“Billows dragged Azelie from her apartment and took her away in a black SUV. Carlton and I are following. The widows insisted on coming along.”
“That can’t be. Billows is gone.”
“I’m looking right at him. I wasn’t the only witness. Several people from her apartment building saw him take her.”
“Doug says Billows has Azelie,” Maestro reported to the others. “He’s following the SUV right now.”
Every head snapped up, and all eyes were instantly on him. Code sank into a chair in front of one of his screens. “Tell me streets so I can pick them up.”
“Billows is dead,” Savage assured everyone in the room.He looked at Destroyer for confirmation. “We fucking killed the bastard.”
“Put him out of his misery after he finally gave up a few names and where to locate them. Once he started talking, he couldn’t say enough,” Destroyer added.
“Someone who looks a hell of a lot like Billows just took her,” Maestro declared. “Doug, we need that information now.”
NINETEEN
Azelie knew she was in trouble. Real trouble. Alan Billows was smoldering with fury. He’d burst into her apartment, strode across the small space and punched her right in the face before she could even speak. Her cheekbone felt as if it had exploded. She had the presence of mind to hang on to her phone as she went down. He kicked her twice in the thigh, deadening her leg, but she managed to get a short message to Andrii, hoping he understood her 911. Billows ripped the phone from her hand and flung it across the room before dragging her up by her hair.
To her absolute horror, when he pulled her down the stairs to the street, he pressed a gun to her neck. Instantly, memories of bullets tearing into her sister, niece and nephew flooded her mind. She could feel the shock and pain of the three bullets smashing into her chest all over again. The memories were vivid. Terrifying.
Azelie was certain Billows was so incredibly angry that he would pull the trigger before he told her what was happening. She sent up a silent prayer that Andrii was safe. He shoved her into a black SUV and climbed into the back seatafter her. The driver turned his head, and to her horror, there was a second Billows at the wheel. Twins.
She pressed her lips together to keep from saying a word. That there were two of them certainly explained the mood swings and personality changes. It was no wonder she could never figure Billows out completely.
“Who did you give your key to?” Billows roared the question in her ear, his fingers biting into her arms as he shook her.
The driver floored the vehicle, muttering a curse under his breath. “Several of the people from the apartment saw you put her in the car, Derrick.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass who saw me,” Derrick Billows snapped, giving her another shake. “There was no other way for anyone to get into the maze or tunnels. It had to be her, Patrick.”
Patrick?For a moment she couldn’t think, and then it hit her. Alan had distinctive personalities. She’d even considered the possibility of him having some disorder.
“Where’s Alan?” She sounded like a forlorn frog croaking.
Derrick shook her again, this time hard enough that her head hurt. “Not here. Dead, you bitch. As if you didn’t know.”
She gasped in alarm. Triplets. Three, not two. Why hadn’t she figured that out? Alan hadn’t known how much money she made. He kept acting as if they were going to be a couple. He treated her differently than either Patrick or Derrick. Clearly, Derrick didn’t have social skills and didn’t want to have them. He was vicious and cruel, most likely the one she’d observed being abrupt and rude to his employees. Patrick had to be the charming one, who went out on dates with known celebrities and influential politicians. He enjoyed mingling with those in positions of power. Each of the triplets had played a role in their rise in money and influence.
“Alan’s dead?” she echoed. Derrick would never believe her, but she had a slight chance with Patrick. “But he…we…” She trailed off and pressed her fingertips to her mouth. She didn’t have to fake fear or the tears in her eyes. She didn’t want to appear defiant, but rather as if the news had crushed her.
Patrick glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “How did someone get your key, Azelie?”
She shook her head, allowing tears to track down her face. “I always put it in the same spot, that tiny knot in the wooden panel. I’ve never carried it out of the building. Not once. I thought it was safe with Bobby and whoever the security guard is in front of the door.” She sobbed again and ducked her head. “It doesn’t make sense that someone would know where my key was hidden. Alan is the only one who knew.”
“We knew,” Patrick declared. “I personally showed the knot to you.”
“You’re right, you little slut. No one else knew, but they used your key to get in,” Derrick snapped. His fingers were vicious, biting into her arm. She would worry about bruises later; right now she had to think about how she was going to stay alive.
“How do you know Alan’s dead?” she whispered. “Maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s at home.” Her voice shook naturally from fear and stress. The hope she poured into it was acting. She knew Alan had to be dead for his brothers to act the way they were. They had to have seen him. Did that mean Andrii had killed him? Were they aware of Andrii? She was certain they were going to kill her. She might have had a chance with Patrick but not with Derrick. He was still in a killing rage.
“We saw his body and what those fuckers did to him before he died,” Derrick snarled. “If you had anything to do with this, every single thing done to him I’m going to do to you. I know ways to keep you alive even when you’re begging for death.”
“Why would I want Alan dead?” That seemed like a fair enough question. “None of this makes any sense.” She wailed the last, sounding scared and bereft.
“You tell me why you would want my brother dead,” Derrick demanded. “He was pissed as hell on your behalf when you went running to him about not getting enough money. Every chance he got he stood up for you, but you turned on him. Was it because you saw Patrick at the club, and he was with someone else? You got jealous and had him killed?”
“You’re absolutely crazy to think that,” she whispered. “Insane.”
