“And he kidnapped you right out from underneath another kidnapper? And you went along with the first kidnapping to save your brother?” Lucy asked incredulously. “That’s… that’s just on another level, Maria!”

Maria chuckled, picked up her glass of whiskey on ice and clinked it against Lucy’s screwdriver. “Technically Nic kidnapped me from my blackmailer. At least Nic never tried to use my brother against me. I guess that makes him the more decent kidnapper.”

“Mind. Blown.” They both nodded and drank to that.

Maria looked at Lucy over the rim of her glass, long black lashes fluttering down to conceal her exotic dark eyes. Lucy could absolutely see the fascination she held for all of these powerful men that vied for her affection. How they could fall all over themselves to get to her and do almost anything to hold her. Maria was not only beautiful, but achingly sensual, sharp-witted and challenging. Even Lucy had trouble keeping up with their conversation. Yet, despite the challenge, she could feel the underlying kindness in Maria’s spirit. In the way Maria watched and assessed her.

“This man that pursues you,” Maria began. “He doesn’t make you happy?”

Lucy knew that eventually the conversation would come around to her. Maria told her story; now it was Lucy’s turn to share. She shrugged. “Sometimes he does.”

“And sometimes he doesn’t,” Maria said nodding in understanding.

“Yes. He has set ideas of who I should be to him and I feel trapped by his demands. I feel overwhelmed by him.”

“But…” the other woman prompted.

Lucy sighed. “But, I do love him. And… I want to be with him. Most of the time. When he’s not being an overbearing ass.”

“Ah,” Maria said, picking up her drink and draining it.

“Ah?” Lucy repeated with a frown. “What does that mean? Do you have any wisdom to impart since you’re older and seem to know better?”

“Hey, watch it!” Maria snapped. “I’m only, like, eight years older, little chick. Stop implying I’m old and shit, or I’ll snap your scrawny neck like a twig.”

Lucy burst out laughing and finished her drink too. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, fuck you,” Maria snarled and then laughed loudly, hitting the table with her palm. “I have no wisdom. My man is a kidnapping asshole. I love him too, but I also hate his guts with equal measure, so where does that leave me? Up the same shit creek as you. Sneaking out of weddings and paying for our booze instead of staying put and drinking the free stuff at the open bar.”

Lucy blinked a few times. “Well crap. Hadn’t thought of that.”

Maria sighed, then laughed again and asked for two more drinks when the waitress passed their table. “I just thought of it when I realized I don’t have cash and we’re going to have to use a credit card. The moment we do, BAM, bodyguard pick up in about five minutes if they aren’t already tracking our phones.”

Lucy’s mouth fell open for what felt like the dozenth time while in this woman’s company. Maria really had this whole kidnappee thing nailed down. She was one smart cookie.

“I wonder if that’s how he’s been getting to me so quickly?” Lucy mused.

“Who?” Maria asked.

“Mack,” Lucy said, reaching for her drink when they were placed on the table. “Every time I took off, or wasn’t where he wanted me to be, he would show up very shortly after and collect me faster than a man whistling for his dog. It was eerie, almost as though he had a way of tracking me.”

Maria raised an eyebrow at her as though she were the dimmest person on the planet. And at that moment, she really felt like it. She could feel the skin of her cheeks heat up. Oh, there was going to be some hell to pay when she got her hands on Mack Hudson. Major freaking hell if she found out any part of her belongings were being traced.

“Finish your drink, little chick, and we’ll see about getting you home before they come to collect, eh?” Maria said, nudging her arm.

Five minutes later they picked up their purses, paid for the drinks and headed for the door. Lucy fully expected the sidewalk to contain several pissed off and armed bodyguards, but there was no one waiting for them outside. She ran her hands up and down bare, chilled arms and glanced around.

“Huh,” she said, turning to look at Maria, triumph tugging her lips into a smile, “they aren’t here yet.”

Maria’s answering smile was filled with mischief. “Well, let the party continue then,” she said, linking arms with Lucy and rubbing some of the chill away from her skin. “Where to next? I haven’t seen much of the city. Nic always keeps me locked up in our hotel room.”

Lucy wanted to question that but decided to leave it alone. She was beginning to understand how the men in their world worked. She also realized that this opportunity she and Maria seized was a rare one for the other woman. And that once Maria got picked up again, judging from the cruel aura surrounding Niccolo DeLuca, she would be in very big trouble, which would likely end in an even tighter lockdown than before.

“Have you been on the city train yet?” Lucy asked. “We can get to anywhere in the city on there, including the observation deck or the symphony. Although I don’t think they can have a performance tonight since their best cellist was a bridesmaid.”

Maria laughed and said, “Lead on, you’re my guide.”

They set off down the sidewalk toward the entrance to the subway. Lucy was glad she thought to stuff a few extra tokens in her purse. She almost always did that these days since she’d learned to use public transportation. She was proud of how self-sufficient she’d become since moving to the city. Lucy and Maria chattered about how much Lucy had changed and adapted to city life and Lucy discovered that Maria had actually grown up in a small Mexican village, that, while not completely cut off from technology, was far from advanced. It turned out they had many things in common when it came to their love and learning of city life.

They just made it to the subway entrance and were about to descend the stairs when screeching tires interrupted their conversation. Maria reacted first, shoving Lucy back, behind the concrete railing and crouching with her as a black car pulled right up onto the sidewalk, bouncing hard before stopping.

There was no one around except Lucy and Maria, but the boldness of the action seemed so deliberate that Lucy didn’t think it would have mattered if hundreds of people had been around to witness the scene.

“No!” Maria gasped as three men jumped out of the car. She dug her nails into Lucy’s arm and yelled. “Run!”

Lucy stumbled as she tried to stand and had to grip the concrete railing over top of the stairwell so hard her palms scraped. Maria refused to let go and yanked her arm hard enough that Lucy’s shoulder wrenched. She had no choice but to start stumbling after the other woman who was determined to full out run in the sky high red heels. They made it about five steps before Lucy was grabbed from behind, a beefy arm wrapping around her waist and lifting right off her feet. She opened her mouth to scream but a huge hand clamped down viciously over her mouth, cutting off not only her voice but slicing her lips against her teeth. Blood filled her mouth.

She watched in horror as Maria wheeled around and brought her fists up, now surrounded by two men. She took a swing at one. He shoved her small fist out of the way and punched her in the side of the head sending her spiraling into the sidewalk. Lucy screamed into the hand and flailed for all she was worth, tears pricking her eyes when she didn’t see Maria move.

“Idiot!” the man holding her snarled. “You weren’t supposed to hurt that one.”

“She was gonna fight,” the guy that punched Maria defended himself. He reached down to drag her off the sidewalk. She moaned as he picked her up. They hauled the women roughly to the car and shoved them inside. Lucy landed hard against the opposite door with a limp Maria against her side. She immediately turned to grab the door handle only to realize blankly that there was nothing there to reach for. No door handle, no escape. She gaped at it for a second and then turned to look at the man that climbed into the back seat with her and Maria. His eyes gleamed in the shadows.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Maria and held her close. Maria moaned and lolled against Lucy’s neck. Lucy cradled her head and checked Maria as best as she could in the dim lighting. She couldn’t see much, but she didn’t feel any blood. She hoped that was a good sign.

“Hey,” she whispered in Maria’s ear. “You okay?”

“Do I look okay?” Maria whispered back, a tinge of humour in her voice as she echoed the same words she’d said to Lucy in the stairwell earlier.

Lucy’s lips twitched. They may be in a dire situation, but Maria hadn’t lost her feistiness. A very good sign if they were going to get out of this, whatever this was. Lucy tried to get past her shock enough to think. Who were they after? It was pretty much 50/50 that they’d grabbed the correct person since both women were mob affiliated. Though Lucy suspected she knew exactly who they were after.

Maria confirmed a second later when she lifted her head and whispered against Lucy’s ear, “They’re here for me.”

“The blackmailer?” she guessed.

Maria nodded and didn’t say anything for a second, then she whispered, her voice breaking, “They don’t need you.”

Lucy went completely cold, her temperature dropping despite the warmth inside the car.

“If you get the chance to run, you fucking run, Lucy.”