I hear muffled voices while he shouts out orders to several people. When he comes back, he asks, “Where’s Evelyn?”
I’m on the highway now. “Fucking seminar I told you about.”
“Shit. That’s right. I pulled my guy from that.”
“I’m on my way there now.” Though I can’t seem to get there fast enough. The car in front of me is going too slow. I speed around it.
“Son of a bitch,” my boss mutters. He shouts more instructions at whoever’s nearby, then he’s back again. “Got two guys on their way to the hotel now.”
I tap the damn steering wheel nervously as I exit the highway and come to a stoplight. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. If anything happens to her…
“Marshall, you still there?”
“I’m pulling up to the hotel now. I’ll get back to you.” I end the call as I squeal into a parking spot and barely take the time to turn off the engine before running full speed toward the hotel. I don’t give a single fuck that I look ridiculous. I keep jogging until I reach the entrance to the large conference room where Eve should be.
I open the door and slip inside, begging God to let her be here. Innocently listening to the presentation. Not on a plane to the Middle East.
I scan the room, but I can’t find her. My heart rate increases with each passing second. My gaze lands on her boss at the same time he spots me. He holds up a finger and quietly eases past everyone in his aisle, heading toward me.
I step back into the corridor as he reaches me. “Where’s Eve?” I ask.
“She took a call and then left the room. Said she’d be right back.”
“When was that?”
“Maybe ten minutes ago.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“I thought it was over. I thought you caught the guy?” He’s rubbing his forehead. “What’s going on?”
I’m already jogging away from her boss. “I’ll explain later. Gotta find her. Parking garage?”
He points to the left. “You think she’s in trouble?”
I think she’s as good as dead if I don’t find her.
I run toward the parking garage, praying that’s where Owen or Bates would have taken her. I suspect Owen is the one who has her now. She would leave her seminar for him if he asked her. She knows him. She trusts him.
The moment I burst through the door leading to the parking garage, I hear shouting. I rush in that direction. I can’t see anything yet. It’s around the corner, but the words I hear make my blood boil.
“Let her go. You’re cornered. There’s no way out of this.”
Who the hell is talking? I run harder, gun drawn now.
“He’s right, Bates. Let her go. It’s over. If you hurt her, you’re only going to make things harder on yourself.” I know that voice. It’s Owen’s.
I come to the corner, knowing exactly where the voices are coming from now. I don’t want anyone to see me yet, so I glance around the edge of the wall to survey the situation.
“Fuck you, you pussy. And fuck you for not sticking with the plan. Are you the one who called the cops on Tony? I bet you were. Tony never should have brought you in on the deal.”
“There never was a deal, Bates. I was drunk that night. I told you I didn’t want anything to do with your little scheme the next morning. I can’t believe you went through with this. It’s over. Fucking let her go, Bates.”
I have about two hundred questions, but I’ll have to ask them later from whoever is left standing when this is over.
I squat down so they can’t see me and inch between two cars. A man I’ve never seen has his gun trained on Bates. He’s dressed in casual street clothes, but he’s confident and seasoned. He knows what the fuck he’s doing. And since he seems to be on my side, I’ll figure that out later.
Owen has no weapon. He’s holding his hands up in supplication.
Bates has Eve plastered to his chest, his arm around her neck. He’s waving a gun erratically as he backs up, dragging Eve with him.
Her eyes are bugged out with fear. She’s gripping Bates’s forearm, probably because he’s cutting off her air supply. She’s tripping over her heels.
I don’t have a clear shot of anything yet, nor would I risk shooting at Bates with him moving around so much. I just hope her other guardian angel has the same sense.
Bates keeps backing up. Where the fuck is he going? When he grabs the handle of the SUV next to him, I realize it’s his vehicle. Shit. He yanks the door open. Not a chance in hell I’m going to let him take Eve out of this garage, so I aim at the rear tire closest to me and shoot.
The sound of the gunshot ricochets all over the garage, forcing everyone to turn in my direction. I’ve ducked back out of sight though.
“Fuck,” Bates shouts. “Who the fuck is shooting? Show your damn face, asshole, or she takes a bullet to the head right now.”
I rise from my squatted position, gun raised, aimed at Bates. “Let her go, Bates. Owen is right. If you hurt her, you’ll be in a hell of a lot more trouble.”
“You,” he yells. “Her fucking bodyguard. Left her alone this morning, didn’t you?” He laughs sardonically. “She’s coming with me, so back the fuck off right now. All of you. It’s your only option. If you fuck with me, she dies.”
I inch forward, keeping my gun on Bates’s head. If that fucker would just stand still.
“You can’t get out of this,” the mystery man declares. He’s a big guy. Over six feet. Dark hair cut military short. Civilian clothes.
“Psst.”
I glance behind me to find Davis in the spot I just vacated. His piece is in his hand too. He makes hand motions to indicate he’s going around to the other side.
I nod. How the hell did Davis know to come here?
