Page 90 of Sweet Revenge
She frantically typed a reply.Where?
When the address came through, she cycled through the map in her head, trying desperately to place it so she would know what she was getting herself into. That had to be out near Callahan warehouses. Who the fuck was this?
She put the car in reverse and turned back toward Glenmore House. Declan would throw the full weight of the syndicate at whoever had taken one of his own. Her phone dinged again.
Come alone or she dies.
She jerked to a stop, eyes darting up the road. It wasn’t far. She could make it back in less than five minutes if she booked it. But she had no idea who she was dealing with or what kind of eyes they might have on her.
Going into this alone and without backup or even knowing who she was up against was stupid, but not showing up alone could potentially put Maura in even more danger, and she couldn’t take that chance. Maura was supposed to be leaving for her honeymoon today. James would notice her absence and go right to Declan. She had to hope that would be enough.
Tick Tock.
With one last glance through the trees, Evie cut the wheel and sped off in the opposite direction. Her mind raced as she drove. If Peter was dead, who had kidnapped Maura?
The address was on the edge of the city, and she almost missed it, swerving into an unpaved lot, tires spitting gravel as she slammed on her brakes. The lot was empty save for a squat beige building that stretched from one end to the other.
It was a single-story, unused and run down from the looks of the flapping siding and paint peeling at the windows. It sat at the end of a row of similar buildings, most of them warehouses, some of them offices. The street was quiet, no signs of people or cars. It was eerie.
She gripped the steering wheel with clammy hands. James had to know by now that Maura was missing. Which means if he hadn’t told Declan yet, he was on his way. If she could distract whoever had Maura inside long enough to give him time to catch up, Maura might have a chance. They both might.
She inhaled sharply through her nose, slowly blowing the breath out between her lips. Leaning over the console, she pressed the button for the glove box and pulled out the gun she’d been keeping there since coming back to Philly.
Flipping off the safety, she stepped out of the car. There seemed to be only one way in, and although it was impossible to tell how far back the building stretched from this angle, she didn’t want to waste time walking the perimeter.
Resolved, she jogged across the lot toward the door, slowly, quietly swinging the door open and stepping inside. It smelled musty, and every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust, more dust floating across the shrinking shaft of light from the closing door.
A single hallway branched off from what looked like a reception area, and she followed it, her heart pounding in her ears as she swept her gun through each room to clear it. Reaching the end of the hallway, she had the option to go right or left, and she cursed. She didn’t want to waste precious time going in the wrong direction.
When a single shot rang out, echoing through the building, she spun toward the sound as terror squeezed her. She took off at a dead run to the left, her pounding feet kicking up more dust, choking her as she fought for air against the fear.
The hallway opened up into a big room that might have once been a storage area, but it was empty now. Only one chair sat at the far end of the expanse of concrete and carpet. Maura, arms and legs bound, slumped over in it, unmoving.
A choked sob escaped her lips as Evie raced across the floor, dropping to her knees in front of her friend. Oh God. Oh God. Please be alive. She reached up to feel for a pulse. There, that was it, wasn’t it?
Maura groaned, and she trembled with relief. Still alive. But losing blood fast from a wound in her side. Evie whipped off her jacket, pressing it against the wound to try and stop the bleeding, and Maura groaned again.
“Evie,” she said, her voice weak and thin. “Tell James I love him, okay?”
She shook her head. “You’re going to be fine.”
Maura attempted a smile, but it was more a grimace as Evie pressed the wound harder. “I won’t. I’m an ER nurse, remember?”
“Maura, tell me what to do,” Evie pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I think we’re well past that,” Maura said.
“Don’t say that. Hey, open your eyes,” Evie said when Maura’s head tipped forward. “Don’t you dare die on me, Maura Elizabeth.”
“Oh, leave her.”
Evie jolted at the voice that echoed in the empty room.
“I did her a favor. Marriage is just another, slower way to die.”
Rising, Evie reached for the gun she’d dropped to the floor, finger slipping to rest against the trigger. Slowly she turned to face her parents’ murderer.
“Hey, sis.” Nessa flashed a cold grin, taking a step forward. “Oh, man, you should really see the look on your face. You’re all—” Nessa mimed anger and shock with a humorless chuckle.
