Page 37 of Captivated with Them

Chapter Sixteen

Kodee

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THE FOLLOWING MORNING, a knock came at the door.

We were eating breakfast at the table, exhausted from a lack of sleep, but forcing ourselves to try to stick to a normal routine as much as possible. Neither of us really had a decent appetite, but we needed to eat to keep up our strength.

I shot Ryan a look. We weren’t expecting anyone and the Capellos’ men weren’t due to come back yet. I wished I still had my gun. I felt wide open and exposed having to go and see who was at the door without it.

“Wait,” Ryan said and wheeled himself to the kitchen. He pulled one of the large chef knives I was so fond of out of the knife rack and placed it onto his lap before pulling his shirt up over to hide it.

I nodded at him—one single jerk of my chin, telling him I was ready, and so should he be.

Together, we went to the front door. I leaned in to check the small peephole that gave me a view of the hallway. To my surprise, Frankie Capello stood outside.

“It’s Frankie,” I told Ryan.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “What does he want? I hope he doesn’t think the passports will be ready yet. We’ve barely slept as it is.”

“I guess we’re going to find out.”

Generally, Frankie Capello’s presence was never a good thing. I sucked in a breath and opened the door.

“Mr. Capello,” I said. “What brings you to us today?”

I managed to remain polite and civil, though deep down I imagined taking the knife Ryan had hidden on his lap and jamming it straight into the bastard’s throat.

“I have something for you.” He jerked his chin to someone farther down the hallway, just out of sight.

To my surprise, Rue was shoved forward, one of Frankie’s men behind her.

“Rue!” I exclaimed, my heart soaring.

What was happening here? Had Frankie had a change of heart and decided to give her back to us? I could hardly believe it. Maybe it would only be until the trial, which was only a couple of days away now, but it was still something. I exchanged a smile of disbelief with Ryan, but something about his expression made me tamp down my enthusiasm.

I reached for her, wanting to pull her into my arms, but Frankie’s guy jerked her back again. The little cry she gave reconjured thoughts of stabbing people with knives.

“Not so fast,” Frankie said. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

I frowned but didn’t take my eyes off Rue. I wished she could hear my thoughts. We love you. It’s okay. We’ll figure this out. Everything is going to be okay.

“What do you mean?” I said instead.

“She’s not here because we are giving her back to you. She’s here because she needs the same as what you did for the other two girls.”

My stomach dropped. “A passport. You want us to make her a passport?”

It was something we had been planning on doing for some time now, but not like this, not so Frankie fucking Capello benefited from it. There was only one reason for him to want Rue to have a passport. It was because he wanted her to be sold on like the other girls.

Ryan spoke up before I could.

“You’re not selling Rue,” he snapped. “She’s ours. You were supposed to give her back to us once she’d testified.”

Frankie frowned and pursed his lips. “I don’t remember that ever being agreed.”

“Yes, it was,” Ryan argued. “After she’d testified. We were getting her back again. She’s payment for Dylan’s work, remember?”

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