"So it was you last night in the alley. I should have known. We'd gone months without the police being called. I'm sure you were quite surprised to find that I had a friend come out to greet me, weren't you?"
"Are you so hard up that you have to buy girls to sleep with you now?"
Tobias walked closer. Isabel stood her ground, refusing to back down in fear. His hand lifted, and it took all her courage not to flinch away. He pushed back a lock of hair near her face, brushing his fingertips against her cheek. The touch was surprisingly gentle.
Then, with lighting quickness, his palm cracked across her face. Crying out, her hands flew up to cup her bruised cheek. Grabbing both of her hands in his, he pulled her up against his body. She could feel that he was aroused and swallowed back the bile that rose to her throat. His hands moved to her waist, then over her backside.
"I'll take you down," she hissed. Her cheek had begun to swell, and the tangy taste of blood filled her mouth.
"I have many people on my payroll to make those allegations go away. You can't touch me." He pinched her hard, and she couldn't help the cry of pain that was ripped from her throat.
Pushing against his chest, she struggled to get away. He held her tightly, but when she drew her knee up, narrowly missing his groin, he gave her a hard push. Her arms flailed as she tried to catch herself. She fell hard against the glass coffee table, and it shattered. Glass poked at her hands and back. Lifting her bloody hands in front of her, she tried to tamp down the nausea she felt at the sight. Tobias stalked towards her just as she saw the red dot appear on his chest.
Her voice was calm as she said, "If I were you, I'd take two steps away from me." Then she nodded towards his chest. His eyes followed hers, and he stiffened.
"What—?"
"Probably not a good idea to pick on a girl who has a sniper as a best friend."
Tobias didn't move, and neither did the laser pointed at his heart.
"You think I’m stupid enough to come up here without backup?" She struggled to get to her feet, the glass pinching as it dug more deeply into her back and hands. Righting herself, she pulled a couple of long pieces of glass out of her hands. Those were going to sting. She hoped she didn't need stitches.
Isabel stood in front of Tobias. "Don't ever touch me again. Do you understand?"
Swallowing hard, Tobias nodded.
"And as far as your offer of information goes, I'll pass it along to Sully. If you'd like to arrange a trade of sorts, our help for yours, then you'll need to go through him. I won't be coming back here. Now call off your men surrounding my friends."
Tobias held up his hands in surrender as he walked towards the telephone. Picking it up, he said, "Stand down."
With those words having defused the threat surrounding her team, she turned her back on Tobias and strode painfully towards the elevator. Pushing the button, she looked back to see the red dot still on Tobias's chest. She smiled to herself and wondered how long Ethan would hold him to that spot.
"That laser won't go away until we're all safe. Are we clear?" Tobias jerked his head in affirmation.
"Good. It was a pleasure," she said sarcastically and stepped into the elevator.
* * * *
Ethan kept his sight on Tobias's chest. How he would love to put just a tiny bit of pressure on the trigger and take out this blight on society. If he were still on active duty, he could. And he wouldn't blink an eye.
He had watched as that asshole had slapped Isabel, restraining himself and breathing deeply to keep from killing him. Yet. But he hoped that one of these days, it would be his bullet that ended this guy’s miserable life on this earth. Ethan hadn't had a clear shot without the risk of hitting Isabel. If he'd had, Tobias Winters wouldn't be alive.
Ethan’s trigger finger had exerted the smallest amount of pressure when Tobias had sent her flying into that glass table. He'd waited, watching for any sign of movement from her before he ended the man who'd harmed her. But she'd sat up, a slight shake of her head letting him know that she was ok. Now, he had the man in his sights, waiting for one wrong move.
Tobias turned around and walked towards the windows facing him. Ethan knew he couldn't see him. Not from this distance. But the calm on Tobias's face was eerie. His hands were still raised in the air. And, as if he could see Ethan, as if he were taunting him, his lips crooked up into a smile.
Just the slightest pressure, and Tobias would be dead—never to harm anyone else again.
"Ethan. I’m safe. I'm with the guys now, and we're walking out of the building. Stand down," Isabel's voice sounded through his comms device.
Disappointment hit him hard and fast.
"Looks as if you'll live to see another day," Ethan said to the man hundreds of yards away. He lifted his gun, engaging the safety.
"Ethan, do you copy?"
Breathing out a sigh, he lifted his radio. "I copy. Packing out. I'll meet you at the room."
"No, meet us at the van. We need to get to the club."
"Why the club?"
"He knows we've been talking to Quita. He threatened her. I think he'll use her to get to us."
"Roger that." Ethan packed up his gun and ran down the service stairs. When he hit the street, he slowed to a brisk walk. As he rounded the corner into the back alley, he saw her sitting in the van while Lucas patched her up. As a former pararescue specialist, Lucas was equipped with the most medical training of the team. He was wrapping bandages around her hands, as Sully sat behind her, pulling glass from her back.
Ethan's eyes met hers. He picked up his pace, and, in that moment, he didn't care that Sully was sitting right there. Didn't care that the other guys were watching. Rushing to her, he pulled her into his arms, careful not to rub against her back. She went willingly.
"I was so freaking scared," he said into her ear. "I thought I'd waited too long." He pulled back, his hands caressing her face. "You took ten years off my life tonight, woman."
She smiled. It was a sad smile that made his heart ache. "I'm fine."
She was fine. But no thanks to him.
"I should have taken him out," he said, his self-reproach growing by the minute as he watched the bruises spreading across her face. Her left eye was swollen, and her lip was split. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the bastard. A bullet to the brain was too good for him.
"You want to get your hands off my sister?" Sully asked, his brow raised.
Ethan pulled his hands away. "She's my partner. Of course I'd be worried about her."
A grunt was Sully's only reply.
"Can I finish looking at her wounds?" Lucas asked, a grin plastered across his face.
"Sure. I mean, yes." Ethan backed away, feeling awkward after his display of affection.
Isabel squeezed his arm. "I'm ok," she mouthed.
He nodded and headed to the back of the van to put away his gear.
Sully met him there. "Want to tell me what that was about?"
"Not really."
"Didn't you hear anything I said this morning?" he asked, grabbing Ethan's shirt and pushing him back against the van door.
Ethan's adrenaline was already pumping, and he was spoiling for a fight. But they had a job to do, and Isabel would kick his ass if he engaged Sully in a fight. He grabbed Sully's hands and pushed them from his shirtfront. "Yes. But she's my partner and my friend. Back. Off."
Isabel approached. "What's going on over here?"
"Nothing," Sully muttered and stomped off to the driver's side of the van. "Let's move out," he shouted.
Ethan slammed the doors and placed his hand at Isabel's elbow. He loved this woman. He loved her more than his own life.
Could he make her happy? Was he good enough for her?
He certainly hoped so, because, after tonight, he never wanted to let her go.
Chapter 18
The silence in the van was deafening. No one said a word.
Did everyone know? Was it that evident that she had feelings for Ethan?
S
he knew he felt guilty about her being in danger tonight. She knew he'd beat himself up for not shooting Tobias earlier. But if he had, there would be questions and complications from the police. And Isabel had yet to find a chance to tell them about the information Tobias had on The General.
Would Tobias actually give them the information? What would his price be? After tonight, she wasn't certain he'd consider it.
The ride to the club was usually a short one, but the traffic made it much longer.
Ok, enough was enough. She was weary of all the silence and male brooding.
"Tobias says he knows the identity of The General. He said he might be willing to part with that information if it was lucrative for him to do so," she announced matter-of-factly.
Sully cursed. "And what would make it worth his while to share that information?"
"I'm not sure. He didn't get to that before he slapped me and pushed me into a glass table."
"Dammit, Isabel. You should have let Ethan take him out," Sully grumbled.
When she'd come down the hall covered in blood, Sully had wanted to tear him apart with his bare hands. Isabel had had to talk him off the ledge, explaining that there were several armed men nearby who were just looking for an excuse to kill them. They'd never get near Tobias.
Fortunately, Sully had listened to reason, but it appeared that he was now wishing he'd taken matters into his own hands.
"I'm fine. I keep trying to tell you guys that."
Ethan scoffed, and she elbowed him in the side.
"Tobias made some crude comments. I'm assuming he was hoping I'd sleep with him in exchange for the information. It's probably a dead end at this point, but maybe something else will present itself. An exchange for leniency or some other bartering tool once he's caught?"
"Hmm. Maybe," Sully said.
The other guys remained quiet. Zach sat in the back of the van, typing away on his laptop. Gabriel and Lucas had walked back to the hotel to check on their wives. With a hit out on them, Scarlett and Cate were holed up in the warehouse due to safety precautions. Neither of the women liked being prisoners, but the risk was too great to take any chances.
The van turned down the back alley behind the club, stopping just out of sight of the club's back door.
"I'll go," Sully said.
"Wait!" Ethan stopped him. "I have an idea."
He jumped out of the van and ran towards the street.
"What's he doing?" Isabel asked.
"I have no clue," Sully muttered.
A few minutes later, Ethan returned with a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He also looked as if he'd had one too many to drink. He wasn't exactly falling over himself, but he didn't look too steady on his feet, either.
Ethan opened the van door. "Guys, this is Todd. He's going to help us for twenty bucks." Ethan held his hand out to Sully. Isabel wasn't sure what Sully said in response, but it didn't sound very nice. He pulled out a twenty and handed it to Ethan.
Ethan gave the guy the twenty. "Just tell the bouncer you want to talk to Quita. If he says who's asking, tell him to tell her it's her friends from yesterday. If he says she's not here right now, just ask when she'll be in, ok?"
"I got it, man. It's all gooood." Isabel changed her mind. He wasn't drunk. The dude was stoned.
Todd ambled towards the back door, humming an obnoxious tune. He knocked, and the bouncer opened it. The team watched as words were exchanged. Todd clapped the guy on the back, laughing and carrying on. Finally, the bouncer shut the door, and Todd wandered back over to the van.
Ethan opened the door. "Well?"
"She ain't there, man. Guy says she called in sick."
"Thanks, man."
"Anytime, dude." Todd and Ethan shook hands, and then he stumbled back to the street.
"Really?" Isabel asked him.
"He was too stoned to ask questions, but not stoned enough to mess it up." Ethan shot her a wicked grin, and she laughed. The humor of his response faded, however, as she took in the bouncer's words. If Quita wasn't at the club, then where was she? There was no way that Isabel believed she was out sick.
"Her house," Isabel said. "I don't like this one bit."
"Neither do I," Ethan said, closing the van door.
Sully put the van in drive, and ten minutes later, they were sitting in front of Quita's residence. All the lights were off. The street was quiet.
Too quiet.
"Something's wrong," Isabel said. "The hair on the back of my neck is standing at attention."
"Mine too," Ethan said.
"Yeah, something's off. Let's go in. Ethan and Zach, take the back. I'll take the front. Izz, stay in the van."
"I'm not staying in the van."
"You're injured."
Isabel opened her mouth to protest.
Sully spoke over her. "I’m telling you this not as your brother, but as your boss. Stay in the van."
"Fine."
Isabel crawled up to the driver's seat, ready to take off if they needed a quick getaway. She held her breath as the guys crept towards the house.
She prayed that Quita was ok.
* * * *
The inside of Quita's house was eerily quiet. Only the soft hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen and the tick, tick, tick of an old clock somewhere in the living room could be heard. Ethan and Zach moved towards the center of the room, meeting Sully there. Ethan motioned toward the stairs, and the three men silently crept upstairs to the bedrooms.
Ethan peered into the office where Quita had ushered them out the window yesterday afternoon. There was no sign of her there. There was only one other room up here, so they pushed the half-open door in.
A sickening smell hit Ethan's nose. The scent of blood and urine was heavy in the air. He rounded the bed and found her. Lying on the floor, she’d had her face beaten so badly that he couldn't recognize her, her arm lying at an awkward angle on the floor.
"She's here," he whispered. Ethan wasn't sure if she was dead or alive. Blood had dripped onto the floor, creating a small pool under her cheek. Her arm was bent at an unnatural angle, and she wasn't moving. From the smell and her wet pants, it seemed she'd been unable to get herself to the bathroom. From her location on the floor and her proximity to the bathroom, he assumed that that's what she'd been trying to do. "Call 9-1-1."
"Already dialed it," Sully said, then spoke to the operator on the phone. Someone flipped on the light, bathing the room in a warm glow that cast shadows across Quita's broken body. Ethan could see how badly she'd been beaten now, and instinctively he knew it had been because of him and Isabel. Bruno had done this. He'd bet his life on it.
Zach knelt beside her, pressing his fingers to her neck. When he did, Quita's breathing came faster, and she gasped, struggling to move away.
"Shh," Zach said. "I'm here to help."
Quita's mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. She closed her eyes again and went limp.
"She passed out again," Zach said.
"They said they're three minutes out," Sully said.
"Ok, stay here with her. I need to check in with Isabel. She'll be worried." Ethan stood and left the room.
Sully caught his arm before he could make it through the door. "Tell her to stay in the car."
Ethan eyed the hand on his arm. Sully removed it. "Do you even know your sister? If she wants to come in here, nothing and no one will keep her from it."
Walking out the front door, he saw that Isabel was already exiting the van. He smiled to himself.
"I hear sirens. What's wrong?" she said. Ethan met her on the sidewalk in front of Quita's townhome.
"She's here, but she's been badly beaten."
"Is she—"
"She's still alive. I can't tell the extent of her injuries yet. It looks as if her arm is broken, though."
"Bruno did this," Isabel said with conviction.
Ethan nodded. "That was my thought, too. A message to her, and maybe eve
n to us."
"I want to tear him apart, limb from limb."
Ethan pulled her into a hug. Patting her hair, he said, "I know. I do, too."
Releasing her, Ethan took a step back as Isabel started up the steps. "Your brother said—"
"My brother can kiss my ass."
She winked, and Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
The lights of the ambulance and fire department broke through the darkness of the street, their sirens in stark contrast to the silence before.
A fireman jumped off the back of the truck and raced over to them.
"Upstairs," Ethan said.
They followed the fireman up the steps as EMTs and police officers filed into the room. Isabel's eyes welled with tears, and he knew she felt guilt and heartache that Quita had put herself in danger for their sakes. She'd most likely saved their lives yesterday. He just hoped she wouldn't pay for it with her own.
The EMTs loaded her onto a stretcher and started to take her out. She reached out and grabbed Zach's hand.
"Wait!" she croaked. "Stay."
Zach nodded at her, holding her hand as they walked down the steps and out to the ambulance. He looked over his shoulder and called out, "I'll meet you at the hospital."
After piling into the van, Ethan, Isabel, and Sully were quiet on the ride to the hospital. This night had been a bust. Zach had been able to keep the police at bay for the evening with a call to the police chief, but they would need to give them a report at some point. It seemed like they'd be spending a lot of time doing that when this was over. Sometimes it helped having friends in high places.
Sully parked in the emergency room parking lot, and the three of them ran to the doors. When they got to the waiting room, Ethan realized that they didn't even know Quita's last name.
Ethan stood back as Isabel went up to the front desk.
"They just brought my friend in here by ambulance. Is she ok?"
"Name, please."
"Chaquita," Isabel said.
The attendant at the desk lifted a brow. "It's a stage name, but the only one I know."
"This is Vegas," the woman muttered under her breath.
She clicked a few keys. "Are you family?"
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 63
