Chapter 3 Bella
One week earlier—
“H-hello,” I managed to stammer, answering the call I’d been waiting for over an hour to receive as soon as the unknown number flashed across the screen. My hands shook and I hoped I didn’t drop my damn phone.
“Hello, Bella.”
Swallowing hard, I tried not to let the fear I felt creep into my voice. I had to stay strong.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Ah, straight to the point. No bullshit. So impressive, Bella,” the gruff voice replied, drawing out my name. “Honesty and trust are important. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, of course.”
What other response could I say? Nothing else mattered except helping my sister.
“Good. That makes things much easier.”
Shit. What things?
“Brianna has something of mine that I want back. You’re going to retrieve it for me.”
“I’ll try,” I promised, having no idea what the freak on the other end of the line wanted or what I’d have to do to ensure this ended with the best possible outcome.
“Ah, not try, sweet Bella. You must obey. If not, things will get very messy.”
I heard a cry in the background, and my heart sank, recognizing Brianna’s voice as she called out my name.
“Bree!” I screamed, nearly hysterical. “Please don’t hurt my sister.”
“That depends entirely on you.”
“Please,” I sobbed, gripping the phone so tight I thought it might crack. “Let me talk to her. We can make this right.”
“Yes. You will.”
“Whatever you think she did, I can take care of it. Please, give me a chance,” I begged.
There was a muffled sound, and Brianna’s panicked voice filtered through the line.
“It’s okay, Bell. We’re both going to be fine. Just listen to the instructions. Alright?”
“Everything is not fine!” I exclaimed, my chest heaving as I imagined all the ways they would hurt her while I was helpless to do anything. “You’ve been kidnapped!”
“Bella,” she replied calmly, “both of our lives are on the line. Do what these guys say, and then I’ll be released. Keep your wits, okay? I love you!”
There was a dark chuckle as Bree gasped, and I thought I heard what sounded like a slap followed by a moan of pain.
“I’ll help!” I screamed, desperate to keep my sister safe. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
“Such a cooperative girl. I knew you would be sweet like Brianna. What lovely sisters. Pretty little family. Just like the pictures in the living room of your house. Didn’t it belong to your grandmother before she died?”
“Yes,” I whispered, shaking as I realized this monster knew everything about us. “Brianna is all the family I have left.”
“No one has to get hurt. You do as your told, and we won’t have any problems.”
“Yes, sir,” I immediately responded, terrified of what Bree faced if I failed. “I’m listening.”
“There’s a safe deposit box in Las Vegas. I’ll text you the address and information. There’s something inside that I need you to pick up.”
“Okay.” No point in asking for details.
“Call me once you have it.”
“Won’t I need a key to access the box?”
“Yes. I’m having a friend join you. He has the key. A little insurance in case you decide to go to the police.”
Shit! “Where do I meet him?” I didn’t want some asshole showing up at my house. Not that I had a choice.
“He’ll be waiting for you outside of the post office.”
“How will I know who he is? What does he look like?”
“You’ll know him by the scorpion tattoo on his neck. Two hours. Don’t be late.”
The kidnapper hung up, and I sank into a nearby chair, my trembling body the only indicator that I still lived and breathed other than the rapid rise and fall of my chest.
“Oh, Bree,” I whispered. “What did you do to piss these guys off?”
My sister wasn’t a criminal. She worked as a secretary in the mayor’s office in downtown Henderson. Bree always obeyed the law, an obedient citizen with a clean record. Not even a parking ticket.
How did she get mixed up in this mess?
Sighing, I slowly rose and headed to my room, changing clothes into my favorite jean shorts, comfy Skechers, and a tank top. The heat was already climbing to scorching levels, and in two hours, it would be downright misery. The forecast said it would be one of the hottest days this summer.
I tried not to think of my sister as I paced the house, cleaning, sorting laundry, and keeping busy with meaningless tasks until it was time to leave. Setting my worry and concern aside was difficult, but I forced myself to focus.
As soon as I walked outside, I shoved my shades over my eyes and slid my ass onto the seat of my baby.
My ’69 Mustang was the only real thing of value that I cherished in this world other than my grandmother’s house and the jewelry she left behind for Bree and me.
Mostly costume pieces with more sentimental value than monetary worth.
The car idled in my driveway as my phone vibrated with an incoming text. Instructions popped up and an address for the post office in Vegas. Two more texts came through in quick succession.
Unknown:
Box 59
Unknown:
I’ll be watching. Thirty minutes
Following my GPS, I backed out of my driveway and headed toward the highway, merging into traffic as I gripped the steering wheel. My teeth nibbled on my bottom lip as I tensed, wondering if I’d live beyond the next twenty-four hours and be reunited with Bree.
I arrived five minutes early and turned right to enter the shopping center, noting the post office location.
The parking lot wasn’t busy, considering it was a Monday.
Other businesses were open to the left and right in the same plaza, but I was too preoccupied to notice or remember the names.
It didn’t seem logical to park anywhere but directly in front of the entrance.
Maybe that was foolish, but I didn’t think the kind of guys I was dealing with were worried about me as any kind of threat.
Besides, I might need a quick getaway if everything went to shit.
I sat for five minutes and then opened my door, nearly jumping back when a tall figure emerged from behind a dark van a few spaces away.
He moved fast despite his size and towered over me, and I was almost five foot eight.
Big and beefy, with dark eyes and a jagged scar reaching nearly to his chin, he didn’t smile as he approached.
I caught the scorpion tattoo stretched across his neck and almost shivered.
“Here,” he growled, reaching for my hand and shoving the safe deposit key into my palm. “No sudden movements. Don’t alert anyone. I’m watching from the van. Don’t be foolish.”
I couldn’t quite place his thick accent. It wasn’t Russian but definitely foreign. He didn’t speak like an uneducated man. For some reason, that really spooked me.
“I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
He nodded, spinning on his heel as he stalked toward the van and climbed inside.
My lungs dragged in air as I breathed a couple of times, trying to calm down before I walked to the post office door. This was nothing. Easy. Just unlocking a box, taking whatever was stashed inside, and bringing it out here to give to scorpion guy.
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I gripped the key in my fist and entered. No one asked for I.D. When the box was brought out, I stood alone, staring down at the object like it was a vicious rattlesnake ready to strike. What if there was a bomb in there? Weapons? Drugs?
My hand shook slightly as I inserted the key and turned to the left, tensing with apprehension, almost shrieking when the catch released and the box popped open.
A shaky laugh escaped my throat when I saw a padded envelope.
The contents were sealed shut, and that was fine with me. I didn’t want to know what was inside.
Without hesitation, I snatched the package up and headed back outside.
The goon with the scorpion tattoo waited for me. His gaze swept over the envelope, and he nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!” I shouted, but he ignored me, returning to the van and pulling out of the parking lot.
What was I supposed to do now? How the hell did I find my sister?
A bad feeling sank into the pit of my stomach. This nightmare was only beginning.
PRESENT TIME—
Almost an entire week had crawled by since I picked up the package at the post office, and there hadn’t been any contact from the kidnappers. I lived each moment filled with anxiety, fear for my sister, and confusion. Why keep me waiting? It didn’t make sense.
I shudder to think what Bree was enduring over the last seven days. Did they hurt her? Was she locked up? I had plenty of questions and zero answers.
And what was in the envelope? It wasn’t thick or heavy, but it wasn’t flat either. Something besides paper was hidden inside, and I nearly opened it once or twice in spite. Tearing into it wouldn’t have helped Bree, which was the only reason I didn’t look inside or chuck it in the trash.
My nerves were frazzled. My nights restless.
Maybe I should have gone to the police. Was I stupid for waiting around?
Hoping I wouldn’t end up risking my sister’s life when I took a chance?
The truth was, she could be dead already, and I wouldn’t know.
But there was this feeling of being watched that never went away.
I constantly looked over my shoulder and expected to see scorpion tattoo guy point a gun in my face at any moment.
I pulled into work and parked at the side of the building, up close to the employee entrance.
About a year ago, I stumbled upon an ad in the paper and found Bull’s Saloon.
The owner Lucky Lou was looking for a new bartender for the night shift three times a week.
At the time, I needed a second job because I wasn’t bringing in enough money with my online sales.
My jewelry company did okay, but I wasn’t growing rich anytime soon.
Since then, this place had become a second home.
I loved old Lou, and the rest of the staff were good people. A little rough around the edges, but I didn’t mind that. I wasn’t as prim and proper as my sister. I enjoyed metal music, leather, chains, skulls, tattoos, wearing black, and tossing back shots of good liquor.
Maybe I was just a rebel by nature.
So it didn’t sit well with me at all that I was placed in my current predicament, waiting for the assholes who took my sister to issue the rest of their demands.
As I entered the bar, I contemplated my next move, stashing my purse in the safe under the counter and grabbing a work apron.
I had the black material tied around my waist, shoving in a couple of pens, mints, lip balm, and a mini notepad, before my head lifted and I caught the customers seated around the bar.
Two men perched on the stools next to one another on my right.
I stiffened when I caught the scorpion tattoo and scar on the face of the man who gave me the safe deposit key outside of the post office.
Next to him, an evident associate, the other guy wore a matching black leather jacket.
Was this the uniform required for hitmen?
Irritated, I ignored both of them and set to work, greeting customers and filling drink orders.
Scorpion and his buddy never left.
It was after three in the morning when the place emptied, and all that remained were a couple of people in booths and the two mafia types at the bar. Scorpion waved me over.
“Whiskey. The good stuff.”
I placed a couple of shot glasses and the bottle in front of them, noting that the assholes probably weren’t going to pay, and I’d be stuck covering the shortage with my tips.
“How is my sister?” I asked, keeping my voice low but refusing to miss the opportunity.
“Alive.”
“Why hasn’t your boss called me yet?”
Scorpion shrugged. “His business.”
Narrowing my eyes, I leaned forward slightly. “I don’t like playing games. I want to talk to Brianna.”
Scorpion shoved away from the table and ticked his head toward the bathrooms. I noticed the slight pulse of the muscle in his jaw as he walked with purpose, and I knew he wanted me to follow.
Shit.
I sure hoped he wasn’t going to snap my neck and leave me for dead.
Lifting my chin, I slowly walked around the bar and then in his direction, hoping I was wrong, and the vibe he was giving off didn’t mean I was about to become his punching bag.