He handed her the keys. “The roads are icy and the crews haven’t had timeto clear them.”
Her brain reeled. The man was asking her to be careful and giving her his SUV?
The attacker closest to him, the one with the blue mask, started to stir. Jethro, almost casually, kicked back and nailed the man beneath the chin. The man’s head flew back and thunked loudly on the icy sidewalk. His body went slack, blood dripping fromhis bottom lip.
She felt as if she was in a daze. Her stomachcramped. Hard.
Stumbling, she backed away from Jethro and turned, barely keeping herself from running for his rig.
“Wait a moment.” Jethro strode to the center of the parking lot and partially lifted the guy with the red mask to drag him closer to the sidewalk, dropping the limp body carelessly. “There you go. The lotis clear now.”
Gemma gagged. “Thanks.” She opened the driver’s door and jumped inside, slamming it shut and locking it. Her hand convulsed around the keys and she dropped them to the rubber mat. Crap. A quick glance confirmed that she could start the SUV by stepping on the brake and pressing the button on the console. She did so and then drove sedately out of the lot, her mindstill reeling.
He’d been so violent. So freaking casual about it.
Shouldshe run again?
Chapter Fifteen
Irritation clawed Jethro’s back as he shoved the third man next to the other two and then kicked the guy wearing the purple mask in the ankle. “Wake up, jackass,” he muttered, kicking him again.
The guy stirred. Barely.
Jethro sighed and tugged his phone out of his pocket, making a quick call.
“Bianchi,” Detective Tate Bianchi answered.
“Hi, Detective,” Jethro said. “I’m at Louivanni’s near DC University and have three men here who might be able to assist with your homicides.”
Tate was quiet for two beats. “You’re just sitting there with them?”
“They attacked me and now they’re waiting patiently to speak with you. I don’t know for sure they can help, but either way they need to be arrested.” Though Tate was a homicide detective, surely he could assist. “If this doesn’t interest you, please send officers to arrest these morons.” Heended the call.
Looking around, he spotted the knife half-wedged into a chunk of ice. “There we go.” He fetched it and returned, grasping Purple by the sweatshirt and dragging him into a seated position. “Wake up, blighter. Time to chat.” Jethro yanked off the ski mask, taking some blond hair with it. “I don’t have a lot of time here.” He slapped the guyseveral times.
“What?” The guy woke up and his eyes widened. He gasped and tried to edge away.
“No.” Jethro flipped the knife around in his hand and pressed it to the man’s jugular. “I don’t have time to be nice. Talk to me or I’ll slice your throat and move on to your buddy. What’s your name?”
The guy’s blue eyes widened. “Steven Gammonal. Don’t kill me.” A snot bubble popped out of his nose. He had to be in his early twenties and still had a spray of acne across his face that was rapidly turning abruised purple.
Jethro let the moment draw out. “That depends. You said that you were supposed to take the woman. What does that mean?”
Steve gulped.“I don’t know.”
Jethro winced. “See, I don’t have time for lies.” He cut into Steve’s neck.
“Wait. Okay. Wait,” Steve cried, going pale. “All right. This guy hired us to follow you from the university and then beat you up. Said there probably wouldn’t be anybody with you, but if there was a chick, he’d give us a hundred grand extra if we brought her to him. I’m sorry.” He sniffed. “We just needed the money. We wouldn’t have really kidnapped any woman. He said probably nobody would be with you and that youwere a loner.”
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Relief flashed across Steve’s face.
“Not so fast, Steve,” Jethro said, his voice low. “I can still kill you and claimself-defense.”
Steve looked frantically at his prone buddies, but neither moved. “I’m sorry. We wouldn’t have hurt her. I promise.”
Yes, that promise meant quite a lot. Not. “Who hired you?”
