Then Luke covered Keola with the blanket, and glanced at me. He thought he might have to do the same to me if I didn’t shut up, but since I looked scared to death, he decided against it… unless I opened my mouth again.
I swallowed and tried to catch my breath. That was enough for me to keep my mouth shut. From what I’d seen of Keola, he looked pretty bad. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he had several gashes on his face and lips. Luke had just knocked him out again, and he looked bad enough that I hoped he wasn’t dead.
I certainly didn’t want Luke to do that to me. I’d rather die all at once than get beaten up like that.
Luke took a deep breath and slammed the door shut, then hurried back to his seat. He started up the car and even put on his seatbelt. Frustrated, he thought that he didn’t have time for this, and maybe it would be faster if he just killed us both himself. Then he shook his head. No. That might backfire. He needed to be smart, and taking me to them would do the trick.
He signaled, then pulled back onto the street. He started singing the same rap lyrics in his mind about doing what he wished to, since that always calmed him down. I tried to pick up where he was taking us, but the only thing I came up with was a gloomy, dark place that didn’t do much to calm my nerves.
Still, if he was going to try to get someone else to kill me that meant that there was a small chance that I could talk them out of it before it happened. That gave me a little hope, but I still had my phone, and now was the time to use it.
I closed my eyes and tried to keep my features calm so Luke wouldn’t notice how hard I was working to get my phone out of my pants. The moment it came free, it fell onto the seat, but that didn’t matter.
With my fingers, I pushed it toward the side of me closest to Keola where I had some light and kept my gaze lowered. Hoping Luke wouldn’t notice, I shifted my gaze to where it sat without moving my head. Then I shifted my body so I could actually touch the phone with my hands.
After several tries, my hands and wrists started to ache. Who knew pushing a button could be so hard? At last, I managed to turn it on and the screen lit up the whole backseat.
Crap! My breath caught, and I glanced to the rearview mirror. Luckily, Luke had his eyes on the road and didn’t seem to notice the light. Still, I moved a little in front of it, hoping to block the glow. With my heart pounding, I swiped it open, and glanced to see where the contacts button was. I managed to push that and scrolled down until Ramos’ name popped up.
With trembling fingers, I pushed on his name a couple of times before it worked, and his contact information came up. With my wrists and arms aching from the strain, I decided to hell with a text message, I’d just call him instead. Even if I didn’t say anything, he’d know I was in trouble and needed him.
As my fingers reached the call button, Luke swore and swerved off the road, slamming the brakes and sending me crashing into the back of his seat again. My phone went flying, along with Keola. After the car came to a stop, Keola’s head and shoulders had fallen onto my lap, and my phone was somewhere on the floor.
Luke turned in his seat to glare at me, shocked that I’d had a phone. He began searching for it and finally found it lying on the floor by Keola’s feet. He let out a breath and glanced my way. He wanted to hit me something fierce, but time was running out. With Keola in my lap, there was no way I could retrieve the phone, so he left it there and pulled back onto the street.
Tears burned at the back of my eyes, and my throat got tight. I’d been so close! Just one more second, and the call would have gone through! Now what was I going to do? Before despair could completely overtake me, I remembered that I still had one more resource. My watch.
Once Ramos realized I was in trouble, all he had to do was check the tracker in my watch and he’d know where I was. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I hoped that by now he’d know something was up. I pushed away the panic and blinked back the tears, then took a calming breath.
There was still a chance I could get out of this alive… as long as Ramos found me in time.
Chapter 13
M y phone began to ring. It was the song I’d programmed in for Chris, and I couldn’t help the tears that came into my eyes. What if I never got to see him or the kids again? Luke swore a blue streak in his mind but didn’t say a word.
A few minutes later, the ringing started up again, and Keola stirred. He moaned a little, then his eyes opened… or at least one of them did. He turned his head until his gaze found my face, and I felt confusion coming from him before his eyes closed and he drifted back to unconsciousness.
I glanced up as Luke pulled into a parking space behind a building. In the dark, I wasn’t sure where we were, and my heart lurched with fear. Luke got out of the car and opened the door on Keola’s side.
He reached in and pocketed my phone before pulling Keola out. The movement woke Keola up, and Luke managed to get him standing on his feet. He put Keola’s arm around his shoulders, then grabbed him around the waist.
“I’ll be back,” he said to me, then closed the door and used his key pad to lock the car.
He walked Keola to a door in the back of the dark building, opened it, and dragged him inside. The door swung shut behind them, and I didn’t waste any time trying to get the car door open. The unlock button was by the door handle, so I stood up in the cramped space and leaned over, using my fingers to feel for the button.
Countless seconds ticked by before I finally found it and pushed down. I didn’t hear the click of the lock opening, and my hopes sank. Had he put the child-safety lock on? I felt for the door handle and pulled it, only to have nothing happen.
That meant I had to get to the front seat and try unlocking it from there. I glanced out the window, grateful there was no sign of Luke coming back, and moved to the center console. I twisted sideways and got my shoulders between the front seats. I pushed as far as I could go, and then fell onto the passenger seat, landing on my right shoulder.
I kicked my legs into the air and wriggled forward until I got them over the seat, then used my legs and shoulders to push me into a sitting position. Next, I brought my legs into the passenger side and twisted again so I could push backwards over the middle console and into the driver’s seat.
After a lot of groaning and wiggling, I made it over and fell into the seat, pushing with my legs until they rested on the driver’s side floor. Gasping a little, I managed to sit up and take a look at the buttons until I found the one I wanted.
With hope surging through me, I turned around, and felt for it with my fingers. All the buttons felt the same so I started pushing each one. Then came the sound of the lock releasing. Yes! I grabbed for the door handle and yanked it hard.
The door popped open, and I twisted back into the seat, then pushed it all the way open with my legs. With my heart pounding, I got my feet on the ground and managed to stand. Just then, the door on the building opened, and Luke came out.
I took off running, but didn’t make it past the car before he grabbed me around the waist. He jerked me against him, squeezing me so tight I thought my ribs might crack.
“You never quit, do you?” Luke said, his mouth next to my ear.
I gasped for breath, and he finally loosened his hold. Then he grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the door. “Come on.”
I couldn’t get my feet under me fast enough and started to fall, so he stopped to get a better hold. He clamped one hand around the back of my neck, and held my arm with the other, then began to push me forward. He could hardly believe that I’d almost gotten away.
Lucky for him, I hadn’t, and things were working out the way he’d wanted. It seemed that turning in a traitor to these guys put them in a conciliatory mood, and they were more than happy to do him a favor in return. With relief, he opened the door and pushed me inside.
I stumbled through the doorway, then down a short hall. We came to a staircase and started down. I slipped a few times, but Luke kept a tight
hold on me until we came to the bottom and a closed door. He pushed the door open and shoved me into a smoke-filled room with a low-hanging light over a pool table.
Other than that one light, it was dark enough that I couldn’t see into the corners, but I picked up several people’s thoughts and knew they were observing me from the shadows.
Luke pushed me into the light and let me go, then stood back with a satisfied smirk. “Nice doing business with you.”
He turned to leave, but someone stopped him. “This is the haole you want us to kill?”
I jerked my gaze to that familiar voice, and my heart nearly burst. Big Kahuna held Luke’s shoulder in a tight grip. His gaze locked with mine, and he took in the bruise and scrape along my cheek, along with my wild eyes and disheveled hair. His lips turned into a frown, and anger burned in his chest.
In that moment, I knew I was safe, and my legs nearly gave out.
Big Kahuna was thinking that this haole had just made the biggest mistake of his life. It was bad enough that he’d beaten up Keola… even if the kid deserved it for doing business behind their backs. But asking them to kill me was laughable. This guy was obviously not from around here.
Sensing trouble, Luke jerked out of Big Kahuna’s grasp. “Hey, if you won’t do it, then I’ll take care of it. But I get the kid. He owes me.” Luke reached inside his jacket, ready to pull out the gun that he kept there.
Big Kahuna smiled and raised his hands in a placating manner. “No problem, man. I hear you. I just have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you know someone by the name of Joey ‘The Knife’ Manetto?”
“No,” Luke said, sensing danger. “Why?”
“So you’re not one of his associates?”
“I said I didn’t know him.”
“Good to know.” Big Kahuna’s smile widened. Moving faster than I thought possible for such a big guy, Big Kahuna landed a solid punch in Luke’s stomach. Luke doubled over and would have fallen to his knees, but two men grabbed his arms to keep him upright.
While Luke coughed and gasped, Big Kahuna took the gun from Luke’s jacket and handed it to another man. Then he patted Luke down, coming up with two phones and a wallet, along with a stash of pills. After taking the money out of his wallet, he returned it to Luke’s pocket along with the pills.
Big Kahuna glanced at me. “Does one of these phones belong to you?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Before he could bring it to me, everyone froze at the sound of someone rushing down the stairs. Big Kahuna stepped back as the door burst open and Ramos rushed in. He took in the scene, finding Luke restrained before his gaze came to rest on me. His heart filled with relief to find me alive.
“I was wondering when you’d get here,” Big Kahuna said.
Ramos leveled a dark stare his way, and his lips turned down. “Then why is she still tied up?” Before Big Kahuna could answer, Ramos came to my side, flipped open his knife, and sliced through the rope.
Relieved to have my hands freed, I let out a soft moan. Ramos rubbed my hands between his, noticing the red rope burns on my wrists with barely controlled anger. He cupped my scraped cheek in his hand and couldn’t figure out how leaving me with Lacie had gotten me into so much trouble.
“It was Stephanie. She’s in on it.”
“The tutor?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She’s his sister.” A spike of alarm went through Ramos. Was Lacie still with Stephanie? “Lacie should be fine,” I continued. “Stephanie was supposed to take her back to the arena and then take off for parts unknown, while Luke… uh… took care of me.”
Ramos turned toward Luke with his lips drawn into a tight line. “So this is Luke.”
At the mention of his name, Luke shook his head to clear it from the pain, and let out a groan. Breathing heavily, and with his arms restrained behind him, he straightened up enough to glance at Ramos.
He took in Ramos’ hard eyes and stone-cold features, and sudden fear lanced into his heart, turning his arms and legs into jelly. He’d never stared death in the face before, and his mouth went dry.
“This is all… a misunderstanding. I can… I can make you a deal. I’ve got money. Lots of it.” He swallowed. “Take it… and you’ll never see me again. I swear.”
Ramos shook his head. “What about Jodie and Lacie? You’ve been deceiving them for a long time. How do you plan to make it up to them?”
Luke knew he couldn’t go down that path, so he turned to his anger instead. “What’s it matter to you? A killer like you isn’t any better than me.”
Yikes. I wanted to tell Luke to shut up, but it was too late for that. I knew he had hit a nerve, but Ramos brushed it off, thinking it hardly mattered anymore. He took a step closer to Luke and clenched his fists.
“Who says I want to be better?” Ramos asked, a devilish gleam in his eyes.
“I didn’t say that. I meant that we’re… alike… we’re the ones who make the deals. We make the arrangements that benefit everyone, regardless of who it hurts. I’ve got plenty of money. I’m better to you alive than dead.”
Ramos chuckled. “You think I care about money? After what you’ve done?” He really wanted to kill Luke, but since I was standing in the room, he held back for the moment.
I ground my teeth together and clenched my jaw, feeling that same deep desire to kill Luke that Ramos had. It scared me just a little, since I normally didn’t want to kill people. But this guy… he really got my blood boiling.
Then I realized that maybe I wasn’t thinking rationally, because pretty much everyone else in the room had that same burning desire. Maybe that’s where it was coming from, and I wasn’t such a bloodthirsty person after all.
“I should go,” I blurted. That caught everyone’s attention. And like a collective sigh, the tone in the room lightened just a bit. I mean… they still wanted to kill Luke, but maybe not tear off his arms and legs and then take turns stabbing him to death.
Ramos caught my wide-eyed and pale face. He straightened and then came to my side. “Sure, babe.”
My shoulders sagged, and Ramos steadied me. I leaned into his chest, letting his warm strength comfort me. He held me tightly in his arms, and I took in a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and regain my equilibrium. A few seconds later, it amazed me how much better I felt. Stronger, I straightened, and Ramos tucked me under his arm.
We moved toward the door but, before leaving, Ramos turned to Big Kahuna. “Don’t kill him before I get back.”
A big grin split Big Kahuna’s face. “We’ll wait bro.” He patted Ramos on the shoulder, then handed me my phone.
“Oh… thanks,” I managed.
“Sure. And… next time you come, let’s play some pool. I’ll have a Diet Coke with a lemon ready just for you.” His pleased grin caught me by surprise, and I smiled back.
“Okay.”
Ramos held me close, and we walked up the stairs together. Outside, I took a few deep breaths of fresh air, grateful to be alive. Ramos walked me over to his bike and handed me my helmet. “Do you mind if we go to the arena first? I want to make sure Lacie’s safe.”
“That’s a good idea. Where’s Dusty?”
“He stayed at the arena in case you guys showed up. We waited at the drop point, but when it became clear that Luke wasn’t going to show up, we came back to the arena and found the motorhome gone, so I left Dusty there and came looking for you.”
“I’m glad you found me.”
He shook his head. “Yeah… that tracker has sure come in handy. But I’m still a little confused about how you happened to be here. I mean… how did you get him to bring you to Big Kahuna?”
I chuckled. “I wish I could take the credit, but I had nothing to do with it.” As I put on my helmet, I explained how Luke wanted them to kill me in exchange for Keola’s life. “He wanted them to do his dirty work for him. Plus, I think he was worried that I was a cop or something, and he didn’t want the police after
him for my death.”
Ramos frowned, thinking that, in a way, I was the police. Would that change anything? Would he have to leave Luke alive? He brushed it aside for now. “Ready to go?”
I nodded and got on the bike behind him, grateful to hold him close after what I’d been through. It also gave me time to think. I knew that Ramos and the gang wanted to kill Luke. Part of me was okay with that, but another part wanted him to be held accountable.
Not only had he killed that drug dealer, but his drugs had killed two kids. The only problem I could see was proving it. But what if we couldn’t prove it, and he got off? Was it better if he was dead? Well… he wouldn’t be selling drugs anymore. Still… I wasn’t sure what to do.
We arrived at the arena, and Ramos pulled around to the back, looking through the fence for Dusty and the motorhome. The security guard came to the gate.
“Did Stephanie come back?” Ramos asked.
“Yeah. She came back about twenty minutes ago.” He studied Ramos. “You’re Ace, right? Dusty told me to let you in if you showed up.”
“That’s me,” Ramos said.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s Stephanie,” I told him. “She’s armed and dangerous, so be careful.”
The guard’s eyes widened, then he nodded and opened the gate, thinking that he’d better let the security team know something was up. After letting us in, he put in a call over his radio to alert the others.
Ramos wasn’t real happy I’d spilled the beans, but I figured I owed the guard, since I was pretty sure Stephanie wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him if he didn’t let her out.
Ramos pulled through the gate, taking the route toward the motorhome’s parking space. We found it parked in the same spot, but it was crooked, like she’d been in a hurry. Dusty’s car was also there, parked close to the back of the motorhome, and blocking it in. Without the lights turned on inside it didn’t look like anyone was there.
Ramos stopped and pulled off his helmet before turning to me. “What was Stephanie’s plan again?”