Page 129 of Dust to Dust

After I checked both ways, I eased the car out onto the street. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. We’d gone barely half a mile when the gun pressed harder into my skin. “Turn into the carwash parking lot.”

I did as I was told. When we coasted into an empty space, the man pulled the gun away from me. A shaky breath escaped my lips, and I fought to not start sobbing. “Get out of the car.”

Tears stung my eyes as I slid the gear into park. “P-Please don’t k-kill me,” I sobbed.

He smacked the gun against my skull, causing me to cry out in pain. “Stupid bitch, you’re no good to us if you’re dead.”

And then it hit me. This wasn’t some random kidnapping of a dancer. I’d been specifically targeted because I was Quinn’s girlfriend. His fear had come true.

I held my hands up. “Okay, I’ll get out of the car.”

As I opened the door, he kept his gun trained on me. I don’t know why. There was nowhere I could’ve run to that he couldn’t have caught me. The four or five businesses were dark and closed for the night.

Once I stood outside the car, he demanded, “Give me your phone.”

Reluctantly, I reached back inside the car. I would’ve given anything in that moment to have had one of my father’s guns. Dating Quinn had lured me into a false sense of security.

When I handed it to the man, he slammed it to the ground. I shrieked in horror when his large boot stomped it to pieces. With an evil smile, he replied, “Can’t have anyone following us.”

I covered my mouth to keep the screams from escaping. I desperately wanted to pinch myself and find this was all just a horrible nightmare. But I knew I would get no respite if I tried.

He motioned to the backseat. “Get in.”

Just as I started to bend over, he slammed the butt of the gun against the back of head, causing darkness to envelop me.

Chapter Thirty Two: Quin

After I got down to the docks, Callum walked over to meet me. To my surprise, our uncle Seamus was with him. “Jaysus, look what the cat dragged in,” I mused with a smile.

He grinned. “I’ve not been stateside for more than a day and have to come bail you guys out.”

“Bullshit,” Callum mused.

Shortly before Caterina’s kidnapping, Seamus had gone back to Belfast to work with the Kavanaugh clan there. With only Eamon left in Ireland with Mam and Maeve, there wasn’t a real presence to unify the Belfast and Boston clans. He’d also worked on further connections by traveling to Moscow to find us some Russian allies as well as going back to Sicily.

After I exchanged a hug with Seamus, he pulled away to wink at me. “I’ve got several lasses lined up for potential marital alliances. All tried and true Belfast gals. Although if you’d prefer, there’s several Sicilian gals we could work with, too.”

His words had the same effect as if he punched me in the stomach or kicked me in the balls. “Surely this explosion is far more important than marrying Quinn off,” Callum remarked.

I threw a grateful look his way to which he nodded. Seamus, however, was undaunted. “As precarious as everything is at the moment, it’s as good a time as ever to mention it.”

Thankfully, the head of the port authority strolled up then. After speaking with him, we reached out to our contacts in the police and media to ensure it was kept as quiet as possible. We alerted the Nerettis of what had gone down. Rafe said he would be down in the morning to meet with us about Mikita.

Once we’d done everything we could at the docks, we headed home. On the way, I opened up the app for Isla’s security system. A quick glance showed me she’d arrived home safe and sound.

When we got home, I went upstairs and took a shower. I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I didn’t expect to get much sleep, but I did lie down anyway.

I woke up shortly before eight to the smell of bacon. With my stomach grumbling, I headed downstairs to see what Lorna had prepared. I found Dare already at the table with a heaping plate.

“Why weren’t you at the docks last night?” I questioned.

“I was at a business dinner with members from the gaming commission.”

“Until two am?”

With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he replied, “One of the commissioners invited me home for a nightcap.”

“I hope you rocked her world enough to get the green light for the casino.”

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