Banged Up

by Jeanne St. James

  She nodded slightly and watched him return to his car. She didn’t unlock the front door until he drove away. She released a loud sigh.

  Robert couldn’t hold a candle to Mace. She’d really tried to like Robert tonight.

  She’d laughed at his jokes, smiled at his compliments. Everything. She’d tried. But there was nothing there. Not even a hint of a spark. Damn Mace for making her want him.

  Only him.

  She opened the door and reached for the light switch.

  “Colby,” came the whisper near her ear. She yanked her hand back and squealed in surprise. “Shh. It’s me.”

  “Mace!” Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, but she could barely make out his figure in the foyer. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

  “I’m not going to play twenty questions right now. I need to talk to you.”

  “If you’re here to beg forgiveness—”

  Mace’s vehement curse stopped her cold.

  I guess not. “Why can’t I turn on the light?” she asked, annoyed. She needed light to make sure she hit her target when she kicked him in those cheating nuts.

  “Because I don’t want anyone to see I’m in the house.”

  “Who’s going to see?” She was losing patience with this game he was playing.

  “Nobody, hopefully. That’s the point.”

  “Will you tell me what is going on?”

  “Is there somewhere we can sit down?”

  So, he had noticed the living room was still free of furniture. She hadn’t gotten that far yet. “The stairs.”

  Mace grabbed her arm and directed her through the darkness to her stairway. “Sit.”

  She sat. “Mace—”

  “Colby, let me speak first. This is very important. I came here to warn you.”

  “Warn me? About what?”

  “About a case I was working on.”

  “Manni Spinozi.” The sudden silence chilled her. She wished she could see his face.

  She felt him settle on the step beside her.

  “What do you know about him?” His cold tone cut her to the quick.

  “Not much. I’ve heard he’s a big mob boss. On the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. The ATF would also love to get a hold of him.”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “The news. He was on the news a few times. Is he the one who shot you?”

  “No. His brother.” He cursed again, savagely. “I’m sorry, Colby. I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?” Why couldn’t she turn on the light? Not being able to read his expressions was driving her crazy. It was scaring her. She felt she was missing half of the story.

  “For getting you involved.”

  “With you?” It was about time he apologized.

  “With this. This mess.”

  “How—”

  “Just by being with me could put you in danger. If they have any idea how I feel about…” His voice drifted off. He released a long tumultuous sigh.

  “Feel about what?” she prodded.

  “Hopefully, they don’t know about you. I hope I got you out of my house in time.”

  “Out of the house,” she repeated. Slowly, things were becoming clearer. “You drove me out with that … that woman? You mean to tell me it was because of that guy?”

  “He’s reason enough. Colby, you don’t know that guy. I do. I infiltrated his ‘family.’ He knows it now. He’s out for me. I can take care of myself, but it’s going to be hard to protect you unless I keep you locked in a room.”

  Colby sat straighter. “I hope you’re not—”

  “No. No. I’m not going to. I hope I didn’t do anything stupid tonight to jeopardize your safety.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like … like following you on your date.” The words came out in a quick tumble, catching Colby in surprise. “I tried to stay away, but I failed. I wasn’t going to tell you anything. I wasn’t going to warn you. Damn it, I wanted to keep you uninvolved. It’s risky for me to be here now as it is. But I had to warn you. I had to.” It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than her. “I did something stupid and you need to know.”

  “You followed me.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement of disbelief. She stood up and wandered away in the dark, feeling her way around.

  “Colby, I made a mistake.”

  “A mistake. Am I the mistake? Was bringing the blonde bimbo bitch home a mistake? Or are you just mad you had to admit to following me?”

  In the dark she could see he held his head in his hands, but not much more. He didn’t answer her. She didn’t know if she really wanted to know the answers to her questions anyway.

  “Mace, you were sloppy. Even me—what would you agents call me?—a civilian could see that. No wonder you got shot in the line of duty. Careless people get hurt.” She wanted to hurt him, hurt him badly like he hurt her. Her spiteful words didn’t make her feel any better. She felt worse.

  “I… I’m going to bed.” She brushed past him up the dark stairs. At the top of the stairs, she paused. “You know your way out.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mace had remained frozen in place while he listened to the click of her heels as she went down the hallway. Not surprisingly, he heard a door slam.

  This hadn’t gone exactly like he planned. Though what had since meeting her?

  He sure fucked everything up tonight. He couldn’t afford any more mistakes. She was right. He was careless, and that same carelessness was what had gotten him injured and almost cost him his career. He had to get his act together. His feelings for Colby were making him reckless, putting them both at risk.

  After dead bolting the front door, he methodically went around the first floor, making sure all the windows were secure. He would be calling an alarm company in the morning.

  After fighting the temptation to run up the stairs and into her arms at least a half dozen times, he slipped out the back of the house a few minutes later, making sure the door was locked behind him.

  He drove home, more determined than ever to extract himself from Colby’s life.

  The only way Mace knew to get Spinozi’s men away from Colby, short of killing them all—impossible for even him—was to get out of town. They would follow him, like good little goons do. And there was no doubt he was being followed. Mace knew they were just waiting for the right moment to swoop in.

  He knew they were not going to make him a quick, easy hit. Spinozi wanted him to suffer.

  He was a sitting duck if he stayed in his house. The hit proved they knew his real name. They knew where he lived. He needed to get lost. Now.

  Back at the house, he threw a few things in his bag. He needed to get in touch with his boss. He needed an assignment.

  He would no longer be Macen Jeffrey Walker, but somebody else. Joe Schmoe if he needed to be. It would be a few more years before Mace Walker showed up again, if ever.

  He would make sure Maxi was warned before coming back from her trip. He would have a real estate agency sell the house for him. He, and even Maxi, would never be able to live here again safely.

  His biggest regret was not having the chance to see or speak to his sister. He would have to find a way to contact her in the future. When, and if, it was ever safe. With her new married name Spinozi and his gang might not realize they were even related. He’d like to keep it that way.

  The home phone rang, jerking him out of his thoughts.

  Lifting the receiver to his ear, he was about to say “hello” when he heard uncontrollable sobbing on the other end. This wasn’t Colby just upset with him about tonight. Christ. He broke out in a cold sweat and sank to the floor, clutching the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.

  A gruff voice ordered, “Say something, you fuckin’ bitch!” The sobbing got louder.

  “Damn you, say something!”

  Mace heard a loud slap and then silence. Some murmured curses were heard in the background.

>   “Son of a bitch,” Mace muttered. “Son of a bitch! You hurt her and…”

  Suddenly there was laughing over the phone line. “What? What will you do, call the cops, Rico? I mean Macen Walker. Your name really isn’t Rico, is it?”

  Mace didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He would never tell his secrets. Never. Even if it meant death. But Colby hadn’t taken the oath. Colby didn’t deserve to die. “Where are you?” Mace ground out.

  “Aah. In a pretty, yellow kitchen. Too bad it was just freshly painted. It’s a shame our explosives will implode this house upon itself, burying your little lover girl. Is she good, Rico? In bed, I mean.”

  Mace slammed down the phone. Grabbing his gun, he tucked it into the back of his waistband as he ran out of the house.

  ———

  Mace’s truck skidded to a stop a block away from the house. It hadn’t even been an hour since he was there earlier. Not even one freaking hour! He should have stayed.

  No, he should have stayed away.

  He scrambled out of the truck cab and moved quickly down the sidewalk, sticking close to the shrubs, his gun in hand. Just as he got to the corner of her driveway and the shrubbery, he stopped and took a deep breath. Slow down and think. He couldn’t just rush in; he’d get them both killed.

  Spinozi’s men wanted him. That was the game. Colby was just the bait. He had to get in there without getting her killed. They would think nothing of taking her life. They could do it just for the sport of it. He stepped away from the shrubs into the dark driveway, determined to remain undetected until the last second.

  The sudden bright, red hot flash blinded him; the impact knocked him off his feet.

  He landed on his back, unable to breathe, no oxygen left in his lungs. His gun had flown out of his hand and skidded down the pavement.

  He lay there for a second, gasping, fighting for breath. Finally, he pushed himself up to his knees. Using both hands on the ground for leverage, he unfolded his body up until he was standing. But looking at the devastation, he struggled to keep his feet underneath him.

  The house was gone. Totally gone. Flames shot up from the rubble. Only burning splinters of wood remained of the house Colby had loved so much.

  The house was completely gone. Colby.

  Mace sank to his knees, digging his fingers into his hair and pulling, trying to relieve the agony clawing the inside of his head. He was screaming. But no sound escaped. He ran out of air and he dropped his head in his hands.

  The heat from the burning timbers reminded him of what he had to do. Who he was.

  Damn them. Damn them all to mighty hell. They were going to die. All of them. Every single one of those mother-fuckers.

  Unseen hands grabbed him from behind; on his arms, around his neck. He tried to jerk away. He looked for his gun. His struggling got him nowhere, there were too many of them. Suddenly he was kicked in the head from behind.

  The world went black.

  ———

  Mace heard it. Moaning. It was getting louder. He shook his head to clear it but doing so only brought a shard of pain.

  His eyes were swollen and he struggled to open them. Through the slits he could see he was tied to a metal chair. Warm liquid oozed down his forehead, trickling into his eye.

  His tongue felt twice its normal size and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

  Blood soaked cotton.

  He did a mental body check. The intense pain in his side made him wonder if his ribs were broken. He could feel a burning at the back of his head. His hair felt stiff back there, so most likely he had a nasty gash. His face, well, besides dripping with blood, some of it was crusting already, one side he couldn’t even feel. Maybe it was better that way. He tried to lick his dry, cracked lips but it was impossible. His tongue was cut, probably from his own teeth.

  He scoped out the area as best as he could with his limited vision. Whoever had him here was sitting behind him, talking quietly. Mace tried to make out what they were saying through the ringing in his right ear. He slightly turned his head, not enough to draw attention to him, so his left ear could pick up the conversation.

  “He’ll be here soon. He wants us to wait until he’s here. He wants to watch the man who killed his brother die.”

  “We better be gettin’ that damn prize money.”

  “We’ll get it. He’s good for it.”

  Mace heard the loud moan again. He turned his head a fraction toward the sound, and damned his vision when it blurred for a moment.

  Colby! Oh, God, she was alive!

  His relief was short-lived. They were in a bad, bad situation. One he doubted he could get them out of. They were fucked. Fucked was putting it mildly, knowing Spinozi’s men.

  She sat tied to another metal chair across, but at an angle, from him. Duct tape sealed her mouth. Her face was distorted on one side from swelling and was already turning purple. Her head hung, like it was too much effort for her to lift it. That or she was blessedly unconscious. He could only hope.

  “Colby!” he yelled before he could stop himself. He just had to know if she was …

  all right. It was stupid but true.

  Her head lifted slightly and, as she noticed him, her hollowed eyes widened in surprise and then grief.

  Mace heard a scuffle of feet before a deep voice right behind him said, “Shut up!”

  He managed to get “Fuck you” out before everything went black again when something hard met the back of his head.

  ———

  The world cleared again, somewhat, when a hand slapped his face. And slapped again.

  “Wake up! Wake up, you worthless piece of shit!”

  The throbbing in his head pounded even harder as he opened his eyes and the lights temporarily blinded him. “Christ,” he moaned.

  “No one asked you to speak. At least, not until you are spoken to.” The man himself stood in front of him. Mace was in deep shit. “Who are you working for?” Spinozi asked.

  “No one.”

  “Okay, you’re going to be loyal to the end, are you? We’ll see about that.” Spinozi nodded to the goons who were somewhere behind Mace. “Cut off his left pant leg. I want to see the damage my brother did before this asshole killed him.”

  One of Mace’s captors took a knife to his jeans, exposing his mangled thigh.

  “I’m impressed you still have use of this leg, Macen Walker. We might have to do something about that. Does it hurt?”

  Mace said nothing; instead he looked over at Colby. She was fully conscious and watching what was going on. Her eyes were wide. She was very, very afraid. He didn’t blame her. He wasn’t feeling too brave, either.

  He was going to die and he knew it. It didn’t matter what he said tonight, he was still going to die. The only thing which could change was how long it would take. Mace had a feeling it might take a while.

  Spinozi put the heel of his shoe on Mace’s exposed thigh and twisted it back and forth, as if he was trying to grind out a cigarette. Mace gritted his teeth, which caused more pain in his swollen jaw. He would not cry out. He would not.

  He. Would. Not … ever … give that satisfaction to the bastard.

  Mace kept eye contact with Colby. Even with the distance between them, he couldn’t mistake the tears trickling from the corners of her eyes. She tried to say something but her voice was muffled behind the tape. She tugged at her ties but it was useless. Even if she could get loose, what could she do?

  Not satisfied with Mace’s response, Spinozi cursed and stopped. He turned to study Colby. Realizing his worst fear, Mace knew Spinozi would use Colby against him. The fat bastard would use her to break him down. Mace would rather have the bastard torture him forever than touch her.

  “I’m assuming she was more beautiful before my men got to her, hmm? It’s a shame to mess up a pretty face like hers,” Spinozi said with a slight upturn to his mouth. He stepped over to Colby, but made sure he didn’t block Mace’s view. Spinozi ran a finger dow
n her cheek, smearing her fresh tears with the dried blood already there. “Look, Walker, she’s crying for you.” He laughed, causing Colby to jerk against her bindings.

  “She’s got a nice little body, doesn’t she? Would you mind sharing her with my men?”

  Mace tensed and ground out, “You fucking touch her and—”

  Spinozi and his men laughed. The laughter boomed through the large empty warehouse, echoing back to him. Emphasizing what he already knew. He’d fucked up.

  He should have kept his mouth shut. What he’d said had been stupid. He could do absolutely nothing. Nothing but watch whatever they decided to do to Colby. Now he actually wished she was dead. It would be better to be dead than tortured.

  Spinozi grabbed Colby’s blouse and ripped it open, the buttons flying off in different directions. The laughter quickly died around him. The goons knew what was to be next.

  He held out his hand for the knife. When he got it, he sliced open Colby’s bra, exposing her breasts. A thin line of blood appeared where the knife nicked her sternum. By accident? Nothing Spinozi did was an accident.

  Colby had her eyes closed. Mace felt her humiliation; it overwhelmed him, only frustrating him more.

  “How would it be to watch your lover being fucked by six men in front of you, huh?” Spinozi gave a wicked grin. “You just might enjoy it. Both of you. Is she sweet, Walker? Have you tasted her honey?” The crime boss walked around behind Colby and placed a hand on her shoulder. A gun appeared in his other and he pressed it into her temple. “Maybe you’d like to see her brains splattered all over you.” Spinozi bent down and whispered something in Colby’s ear. The duct tape covering her mouth puffed out, then was sucked in as her breathing became faster, frantic.

  Mace tugged against the ropes binding his hands until he felt a trickle of blood run down his fingers. It was useless. “Damn you! If you’re going to kill her, just do it. She knows nothing; she’s got nothing to do with this! Don’t torture her for nothing!”

  Spinozi lifted a dark eyebrow. “Are you begging for her life?”

  “You want me, you’ve got me. Torture me if you’re going to torture anybody!”

  “There’s no if about it.”