Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
Mia glanced at her watch for the twentieth time pissed at the way this day was dragging on. Carter had left early this morning, after another round of amazing sex, then lying safe in his arms through the night. She smiled just thinking about it. How he managed to stay awake all day and go like a stud all night was beyond her. She’d fallen back to sleep after he left and had slept in until noon.
Although time had dragged, she’d kept busy all afternoon by dealing with some client work and making sure everyone’s books were in good order. Nothing she could do about Akela’s books at the moment. Even thinking about that mess gave her a headache.
Her cell rang and she glanced at the screen. “Speak of the devil,” she murmured. “Akela,” she said by way of a greeting.
“Oh my God, Mia, I’m so glad you answered the phone! I just heard from Bobby that the gambling den at the industrial complex got busted last night. He thought you were there.”
“I was running late. I hadn’t made it there yet.” She wasn’t about to tell Akela that she’d been having a panic attack less than three blocks from the destination at the time of the bust. “What else did Bobby tell you?”
“He said that Peter had a high roller event going and they all got busted. He was practically crowing about it. According to him, the players who were there are super pissed at being arrested and dragged down to jail. Of course, some of them managed to talk their way, or bribe their way, out of it from what he said, but enough of them went down that Peter is in a tsunami of trouble. Bobby says the expectation is that Peter would’ve paid off the cops not to bust the place so the fact that the bust happened makes him look bad.”
“Was the big boss there? The guy who runs it?” Mia’s breath caught as she asked She cleared her throat. She couldn’t even bring herself to say her uncle’s name, not that Akela knew who Mia was truly related to.
“Apparently not, which Bobby was truly pissed about.” Akela’s voice changed. “I’m so glad you weren’t there. I would feel just awful if you got busted over all this.”
Me too. Mia drew in a deep breath. It had been a close call and she had to admit it scared the life out of her. “Did Bobby say anything else?”
Akela got quiet.
“What did he say, Akela?” Mia demanded.
Akela’s voice got quiet. “Mia...”
Mia’s stomach dropped at her friend’s tone and dread filled her veins. “What?”
“Bobby said that if you called the cops and ratted Peter out to get out of this mess, then you were dead wrong about it. We still owe him and he expects to collect on time.”
“He said that? He thought I ratted Peter out?” Mia’s heart sped up, the way it used to when she was about to drop in on a massive wave. “Bobby thinks I’m the rat? Did he say if anyone else thinks that?”
“He didn’t say. Why? Did you call the cops?” Akela demanded.
“No! I know just how stupid that would be.” And not just because of Bobby, but because of her uncle. Then it hit her. That’s why Carter had her stay here at the cabin last night. He knew then that she might look like the rat, and he wanted to protect her. Her knees wobbled, gave way, and she collapsed onto the dining table chair. Staring sightlessly out the window, she suddenly realized she was in much deeper than she thought. She was upside down under a crashing surf and there was no way out.
“If it wasn’t you, then you need to tell that to Bobby. He thinks it was you.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. If he went around town saying that, then Peter and, worse, her uncle would hear it and assume that, despite his reputation as a lying sack of shit, Bobby was right. She’d be blacklisted from gambling, not a bad thing, but they might decide to take her out completely. Would her uncle do that? She couldn’t imagine it. They weren’t close but they were still family. Would he have his only niece killed?
“Mia?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just floored. I…I’m not sure what to do?”
Akela sighed. “I know what you mean.” Silence stretched out, a lifetime between them, and then Akela asked, “How much money have you made? For Bobby, I mean.”
“Sixty thousand.”
“Wow. That’s a lot. You must be really good.”
Mia rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, I am. But it’s not enough and now I have no way to make it for Bobby. Listen, I have to go. I’ll keep in touch.” She hung up without waiting for her friend to respond. She was kind of done with Akela today. Honestly, she wanted to blame the other woman for getting her into this mess, but at the same time, she knew she might have done the same thing if the situations were reversed. It was better to hang up before she said something she might regret.
Glancing at her watch yet again she made up her mind. It was only a little after five p.m. She could get out and go to Ohana’s. Emery would be there soon and maybe she could find out from her friend who snitched on the gambling hall. She wasn’t sure what she would do with the information, but a name in her back pocket would be a fantastic ace in the hole. She was starting to think she was going to have to go see her uncle and see if he could get her out of this mess.
Her mind briefly flicked to Carter. Although guilt rose up her spine, she couldn’t wait for him. She’d welcomed him into this mess, but this was next level. He hadn’t volunteered for this kind of danger. There was no way she wanted to risk his life. God, if anything happened to him because of her, the guilt would destroy her. She’d never recover.
Grabbing her purse, she made her way outside only to realize she didn’t have her car there. “Shit.” She pulled out her phone and booked a ride share. Then she hiked down to the gate and waited. Twenty minutes later, she climbed out of the rideshare in front of her house. She immediately got into her car and headed toward Ohana’s. It wasn’t until she was halfway there that it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t left a note or anything for Carter. She gave a mental shrug. He’d text her and she’d get back to him then.
She pulled into Ohana’s parking lot and looked around. The place was already filling up. It was almost six on a Friday night, so that was par for the course. Mia strolled inside and grabbed a stool at the scarred wooden bar.
“Hey, girl,” Dahlia called. “You’ve been scarce lately. How are you?”
“Been busy. How are things?” She purposely didn’t answer the other woman’s question. How was she? In a hell of a mess and trying not to fall apart.
“What can I get you?” Dahlia asked as she washed some glasses.
“I’ve gotta drive.”
Dahlia nodded. “A half glass of wine?”
“Sure. I could use a sip or two.” Mia rolled her shoulders and tried to relax. She was among friends here at least. “Is Moana singing tonight?”
Dahlia shook her head. “Not tonight. We have some cover band in. I can’t remember the name.” She went off to get someone a drink and then came back. “I hear you’ve been spending some time with that cute guy, Carter.”
Fire blew up her cheeks. “Yes.” Her simple answer was belied by the smile lighting her face.
Dahlia grinned back and placed the half-filled glass of wine in front of her friend. “I like the smile on your face. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, it’s nice.” She took a sip of wine and willed the heat away. “Is Emery around?”
Dahlia laughed and shook a finger. “Trying to change the subject? Fine, I’ll let you get away with it this time but I want to hear details eventually.”
“Deal.” Mia let out a sigh of relief. She wasn’t ready to talk about Carter just yet.
“Emery won’t be in until much later. There was a big bust last night and she’s working late.”
Mia’s throat went dry. “What kind of bust?” she asked trying to be casual. She wanted another sip of wine, but her hands were sweaty, and she was afraid she’d drop the glass.
“Gambling ring. In one of the warehouses over in the industrial complex. Be right back.” Dahlia moved down the bar to pour more drinks.
Mia sat, breathing slowly as she tried for patience. She needed information but she wasn’t sure it was the best idea to sit and wait for her friend. Emery was a good cop and Mia would have to play this close to the vest. Mia wasn’t sure she could get the information she needed without showing her cards. She loved Emery but she still wasn’t positive that telling her friend the whole story was a good idea, although it was looking less and less like she had any options.
Dahlia came back. “What was I saying? Oh right. About the bust. I heard some bigwigs got taken down. People like that aren’t used to seeing their names in anything but the society columns.”
“I’m sure it was a shock. How did it come about, did Emery say?”
Dahlia shrugged. “She didn’t say but I got the impression they had a man on the inside.”
Mia’s heart thundered and her stomach pitched downward, the kind of roll a surfer might feel sliding into a trough. She battled the resulting nausea. If the cops had a man on the inside then they were bound to know Mia had been gambling. Worse yet, her uncle might think she was the inside person.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Dahlia’s face filled with concern.
Mia waved her off. “Sorry. Just been a long week.” She stood. “You know what? I think I’m gonna head home. Take a bath, eat, and make an early night of it.” She stepped onto the foot rail and leaned across the bar to give her friend a hug.
“Don’t work so hard, Mia. Take care of yourself. Better yet, get Carter to take care of you.” Dahlia grinned.
Mia gave her a halfhearted smile as she waved and then left. Before she pulled away from her parking space, she sent a text to Carter to let him know she was leaving Ohana’s and heading to her place. She wanted to pick up some clothes. The wrap dress had been fine for gambling and even working, but she wanted comfy clothes now and she really wanted a shower. She would throw some things in a bag and meet him back at the ranch.
The sun had set by the time she’d showered and gotten back on the road. She hadn’t heard from Carter, but he’d said they might work late. Her stomach rumbled and she realized it was her turn to pick up dinner. She ran through a list of options in her head, then decided on Chinese. She stopped at her favorite spot and picked up a few different things, hoping Carter would like her choices. Then she was back on the road.
She was just outside of town on her way to the ranch when headlights popped up in her rearview mirror. The glare was blinding. The car behind her was running with high beams. It wasn’t dark enough to warrant that yet. She tilted the mirror a bit and then glanced in the side mirror. The headlights were a lot closer.
“Someone’s in a hurry,” she murmured. She glanced down at the speedometer. She was slightly over the speed limit. The driver of that car could go around her if they were in that much of a hurry. She was not speeding up. She checked the rearview mirror again. The vehicle behind her looked like some sort of SUV, and it was way too close for comfort.
Dread thrummed in her chest. Was this Bobby, or Peter, or worse, one of her uncle’s people? A shiver raced down her back, but she was determined not to panic. Panicking would only put her in more danger. Horror filled her at the thought that this was how her parents might have felt just before the crash.
The SUV behind her came closer still. Her sweaty palms slipped on the wheel as her gaze went from the road to her mirrors then back to the road again. It was wide open, and there were dotted lines coming up. Maybe they were just getting ready to pass? The dotted lines came and went. The SUV stayed behind her, mere inches from her bumper. She glanced over to the passenger seat, but her purse was too far away for her to reach her cell. God, how stupid could she have been? Carter warned her not to go out today, but she hadn’t listened. Regret fought with fear as she glanced in her rear view mirror once again.
Suddenly her car jolted. Mia screamed as she gripped the wheel hard, trying to keep her vehicle on the road. The truck rammed her again, harder this time. Her seatbelt held her in place, but she jerked the wheel accidentally and veered out of her lane. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she tried to figure out what to do. The road was empty for miles, and she was climbing. If she went off the road, it was a long drop.
She looked in the mirror, but the SUV had dropped back. It was slowing down, and the headlights were getting smaller. Mia sagged with relief. Whoever it was had stopped. Maybe they’d realized they were playing a dangerous game. Or maybe they were just trying to scare her. You were wildly successful . Mia just wanted to get back to the ranch. Another glance in the rearview mirror revealed the lights were gone.
Mia slumped and eased her grip on the wheel and put her hand over her heart. Dear God, she did not need any more scares tonight. Just then, her cell went off and she jerked her shoulders. It had to be Carter trying to reach her. She would be at the ranch in ten minutes and she couldn’t wait. She just wanted to spend the rest of the night with Carter. He made her feel safe and secure and sexy as hell. Sighing she thought about how she wanted to be in his arms right now.
Her car suddenly rocked forward. Mia’s scream filled the interior. She wrestled with the wheel to keep the vehicle on the road. The SUV was back, only this time the lights were off. She braced for a second hit. The SUV pulled around as if to pass her and hit her back tire dead center. Mia fought with the wheel, but the car turned sideways. The other driver hit the brights, and she was temporarily blinded as the SUV crashed into the side of her car again, pushing her. She looked out the passenger side window and saw…nothing. She was off the road with nothing but air around her.
Her tires lost their grip on the road, and the car vaulted over the guardrail. She screamed as she rolled over again and again. The cacophony of shattering glass and bending metal was deafening. It seemed to last forever. And then, sudden silence. Mia tried to focus, to keep her eyes open, but everything was just one big blur.