“Look...” Zain sighed. “This is getting pretty dangerous. I think we need to let the cops handle this.”
“Would you have said that when Andrea was in trouble?” Ian was one of the guys who got the shit end of that situation. While Zain was off playing bodyguard to his soon-to-be-wife, Ian and a bunch of other guys had nearly had their heads lopped off in a gig gone bad.
“That was different.”
“I don’t see the difference, Zain.”
“I was one person. You’re talking about needing a whole unit. People could get hurt, someone could die. This isn’t a recovery mission. No one has hired us.”
“Then what if I hired us?” Ian had money.
“Ian—no. Dude, as a friend, I get what you’re saying. I understand this is a difficult position. I feel for you. Whatever I can do—as a friend—let me know. I’m in your corner on this. As your boss...I’d have to turn down the contract. It’s too high-risk, and the cops are already involved. You’ve done a good job maneuvering this business with George, but now I think it’s time to just be there for Taylor and let your cop friend do his job.”
Taylor must have heard enough of the conversation. Her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes. Was it bad he was glad she had finally realized she needed help?
“At least tell me where Julia is, so I can tell Owen.” Eventually.
Zain sighed. He knew what Ian was going to do. It wasn’t like they’d just begun to work together.
“I could just call Owen and tell him myself,” Zain said.
“You could.”
“You can’t use company property, resources, or people.”
“I don’t intend on usin’ anything. I just want to pass the address along to the cops.”
Zain muttered curses while keys clicked in the background.
“There. I just emailed it to you. Have a nice fucking life.”
The call cut off before Ian could say anything else. What was there to say, though? Zain and Ian both knew he wasn’t going to wait for Owen. Especially now that Taylor’s picture was on the news as a person of interest. How the hell Julia had tied her to this was beyond him, and Owen wasn’t answering his phone to give him the scoop.
“What’d he say?” Taylor asked.
“He found out where Julia is right now.”
“It took all that time to say that?”
“Well, we might have had a little disagreement.” He looped his arm around her waist, pulling her close enough he could kiss the top of her head.
“What now?”
“Now we go upstairs so no one else sees your pretty face, and I make a couple of calls.”
“What about Vito?”
He racked the balls and left them for the next person. For now, he ignored Taylor’s question which only earned him a scowl. He showed her the way up to the apartment over Trinity Hall. According to Erik, the place had come with it, and for a brief period he’d lived here with his older brother. Ian wouldn’t want to imagine two people living in the one bedroom apartment, but he could see how they’d made do until the place really took off.
Taylor paced to the windows and back.
“What if Vito is dead? What do I do about Stacey? Why is my face on the news?” She scrubbed a hand over her face.
“Didn’t you say your da’ used your identity once?”
“Yes, and Mom chewed him out.”
“Could Julia have done something to make people think she was you?”
“It’s possible. You thought we looked alike when you saw her.”
“For a moment, through a dirty window, at an odd angle.”
“Yeah, well, security cameras aren’t all that great, and if she did something, planted evidence—”
“But you were here last night.”
“Was I? Last people saw of me, I was at George’s—the night before last.”
“You were. I know you were. This is all to scare you into doin’ somethin’ stupid.” Ian checked his phone. “Kade and my roommate should be here soon.”
“What? Why?”
“The less I tell you, the better, hm?”
“No.” Taylor’s frown lines deepened. “This is my life. You don’t get to play with it.”
“I’m not playin’, but you won’t like it either.”
“What are you planning?” She stared up at him and he had to resist the urge to squirm under her gaze.
“Julia’s leverage is Vito. We get him back, she has nothin’ on you. Owen can put her away, and that’s it. It’s over.” Ian had shot off an email earlier, connecting Owen and Franco since he was already up to date on what Ian was working on. Hopefully, something good came from those two working in tandem. In the meantime, Ian needed to do something, because Taylor was right.
Vito wouldn’t last long in Julia’s hands if he was hurt, but neither did Ian trust Julia to not be playing a double game.
“But—”
A knock at the door silenced Taylor’s comment.
“It’s us, open up, you mangy rascal.”
Ian unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Kade and Ryan stood on the other side with Duke, Blake, Erik and Jax at his back.
Ian glanced from one to the next. Kade and Ryan made sense, but the rest?
“What’s goin’ on, guys?” Ian stared at his roommate.
“They saw the news.” Ryan slapped Ian on his shoulder and slid by.
“You’re lucky we’re the only ones that showed up, fuck face.” Duke landed a light punch to Ian’s ribs.
“Guys, you shouldn’t all be here.” Ian closed the door quickly before anyone else slipped in. Erik stood just inside, staring at him.
“Shut up and accept some help, will you?” Erik nodded toward the sectional taking up the bulk of the space.
Ian hung back, taking stock of his friends.
Ryan worked alongside Ian often enough he knew his roommate’s skills. In a pinch, there were few people Ian would want at his back more than Ryan. But, this was risky. Zain had said no company people.
Kade...was a licensed badass.
Blake used to be a cop but with the loss of his leg, he’d become something of a floater, never landing somewhere for long.
Erik...owned the place.
And Duke was former Navy. Ian had never pegged exactly what Duke did, because Duke didn’t like talking about his past, but it was etched into the lines of his face.
“I heard you talking earlier about these guys. Couldn’t help it, sorry.” Erik held up his hands. “I know some of them from back when this area wasn’t so good. Had to kick a few of them out of the bar. So does Duke.” Erik nodded at the other man.
“These MS-13 dudes are bad news. I had to repo a bike one of them wouldn’t pay for. They broke three of my guy’s ribs.” Duke shook his head. Ian didn’t want to know what Duke did to the guy who did the beating. “I wouldn’t want my worst enemy in their care.”
“Why? Why would you care? Why do you want to help?” Taylor glanced from man to man.
“Because. That’s what friends do. We help each other.” Blake shrugged. “Not to rush us or anything, but if we want to do something tonight, we need to get a move on.”
22.
Taylor stared at the front of the brick condo. It was just like any number of the others up and down the street. No one had come or gone from the building since they’d laid eyes on it.
The silence in the car weighed heavily on her, and yet she was glad for it. Blake’s presence in the driver’s seat meant Ian couldn’t talk to her. She didn’t know what to say to him or the other guys. It was all too much.
Until they got Vito back, Taylor couldn’t think about what came next. What to do about Julia or Stacey. What might happen with George.
“How pissed do you think Owen’ll be with me when he finds out about this?” Blake asked.
“On a scale of one to ten?” Ian hummed a moment. “Probably a twenty.”
“Yeah.” Blake sighed.
&
nbsp; “You know, with your skills, Zain might be able to use ‘ya?”
“What? With only one leg? Yeah, no thanks.”
“Zain does a lot with one arm.”
“A leg is different than an arm.”
“All right, just throwin’ ideas out.”
The radio sitting between the two front seats crackled.
“Lights in the back just went out,” a man’s voice said. It was low, rumbly. Maybe Duke or Erik? She still couldn’t tell them all apart, but she was willing to bet that Stacey could. That little girl knew every one of Ian’s friends by sight.
God, just thinking about that little girl hurt.
Taylor still didn’t know why Ian’s friends were here, or why they’d offer to help her without some sort of compensation, but she was grateful to all of them. She wasn’t even sure some of the guys knew what was going on.
“Copy that, Duke. Set timers to thirty minutes.” Ian checked his watch.
“What happens in thirty minutes?” she asked.
“That’s when Duke will cut the line going to the security system.” Ian twisted to face her.
She swallowed. They’d sort of avoided looking at each other for the last couple of hours. It was one thing to share space, it was another to put her eyes on him.
“And that’s when we go see about Vito.” Taylor wiped her hands on her thighs. “How many people do we think are inside?”
“My guess?” Blake glanced in the rearview mirror at her. “Six.”
“How do you figure that?” She hadn’t seen anyone at all.
“The number of lights that were on. The way they were turned off. Light at the back of the house went off first, one person. The front bedroom curtains were open and we saw two people in there before those lights went off. Vito is in there. And according to the flight log, Julia was traveling with another woman. She also has at least another guy here. Plus, regular residents. I figure we’re looking at around six individuals without further eyes inside the place. It’s just a guess.”
“Sounds good to me.” Ian glanced from Blake to her. “We plan for six or more. You and Blake can have the getaway car ready.”
“What? No way. I’m going in there.” Vito was her cousin.
“Taylor, I know what I’m doin’.”
“I can’t let you go in there and do this for me.”
“I’m not doin’ anythin’ for you I wouldn’t do otherwise. Vito is likely in there, hurt and in need of medical attention. You need us. But, Taylor?” Ian reached for her.
She pulled away.
“I need you to stay here. To be safe.”
“I don’t need you,” Taylor blurted. She’d never needed another person in her life, so why should she start now? Who gave him the right to tell her she needed him?
Ian sat back, staring at her as if she’d slapped him.
Shit.
“I didn’t mean...” Taylor closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“You guys want me to give you a minute?” Blake asked.
“Yes.”
“No,” Taylor blurted.
“I’m just going to put my ear buds in...” Blake hunched down in his seat. The muted sounds of music hummed in the background.
Ian stared at her. She could see the muscle at the corner of his jaw twitching. He didn’t have to speak for her to hear all of his reasons why he thought this was best.
“Taylor, if your stepmum gets you, she gets everythin’. I’m tryin’ to make sure you an’ your cousin are safe.”
“Stop making my choices for me.”
“You’re as stubborn as Stacey, you know that?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You would.” He shook his head.
“What’s your problem?”
“I’m not the one with a problem.” He stared at her, his gaze boring deeper than she’d like.
“I’m the problem? Is this your way of handling me?”
“No, Taylor. I’m tryin’ to keep you safe, end of story. Why can’t you just trust me? Even a little? This—this is the kind of thing I do. Let me do my job. Let me look after you.”
He was asking too much. He’d already demanded more than she could give him. If she leaned on him, if she continued to let him have his way, he’d devastate her when he left. Because they all left, eventually. That was just how it went.
“Is this about last night?” Ian asked, pitching his voice low.
“What about last night?” She glanced away.
They both knew what he was asking.
The same thing she didn’t want to talk about.
It was one thing to care for each other, to admit that she liked him. But love? That was something she couldn’t do.
“Fine, have it your way,” he said softly.
Ian turned around, putting his back toward her. She stared at the back of his head, her heart thumping at her ribs, as if it wanted to be closer to him.
They descended into silence, no one speaking. The only sound was that from Blake’s MP3 player.
Why were they all here? She didn’t really believe that this was all about the guys being friends. Friends didn’t risk their lives for each other, did they?
She stared at the front of the darkened house.
A small, quiet voice in her mind scolded her.
She did need Ian. Not just for this job, but because he made her feel safe. She didn’t often feel that, which was probably why this thing with him scared her. If she let herself believe that he’d be there, that held help her, that she could trust him, then she also had to believe the rest. That he loved her, and that...that was something she wasn’t ready for. Maybe never would be.
Ian kept his eyes on the road at the exact spot where he couldn’t see Taylor in his peripheral vision.
He wanted to wring her neck. And kiss her. She could be so infuriating at times.
Didn’t she realize this wasn’t something she could do on her own? And just having her here, in the car across the street, was too close to Julia’s clutches for his tastes. His only option for keeping her away was locking her up somewhere and he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not after what’d happened with her mother.
His watch beeped, signaling the time was nigh.
“Headed to the side of the house,” Duke said over the radio.
Thank goodness the condo was on the end, giving it an external wall.
“We’ll wait five and go in,” Ian said. He set another timer.
“I’ll have the car running.” Blake pulled out his ear buds and sat up.
How much had he heard?
Ian was willing to bet it was more than the other guy wanted to know.
He couldn’t wait to have this over and done with. Then he’d... He didn’t know what he’d do, but he’d figure it out. Taylor was not going to walk out of his life. She was so damn strong and brave it didn’t make any sense that she’d let fear dictate her future, but she was, even if she didn’t see it that way.
“Just a reminder,” he said into the radio, “we’re goin’ in, and out. That’s it. We don’t pick a fight, we don’t try to find anythin’, just get the guy out and go.”
“Copy that.”
“Kit in the back?” Ian asked Blake.
“Yup.”
The plan was simple, get in, find Vito, get out. Anything more complicated invited trouble.
Once they were on the road, Kade would administer what first aid he could, while assessing Vito’s injuries. That way when they arrived at the ER they could begin some kind of treatment. Bullet wounds left untreated could turn septic and kill a person in a short amount of time. Judging by the amount of blood in the picture Julia had flashed them, Ian expected Vito to be in bad shape.
Ian’s alarm beeped again.
“Good luck, man.” Blake slapped Ian on the shoulder.
Ian slid out and circled the SUV, only to run straight into an Italian woman giving him the death stare.
“Taylor—”
/> “I’m going in. If Vito is hurt, if he thinks you’re Julia’s people, he might fight back. He’s a big man.” She turned and stalked ahead of him.
He quick-stepped to outdistance her and snatched her hand up.
“Fine, but stay by me.” He’d toss her over his shoulder and run if it came to that. Without Vito. Her most important goal might be getting her cousin out, but for him, it was keeping her safe. Rescuing Vito was a means to an end in his book.
The hardest thing about doing his regular job was when the person he was supposed to protect willfully put themselves in danger. At least then he could wash his hands of a job because of their stupidity. He couldn’t exactly tell Taylor to shove off, not when she was his heart with legs.
They circled around the side of the house. Duke had already cleared out, though the cables hanging down were a mite suspicious.
Blake had explained that cutting the line wouldn’t mean the cops were sent out. First, the security company would call and verify with the home owner, then police may be sent out if the contract was up to date and if the home owners wanted officers on site. Seeing as they were dealing with less lawfully-minded folk, Ian figured their chances of getting in without much notice were pretty damn good.
They met up with the others at the back of the house.
Kade and Ryan had guns in hand while Erik and Duke brought up the rear, a folding stretcher between them.
“Stay close to Duke,” he whispered to Taylor. Before she could argue he added, “They’re going to need help with Vito.”
That seemed to silence her protests.
Ian went in first, creeping through a small kitchen and down a hall. The building was narrow, the rooms sectioned off with closed doors. Behind him, he heard the quiet footsteps of Kade and Ryan spreading out. Erik, Taylor and Duke would hold back until they signaled.
The floor boards creaked underfoot, betraying the age of the home.
Kade opened a door to the right while Ryan stuck to Ian’s back.
Where would Ian keep someone like Vito?
Close, in case he needed some sort of medical attention. He’d likely be in pain and make noise, and the house had no basement.
He felt more than heard the movement of someone at his back. He knew without looking that it was Taylor.
Alpha Prince (Twisted Royals, #1) Page 21
