My stomach churns.
“We gotta talk,” the shorter black guy says. “Private like.”
“Heidi, take her outside,” Guy gestures toward the balcony doors.
I blink hard, wishing they’d take me to my bedroom. My heart races as I consider this. I’ve been trying to think of how to get to my room since this started. Because I’m hoping there’s still a gun there. Two guns. One in the nightstand and one under Killian’s desk.
There’s a door in our bedroom that leads out to the balcony, but I’m sure it’s locked. If Heidi takes me out there, how quickly could I find my way into the master bedroom where I can get to one of Killian’s guns?
Did he put them back there after the drama when Ray escaped from the basement? Will I break in there and risk making my captors angry only to find there’s no guns?
There’s a heavy cast iron lifter hanging from that barbeque outside, under the cover. Could I use that to knock Heidi out and then break the window before they notice me? I could just make her yell though, not knock her unconscious and then it could go worse. And now there are three men here, not just Guy. What if I push her off the balcony? The idea is abhorrent. I can’t believe I’ve even pondered it.
“It’s cold out there. Why don’t you guys go into one of the other rooms?” Heidi asks.
“Actually,” I ask, “Could I possibly go to my room and get my bag? I have my morning sickness suckers in there and I’m feeling like I really need one.”
“She’s pregnant?” Heidi laughs hard. A little maniacally, too. “You should demand double.”
Guy’s gaze swings to me, as do the eyes of the other two guys.
Shit. I certainly don’t want my pregnancy complicating all this further, but I have to find a way to get to the bedroom.
“He made my sister abort his baby and that made her spiral. You’re carrying his baby?” Guy asks.
My stomach drops.
He grinds his teeth as he shakes his head, looking like he’s even angrier.
Heidi gestures to the counter where my purse sits and moves toward it. “I’ll grab your suckers.”
“That’s my purse. I have an overnight bag in my room that has my suckers and my ginger nausea medication. I’m feeling really nauseous,” I tell Heidi.
“Watch her closely,” Guy says, “And stay there and I’ll tell you when to come out. No fucking around or Heidi will shoot you in the stomach. You hear?”
I rise.
“Eyes on her at all times, Heidi,” Guy warns.
57
Killian
Wes left the party he was at, motoring over to my building in less than ten minutes when he got word of what was going down. He and Abe gained entry into the empty apartment underneath mine so they can scale up to the balcony and take those fuckers out.
I’m wishing the cops weren’t with me right now because I could handle these shitheads the way I see fit, but I’ll settle for the alternative if it means getting Violet safe.
I nearly lost my shit listening to Heidi talk about giving Violet that drug.
In addition to Carlson and Jagger being in my car with me, there are also cops in an unmarked vehicle getting in through the underground parking garage. Stairwells will be blocked and so will the lobby.
There’s no way anyone is getting out of that building without going through the police or one of Jag’s men. It’s a good thing we’ve got all this extra manpower with us at Numbers and Genesis because all available resources are being directed to efforts to get Violet safe and catch Ricci.
As I pull out of the Numbers parking lot amid the mayhem, the kitchen fire is out. Cops have Stephanie and her accomplice, a recent hire for the kitchen, with the Numbers money. The cops also have the van that tried to make off with the Genesis money, the dishwasher, and the two masked men, including the one that shot Tony.
I don’t have Tony’s status. I can’t think about that right now. All I can think about is getting to where my wife is before they hurt her. I can’t stop until I get to her. There’s no way I can allow them to hurt her or give her that drug mixture.
I cruise through all yellow lights all the way there so nothing slows me down, but it feels like a reminder all the way home. Amber lights. Caution. Possible danger.
***
11:50 PM
I get to the underground garage with Jag, Carlson, Ed, and a handful of other cops. I look at the app to see into my apartment and there’s Ricci and the two other guys still in the living room, huddled, arguing about whether to move Violet down to the apartment on the fourth floor because nobody knows about it. They’re trying to talk Ricci into upping the ransom amount because Violet’s told them she’s pregnant.