CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Deanna knew it was wrong not to tell the others where she was going, but she had to get to the girls, and she had to go alone. She wasn’t about to let them suffer because of all this mess, nor was she going to put the Belle Fleur team in any danger.
Shocked by how well her car was running, she sped toward the warehouse, parking her car on the street. The girls said the two men were waiting at the main entrance to the warehouse. Deanna knew there was another way in.
Instructing the girls to climb up the catwalk and make their way to the roof access, she climbed the fire escape and opened the latch for them. As she pulled them to safety, someone fired a shot at them.
“Go! Run!” said Deanna
“Miss Deanna,” cried Lottie.
“Honey, go!” The two girls took off toward the fire escape as Deanna went back down into the warehouse. “Don’t shoot. I’m coming down.”
Douglass and Jackson stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her to get down. When her feet were planted on the ground, Jackson backhanded her, sending her sailing across the floor.
“You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me. You and your fucking dead old man,” he growled. Deanna felt the sting of his hand on her face, tears filling her eyes.
“I don’t know anything about what my father was doing,” she said. “I came because the girls said someone broke in and was going to destroy the floats.”
“Oh, I am. I’m going to burn the whole fucking place down with you inside it unless you tell me where my files are.”
“I don’t know about any files. I don’t know anything,” she said calmly.
“Wrong answer.”
As the volume of laughter and conversation filled the cafeteria, Razor walked in with a huge frown on his face.
“Who took your tools?” smirked Miller.
“Who took Deanna’s car?” he snapped back.
“What? What do you mean?” asked Gaspar, standing. He looked at Jean and the others.
“She was right behind us. She was going to head to her cottage and meet us here,” he said to his brother.
“Check the cottage,” he said to Ian. “Comms? Do you have trackers on Deanna yet?”
“We put one on her car,” said Sly. “We didn’t get to her phone yet.”
“Find her.” Sly immediately pulled it up on his phone.
“She’s at the warehouse.” As they turned to leave the cafeteria, Irene walked toward them, her phone in her hand.
“Hold on, baby. I’m gonna put you on speaker, and you talk to Gaspar. Gaspar, it’s Louisa and Lottie.”
“Ladies, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Miss Deanna. She’s in trouble. We were making a surprise for her at the warehouse, and two men broke in. She got us out, but she’s still in there. You have to help her. They shot at us!”
“Where are you girls?” asked Nine.
“We’re across the street at a coffee shop. I don’t want to leave unless she’s okay,” said Lottie.
“Listen to me. Do not move. Are there lots of people there?”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
“Sit tight. Our team is on the way, but do not move.”
“Should I call my dad?” asked Lottie. Gaspar looked at the others, frowning.
“No, honey. Don’t call your father.”