Harper’s sewing kit is in the bedroom, exactly where she said it would be. I grab it, then head for my office to collect new floor plans to show Tyler.
I retrieve keys from my pocket and slide them into the office lock. Right as I open the door, pain slams into the back of my head, sharp and hard, turning my world black.
My hands are tied behind my back—that’s the first thing I’m aware of when regaining consciousness.
Shit.
My vision blurs as I blink against the throbbing pain in my head, trying to make sense of my situation. I’m sitting upright in a chair. The lights are dim. I can’t hear a thing nor do I know where I am.
Rope digs into my wrists as I struggle to free myself. My ankles are bound to the chair legs. The last thing I remember is collecting Harper’s sewing kit and then… blacking out from splitting pain.
This is fucking bad.
I’ve been neck-deep in trouble more times than I can count, but I’ve never woken up tied to a chair. There’s always been some method of escape even if it wasrunning for my life. Theo has always had my back. Not this time. He has no clue where I am or that there’s an issue.
I rack my brain, running through names and a motive. Anyone I shorted. Anyone who lost too much at my poker table and decided to take it personally.
I glance around, gaining clearer vision with each passing second. My mind catches up, slowly recognizing the entertainment area of the speakeasy. There’s not a person in sight. I’m surrounded by empty chairs and tables. An empty stage.
I came down from the penthouse just after eleven a.m. The antique clock hanging above the bar says it’s close to midday.
Panic splits through me. I told Harper and Tyler I’d be quick. They’ll come looking for me when I don’t return. Perhaps they already have. Are they tied up too?Fuck. I struggle, groaning as I attempt to free myself with no success.
“Harper? Tyler? Are you here?”Please, don’t answer me,I beg within myself.Don’t come searching for me.
“Good morning, sunshine. The two of us are alone.”
The deranged voice comes from somewhere behind me. My stomach clenches. I know that voice. I’ve only heard it once before in this very location, but I couldneverforget a voice so insane and sick, not when he was threatening my woman.
My struggling stops. I can breathe again, knowing Harper and Tyler are safe, at least for now.
“Quentin Ferguson.” My words are calm. He holds allthe power right now but I won’t let him see my fear. “I thought you were in hell with your brother.”
Ferguson steps into view, swinging a revolver around his finger. He wears a pristine black suit. His dark hair is gelled perfectly into place. But unlike our first encounter, I don’t need to study him to notice the illness. Several weeks have passed and the lymphoma is catching up to him. Ferguson is thinner, his face gaunt and his skin waxy.
“You should know better than to believe someone is dead unless you see their body with your own eyes,” he says.
“Your car exploded.”
“I wasn’t in the car. I learned from you and hired someone to do my dirty work for me. I’ve been out of action for a while, ever since your whore stabbed my hand. She did a great job, by the way.”
Ferguson holds up his palm, flipping it back and forth, admiring the angry red scar like it’s some prize he earned. His fingers clench into a fist then flex.
“Took a while to heal. Mobility is still not one hundred percent. But the strength in my palm has returned. The poor bastard burned in that car but it’s actually quite funny, don’t you think?” He laughs each word, barely able to contain himself. “What a lucky set of circumstances for me. You dropped your guard, believing I was dead. You’ve made thingssoeasy for me. All I had to do was disappear for a while to lull you into a false sense of security.”
“You never showed for oncology appointments,” I mutter, more to myself than him.
“No doctor can help me. The cancer will kill me in a few months. I’ve accepted my fate.” He leans against a table, spinning the gun around his finger once more, still laughing. “Death is freeing. All the laws of society suddenly become irrelevant. There are no consequences when a man has nothing left to lose. The only thing I’m determined to do before leaving this earth is settle the score for my brother.”
My chest burns, furious with myself for letting Ferguson slip through my fingers. “How did you get in here?”
“I tucked myself away in your cocktail lounge while waiting for the speakeasy to close. Once staff cleared out, it was easy enough to slip down here and quiet the alarm. Your security system isn’t nearly as impressive as you think.”
Not a single person is due here for hours. I told Theo to give business a rest today and stay with the girl he met at the wedding. Except…Shit.
Harper and Tyler will come searching for me. They’ll walk right into this psycho’s arms.
Fuck. Ican’tlet him hurt them.
