“You gonna leave me to go in there alone?” After everything we've been through, too. We grew up together. He's my blood. My familia.
He cusses under his breath. “You go in first, but we'll be there.”
Tonya
I can't stop my body from trembling. They didn't bother blindfolding me, but I'm gagged, and my wrists are tied behind my back and my ankles are bound. Zip ties dig into my skin. I'm on the ground, propped up against a shed to the right of the restaurant parking lot. There's a creek to my left, and I'm almost certain that's where I'll be soon. I guess they wanted to hit him with shock factor. His girl, tied up and gagged, in clear view of the dirt road that leads here. Just beyond the treeline is the highway. I can hear the cars. I can even see the headlights. But they can't see me. No one can save me.
Maybe Tommy, but I may have also led him to his death. I'm certain he knows this is an ambush, though. Why else would he talk in code? My heart stopped when he said packages. My eyes almost darted to look at the man holding the phone, almost gave me away. Thank fuck I stayed calm. Four men. The odds are against us, but hopefully with the warning I managed to give Tommy, he'll have a chance.
They dumped me here like I was a bag of trash. Tossed me to the ground and went to stand behind their cars. Two black cars blend into the dark. But they're there, and if he's looking for something off, he should see them. They aren't in their cars. They're standing behind the one closest to me, with their weapons drawn and ready.
Jagged rocks dig into my knees as I move slightly across the ground. I'm moving slowly, so they don't notice. They aren't paying attention to me. One's smoking, and the other three are talking in hushed whispers. I can barely hear though, except for the occasional laughs. They're also going back and forth between Russian and English, so even when I can hear them, I'm not exactly sure what they're saying.
I'm not certain, but I think they want him to watch me die. As soon as he drives down and sees me tied here and struggling, that's when they'll do it. Shoot me until I fall lifeless on the ground. Although one keeps saying how he wants to see Tommy run to me as they shoot us both. The others don't. They don't want to kill him right away. They have questions that need to be answered.
I don't care what they're saying. I know their endgame is to have both of us dead. I'll most likely end up in the creek, and Tommy's corpse will be sent back as a message to the Valettis.
I'm not going to let either of those scenarios happen. I need to live; I have to survive this. And right now, there's only me. If I can get free, I can run. My eyes dart to the four men who are in plain view and holding guns. My heart beats rapidly in my chest. I'll have to wait until I have a chance, but I'll try. I can't fight back without having any weapons on me. That would be suicide. But I can give Tommy a warning, and I can run. That's my only hope.
There's a broken bottle only a foot from me. If I fall over, I should be able to snag a piece. There's only a single zip tie binding my wrists, and one more binding my ankles. I can do this. Ankles first, so I can run as soon as Tommy gets here.
I scoot my knees across the dirt and they scrape against the gravel. I ignore the pain. Just another inch and then I prepare myself for the fall. It's gonna fuck up my shoulder since I can't brace for it. But I can fucking take it. I crash against the ground and hit my shoulder. My head bounces from the impact. The men look over at me while I struggle to take a piece of glass in my hand. My fingers graze across a few small pieces, but they aren't large enough. The jagged chunks pierce through my shirt and cut into my skin. Again, it's not horrible, but fuck it hurts. The fucker smoking sets his eyes on me. He tosses his cigarette onto the dirt and walks over with quick strides.
His dark eyes stare into mine as my fingers finally find a large chunk. I'm quick to make a fist to conceal it, even though it digs into the palm of my hand. I can't risk him seeing it. It's my only chance at freeing myself.
My heart skips a beat as he grabs my shoulders and drags my body back to the shed. The glass and gravel scrape my legs and I try to cry out, but the gag mutes the screams.
“Stay!” he yells, pointing his finger at me like I'm a dog. It gets a laugh from the other men. His large hand grips my chin and then he smacks my face several times—not hard, just enough to demoralize me. “Bad bitch. Stay.” His accent is thick. I rest my head against the shed and pretend that I've lost all hope. I let the tears that beg to be released, slide down my cheeks. He laughs sickly and his foul breath fills my lungs as he turns to leave me, walking back to stand with the others. They're talking louder now, and in Russian.
As soon as I hear them patting him on the back and laughing, I push the glass to the zip tie on my ankle. It almost slips from my hand. The blood from my hand makes it difficult to hold. But I keep my grip and move it back and forth across the plastic. The glass is uneven and cuts into my ankles a few times, but the pain doesn't register at all. My eyes are focused on the gap in the trees, marking the entrance to this area. Tommy will be here soon; all I need to do is free myself before that happens.
It feels like forever, but it must only be a few minutes until both the zip ties around my wrists and ankles have snapped. I don't move yet. My limbs are screaming at me to take off. But they don't need me alive, they just want to make it hurt that much more for Tommy. If I run, they could shoot to kill me and there's no reason they'd hold back. Even worse, if I did run and they caught me, I don't know what they'd do to me. But I'm sure they wouldn't let me get out again.
So I wait. My skin prickles with anxiety, and the only thing I can hear is my heart beating loudly in my ears. I remember my phone in my back pocket and I struggle to keep my movements slow. Every time one of them looks at me, I freeze and try to remain as still as possible.
I should call the cops. I need help, and I know they could possibly come in time to save me, but they may also find Tommy. I don't want him to get caught in the middle of this, but I have to do everything I can to save myself and our baby. My skin feels like ice as I dial the numbers 9-1-1 behind my back. But I've done it.
I can faintly hear the dispatcher speaking, even though I can't give her any verbal confirmation that I'm on the line. I hit a button every few seconds, hoping she'll catch on.
“Are you unable to speak?” I barely hear the words. I don't hit any keys.
“If you can hear me, dial a number.” My thumb presses down. I barely hear a faint beep. I keep my eyes on my captors. They show no signs that they can hear anything.
“Assistance is on its way. Is there a threat in your immediate vicinity?” she asks.
The phone slips from my hand as I try to push a number. It falls to the ground with a faint thud. I watch them, but they don't hear it. I can't hear her anymore.
There's no one else.
All I can do now is wait. There's nothing else left that I can do to save myself. I need Tommy.
Tonya
Time passes slowly, yet nothing happens. I keep my eyes on the road and then on the men. My heart won't calm, and my skin sweats with anxiety. He's coming. I know he is. But what if he isn't? What if the cops come and the men hear? It'll only take a single bullet to end my life before they take off.
I'm relying on someone else to save me. And I fucking hate that.
I think I hear a car coming through the trees and closer to the entrance, and it distracts me. It also gets the men's attention and they raise their guns. No, no! I can't let them shoot. I start to stand, but the deafening sounds of guns being fired stops me in my tracks.
Bullets ring out from my left and right. But I can't see where they're coming from. They ricochet off the cars, and I instantly scramble back behind the shed to find cover.
I turn my body to run, but I slam into a hard, unmoving chest. My eyes flash to a set of light blue eyes, but before I can react, the man's pinning my arms down and carrying me toward the back of the shed. I kick out as hard as I can and land a blow to his shin. I try to push him off me as he curses and nearly drops me. I he
ar bullets hitting the metal of the cars. I hear men shouting and yelling. The sound of a man getting shot and falling to the ground fills my ears.
“Left, left!” someone calls out. These are the sounds of an ambush.
Fear overwhelms my body, but I force my limbs to push him away. I didn't come this close to escaping, just to be taken again. I refuse to stop fighting.
“Jesus, woman, I'm here to protect you.” He pushes me against the shed with all of his body weight. I try to move my arm so I can get an uppercut in, but he leans his entire body against me, rendering both of us useless. I continue to struggle. I won't give up. “Calm the fuck down! Tommy sent me.” My body stills as I hear a few men call out. “On the passenger side!” A bullet and then another.
“Tommy said stay here.” He pulls away a bit. “He'll fucking kill me if you go out there.”
I turn my head to face him as the sounds die down and see a kid. He can't be any more than in his early twenties. He's got shaggy hair and an uneven patch of stubble. He backs his body away slowly, looking at me like I might take off.
“Don't move,” he says with his finger pointed at me. If I was in a different situation, I'd roll my eyes. But right now, I'm full of nerves and apprehension.
“Can I have a gun?” My body heats as I ask.
“Tommy said you'd ask for one.” He laughs and slowly hands me a gun. The first thing I do is check for bullets. It's loaded. He eyes me warily. “You think he'd short you on ammo?”
“Not him, no,” I say, taking a step toward the edge of the shed.
“Don't. He'll kill me. For real,” he pleads with me, rocking on his feet. “Just stay here.”
He takes a peek around the corner and grins. “They really only sent four.” He shakes his head and smiles from ear to ear. “Fucking idiots.” He turns to face me, leaving his body exposed, and I yank him back to the safety behind the shed.
“Take cover,” I practically yell at him. Dumbass kid.
“They're done,” he says defensively, with his forehead scrunched up.
“Stay back here until you hear otherwise.” I feel like I'm back at the academy. This kid's gonna get his ass shot.
He smirks at me. “No wonder Tommy likes you.” It's silent all around us; I think it's over. “You really a cop?” he asks.
Before I can reply, I hear the answer behind me.
“No, she's not.” I turn and immediately wrap my arms around Tommy's neck. I have to stand on my tiptoes. His large arms wrap around my body as he lifts me up. He buries his head in my neck.
“Is it over?” I ask him, looking around to see something, anything, but I'm still in the back, so I can't see shit.
“It's over. Probably a little overkill,” he says with a huff of a laugh.
“Really, only four?” the kid says from behind me. I lift my head up in Tommy's arms to face the shaggy kid.
“Well, they thought it'd just be me,” Tommy explains.
“Dude, you should take offense to that.”
“Get outta here, Brant.” The kid takes off as Tommy turns me in his arms.
“Are you alright?” he asks me, as his eyes roam down every inch of exposed skin. He touches the small gash on my forehead and it makes me wince. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he says in a voice so soft and sincere I can feel his agony.
I shake my head, “don’t be. It’s not your fault.” He tries to object, but I give him a small kiss and try to distract him, but when I pull back there’s still pain in his eyes.
He gently brushes the pieces of rock and glass off of me, but I fall against his chest and hold onto him. “It's alright baby, I'm right here.” He pulls back from me and takes my chin in his hand. It feels so good to just be held by him. He gives me a soft, sweet kiss and it soothes every part of me. “Is the baby okay?” he asks, looking down on me with worry in his eyes.
Tears prick at my eyes as I say, “Vincent told you.” My heart stops beating, and the world seems to blur around us.
“Yeah,” he says, putting a hand on my belly as he asks, “Tell me you're alright?”
I push the words out through my sob, “I'm okay.” I bury myself in his chest, feeling completely safe and secure. But then I remember, the cops will be here any minute. “You need to go. I called the cops.”
At the word cops, the noise around us stops and I realize the other Valettis are still here.
“You called the cops?” Vince comes up to our left, and Tommy angles his body so that his shoulder is between me and Vincent. I hold onto him as my body heats and a wave of nausea hits me. I had to. I didn't know they were all coming. I never would've guessed that.
“What was she supposed to do, Vince?” Tommy asks. “We've got enough time to get out of here anyway.”
Vince looks between the two of us and then says, “She has to stay here so they'll find her. Or else they'll come looking.”
Tommy nods his head slowly, but he's clearly not planning on listening. His grip on me tightens. “Don't be stupid, Tommy. She'll be fine. She'll be out in a few hours,” Vince points out.
“I don't wanna leave her.” His words are absolute.
“I'll say I was inside the shed and I didn't see anything,” I quickly say. Vince searches my face, like he's not sure if I'm being truthful or not.
“They touch you?” Vince asks. At first I'm confused, but then I realize what he's asking. I shake my head as my eyes fall and Tommy's grip tightens on me.
“You did real good. Guess they taught you something right, huh?” Vince talks to me, and I struggle to respond. I don't want to talk about being a cop with him. Not now, not ever.
I give him a tight smile in return and say, “Thanks.”
“We saved your ass, remember that,” he says before turning away from me. He yells out to the men who are picking up the bodies and lifting them into the back of their cars.
“I don't want to leave you,” Tommy whispers into my ear.
“Go, baby, please.” The danger is gone and the cops will be here soon. He needs to go. Him being here will only complicate things. It'll give the department leverage to use against the Valettis, and more ties to the Petrov case. The reminder of the case has me wanting to know if Petrov is truly dead. My eyes fly to Tommy's. I should ask him. I still don't know. The words are there, but I don't say them. The power they held before has waned. Before I can ask, I hear the sirens in the distance. “Go,” I tell him, staring in his eyes, begging him to listen to me.
“I'll be watching and waiting, baby. I'll be right here for you.” He kisses me again as Vince's car pulls up in front of us.
“Move your ass, Tommy! We gotta go!” he calls out, and I hear a door open.
“I love you, Tommy.” I have to tell him. I can't hold it in anymore.
Before he leaves, he gives me a small smile and brushes the hair out of my face as he says, “I love you, too.”
Tonya
“You sure you didn’t see anyone?” Jerry asks me, for the fourth time. He’s nodding his head and trying to get me to talk. He should know I’m not going to say shit. I haven’t for the last three hours. They found the blood at the scene. They ran tests and came back with nothing. All I told them was that I was taken against my will by men with Russian accents who wanted information.
I shake my head with downcast eyes. I hate lying and putting them in this position, but I’m not going to give them anything to lead them to the Valettis. I told them I was blindfolded the entire time. I hate lying, but I need to stick with the story.
The Russian mob is in deep shit, and there’s plenty of evidence on them. But nothing against Tommy or his familia.
“Not a damn thing that could tie them there?” Jerry asks. He has a hunch it was the Valettis who came in and took the Russians out. All three of us know it was them. It makes sense. A Russian mob on their turf? It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.
“You’re fucking one of them, aren’t you?” Harrison sneers at me from across the table. I fucking hate
the way he says it. I also hate that he’s right. He doesn’t buy that I was taken in order to get information on the Valettis. That’s the story I’m supposed to give the cops. That the Russians wanted intel on their routines and addresses. Everything and anything I knew about them. But it doesn't make sense that I would be left unharmed. Not unless the Valettis needed me alive. Or if I meant something to one of them.
Harrison can see right through that. I’m not a good liar. Jerry can as well, but he hasn’t said anything. I can see the disappointment in his eyes.
“Get out, Harrison.” Jerry doesn’t yell, doesn’t even turn to look at him.
Harrison clenches his fists and mutters an apology before stalking out of the room. There’s no love lost between us. As the door closes, Jerry leans forward and asks in a low soothing voice, “Are you sure you’re alright?” Concern is written all over his face.
“I’ll be alright.” I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath. I’m still a little shaken up. A lot shaken up maybe, but Tommy’s there waiting for me. I close my eyes and I can feel his lips kissing my neck and his arms holding me close to him. He’s my happy place. I need him, and now I have him. I'm not letting him go. I can't. He better know that.
“If you’re in any trouble, you know to come to me. Don’t you?” he asks, and I know he means it.
I nod my head. There may be times I don’t agree with him, but I know he’d help me if he could. Right now I don’t need help though. At least not from him.
“Are you sure you wanna go through with this?” He puts his hand on the table, offering it to me in a sweet gesture of comfort.
I accept and put my hand in his, and he squeezes. “I dug into you a bit after you left the conference room and found out about your sister. You may have joined for the wrong reasons, but you're a good cop. It's not too late to stay.” He emphasizes the last line. If only he knew. It’s too late for so many things.
Tempted: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance Page 30
