Alarms were going off in my head. If this Nate asshole was half the psychopath Carly believed him to be, I wouldn’t put it past him to use Jessica to get to her. “She’s not safe there,” I said, interrupting their conversation. “Tell her to get out. No, tell her to lock the doors. I’m sending someone to her.”
Carly’s eyes widened as she picked up on what I was saying. “Yeah, Jess. I hate to cut you off, but I need you to lock the door. Stay in the apartment. There’s a guy chasing me and Wasp is afraid you’re in danger.”
As she spoke, I sent out a mass text, asking anyone in the area to get to Carly’s apartment ASAP. My phone dinged with a response. “Spade’s not far,” I said. “He’s on his way there. I’m gonna round up some guys downstairs and join him. I’m sure it’s fine, but we wanna make sure your friend’s safe.”
Carly covered the phone, grabbed my shirt, and pulled me to her for a quick kiss. “I love you. Be careful.”
“I love you, too.” I hurried over to my wall safe and opened it, angling my body to block Trent’s view in case he looked over while I pulled out my Sig Sauer P938 and holster. I checked the magazine before snapping the holster onto my belt, sliding the pistol home, and hiding it with my cut.
Carly watched me, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“I told you, sweetheart, I’m always careful,” I said, planting one last kiss on her forehead before heading out the door.
***
When Havoc, Stocks, and I reached Carly’s apartment, the door was hanging from the hinges and Spade was in the hallway leaning against the wall.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked.
“Heard a crash as I got out of the elevator. Came around the corner to find this. Heard two voices, one male, one female. She said something about a gun.”
“How long have they been in there?” Havoc asked.
“Two, three minutes.”
“You call the cops?” I asked.
The African-American and the Hispanic-American both looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
Right. I considered calling the cops but couldn’t decide whether or not I wanted them involved. Nate’s uncle was a sheriff, and even though he wasn’t local, he probably knew people and had connections. Nate wasn’t getting away with shit this time.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug it out and Carly’s name popped up, so I answered.
“Wasp. He has her. Jess just called me, crying. Nate said he’ll let her go if I come to him.”
“Not fuckin’ happenin’. We’re here, dove. We’ll take care of it. Did she say which room they’re in?”
“No. Oh, God. If he hurts her…”
“I need you to trust me. We’re gonna get your girl out of this, I promise. I gotta go.”
She thanked me on a shaky breath before hanging up.
Nate was scaring her again, and I was about to lose my shit.
Havoc peered into the apartment, and then returned to the hallway, pressing his back against the wall. “All I can see is the kitchen, living room, and part of a hallway. What’s the layout?”
I detailed it for him, noting that they could be in either bedroom.
“Do we let him know we’re here?” Spade asked.
“Can’t hurt,” Havoc replied. “Might be less likely to do something stupid if he knows there’s witnesses.”
“Jessica?” I shouted, pulling my pistol from its holster as I crept into the apartment. “You here?”
I heard a strangled cry.
“Shut the fuck up,” Nate whispered, his voice low and threatening.
