Chapter 15
15
WILLOW
After a fitful night's sleep, I sit at the kitchen table staring at the men readying themselves for war—at least, that’s what it looks like. Sofia had commandeered my phone, pretending to be me. Apparently, at some point in the wee hours, she received the message we’d been waiting on.
A location.
Now, the men all speak in hushed tones as they make plans. From what I’ve been told, I will ride in a car with just Sofia. The men are expecting my ‘friend’ to drive me and no one else. Their text specifically instructed that there should be no police told or present. Which is why, apparently, Sofia thought locking Brian up in their basement was a good idea.
“You sure you needed to lock him up like a prisoner?” I stare at the woman dressed like some kind of sexy assassin. “He’s a cop, after all.”
“He’s fine.” She dusts off her arm like there’s some kind of imaginary dirt there. “He needs time to recover, anyway.”
“Recover?” I squeak. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing he didn’t enjoy… mostly.” She pushes to her feet, and I can’t help but cut my gaze to Dallas.
He has a smug look that tells me he isn’t sad she locked him up, nor does he care what she did. And honestly, I don’t either. I just don’t want her to get any blowback for it.
“I don’t want to know, do I?”
“The only thing you need to know is he won’t bother you again unless it is in a professional capacity. Now, are you ready?”
“I think so.” I shake my head, still not understanding what’s about to happen. “You’re driving us, and they,”—I spin and point to Dallas, Lorenzo, and Alonso—“are going to follow and hide nearby.”
“Correct. Once we make the trade, you and I will leave. Dallas will meet us down the street from the location, and my brother and his men will take care of the feccia .”
“ Feccia ?” I mumble. “I suppose that’s Italian for a not-nice word.”
“Yes… it means scum.” Lorenzo explains. “Let’s go. We have twenty minutes to get into position.”
Dallas speaks quietly with his brothers before meeting us at the door. He pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss on my head.
“Be careful, Willow. I need you both to come home to me.”
I know what he’s saying without saying it. Deep down he knows if it’s a choice, I’ll protect Juniper’s life over mine.
“I will.” I make the promise, even though I worry I won’t keep it. “You be careful too. You’re just a club owner—not a crime lord like Lorenzo or Sofia. Don’t play hero, okay?”
“I would die for you and Juniper. That’s how hard I’ve fallen, Princess. But I will do everything to make sure I come home to you as well.”
I watch as the men file into their vehicles and head out. The plan is for them to get there slightly sooner and take up positions to keep me safe. As I walk to the car, my body fills with trepidation. A feeling in the pit of my gut says something is off, but I push it down. Sofia climbs into the driver's seat and starts the engine.
“You ready for this?” She turns to spear me with a look that says she’s ready for battle. “You need to prepare yourself for things to go sideways. Men like this are slimy, which means we need to expect the worst.”
“Why are you helping me?”
Sofia blows out a breath, the sound almost foreboding.
“I hate men like the ones we are about to meet. The kind who stoop so low, they take an innocent child—or worse, women. My family is into some pretty shady shit, make no mistake, but we have morals, and that means we don’t use sex, women, or children to make our money. Especially children.”
“I don’t know what that means, but thank you. Three months ago, I would have never believed to be involved in something out of a book, but here I am. And honestly, I don’t care. I just want my niece back.”
“Your daughter. Make no mistake, Willow. Juniper is your daughter now.”
She’s right, but the thought of erasing my sister like that makes my heart squeeze. Juniper is almost three, and in a few years, the memory of her mother will be just that, and she deserves to live as normal a life as I can give her. Even if that means assuming the role of mom.
“I know… I just hate thinking my sister should be that person.”
“She’s dead.” Sofia doesn’t cut through the bullshit. “And you are going to be the only thing she knows as Mommy. So own it, Willow. Wear the title and badge with honor because you will bear it well.”
Nodding at her words, I turn to watch the sleeping world outside pass by. It’s the wee hours of the morning, and the sun’s not due up for another hour or so, making this trek feel even more dangerous than need be.
When we pull onto a dirt road, my insides twist with fear. This looks like some kind of scene out of The Godfather , and I am doing everything I can not to have a panic attack. We finally pull up to what appears to be a set of warehouses, albeit vacant. Sofia parks the SUV and kills the engine.
“Alright… the others should be getting into position.” She pushes open her door and slides out. “Let’s go see about making the trade.”
I follow her to the front door of what seems to be a vacant metal building. It’s much smaller than the rest, which makes me wonder why they chose this place. Sofia taps her knuckles across the metal frame and waits. The waiting is pure torture, and I want to push open the door. Just as I start to go for the handle, the door eases open.
“Come in. We’ve been waiting for you.” The tall, slender man makes it a point to show the weapon holstered to his side. “Did you bring what we asked for?”
“Yes,” I whisper, fear nearly smothering my words. “Where is my niece?”
He grunts, “You’ll see her in due time.”
When we step into a small room, an empty one at that, I freeze. “Where is everyone?”
The mother fucker laughs, “Did you think I’d just waltz you and Miss Bianchi in here?” Sofia bristles beside me, making the man cut his eyes to the movement. “Yeah… we know who you are, Sofia Bianchi , second to the Bianchi Family empire. As soon as we realized who your friend was, we took some precautions.”
“Please… we don’t want any trouble. I just want Juniper back. You can have the damn diamonds, and I’ll pay you. Just let us go, please.”
“Money? Lady, do I look like I was born yesterday?” He grabs Sofia’s arm and slams her body down onto a chair.
She makes a move to grab the knife I know she’s carrying, but he snatches out his gun and presses it to her head. “Nah ah. You do that, and the little bitch will die.”
“Fine.” Sofia glares at him. “You’re not going to live long, anyway.”
He pulls out some zip ties and straps her hands to the metal chair.
“Now, Miss Rivers. You and I are going to walk out and go to the building next door. Inside is my associate, and he is less than pleased you brought your friend with you. Let’s hope he is in a giving mood once you hand over his boss’ belongings.”
I glance at Sofia one last time. She rolls her eyes as if this isn’t life and death. In fact, she looks bored, while I probably look terrified. With his bony fingers wrapped around my upper arm, I follow—rather get dragged out into the early morning light. The sun is starting to rise, casting an eerie orange hue over the trees. I scan the lush greenery, trying to catch a glimpse of the others, knowing if they are there, they are not going to let themselves be seen.
Every step to the larger building feels like one step closer to my death. I hate this… I hate feeling so weak. I hate how my fear makes me tremble while Sofia sits there unaffected. The cold, rough ground beneath my feet does nothing to ground me; instead, it only heightens my sense of dread. The birds are starting to sing their morning songs, oblivious to the terror gripping my heart. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but the knot in my stomach tightens with every forced step forward.
The silence between us is heavy, filled with my unspoken pleas and Sofia’s indifferent demeanor. How can she be so calm? How can she not understand the gravity of this moment? As soon as we step inside, the most beautiful sound fills my soul with renewed hope.
“Wiwwow,” Juniper calls out, her little voice filled with joy. “I hopeded you’d come.”
As soon as I see her, I don’t miss the man sitting behind her.
“Wait, little girl,” he growls when she tries to run to me. “Miss Rivers, so kind of you to join us.”
“Juniper, baby, are you okay?” The jerk face holding on to me halts our steps. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, June bug.”
“It's okay… are you taking me home?”
“Yes, baby, real soon.” I cock my head as I glare at the man holding all the cards. “I brought your diamonds… let her go.”
“Give me the bag.”
I pull out the diamonds and hold them in the air. “See… just like I promised.”
His associate snatches the plastic bag from my hand and inspects it. “It’s them.”
“Perfect.” He stands, bends down, and whispers into Juniper’s ear. “Go on.”
Juniper full-on runs at me, practically leaping into my arms.
“I love you, Juniper. Are you okay? Did the man hurt you?”
“Nopes.” She presses her little head against my shoulder. “He gave me lots of cookies.”
At least the monster has some kind of heart. “Thank you for not hurting her.”
“Well, you see,”—he takes a step toward me—“that is yet to be determined. Let’s go outside, shall we?”
“I don’t understand. You have what you want. I just want to go back to our lives. This was all my sister's fault. I had nothing to do with this mess.”
“While that may be true in the beginning, it is not the case now. You see… you fucked up when you let your little boyfriend stick his nose in my business.”
I gasp, unable to hide the sudden panic in my chest.
“Yeah, I looked into your boy-toy, Miss Rivers. And, boy, was I surprised to find he’s a billionaire. So, you leaving is not going to happen just yet.”
“I don’t understand.”
He steps between the metal buildings and stops. “My boss wants to see what your boyfriend is willing to do.”
I watch in horror as Dallas is dragged out from the adjacent building by a hulking man, pressing a gun firmly to his head. His expression nearly guts me, and I know that whatever is about to go down isn’t going to be anything good.
“Let them go,” Dallas pleads when he sees us.
The man seems completely unphased as he glances back at Dallas. “Mr. Nash… I believe I’ve told you what I want, and you refused.”
“I’m sorry… I won’t play a part in your deprived world.”
“Please don’t do this,” I beg. “I’ll do whatever you want. This has nothing to do with him.”
“Unfortunately, the moment he showed up to this meeting,”—he spits on the ground—“he made it about him.” He shoves Dallas to his knees, the metal barrel pressed to the back of his head. “And now you will have to make a choice.”
“I don’t understand.” I clutch Juniper to my body. “A choice?”
He tips his chin to the man standing beside me, who promptly pulls Juniper from my arms. She immediately starts to cry.
“Wiwwow… wiwwo.”
“Stop, you’re hurting her.” I turn to face the man responsible for my nightmare. “I don’t even know who you are… Why are you doing this?”
“My name seems unimportant right now. What is important is what you decide to do.”
I blink, confusion filling my entire being.
“Only one may live.” He flicks his hand toward Juniper, then back to Dallas. “It’s the only way I can guarantee your silence. His life… or hers.”
A wave of horror crashes over me, leaving me momentarily paralyzed. The air seems to thicken around me, making it hard to breathe. Juniper's small arms reach out for me, her innocent eyes looking up with nearly gut me. Dallas kneels motionless, his eyes locked onto mine, silently telling me it’s going to be fine. My heart races, pounding so loudly in my ears that I can barely think.