Page 128 of Wine & Whiskey
19
Chapter Ninteen
Shae clawsat the fingers digging into her cheeks, fighting their merciless grip over her mouth. Cool, smooth metal presses against her temple, clashing with the hot adrenaline racing through her trembling body. Unaware she’s not alone listening to his heartfelt words, Nick reminds her of what she already knows. Now, she may never have the chance to tell him what he deserves to hear.
“I said get rid of him.”
She winces at the hardness of the voice in her ear before nodding. At the removal of his hand, she lifts her head, trying to fill her lungs, cheated from oxygen for too long. He thrusts the gun deeper into her skin at the delay, urging her to speak. She forces herself to protect Nick, to say the words that will break both of their hearts. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over. Please just go.”
“You don’t mean that.” Nick’s muffled, yet defeated voice comes through the closed bathroom door. “Shae?”
“I’ll kill him if you don’t get him to leave.” Another harsh whisper burns against her skin.
Her mind goes blank, all her acting skills useless with the man she loves in jeopardy. She can’t find the right words. She can’t do anything but hope he knows her heart more than he believes her words. “No…” Her voice cracks, ruining her attempt to sound calm. “No, thank you. I can’t do this tonight.”
“What?” The door knob rattles. “Are you okay?”
A small yelp escapes her mouth from her captor yanking her head back by the hair. Beads of sweat dribble down his forehead and dampen her cheek as he presses his head against hers. “Damn it! What are you doing? Fix it!”
She turns her head away from his slick skin and his reprimand. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“Who’s in there?” The pounding of Nick’s fist echoes through the room. “Open the fucking door!”
“Shit!” He hisses next to her face before jerking her backward toward the window, her heels scraping across the tile. Ripped out of the lock from the force of Nick’s foot, the door cracks across the middle before sagging on its hinges. The elbow around her neck tightens, and her fingernails scrape at his forearm, trying to relieve the pressure against her windpipe. Thoughts of Nick and their baby provide the only spark in her mind to fight the darkness engulfing her.
“Don’t make me hurt her. Back the fuck up.”
Rage contorts Nick’s face, his wide eyes reflecting her own shock at his cousin’s betrayal. His words spew out through clenched teeth. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Carter nods toward the door. “Implementing plan B. She’s step one. Now get the fuck out of the way.”
“Like hell I will.” Nick lunges toward him, but flails backward from the force of the bullet hitting him at close range. Blood gushes down his body as he bounces off the gouged drywall and drops to the floor.
Her scream ricochets across the tile, and she reaches for him, but Carter drags her past him. “Don’t follow us, or she’ll be next.”
Her mind races, trying to figure out how to reach through the madness consuming Carter, how to make him understand what he’s done to Nick. “Please, Carter. We can’t leave him like this.”
They stumble down the hallway, framed memories of her career crashing to the floor as they graze against the wall. Mementos, once seemingly so important, now worthless. She arches away from him, but he yanks her closer. “Come on.”
She grasps his shirt and tries to meet his gaze. With all they’ve been through, Nick’s never needed her more than this moment. “I’m begging you. Please let me help him.”
The gun presses deeper into her ribs as he opens the side door and jerks her into the garage. He pauses to release the hood on her SUV and yanks out a small gray box from the tire well. After tossing it on the ground, he crushes it with his foot. “That’ll give us a little bit of a head start.” Cold and methodical, he lacks any emotion or remorse. As if he handed Nick a file rather than riddled him with a bullet.
“You just shot him! Don’t you even care?”
“Shut up!” His whisper is more unnerving than if he yelled. He opens the passenger side door and pushes her inside. “If you try to alert the guards, my next shot will kill him.”
The empty expression on his face contrasts with the loaded threat he issues. He hops in the driver’s seat and throws the car in reverse. In the driveway, he nods at the security detail, all unaware their boss lies bleeding inside. He rolls down the window a few inches and motions to Oscar. His voice and demeanor convey confidence, yet his grip tightens and loosens around the gear shift, revealing his anxiety. “Nick asked me to take Shae to her manager’s office. We’ll be back in a few minutes. No need for an escort.”
Oscar frowns and glances back toward the house. “Are you sure? Mr. DeMarco gave strict orders she’s never to leave without—”
“You think I’m going to let anything fucking happen to her? Nick trusts me.”
The irony burns her face like a match. Nick did trust him, and his reward is a gunshot wound and kidnapped girlfriend. Tears fill her eyes at the thought of Nick lying helpless on the floor. She bites her lip to keep from screaming at Oscar for help. All she can hope is that Nick knows how much she loves and believes in him.
Oscar shrugs his shoulders, recognizing the danger of arguing with the second in command. “Okay. Mr. James. See you in a few.”
They drive down the street, passing four black SUVs parked nose to end in front of her house. An obvious indication of the security protecting her, for any enemy who may doubt it. Never dreaming a traitor would emerge from within Nick’s inner circle, she can’t make sense of Carter’s betrayal. After a lifetime of proving his loyalty to Nick and the business, what would make him suddenly turn against everything he’s ever known?
