I woke up when the melted ice slipped off my ribs and hit the floor. The bruise was survivable and I was annoyed I’d let myself give in to it even for a minute. Maybe Kya had slipped me a sleeping pill along with the aspirin. It had nothing to do with the relief I felt at seeing her safe back in her hotel room.
The crazy girl had showed up at a bare-knuckle boxing match to tell me she had followed the criminals blackmailing me. I sat up and shook my head. No wonder I could not relax until she was behind locked doors. I could imagine her following the two thugs into the boxing match. She must have stuck out like real gold in a sea of rhinestones.
I got up and went toward the master bedroom. Our whole conversation had been foggy, but I remembered her saying one thing – it was me, not my business, she was interested in. The thought smoldered, and I had to hear her say it again. I needed her lips on mine.
The room was dark, but it was easy to see the snow-white duvet was undisturbed. I forgot about my stiff muscles and marched through the entire suite. Kya was gone.
I rushed back out to the living room and stopped cold. The white card from my private gym was gone. A smile cracked my split lip, but I grimaced more at Kya than the pain. She did not know that I wanted her safe more than I wanted my stuff. I worried that I had missed a call from my sister, but Dana Maria was tough – tougher than me. And, she had not accidentally flirted with the very criminals set on making me lose my next fight.
I racked my brain for the private gym's address and told the first cabbie I could find. He drove me there without a word. The concierge frowned at my appearance, but recognized me and let me in without hesitation.
"Was a woman here? About 5'5", coppery hair," I swept my hands over the curved outline of Kya's body.
"Yes. About a half an hour ago. She collected your things and left. She had your card. I thought you sent her. I'm so sorry, Mr. Morris," the concierge said.
"No, don't worry. You did the right thing. It's just she hasn't come back yet. Did you see her get in a cab?" I asked. Rising panic throttled my throat.
"I would have called her a cab, sir. She left before I could. Then, her friends picked her up."
"Her friends?" I asked. I lunged across the white desk and caught the already red-faced concierge by the collar. "What friends?"
"In a black town car. I don't know. A man in a suit and his driver. Some tall guy in black pants and a black shirt," he choked out.
"She went with them willingly?" I asked.
"I couldn't tell, sir. Wait, do y
ou think they took her? I stood here and watched her get kidnapped?" Tears sprung to his eyes, and I realized the concierge was just a young man, maybe not even 22.
"It's fine, you're fine. Don't say a word." I released him and he crumpled onto the desk. "You hear me? Everything is fine and you are not going to say a word."
"But, sir…"
"I'm serious. I know where she is, and you can bet your ass I'm going to get her back," I said.
I turned to the door and swore. My cab had left.
"Take my car," the young man said. "Black Mustang out back. Looks like junk, but she drives fast."
I grabbed the car keys he held up and raced out the back door. The black Mustang roared to life and I tore through the back streets of Vegas. I turned the lights off and coasted along when I reached the other boxing gym. I was sure the owner knew the men trying to fix my fight. If he didn't know where they took Kya, the least he would know was how to contact them. I parked the car out of sight and rolled up my sleeves as I marched to the door.
The gym owner had the misfortune of walking out right as I charged in. I grabbed him by his shirtfront and slammed him against the plate glass window.
"Where is she? What have they done to her?" I asked.
"Nothing, I don't know. I mean, they won't do anything to her. She's leverage, right? If you lose the fight like they ask, then she'll be fine." He held up both hands and I saw them tremble.
I let go of his shirt with one hand, intended to pound more information out of him, but my phone rang. "Hello?"
"Mr. Morris, I don't think I've ever formally introduced myself. My name is Mr. Winchester."
I recognized the sly voice of the man in the suit. "What have you done with Kya? I better hear her voice in the next 10 seconds," I said.
"Fenton? I'm sorry. I was just trying to do something nice for you, get your phone," Kya said.
"Did they hurt you? Where are you?" I asked.
"I'm fine, I'll be fine. Just stay away. Win your fight. They're not going to do anything to me," she said.