Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
It’s shortly before one a.m., and I’m sucking on an ice cube as I finish cleaning the last few tables.
Yesterday was slow at the internship. Sophia and I were feeling down because we couldn’t find the evidence that the captain wanted to reopen the case without the file. My mind was reeling all day, pondering over what angle we hadn’t tried yet, all while my throat ached badly.
I fucking hate Roberto.
Xander made it abundantly clear that I would never, under any circumstances, step foot in that building again. Honestly, I’m ready to let him take charge. He was right.
That was the last fucking time he’ll touch me.
“Heading out,” Donny announces as he opens the kitchen door.
“Night,” I say tersely.
“Bye, babe!” Cindy giggles from behind Donny, and I roll my eyes.
Didn’t she tell me she was done with him?
Taking my key from my pocket, I walk to the front door to lock it. Through the glass, I spot a police car parked a short distance away, and I smile, waving through the glass before locking the door and heading over to the bar.
I can’t wait to get out of here and home with them.
Home.
Dio.
I really found one. I have to bite my lip at the warm feeling that spreads through me.
After switching off the lights, I move through the empty kitchen to the lockers at the back. As I reach for my backpack and jacket, something cold and hard suddenly presses against my temple, sending a shiver of dread down my spine.
“Shhh, carina. Stay calm. Keep quiet, and I won’t hurt you,” a familiar voice murmurs in my ear, thick with an Italian accent.
“Matteo, what the fuck?” I accuse, my voice trembling, but I don’t dare to move a muscle.
“You’re coming with me, and you’re going to be quiet,” he commands, pressing the gun tighter against my temple, forcing me to tilt my head slightly.
“Or else?” I challenge, gritting my teeth in defiance.
Pulling my back to him, he leans down and whispers, his words chilling to the core, “Or else, I’ll shoot your cop boyfriend who’s waiting outside for you.”
A wave of chilling dread washes over me as I realize the gravity of the situation. “Where are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound indifferent, though my heart is pounding.
“To the boss. You’re my last chance to get in. Ora sii una brava ragazza e cammina, ” he hisses, prodding me forward.
As Matteo and I reach the back door, I steal a glimpse through the window next to it, and my heart lurches at the sight of Joshua. He stands there, looking down at his phone, unaware of what’s happening inside.
“Bastardo. Looks like he’ll have to die after all,” Matteo mutters, releasing me and moving toward the door.
Fear courses through me, and I move forward and grip his forearm, “Please, Matteo, I am not going to do anything. I will go with you and won’t make a sound. But please, let him live. Ti prego,” I plead, my eyes welling up with tears.
The desperation in my voice is palpable, and I hate myself for it, but I don’t care. All that matters right now is Joshua.
He searches my face, his eyes scanning every inch of my expression as if he’s trying to determine whether or not I’m telling the truth. I hold his gaze, willing him to see the sincerity in my eyes. After what feels like an eternity, he closes his eyes and takes a deep, reluctant breath.
“Vaffanculo,” he curses under his breath. The tension in the room is almost suffocating. “You stay right here, you hear me? One wrong move, and I shoot him,” he warns.
“Okay,” I whisper and push down my fear, forcing myself to stay strong.
I will walk to my death with my head held high as long as I know Joshua will not die for me tonight.
The screen’s glow illuminates my face in the dark of the night as I look at my phone. The light above the bar’s back door is so dim it does precisely nothing to light up the alley.
It’s been nearly ten minutes since I saw her close up the front, and her boss has already walked past me with a scowl, so I am considering going inside to get her when the back door creaks open and the last of her coworkers steps out.
He has his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“Buonasera,” he mumbles, barely glancing up as he goes to walk past me.
“Wait, is Carolina still inside?” I ask, stretching my hand out to halt him.
He nods, not meeting my eyes. “She is closing the front. She is coming in a minute.” He starts to walk again, brushing past me.
I frown at his retreating back before turning to the closed door again. Carolina had already locked the front. I saw her do it.
That is suspicious as fuck. I am about to walk over and go inside when I feel a sharp pain on the back of my head, and everything goes black.
“What the fuck is taking them so long?” I sigh to Xander, who is on the phone with me over speaker.
“It’s been a few minutes,” he confirms.
“The bar is dark. Fuck it, I’ll go look. I’ll call you later, babe,” I tell him, just wanting to hang up.
“No, you don’t. Go over, but keep me on the line,” Xander commands in his no-argument voice.
“Yes, sir,” I say, getting out of the car with my phone and keys in hand.
I put the keys into my pocket so my hand is free and can rest on the gun on my belt. As I round the corner to the back, I see Josh lying on his stomach on the ground.
“Holy fucking shit, Josh!” I yell, running over to him and crouching beside him.
“What?” Xander asks in a slightly panicked voice after my outburst.
“Someone knocked him out,” I explain after checking his pulse and noticing a bleeding wound on the back of his head. I turn him over so he is lying on his back, and he seems to come to. “He’s waking up,” I relay to Xander.
“Carolina?” Xander asks, and I take a look around, but no one is there.
“Hang in there, bro,” I tell Josh, who starts to moan and blink.
I head to the bar. The back door is closed but not locked, so I draw my gun and go inside, swiftly checking each room. Finding no one, I announce, “Clear,” although I’m not sure who I’m saying it to.
“So, she’s not there?” Xander asks as I head back to Josh, who is now sitting upright, holding his head.
“Josh, what happened?” I ask, crouching down next to him.
“Fuck, I don’t know. I think her coworker knocked me out,” he mumbles. But in the next second, his eyes go wide, and he struggles to his feet, swaying slightly.
“Easy there,” I soothe, steadying him.
“He has her,” Josh exclaims, eyes wide when he grips my upper arms.