Chapter 20

Dani

"Hey, we’re here." Johnny's voice brought me from my thoughts.

The messed up situation we were in wasn't one I would have chosen, but it was nice to find out more about the man I was quickly falling for.

"Great." I got out of the car the minute he parked it. "Let's check in with the front desk first just so they know what's going on and then we'll locate the room where Jason's tracker is."

"Something tells me that the little prick or the assholes that he's with took the thing off. I doubt he's here, Dani. He's a smart kid, street smart."

"I hope you're wrong." I walked into the lobby of the rundown motel and stopped short. The older man in front of us had on a cheap suit, and his voice was low, ominous. His right hand was wrapped around the back of woman's neck, holding her tightly as he spoke with the receptionist.

"We'll take a room for three hours. You sell them by the hour, right?" He coughed loudly, the wet sound sickening me.

I glanced over at Johnny. "Something isn't right," I whispered.

The girl leaned away from him, and her legs were shaking from what I could see. Johnny moved up and tapped the guy on the shoulder. He spun around, and the girl did too. She couldn't have been much over seventeen or eighteen.

"What?" The man barked, his dark eyes telling the truth of the situation.

"Is he paying you for that three hours?" Johnny kept his eyes on the girl.

The receptionist spoke up. "Hey. I'm not looking for any trouble."

"Answer me." Johnny moved toward her.

She flinched and held up her hands, letting out a soft cry.

"Jon." I moved around him and pulled her away from the guy, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and walking toward the hallway to the bathroom. "Hey. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a cop from New York."

"Thank God," she murmured and curled up against my side. "My parents have to be looking for me. I'm from Maine, but I'm not sure if I can leave. Won't he just come back and get me again?"

She was full-body shaking at that point.

"No. We'll call into the local department and get someone to come pick you up. It's going to be okay." I pulled her into a hug as she cried. The sound of Johnny and the pervert fighting in the other room was short lived. The door to the bathroom opened, and Johnny's voice filled the small room.

"You girls okay?"

"Yeah. Did you knock him out?" I moved out of the bathroom with the girl.

"Yes. He's tied up with a phone cord on his face in there." He reached out and squeezed the girl’s shoulder. "Come here and let me stay with you until Danielle gets the cops over here for us."

"Are you a cop?" The girl glanced up as Johnny took her from me.

"Something like that." He wrapped a strong arm around the girl's shoulders and nodded at me. "Call whoever you need to. Make it quick and let's get on with this."

With all the shit he'd seen in his life, he still seemed to be a little bit shaken up by the situation we were faced with. I nodded and walked toward the front door, giving the receptionist the evil eye. Bastard. I'd have the cops run him for anything they could as well.

"New Jersey Police Department. What's your emergency?" The voice on the other end sounded alert.

I gave the woman my badge information and explained who I was and what we were dealing with. Five minutes later, Johnny and I met two cop cars out front.

An older gentleman stepped out of one followed by a younger female cop from the other. The male cop stopped in front of me and offered his hand. "Thank you for your help. You could have been hurt."

"No, we couldn't." Johnny shook his hand too before helping the girl in the car.

"Please make sure you call her parents as soon as possible and treat her with care. You have no idea what she's been through." I turned to the female cop. "Try and only have females around her until she's back home and safe."

The woman nodded. "Of course. Thank you, both." She turned to the older man. “Frank, you get the guy. I’ll get the woman.”

He nodded. “Rodger that.”

We waited until they pulled away to turn to each other. Johnny reached out and pulled me tightly against him. "Let's go see what the fuck is happening with my nephew."

"You don't seem to be in much of a hurry. Why?" I moved back but kept my arms around him.

"I know him. He's too much like me. He's not letting these bastards pull his chains. He's pulling theirs. He doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere. He'll keep searching until he finds that place, even if it's in hell, working for the devil himself. It's an unrest that won't let up."

"I understand it all too well." I moved out of his arms and pulled my phone from my pocket. "Room twelve-twenty."

"Got it." Johnny turned and jogged toward the motel, circling around back as I walked toward him. Some part of me feared that we might find Jason mutilated or hurt, but Johnny seemed pretty assured of himself that the boy was okay.

I could only hope that was the case.

"In here, Dani." Johnny leaned out of a room on the backside of the motel before disappearing back into as I walked quickly toward him. "He's not here."

Moving into the room, I felt the overwhelming need to grab my gun, but I forced myself not to. There was blood all over the bed near the bottom again, but this time, the tracker was laying in the puddle of crimson liquid.

"Shit. It takes a lot to get those fucking things off." I covered my mouth and turned as bile rose in my throat.

"Yeah. He's gotta be limping." He moved up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "There's no way to find him until I go after Tanner."

"Are you going after Tanner?" I turned in his arms and lifted my face toward his. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Well, good thing you aren't in charge of me." He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose as he pushed my hair back. "We might not have found Jason tonight, but I'll get him back. I know just the guys to help me do it too."

"Do I know these guys?" I touched the side of his face as desire swam through me. I wanted a life with him. I wanted to know how it felt to be loved deeply by a man like Johnny Moretti. Surely not many people knew the depths of his dark soul, but I wanted to.

"Maybe." He took a deep breath. "Let's get back to New York. We were here for a reason tonight, even if Jason's bullshit brought us here."

"You're really not worried about him?"

"No. I realized on the way up here that he was in on it."

"How?"

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Just something I figured out."

"Something you want to share?"

"It's not mine to share." He turned and walked out of the motel room. "Come on. Let's go."

*

The ride home was a little awkward between us, but we were both emotionally and physically beat. I was battling with myself on whether to tell him about Tanner taking me, but I knew it would only add gasoline to an already volatile situation. And it was over, or was it?

I was still supposed to deliver the man next to me to Tanner, which wasn't happening. Even if I wanted to, there was no way I could get Johnny to go willingly.

"Where's your apartment, Dani?" Johnny's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Near the station. Just off of Walker and Tenth." I sat up and cleared my throat. "Stay with me tonight?"

"I plan to." He reached over and took my hand into his. "I think we both need the warmth."

He was right. I wanted every ounce of warmth he could offer me and then some. We pulled up to the apartment, and he turned the car off but didn't move.

"Tell me something." He turned to face me. "Jason warned me that Tanner had my girl."

I stiffened. "When was this?"

"What 'girl' did he have, Dani? Do you know what the kid was telling me?"

"Why would Jason help you if he belongs to Tanner?"

"Because there's still a thread of decency in him, and I've done a lot for him. Even the blackest hearts want to repay the kindness given to them." He reached out and ran his hand down the back of my head, pressing in.

I yelped and jerked from him. "That fucking hurt!"

He got out of the car and came around to my side, opening the door and pulling me out. "Why didn't you tell me that Tanner took you?"

"Because I didn't want to add fuel to the fucking fire." I popped him in the chest after slamming my door. Tears blurred my eyes. "That hurt."

"I had to know." He pulled me close and pressed me against the car. "When did he take you, Dani?"

"Get off of me. I don't feel safe out here." I pushed at his chest. Luckily he moved, and I slipped past him and walked up to my apartment. I got inside and left the door open as I angrily wiped at tears.

"Don't run from me. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He closed the door behind us and flipped on the kitchen light. "Come here."

"No." I pressed my hands to my face and let out a soft cry. "I didn't want you to know."

"Why? Are you working for him too?" He was so close I could feel the heat rolling off of him. It was insane how things had gone from good to bad so quickly. It was the time he had to think in the car. Now he thought I was a liar. Not that I blamed him. I was to some degree.

"Get out." I pulled my hands down and turned to walk down the wall. I kicked off my shoes and unbuttoned my shirt, dropping it by the door before working on my undershirt, my bra, pants, and panties. "I would never work for a monster like Tanner. I'm one of the good guys, remember?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I turned and let my head drop. "Because I don't need saving, and you would try."

"Damn right I would." He lifted me off the ground and pressed me to the bed beneath us before I could even realize what was happening.