CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ariana
I WOKE UP to darkness. The stench of old pizza and stale beer assaulted my nose, making me nauseous. My mouth was so full of cotton, I could have spit out the threads for an entire T-shirt. The floor beneath me lurched forward and I tried to catch myself only to discover that my arms were tied behind my back. Mind racing, I struggled to figure out where I was and how I’d gotten there.
The last thing I remembered was leaving work with Harlow. We were going to hang out, and I was excited and happy.
And then the needle.
“That bitch drugged me,” I muttered.
“She sure did,” someone said. A woman. I spun my head around, searching for the source of the voice. The dark, fuzzy outline of a woman sat beside me. “You really should be more selective about your friends. And your lovers.”
The way she said lovers made my spine tingle and the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Was she Bones’s jealous ex-girlfriend? Or worse, a current girlfriend. My eyes struggled to focus, desperate to see her face, but I could barely make out her long dark hair, the curve of her body, and the whites of her eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“No one that you need to worry about. We won’t be together long enough to get friendly.”
“So, why am I here? What do you want from me?”
“From you? Nothing. I just need to have a little chat with my brother, and you were the best way to assure he listens and doesn’t kill me first.”
“Bones?” I asked.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?” she asked.
If my hands were free, I’d be tempted to slap the condescending bitch right across the face. “Bones wouldn’t kill his sister.”
“He killed Matt.”
That name perked my ears up. “Matt Deter?”
She nodded. “Yep. At least, I’m assuming Bones killed him. He and Angel were the last two people seen with Matt and he’s been missing ever since.”
Bones had killed Matt. A part of me had been expecting that outcome, but I was still shaken up about it. Sure, Matt had been an asshole, but we’d had some good times. I didn’t want him dead. My throat started to burn.
“Do you have any water?” I croaked.
She reached into a cooler and grabbed a bottle, unscrewing the top and holding it up to my mouth. Some dribbled down my chin and onto my shirt, but between the two of us we managed to get enough down my throat to cool the burn. I thanked her as she capped the bottle and put it away.
Then I felt stupid for thanking her after she’d been such a bitch and had me drugged and kidnapped.
The floor lurched forward again.
My brain fog was beginning to dissipate, so I looked around, trying to get my bearings. We were in some sort of van with no side windows. The headlights of cars behind us were shining into the back window. A dark-haired man was driving, with another man in the passenger’s seat. I tried to look out the front window, but couldn’t see much beyond road and cars.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Out of the city so Bones can find us without the interference of those Mariani bastards.” She held up my phone. “What’s the code to unlock this thing?”
Wondering if I should give it to her, I hesitated.
“I’m sure he’s tracking it by now, anyway. I could just wait until he calls again and answer it. That’s how I talked to him the first time.”
Since it was obviously useless to resist, I rattled off the code and she plugged it into the phone before dialing and putting it up to her ear.
“Are you on the way?” she asked. “Good. Are you alone? Make sure you’re not followed, Bones. I don’t want to shoot your girl, but I will if I have to.” Her gaze cut to me. “Yeah, she’s awake. Give me a sec and I’ll put you on speaker.” She fiddled with the phone, holding it between us as she asked, “Bones, you there?”
“Yes. Ari?”
Hearing his voice made my eyes burn and my throat constrict.
“Ari, you okay?” he asked, his voice panicked.
“Yes.” I swallowed past a sob. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“I’m coming for you. Just do what Natalia says and I’ll be there before you know it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a sister?” I asked, glancing at who I assumed was Natalia. “Especially one who kidnaps people.”
Before he could answer, she clicked him off speaker and put the phone to her ear. “There. You heard her, she’s fine. She’ll stay fine as long as you show up alone. There’s a campground right before you get to Railroad Pass. We’ll be waiting in the parking lot.” Natalia disconnected the phone and set it in her lap.
“You sure this is wise?” the driver asked. “We’ll be like sitting ducks. If he doesn’t come alone, we’ll be screwed.”
“I’ve been watching Bones for a while,” Natalia replied. “He’ll come alone.”
“Are you gonna hurt him?” I asked.
“You need to shut up now,” she replied, settling back in her seat. “You’re getting on my nerves.”
I started to argue, but the man in the passenger’s seat shifted his gun, glancing at me over his shoulder. I clamped my mouth closed and stared out the front window.
We eventually pulled off the main road and into a small campground. There, the driver cut the engine and we waited until Bones’s blue Jeep came barreling into the parking area.
“He’s alone,” the driver announced.
“Good,” Natalia replied. “Signal him over.”
The passenger rolled down his window.
Seconds later, I heard Bones’s voice say, “Where’s Ari?” He sounded out of breath, but otherwise okay.
Natalia slid the side door open, bathing the interior of the van in light as she revealed us to Bones. She had a pistol aimed at him. “Hello, brother. Hand over your weapons. Slowly.”
He looked past her, locking gazes with me. “You okay?”
I nodded.
“We need to get out of here before the Marianis show up,” Natalia said. “Are we doing the exchange or not?”
“Give me a second to make sure she has a ride,” Bones said, fiddling with his phone.
“What about your Jeep?” Natalia asked.
“I disobeyed orders when I came out here, remember?” he asked, anger flashing in his eyes. “Thanks for that by the way. I’m not sending her back in my Jeep. Not with Carlo as hot as he is. She needs protection.”
“How do I know you’re not calling in backup?”
“Guess you’re gonna have to trust me, sis.”
“Or I could force you into this van at gunpoint.”
“You could try,” Bones replied, flashing her a terrifying smile. “But trust me, you’d rather have me come willingly. I’m sick of all the lies and games. This shit is between me and you and I’m willing to come with you and hear what you have to say, but I’m gonna make damn sure Ari is taken care of first. I’m not leaving her ass out here in the dark, unprotected, without a fuckin’ ride that I trust.”
The two stared each other down for an intense moment before Natalia nodded, her expression softening. “You’re so much like him. The way you talk, the way you move, it’s like seeing him again. He was protective of my mother, too.”
Bones’s eyes only hardened as he finished typing out his message. “Cool, because the bastard abandoned my mom for yours,” he snapped. “I’m nothing like him. Cut her free.”
Natalia hesitated.
The passenger aimed his gun at Bones.
Bones took a deep breath. “I swear to fuckin’ Christ, I don’t care how many guns you have in this car, I will lose my shit if you don’t cut her lose. I’m the one you want.” He held out his hands. “You got me, but you need to decide if you want me to come quietly, or if you want me to lose my fuckin’ cool and rip this van in half.”
“Hand over your weapons and I’ll cut her free,” Natalia countered.
Bones handed her two guns and three knives, then Natalia leaned me forward and cut my hands free. Circulation returned as I squeezed and released my fists. Bones reached for me and I went to him. He pulled me from the van and set me beside him as his eyes filled with anguish. “You okay?” he asked, looking me over.
I nodded, my eyes burning. “I’m sorry. You warned me that I could be in danger, but I didn’t think Harlow would… Fuck! I can’t believe that bitch. I’m so sorry, Bones.”
Wiping tears from my cheeks, he kissed me. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the danger, babe. They used you to get to me.”
“What are we gonna do?” I asked.
“You’re gonna wait for Nonna to pick you up, then you’re gonna stay your fine ass with her and wait for me. I’m gonna listen to what Natalia has to say, and then I’ll come for you. Do not leave Nonna’s side until I get there. You hear me?”
“Yes. You sure you’re gonna be okay?” I asked.
He brushed another tear from my cheek. “I’m always okay, Ari. I’ve got this, babe. You just stay safe. You have to sing Tuesday night, so we can celebrate your success again.” Kissing my forehead, he released me and climbed into the van.
Doors closed, and the van pulled out while I watched them go, wondering if I’d ever see him again. Belatedly, I realized I should have told Bones I loved him.
While I stood there trying to clear the remaining fuzz from my brain, figure out my feelings toward Bones, and stop the tears that kept leaking from my eyes, a motorcade of sleek black SUVs pulled in to the parking area. Expecting Nonna, I waited as they surrounded me. One of the doors opened, and Angel’s great uncle, Carlo, emerged, his face bright red, his expression pinched in anger.
“Where the fuck are they?” he shouted, advancing on me.
Bones had voiced his concerns about Carlo, and now I saw why. Angel’s great uncle looked like he was about to go nuclear. Taking a big step back, I replied, “I don’t know. They took Bones and left.”
“Fuck!” He raked a hand through his hair. “What were they driving?”
“A v-v-van. A black van.”
“Did you get the license plate?”
I shook my head, wondering why I hadn’t thought of that. “No. I’m s-s-sorry.”
He looked me over, his lip curling in disgust, before snapping, “Grab her.”
As Carlo headed back to the SUV he’d come from, another door opened and a man wearing a suit emerged. He stalked toward me with a determined look on his scarred face. He did not look like someone I wanted to get into a car with. Suddenly terrified, I took another step back.
“W-w-wait. N-n-nonna is—”
Before I could fully form my objection to going with these angry-looking men, another motorcade pulled into the lot, surrounding the SUVs. One of the back doors opened, and Nonna stepped out looking regal and classy as ever, despite the late hour.
“Ari, there you are,” she said with a warm smile. “Come with me, dear.”
Relieved, I headed for her, but was intercepted by Carlo’s man. He grabbed my arm and tugged. Surprised by the sudden jolt, I cried out.
“Carlo,” Nonna said, her voice dipping lower than I’d ever heard it go as she looked pointedly at the asshole trying to tug my arm off. “Do call off your man.”
Carlo’s anger only seemed to intensify as he looked from me to Nonna. “The girl might have information that will help me find Bones. I need to question her.”
Nonna gave me another sweet smile. “Ariana, do you know where they took Bones?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, ma’am. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”
Nonna turned her smile to Carlo. “There you have it.”
“I should still question her,” Carlo replied. “Get all the details I can.”
“Look at her. She’s been kidnapped and held against her will. I need to have her checked out and make sure she’s not physically injured.”
Carlo started to object again, but Nonna cut him off.
“I insist,” she said, steel creeping into her voice. “Besides, it seems like your time would be better spent searching for Bones than questioning someone who clearly doesn’t know where he is.”
Carlo’s jaw twitched. Fire burned in his eyes as he glared at me. “Release her,” he barked, climbing back into his SUV.
The asshole squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. As he walked away, I released the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and tried to compose myself. Carlo’s SUVs peeled out of the parking area and disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone with Nonna and her guards.
Nonna also let out a deep breath, her smile slipping as she gestured me forward. I ran to her, and after we embraced, we both climbed into the back of her car.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes. Thank you. You showed up just in time. Carlo was a little cold at Christmas dinner, but I’ve never seen him that angry before. It was terrifying.”
Nonna gave me a reassuring smile. “You’re safe now. We’re going back to my house and he can’t reach you there. He wouldn’t dare. What can you tell me about Bones?”
“He’s with someone named Natalia. She’s claiming to be his sister and said she just wants to talk to him. To tell him the truth about what happened to their father. She said the Marianis killed him.”
Nonna frowned. “Whatever happened, I’m sure Dom will get it sorted. He’s smart and fair. I’m certain he will see through whatever plan Carlo has up his sleeve.”
I hoped so, but I wasn’t so certain. Trying not to think about that, I replied, “Thanks again for coming for me.”
“Of course, dear. But now I think you should call your sister and let her know you’re okay. She’s worried sick about you.”
Accepting the phone Nonna offered me, I called Markie and assured her that I was fine. She asked all sorts of questions I couldn’t answer before I cut the call short, so I could get back to my conversation with Nonna.
“What’s going to happen to Bones?” I asked, handing her back the phone.
“Don’t you worry about that,” she replied, patting me on the arm. “Bones has protected my family for years. Now it’s our turn to protect him.”
“Thank you,” I said as more tears stung my eyes. “Thank you for everything.”
“That’s what family’s for, dear.”