Chapter 15
Regan
I got to the restaurant and the only parking space I could find was at the side of the building at the very end.
It was darker than I would’ve liked, but I stiffened my spine and slipped my purse over my shoulder before locking the door and walking to the restaurant.
John and I decided some place neither of us had been to would be fun, and he suggested this place.
My phone chimed as I stepped onto the sidewalk and I pulled it out of my purse to see a text from Rhys.
Rhys: I hope you have a nice time tonight. You deserve it.
I sent back a reply of an emoji sticking its tongue out and quickly slipped my phone back into my purse. A man opened the door for me as I approached, and he smiled as I moved past him. Walking up to the hostess stand, I waited for someone to return to seat me.
A young woman walked up and smiled. “How many in your party tonight?”
“Two. I’m meeting someone and I don’t know if they’ve arrived yet.”
“We don’t have anyone waiting for their party, so I can get you seated and bring your guest when they arrive,” the woman announced, and I gave her a nod. Grabbing two menus, she said, “Follow me, please.”
Diligently, I walked behind her through the dimly lit restaurant, glancing at the families enjoying their meals and the couples on dates, gazing into each other’s eyes.
I wasn’t expecting that tonight, but stranger things had happened.
Thoughts of Seth pushed to the front of my mind, and as I took my seat in the booth, I did everything I could to push him back into the little box I’d shoved him in.
A server appeared and quickly disappeared after I asked for a sweet tea.
Nervously, I kept looking at the front door, waiting for John to appear.
The server brought my drink back, and I took a sip before glancing at the menu.
A fresh basket of bread was placed onto the table, and I pulled my phone out to see if I had any missed calls from John.
Seeing it was just a few minutes after the time we’d agreed to meet, I placed my phone away and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket.
I felt out of place being alone in such a nice restaurant, but I refused to bail.
I needed to prove to myself that I could be brave, and if it meant waiting alone for my date to arrive, then that’s what I was going to do.
The minutes ticked away, and when I checked my phone again, I saw he was almost twenty minutes late.
Deciding to call him, I dialed his number, only for it to ring without an answer.
There wasn’t a voicemail, so I sent him a text asking whether he was still coming.
I knew no one was watching me, but I still felt like eyes were on me as I waited for him to respond.
Another ten minutes went by and there still wasn’t a response, so when the waiter came back by, I asked, “Can you see if a John Parker left a message?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right back,” the server said, and I could see the pity in his eyes.
Pity was the last thing I needed, and when he returned, stating there wasn’t a message, I asked, “Can I give him a few more minutes? He was coming from the south part of the city and maybe traffic is bad.”
“That’s fine. Let me know if I can get you anything in the meantime.”
He left, and I was starting to feel ridiculous.
The tables around me had emptied, and I was the only person in this section of the restaurant.
The more time that passed, the more stupid I felt, and just as I was about to get up from my seat and pay for my drink and the bread, someone approached me from behind and pushed me back into the booth.
Snapping my head to the side, I saw someone I never wanted to see again, and the fear that overtook me was almost too much to bear.
My hands trembled as Ricardo slid into the booth across from me and grabbed a piece of bread, popping it into his mouth and chewing with his mouth open.
I couldn’t speak to alert anyone to the problem, and when I attempted to slide out of the booth, I heard the familiar sound of a gun slide, chambering a round under the table.
“Don’t be stupid, Regan.”
“What . . . why are you here?” I asked, and he was about to speak when the server reappeared.
“I see your guest has arrived. Can I bring you something to drink, sir?”
“I’m not her guest. Just an old friend who wanted to stop by and say hello. You can bring her the check, though. I think she’s ready to leave.”
The server gave me a concerned look, and I nodded at him before he turned and walked away.
“What do you want?” I asked, and Ricardo chuckled across the table at me.
“You cost me a lot of money, and I believe you were the one who tipped off those crazy sons of Sergey to kill my precious Kelly. So, now, you owe me what you should’ve delivered all those years ago.”
“And what the hell do I owe you?” I spat, and his face hardened as he leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“You owe me the secrets Sergey shared with you, and this time, I will get what I want.”
The server brought the check and kept looking at me while Ricardo pulled a twenty out of his pocket and slapped it onto the table. He gave the server a look that screamed ‘go away’, and with multiple glances back at me, the server collected the money and walked away.
“How do you think you’re going to get those answers, asshole? I’m never going to tell you anything, so why don’t you give up now?”
He stood from his side of the booth and came to the edge of mine, his back blocking the rest of the restaurant as he pointed the gun at me.
The evil smirk on his face was chilling as he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the booth.
I recoiled from the discomfort of his touch as he pulled me farther into the back of the restaurant.
There was no one back here, and I feared what his next move was going to be. The only thing this far back was the emergency exit, and I didn’t think he’d want all the attention he’d get by setting off the alarm.
“Looks like there’s no way out back here,” I snidely said, and he shook his head with a smirk before pumping his pudgy ass against the door and opening it soundlessly.
It was pitch-black behind the restaurant, and suddenly, a black Town Car pulled up to the back door. Looking between the car and Ricardo, I flinched as he gripped onto my upper arm and dragged me closer to the vehicle.
“Stop,” I said, but Ricardo laughed at me before tapping the barrel of the gun against the back window.
Vomit rose in my throat as the door opened and Giovanni Marcora smiled at me. “I missed you, little one.”
“No,” I yelled, and Ricardo raised the gun and struck me on the side of my head.
Everything went squiggly in my vision as I felt my body being pushed and shoved into the vehicle.
I was defenseless to stop them from taking me again, and I feared I wouldn’t survive this time as Ricardo said something to Giovanni before closing the door, sealing me in with the most sadistic man I’d ever known.
“Take us to the house, John,” Giovanni said as the window separating the back from the driver lowered.
I looked over the seat and the eyes staring back at me were the ones I’d looked into a few weeks ago as I gave him my number. He smiled as he said, “Sorry I was a little late.”
Darkness swirled around me, and when I heard the two men laughing, I allowed the safety of the shadows to drag me under, hopefully sheltering me from something else I was going to have to survive.
And I had to wonder if they’d know how to find me, and if I was ever going to see my family or Seth again.
I never lost consciousness, but I was completely disoriented and turned around as John maneuvered the car through traffic and away from safety. The farther we moved, the more hopeless I felt.
The two men began to talk, and I tried to remember what they said.
Giovanni was chatty, not keeping anything private.
“Once she gives us what we need, we can find the last two and finally have the initiation I was promised all those years ago. And if she has what I think she does, we’ll be able to collect all that cash those assholes lost during the trials. ”
I had conversations with Sergey and knew that before he turned someone else over to the FBI, he would usually find a way to empty their bank accounts.
I thought he was using Ricardo to find the money, and then he would siphon it into his own accounts.
How the government or the other families never realized was something Sergey kept secret, and Giovanni was ready to correct.
I did know where the money was, and even if they threatened to kill me, I wasn’t going to tell them a damn thing.
We drove for hours, and I became too unfocused to try and figure out where they were taking me.
Whatever their plans for me, I just hoped my family could go on without me, because something deep down inside of me said that I didn’t have many days left before they finally decided I wasn’t worth the trouble and they’d kill me.
At least that way, my family would never know I was the one who discovered and traded Hannah and a few other innocent women for my own safety.
Slipping in and out of sleep, I tried to keep as much distance between Giovanni and myself as possible.
I knew what he was capable of, and the longer I kept him away from me, the better off I would be.
But I wouldn’t be able to stop him forever.
I wished I’d had my gun with me, but I feared in this situation it wouldn’t have done me much good.
A large bump jostled me, and I lifted my head, trying to see where we were, but nothing looked familiar.
It was a small town we were in, but it was so late, everything was closed and mostly dark.
Passing through the downtown area, I looked around for something familiar, but the longer I searched, the more despondent I grew.
A loud noise sounded to the right, and carefully, I looked to see what it was.
Something caught my eye, and I pushed my face closer to the window, hoping to understand what I was seeing.
A man riding a motorcycle was at the red light to my left, and when the light turned green and he pulled away from us, I saw the name on the back of the leather vest and prayed what I saw was accurate.
The man was wearing a Death Hounds MC, Portstill Chapter patch on his cut, and if that was where we were, there was help close by.
Trying not to draw attention to myself as John and Giovanni spoke of what their lives were going to be like after they got all the money, I watched on as John continued to drive.
We passed what I thought was the Death Hounds compound and into an area I hadn’t been inside of since my caseworker removed me from that horrible house when I was eight.
When the houses started growing worse in condition, I knew where we were but not where we were going. Why were we here? What did this have to do with Sergey or the missing money? And who were the two they kept referring to?
Was there more trouble on the horizon, or were they searching for additional members to recruit?
Whatever their plans, at that moment, I decided I wanted to live and I wasn’t going to be so willing this time. If they wanted information from me, they were going to have to fight me for it.
I just hoped my training was enough to get me out of this before one of them killed me.