Page 47 of Pump Fake

I turned away from the field and strolled the rest of the way to where I’d parked near the back of the lot. My mind swirled with thoughts of Ares—he’d texted, asking if I would be back for dinner. Rather than grab food at the college, he planned to eat at the condo with me, then he would head back to watch tape for a while. For the small amount of time I’d spent at his place, I could feel us falling into somewhat of a routine, and I wasn’t upset about it. Not in the least.

A long black SUV pulled in, driving too fast for a school parking lot. I slowed as it neared, stopping to cut me off. The back door opened, and my blood ran cold when a man with slick black hair and a very nice suit stepped out. Two huge guys followed, flanking him. I didn’t need an introduction to know who he was—Anthony Canino of the Canino crime family.

“Seize her,” he ordered, and the two goons grabbed me.

When I screamed, a meaty hand clamped over my mouth before I was shoved into the back of the car.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ARES

Ipressed the phone to my ear while Preston yelled unintelligibly. Resting my arm over the car’s open doorframe, I stood in the athletic parking lot after practice, trying to calm him down so I could understand him.

“I don’t know what to do!” Preston shouted for the third time.

I waved to Nick, our rookie defensive end who’d been killing it on the field lately, when he shouted see ya later. “About what, P? You’re not giving me any details.”

“They took her!” he shouted, and everything in me went cold.

But I had to make sure. I kept my voice level, despite my rising panic. “Who is ‘they,’ and who is ‘her,’ bud?” I tried again to make sense of what he was upset over as I climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the engine over.

“Miss Sinclair!”

He had my undivided attention. “What about Brielle?”

“Some guys took her away in a car.” He sounded like he was hyperventilating.

I needed him to calm down so I could get the information. “Give me details. Where are you?”

“At your condo. I tried calling a bunch of times, but you didn’t answer, so I came here.”

Fuck.“I had practice.” I put the car in gear and forced myself not to slam my foot on the accelerator while in the athletic lot. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just hold tight.” I hung up and called Kylian.

When he answered, I relayed what Preston had told me. “I don’t have all the details yet, but I think the mafia has Brie. Can you grab Liam from the weight room and meet me at home? I think we’ll need help from Liam’s sister.” She was a detective and our best bet to get Brie back, if I understood my nephew correctly.

My palms were sweating as I gripped the steering wheel tightly. Every red light had me swearing at the delay. Five minutes later, I flew into the underground parking lot and slammed the car into park. Soon after, I burst through the door into the condo.

Preston paced in front of the island. “What took you so long?”

“Fucking lights.”

I grabbed his shoulders to hold him in place just as Kylian and Liam shoved through the door so hard it slammed against the wall. Before I could say anything, Liam held up his hand, his phone pressed against his ear. I hoped he was talking to his sister. We needed help fast.

When he hung up, he leveled me with a grim expression. “Fiona wants to meet with us.”

I nodded then focused back on Preston. “Tell me everything.”

“There were three of them, all wearing suits.” Preston shifted from one foot to the other, still in his football clothes. His hands threaded behind the back of his neck in a tight grip while he scrunched his forehead, remembering. “Oh, there was a wickedscar over the older guy’s eyelid, and it drooped a little. The other two looked like they answered to him, big guys with a lot of muscle. One of the muscle guys grabbed her. When she screamed, the muscle holding her covered her mouth then shoved her in the car. They got in and took off.”

“Did you get the license?” I asked as Liam and Kylian crowded around us.

“No. I couldn’t see the license plate. It was too far away. It happened in the school parking lot, and I was headed to the locker room after practice.”

“Did anyone else see? Your teammates?” Kylian asked.

“No. I was later than everyone else ’cause I stayed back to helped Coach pick up stuff on the field. And he didn’t walk with me ’cause he got a phone call.”

“That’s okay,” I tried to reassure him. “You did amazing. Did you tell anyone else?”

---