my waist and used the other to pull on the cord around my wrists, yanking my arms up behind my back, making them burn under the abuse.

“Clean this up, Jay,” Damien ordered the tall one.

The angry one rose from the ground with Silas’s wallet, cell phone, keys, and two guns. He tossed the keys to the tall one, Jay. “Drop it in the cut.”

Damien pulled me down the hall, the other guy followed.

We passed a room on the left and a female voice yelled out. “Dee, whose here?”

Damien didn’t stop, just kept pushing me forward. But extra footsteps join our group as he pushed me up a flight of narrow stairs with peeling paint and graffitied walls. The air was thicker, mustier, as we climbed the stairs and my knees ached with each step. But if I flinched, Damien forced my arms up higher behind me and pain bit into my shoulders.

“Go get the rope, Des,” Damien ordered. “The thick one in the work room.”

A thousand little needles stabbed into my stomach at his words. I jumped back off the stairs, pushing into Damien behind me, not caring about the fall.

We were both stumbling back, then Damien’s body fell away from behind mine as his friend grabbed him, twisting him to the side and flinging me down the steps on my own. I hit the edges of the stairs and sharp pain stabbed into my arms, sides, and hips as I bounced down them, landing at the bottom with a breath-stealing slam to the back. But I rolled to my feet, ignoring my body’s protests against the movement.

The thundering of boots on the stairs filled the air around me, making me push beyond my limit. But Jay was blocking the exit, Silas’s body still at his feet. If I had my hands free I would have risked running by him, but they were still stuck behind me. I ducked into a side room, but there were no windows, no escape.

Two girls stood from the table they were sitting at, one already raising her gun at me. Bricks of marijuana were stacked to the side of a scale on the table. I gasped, air burning my lungs as any hope went up in flames.

Damien stepped into the room behind me, jerking on my arms. “Stupid bitch. Did that fall feel good? Was it worth it?” He hissed into my ear as he lifted me off my feet by my arms, making me cry out as my shoulders exploded and burned.