Chapter 21 #2
As I started the engine, I flipped through the texts just in case there was one from Alexsey. Oh, my God. This wasn’t the first time I wondered if he would try to contact me. I had to be nuts after the way I’d acted.
I glanced into the rearview mirror and headed out. If the traffic was bad, I’d be late. Ugh.
Maybe I needed to just break the ice and call Alexsey. And say what?
I’m sorry I was such a bitch.
That would work.
Oh, this was such a nightmare and the worst part? I missed him. Full stop. I missed him. His touch and the heat of his breath. The way he looked at me. His passionate kisses and just about everything else.
I glanced into the mirror. While the person following me was trying to maintain his distance, I could see him clearly. Maybe when and if I did talk to Alexsey I’d tell him his men sucked at tailing people. That would go over well.
The traffic was heavier than normal, crawling along one of the major roads. There had to be something going on. This wasn’t the usual time of day for the traffic to be so heavy.
Another five minutes passed and I’d gone maybe a half mile. A few seconds later and I realized why.
There was a traffic accident just up ahead.
Fuck. Fuck.
At least the exit was only a mile down the road.
Patience. Just have patience.
As if that was possible.
Another thought about him popped into my mind. This was getting ridiculous.
Hissing, I tried to think about anything else, but thoughts of him continued to crowd my mind.
I weaved my way through the usual traffic, eager to see my baby.
Maybe facilitating getting her a dog was the best idea.
After reading about the surgery, I wasn’t eager to give up on the hope she’d grow out of the condition.
When I glanced into my rearview mirror again, I realized my tail was nowhere in sight. He was still likely pinned in traffic. That gave me a smile for the craziest reasons.
There were too many thoughts, too many desires that I’d need to learn to control. Finally, the exit was just up ahead. I’d be five minutes late. The teachers would remain outside. If there were any press when I got there, I swore to God they would get my full wrath.
I was near the school when my phone blipped. As I pulled up to a traffic light, I grabbed it, touching the screen.
My heart stopped beating for a few seconds as I stared at the picture I’d been sent.
Of my baby.
Talking to a woman I didn’t know. Was that a new teacher? If so, why was I being sent a picture of the two of them together? Already close to panicking, I glanced at the sender. Unknown. Oh, my God.
As soon as the light turned green and the person in front of me didn’t take off, I laid on the horn. I had to get to her. My baby. My little girl.
Another beep.
Now I held the phone, taking a fleeting glance. Another picture, only this time she was being led to a vehicle. No. No. What was happening? What?
If she got inside a vehicle with a stranger, I might never see her again. What could I do? This had nothing to do with me. This was all about Alexsey.
What if he could help?
Another picture.
Closer to a vehicle.
No. No. No!
I was frantic, honking on the horn, narrowly avoiding hitting another vehicle. Oh, God. Oh, God. My baby.
Sobbing, I tried to rationally think about what choices I had. The police. By then…
There was only one person who could help. Maybe.
There was no other choice. I dialed Alexsey, praying he cared enough to help me.
Maybe he really could be the hero I needed. Just this once. Please, God. Just. This. Once.
Alexsey
“It’s my understanding that you’re an accomplished chef,” I mentioned casually as I twirled the knife so the sunlight shining in through the oversized window was able to cast a shimmer of gold across the steel blade.
At least he had the decency to shudder openly, not bothering to struggle even though I only had his hand plastered to the surface of his desk.
He’d continued to be difficult, which was grating on my nerves.
I needed a simple answer and he acted as if what I sensed he knew would sign his death warrant.
If he didn’t supply me with information, he would face a wrath that would alter his entire life. I was hoping the rather dramatic display of my highly trained kills would finally provide the incentive he needed.
The sweat beading across his forehead was finally slipping free from his cherub face, falling ever so slowly on top of his hand. The stink of the man surprised me given the restaurant was five stars, but there was no mistaking the stench of fear.
Good. I wanted him terrified.
When he didn’t say a single word, I took a few seconds to tap the point of the blade between his index and middle fingers, all five being spread wide open.
“Yes,” he finally said, jerking in my hold.
“Hmmm… That likely means often you’re called upon to provide demonstrations. Perhaps with the use of your knife skills. That would be difficult with your dominant hand lacking even a single finger. Am I right?”
His answer was a scattered moan.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” I continued the exercise, one I’d learned from my father long before, tapping the sharp tip between one finger to another, picking up speed until the actions were a blur.
He didn’t move a muscle, which was good for him.
I hadn’t done the little game in a long time and my guess was I was a little rusty.
After a full minute, I pulled the blade away, smiling as I looked at him.
He was pale as a ghost. “Who was the photographer, Kirk? I’m finished with playing games, which means I’ll move onto the punishment phase.
You won’t like it very much. In fact, my next actions will hurt like a son of a bitch. ”
He still didn’t offer the information freely. That prompted me to select a finger, moving it further away from the others and lifting my blade even higher.
“No. Please! I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.”
Sighing, I continued to remain locked in the position for a few seconds before backing away. “One chance, Kirk. I’m not a patient man.”
He pulled away from me quickly, immediately wrapping his other hand around the one in question, his back slamming against the wall. There was nowhere to go. “Her name is Monica Smith. A waitress.”
I was no fool. Anyone who used the name Smith was either completely innocent or simply not bothering to come up with a creative alternative. “Where is she?” I tried to remember the few people I’d seen on staff. The person who’d served our food and drinks had been a male.
“She quit. The next day. Just didn’t show up.”
“How long had you known this girl?”
“Not long,” he breathed, still panting like a dog. “A day.”
A day. I laughed and scratched my head with the hand still holding the blade.
It was another tactic I’d learned from my father.
“Let me get this straight. You hired a girl on the day of the reservation and had no thoughts that maybe I wouldn’t want an inexperienced server on the team to make the night special? ”
The sweat continued to roll, staining his shirt. He was still hiding something. “I was told to hire her.”
Now we were getting somewhere. “By whom?”
“A man who came to my restaurant much like you did. Unannounced. He had pictures of my daughter from that morning. On her way to school. Lots of them. He told me if I didn’t hire the woman and use her for the night, my daughter would be killed.”
I had to think about what he was telling me.
The only way anyone else could have known about the reservation was based on a single mistake I’d made.
I’d called and talked to the girl at the reservation desk first, providing her with limited details about my plans.
After that, I’d been transferred to Kirk for his approval of shutting down the restaurant.
I’d stopped by to make certain every detail was in order.
Fuck.
“No idea who this person was or who he was working for?”
He shook his head vehemently and I believed him.
I’d been known to use the restaurant a couple of times in my past, including for business purposes, but the ruse had been put together very quickly. Where the fuck had I made the call from?
My car.
My beautiful Porsche 911 that I’d just gotten back from the shop. Well. Well. I’d been a complete fool, including taking the vehicle to her house two nights before. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
I shut the blade as I thought about how to handle this.
I’d also driven the damn car today, which meant whoever was behind this would put two and two together.
“I’m going to give you a piece of advice, Kirk, and this is against my better judgment since you didn’t feel it necessary to tell me what transpired.
Take a leave of absence. Get your family out of town and tell no one where you’re going. ”
“Why?” He was thoroughly confused.
“Because it might mean keeping your family happy and healthy.” The sound coming from my phone instantly made me freeze.
Why I’d changed my ring tone to one I’d never used before in case Halle was calling was beyond me.
But right now, I was thankful I had. “Hold on a second. Don’t try and move,” I told him. “Halle. Is everything alright?”
“No. No! My daughter. My sweet Emily has been taken. Please help me.”
Where in the fuck was the man I’d assigned?
As she tried to calm herself down long enough to tell me what had happened, the rage became unleashed. The sweet little girl had been taken from her school. “Send me the picture, Halle. I’m on my way. Go to the school, but be careful.”
“I’m going after her.” As usual, her voice was filled with angry defiance.
“Listen to me. You’re going to stay right where you are.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Halle!” Her determination was admirable, but the feisty woman was going to get herself killed. There was no chance of arguing. She’d dropped the call.
It took her seconds to forward me the pictures. In one was a clear view of the woman who’d approached Emily. While trying to control my anger, I stormed toward Kirk, holding out my phone. “Is this the woman you were forced to hire?”
He was shaking violently, still rubbing his hand, darting his gaze three times before nodding like some damn bobble-head doll.
A woman was much more likely to make Emily feel safe. I could only imagine what the sweet little girl had been told. Thankfully, in the same photographs were a vehicle and a partial license plate. The idiots didn’t realize what level of mistake they’d made.
They would soon learn.
And they would pay with their lives.