Chapter Thirty-Eight Ava
A s I glanced at my oily self in the mirror, a laugh burst from my lips. “What?” Dare questioned behind me.
“I cannot believe we just did that.”
“Mm, it was so fucking sexy.”
Leaning back, I let my head fall against his shoulder. “Yeah, it was.”
As he rolled his hips into my ass, Dare said, “I know this won’t come as a surprise, but I want you again.”
With a laugh, I said, “Just let me check on Piper before we go another round.”
Dare continued kissing up my neck. “There’s a bodyguard stationed at the doors.”
“That still doesn’t tell me how she’s doing,” I protested.
“She couldn’t be in better hands than with Nick.”
“At ease, soldier,” I replied while pushing him away. At his frustrated grunt, I cupped his cheeks, “Don’t worry. I’m a sure bet for round two.”
A chuckle rumbled through Dare’s chest. “I sure as hell hope so.
“I’m probably going to need an Epsom soak. But I’m good.” As I dialed Nick, I smoothed down my hair from where Dare’s fingers had messed it up. Apprehension pricked up my spine when the phone rang and rang and rang. When Nick’s deep baritone echoed through the voicemail, I swallowed hard.
Ending the call, I quickly redialed. A relieved breath whooshed through me when he picked up on the second ring.
“It’s about time. Don’t tell me you were entertaining Brody when you were supposed to be watching Piper,” I teased.
Silence echoed back at me. “Nick?”
At his guttural moan, I rolled my eyes. “You jackass! You better not be fucking him when you’re supposed to be watching my kid.”
Dare’s expression darkened. “Are you serious?”
“Shh!” I hissed.
Nick’s rattling gurgle sent fear prickling up my spine. “Stop playing with me. I mean it.”
“Help,” he whispered.
Every molecule in my body shuddered to a stop. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Even though it wasn’t a voluntary action, I couldn’t make myself draw air into my legs. In a wheezing breath, I commanded, “Nick? Answer me!”
“What’s going on?” Dare asked.
“He just asked for help,” I wheezed.
The color drained from Dare’s face. Reaching into his pocket, he jerked out his phone. “I’m calling my men.”
“Nick, just hang on. Dare is getting help. I’m going to call 911”
A long groan came on the line followed by a whoosh of air. “Nick?”
“Where’s the necklace?” a cold voice demanded.
My blood ran to ice as I staggered back. “W-Who is this?”
“We want the necklace.”
“What are you talking about? What necklace?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I swear, I’m not. I wear lots of necklaces.”
“The one you were wearing at the casino opening.”
A shudder ran through me as the face of the appraiser flashed in my mind. “Why?”
“It doesn’t belong to you.”
“No, it’s an heirloom of my parents’,” I argued feebly.
“Liar! Tell me where it is!”
“I-It’s not at t-the house.”
“You better not be fucking lying to me.”
“I’m not. I swear!” I sobbed.
A snarl erupted on the line. “We’ll give you twenty-four hours to produce it, or we’ll start taking out more members of your family.”
And then the line went dead.
At the scream that escaped my lips, Dare grabbed my shoulders. “Ava? What’s wrong?”
Fear cut off my breath, and my chest caved. Before my eyes, I could only see Piper. In my ears, the gasping, gurgling noises Nick was making played on repeat.
“Ava? What’s happened?”
“Piper,” I gasped.
“Is she hurt?”
“I-I don’t know.” I then related to him what the man had said.
“Fuck! My men aren’t answering!” Dare cried in agony.
I clung to the front of his shirt. “We have to get to her. She needs us.”
“Come on,” Dare said
We raced down the hallway. After bursting out the back door, Dare whistled for Niall. He glanced up from the driver’s seat of the SUV. Instead of waiting for him, we began sprinting across the parking lot.
When we reached the SUV, Dare jerked the door open. “What’s wrong?” Niall asked.
“Brody and Eric aren’t answering. The house is compromised.”
“Fuck,” Niall muttered.
As soon as Dare shut the door, Niall slung the SUV into reverse. We careened out of the restaurant’s parking lot. Through my sobs, I prayed for Piper to be safe.
More than anything, I prayed for her to still be alive.