“They wanted to know if I had any information about the shoot-out at the dock warehouse or the gunfight at the marina. They also wanted to know if I had any connection to the bombing at the nightclub. They know they were all related to the Volkovs but aren’t certain how.”
“Why would they think your kidnapping was related to the Volkovs?” I wonder aloud.
“Their first theory was that I was kidnapped to get back at you for funding the police surge that ran them out of town. I mean, you did give the police quite a few tips on how to intercept the Volkovs’ shipments and who was on their payroll. They have to wonder how you had that information.”
“They can wonder all they want,” I snort. “Did you have to tell them anything, or did they leave you alone once the major intervened?”
“How did you know about that?” Constance turns to me and asks.
“I made a phone call and encouraged the mayor to lean on the police commissioner and the major over that department. I wanted to make sure you were treated well and not harassed.”
“Thank you,” she says, managing a smile for me. “Detective Tillman had a lot of suspicions, but I didn’t tell him anything.”
“I know you didn’t, firefly,” I reassure her, using my free hand to pat her leg. God, now that she’s safe and back with me, I can’t stop touching her. “If you had, I doubt they would have let us leave so easily.”
Constance falls silent as the city slides by outside the truck windows. After a few miles, she asks, “What are we going to do, Max? I don’t think…I don’t think I can keep living like this.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that,” I say in the most soothing tone I can muster. “You’ve had one hell of a day, and you’re exhausted. I’m going to protect you and take care of these loose ends with the Russians. Nothing else is going to happen. Not to you.”
“I trust you. But I don’t know how to face Melissa after what happened. I feel so bad for getting her caught up in my mess. Can I have your phone and text her? I don’t know what happened to mine.”
“Yeah, of course.” I pass my phone over to her. “Let her know she’s welcome to text you at that number anytime.”
She takes my phone and enters Melissa’s number, but then just sits there staring at the screen. “I don’t even know what to say. How do I make this up to her?” Tears threaten in her eyes.
“Just let her know you’re okay and that you’ll come see her as soon as she feels up to having visitors tomorrow. Let’s get you home tonight. You need some sleep. Then we can go seeher tomorrow and make sure the doctors are taking good care of her.”
Constance considers my words for a bit, then types out a long message to her friend. Once she hits send, she holds onto my phone, staring at the screen anxiously while she waits for a reply.
“She might be sleeping, or they may have taken her into surgery,” I say, trying to ease her mind.
“She’s probably still knocked the fuck out from all the drugs,” Trenton says with a laugh. “The drugs they gave her at the hospital, I mean,” he adds quickly, glancing back at Constance.
“You’ve seen her?” she asks, turning to me.
“We got word that she had been taken to Mount Sinai before we got the call that you were okay, so we went over there to speak to her and get more details on the men who attacked you.”
“How was she?” Constance had let go of my hand to type out her message, but she grabs it again and squeezes my fingers as though she might wring the information out of me.
“She hadn’t been there long when we arrived. I’m not even sure if they had time to run any scans on her yet. She was conscious, though, and able to talk to us about the kidnapping. She didn’t know much unfortunately, but while we were there, Detective Tillman reached out to my office, and they patched him through to my cell. We left immediately to come find you.”
“How did she look?” Constance presses me. “I was terrified they had killed her with the way they beat her.”
“She looked rough,” I admit. “One eye was swollen shut, and the other looked bloodshot.”
“And her nose didn’t look much like a nose anymore,” Trenton adds unhelpfully. “Made her talk funny, too.”
“Oh God. Poor Melissa.” Constance sighs. “Let me know as soon as you hear from her, please,” she reiterates as she hands back my phone.
“Of course. I’ll wake you up if she reaches out late tonight.”
Constance nods to me and then leans her head against the cool glass window. We all fall silent as Joey drives us home. The only thing that disrupts the quiet is a text from Leonard at the estate letting me know Tony and some other members of Enzo’s old crew showed up with a bunch of food from Rostiq Rotisserie.
“It’s just Leonard,” I tell Constance when her head jerks toward the sound. “He says Tony and the boys brought food over for tonight. You guys hungry?”
“No, I ate before I got kidnapped,” Constance says, causing Trenton to bark out a laugh.
“What?” He looks back at the two of us glaring at him. “It was funny. I could eat, though. Always pays to have a fat friend like Tony to take care of the important things.”
