Saving Her: A Dark Mafia Duet

by Eden Summers

  I ignore him, bridging the distance to my brother to grab his arm and drag him out of earshot of the others. “What’s your plan? Are you going to run?”

  “I’m not a coward,” he snips. “And I won’t leave my daughter.”

  I keep my mouth shut, unwilling to point out the alternative might mean dying as a traitor.

  “This is my mess, Luc. I’ll fix it for once.” He walks to Layla, grabbing her hand as he calls over his shoulder, “Maybe it’s time for you to focus on your own issues.”

  He’s talking about Penny. And she’s far from a fucking issue. But he’s right about me needing to focus on her. I jog toward them as they start for the steps, blocking their path.

  “What did you tell him about Penny?” I sneer under my breath. “Does he know about the party?”

  She lowers her gaze, her guilt clear.

  “Is she in danger? Did you risk her fucking life?”

  “No,” she pleads. “I made sure the event was safe. I told him everything would be heavily guarded, and said he wouldn’t get within three blocks of the restaurant. Along with the extra security at Cole’s front gate. He knows he can’t do anything tonight.”

  “Either that or he knows what to fucking prepare for.”

  “Leave her alone.” Benji walks into me, shouldering me out of the way. “Torian will deal with this. It’s not your job.”

  I clench my teeth as they walk inside, and pull out my phone to dial Sarah’s number.

  “What are you doing?” Hunt attempts to snatch the device. “Put the cell down and tell us what the fuck is going on. Was Layla talking about Robert? Has she been running her mouth to him?”

  “Give me a minute.” I turn my back to him. “I need to make sure Penny got home.” I listen to the ringtone, each unanswered trill poking my pulse back into agitated territory. When she doesn’t answer, I try again.

  “Who you callin’?”

  “Sarah. And she’s ignoring me.” I start for the cars, only to remember she took my fucking Suburban. “I need some wheels.” I swing around to face the two enforcers now staring at me with raised brows.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Hunt demands.

  “Nothing.” I huff out the congealed air thickening in my lungs. “Can I borrow a car or not?”

  “Don’t look at me, fucker,” he grates. “She trashed mine, remember? And besides, we have to talk about what the hell just happened first.”

  “Not now. I need to get to Penny.” I switch my attention to Decker. “How about yours?”

  He eyes me for long moments, his narrowed focus judgmental as he reaches into his pocket, then lobs his key fob at me. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Why?” I catch the offering and start backward toward his truck. “Your parents are still inside.”

  “I don’t like the look on your face. You seem to know a lot more about what’s going on than I do, and I have a feeling Penny’s involved.”

  “All I know is that Sarah isn’t answering her phone. They should be settled at Torian’s by now.”

  Deck flicks a glance to Hunt. “Call her.”

  I keep trekking backward, unwilling to wait as the big guy huffs and pulls out his cell to dial.

  I’m beside Decker’s truck when Hunter lowers the phone. “She’s not answering me either. I bet she’s already in the shower.”

  “Tell Torian I think something is wrong.” I yank the driver’s door open. “And get in contact with the lookouts. Make sure nothing is on the radar.”

  Decker races toward the passenger side of the car. He’s barely in his seat when I gun the engine and slam my foot down, sending us screaming backward out of the parking space before shoving into drive.

  “Keep trying to call her.” I clench the steering wheel as I increase my speed through the streets, taking the back roads, cutting corners and flying through amber lights.

  “Jesus Christ.” Decker grabs the side of his seat in one hand and the rail above his head with the other. “I’m sure they’re okay. Sarah’s smart.”

  Props from the glorified tech guy don’t mean much when pitted against the sinking feeling in my stomach. I never should’ve let Penny out of my sight. I never should’ve brought her to the restaurant in the first place. It was her curiosity—her fucking hope—that made the risk seem insignificant.

  “Is she still wearing that wrist cuff?” Deck reclaims his phone.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I’ll check the GPS. Saves you wrapping us around a pole if they’re at Torian’s.”

  I lean over, briefly focusing on his device. “You’ve got access to the tracker?”

  “Who do you think installed it? Hunt doesn’t know dick about tech.” He falls quiet for a moment, pressing buttons repeatedly until he flashes the screen my way. “See? There’s nothing to worry about. They’re at the house.”

  I squint at the red dot in the middle of a map, the tiny writing indicating Torian’s street.

  “Now maybe think about laying off the gas,” he drawls. “I don’t appreciate you setting a time trial while I’m in the car.”

  I ease off the accelerator and relax into my seat, but the twist doesn’t leave my gut. If anything, it intensifies.

  “Like Hunt said, Sarah’s probably taking a shower.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” I don’t buy it. The raised hair on the back of my neck tells me otherwise. But paranoia isn’t uncommon when I think about Penny. “Once we get to the house, you should drive back to the party to keep an eye on your folks. Robert’s still out there somewhere.”

  He nods, remaining focused on his cell as I turn onto Torian’s street.

  “How are they anyway?”

  He ignores me, raising the device closer to his face.

  “Deck? I asked about your parents.”

  “Slow down.” He sits straighter and shoots a glance out his window. “I need to check something.”

  “What is it?” I ease off the gas. “What’s going on?”

  “The GPS isn’t syncing.” He glides his finger over the screen. “Now that we’re closer, it’s saying she’s next door.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be syncing? How accurate is this thing?”

  “Accurate. It’s previously pinpointed Sarah to within a few feet. It shouldn’t be out by an entire house.” He keeps pressing buttons. “But even if it’s up to date, it’s no big deal, right?” His voice is edgy. “She’s only next door. Maybe they went to speak to the old lady about the barking dog.”

  Like hell they would. Neither one of those women are stupid enough to be walking around the streets at night. Not even to the neighbor’s house.

  “Hold up.” He raises a hand as we reach the ostentatious white, double-story building beside Torian’s, with its open front yard, billowing trees and thick bushes. “Should we check it out?”

  I stop before the driveway, placing the car in park. “Call Sarah again.”

  He complies, the muted ringing uninterrupted until voicemail cuts in.

  “Would Penny have taken the cuff off?” He shoots me a panicked glance. “Then, I dunno, thrown it over the fence or something?”

  I wipe a hand over my mouth, not buying that story either. “I’m hoping your app is a piece of shit.”

  “It’s not. I’ve been tracking a long list of people with this for months.”

  I cut the ignition to climb outside. I stare at the darkened house, the only illumination coming from the window in the very middle of the lower level, the light seeping through the sheer curtains from a distant room.

  For a house earlier consumed with high-decibel dog barking, it’s now eerily quiet. The canine doesn’t even yap when Decker follows me outside and slams his door shut.

  “Something doesn’t feel right.” I rest my arms against the top of the car. “We need to keep moving.”

  “Wait a minute.” He takes a step toward the gutter. “There’s someone in the upstairs window. Third from the right.”

  I trek my gaze to wher
e he’s looking and squint at the darkened curtain.

  After what I just went through with Benji, I’m hoping it’s another dose of paranoia that has me imagining a gun barrel pointing in our direction. I blink to dislodge the mirage, only it doesn’t budge. Instead a red dot appears, the glaring gun laser gliding toward Decker.

  “Get down.” I jump onto the hood, and dive over the car to tackle him to the ground. We land in a heap, my shoulder colliding with asphalt. “Move. Move. Move.” I grab his jacket, dragging him to his feet. “Find cover.” I run for the bushes, hunched over, and pull my weapon from the back of my pants.

  Decker follows a heartbeat behind, but the gunfire I anticipate doesn’t rain down. There’s nothing. Only panted breathing and the fucking chirp of crickets.

  “Tell me I wasn’t the only one to see that.” I peek through branches, my gaze levelled at the window that no longer has any sign of life.

  “You weren’t.”

  “Then we’re in some heavy shit.” I keep low and creep closer to the house. “Message Hunt. Tell him to get his ass here asap.”

  “Do you think Penny’s in there?”

  I can’t talk about her. One nudge of that trigger and fear will take over my decision making instead of logic. I hunch, running as close to the ground as possible toward a nearby hedge.

  Decker remains in my shadow, pulling out his phone and tapping at the screen. “Are you going to answer me? What the fuck are we doing?”

  “You wanted to stop. So we stopped.” I glare. “Now, I need to know what the fuck is going on.”

  “You think she’s in there.” It’s a statement this time, one laced with panic.

  “What I think is that a gun laser was pointed directly at your skull. So either the old lady living here quit taking her meds, or someone else is in there attempting to start a war.”

  “Fuck.” He pockets his cell, palms his Glock, and checks the magazine. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Keep quiet and follow me.” I scramble from one bush to the next, moving toward the farthest corner of the front yard.

  The chances of gaining any advantage are dick to none. They know we’re here. I can only attempt to find the fuse box and shut off the power, which might leave our enemy scrambling long enough for us to get inside unnoticed.

  “I hope you’re good with dogs.” I run for the head-high sandstone wall blocking us from the back of the house and scale it with a few well-placed footholds.

  My boots hit the ground and I tense, waiting for the scramble of canine feet that never eventuate.

  The only change to the night is the brighter glow coming from around the rear of the house more than fifty yards ahead.

  Decker lands beside me with a heavy thud. “Where’s that fucking dog?”

  “No idea. But I’m not hanging around to find out.”

  I haul ass along the side fence, noting the lack of ground-level windows along this part of the house. Only small rectangles for the basement and large squares on the upper level. Or there’s the too obvious option of the side door.

  “We’ll make our way in through the basement.” I jerk my chin toward the first small window. “That way we can start clearing rooms from top to bottom.”

  “But?”

  “I don’t see any screens or sliding partitions to be able to dislodge. If we break glass we’re going to be heard.”

  “What about the door?” He inches closer. “I’ve got a bump key. I could get it open in seconds.”

  “They’ll expect it. We need an edge.” I scan every inch of the side of the building and yard. “I can’t see any cameras; can you?”

  There’s nothing. Not even the fuse box.

  “I can’t see shit,” he mutters.

  “Then we’re going in without cutting the power.” I run for the house, keeping a low profile as I make my way to one of the lower windows. I fall to my knees and skim my fingers over the glass edges, looking for a weak point, shoving it with the heel of my palm, thumping it with my elbow.

  “Let me try the door.” Decker backtracks.

  “Leave the fucking door—”

  A scream carries from inside, the guttural cry filled with fear.

  My heart stops. My fucking world tilts.

  “That’s Penny.” Decker sprints for the door. “To hell with being stealth.”

  I shove from the cement, scrambling to stop him from doing something stupid. But he’s already pulled a key from his pocket to jam in the lock by the time I reach his side, his jacket swept off to wrap around it. With a few quick taps of the butt of his gun, he jiggles the handle, then twists.

  “Like I said, it’s easy as shit.” He shoves his arms back into the jacket.

  “Keep your mouth shut.” I nudge him out of the way, staying low, my weapon ready as I creep inside.

  It’s shadowed in this part of the house.

  Quiet.

  There’s no fucking sound apart from the barely audible squeak as Decker closes the door.

  I visually sweep the laundry, making sure each dark corner doesn’t hold a threat before I continue to the open doorway.

  Footsteps tread lightly from another room.

  “I know you’re close,” a familiar voice taunts from nearby. “I can hear you.”

  “Luca?” This time it’s Penny, her call stabbing through me as I remain quiet. “There’s only two of them,” she screams. “They’re not—”

  Her words are cut short with a wail.

  Decker makes to rush past me. I’m forced to block his path, shoving him backward before holding a silencing finger to my mouth. “Think,” I warn under my breath. “Don’t react.”

  I’m fighting with every fucking breath to run for her myself.

  I can barely think through the instinct to get to her as fast as possible. But that shit isn’t smart. We need to do this right. I’d knock Decker out before I’d ever risk him endangering her further.

  I inch toward the doorway, and glance along the hall. To the left there’s nothing but shadow. To the right there’s a soft glow coming from the far end of the house.

  She’s down there, and if there’s only two of them, that could make for easy work.

  It’s getting from here to there without being noticed that’s the problem.

  I indicate with a finger motion that we’re moving forward and take the first silenced steps into the hall. Decker stays on my ass, his exhales breathing down my fucking neck.

  A twinge of sound carries behind us. A footstep, then a snicker.

  I swing around, about to take aim when something rolls along the floor toward us, the cylindrical device looking like a grenade in the low light.

  “Move.” I lunge for the closest door, grabbing Decker by the shoulder, to launch us both into the room. We fall, but it’s not onto carpet—it’s down a fucking staircase.

  My head hits a sharp corner directly against my healing bullet wound.

  Fuck.

  I tumble, flipping through the air like a son of a bitch.

  The pain and vertigo are nothing in comparison to the burst of blinding light and the accompanying thunderous sound exploding in my ears.

  A fucking flash-bang.

  The noise is deafening. The resulting shriek inside my skull is torture.

  I land in a heap at the foot of the stairs as Decker fumbles beside me.

  I can’t see.

  Can’t think.

  Can’t stand.

  I’m on my hands and knees, my stomach revolting with nausea, my nose wet with an accompanying scent of blood, my brain squeezed in a life-threatening vise.

  There’s nothing but static and agony as I fail numerous attempts to get onto my feet only to land on my ass when something hard presses into my skull through the darkness.

  “Long time, no see, Luca,” Robert greets. “Now, tell me, which one of you wants to die first?”

  32

  Penny

  I scream, rattling the chair I’m bound to, yanking my ar
ms against the rope knotted behind me.

  The blast had rocked the house, the loud boom hitting me in the chest while a bright burst of light exploded down the hall. I’d initially thought it was an attack strategy from Luca, but Robert’s henchman standing guard at the door to the kitchen didn’t show any shock at the eruption.

  In fact, he’s smiling, pleased with himself.

  I scream again, longer and louder, using the noise to disguise the grind of my cuff blade against the rope.

  “Shut up and quit struggling,” he shouts. “Or I’ll hit you again.”

  I ignore him, letting out another throat-piercing shriek as I pull and tug and slash.

  “Nobody’s coming to save you now, bitch. We came prepared.” He points his gun toward me, shooting another glance down the hall. “Things are about to get wild.”

  He’s young. Probably my age. Mid-twenties, with a thirst for blood if the excitement in his eyes is any indication.

  “You expect me to listen to you?” I spit. “You’re nothing. Nobody.” I saw at the ropes, making my hand cramp from exertion, until the restriction at my wrist begins to loosen. I push harder, cut faster, then scream again, this time in pain when the blade slices through skin.

  The warmth of blood trickles over my palm as the asshole storms toward me to slap a meaty palm across my cheek. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”

  My head flings to the side, the impact blazing across my face, reawakening the throbbing injuries from earlier. The violent jerk of my shoulders frees my right wrist, the blade still tightly clutched in my palm.

  I gasp. Not in pain.

  It’s energy. Electricity.

  I snatch for the ends of the rope, making sure they don’t fall to the floor and expose my partial freedom as I return my attention to my tormentor. “Fuck you, you weak piece of shit.”

  He smirks, levelling his gun on my chest. “Fuck me?”

  Air congeals in my lungs, the pressure building. I can already anticipate the impact of the bullet. It’s right there, demanding me to keep my mouth shut.

  The need to distract him pushes me to take the risk. I refuse to let Luca jeopardize his life to save me again.