Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“You have been more trouble than you’re worth,” Jan said as soon as the door closed to the other side of the basement.
“I do aim to be a thorn in mediocre men’s asses, so mission accomplished,” I said, waiting to see what he would do.
He stepped closer as he laughed.
The man didn’t have a single tell.
I didn’t even know his intention before I felt the back of his hand slap across my face.
“Nice,” I said, ignoring the sting. “I would expect nothing else from a man who slaughtered his friends and tortured his brother, though.”
“Where it Matej?” he asked, not rising to the bait.
“That’s a great question,” I said. “But I’m not going to tell you the answer.”
He didn’t need to know that was because I didn’t know.
Jan’s patience was thin then.
He was quick with the backhands, the punches, and occasionally, the hand around my throat, cutting off my air.
In between each punishment, he only had one question.
“Where is Matej?”
“Fuck you.”
I lifted my head at the last second, taking the hit to my jaw instead of my cheek. Still, the pain was becoming overwhelming.
“Where. Is. Matej?” Jan roared.
Then, just like that, the basement door whipped open.
“Right here,” Matej said, glaring at his brother.
Then, well, all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Anthony
“Focus,” Miko demanded, reaching for my shoulder and turning me to face him. “What might the code be?” he asked.
“I don’t fucking know.”
“What’s her birthday? Her mom’s birthday?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I growled.
“Who might know?”
Sam.
Sam would know.
I reached for my phone, dialing Sam, who picked up on the first ring. “Anthony? Did you find her?”
“Sam, I need to know all of the dates Saylor might use as a code to get into the warehouse.”
“Something happened,” Sam said, the pain evident in her tone, but I didn’t have the time to comfort her.
“Sam, please,” I begged.
She rattled off the birthdays I asked for. Hers, Saylor’s, her brother’s, their dad. Nothing.
“Sam, what was the date of your son’s death?” I asked, thinking of the story about how Saylor had come to take over this business.
Sam rattled it off, voice tight, and this time instead of a beep, the door unlocked. “Thank fuck,” I said, rushing inside, gun drawn, frantically rushing around the vast, empty space.
But there was nothing.
No one.
My heart sank seeing Saylor’s phone, set on the counter next to the sink. Like she’d put it down to have her hands free to fill Fury’s water, then completely forgotten about it.
“Did you find her?” Sam asked, tone tight.
“No,” I admitted. “Sam, I need to go, but I will call you as soon as I find her. I promise.”
I didn’t wait for an answer before I hung up.
“Fuck,” I roared, storming back into the main area of the warehouse.
“Focus,” Miko demanded. “There’s no signs of struggle in here,” he reasoned.
“I want to check out the studio myself,” I said, rushing to the street to throw up my arm for a cab. Matej and Miko climbed in with me, leaving the Morellis to tell their cab to follow us.
The ride felt like it took for-fucking-ever, but, finally the cab was dropping us off, and we were all running down the street toward the studio.
“Whoa,” Gio said, pulling up short at the sound of frantic barking.
“That’s Fury,” I said, seeing the pittie near Saylor’s black SUV parked on the other end of the street, pacing and barking, panting like she’d been doing exactly that for a while. “Hey, girl,” I called, trying to force some calm into my voice to offset her panic. “What are you doing here?” I asked, catching sight of Venezio and Brio walking down the street toward us.
She must have decided to bring Fury with her back to the studio for company. Then, I realized with growing panic, she must have been grabbed right off of the street.
Because Fury’s leash was still attached.
“Matej,” Gio called. “Where do you think your brother would take Saylor?”
“He had nowhere. Nowhere but my house,” Matej said.
Gio looked to Elio. “Any chance someone saw you or Matej at the house? That they know he’s not chained in the basement like he’s supposed to be?”
Was that possible?
That they’d grabbed Saylor, then taken her back to Staten Island, where we’d just fucking been, as we galavanted all over the motherfucking city?
“Let’s focus. Maybe she’s not taken. Why would they take Saylor?” Elio asked. “They have the weapons. What’s the motive?”
“I don’t know. They found out we were staking them out?” I asked. I mean, Saylor had to leave multiple times a day to take care of Fury. And I sometimes went with her.
We were careful to leave through the back door, and we sometimes even wedged the door open, so we could come back in that way. But sometimes, we had no choice but to go through the front. If someone had just been looking out the window at the right moment, they could have seen.