"Answer it," I say, nudging Bliss with my shoulder.
"What if it's her?"
"We talked about this. You can do it. Just pretend like everything is normal, make plans to go out tonight, and while you're doing that, Jay and I will figure out what we’re going to do."
She sounds confident as she answers her phone, nodding once to let me know that it's Avery. Smiling at her, I turn back to Jay and tune out her conversation.
"This is worse than we thought. Do you have any idea where they might take her if they get their hands on her?"
"Not yet, but I'm already running a search on all the properties they own. We'll be able to narrow it down if it happens. You can't let her out of your sight tonight, man."
"I know."
"You need to be prepared for anything."
"I know, Jay."
"I don't think you do. These guys, they're not messing around. If they get ahold of her and don’t get paid, they'll kill her. I don't doubt it for a second, and you shouldn't, either. We may be able to find her, but it might not be in time."
Clenching my fist, it takes all I have not to punch Jay square in the nose. I know it's the truth, and I know he's not saying it to hurt me. He wants me to be prepared. He's trying to scare me so I'm more aware of what's going on around me. It's a tactic I've used before on other people. I never thought about how it made them feel until now. It sucks.
"We're meeting in an hour," Bliss announces, joining us.
"That's too soon," I say, looking to Jay for support.
"Well, it's all the time we have. Bliss, bring me your purse so I can place the tracking device and get it turned on."
Bliss runs off toward our room, and I start to follow until Jay calls my name.
"Owen, I need you to prepare yourself, too. You need to bring protection."
"I'll be prepared, don't worry. No one will lay a hand on her, and if they do, they won't live to talk about it."
While Bliss and Jay get the tracking device placed, I change and gear up. I won't be able to walk into the bar with a gun on my hip. That would be too obvious. A gun on my ankle, though, not so much. I contemplate telling Bliss it's there, thinking it might make her feel a little safer, but decide against it. I don't know how she feels about guns or if she even knows how to use one, and the last thing I want to do is make her even more nervous.
Bliss makes my life a little easier by wearing a shirt that covers her completely, unlike last time. I know she was trying to get under my skin before, but I'm still grateful that I won't have to deal with other guys tonight on top of everything else.
"Ready to go?" I ask as she grabs her purse off the counter.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replies, hesitant.
"Okay, before you two leave, let’s go over this one more time." Leave it to Jay to beat a dead horse. We've been over this twice in the last hour. If we don't hurry, we're going to be later than we already are. "No matter what, Bliss, you need to keep your purse on you at all times. I know you two are going to be drinking, but please try to keep your head on straight. I would say don't drink, but she might think something is up. If anything feels off, text me immediately. I have my team on standby in case I need them."
He looks at me when he says it. I know what he's referring to: in case we need to rescue her.
"The plan all hinges on getting you in there and getting access to her phone. If we can hack her phone, we should be able to pull the names of all the players. If I can find what I'm looking for on them, we might be able to put an end to all of this before anyone gets hurt."
"Thanks, Jay. For everything," Bliss says, wrapping her arms around him.
His eyes meet mine, searching for permission, so I smile. He returns her hug and then steps back, putting some distance between the two of them.
"I'll text you when we're on our way back," I say, opening the door and ushering Bliss out.
It's go time. Game face on. We can do this. We can get Avery’s phone and stop everything before it goes any further. Jay is the best as what he does. I have faith in him, in his plan. I just hope nothing goes wrong.
Bliss
The music coming from the bar can be heard down the block. When Owen opens the door, it smacks me in the face, along with the smell of alcohol. The place is crowded tonight.
I search the room for Avery, but I don't see her. All the tables are taken, so Owen and I push our way up to the bar to grab a drink while we wait. I ask for a diet coke in a tall glass so it looks like I have alcohol. Owen can't run the same cover since he always drinks beer.
Finding us a spot in the corner, Owen backs us up to the wall so no one can sneak up on us. It’s the little things that I love about him. If I were here alone, I would be standing close to the front door, waiting for her to arrive. That's probably the least safe place I could be right now.
When Avery walks in, I spot her immediately. Nudging Owen, I feel his body stiffen. He must have spotted her, too.
"Game on, bitch," I whisper to myself, mentally preparing for what's about to happen. I wave to her over the crowd until our eyes meet. Waving back, she points to the bar and I give her a thumbs up.
By the time she makes it to where we are, we've managed to snag a table. Owen and I share one side of the booth, while Avery slides into the other side, letting out a long sigh before taking a big gulp of her beer. Maybe this will be easier than I thought. I feel Owen's phone vibrate against my leg, but he doesn't reach for it so I ignore it, making small talk with Avery about her trip home.
"Why didn't you just stay here if you knew your family was going to drive you nuts?" I ask, doing the best I can to sound like I care. The fact that I have to scream over the music helps to hide the fact that I don't.
"My mother never would have let me stay. That would have been a completely different fight," she hollers back.
"Well, at least you don't have to go back home for a month," I reply, trying to sound optimistic.
"Right. I'll drink to that," Avery says, raising her glass. I clink mine against hers and take a large sip.
We talk about nothing for almost an hour. When I start to yawn, she gives me shit for being tired and offers to get me another drink. Owen told me not to drink anything bought for me. It was too dangerous. If I decline, she'll know something is up. If I don't, I could be putting myself at risk.
"Why don't I get you ladies some drinks while you catch up," Owen offers, sliding out of the booth.
What is he doing? He's not supposed to leave my side.
"He sure is a fine ass man, Bliss," Avery says as she watches Owen walk away. "Tell me all about him."
"What?" I ask, caught off guard.
"It's obvious that you two spent some quality time together over the holiday. How close are we now?"
"Oh!" My shock is apparent. I wasn't prepared to talk to her about me or what I've been doing since she left. I never thought it would come up in conversation. "It's going good."
"That's not what I was asking, Bliss. How's the sex? I bet it's amazing. He looks like he'd be a wildcat in the sack." Avery actually purrs as she wiggles her eyebrows at me.
Laughing, I almost forget that Avery is only pretending to be my friend.
"He's amazing. In fact, he's the best I've ever had. I think I'll use him for as long as I can. It's only a few more months before school is over. I might as well have fun, right?"
My words have the effect I was hoping for. There's a brief moment of shock that crosses her face before she recovers. Owens different. He’s not like my last boyfriend, but I can’t let Avery see that. I want her to view him as a conquest, a rebound boy-toy.
"You're so naughty. Why not hold onto him if he's so great?"
"Why? I'm sure there's someone out there that might be just as much fun, if not more so. Plus, variety is good," I reply, laying it on thick.
"Shhh. Here he comes," Avery screams over the music.
Owen is walking toward us, two beers in one hand and my virgin
rum and diet in the other. It's not until I see the look on his face that I look past him. It's a mix of anger and concern, all covered by a fake smile.
"Look who I found hanging out at the bar while I was getting drinks," Owen says as he sets our drinks down.
"Brian!" Avery yells, bouncing out of her seat and into his arms, crushing him in a hug.
As Owen slides in next to me, he whispers in my ear. "That has rum in it. Drink slowly. I don't like where this is headed."
Sneaking a glance in Avery's direction, I notice that she's engrossed in conversation with Brian.
"Who texted you?" I ask as I take a sip. Holy shit! There’s a lot of rum in here.
"I don't know. I was about to check when Brian showed up. I'm assuming Jay did, but I don't know why."
"Check," I demand, noticing that Avery and Brian are still talking amongst themselves.
"I can't without making it obvious."
"I don't care if it's obvious. It might be important."
"He knows where we are. He'll come down here with the cavalry if he thinks we're in danger. Don't worry."
"What are you two whispering about over there?" Avery asks, interrupting our conversation.
"Nothing," I reply, turning my body and attention back to her.
Brian has slipped into the booth next to her, and they're both grinning at me. It's making me uncomfortable. Something’s not right. I have a bad feeling, and just as I'm about to ask Owen for a peach margarita, Owen slumps against my side.
I push against him, but he's dead weight against me, trapping me in the booth. Looking around for help, I realize everyone in the bar is staring in our direction. There's a knowing look on all their faces. I'm in trouble. Reaching in Owen's pocket, I pull out his phone in an attempt to text Jay before anything else can go wrong. That's when I see the text that Owen missed on his lock screen.
GET OUT NOW. THEY OWN THE BAR. IT'S A TRAP.
It's a little late for that now.
"What are you going to do with me?" I ask Avery.
Making eyes contact, her smile turns to an evil grin. Nodding her head once, Owen is removed from beside me, and a large man grabs my arm, yanking me out of the booth. Whatever is about to happen is worse than anything I could have ever imagined.
14
Bliss
"Wake up bitch!" I hear the words just as I feel something hard hit the side of my head.
Opening my eyes, I find the gun is still pointed at me. The sleek gunmetal gray shining in the light, taunting me. It was just a dream. Owen isn't here to rescue me. He might not even know where I am. I have no idea where I am. What I do know is that he's my only chance to get out of here alive.
Looking up at him, past the gun, and right into his eyes, I see the devil staring back at me. Hearing someone come down the stairs, I avert my attention as she walks into the room. If I thought he was the devil, I was wrong. The real devil is wearing heels, walking toward me with a satisfied smirk on her face. If I weren't tied up, I'd smack that smirk right off her face.
Stopping just in front of me, Avery reaches down and rips the duct tape from my lips. Trying not to give her the satisfaction, I hold back my knee jerk reaction to scream. One tear manages to form, but I blink it away. I won't allow her to see that she's getting to me. I will not show her fear.
"Did you figure it all out, Bliss? Do you think you know why all of this is happening?" Her voice is laced with sarcasm, and I detect an undertone of hatred.
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. I'm just curious. You were so clueless when your father hired Owen. You were clueless about who I really was and so trusting. God! I can't believe you were so trusting. All it took was one conversation, and you attached yourself to me. I was prepared to work harder than that. You made it so easy."
She and Brian share a laugh at my expense. She's right. I trusted her too quickly. I didn't ask enough questions, taking her silence about her family as a potentially bad situation. It's obvious now that I was a fool, but there's nothing I can do to change that.
We were prepared for almost every potential situation tonight. Except one. It was the one thing that was overlooked that ended up being the reason I'm here and not at home, safe and sound. Who would have thought the bar I had been frequenting with Avery was owned by her family? We walked straight into their trap.
"You know what? I don't really care if you figured it out or not. Let me go ahead and tell you why you're here," she seethes. There's pride in her voice mixed with hatred. Hatred for me, I'm not sure.
"Your daddy should have listened, and none of this would have happened. You could be cuddled up with Owen right now, but he wouldn't listen to reason. We tried to warn him, but he didn't seem to take us very seriously. I wonder if he's taking us seriously now. I bet he is. I bet he's pacing back and forth in his office, trying to decide what to do. He may even think we've killed you already. Maybe not. My father did promise to let you live as long as he cooperated from here on out.
"You see, Bliss, your mother owes us a lot of money. Money she promised to pay back and hasn't. Did you know she has a gambling problem? Did you know that she emptied your parent’s bank accounts attempting to get herself out of this situation, only to make things worse? She tried to gamble her way out of things. She thought she could make back the money she owed us, and she lost it all. Every penny your parents had. Every penny her family left her. It's all gone, Bliss. All of it. There's nothing left.
"And this poses a problem for you. Why, you ask? Because the only way you're going to leave this room alive is if my father gets paid. He's not an unreasonable man, you know. He would have taken payments. He even tried to cut a deal with your father. I bet your father wishes he'd taken the offer now. He didn't realize who he was dealing with."
Avery pauses, walks around me once, then twice, before stopping behind me. Keeping my focus straight ahead, I feel her lean down, her breath on my neck, as she whispers in my ear.
"Do you realize who you’re dealing with, Bliss?"
Not wanting to give her the satisfaction, I don't reply. The truth is, I know more than she thinks, but less than I want to. I know enough to know I'm in serious shit right now. There's a reason I'm praying Owen can find me, that they didn't find the tracking device Jay hid in the lining of my purse. It may be the one thing that saves me. Surely, my father won't come to my rescue.
"Your silence speaks volumes, ya know."
Avery's still behind me, Brian is in front of me, and there's a set of footsteps approaching. Looking up, I'm met with eyes I recognize, only older. Avery's father. It has to be.
Salt and pepper hair surrounds a pudgy, wrinkled face. He has to be close to sixty years old, if not older. He's dressed as I would expect a mafia boss to be. There's a silver vest hiding under a black suit coat. His tie matches his vest, his shoes and pants matching his jacket. He has rings on three of five fingers on each hand, and there's a thick gold chain around his neck, a cross hanging from the chain, almost disappearing behind his vest.
"She's prettier than I expected, Avery," he finally says as he comes to a stop next to Brian. He studies me for a few more minutes, looking deep into my eyes before speaking again. "Why is she not scared? Did you not explain the situation to her?"
"I did, father. She knows. I think she's holding out hope that she'll survive this, that her boyfriend will save her in time."
Avery really is a bitch. I'm not sure why I didn't realize it before now. She's acting like she has since I met her, only this time, her attitude is directed toward me.
"Well, maybe he would have a chance if we hadn't smashed her phone. No chance of that now," Brian says. I look to him to find a proud smile on his face.
If he only knew…
I'm freezing cold. I only have one shoe on. I can see my other one lying on the floor across the room. It must have come off when I was trying to fight them. My purse is on the floor next to it, the contents spilling out onto the hard concrete. My phone should be
in there. I could at least try and call for help. I'm not sure how, but I would have a better chance if my phone was within reach.
Looking around, I take in my surroundings while he's not here. The walls are cement blocks. There's nothing in the room, except me and a wooden crate in the corner near the stairwell. The windows are up high. I must be in some kind of basement. The room is huge, too big to be the basement of any house. I can smell gasoline or oil or something. It smells like a mechanic’s shop down here.
They blindfolded me as soon as we were in the car. Still, I paid attention to the path that they took. Out of town, north. That's all I remember before Brian knocked me out to shut me up. The only places I know that are north of town are old factories and mills. That would make perfect sense.
There are footsteps above me, so I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. They get closer and closer, finally coming to a stop beside my head. The tiny bit of light that was shining on my face is blocked out. For a few minutes, I’m able to hold my breathing steady as I wait for something to happen.
"Take the damn picture so we can make the call," a deep voice demands. That’s not the voice I was expecting.
There's someone else in the room. That came from a distance. The person next to me hasn't spoken. I hear a noise, and I catch myself before I flinch. It must have been the camera.
They can send my father as many pictures as they want. I doubt he'll pay them. That's why he hired Owen in the first place, to keep this from happening. He knew he was in deep shit. He knew they might come after me. He was trying to protect me the only way he knew how. He paid for my protection. He paid Owen to live with me, shadow me, and watch my every move.
He could have warned me to be more careful. Would I have listened? Probably not at first. I would like to think that I would have been nicer to Owen in the beginning. At least, I would have known that he was there for a reason, a good one.
The footsteps fade away, so I open my eyes and scan the room. I can't change this. I can't change anything that's happened, no matter how much information I could have been given. Things have changed since Owen moved in. I fell in love with him, and that, too, would have happened, regardless of whether I knew what was really going on or not.
Saving Bliss Page 13
