23. Chapter 23
23
Chapter 23
Blue
It’d been years, fourteen nearly, since the last time Blue had hijacked a car—she just hoped Sean would forgive her for taking his beloved Jeep. The wind and rain were brutal, the noise from them both a loud, constant thrumming that might have lulled her to sleep had she not been so wired. Her wipers were on full and squeaked at every swipe, and her high beams were on, but she could still barely see past the end of her car. Jonah wouldn’t be happy she was late, but better than not arriving at all.
She pulled up to Jonah’s factory, the one he’d rented to store all of his toys in, and parked. All the lights were on inside, shining upward through the skylights like a beacon lighting the storm. Only an idiot would plan to meet in a building with this many windows in a hurricane. How had she ended up with an idiot?
The building beckoned her on. She knew what she was in for. She’d known the moment she slipped out of Sean’s warehouse. This was a suicide mission. But when Jonah called to tell her they had her dad, her life stopped mattering for much more than a bargaining piece. If she could save Sean in the process, by keeping him safely tucked away and oblivious, then all the better.
Taking a deep breath, she yanked the hood of the slicker up over her head, jumped out of the Jeep, and made a run for the door. She stepped inside and shook off rain as the door slammed shut behind her. Jonah’s guys were on her in a hot second, pointing guns in her face.
Miles smirked at the sight of her—she wanted to wipe it off his stupid, arrogant face. “You made it!” He slung an arm around her shoulder and propelled her forward with his much bigger frame, laughing as they moved, like nothing was wrong, but he still buried the gun in her side.
She scanned the room from the skylight roof top to the cinder block walls, down to the shellacked cement floor. Every one of Jonah’s guys was here. Every one of them was armed to the teeth. They surrounded the perimeter of the building, standing between boats, fast cars, and other items Jonah had deemed essential for his online venture.
Off in the shadows, a flicker of light caught her eye. A shadowy figure had his foot up against the wall, arms folded over his chest, the tip of a cigarette glowed in the dark, hanging from his fingers at his side. It was too dark for her to make out his features, but there was something in his bearing that sent chills down her spine.
They rounded a car, and her dad came into view. He was tied to a chair, gagged, and in his best church suit. She sucked in a gasp. He’d come to her wedding after all, and she’d left him to the wolves. Even when she didn’t mean to, she still had a knack for ruining people’s lives. Jonah stood beside him, Hex and Levi nearby.
“Dad!” She yanked out of Miles’s grasp and ran to him, dropping to her knees, and completely ignoring Jonah. Gingerly, she pulled the gag from Dad’s mouth.
He spat on the floor, and she didn’t blame him, the bandanna smelled like three-week-old B.O. “What are you doing here?” he barked.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you have all the fun without me?” she snapped right back. They glared at one another, his face turning red, and hers heated like a torch.
“All right, that’s enough of the family reunion.” Jonah yanked her to her feet to laughter from his friends. Ooo, she hated these guys.
She struggled in his hold. “Jonah, if you don’t let me go this instant, I’ll put my other knee where the sun don’t shine!”
He ducked back crossing his right leg over his left in a defensive maneuver, face going puce. He glanced around, looking at his cronies. This time, they laughed at him. Good. He deserved no one’s respect.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, speaking so only she could hear—he smelled of day-old beer and his eyes were bloodshot. “Try it, and I’ll put a bullet in your dad’s head.”
She stopped struggling.
“Let her go, Jonah,” Dad said. “The Outfit wants me, not her.”
Jonah turned to him. “Actually, they want you both. Seems I’m not the only man Blue ran out on before a wedding.”
Blue’s blood ran cold. No. It couldn’t be.
“And it seems he’s still harboring feelings for little Vittoria.” Jonah looked at her again. “None of this would’ve happened if you’d just married me, but you’ve left me no choice.”
Blue glanced around, hoping beyond hope that some miracle would happen, and get her and her dad out of here. If they were taken back to Chicago her dad would die. But Blue, Blue would be wishing for death. She took a calming breath and spoke softly. She didn’t want anyone else to hear. These guys would only play on his man card and make fun of him to get what they wanted. And right now, for these extreme sportsmen, Blue and Dad were the best show, the best shot of raw adrenaline in the form of mafia power, they’d had in ages. “Of course you have a choice, Jonah. You’ve always had a choice.”
He shook his head. “I need the money, darlin’ ,” he used his nickname for her like it was some dirty, disgusting thing. “I’m bankrupt. That treasure was my ticket to financial freedom and ratings like no one has seen before. Without it, all I’ve got to look forward to is jail time.”
She blinked, hardly believing what she was hearing. Her gaze shot to the guy in the shadows. “What have you done?”
“It doesn’t matter, because if I have to choose between you and me, I choose me.”
The guy in the shadows took a drag of his cigarette, poofing smoke out around him. Jonah’d called The Outfit. He’d actually called them. She lowered her voice a little more. “You don’t really believe they’re going to pay you. They’d sooner kill you and take us anyway.
Jonah scowled. “Good thing there’s ten of us and only one of him.” He yanked her around a row of motorcycles and called out. “They’re both here. Where’s my money?”