“Attention to anyone who can hear this. This is Gramps from Silverstone Towing. My woman’s been kidnapped. Be on the lookout for an older-model brown four-door Ford Crown Victoria. The front is smashed to hell. License plate is five-four-seven P-H-F. Repeat, five-four-seven P-H-F. There are two men with her who are most likely armed and highly dangerous. Do not engage, but if you find them, report in. Please,” he added when he was done. “She’s my life. I can’t lose her.”
Bull listened to the call, then ran toward a police officer, probably to get him to put out the same information on the emergency frequencies the police and fire departments used.
Putting the radio mic down, Gramps was relieved when he immediately began getting ten-four calls and other commentary from the drivers out and about in the city. If anyone could find the car, it would be the vast network of trucks. He also knew some tow drivers would relay the information to semitrucks passing through the area. It was only a matter of time before someone spotted the car. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late for Cassidy.
Cassidy held on to the dashboard in front of her with a white-knuckled fist. She was never scared to be in a car with Leo, because she knew without a doubt he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But Martin was a shitty driver. Maybe it was because in Jamaica, the cars drove on the opposite side of the road from here in the States. Maybe it was because he was thinking too hard about raping her. Or maybe he was just an idiot.
Cassidy thought it was probably a mixture of all three. She didn’t know where they were going, but they were driving too fast for the weather conditions. It didn’t help that Martin and Lloyd seemed to be lost. They’d started arguing about where they should go not too long after they’d peeled out of the Silverstone Towing compound. When Lloyd had ordered her to tell them where to go, she’d had to admit she was as lost as they were. She didn’t go many places besides her apartment, Silverstone Towing, Mario’s classes, and the grocery store.
She had no idea how long they’d been driving, but it seemed like at least an hour. They’d gotten on and off the interstate a few times, and Cassidy hoped maybe they’d accidentally get on the same highway where Leo and his friends were working the big crash, but she had no such luck.
Her face hurt from the two punches she’d received from Martin. She was having trouble seeing out of her left eye and hoped he hadn’t broken any bones in her face. Of course, broken bones were probably the least of her worries right now.
Lloyd had begun texting someone, becoming unnervingly quiet for the last twenty minutes, except for occasionally telling Martin where to turn.
Martin, on the other hand, hadn’t shut up. He bitched about the weather, threatened her with graphic descriptions of what he was going to do to her when they got to wherever they were going, bragged about how Alfred had screamed in pain while being stabbed, and generally continued to be an annoying asshole.
The only good thing about her situation was that Lloyd suddenly seemed to be in a big hurry to leave the state . . . which meant Mario might be safe.
If she was killed, so be it. As long as no one else got hurt because of her, she’d be at peace with whatever happened.
“There!” Lloyd exclaimed suddenly, scaring the shit out of Cassidy. She jumped in her seat, frowning when Martin laughed at her reaction.
“Jumpy bitch, aren’t ya?” he sneered, even as he was turning into the parking area at a small regional airport.
Cassidy hadn’t known this place existed. She wished they’d gone to the big international airport west of the city, but of course that wouldn’t have been the case.
There was no one around. Probably because this was the worst weather for flying. The fog had seemed to thicken even more since they’d left Silverstone. Perhaps the plane wouldn’t be able to take off. It could buy her some time. Maybe give Leo and his team time to find her.
But her hopes were dashed when Martin asked, “Are we good to go?”
“Absolutely. I texted our pilot. As long as I have his money, he doesn’t care what the weather is—he’ll take us out.”
“Good. I’m ready to get out of this fucking car and pound some pussy,” Martin said. “If I can’t get my hands on your brat, I’ll make do with you.”
“Pull around back,” Lloyd ordered.
Cassidy began to shake. She didn’t want to go with them. Didn’t want to go back to Jamaica. She had a life here now. A good one. Finally. Hadn’t she paid for the bad decisions she’d made? Hadn’t Mario paid? Losing her would devastate him. He’d just begun to open up. To be the carefree boy she’d always hoped he could be.
Martin parked the car, and Lloyd immediately opened the door, as if he couldn’t stand to be in the vehicle one more second. Then he leaned in and grabbed her arm tightly, hauling her across the seat.
Cassidy stumbled when she was upright, but Lloyd’s iron grip kept her from falling on her ass. He turned away from the car without a second glance at Martin.
“Lloyd—” Cassidy began, but he stopped suddenly, and she ran right into him.
He turned and leaned into her. His breath smelled like something had crawled into his mouth and died, and it made Cassidy gag a little. “Don’t say a fucking word,” he hissed in a low, menacing tone. “You’ve fucked up my life completely! I’m not in a good mood—and you don’t want to find out what I might do to you when I’m feeling like this. Got it?”
Cassidy nodded. She wanted to rail at him. Scream, “You think your life was fucked up completely?” But she knew better. She could see the ruthlessness and rage in his eyes. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her immediately.
It hit her then what a colossal mistake she’d made. She’d been ready to die for her son—but Cassidy realized she wanted to live for Mario instead. She should’ve trusted Leo and his friends with the knowledge that Lloyd was possibly in Indianapolis. She should’ve stayed in the safe room with Mario and the others.
She hadn’t done any of those things, and now she was paying the price.
Being killed outright would be better than rape and torture, but she didn’t want to die. She needed to give Leo time to find her. She had no doubt he’d do whatever he could to get to her—she just hoped he wouldn’t be too late.
Martin cackled behind them . . . and hate rose within Cassidy. Rose so fast, it almost scared her.
Before she could utter a word, Lloyd reached behind his back and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Martin. He pulled the trigger.
The sound of the gun firing was so loud, Cassidy flinched, and her ears immediately began to ring. Shocked, she looked back at Martin. He was now lying in the dirt, blood steadily oozing out of a small hole in his chest.
He coughed, a gurgling noise rising from his throat. Blood sprayed from between his lips.
Lloyd laughed, the sound almost carefree. “God, I’ve been wanting to do that for days! Jesus, the man wouldn’t shut the fuck up!”
Cassidy began to cry. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t make a sound, but tears fell from her eyes as if someone had turned on a faucet.
She was going to die.
She’d somehow still hoped she’d make it out of this alive, get back to the new life she was building with Leo and Mario. But the ruthless way Lloyd had shot a man he’d worked with for years, who’d helped him kidnap her, made it crystal clear she had no hope. He’d show her just as little mercy.