Page 156 of My Mafia Queen

“Have you heard from her?”

“Uh… No.”

“Where are you?”

“It’s a long story. I’m driving to LA from Las Vegas. My boss is doing everything possible to locate Tina.”

“Your boss? The man who gives you money?”

“Yes. My boss.”

“He must be more than your boss.”

There’s no point in hiding the truth at this point.

“Yes. He is more than my boss. He has a lot of power, and he’ll find Tina. Right now, I need to pick you up. Can you look around and describe the place or the area you’re in?”

“I can do that.”

She groans quietly as she probably sets herself in motion.

“Can you walk?”

“Yes. But it’s difficult. I think I twisted my ankle.”

“How many men were there?”

“Three. Your ex and two of his buddies. I’ve never seen them before. They hit me hard before he tied me up.”

“What a dick. Are they gone?”

“It looks that way, which is strange. I was knocked out for a good half an hour before I heard my phone ring. They snatched it from me the first time I talked to you and kept it. And then it woke me when it rang again, which didn’t make sense. I thought they had it. My head hurts like hell… Okay. Here we go. This is the kitchen.”

“Where was your phone?” I ask suspiciously.

“On the nightstand. They put me on the bed. Stupid dicks,” she says, and I can’t wait to get her out of there. “Hmm… They must’ve left,” she murmurs.

“That’s strange.”

“It is, but I’m glad they’re gone. Maybe they needed to be someplace else. And maybe they didn’t need me anymore.”

“Yeah… Maybe,” I say, having a hard time believing that.

I put the car in drive and steer it onto the road.

“What were you doing at your place?”

“A neighbor texted me about a package. I hadn’t ordered anything, so I knew it was a mistake. But there was a package on the steps, and I picked it up and dropped it at my neighbor’s place before remembering that I had a cake recipe in a drawer in the kitchen. It was one of those heirloom recipes my granny handed down to me. I promise Tina I’d bake it for her.”

She pauses.

“She loves her sweets,” she says, and my eyes get misty.

“Yes, she does.”

“Okay,” she says curtly. “I’m looking outside. The street is quiet. There are no cars.”

“Can you walk out?”

---