by Stark, Cindy
She'd never seen him with his dark eyes so full of anxiety. "We've got to get out of here," he said. "I'll take you home. You need to stay inside your aunt's house as much as possible. I don't think anybody will mess with you there." He pulled her along the street into a deserted alley, tugging her harder and harder until they were nearly running.
"What do you mean, nobody will mess with me?" The sound of their feet smacking the pavement echoed around them, leaving the other noises behind. "Is somebody messing with you? Is it Benny?" Anything that was bad, wrong or dangerous in Joey's life was because of Benny Trasatti.
Joey didn't answer.
He slowed as the eerie darkness enveloped them, allowing her to catch her breath. A cat dashed behind one of the few parked cars on the deserted street.
"You're not talking to me. Why won't you tell me what's happened?" Couldn't he see she was freaking out?
"I can't right now. Just—don't worry. Everything's cool."
They reached the end of the alley, and she wanted answers. She dug in her heels and forced him to a stop in front of Newman's Jewelry store, the place she'd intended to tell him about the baby. She'd dreamed about it all day. On their way home, she'd tell him her news. He'd propose. They'd look at rings, and her future would be set.
"Joey, please. I love you. Tell me what's wrong. Who hit you? Are you in danger?" She gestured with her hands, her fingers spread wide in frustration. "Please, I can't stand this."
Joey glanced in both directions before pulling her into his warm embrace. "It's fine. Just a little misunderstanding with the boys."
The boys. The term he'd given to Benny and his delinquent friends. The same boys who had deep family connections to the mob. Benny, himself, was the grandson of a notorious mob boss. And this was supposed to reassure her? "You know those boys are trouble. I wish you'd stay away from them."
He pressed his warm, firm lips to hers. "It's no big deal. As soon as I give 'em what they want, they'll be happy."
His words sobered her. "What do they want?" She recognized the threat to her future happiness. Benny dealt in drugs and guns, so it was pretty obvious he wasn't asking for Joey's lunch money.
"Nothing you need to worry about." He tried to kiss her again, but she refused to be distracted.
"You need to stay away from them, Joey. You're going to get hurt."
"Don't go losing sleep over this. Nobody's going to get hurt." He seemed to relax a little. "I've got everything under control." He touched the top of her breast where a fresh tattoo lay hidden beneath her bra. "Remember this." He put his palm over his own chest where he had an almost identical tattoo. "This means we love each other, and we'll always be together."
She let him pull her close this time, needing to feel the strength and security he offered. Maybe she should tell him about the baby now. It wasn't exactly the romantic declaration she'd dreamed of, but it might be enough to convince him to leave the life of crime he seemed determined to claim.
Allie snuggled next to his warm body as a passing car's headlights illuminated them against the jewelry store. Beyond Joey's shoulder lay the cutest gold band. The ring she hoped he'd buy her once she told him about the baby. "Joey, I think we should move away from Chicago. Let's pack up and go. Forget about what your boys want. We could leave tonight. My aunt's pissed at me, anyway."
She glanced up at his face, ignoring the stab of hurt she felt because he wasn't focused on her. She placed a hand on his cheek, trying to turn his face. "You can go to school, and I can get a job anywhere."
Joey's gaze followed the car before he returned his attention to her. "Easier said than done, Allie. You know things aren't that simple. Besides, if this works out the way I want it to, I won't have to worry about an education. We'll be set for life."
Allie's defenses went on high alert. It scared her to think about what he might be involved in. If it would take care of them for life, it had to be big, which also meant dangerous. "But—"
He sighed and looped his arm around her neck, pulling her head close to his. "I've told you before, Al. I'm not the college type." He kissed her, sending shivers to her core. "You don't need to worry about this thing with Benny's family. It's all good. I can handle myself."
Joey, handling a mob boss? A small breeze rustled down the sidewalk, sending her long hair skittering across her cheek. Now was her chance. It was time to tilt the world on its axis and make it spin in her direction. "Joey." She pulled back so she could catch his expression. "I have something wonderful to tell you. I—"
"Shit." Joey shoved her against the jewelry store, the rough brick scraping her jacket as he turned away.
"Hey." His actions caught her off guard, and it took her a moment to realize he'd positioned himself between her and another set of oncoming headlights. "Joey?" she whispered, her voice stumbling over the syllables as she watched him pull a gun from the back of his waistband. Oh God. No.
"Get down." The force of his words was meant to set her in motion, but she froze as someone in an old green sedan lowered its passenger window and two shots exploded.
Everything became distorted. Time sped up, and yet moved at a snail's pace.
Before she could react, pain ripped across her arm as Joey knocked her down. She grunted as they landed hard on the sidewalk, Joey covering her for protection. Tires squealed away from them, and then all was quiet again.
"Oh my God, Joey!" Her heartbeat went from zero to ninety in the space of a second. "We need to get out of here." She waited for him to move, to take her to safety, but he seemed as frozen from terror as she was. "Come on. They might come back."
Fear sluiced through her as Allie tried to move from beneath him. "Joey, come on." Hot tears puddled in her eyes. She pushed against his arm. Something wasn't right. He was too heavy, too lifeless. If she didn't get help soon, he would die.
With a panic-filled shove, she managed to free herself. Joey's beautiful face lay against the cold sidewalk, his features relaxed. She lifted a hand to clear her eyes, but the action only made things worse. She swiped and swiped with shaky fingers, but couldn't get a grip on reality.
"Joey?" Her lips trembled as she put a hand to his face. "Please, Joey." She leaned her head close to his, hoping to hear a breath or a whispered word. "We're going to have a baby. We need you." If anything would wake him up, that would. "I would have told you yesterday." Her words broke off on a sob. "I wanted this to be special."
No. No. No. The words kept repeating in her head. He was her family. Her precious future. She'd lost her mother, and now she was losing the only other person who'd ever truly loved her.
She laid her head against his chest to listen for a heartbeat. A warm wetness met her cheek. She jerked back. The realization that his black T-shirt was covered in blood was like a slap to her face. She whisked her hand down her cheek and recoiled from the dark red stain on her palm. Only then did she realize his open eyes hadn't blinked.
She tried desperately to catch her breath. "Oh my God. Oh my God." Everything in her began to shake. She needed help. Now.
She got to her knees as another car squealed around the corner. Her world shifted again. Instinctively, she knew they weren't coming to help Joey. Bright headlights glared at her, trying to trap her with their brilliance.
They were back.
Adrenaline kicked in. She pushed off the cement. Pain shot through her palms as broken glass sliced into her skin. In a brief flash of a second, she turned to the broken window of Newman's Jewelry, catching a glimpse of the gold band. At a moment when her world could end in a heartbeat, it seemed strange to notice the wedding ring still sat upon its velvet pillow, untouched, with the shattered display all around it.
Then she ran.
Her feet moved of their own accord, back down the alley. One after the other, they pounded on the pavement, keeping pace with the rapid beat of her heart. Air rushed past her face. She'd never run so fast in her life. Her arm ached where she had landed on it, but she didn't stop, didn't think
beyond her next footstep. Faster. Faster. She had to go faster.
But it wasn't enough.
The side street lit up as the car turned to follow her, growling as it leapt closer. If she could make it to the next corner, maybe she'd get away.
An ominous black car with dark windows screeched to a halt several feet ahead of her. It wasn't the green sedan whose occupants had shot Joey, but it seemed just as dangerous.
She almost fell as she ground to a halt. The back door of the car opened. Before she could see who emerged, she turned and sprinted back toward Joey.
"I'll get her," someone yelled from behind.
She swallowed a scream before sucking in a huge breath of air. The sound of running feet grew closer and closer. This was it. They had her. Her life was over.
Her lungs deflated as a strong arm grabbed her around the waist, knocking her feet from under her. The harsh pavement rushed toward her face, but at the last second, she was flipped, and she landed on her attacker.
Before she could clamber off the big brute of a man, he was out from under her, pulling her to her feet. "I'm here to save you." His rough voice was close to her ear, and she aimed her fists in that direction. He caught them as though they were butterflies and pinned them to her sides.
"Don't fight me."
Again, she heard another engine roaring toward them from behind. She jerked her gaze toward the oncoming lights, no longer able to comprehend in which direction lay life and which meant death. Her choice was taken from her as the brute tossed her over his shoulder, nearly causing her to vomit. Her stomach bounced violently against his hard body for several steps, and then she was unceremoniously thrown into the backseat of the black vehicle.
Before her captor could get the door shut, several shots rang out from the approaching car. Allie screamed when bullets shattered the glass behind her. Her attacker slammed the door shut and shoved her to the floor as the driver screeched down the darkened alley.
"Stay down." The harsh words came from the front seat, and she wished she could get a glimpse of the driver. But at the moment, she had no desire to put herself in the line of fire. She focused on the guy next to her, trying to memorize his details so she could report them to the police. But in the darkness of the car, she could only make out short dark hair and muscles. Lots of muscles.
It was obvious whoever was in the car behind them wanted to kill them. It might not have been her first choice of places to be, but apparently, she was better off where she was. The driver swerved, adding to the nauseous feeling in her stomach. More bullets whizzed overhead and lodged themselves somewhere in the car.
"Where the hell is your gun?" The driver yelled over his shoulder as he squealed around a corner, causing Allie's head to press hard against the door behind her.
"I've got it," shouted the man next to her. "Can't you be fucking patient? The bastard winged me in the arm."
Allie gasped as the brute sat higher in the seat and fired off several rounds through the broken back window. Then he ducked down on the seat next to her. Their faces were only inches apart. He watched her as she watched him. She swore she could feel his breath against her cheek. Life and death. They were in it together. "Who are you?" She needed to know.
The car swerved around another corner, but she couldn't look away from the man lying next to her.
"It doesn't matter. Don't worry. You're going to live." He sat up again, firing shot after shot. Allie wanted to cover her ears, but she had one arm pinned beneath her while the other hurt like hell from Joey knocking her down.
Through the open back window, she heard tires shriek from the other car, followed by a loud, resounding crash.
"I hope you're dead, asshole." The brute spit out each word into the darkness of night, and then turned and fell against the seat next to her.
The man behind the wheel slowed before turning another corner, and then everything was quiet except the sound of the engine purring beneath them, speeding her away from what was left of her tattered life.
"Get us off the streets, Max. The cops will be swarming soon." The brute held out a hand to her. "It's okay. You can get up now," he said, in a gentler voice.
Allie was beyond emotion. For a moment, she wondered if she could trust the big man next to her, and then she decided she didn't have it in her to care. She tried to get up. Each movement sent a jab of pain spearing through her. "I can't. I'm stuck." She'd managed to get herself nicely wedged between the front and back seats.
"Give me your hand."
The sound of his voice soothed her, and she wanted to go to him. Perhaps it was because he offered her safety, or maybe she needed to feel a living body next to her. "Something's wrong with my arm. It hurts to move it." She lifted her hand toward him, a burning pain coursing up her arm. She gasped and cradled it against her. "I can't."
"Hell. Max, pull this beast over for a minute so I can get her off the floor."
"I'm trying to get us out of here before the cops flood the city." Although the shooting was over, tension still strung along each of Max's words, belying the calm manner in which he drove.
"Pull over."
Apparently, the brute was in command, because the car slowed to a stop. The driver got out, and Allie's head fell back as the door opened behind her.
Max looked down into her eyes and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile, though. In fact, there wasn't any emotion behind it at all. He was a few years older than her and wore a baseball hat backward that partially covered his sandy blond hair. She found him attractive in a powerful kind of way—sort of like a moth might find a light bulb. "Well, you've got yourself into a bind, haven't you?"
Was there a sneer to his tone? "I guess I have," she answered, stiffening as he placed his hands under her armpits. She wanted to remind him she'd been forced into the car and onto the floor, but it might be best to not make enemies at the moment.
"Quit flirting with her, Max."
She shifted her gaze to the muscled man who knelt over her, and she wondered where that remark had come from. She didn't think Max had been flirting. In fact, if anything, he seemed annoyed he had to stop the car to help her.
Her rescuer's hands slipped to the underside of her bare legs. He was a few years older, too, and even better looking than Max. His rough fingers grazed the backs of her thighs and, once again, she found she couldn't look away from him. This time, the dome light in the car gave her a better look at his features. Dark hair, military short. Stubble shadowed his jaw. His lips were set in a thin line, and a hard look hovered in his midnight, mesmerizing eyes.
She focused there as Max tightened his grip under her arms. She needed the comfort she'd found moments before when the shots had been whizzing past their heads.
"You got her?" Her brute's gaze didn't waver from hers.
"Got her," Max answered.
"Okay, lift."
Allie bit back a cry as the two men pulled her from between the seats. "Oh, God," she said as she finally sat upright on the backseat, grasping her injured arm with her now free hand. "It's—"
She pulled her hand away and gasped again. The too-familiar sticky feeling threatened to send her over the edge. It was like Joey. Just like Joey. She held her shaking, red-stained hand out in front of her as her eyes began to blur. Was it her blood or Joey's? She suddenly remembered she needed to get help for him. "Joey's going to die." She looked at the brute, feeling more and more helpless. "Am I going to die?"
"Shit." The man next to her pulled her favorite black jacket down her arm as he cursed. "She's been hit."
Why had she worn that jacket anyway? It had been so warm out. She really hadn't needed it. And now it had a big gaping hole in the fabric. Just like her life.
The inside of the car tilted, and she reached out, trying to grab something to steady her.
Max caught her hands, holding them. "There's glass stuck in her," he said, sounding as though he was talking through a tunnel.
"Get us out of here, Max. She's going into
shock."
She slipped toward the voice next to her as a car door slammed shut.
"I'm on it, Jase."
Jase? She mumbled and winced as someone prodded her injured arm. "Where's Joey?" She leaned against the body next to her, finding the comfort she'd been searching for. Warm arms circled around her, pulling her close.
It was Joey. He was here. He'd keep her safe. She let herself fade into oblivion.
About the Author
Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet Border Collie named Boo in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She currently writes romantic suspense, contemporary romances, and young adult paranormals.
To find other books by Cindy, visit her website at www.cindystark.weebly.com
