In the center of the windowless room was Shane, sitting in a metal folding chair with his hands tied behind his back. Both his eyes were black and his lips were swollen. Niklaus stood beside him with a gun pointed to Shane’s head.
She twisted free of the man holding her and ran forward. The thug who had come through the door with Roman earlier caught her before she could get to her brother. Oh God. Please.
“You let a woman best you, Oleg.” Roman taunted the man she’d escaped. “Thankfully, Peter was here to help.”
Oleg glared at him but slinked back to the side of the metal door.
“Hand our guest over to me, Peter,” the balding, fat mobster said.
The thug passed her to Niklaus, who grabbed her by the arm. Peter then stepped back beside Roman.
Niklaus smiled. “Ms. Blue, I’m shocked to see you.”
Shane choked out, “Sis, you shouldn’t be here.”
“I came because of your text, Shane.”
“What text?”
The men holding Lucas and Mitchell pulled them behind her and to the side.
“Did you get your hands on a cell phone without my knowledge, Mr. Blue?” Niklaus slammed the butt of his gun into his face.
“Stop it,” she screamed, horrified by what she was witnessing.
“Father, Blue has never been left alone.” Roman moved on the other side of Shane, opposite Niklaus. “There is no way he could send a text to anyone.”
“That better be true, Roman.” Niklaus’s face darkened. “We need to wrap up our business here quickly and get back to your brother.” He placed the barrel of his gun at Shane’s temple.
“Don’t hurt him,” she pleaded, tears rolling down her face. “Please. Tell me what I can do to stop this.”
“Maybe you can help, Ms. Blue. I haven’t been able to get your brother to talk. With you here, I think he might…how do you say it in English…sing like a pigeon? Your brother has been working with an enemy of mine. You’ve heard of him, I’m sure. Mr. Kip Lunceford. Pity. Kip and I were friends once. But like everyone else, he wanted my diamonds.”
“I can’t believe this. Shane, tell me this isn’t true.” You can’t be mixed up with Lunceford, too. You just can’t.
Shane turned to her but didn’t say a word. She noticed he was twisting his wrists in the ropes. He was trying to get free.
The mobster laughed. “Roman, who are these other men?”
“Sheriff Wolfe’s brothers,” his son answered.
“Isn’t this my lucky day. I knew the sheriff would come looking for my diamonds, but I had no idea he would recruit his brothers to help.” Mitrofanov glared at Lucas and Mitchell. “The jewels aren’t here, boys. They are safe and being guarded by my other son, Anton. Too bad for you. Where is your brother, gentlemen?”
The metal door swung open, revealing Jason and Corey with their guns drawn.
Her first thought was how happy she was to see both of them, but the one that followed, the rational one, made her heart stop.
Outgunned and outnumbered.
Nothing had changed. Their chances of surviving Mitrofanov and his men were trifling.
“Sheriff Wolfe, I see you are joining the party,” Niklaus said. “As you can see, there are six of us and only two of you. Use your head and put down your weapons.”
“
Not on your life, Mitrofanov,” he said, his gun aimed directly at the mobster’s head.
Her heart thudded in her chest. Something was going to tip the scales and end this standoff. She couldn’t see how things would land in their favor.