Mani steps out of the shadows. His boots click on the concrete floor, and the sound echoes around the warehouse. I repress ashiver at the sight of the leader of the Street Kings. His dark hair is slicked back, and his black trousers are too tight; the buckle polished to a high sheen. On his hip is a holster with a handgun, and there’s another telltale bulge in his pocket. The man must have trust issues if he’s carrying two handguns.
“Hello, Willow.” His gaze rakes over me like it does every time I’ve had the unfortunate experience of meeting him. “Nice to see you again.”
He’s smirking, and it should be a warning, but when the man in front of me steps aside, I run to Tyler.
He shakes his head as I crouch next to him. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I run a hand over his hair, brushing it off his face. “Mani’s going to release you. We’ll be free.”
But even as I say it, I realize it’s not true.
We’ll never be free of Mani and the Street Kings. It will always be one more run. They’ll always find ways to intimidate us and make us comply. And one day, one or both of us will get caught, and it’ll be more than a slap on the wrist. It’ll be jail time, and they’ll move on to the next people they can extort to do the dirty work.
Hudson was right. The only way to stop them is with enough evidence to take Mani and his cronies down for good. But I was too damn impatient.
My only chance is to get some solid evidence on my phone and hope it might be enough to at least exonerate myself.
I stand up slowly and turn to Mani. I’ve got to get him to admit to what he’s doing. “I drove the car here like you asked, Mani, so you’d let Tyler go.”
Mani cocks his head at me. I’ve used his name, but I need more. “It was a stolen car, wasn’t it?”
He shrugs, too shrewd to admit anything out loud.
I lick my lips. “You made me do it so you’d release my brother.”
He chuckles. “You and I need to have a chat about what happens next. But first …” He gives a sharp nod to one of his men. “Search her.”
The man grips me by the arms as panic rises in my chest. His rough hands pat down my body, my arms, my torso, and then my hips. He pulls the phone out of my pocket and tosses it to the floor. Then he stomps on it.
“In case you’re being tracked.”
Every last hope leaves my body as the phone shatters into a hundred pieces. There will be no recording, not that I got anything useful. And if Hudson was tracking me, he can’t now.
“Check the goods.”
One of Mani’s men walks to the car, and my heart sinks even further. They’re about to find out the package is gone. And I’m the one who lost it.
I tried to help, and I’ve gotten us even deeper in trouble.
28
WILLOW
My throat is dry, and my palms are sweaty, but I don’t let my fear show. The only thing I can do is buy us some time to try to get out of here. Or at least get Tyler out of here.
“What if I don’t want to leave.” I force myself to smile at Mani.
In my peripheral vision, I see the man approaching the car. He does a slow walk around, inspecting the bodywork and making sure it’s in one piece.
“We both know Tyler’s the weak link,” I say. “Cut him loose, and I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
“No,” Tyler whimpers next to me, but I force myself to keep my gaze on Mani.
Mani’s gaze racks over me, and I force myself to keep still and keep smiling. “Anything I ask?”
I’d rather die than let a man like Mani touch me, but I just need to buy enough time to get Tyler out of here safely.
“Let him go and find out,” I purr.
