He falls in step with me as I haul ass out of the room and down the stairs. I open the door to our room and walk through. Her purse and phone are lying on the floor.
“He has her,” I say, my voice low and calmer than I feel. Usually, I am as cool as death when I’m under pressure, but losing her has my heart pounding. I jog down the hall and punch the button on the express elevator.
“What do you know?” Trick says.
“Nothing except that he has her, and she’s in a moving vehicle headed south.”
“C’s landed. You want me to text him?”
“Yeah,” I say as we get in the elevator. C’s been in New York, talking to some people to insure that if a war starts with the Leones, we have allies.
“The bounty on Leone just doubled, but I only pay out if I get her back alive. Spread the word. Nothing else matters. Only her.”
I call the burner phone Leone had days before. It’s been disconnected.
“I’ll navigate. You drive,” I say.
We get in the Rover. Trick peels out of the parking spot, and we hit the street like we’re the only ones on it and we’ve got places to go.
I watch the blip on the map.
Think, I tell myself because I know I’m distracted. Adrenaline is running through me like I’ve mainlined it. I don’t want to get into a high speed chase because I don’t want Leone to crash with her in the car. “We’re parallel to him. Slow down.”
“Which way? Left to cut him off?” Trick asks.
“Just drive straight. No chase. When he stops, we’ll box him in.” The words sound cool as fucking ice, but deep down I’m rattled. Did she fight when he tried to take her? Did he hit her? Hurt her? The locket doesn’t tell me if her heart’s still beating. And it can’t tell her that I’m half a block west and coming to get her.
She knows, I tell myself.She knows I’m coming. She’s smart. She’ll do what it takes to survive until I get there.
* * *
Rachel
I’m in a trunk, and, despite the musty darkness, I’m happy about it. Leone called me a whore and slapped me in the face for calling him an asshole, but I’m all right. I’m safer here than in the car with him. I yelled at him, so I’d seem scared. I had to resist a little or he might have gotten suspicious.
My hands shake from the adrenaline, but mostly I’m okay. I have the locket on. I’ve touched it several times, trying to calm myself. I don’t know if Sasha’s discovered I’m gone yet, but he will. And then he’ll come.
I don’t need to do anything yet. I just need to wait. If I have a chance to get Leone’s gun though I’ll take it.
* * *
The trunk opens. We’rein a parking lot near warehouses. I smell salt water. Near the docks?
Leone drags me from the trunk, using both hands.
Now, I think.Right now.
I grab his gun.
I’m falling. My back slams against the concrete and the shot goes low and wide, tearing through his slacks.
He yells, falling too, and rolls away.
I hear a sound, like popcorn popping.Gunshots!
I roll under the car, looking around. There are men advancing on the car, but they fall down, one by one.
I recognize Sasha’s shoes.
