Page 74 of Entangled in Them

“Away? You mean with those three men the Capellos put you up with?”

I clamped my lips shut, not willing to give them any information on Dillon, Kodee, and Ryan. Unease churned my stomach. Would the guys be in trouble? I realized staying silent wasn’t going to help them.

“They don’t know anything. They think I was just given to them as payment for a job. I didn’t tell them anything about what I saw.”

“Shut your mouth,” Troy snapped. “You didn’t see a thing.”

I huffed air out through my nose and scowled. “Sure, right. Whatever.”

We both knew that was a lie. It was because of what I witnessed only a month ago that I was in this position now.

“Where are you taking me?” I dared to ask.

He shot me a look out of the corners of his eyes. “Back to the house.”

“Why? What’s the point? Isn’t it easier to just kill me here?” I was challenging him, dangerously so. The Rue from before would never have done this, but now it seemed I couldn’t stop myself.

“We have to make sure first.”

I clenched my jaw. “Make sure of what?”

“That you didn’t tell anyone else what you saw.”

“I told you I didn’t.”

He shrugged. “Not good enough. We want to be certain.”

I knew what that meant. They would torture until I broke, but I’d stick by my story. I hadn’t told the guys for this exact reason.

We drove through the city, and I recognized the streets that led to Joe Nettie’s house—or at least one of his houses. I was sure he had properties all over the world, though he would have been clever enough to make sure they weren’t all in his name, in case a prosecutor’s office decided it was worth their while to seize his assets.

I glanced at the door handle, wondering if I could risk jumping from the car when we slowed at some lights, but Troy must have noticed my line of sight.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.

He lifted the hem of his jacket to reveal his gun. Of course, I’d already known they’d all be armed—these kinds of men always were—but still the sight of the weapon turned me cold. There really was a good chance I would die today, and I’d never seen Kodee, Ryan, or Dillon ever again.

How stupid I’d been. I hoped, one day, they’d forgive me.

We pulled up to a set of eight feet tall metal gates which blocked the huge property beyond from the rest of the city. My stomach twisted into knots at the sight of the place. I’d spent almost a year here as the entertainment for Joe Nettie and anyone else he wanted to impress. A wave of hot and cold rushed over me, and my forehead and upper lip prickled with sweat. Even though I knew Joe Nettie was no longer here, I still had a physical reaction to the place.

The guy in the passenger seat swiped his phone and pressed it to his ear. “Hey, it’s us. Open up.” He paused for a moment and then added, “Yeah, we’ve got her.”

Security was tighter than normal—and it had been tight before. Looked like the only way of opening the gates was from the inside now.

The men waited for the gates to open, but nothing happened.

“Fuck it,” said the man with the phone. “Something’s wrong with the gate mechanism.”

“Call them back. Get them to try it again.” Troy poked me in the side. “Don’t move. We’re all armed and more than happy to shoot you if you try to run. Got it?”

I pressed my lips together and nodded.

He opened the door on his side and climbed out of the car.

From somewhere behind us, a gunshot shattered through the air. Troy jerked forward and then dropped to the ground. A bullet had opened the back of his head, and dark splatters of blood covered the car window and the back of the seat. A scream burst from my lungs, and I huddled against the door closest to me, terrified I was about to be shot.

“What the fuck?” The guy in the passenger seat pulled his gun and twisted around to face the rear of the car. “Stay down,” he snapped at me.

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