Chapter Fifteen
Four weeks and five days. That’s how long it had been since Ranger Childress showed up at her door and made her feel that her world was about to crash down on top of her. Since then, she’d done what Deacon and Mathias asked and paid more attention to people around her. She’d promised that if she spotted any of Vinsanti’s people she would immediately get somewhere safe and call one of them or the Ranger.
So far, she hadn’t had a reason to call anyone and it had been four of the best weeks of her life. Etta and JJ were getting married in three days and tonight she was going to attend a bridal shower for Etta at the Honky Tonk. Cody and Hannah were closing down for the night just for the party.
Mica and Willow, Cody and Hannah’s cousin, helped get the tables and chairs all set up. They’d just started on the decorations when her phone rang. It was Nellie Mae.
“Hi, Nellie Mae,” she answered cheerfully and then looked around as everyone suddenly went silent and stared at her. “What? I’m on my way!”
“What’s wrong?” Cody asked.
“Nellie Mae said she’s in my shop and there are snakes in there and she’s scared she’d going to be bitten.”
“Nellie Mae Baker?” Hannah asked.
“Yes.”
“That old lady with big hair?” Willow asked.
“Yeah, the Gossip Gal,” Cody answered.
“That wasn’t nice. What’s wrong with you?” Mica barked.
“What’s she doing at your place?” Hannah asked.
“We’re friends.”
“Friends?” Cody blurted. “With that old gossip?”
“That’s just mean and I don’t have time. I have to go.”
“Well, I’ll go with you,” Cody volunteered. “I mean, if she’s really in trouble.”
“I’ll go too.” Willow offered.
“Not me, I’ll keep working on the decorations.” Hannah begged off.
Mica, Cody, and Willow piled into Mica’s truck and she tore out of the parking lot. “How do you think snakes got in?” Willow asked.
Mica shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. And Matty or I would have noticed something if we were infested. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, what was she doing at your place anyway?” Cody asked.
“Delivering the cake and cookies she made for the shower.”
“She made cookies? I thought you were making cookies.”
“Girl, you do not want to eat what I bake.”
“So, she did the baking for you even though she wasn’t invited?”
“She’s a nice lady.” Mica looked past Willow, who was in the middle, to Cody. “And she’s my friend.”
“Well, color me totally surprised. You’re the first person ever to call Nellie Mae nice.”
“Maybe you’ve just never given her a chance.”
“Never given her—”
“Cody let’s not fuss about it, okay?” Willow asked.
“Fine.”
Everyone was quiet until Mica pulled in behind the blacksmith shop, turned off the engine, and jumped out. “I’ll go first,” she said and opened the rear door.
The smithy was empty. She made her way to the inside wall and pulled a set of throwing knives from the pegboard. After sticking all but one into her back pocket, she walked over and opened the door leading into the storefront.
“Nellie Mae?” she called out.
“In here, sugar.”
“Are you okay?”
There was no answer. She looked back at Cody, then called out again. “Nellie Mae?”
“Run, sugar, run!” There was a sharp sound she couldn’t identify, followed by a cry of pain.
“Go!” Mica shoved Cody, who bumped into Willow and almost knocked her down. “Get Deacon.”
Cody didn’t argue. She just grabbed Willow by the arm and pulled her along as she raced for the back door.
Mica sucked in a deep breath. The scariest part was not knowing what was waiting inside the room. It would be so easy to turn around and leave. She could call for help, or run and find Matty, or get the police.
And maybe get Nellie Mae killed. No, she couldn’t leave. It will be fine, it will be fine, it will be fine, she mentally chanted and took a couple of breaths to bolster her courage.
“Nellie Mae, I’m coming in.” Mica said and stepped inside.
Her heart sank and her stomach knotted. Nellie Mae was tied hands and feet and sitting in one of the wooden chairs that normally was positioned along the wall. Her makeup was messy and there was blood on one side of her head, matting her hair.
Two men stood behind Nellie Mae and another stood at one of the displays, turning a knife over in his hand. It was because Mica recognized the men that fear scalded up through her like acid, making her weak-kneed and nauseous. The two men behind Nellie Mae were muscle for the Vinsanti family. The man holding the knife was one of the sons, the middle son and the most sadistic of the lot, Vitale.
“If you have any sense at all, you’ll leave now.” Mica tried to sound confident. “My friends have already called the police so you don’t have long before this place is surrounded.
“Do you have any idea what you did, you fucking cunt?” Vitale sneered at her but didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Because of you my brother is dead.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“No, but you shot your fucking mouth off and got him sent to prison and those fucking skinheads fucked him like a bitch then gutted him. His death is on your head and as God as my fucking witness, I’m gonna make you pay. You’ll suffer everything he did and I’ll laugh as we put you alive and screaming in a fucking vat of acid and watch you fucking dissolve.”
Mica wanted to be brave, but God help her, his words terrified her because she knew he would do exactly as he promised. She had to find a way to save Nellie Mae and escape. But how?
“I’m not lying. There were two others with me, Vitale, and they’ve gone for help. You should leave while you can.”
“I don’t think so.” Vitale said and looked over at the men. “Get rid of the old bitch.”
Mica saw one of the men reach inside his jacket and she didn’t even realize she was moving until the knife left her hand.
The man didn’t even make a sound, he just toppled over with the knife buried hilt deep into his left eye. Mica blinked and felt the odd sense of unreality descend on her. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t have just killed a man.
Nellie Mae screamed, and the remaining man cuffed her so hard on the side of the head, the chair fell over. Mica snapped to and reached for another knife and Vitale yelled. “Do it and the old lady dies.”
The gun he pointed at Nellie Mae convinced Mica he was serious, but she kept the knife in her hand. “Let her go and we can leave. I’ll go with you, but if you shoot her, I promise you’ll be the next one to feel a blade. I swear to you that I’ll do it.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Fine. Marco, untie the old bat.”
“No, don’t touch her,” Mica protested. “I’ll do it.”
“Make it fast.” Vitale moved to have a better line on her and spoke to Marco. “Get the car and pull it around to the front.”
Mica quickly cut the ropes binding Nellie Mae and bent over to put her arms around the older woman. “Tell Deacon I’m marked for tracking. Do you understand? I have a tracker on me. The Marshals can find me. Can you do that?”
Nellie Mae nodded slightly and Mica helped her into a sitting position. “Please, just sit here and don’t move, okay?”
“Honey, don’t go with those snakes.” Nellie Mae’s voice trembled with fear. “They mean to do you real harm.”
“I know, but I have to. Now you just stay there, okay? Just do what I said, all right? You promise?”
“I do.”
Mica stood and turned to face Vitale. “Okay.”
He gestured to the door and she walked over to it, cutting a look back at Nellie Mae.
“Move it.” Vitale jabbed her in the back with the gun and she nodded to Nellie Mae, then stepped outside.
Getting into the back seat of Vitale’s car was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She knew her odds of surviving were not good, unless Nellie Mae could get the message to Deacon and he could get in touch with the Marshals Services and convince them to track her position from the implant in the bottom of her foot she’d agreed to when she’d gone into protective custody.
If he could do that, maybe, just maybe they could get to her before Vitale delivered her to wherever they were going and the pain that would lead to her death began.
*****
Cody didn’t stop running until she pounded up the front steps of the police and burst through the door, pulling Willow behind her.
“We need help!”
Her yells brought people running, including Chief Tom Greene and Charli Judd.
“Cody? What’s wrong?”
“Someone has Mica. Nellie Mae, too. At the blacksmith shop. You have to call Deacon and you have to help her.”
Chief Greene was already spouting orders. He pointed to two male deputies. “Hobbs, you and Courtney get over there and secure the perimeter. Nancy!”
The dispatcher ran into the entranceway. “Yes, sir?”
“Get every available officer back here asap. I want the block cordoned off. Nothing gets in or out. Charli, you’re with me.”
“Wait!” Cody ran after them as they all headed for the back door. “You have to call Deacon. She said specifically to call Deacon.”
“I’ll do it.” Charli assured her and pulled out her cell phone. “Deacon? Charli Judd. We have a situation at the blacksmith shop. Do you know how to get in touch with Mathias? Good, meet us there asap.”
She put away her phone and looked at Cody. “We’ll take it from here.”
“Don’t let anything happen to them, Charli.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
“Okay, okay, go.”
Charli took off and Cody looked at Willow. “Do you have Mathias’ number?”
“What makes you think−“
“Girl, please. This isn’t the time. Do you have it?”
“I do.”
“Then call him and tell him he needs to get to the shop now.”
As Willow was doing that, Cody called Etta. “Hey. Do you know where Deacon is? Okay, you and JJ might want to come to town. Something’s happening at the blacksmith shop. Someone had Nellie Mae hostage in the storefront and Mica went in after her. She said to call Deacon, but the whole damn police department is on their way. I’ve got Willow trying to find Mathias, but if this goes south, Deacon might need you and JJ to be there.
“Yeah, I’ll be waiting to hear. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and looked at Willow, who shook her head. “I left a message and then called again. He’s not answering. What do we do now?”
“Call Hannah and tell her to come get us.”
“Or go over to the bakery. We can see the blacksmith shop from the top of the building.”
“I like the way you think. Let’s go.”
They hurried outside and down the block. The whole time, all Cody could think was that today had started off great. Everyone was excited about the bridal shower and there were no dark clouds on the horizon.
Now it felt like everything had turned to shit.