Fourteen
Leonie
I woke up early with a massive hangover and was still fully dressed. I wondered how I’d gotten to bed, the last thing I remembered was watching James Bond.
I checked the time and set off for the shower, hoping to catch Gabriel before I left for work. I’d had so much fun at Max’s party. Everyone had been so welcoming and Gabriel had been all over me, I had loved it. It was the first time I’d seen him laugh twice in a row. I also felt like I was part of a friendship group now, special. I’d also seen that my feelings for Gabriel were reciprocated.
His door was closed when I passed by and so I decided not to wake him.
I was on an early, covering the breakfast shift and then Sunday lunches at Felice’s and I had decided that when I got home, I would tell Gabriel how I felt.
Work was busy during breakfast time but started to even out during the afternoon. Felice’s did offer a Sunday lunch special, but as it was an Italian, it wasn’t your traditional meat, veg type of thing and so it wasn’t as popular that day of the week.
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I was used to the sensation of being watched; I had lived with it for years since puberty, but this time it felt different. Turning from the counter, I pushed one of the tablets we used to take orders under my arm and scanned the restaurant. Maybe I had missed someone?
It didn’t take long before I saw them. In the far corner on the terrace, there was a young couple and they were looking my way with their menus lowered. I felt a surge of relief. That would explain the reason for that feeling. It was just due to paying customers who were waiting to be served and looking for a waitress with a hint of impatience. That I could deal with. Ever since the break-in at the apartment, I’d been slightly on edge.
Tucking a strand of hair which had come free from my ponytail, I turned up the wattage of my smile and sauntered over. As I approached, they both twisted their heads towards me. The guy smiled but the girl remained slouched in her seat with her arms folded, looking like she didn’t want to be there.
The man was incredibly good-looking with dark black hair, olive skin and a boy band-worthy face. His eyes were so dark they were almost black.
“Can I get you guys a drink?” I asked. The man opened the menu again and I noticed both his hands were heavily tattooed. The girl just snorted. Lover’s tiff maybe?
“I’ll have a JD and Coke and Ava here will have a Coke, no ice,” he replied with the hint of an accent, was that Irish?
I continued to smile, not being one to judge a situation unfairly and thumbed in their order.
I found it interesting that he ordered for his girlfriend, if she was his girlfriend, there was a definite age gap or maybe she was his sister? My gaze flickered over her colouring, noting that they looked nothing alike. Yes, she also had dark hair but her skin was extremely pale, you could see the blue veins on her neck
“Are you ready to order food or do you want a minute?” This caused the girl to push up further in her seat and glare openly at the man opposite her. I found it amusing that he glared right back.
“Well, go on Kai. What do I want to eat?” she snapped. The man wasn’t upset by her outburst, if anything he looked faintly amused as he looked up at me with exasperation. Maybe she was his annoying little sister or something, her pout suggested she was probably younger than she looked.
“You’d better give us a minute, whilst I discuss the topic of manners with Ava here.” He leaned back in his seat and flexed his shoulders. He was huge compared to the girl and I felt a moment of concern. Maybe she was there under duress.
Pushing the tablet back under my arm, I glanced down at the girl. She must have noticed as she lifted her eyes to mine. She was incredibly pretty or would have been if she hadn’t been pulling such a face.
“Ava, that’s a pretty name,” I said honestly.
She gave me a slight smile, “Leonie’s is much better. Sweet and unique.”
Her words caused my eyebrows to inch towards my hairline. Did we know each other?
The aura coming off her male partner suddenly intensified as he straightened in his seat, those large hands of his coming to rest on the table. The look he delivered the girl was quite scary and I felt another twinge of worry.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked, my eyes scanning both of them to try and place where I may have seen her.
The man, or Kai as she had called him, opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. “It’s on your name tag,” she pointed out with a syrupy smile.
Of course, I glanced down, suddenly feeling silly. The man, Kai, bristled in his seat before barking his order.
“I’ll have the club sandwich. Ava, tell the nice lady what you want?”
One eyebrow arched and she placed her hands on the table. “Nothing, thank you. I’ve lost my appetite.”
So, she was being awkward on purpose. I keyed in his food order and left them to it. He certainly had his hands full with that one.
As I walked away, I could hear they started arguing. Oh dear.
I decided to ask Charlie, one of the other servers to keep an eye on them and when I pointed in their direction his face paled.
“What’s the matter?”
Charlie blew out his breath so fast that it lifted his fringe. He had moplike blonde hair and a cheeky smile. He was the same age as me and we had loads in common.
His mouth dropped open and I had to prompt him. “Charlie? What’s up?”
He turned away and placed some menus he’d been holding on the counter by the bar.
“The guy over there. He’s a member of the Kinlan family,” he whisper-shouted.
A what?
I then said that out loud. “A what?”
“The dude at the table with the tats on his knuckles. He’s a Kinlan, he must be. They all look the same. Shit.”
I was puzzled. “Who are they, celebrities?”
Charlie looked at me like I was on something. “Celebrities. I suppose they are, of the criminal world anyway. They’re mafia, Leonie.”
Mafia? As in, Scarface and all that stuff. Surely, they didn’t exist anymore and in London of all places. Yes, I’d watched Peaky Blinders and Gangs of London but they were far-fetched pieces of drama.
“So, you’re saying that we have a crime boss eating at our restaurant?” I didn’t try to hide my smile.
He nodded. “Yes. Fucking hell, I would love to get a selfie with him in the background.
That shit would go viral. I’d probably end up losing my fingers though.”
Distaste ran through me at his joke. Surely losing one’s limbs wasn’t something to laugh about.
“Back in a sec. I’m going to find Susie. She’ll want to see this.”
He dashed away and I turned back around to the two guests. Mafia, criminals? My heart started to pump in my chest and I wondered whether to message Gabriel. I knew his father worked for some dodgy people but mafia? Was that even a thing anymore?
I thanked Harriet who worked the bar as she placed the Jack Daniels and Coke and another Coke on my tray and then walked over to give the pair their drinks.
My heart sank as I set them down, it looked like the girl, Ava, had been crying. Shit, should I say something. What if she was his kidnap victim or something? I suddenly felt out of my element and unsure of what to do. Should I get Felice?
The man Kai suddenly said my name, “Thank you, Leonie, wasn’t it?”
Shit. I so wanted to rip my name tag off and launch it across the terrace. The fact that he now knew my name was like a red flag.
I took a deep breath. What the heck was I doing to myself? Panicking. Even if they were mafia or whatever, I was a waitress. They didn’t have any interest in me.
“Yes. Leonie, that’s right. Do you want a tissue, are you OK?” I asked the girl.
She looked up at me, like a puppy that had been kicked and I shot a look of reproach at the man named Kai.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you,” she said in an embarrassed voice.
Thinking on my feet, I knew I had to get her away from Kai so I could check she was OK. “Look, if there is nothing on the main menu to entice you, we have a specials board. Do you want to come and have a look? There may be something that gives you more of an appetite,” I soothed, giving her the chance to get away if she needed to.
I watched as several emotions flickered across her face and she glanced across at her companion.
“Thanks, but we’ll just take the club…” Kai started.
“Yes, that would be great,” she replied with zest, cutting him off as she pushed to her feet. He also stood, looking both angry and uncomfortable.
“Follow me. We’ll be back in a sec,” I said, my voice much firmer than usual. My stare seemed to force him back down into his seat.
“Fine. Just hurry up,” he snapped across at us.
I moved to the side to allow her past me, she was taller and very slim, her limbs appearing almost gangly.
Ava followed me as I took her to the specials board which was inside behind the bar.
I could see she was only pretending to study it and I went in for the kill.
“Are you OK? Do you need help at all?”
She shot me a sideways glance and worried her lip. “What makes you say that?”
“The guy you are with. Are you with him of your own free will? You look upset.”
My words caused her to grin and a chuckle escaped her.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel stupid or give her another nudge. “I’m sorry if I’m speaking out of turn but is he your boyfriend?
She snorted. “He wishes.”
I opened my mouth to quiz her again but she glanced over her shoulder to where he sat, still glaring at us both and talking into his mobile phone. Oh shit.
Her next words still didn’t put me at ease.
“You’re sweet to worry but it’s OK. That big old bull over there is my stepbrother and we don’t get on. He’s harmless enough. Like a stone in your shoe, it doesn’t hurt but it”s annoying.”
And then the penny dropped. “Ah, I see. Sorry to come across nosy.”
She turned towards me, looking down her pert little nose and taking in my uniform. Her finger then lifted to my chest and she straightened my name tag.
“Not at all. We girls must stick together. He’s just an obnoxious twat who acts like he’s in charge and it pisses me off. I’ll have the lasagne, please. With garlic bread. Kai hates garlic.”
I grinned. “Want me to sprinkle some into his sandwich?”
She returned my look, “Better not. He’s probably part vampire. My stepfather wouldn’t take too well to me offing his prince.”
“OK. One lasagne with extra helpings of garlic bread and a club sandwich coming up.”
“You’re OK Leonie, which makes things so much harder.”
She then glided off over to Kai and slumped into her seat. Again, he gave her a few harsh words. I ran their order through and thought no more about it. There were some crazy people in London.
Having come to the end of my shift, Susie appeared and demanded to take over waiting at their table. Something about amazing tips. I didn’t fight her. The way the man kept glancing over at me gave me goosebumps.
He looked rough and dangerous and very much like some type of gangster.
As I changed out of my uniform in the staffroom I recalled the girl Ava’s words, something about me being OK and that only makes it harder.
Makes what harder?
The next couple of hours went by quickly considering the place was dead and Felice said I could leave early due to it not being busy.
Changing out of my uniform, I pulled on black skinny jeans with rips in and a tight pink tank top, I then pushed my feet into my signature ballet flats and collected my phone and rain jacket.
After checking for messages, I smiled as I read one from Gabriel. A lion.
I scrunched my nose, that was random. Sorry? I texted.
Your last note.Ah yes, my note asking him what animal he would be.
Any particular reason why?I responded.
King of the fucking jungle baby.
Well, that doesn’t surprise me. I suppose I’d have to say a kitten for myself?
Spot on, kitten. Gabriel texted with a smiling emoji and the question; I’m cooking for us tonight. I need to talk to you. What time are you home?
I thumbed in my reply. On my way.
He then sent me a kissing emoji which so wasn’t like him. It made me smile. I was pleased he’d said he wanted to speak with me. I had things to say myself.
Yes, we were good together as friends but I wanted more than that. Waking up in my own bed had felt so wrong after having such a great night together at Max’s party. My body craved Gabriel and I could no longer hide from it. I wouldn’t allow him to either.
I just hoped to hell that whatever he had to tell me was good news.
After I said goodbye to everyone, I left the restaurant and headed towards the bus stop. The breeze was cool and the sky overcast, suggesting it might rain and I was pleased I had my coat.
I smiled as I walked, realising that Gabriel hated my rain jacket, threatening to bin it and buy me another one, but the coat held memories for me. I’d bought it from a charity shop when I’d had nothing. Now I was working and building up my own pot of money. My finances were not and never would be in the Knight League, but who cared? Money had nothing to do with my feelings for Gabriel.
I’d left the restaurant via the rear staff entrance which led out onto a back street where the rubbish bins were. Deliveries were also made there and the road was only just wide enough for a lorry. It was a bit creepy but Felice preferred staff to leave by the back exit.
I was about to check my phone when the feel of something cold and hard jutted into my side. It made me catch my breath.
A large figure loomed beside me and I attempted to move away, but a firm hand curled around my upper arm. My hip bounced off the hardness of his as I was yanked against his masculine body.
“Easy, little fairy. Don’t scream and no sudden moves. Just smile and keep walking,” a gravelly voice instructed. I attempted to pull away but a hard object was dug against my ribs. It didn’t take long for me to register that it was some type of weapon and my legs wobbled slightly. This caused the man who held me to tighten his grip. I didn’t look at his face, I didn’t dare as terror snaked its way up my spine.
“You’re OK. Nothing will happen if you do as you’re told,” he said. His voice was familiar.
I raised my head at those words, sliding my gaze along a large, muscular torso and a neck thick with veins. It was a tanned throat and terrifying male.
As my eyes came to rest on his face which was angled forward, I immediately recognised the man from the restaurant, Kai. The hostile one who had been with the girl. I remembered what Charlie had said about him being mafia and my gut clenched.
His expression was harsh, again like he was born with that permanent scowl on his face and I glanced around but the girl was now nowhere to be seen. OMG, had he done something to her and thought of me as a witness that he needed to get rid of? I bit my lip, forcing my feet to move in the direction he was leading us.
“What do you want,” my voice was barely a squeak.
“For you to keep walking. We’re going to get into my car and then we can talk.”
The shops we walked past were closed apart from a laundrette which had people in it, they were way too busy to care about us. He seemed distracted by them and I took the opportunity to slide my phone carefully from my coat pocket with my free hand and stuffed it down my bra.
Swallowing that lump of dread, I couldn’t help but ask the obvious. “Where is your girlfriend?”
He cleared his throat and tugged me closer as a couple passed us on the pavement. The butt of his weapon dug into me again; a warning for me to toe the line. Fear clawed its way around my throat and I felt short of breath. “That wasn’t my girlfriend.”
“Why do you say wasn’t, as in past tense? Did you have her whacked?” My voice shook.
I saw his lip curl in the semblance of a smile as he shot me an incredulous look. “Whacked?”
“Yeah,” I panted.
“So, you think you know who I am?”
“Yes, you’re the mafia.” As I said the words my entire frame tightened in fear, I was so stiff it felt like I could snap.
The stranger must have felt it in my frame as he loosened his death grip on my arm and cooed. “And you’re gutsier than I thought to say that to my face.
“I’m sorry, please, don’t hurt me.”
His lips thinned and his nostrils flared. “As long as you do as I say, you have nothing to worry about.”
When we turned the corner, a young couple were walking along the pavement towards us. My mouth opened automatically to say something but his grip tightened again. “Don’t,” he warned in a gravelly voice.
As my only chance at freedom passed by us none the wiser, we approached a large SUV with blacked-out windows. My chance of escape was slipping with each step and I can honestly say I had never been so afraid in my life. The episode with Simon was nothing compared to this.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“I’m thinking about it,” he clipped out in a casual tone. Almost like he was considering what tie to wear that day.
The car doors opened and two men dressed in black appeared, one opening the rear door. A sense of panic loomed, the thought of getting in that car feeling like I was signing my own death sentence.
“Please, no,” I cried, trying to pull away, my hair flipping against my face as I glanced up and down the now deserted street. No one to hear my screams.
The weapon which had been held against my body was now shoved into the belt of his jeans. He then grabbed both my arms and yanked me back against his chest. I bit back a growl of frustration.
I turned my head to glance up at him, lines had appeared between his eyebrows. “I won’t hurt you. If you follow my instructions.”
“Please, you’re already hurting me,” I whimpered, his fingers around my arms were painfully tight. As soon as I said those words, he relaxed them and turned me to face him. I squeezed my eyes closed.
“Open your eyes, little fairy,” he said softly. His breath against my face. I could smell the faint tinge of the Whisky he’d ordered earlier and another spirit.
I felt the side of the SUV at my back and I glanced briefly into the vehicle before turning back.
Up close and standing he was massive. My head fell way under his chin and he was huge and rock-like, a tower of strength. If I screamed, he could probably knock me out with one punch. He was so tall and scary-looking, his neck even had tattoos. His goons didn’t look any safer; one was a big hulk of a guy and the other was leaner with a bun in his hair.
“Boss?” the man with the hair-bun questioned, possibly due to the delay of me not getting into the car of doom.
As I stood there, in awe looking up at him, he lifted his hands to his belt and removed the weapon he’d held against my body. It was a gun. A fucking gun and he glanced up and down the street before he raised his hand and pointed it at me. My head swam and I suddenly felt faint as he motioned for me to get into the car with the butt of the weapon.
The dizziness started to escalate.
I winced internally and repeated. “Are you going to kill me?” My stomach squirmed with anxiety.
I watched as he closed his eyes and then pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Exhaling sharply, he lowered his hand and then dropped the gun to my knees.
With a blank expression he explained, “No, I am not going to kill you. What do you think I am?” Those unreadable eyes were now on my face.
“A gangster?” I squeaked before I could stop myself. The two men to my left chuckled.
“Exactly and if you know your gangsters, which clearly, you don’t. We find killing boring. It’s too easy and painless. We prefer to maim.”
My confusion depended. “Maim, what does that mean?” The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up, an image of the words ‘butchered to death’ on a tombstone flashing before my eyes.
He titled his head, his thick brows drawing together. “Put it this way,” he said slowly, almost savouring the words. “It would be hard to dance without any kneecaps. Now get in the fucking car.”
Something in his expression made me realise he was serious.
Glancing down at the gun which was now pointed at one of my knees, I buckled and fell forward into him. Strong arms caught me.
“For fucks sake,” was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
Gabe
I wasn’t one to use emojis at the best of times, if there had been an emoji to flip someone off, I might have done. Pulling out all the stops, as well as the smiling emoji, I added a kissing one to reassure Leonie that our talk was nothing to worry about. I was good at hiding my emotions and I couldn’t imagine she would be fully aware of how deep my feelings ran.
Since coming on the scene, she’d changed my life, made me want to be a better version of myself, cliched as fuck but true nonetheless. Apart from her beauty and cracking body, she had a killer personality. Leonie was kind and sweet-natured with a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh. I even loved the fact that she sounded like she was dying when singing in the shower. I’d told her so one day but that didn’t stop her. And she was strong, tougher than I had given her credit for, considering everything she had been through.
Leonie was that one that they talked about, a ‘keeper’ and I knew she had feelings for me as she wore her heart on her sleeve. I just didn’t know if they were as deep as mine. The fact that I was her first had also made me more territorial. She was mine, and that night at dinner, I would tell her how I felt.
I would also look forward to sealing the deal between the sheets. Once she was officially mine, I would never let her go.
Just the thought of seeing her had my heart thumping against my rib cage. Why the fuck it had taken me so long to sort my shit out was anyone”s guess.
Leonie Smith was the one.
As I was pushing my phone into my jeans, it vibrated to say I had another text and I drew it out with a smile on my face. Wondering if she’d returned my kiss.
I believe you have a package that does not belong to you.WTF? I reread the message. It was from an anonymous caller.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I thought about whether to reply and eventually went with, Who is this?
The fucking tooth fairy. Do you have my package?
Chaos erupted in my mind. What package? I scanned the kitchen. Asher usually left my mail on the table.
I don’t have a package. Why don’t you call me so we can discuss it?I added the latter sentence to encourage a conversation with whatever dickhead was messaging me.
Recorded delivery. Signed for by a Mac?
Who the fuck was Mac? Someone was taking the piss and so I decided to ignore it.
As I was checking the fridge to see what I could cook for Leonie that night, my phone went off again. I didn’t check it straight away, hopefully, if I ignored it whoever was hassling me would do one.
After deciding on pasta for supper, I checked my phone and my whole fucking world crashed around me.
Two pictures of Leonie at Felice’s appeared from that same anonymous number. I almost dropped my phone; my hands were shaking so hard. They were shots taken of her when she was unaware and an obvious warning. My eyes flew up from my phone as I slammed my fist on the table to calm myself the fuck down, I then thumbed the screen and found her number.
Come on, come on, fucking answer!I swore viciously but it went straight to voicemail. I then accessed the net and googled the number for the restaurant and called there directly. They took fucking ages to answer.
“Felice’s,” a voice said.
“I need to speak to Leonie Smith, it’s Gabriel, her boyfriend,” I added the last bit automatically.
“Sorry, you’ve just missed her. She left early.”
I disconnected the call and started pacing, think Gabriel, fucking think! I was about to lose my shit before a thought occurred to me. Mac? Could it have been Max? But surely when you signed for something, you wrote your surname? It was a long shot but I searched his number and tapped the screen.
He didn’t answer and so I kept hitting re-dial like a crazy person.
“What the fuck dude, take a hint, I have the biggest hangover of—.”
“Did you sign for a package at mine?”
“What?” he said groggily.
“A package came here; did you sign for one recently?”
If I could have reached down the phone and grabbed the fucker by the throat I would have. “Max!”
“Fuck. Err, yes. A while ago though, a big envelope. I gave it to Leonie. Why?”
“Stay on the call,” I barked. The guy made me want to tear out my hair.
An envelope, and then it came flooding back. I dropped the phone on the counter, missing what Max was saying and ran to my room.
The door slammed back against the wall and there it was on my desk, the envelope I’d spotted last night. Grabbing it, I tore it open without thinking and shit loads of photographs spilt to the floor. Many of them contained Gerard fucking Kinlan.
I fell to my knees, panic clawing at my chest as I fanned out the pile in front of me. There were documents of transactions to different bank accounts and images of Gerard meeting with other men. Information that could probably put the man away for life and they had been sent to me? Why?
My stomach sank as I hastily grabbed all the papers and stuffed them back in the envelope before turning it around to check the address.
The large scrawling handwriting was messy and my name was misspelt.
Gabrial Night.
Shit.
Shoving the pack under my arm I went back out and grabbed my phone to hear Max shouting my name.
“Leonie’s been taken,” I said. This got his attention.
“What do you mean? When, where?”
“Stay by your phone.”
I then cut off the call without answering and threw the package on the side.
As I thumbed back into the anonymous text, there was another picture of Leonie and I felt like puking.
She was in the back of a car with her eyes closed. Unconscious.
What do you want?I messaged.
Ah, there he is. Had second thoughts?
I have the package with everything inside. I replied.
Good. Stay where you are. I will send someone to collect it.
A storm of thoughts circled my head like a fucking tsunami. Why had that shit been sent to me, was someone trying to frame me? Or blackmail me in some way? I’d never felt so out of my depth in my life.
And now I was supposed to wait there for someone to collect it whilst they had Leonie. Fuck that shit. I tried to ignore the pounding in my head.
Who are you?I messaged again, hoping he’d at least confirm he was part of the Kinlan’s posse, but the message failed to send. I then tried to ring the number but it was dead. Fucking burner phone!
It was then that I remembered that cryptic text I’d received on the day I’d left my father’s office. I had assumed it was from Gerard about the job offer he had given me, but the screen had shown No Caller ID, and I had Gerard’s number saved in my phone. I’d been too het up about the news of my father’s illness and what had happened to Leonie to realise. I remember the message mentioned a package. Shit!
Clutching my phone, I checked back through my messages, finding the text in the archive section. I then unblocked the number and hit dial.
It started ringing and I held my breath. Bingo. But then the voicemail kicked in.
This is Ava, if it’s important, leave a message, if not. Go fuck yourself.
Why the hell would Gerard’s stepdaughter send me shit on him? I was totally lost, torn between what to do, a sense of dread creeping over me. If anything happened to Leonie, I would die. The intensity of how much she meant to me gripped me by the throat.
Thoughts of Ava Kinlan, or whatever the hell she was called went out the window, I couldn’t compute that right then.
I knew at that point that whoever had Leonie was either part of the Kinlan’s or connected to them in some way. They were professionals and so would probably have taken her phone, but I checked the correct App just in case and BOOM. Thank fuck! I found her. Maybe she’d hidden it. Clever girl. She was in an industrial area, in a building that used to be a brewery. It was probably as creepy as hell. Fuck, the thought of her being terrorised pushed my temper up into the highest of all gears. I was raging.
I hit the screen of my phone and dialled Max. He answered on the first ring. Good boy.
“What do you need?”
“Get dressed, I’m coming to pick you up. Be outside your apartment in ten,” I instructed, my feet eating up the floor.
“Roger that.”
Running to my room, I dressed in jeans and a black top and shoved my gun into the waistband of my bottoms. I had no appetite to shoot someone but if I needed to, I would. If anything happened to Leonie, I would burn their empire to the ground.
Pushing my feet into sneakers, I searched for the spare key to Asher’s Audi Q5, a car which was parked in the car park under the building. As with all crises, nothing was straightforward as Marco had the fucking Range Rover.
I then made my way into the lift and took what felt like the slowest ride down into the car park. As I walked towards Asher’s car, I found the correct app again on my iPhone and hit Find My, accessing Find My Phone.
The only thing I had to lead me to Leonie.
Leonie
SILENCE. My mum’s face, twisted metal and being trapped was how I felt but then Gabriel’s hand was there, pulling me to freedom.
I came awake with a gasp, but I couldn’t move my arms. There were voices, muffled ones.
Dread bled through me. In what universe was this happening?
I closed my eyes again to stop their stinging and listened to the sounds. Pretending to be asleep was my thinking and then make a run for it? My anxiety skyrocketed.
“I told you to search her. You were supposed to pat her down like you would anyone else,” that deep voice said. That was how I imagined the devil would sound.
“I didn’t think she’d keep anything in her fucking bra and it didn’t seem right to touch her when she was out. I’m not a pervert. If Eileen knew I’d even touched another woman she’d have my balls for earrings.”
“You’re lucky I don’t wear earrings. Why the fuck you didn’t check her for a phone is beyond me.” With those words, I realised they’d found my phone, or at least, the one with the boomier voice had.
Blinking, I tried to focus. I was in a large dimly lit space, with my wrists attached to the arms of a chair with cable ties. It was like some type of horror movie. My mouth felt dry and my eyes were stinging and I could smell petrol fumes. The clearer the scene came before me, the more worrying it got. Everything about my surroundings reeked of trouble.
My heart leapt in my chest as a chair suddenly appeared in front of me and the man from earlier spun it around and sat, straddling it; Kai. My eyes watched him warily as I tried to get the circulation back into my wrists. He was so huge close-up with large legs corded with muscle and broad shoulders.
His first words were true. At that moment, I was the epitome of fragile; a weak defenceless female. The weight of worry pressed against my chest.
“You’re a fragile little thing, aren’t you? You purr like a kitten when you sleep,” he said with a smile. I noticed his eyes didn’t appear as angry as they had in the restaurant. His expression was softer, it gave me a slither of hope. Maybe I could appeal to his better nature or something.
My thoughts switched to the word kitten. Gabriel’s pet name for me and an agonising thought that he may be in danger pumped through my veins like acid.
“I don’t suppose the phrase, pick on someone your own size would wash?” I huffed, surprising myself.
He grinned and I saw a flash of admiration in his eyes. “Not a chance jelly bean.”
I lowered my lashes before jerking my head back up. “Gabriel?” I blasted out, searching the darkened area. It appeared to be a large empty warehouse but my vision was too blurry to see properly. I could make out two SUV cars and some old machinery set against one wall.
“Please, where’s Gabriel?”
He looked satisfied by my alarmed expression as he explained, “On his way I imagine. Now he knows where you are. You have that fuckwit to thank for that,” he replied with a flick of his head, his face hardening. I followed the direction he motioned towards to see a tall man all in black leaning against the wall. He was one of the guys by the car earlier and he looked embarrassed. I hadn’t a clue where the other one was.
“I don’t understand, how does he know where I am?” I questioned, my lips feeling dry.
This caused him to shoot a blistering look towards his colleague. “Find my fucking phone did the job,” Kia revealed with a look of exasperation. My eyes flickered towards my phone in his large hand, the pink colour looking misplaced against his inked skin. “As usual, another member of the Knight family has successfully shit on my parade.” His words sent a jolt of adrenaline through me.
For self-preservation reasons, I attempted to ignore his comment about the Knight family, heat stung my cheeks. He must have put his hand inside my bra to get my phone. As I pulled my gaze back, he was smiling, with mischief dancing in his eyes.
With a wink, he said, “You don’t have to worry. I was very careful not to touch your skin. I don’t grope unconscious women.”
“But you expected me to,” his friend barked out with a grim expression.
“Shut it,” was the comeback.
“What do you want from me?” I almost snarled. My words amused him and his lips twitched.
“Now that’s a loaded question. Nothing, just your obedience.”
I narrowed my eyes, not knowing whether I believed him. The man had a haunting presence. I remembered what Charlie had said. Mafia. I tried to phase out the image of this man maiming people for sport. Bloody images rolled through my mind.
Suddenly his pocket vibrated and he placed my phone on the small table beside him next to a vodka bottle and a shot glass.
The man called Kai suppressed a yawn and then drew his own phone out and started scrolling through it. “And here he is, right on time. Fucking marvellous.” The dirty look he gave the other guy was full-on.
“What? I’ve said I was sorry,” his buddy huffed, breathing harshly.
“Save it. It’s show time, we have company.”
“Company?” came another voice from the shadows.
Kai shot me a thoughtful look saying, “The rat has arrived.”
On impulse, I jostled my feet to stand but failed. Flutters of unease danced through me.
“Don’t you hurt him,” I blasted. My outburst seemed to amuse and he held up his hands in mock surrender. Considering he was such a large man, and thoroughly intimidating, he owned a lethal type of charm.
“Easy little fairy. You wound me,” he began, placing a hand flat against his heart. “I’m a fair man. He has nothing to worry about as long as he didn’t send the package he was sent to the police. If he did that, he automatically put a target on his back. I’ll also need the name of his little mole.”
“Mole? What mole? Gabriel isn’t mixed up in the stuff his father is,” I blurted before I could stop myself, tugging against the bonds on my wrists again. This drew his gaze down to my hands. I swallowed down that desire to punch him in the nuts; an uncharacteristic thought but I encouraged that impulse.
“A little birdie in my organisation also owns a courier company. They help my boss move shit from time to time, under the radar. My contact told me he suspected someone in my set-up was gathering stuff against us.”
“What type of stuff?” I questioned, knowing he was probably referring to drugs.
“Something very powerful. Information. They remember a package being sent to your boyfriend and sniffed that something was off. We’ve been looking for it.”
This drew my thoughts back to the break-in when Gabriel’s laptop had been stolen. “He’s not my boyfriend,” I replied sadly.
“Whatever.” My captor then started to scrutinise my face intently and I felt my cheeks heat. “You’re a bit of a ghost, aren’t you? Unlike girls your age. You don’t have thousands of selfies uploaded to Instagram or that Tiktok shit. You don’t even have any accounts, why is that?”
I jerked my wrists again. “I just don’t do social media.”
He took a few moments, watching my useless actions before he warned, “Don’t do that. You won’t free yourself and you could hurt your pretty skin. Believe me, I know how to tie people up,” he stated, his tone full of arrogance like I should be impressed with his talents.
“Great. I suppose it’s good to have some skills,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. When did I become so ballsy? When someone was threatening the man, I loved, that’s when!
And BOOM. LOVE?
I did love Gabriel, with all my heart and I knew at that moment that I would die if anything happened to him.
Kia narrowed his eyes and he watched me with a head tilt. “I must say, I didn’t think you’d be this gobby. I’d heard you were all sweetness and light.”
I snorted. “I suppose being kidnapped and tied to a fucking chair does that to a person.” I also didn’t usually swear but it was a day unlike any other; one of many firsts—and lasts, hopefully.
“Language. You’re much too pretty to swear.”
Even though there was something animalistic about him; feral, I managed to bite out, “Screw you.”
I watched as he rolled his shoulders and then shoved his phone back into the pocket of the jeans he wore. His bulky arms were then placed on the top of the backrest of the chair and he stared at me with an intense expression. “My informers were wrong, you’re stronger than you look. You have fire in your belly and I like it. Nothing is worse than someone who begs for their life too quickly. Bores the shit out of me.” I felt like grunting, men always say they like a strong woman until they meet one. Wait a minute. Did that mean I was strong?
My confidence was growing so I added, “So, you take women hostage regularly?”
“What can I say? It’s one of my many kinks,” he replied with a grin.
My mind was now processing everything he said. “As well as bullying young girls?”
“I haven’t bullied you—yet.”
“I don’t mean me. I mean the girl at the restaurant,” I panted, the sharpness of the cable ties had now broken my skin.
His brow furrowed. Under usual circumstances, I would have seen him as extremely handsome but right then, all I saw was that darkness surrounding him. He was nothing more than a thug in a fancy shirt, the whiteness so crisp against his tanned skin.
“From earlier? You mean Ava?”
The horror of it all swept over me and I didn’t reply, as reminding me of her real name surely wasn’t a good move. Yes, Ava, that was it.
Shit, it suddenly felt like the walls were closing in around me. My breathing was now so heavy I was surprised he couldn’t hear it. His presence now had an added ‘mess with me and I’ll slaughter your entire family’ vibe.
Pushing my silence away, I nodded my head to confirm that’s who I meant.
“Yes, she seemed sweet and you were horrible to her.”
The man dashed a hand across his jaw and then released a bark of a laugh. “Sweet? Ava Cawthorne and sweet, don’t share the same fucking planet darling,” he chuckled, banging a hand against his thigh, genuinely amused.
My voice climbed in panic, “Where is she? Have you hurt her?”
He looked vaguely insulted as he considered my question but after a beat or two, his eyes narrowed. “If I were you, I’d care more about myself right now than a fucking stranger.”
I swallowed, willing my queasy stomach to settle and then raised my chin, giving him a look that said I wasn’t scared of his threats. “Girls stick together.”
“Be that as it may. But believe me, Ava isn’t worth your worry. She’s a backstabbing little bitch who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. In fact—.” He stopped mid-sentence, his attention drawn to his phone. “Sean, look lively and cover the entrance. He’s probably armed. Lester, go bring the little brat here,” he ordered. Pushing to his feet, his repertoire of the girl Ava never came to fruition.
After a beat or two, he gave me a stern look. “As I was saying, Ava is spoiled and vain, the queen of that Tiktok shit,” he threw at me as an afterthought.
I shook the hair back from my face and watched as the tall lanky man who thankfully hadn’t felt me up to get my phone walked over to one of the large black cars. After pausing for a minute, he then opened the passenger door. The faint sound of rock music poured out.
“Your brother wants to see you,” I heard him say. I squinted my eyes as I surveyed the scene. Brother? Parts of the puzzle started to piece together. Of course, Ava had explained that Kai was her stepbrother at the restaurant.
Kai withdrew his phone again. “He’s just triggered zone two, Sean. Be ready, I want no fuck ups.”
“I’m on it,” a voice said from the shadows, ‘Sean’ apparently. The only way you knew someone was there was due to the tip of whatever he was smoking lighting up when he took a drag.
“Err, Boss,” the other guy by the car shouted which brought Kai’s head back around. “I won’t repeat what she said but it’s a no, pretty much,” Lester said, looking mortified.
“Drag her the fuck out, Lester,” Kai bellowed, his face twisting in annoyance. He shook his head toward me with a God give me strength expression.
I held my breath as I watched ‘Lester’ move forward with caution and into the back of the car before he shimmied back and held up his hands in surrender. I saw the telltale handle of a gun beneath his jacket and my heart skipped a beat. I imagined they were all armed.
“Easy,” Lester said as if trying to placate the girl in the car, who would hopefully be the girl from the restaurant. And then her words snapped in my head, something about me being OK and how hard it would be. My hopes of help nosedived; she was in on it.
“Don’t touch me you pig,” I heard her yell.
A pair of feet and then the rest of her appeared, wearing the same outfit from earlier. She was angry, her face drawn tightly and her mouth was set in a sneer. It twisted her beauty.
She pocketed her phone and then stomped over. She was younger than me, the make-up she’d worn to the restaurant was now all gone, leaving her natural.
“What? I’m stuck on Candy Crush on level 445, what’s so fucking important? I don’t have time for your shit,” she snarled, stopping several yards away from Kai with the goon Lester beside her.
Her gaze moved to me with a bored expression before she popped her gum. “Oh, hi Leonie,” she said with a finger-tipped wave. Her greeting was totally normal like she saw helpless women tied to chairs in front of her all the time.
Her appearance did give me some relief, not just as it proved the psycho hadn’t bumped her off, but also being in the company of another girl. They surely wouldn’t do anything to me in front of a teenager?
“I just wanted our guest to see you weren’t harmed. She was worried about you,” Kai drawled, soothingly speaking to her. Much nicer than he was in the restaurant.
“I guess she knows fuck all anyway and are the cable ties really necessary? I swear your kinks are fucking sick Kai.” She folded her arms across her chest. “So, what’s she still doing here?”
“We’re waiting for her boyfriend to rescue her,” he drawled, moving over to a table placed next to his chair where there was a vodka bottle and shot glass. He poured himself a drink and then necked it.
“What—what boyfriend,” the girl called Ava stuttered, her features set in a grim line.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I pointed out again moodily, tugging against my restraints.
Kai glanced between us both, back and forth before he shot at me. “Semantics. The fucker cares about you and that’s enough.” Those words should have coated my belly with warmth but I was too terrified about what would happen when Gabriel got there. He too had a temper and a gun.
As I moved my gaze back to Ava, she was watching me with a strange expression, on the edge of panic suddenly. I could see the glaze of perspiration across her forehead. Something had shaken her.
Ava’s eyes drilled into me as she questioned me sharply, “Who’s your boyfriend?”
“I said—”
She stomped a foot in frustration, “I heard you the first time. Who is it that’s coming here?” The girl half shouted.
Kai placed the vodka bottle and glass down and turned to the girl with a curious expression. He answered the question for me
“Garrett’s eldest son. Why?” Kai said, looking dubious.
The blood ran out of the girl”s face and she looked like she was going to pass out.
Kai took a step towards her, raising a hand. “Ava?”
Just then the doors burst open and Gabriel appeared, his stance aggressive. He had his gun in one hand and a package in the other. He pointed the gun straight at Kai, his gaze zeroing in on me behind him.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared, Gabriel had come for me and it appeared he had the upper hand. However, it didn’t take long for that to be taken away from him and my heart almost stalled.
Chaos drummed a beat within me and I saw both recognition and fear on Ava’s face as her eyes landed on Gabriel.
Did they know each other?