“Tony, you and I might not be involved in the daily operations of the Moretti’s, but we’re still men who think differently than most. Sometimes, the long-term potential of a threat must be weighed against the collateral damage that terminating it will bring.”
He nods in agreement. “You may lose Jade to make that happen.”
It’s nothing I haven’t already thought myself. And even though it guts me to think of a life without her, I can’t let any further harm come to her. I’ll gladly sacrifice my own happiness if it means she’s out there in the world living a life without fear. “If it comes to that, then yes.” I put my phone to my ear again, and there is nothing. Complete and utter silence. I pull it away and begin cursing when I see that the call has dropped out. Fucking hell. “We’ve been disconnected,” I say tensely. “I bet they found the damn phone.” The one link I have with her is gone. What if I’m too late?
“Maybe her battery died,” Tony offers, sounding calm and unruffled. I almost want to hit him for that, but rationally, I know he’s trying to keep me from losing it. The sound of his phone ringing is like a gunshot in the car. I jerk involuntarily, before releasing a steading breath. “Marco,” he says by way of greeting before going silent. Finally, he ends the call and once again hands the phone to me. “He’s texting me an address. When you have it, enter it in the GPS.”
“Did he have any other information?” I ask as I scan his phone for the incoming message.
“They tracked the signal to an area about five miles from here. It’s a more remote section with only two houses in the two-mile radius near the cell tower. He’s also sending the names those homes are deeded to. If we’re lucky, she’s at one of them and not the surrounding area. It’ll make finding her a hell of a lot easier than looking through the dense forest at night.”
His phone chimes, and I click to read the message. “Nicholas Hider is at 1122 Green Pine Way, and April Chester is at 1125 Green Pine Way.” Something niggles in the back of my mind as I enter the first address. Fuck, what am I missing?
Tony does a U-turn and goes in the opposite direction as the route guidance begins. “Do either of those ring a bell?” he asks as he slows to take a sharp curve ahead.
“I’m almost certain I’ve heard of April Chester before. Or fuck, maybe it’s the street name. All I know is that—wait a minute.” I quickly punch in Luc’s number, and when he answers, I don’t bother with a greeting. “April Chester?”
He’s quiet for a long moment before hissing, “Holy fuck. Tell me that bitch isn’t behind this.”
“Who is she?” I demand, then it’s there. I barely hear him as I turn to Tony and say, “Go to the second address. 1125 Green Pine.” He shoots me a questioning looks. “April Chester is Monique Chandler.”
“What in the hell is going on?” Luc demands, sounding about as shell-shocked as I feel.
“We traced Jade’s phone, and there are two houses in the area. One of them is in April Chester’s name. Isn’t she in prison for years to come?” I ask, knowing that Luc would have kept tabs on the deranged woman who had been instrumental in putting his family through hell.
“You’re damn right she is,” he grits out. “I’ll call you back.”
I hit the dashboard in disgust. Tony shakes his head in commiseration. “This is some fucked-up shit. I remember Monique Chandler from all that went down with your daughter.” He pauses a moment before adding, “She’s still in prison, Lee, because I’d have known otherwise.” I glance his way. “Like I said, you’re a Moretti, and that extends to your daughter and granddaughter.” He laughs, but it’s devoid of humor. “That bitch should have been taken out. We should have all known better than to let her live. Thinking of her suffering in that maximum-security prison gave me calm. We both know there are no coincidences where people like that are concerned.”
“No, they’re not,” I agree flatly. “What I don’t see if how this fits together. It’s like trying to push a circle puzzle piece into a square slot.”
“This shit does get weirder and weirder.” Tony sighs. “I need to update Marco so the men aren’t wasting their time looking at other areas.” He quickly places a call and brings the other man up to speed. “I assume you’re packing? If not, there’s a 9mm in the glove box.”
I open my jacket, showing him my shoulder holster also with a 9mm in it. “Got it covered. You?”
“Always. Would you leave a nightclub in the morning hours without protection?” The GPS announces our destination, and Tony turns down a small driveway, surrounded by trees. A few feet ahead are two black Escalade SUVs. Marco steps out of the back of one, when Tony pulls in behind it. He rolls down the window, asking the other man, “Seen anyone?”
Marco shakes his head. “No. Mike did recon, and there’s a house about half a mile further up. It’s deserted other than that. There’s a Mercedes and a BMW in the driveway. But no one outside. I told him to hold the perimeter and let me know if anything changes.”
“Good,” Tony says. He turns to me adding, “I think we should go in on foot from here. No sense alerting them to our presence until necessary. The element of surprise is always a good thing to have.”
I’m already opening my door, having come to the same conclusion. By the time we’ve reached the first SUV, six other men are waiting. I recognize a few of them from years back. He turns to me and asks, “How do you want this to go down? We go in guns blazing and hope they’re not prepared or try to slide in a back window and avoid detection for as long as we can?” Marco has the confidence a man can only acquire when he’s faced his own death numerous times. He has no fear, only a healthy respect in his abilities to defeat anything thrown his way.
“Let’s go low.” My decision isn’t based on trepidation for my own safety. Considering the anger I feel toward the people who abducted Jade, I want to choose the direct approach in this instance. But, my reason is centered solely on Jade. If she is caught in the crossfire of a shootout, I’ll never forgive myself.
Tony nods. “Especially as we don’t know exactly who we’re dealing with. Or where they’re keeping Jade.”
Marco nods. “Mike says there’s a door to what appears to be a basement in the back. I think that’s our best point of entry. I’ll leave a man there and in front to nab anyone attempting to come or go. Eight of us should be more than enough to handle anything from them.”
I motion for Marco to fall back as we start moving out. When I reach his side, I say quietly, “I want to take care of the person responsible for this.”
He shoots a questioning look at Tony, who nods once in affirmation. Marco shrugs before saying, “Your woman, your revenge.” Then he adds, “But if it becomes a matter of one of our lives—yours included—safety will supersede that.”
“Of course,” I reply without question. He’s right. The Morettis are not a group led by their emotions. The survival of the family is of paramount importance to them. Especially after several senseless deaths high up in their organization. Draco’s murder was a classic example of what can happen when you let your guard down. Had there been due diligence in his protection detail that day, both he and Victor might still be alive.
As we all prowl through the rapidly darkening forest, I feel a foreboding that makes my blood run cold. For as simple as our plan is, I know that what we face will be anything but. I have no idea exactly how it will happen, but tonight there will be a loss of life. It had been there in Tony’s expression as well before we began walking toward the house. That’s the fucked-up thing about intuition. You may be certain that disaster is just around the corner, but without the specifics surrounding it, there’s no way to predict the outcome. After the smoke clears, Jade better be still alive. Because she is probably the only truly innocent one among us. If I go down, I’ll be taking the fucker with me who put Jade in this position. There’s no way I’ll die and leave her behind to face any more hell. This fucking ends tonight.
JADE
My sister paces the floo
r while our father and one of his goons talk quietly in another room. “We need to get out of here, Jacey,” I implore her yet again. “Surely, you can see that someone is going to get hurt.”
She snorts before rolling her eyes in my direction. “Tell me something I don’t know. This was a big mistake from the beginning, but you know Daddy dearest. Your boyfriend is the one who created this whole mess. If he hadn’t rattled the old man’s cage, none of this would be happening. But no, he had to drop by and make threats.” She looks almost pleased as she adds, “I’ve never seen our father so freaked out before. Whatever Lee said must have been good.”
My head still throbs, and the feeling has long been gone from my hands that are bound in front of me. “You hit me,” I accuse. “I’m your sister, and you kidnapped me. What in the hell is wrong with you, Jacey? You could go to prison for this. And do you think Father would cross the road to bail you out? No, he’ll make you the bad guy, while he swears he knew nothing about it.”
“First off, I didn’t lay a hand on you.” She rolls her eyes. “That was Daddy’s henchman. I mean really, do you think I could have lifted you on my own and put you in the trunk of my car?” She snorts at the absurdity. “As for him turning on me, I’m smart enough to have a little insurance.” She holds up her phone before lowering her voice. “You’ve got to love these handy recording apps. I never attend a meeting anymore without turning mine on.”
She acts as if she expects praise for her ingenuity, but I simply look at her in disgust. “What made you such a bitter person?”
She ignores my question, then surprises me by tossing her phone in my lap. “That’s my favorite one, check it out.” Is she insane? Wait, what? I squint down, trying to make out the writing on the screen. Then my eyes widen in shock.
I saved your life tonight. Dad wanted to have his goons handle everything, but I volunteered to drive you here after Lenny helped you into the back of my car. You need to play along with whatever I say until I can figure a way out of this. Keep the nastiness going. It’ll seem real since that’s the way you usually talk to me. Oh, I knew you had your phone in your pocket, but I told Lenny I’d thrown it away. I had to take it before anyone found it, though. Hope you made good use of it before then.
I read the words again, barely daring to believe them. Is she on my side? Careful, don’t trust her. My head is screaming for me to exercise caution, but when I look into her eyes, there’s something I haven’t seen in a long time—hell, maybe ever. There’s sorrow and possibly even love. I must have taken a harder hit to the head than I thought. With no other options, I clear my throat and decide to go along with it for now. “Where are we, and what in the fuck is going on?”
Giving me a smile of approval, she reaches out to take her phone and squeezes my hand before pulling away. Then she assumes her usual role of a condescending bitch. “I have no idea and couldn’t care less. I’m sorry it isn’t up to your recent standards. I imagine Lee has a pretty sweet place.” She puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head mockingly. “But he really should learn to keep his mouth shut. You have him to thank for this. Well, if you ever see him again, which is doubtful.”
Our verbal sparring continues for several more minutes. I’m at the point where I no longer know what’s real and what’s pretend. Then I see something out of the corner of my eye that has me jerking to attention. Lee? I have only a split second to wonder if I’m hallucinating before all hell breaks loose. Jacey squeals in alarm and grabs my bound hands, pulling me up and across the room. We crouch down in the corner behind a chair, and she unties my hands as the sounds of shouting fills the air. I hear what I think is someone fighting and then there is silence. Jacey and I look at each other in dread, wondering if we’re about to be saved or if all hope is lost. Dear God, let him be all right.
14
Lee
Marco insists on taking the lead as he quickly picks the basement lock and we file into the dark space. I can make out what looks to be some old furniture, but otherwise, the space appears unfinished. One of Marco’s guys brings out a small flashlight and does a quick search of the area, making sure there’s no one here before we move toward the staircase in the center of the room. “This feels off,” Tony murmurs behind me, and I incline my head in agreement. The unease of earlier is becoming progressively stronger.
Marco doesn’t seem to share our sentiments as he approaches the first step confidently. We reach a door at the top of the landing, and he turns. “Follow my lead and everyone stay low.” I see the glint of his gun in the shadowy light. My own feels cool and unusually heavy in my grip, but also comforting. I’m an expert marksman—something else I can thank Victor for. He believed in being prepared for all eventualities in life. Marco opens the door silently, and one by one, we step into a wide hallway. He motions toward the right, indicting where we’ll check first. We make our way steadily through three large bedrooms and a bathroom before we reach what looks like the foyer. Then almost as if we’ve stepped on a hornet’s nest, shapes begin pouring from every direction. Warnings are shouted and blows are exchanged, but strangely, no one attempts to fire their gun. In fact, Marco and his crew appear to have holstered theirs in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Fuck it. I need to blow off some steam. Tony and I follow suit, and even though we’re massively outnumbered, we still manage to inflict considerable damage on Wrenn’s crew before a shot is fired, freezing everyone in his place.
“Welcome to the party, gentlemen,” purrs an amused voice that I heard only hours earlier. “I must say, it took you long enough.” Hunter Wrenn strolls into view, looking absolutely thrilled at our arrival. He pauses before me. “Good of you to bring some friends along, Jacks. How about we make ourselves comfortable?” He barely spares a glance at Tony and the rest of the Moretti men as he motions for his guys to escort us into a nearby room. At first, there seems to be no one else here, but then I see movement, and my heart surges as I recognize Jade. Thank God, she’s alive. The other woman I assume is Jacey. I’ve seen her a few times in passing over the years but never for more than a moment. She’s thinner than Jade—tiny and waif-like. They share the same blond hair and bone structure—but there’s a hard weariness about Jacey that says she’s seen far too much in her life. At present, she and Jade are holding hands and staring at us with varying degrees of surprise and anxiety. I see Jacey dart a glance in her father’s direction before straightening and dropping Jade’s hand. Jacey was instrumental in Jade’s kidnapping, so I feel absolutely nothing but revulsion toward her.
Not giving a damn what Hunter thinks, I wipe what is no doubt a trickle of blood from my lip from the melee in the foyer and ask Jade gently, “Are you all right, piccolo uccello?””
Her eyes are huge as she nods. “I’m good. Are… you?” Her voice breaks before she finishes her question, and I know that I’m probably banged up. Although I’ve had worse.
Hunter clicks his tongue. “So touching. Obviously, my daughter took after her mother in more ways than one.” He spreads out his hands before him. “You give them every advantage, yet they still prefer slumming.” He points at Jacey. “This one has potential. She’s almost as ruthless as I am. But she’s a woman, so I’m afraid she’s already reached the top of her potential. There are things in life that only men are capable of.” Jacey’s jerks as if struck physically, but she keeps her mouth shut. Waves of resentment emanate from her, yet Hunter appears to be the only one utterly oblivious to it.
The gun in my holster is burning a fucking hole through me as I long to grab it and put an end to this arrogant motherfucker. But first, I want some answers. Patience, then he’s all yours. I put my hands in my pockets and rock back on my heels as if considering his words. “Your parenting skills are illuminating. However, I’m curious as to how you’ve come to be in April Chester’s house. Or is it Monique Chandler? Frankly, it’s hard to keep up with who she is these days.” From the fisting of his hands, he didn’t expect me to get that connection. He’s grappling for a
plausible explanation, while trying to figure out exactly how much I know. His mouth moves, but no words are uttered. Fool.
I survey the room as I’m awaiting his response and almost smile when I see Marco appearing so relaxed that he almost looks bored. Looks can be deceiving, though. I know without a doubt that he’s aware of everything, right down to the smallest detail. Beside me, Tony doesn’t seem concerned about our predicament either. Fuck, maybe I’m losing my edge. Although I’m in no way panicking, my mind is racing as I try to formulate an escape route for Jade. I don’t give a fuck about myself, but I need to know she’ll be safe should anything happen to me. I know without asking that Tony will ensure that. Hunter forces out a laugh as he crosses the room to a bar and pours a large measure of amber liquid in a glass. He tosses it back in one swallow and grimaces. Then he repeats the process once more before facing me. “That’s an interesting story,” he begins. “You see, I saw the news coverage when that crazy girl almost killed your daughter. I didn’t think much of it other than disappointment, of course, that she didn’t succeed.” There’s no malice in his tone, just a simple statement of fact. Regardless, I want to tear him apart with my fucking hands. Tony touches my arm in warning, sensing the rage simmering inside me.
“How disappointing for you,” I snap out, hating this fucker more than I ever thought possible.
“Indeed,” he agrees, and I half expect him to thank me for my understanding. That would be an epic mistake on his part. “So, anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, I felt a certain kinship with the lovely Monique, as she prefers to be called. I sent her a letter explaining that I had been unfortunate enough to fall victim to you. We began corresponding on a regular basis, and I’ve also paid her quite a few visits. That part was tougher, though, as you never know who’s watching.” He shakes his head. “Monique feels considerable hatred toward your daughter and son-in-law. So being the gentleman I am, I offered my assistance.”