Bart pushed past him, obviously anxious to see what it was that had upset Nick so much. When he discovered nothing but her purse, he turned to Nick. “What the hell do you know about my sister? What happened here?”
“They said they’d give me until tomorrow. Oh, God, Kelsey,” he whispered, once again reading the message.
Bart snatched the phone from Nick’s hand and read the text displayed on the screen. “What the fuck is this? What did you do, Nick?”
“I’m sorry, Bart. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to…”
“What the fuck did you do?” Bart roared as he tossed the phone on the desk and slammed Nick against the door, holding him several inches off the floor by fisting his shirt in his hands. “Damn it, where is my sister?”
“Bart, calm down, dude. I’ll tell you everything.” Nick grabbed Bart’s wrists in an attempt to pull him off.
“Talk!”
“Not here, man.” Nick gave a quick look around.
Bart nodded and released him. “I want to know everything—everything that you know!”
“You got it.”
“Do I call the team to investigate here?”
“Yeah. Call them in.” He grabbed his phone, hoping they’d contact him again. He knew they had her, but he had no idea where.
Bart called for back-up, explaining that he had to leave the scene, but describing as well as he could what they’d found. As they got in Bart’s car, Nick couldn’t make eye contact. The guilt was just too great.
“Where are we going?”
“Go somewhere remote. The walls may have ears,” Nick said firmly as they pulled away from the abandoned clinic just as the police cars pulled in.
It was time to come clean. The question was how much would he have to reveal?
Chapter Eighteen
Bart drove through winding streets, turning around more than once in order to be sure they weren’t being followed, and finally headed out of town. Ten minutes later, they pulled into a dilapidated restaurant parking lot a mile off the old abandoned highway. He turned off the ignition and wrapped his hands around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from his grip.
“So, we’re alone,” Bart said gruffly. “Talk.”
“Listen, Bart, I think we both know you’re not gonna like what I have to say, so why don’t we agree to stay calm, okay? Going at it with each other isn’t gonna get Kelsey back.”
“Don’t you tell me how to feel or what to say, you son of a bitch! She shouldn’t be missing in the first place! Whatever the hell you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in has now affected my family, so I’ll react however the hell I want to react! Now talk!”
So much for calm.
Nick turned as far as the car’s tight space allowed. “After I left the academy… After the…my injury, I was lost. I had no idea what to do, I had nowhere to go. I had no purpose. I’m not sure if it was depression or anger, or maybe both, but I had a pretty big chip on my shoulder.”
“Is there a point here?”
“I want you to know the why, not just the what, okay? I feel the need to explain myself,” Nick said, his voice quieting as he continued. “Anyway, I wandered around for a while, just doing this and that to get by, and then I found out my… My mom was sick. Real sick. She had breast cancer and the treatments…”
Bart remained quiet, but his face had softened slightly.
“I guess it forced me to make some decisions I wouldn’t have otherwise made.”
“What decisions?”
“At first it was just petty crap, you know? They needed someone who was streetwise, someone who knew their way…around the law, so to speak. But, in time, it became more. They wanted a thug. And, with the way I am,” Nick paused, knowing his old friend understood how he could intimidate people with his gruff voice and belligerent attitude. It’s what would have made him a damned good cop. “I was the perfect candidate. People caved when I played the bad-ass. And the money they gave me… Nothing could compare, man. It was such damn easy money.”
“What does this have to do with my sister?” Bart asked, obviously losing patience.
“She wasn’t supposed to get mixed up in this, dude. I swear to you. I had no idea she was your sister. We met by pure chance. Had I known,” he stopped, shaking his head. “These people mean business, Bart.”
“Who? Who is it?”
“Gianelli,” Nick said softly, knowing Bart was fully aware of his reputation.
“What? Are you kidding me? You got yourself hooked up with Vincent Gianelli?”
Nick could barely manage to nod his head. Bart’s reaction was expected, but Nick felt six inches tall having to say it out loud. Whatever it took to help Kelsey, though, he was willing to do.
“He heads one of the biggest crime syndicates in the country, man! Do you know what they’re capable of? Do you have any idea how much danger Kelsey is in right now?”
“Yes! Yeah, I do, Bart! I know damn well what these bastards will do to get what they want, okay? That’s why we’re here. That’s why I’m telling you all of this! I want her out of there. I want her back safe as much as you do!” Nick climbed out of the car and walked away. He needed air. The thought of his Bright Eyes in the hands of those gangsters…
Bart waited only a minute before exiting the car and approaching Nick. “Why do they have Kelsey? What do they want?”
“You.”
“What?”
“They want you, Bart.”
“Why do they want me? I’m a cop.”
“That’s why they want you.” Nick sighed in frustration. “Look, I wasn’t sure why, but they were eyeing cops in the Brookfield PD. When they mentioned your name as the cop who brought down Ernesto Romano.” He paused, knowing his confession was going to be met with anger. “I told them I knew you. They want Romano to skate, and a decorated detective on their payroll would be a bonus. I told them about our past and that I could get to you. But, turns out, they already knew about us.”
“You volunteered? So, that wasn’t just an accidental meeting in Shindigs.”
“Well, yes and no,” Nick said sadly. “I was in town with plans to run into you, but not that night. In fact, running into you like that set the wheels into fast forward.”
“What does that mean?”
“Kelsey,” he said softly, “I was there with Kelsey. That was the night we met. We stopped by Shindigs for a bite. While she was in the ladies’ room, you showed up. You guys missed each other by minutes.”
Bart silently glared at Nick, then began pacing.
“When they found out we had contact, I don’t know, all of a sudden they expected me to have you on board… Like I was just supposed to walk up to you and ask you to play along.”
“So, over the past week, each time we saw each other, it was all just part of the game? You were stringing me along until you could bait me to cover for Gianelli? Or were you trying to figure out if I was a dirty cop?”
Nick knew Bart would be angry, but the fire in his eyes was killing him. Regardless of how justified his anger was, they didn’t have time for that now. Kelsey was in trouble and they needed to get past this so they could work together to get her out of it.
“It isn’t just a blind eye Gianelli wants, Bart. They want your cooperation.”
“You expect me to play along? Come on, Nick. I obviously don’t know you the way I thought I did, but you have to know I’m a straight shooter. I wouldn’t do that.”
“They believe I can get to you.”
“Not a chance, man,” Bart said through gritted teeth. “I’m not doing shit for you. If you’d come to me two days ago, I wouldn’t have done it, but now… Now? No way in hell! I wouldn’t cross the street for you, you son of a bitch!” Bart smacked both his hands against Nick’s chest, barrelling him backwards.
“Bart! Knock it off!” Nick called out as Bart again struck him in the chest.
“I want you out of Kelsey’s life! You stay the hell away f
rom my sister, you got it? She’s too damned good for you, anyway!” Bart screamed, striking one last time.
“Calm down, Bart!” Nick finally pushed back. He deserved everything Bart was giving him and more. He actually wanted Bart to beat the shit out of him for what he’d done, but every minute that went by was another minute Kelsey was in danger. She could be their only focus.
“I don’t want to calm down! How dare you! How could you do this?” Bart took a swing at Nick, who deftly dodged the blow.
“We need to concentrate on Kelsey, dude,” Nick said firmly as he leaned to the side, nimbly avoiding any further punches.
Bart stopped suddenly upon hearing his sister’s name. “Fine. We get Kelsey. Then you get the hell out of town. Got it?”
“It’s not gonna be that easy, man. I have no idea where they have her. She could be almost anywhere.”
“So what are you saying?”
“They didn’t take her just to get to me. They took her because it gets to both of us.”
“Both of us? They know who she is? They know she’s my sister?”
“Yes,” Nick said as he dropped his head. “One of Gianelli’s guys overheard our conversation last night. They said they’d give me forty-eight hours. I guess they got tired of waiting.”
“You knew? You knew she was in danger? You knew and you didn’t do anything to protect her?”
There was nothing Bart could say to make Nick feel worse about himself than he already did, but Bart’s words still stabbed him to the core. Nick knew this was his fault. She could be hurt. She could be suffering. And it was all because of him.
“Who are you calling?” Nick asked sharply when he saw Bart pull out his phone.
“Ronald. He has to know about this.”
“No, dude!” Nick shouted, pulling the phone from Bart’s hand. Ronald Kapman was not only Bart and Kelsey’s older brother, he was the police captain and as by the book as they came. If he got word of this mess, there would be nothing Nick could do to fix it from the inside. “You can’t do that.”
“Ronald’s got connections. We need help to get Kels back.”
“We don’t need anyone else to help get her back.”
“What? Need I remind you what these people are capable of?”
“No! But I do know they’re not stupid,” Nick said, blowing out a breath of frustration. “Listen, you just agree to play along and they’ll let her go. I’m sure of that.”
“Oh, just let her walk out the door? I don’t think so, Nick. They don’t leave witnesses.”
“Let me handle that, okay? All they want is you on board. If I tell them we have you, I can make sure Kelsey is left alone—for good.”
“I’m not playing along. I won’t do it. I want these assholes dead… The whole lot of them!”
“You don’t have to play along, Bart. Just make them think you are, okay? Look, I don’t care what happens to any of them. I don’t even care what happens to me, I just want Kelsey back safely, and this is the quickest and easiest way to guarantee that. We bring back-up in on this and God knows what they’ll do to her, or if we’ll ever find her.”
Bart paced away, shaking his head. He stopped and turned back. “This part of the con?”
“What?”
“This whole thing,” Bart said, waving his hand around the empty area. “How do I know this isn’t all part of the set-up?”
Nick walked steadily towards where his old friend stood and looked him directly in the eye. “I know you have no reason to believe me. I betrayed you, and I deserve every doubt you have in me. But I swear to you, Bartholomew Kapman, on every bit of friendship we once had, that I would never do anything to cause one hair on Kelsey’s head to be harmed.”
He took a few hard, deep breaths, unsure if he could say the words, but the doubt still lingered on Bart’s face. For her sake, he had to. “I’m in love with her.”
Bart’s expression of doubt was quickly replaced with one of shock, and after a moment’s contemplation, acceptance. “Fine. I’m in. What’s your plan?”
Chapter Nineteen
A low groan reverberated against the walls as Kelsey slowly awoke. Groggy and disoriented, she realised the sound had come from her own throat. The heaviness in her head made it difficult to open her eyes, and she smacked her lips in disgust at the bitter taste that lingered in her mouth.
She struggled against her own limbs, each feeling as if it were held down by sandbags. Drained by the depth of her efforts, she relented momentarily and was finally able to open her eyes, her chest heaving from the exertion.
A wave of panic hit when she saw the small room. It was nothing more than four concrete walls surrounding a table with two chairs and the small cot where she now lay. There was no window, the only light being provided by the single bulb on the ceiling. The door appeared to be made of solid steel, save the small rectangular slot in the centre. She’d never been in prison, but she’d seen the holding cells at the police station when visiting her brothers. This room was worse. This was a dungeon.
With great effort, she managed to lift her head to further examine her condition. She expected to find bindings on her arms and legs, but when she saw none, she became more concerned that her body wasn’t cooperating. A quiver of fear ran through her when her mind flashed back to her last memories in the emergency clinic.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call last night. I got tied up. I’m sure I would have slept better after hearing your sexy voice.”
“My voice is sexy?”
“Gets my blood pumping. Listen, I just wanted to make sure you’re still on schedule. You get off at five, right?”
“I was assuming I’d be getting off a bit later.”
“I think I’m corrupting you, Kelsey.”
“Well, if that’s what you want to call it. I have a different description.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how about I meet you at your place later and you can tell me about it?
“I can’t wait. See you at seven?”
“See you at seven, baby.
She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she pressed the end call button on her phone and tucked it into her pocket. She’d been looking forward to their date for days, but after their unexpected rendezvous during the week, she’d thought perhaps that excitement would have waned. With only hours to go, she found herself more anxious than ever.
She sat down to her small stack of non-essential files. Any other day she would have already left the clinic, but with one more delivery on the docket, she had to wait. Just her luck, they seemed to be running late.
Three files later, she finally heard tapping on the front door. “About time.”
“Miss Kelsey Braden?” a man wearing grey coveralls asked when she opened the door.
“Yes.”
“We have your exam tables. Where would you like them?”
“Right this way. I’ll show you where they go.”
Kelsey finished her files as the men worked. As promised, they were done in less than an hour, and asked her to check on the delivery. She was pleasantly surprised to find the exam rooms clean and tidy, all debris and packing material carried away after the tables were set. “Wow, they look great.”
“All set, ma’am,” the supervisor said. “Sign here and we’ll be out of your way.”
“I appreciate it. Thanks so much.” She scribbled her name on the bottom of the paper. He gave her a copy and a friendly smile before the three climbed into their truck and left.
She was in the first exam room looking over her new table when she spotted one of the delivery men’s straps lying next to her. She picked it up and ran out of the door, hoping to catch them before they were gone, but the truck turned the corner and drove away. Shrugging, she rolled the strap in her hand and decided to call the company Monday morning to let them know they’d left it behind.
She’d just re-entered the clinic when she was pushed forward and knocked down. “Don’t move!” she heard someone with
a muffled voice call out as she caught herself with her hands, the strap falling before her on the ground.
She turned her head to see two large men, dressed all in black, with ski masks covering their faces. Fear paralysed her momentarily as she tried to process exactly what was happening. A moment later, her instincts kicked in and words of her brothers raced through her mind. She rose up, wildly screaming and trying to make it to the door.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” one man said as he grabbed her by the waist and covered her mouth.
Kelsey tried to bite his hand, but the thickness of his glove shielded him from harm. She thrashed and kicked in an effort to break free.
“Wow. Look at the fight in this one, man,” the smaller of the two laughed. “Keep going, honey. I like ‘em feisty.”
“Just get the strap. We’ll tie her up. We’ve got orders to bring her in unharmed,” the larger man bellowed.
She couldn’t let them take her. Her instincts told her to fight. Whatever they were going to do, she had a better chance of survival if they did it here than if they took her somewhere else. With all the power she had in her petite body, she kicked and twisted, her elbow finally making contact with the man’s ribs, causing him to drop her.
With him blocking the front door, she ran to the back, screaming as loud as she could while praying someone would hear her before it was too late. The smaller man, still twice her size, grabbed her arm and swung her sideways. She knocked over a large stack of medical supplies, scattering them across the waiting area. He was distracted just long enough for her to break free, and she shoved the chairs behind her, trying to give herself those few precious seconds needed to get out.
When the larger man blocked her path, she darted into her office, frantically picking up the phone to call for help. She realised her mistake when both men cornered her, one slamming the phone into pieces and the other slowly approaching as she cowered in her desk chair.
“Don’t hurt me, please,” she whimpered, holding her arms and legs out in front of her defensively.
“You’ve given us no choice, sweetheart.” She watched in terror as he pulled a cloth from his pocket and covered it with liquid from a small brown bottle.
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