by Sophia Gray
I glared at him. “Pepper is my lab. I know she was with me. What did you do with her?”
Richard shrugged. “I have no use for mutts. Don’t accuse me of anything too sinister.” He smiled at me as he drew himself back up to his full height. “It’s not as though I’d do anything malicious to your pooch, Audrey. Or you, so behave.” He grinned at me again, and my stomach turned over.
“Boss,” Sergei said suddenly. He tapped his wrist.
“Darn, I was almost enjoying this little talk of ours. You stay well, Audrey,” he said casually. “Depending on Enzo’s response, hopefully, you’ll see me sooner than later.” He winked at me. “Wouldn’t want you getting too cold now.” He turned to Sergei. “Gag her,” he said in a sharp voice. Then I watched Richard Hodges walk away.
Sergei came at me with a roll of duct tape and something clutched in his fist. When he bent down in front of me, I realized in horror that he was about to gag me with a sock. I screamed as he put his hands close to my mouth. Clamping my lips shut, I glared at him. Sergei shook his head.
“Open mouth.” He glared back at me.
I shook my head. Finally, Sergei reached forward and clamped his strong fingers around my nose. My lungs ached immediately, but I twisted and writhed against him, hoping to free myself. Sergei’s light eyes bored into mine, and I shivered with the intensity of his gaze. Finally, I couldn’t keep my lips shut any longer, and I opened my mouth.
Sergei stuffed a foul-tasting sock inside, sealing my mouth with duct tape. When he was done, all I could do was make weak, gurgling noises.
Sergei grinned down at me as he got to his feet and brushed his hands off on his jeans. “Stay,” he commanded, pointing down at me. My cheeks reddened, and I scowled beneath my duct-tape gag. He was treating me exactly the way I treated Pepper when she misbehaved.
Finally, Sergei strolled out of the warehouse with his hands in his pockets. Maika and the German shepherds stayed behind, watching me balefully. I sighed through my nose and flopped back against the wood. My stomach was still upset, and for a horrible moment, I was afraid of gagging and puking again. But then I realized my stomach was probably empty by now—nothing left to throw up.
Closing my eyes, I begged myself not to cry. The tears were there, but I didn’t want to cry in front of Maika and the dogs. It would have been almost as bad as crying in front of Richard. Please, Enzo, I begged silently. Please come and save me soon. I don’t know what he’s going to do to me, but I’m so scared!
Chapter Thirty
Enzo
As soon as I printed out all of the statements from Seb’s careful work, I called Detective O’Brian. O’Brian had worked on Hodges’ case all those years ago, and while I knew that he wouldn’t exactly be pleased to see me, I felt that there was at least something valuable that I could offer him.
At the same time, I wasn’t exactly dying to speak to him. Anything I gave O’Brian reflected on my character as well, and I wasn’t about to be the guy who went to jail for bringing down the bigger criminal. And the kind of thing I was doing could very well put me in jail. After all, I wasn’t exactly blameless. I’d willingly worked with Richard all those years before. I didn’t know that he was doing anything illegal, like laundering money, but deep down, I’d always had the suspicion that he wasn’t as good of a guy as he pretended to be.
“Chicago Police Department, how may I help you?” The receptionist sounded bored.
“I need to speak with Detective O’Brian. Quickly, please.”
She sighed. “There’s no use rushing me, sir, we’re all in a hurry today.” The response was mechanical, as if she had to use it multiple times per day. “Hold, please.”
Before I could agree, I was put on hold. Sappy, instrumental music played in my ear, and I rolled my eyes and put my office phone on speaker. I was too tense to look away from the phone though. My foot kept tapping up and down, and my muscles were clenching so hard that my body was starting to ache. I didn’t like this. Not at all. I hated not having any idea what had happened to Audrey, and the longer I took to find out, the more bad shit could happen in the meantime.
“Sir, he’s in a meeting right now,” the receptionist said drolly. “Can I take a message?”
“No,” I snapped. “I’ll wait. I need to talk to him now. It’s very important—it’s about a case from a few years back.”
“Fine. Hold, please.”
Again, the music returned before I could even agree. By the time O’Brian picked up the phone, I was halfway to deciding that I was just going to walk down there and show him the files myself.
“This is O’Brian speaking.”
“This is Enzo Lennox calling. I need to speak with you about a Richard Hodges. You worked on his arrest a few years ago—white-collar crime. I don’t think he did time in prison, but he was close.”
“Oh yeah.” There was a chewing sound. “I remember. Real asshole of a guy. Real smug fuck.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling lost. “He’s threatening me, and I have financial statements that prove he laundered more money than was proven years ago.”
There was a pause.
“And how did you get that information?”
“I’d prefer not to say at this time,” I replied. Sweat broke out on my forehead, and I sighed. “Can we meet? I need you to go after him, I can’t wait any longer.”
“Why not? Kid, if something is goin’ on and you don’t tell the truth—”
“I can’t say right now, but trust me, please,” I begged. “This is really important.”
“I’ll meet you somewhere and take the information,” O’Brian said sharply. “And I won’t ask again. If this is what you say it is, then, well, I’ve been looking for this guy for a long time. And I—”
“Can we meet this afternoon?” I jumped out of my chair. “I can meet you outside of the station, or anywhere that works for you. This is important, and we have to get it taken care of now.”
There was another long pause. “I’m clear,” O’Brian said gruffly. “There’s a Starbucks in the Loop, across from the Randolph station. Meet me there in half an hour. And bring every single document you have, don’t leave anything behind. If I wanna get this guy, I need to have all the evidence you have.”
He hung up without giving me a chance to reply. Panic surged through me as I printed out extra copies of all the documents. I wasn’t giving Hodges a chance to get away, not this time. If O’Brian wouldn’t help me… well, I didn’t want to think about that. Not just yet. Not now.
With a quick exhale, I gathered together the papers and stuck the flash drive in my pocket. Seb had done a great job helping me out, and I wanted to make sure there was no way to implicate him. I knew that if I wound up sending him to jail, I could never count on him for another favor again.
My heart seemed to harden in my chest as I glanced around my office. Would O’Brian arrest me, too? Would this be the last time I was in LennoxCo as the CEO? What was going to happen to my company, especially if I couldn’t get to Richard in time?
And above all, Audrey’s name was pulsing in my head like the beat of a drum. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her pale skin, her brown hair, her blue eyes. I shuddered as I imagined Hodges hurting her, or making her cry, or doing anything to make her uncomfortable.
I swallowed. I’d never had these kinds of thoughts before. So stop it, I thought in irritation. Don’t waste time worrying about this girl when you have business to take care of.
The big clock outside my office chimed the half-hour mark. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I knew that it was time for me to go and meet O’Brian.
Chapter Thirty-One
I made it to Starbucks in just enough time. Traffic had been heavy. I’d set out in a black car from the office, but three blocks away, I’d hopped out and run with a leather attaché case containing the flash drive and the papers. It was cold outside, and the sun was shining, but I felt none of its warmth.
Finally, I rounded the
corner and burst into the Starbucks, panting and breathing hard. I was sweating under my wool overcoat, and I loosened the silk scarf at my neck before scanning the coffee shop for O’Brian.
When I saw him, I made a beeline for his table. He was seated at the back with a steaming cup in front of him. Even though it had only been a few years since the last time I’d seen him, he looked like he’d aged a lot. He was in late middle age, with salt and pepper hair, lots of lines on his face, and grim blue eyes.
“Enzo.” It was more of a statement than a greeting. We shook hands, and then I sat down, sliding the case across the table to him.
“This is for you,” I said with diplomacy. “And don’t ask how I got it.”
O’Brian raised his hands in the air. “I want to know, but you know how badly I’m dying to catch this bastard,” he replied as he flipped open the case and began flipping through the papers. “And what’s this?” He held up the flash drive.
“Electronic copies of everything. But I made paper copies so you could get to work on this straight away.”
O’Brian nodded.
“I want full immunity,” I said sharply. “As my present for complying and handing this stuff over to you.”
O’Brian frowned. “Enzo, you know I’d promise you that if I could. But right now, I’m not sure that I can. It depends on what’s inside, and what my superiors say.”
My heart sank. “I get it, but please try. You know I’m risking my neck by handing over these papers.”
O’Brian’s worn face looked into mine, and his blue eyes seemed to harden. “I know. And I’ll do my best. But right now, I can’t make any promises. It depends on what we find in here.” He patted the attaché case and tucked it into his bag.
I nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay.” My heart was pounding like a drum. “So, you guys are going after him today?”
O’Brian shrugged. “Probably not. It takes a while to get this paper pushed through the bureau, you know that. I’m not sure we’d be able to start anything until early next week, tops. Nothing before that, though.”
“You can’t move any faster than that?”
O’Brian narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Enzo, what’s the rush on this? What’s the big deal?”
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you,” I admitted. “But trust me, please. This is a bad situation, and I need your help.”
O’Brian stood up and sighed. He stretched. When I stood, I discovered that I was about a head taller than he was. In his police-issue boots, he was only slightly taller than Audrey. Just thinking about her name sent a bolt of warmth and panic through me. It was so easy to believe that she was back at the office, tucked away in some frumpy and lumpy garment, ignoring all social clues and typing loudly.
I shook my head.
“Enzo, what the hell is up with you?” O’Brian squinted at me. “I’ve never seen you look so stressed.” He laughed, putting his hands on his beer belly like it was something funny. “Normally you’re the slickest guy around. But right now, you look like a real mess.”
“Just find Hodges,” I snapped, putting on my sunglasses and scarf. “I have to go.”
When I got back in the black car, I didn’t go back to the office right away. I had my driver loop around the downtown area. I wanted to see where the car had crashed—if there was any evidence of wrongdoing. Or any evidence of Audrey, if it came to that.
“Just go around the block until I tell you to stop,” I instructed the driver. Rolling down the window, I braced myself against the bitter chill of the Chicago winter air. The pavement was clear save for a piece of gum here, a quarter there. The streets were much quieter than usual, especially for the middle of the day. I figured that everyone was inside, warming up at their desks. I cringed as the driver pulled up to the intersection where we’d been attacked. There was nothing on the ground, not even shards of tinted glass from the car.
“Stop here,” I instructed. The driver screeched to a halt, and I bolted out of the back seat, scanning the ground with my eyes. Even though I looked over every surface and sidewalk crack, there wasn’t anything that stuck out about the accident. Despite my almost-complete recovery from earlier, I was still sore and tired.
Looking at the ground over and over made me dizzy. Finally, I turned back to the car. There’s nothing there, I thought in defeat. Nothing I can use against Hodges, nothing I can use to find Audrey.
Something bumped into me, and I jumped back. “Excuse you,” I snapped under my breath, half-expecting a kid or an old person to be behind me. When I turned around, I was shocked what I saw.
Pepper.
Audrey’s mutt was sitting on the pavement and wagging its tail. Its pink tongue was hanging out of its mouth, and it actually looked glad to see me.
“Pepper?” I frowned, patting my thigh. “Is that you?” The dog barked again and then whined, pawing at the ground. Cautiously, I stepped closer, half-afraid that the dog would run off. But it didn’t, it sat there watching me. It was wearing a collar and a tag and a leash that had been ripped or cut halfway through the cord.
Sure enough, the tag read: Pepper.
I let out a sigh of relief and grabbed the dog’s collar, pulling it forward. Pepper whined but didn’t resist as I tugged it into the back seat of the car.
“You smell,” I complained.
Pepper panted in my face, drooling on my slacks. For a second, I wanted to push it onto the ground. Then I realized that the dog could actually be useful.
“Pepper, Audrey’s gone,” I said to the dog in a businesslike tone. “And we need to find her. Can you help me with that?”
Pepper barked in response.
“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’m so crazy that I’m working with a goddamn dog.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
I had the driver take me to a pet store, where I bought Pepper a replacement leather leash and matching collar, plus some dog treats and a little bowl. The clerk stared at me as I put everything on my charge card.
“What?” I snapped.
“Your dog,” the clerk said timidly. He put a hand up to his face and hid his zit-covered chin. “Your dog is a girl dog.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, so?”
“So, it’s a her, it’s not an it?”
I rolled my eyes as Pepper barked. “Shut up, you,” I told her, leaning over the counter. “Don’t try to tell me what my fucking dog is, asshole. Right now, I’m dealing with some serious shit.”
The clerk shrugged. “I just think she would appreciate not being called it,” he said as he handed me the bag with Pepper’s new leash and collar.
Pepper whined as I put the new leash and collar on her neck, leading her out of the store. The dog didn’t seem to know that I was a friend of her owner, yet she was going with me all the same.
“Some loyal man’s best friend you are,” I said, reaching down and ruffling her ears in the same way I’d seen Audrey do. Pepper whined and rubbed her head against my hand. She barked once, and I shook my head.
When we got back in the car, I directed the driver to take me to Audrey’s ruined apartment. Part of me was nervous that Hodges would be inside, but I knew that I had to look for Audrey. Pepper seemed to know the way—as soon as we were within a few blocks, she barked and pawed at the window until the driver rolled to a smooth stop outside of Audrey’s dilapidated building.
Leaving Pepper in the car, I leaped up the flights of stairs and pushed my way into the ruined kitchen. It smelled horrible in the apartment, and it was freezing cold. I realized that whoever had broken in had left food all over the kitchen floor and living room, as well as breaking every window in sight.
Nice place for Audrey to come home to, I thought as I pushed my way into the bedroom. That is, if she even comes home.
Shaking my head, I grabbed a pair of leggings that were draped over the back of a chair. I ran back outside and darted into the back seat of the car. Pepper leaped all over me and licked my face until I pushed her away in dis
gust.
“Don’t you know when you’re not wanted?”
Pepper whined.
“Smell these,” I ordered, holding the leggings under her nose. “Then we can find Audrey.”
Pepper sniffed obediently, then looked out the window and started to bark. I called up front to the driver: “Keep driving around until she stops barking. Then I’ll get out and look.” I knew it was a harebrained scheme, but right now I was desperate.
After O’Brian had told me that it could be up to a week before they started looking for Hodges, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Audrey wouldn’t be alive in a week. She only had a few precious hours left to go—that is, until I showed up and saved the day. I grinned, imagining Audrey plastering her soft body against mine and thanking me with a passionate kiss.
