Chapter Thirty
Olivia wasn't sure what had woken her. The room was dark and cast in shadows. She looked at the bedside clock—one-thirty. She could see enough to tell the bed beside her was empty. Nico had told her he'd be working late, but it was really late.
She heard another noise and reaching over, clicked on the light. A figure stood in the middle of the room, startling a small squeak from her, and she panicked for the few seconds it took her to realize who it was.
Al.
Bringing a hand to her chest, trying to slow her racing heart, she said, "God, you scared me."
"Sorry, I couldn't find the light switch."
"What are you doing in here? Is something wrong? Is Nico okay?" Her mind was still jumbled from sleep. Her thoughts scattered this way and that.
"You need to come with me."
She threw off the covers, sliding her legs off the side of the bed. "Give me a minute to get dressed."
"Hurry." He backed out of the room.
She raced as fast as she could to the closet, drawing her nightgown off over her head in the process. With no time to think about it, she grabbed the red sundress she'd worn earlier that day, throwing it on and pulling it down over her enlarged belly, sliding into a pair of flip-flops at the same time. She yanked the closest sweater off its hanger—knowing there'd be a chill in the May evening air—not caring that the light-yellow cashmere would clash with the bright red of her dress. The whole process had taken only a minute.
Al was waiting for her when she opened the bedroom door. He took her by the hand, which she thought was strange, but didn't have time to dwell as he was already rushing her to the stairs. He was more cautious leading her down, making sure she didn't miss a step, gripping her hand tighter for support.
"Please tell me if Nico's okay." She panted as they reached the bottom step.
"He'll be fine, but he wants me to bring you to him."
Oh God. Was he severely injured? Was that why he couldn't come to her?
"Come on, we've gotta hurry," he said, opening the car door for her and helping her in.
She fastened her seat belt as Al got in the driver's side. Starting the engine, he raced down the driveway and out the gate.
* * * * *
Nico let himself into the house, flipping on the foyer light. It had been a long night, and he was tired—both mentally and physically. His monthly meetings with his father tended to do that.
All was quiet, as it should be for two in the morning, until it wasn't. First, he heard scratching, next, a whine, and then a sharp yap. He turned his head to his closed office door. He never closed it while he was gone.
A cold tingle formed on the back of his neck.
Another high-pitched yap ending with a whine had his feet moving to the door. Testing the handle, he found it unlocked and pushed the door open.
Their two seven-month-old German shepherds flew out the door, barking as they raced for the stairs.
Olivia.
Nico took the stairs two at a time. His heart raced and his breath was choppy, but it wasn't from exertion. It was from worry that escalated to fear as he reached the top of the stairs to discover their bedroom door wide open. An anomaly.
The bed was empty except for the two dogs now sprawled on it. "Olivia." He looked to the sitting area. She'd been having trouble sleeping lately, and many times he'd wake to find her on the couch either reading or watching TV. The couch was vacant, too.
He checked the bathroom next. Empty. "Olivia."
The door to the baby's room was ajar. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he knew he would find her there.
But she wasn't. "Olivia!"
One of the dogs barked. It was his only response.
He whipped out his cell phone. Olivia's line rang, then he heard her phone ring from the dresser.
Fuck.
He hung up and tried Al. One ring then it went to voice mail.
Fuck!
He wanted to throw his phone. He took a deep breath instead. Then called Marco. It rang once before it was picked up. Thank Christ. "Olivia is missing, and Al's not answering his fucking phone."
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
"No. I can't fucking wait. Call some of the boys and meet me at Carmine's." Nico hung up before he could hear Marco's protest.
Then he left to go find his wife.
* * * * *
Olivia looked out her window. They'd left the city, and the view was nothing but moonlit barren-desert landscape. "Where are we going?"
They'd been driving for at least twenty minutes. She looked over at Al. He hadn't said a word since they'd left even though she'd asked him again whether Nico was okay. And now he still didn't answer her.
"Al, what's going on? Where are we going? I need to know if Nico's all right." She knew he wasn't a conversationalist, but come on, she needed some answers.
She must have finally gotten through because he sighed and said, "Nico's at a warehouse, and we're going there to meet him."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes," he said but didn't elaborate.
She sighed and looked out the window again. At least he'd told her something.
They pulled up in front of an old, gray building about ten minutes later. The place was rundown—peeling paint, water stains, and graffiti coated the outside—and looked deserted. They came to a stop, and she unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car. She pulled her sweater closed, crossing her arms. The wind was chilly and the gusts strong with nothing to deter them in the vast emptiness surrounding her.
Al came around the front of the car and took her arm, leading her to the door. She didn't protest, though the place was eerie. She slowed her step, having second thoughts, wondering if she should have tried calling Nico instead of blindly following Al.
Al's grip on her tightened. "Come on. We need to hurry."
She shook her head. Al may be a little odd, but he was loyal to Nico and Nico trusted him. She pushed away her doubts, figuring she was just spooked by the environment.
Al opened a rusted metal door, leading her into a large, open space dimly lit with long tubes of fluorescent lighting intermittently spaced along the ceiling. The warehouse looked dirty and abandoned but not completely empty. Piles of trash littered the floor, boxes lined the walls and in clusters throughout the room, and spare machinery parts were scattered throughout.
Al walked her across the vast space. The sound of his dress shoes tapping on the concrete floor and echoing off the walls was the only sound as they neared the back of the room to another door. Al knocked twice, paused, then knocked three more times before he pushed it open.
Olivia came to a sudden stop in the doorway. The room, while still large, was vastly smaller than the one they'd just come from. More concrete lined the floor. White-washed block walls surrounded her. A beat-up metal, four-drawer filing cabinet and an old wooden desk were shoved into a corner.
And standing right in its center, next to a lone metal folding chair, was Travis Scott.
* * * * *
A flash of headlights in his rear-view mirror drew Nico's attention as he sat outside Carmine's property in his Porsche, contemplating the best way of gaining entrance.
Nico had visited Carmine's house once before. Some party a few years back—he couldn't remember what for now. The house wasn't as big as Nico's, but it did sit on a large piece of property enclosed by a stone wall and security gate.
He got a text from Marco.
Here. How do you plan to get in?
Nico was quick to reply.
I'm going to knock really loud.
Marco's reply was quicker.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Nico didn't respond. Marco would find out for himself soon enough.
He clicked on his seat belt and fired up his car, backing as far from the gate as space would allow. Then revving the engine a few times, he let his foot off the brake and hit the gas full throttle.
He felt the body-jolting impact before he heard it. Arms locked, his hands never left the steering wheel, wanting to keep the car straight. The collision of metal against metal zinged through his ears then the whoosh of the airbags followed suit.
Time seemed to slow as he struggled to orient himself, making sure nothing was broken or that he hadn't seriously injured himself. He seemed in one piece.
The driver's door flew open, and a pissed off Marco stood staring in at him. "What the fuck was that?"
Nico pushed the deflated airbag out of his way before stepping out. He looked over the damage. His car was fucked up, the front end mangled like an accordion. Then he looked at the damaged gate, slightly ajar and tilted funny. "That was me knocking really fucking loud." He walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door. "Come on. Help me push this out of the way."
* * * * * *
Olivia took a hasty step back, but Al's hold on her prevented her from going any farther. "What's going on?"
Travis smiled. "Olivia, it's been too long, my dear. Aren't you going to say hello?"
Olivia pulled her eyes from Travis to look at Al. His expression was stone, his gaze fixated on Travis. In a low voice, she asked, "Where's Nico?"
But it was Travis who answered. "Nico's not here." He gave her a sly smile when she looked his way. "It's just us... for now."
What did he mean by that? She didn't ask because she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Olivia shifted on her feet, her lower back starting to ache from standing on the hard floor.
"Come, sit down. This chair is for you." His eyes fell to her rounded stomach. "You really shouldn't stand too long in your condition."
She didn't have a chance to protest or argue as Al dragged her to the chair and forcefully sat her down. Travis pulled a roll of duct tape from behind his back.
Olivia was fast to react, trying to stand from the chair and yank her arm from Al's grasp. But he held her tightly, even adding his other hand to her other arm, stepping in front of her, and forcing her arms back behind the chair. "Why are you doing this?" Her question was directed at Al, who squatted in front of her, his face in line with hers.
She felt Travis get to work, wrapping her wrists and securing her to the chair. She knew it was pointless to struggle. Al's strength was way beyond hers. Plus, she was getting pains in her stomach and worried she'd overtaxed or hurt herself. She didn't want to take the chance of causing any further harm.
Of course, Al didn't answer her question, but he did smirk. A new emotion started to simmer under her fear.
Anger.
Eyes sparking, she looked right into Al's. "Nico's going to kill you both."
* * * * *
Men with guns drawn spilled from the gate just as Nico and Marco got the Porsche pushed onto the street. Shoes grinding on gravel as he stepped around his car, Nico pulled his own gun out and aimed. His men followed suit, standing at his back. "Where's Carmine?"
Stephen, Carmine's second-in-command, shoved forward to the front of the group. "What the fuck is this about, Conti? Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you right here, right now?"
"My wife is fucking missing, and I know Carmine took her."
Stephen looked slightly confused before he lowered his weapon. Nico still had his up and drawn, not taking any chances since the rest of Carmine's men still had their guns trained on him.
Stephen made a "hold" signal with his hand to his men before saying, "Carmine is here, but your wife is not. He didn't take her, Nico, I know this for a fact."
"Please, pardon me if I don't fucking believe you."
Stephen held his hands out. "I'm reaching for my phone to call Carmine."
Nico nodded and watched him carefully as he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out his cell. He had a short conversation. When he hung up, he looked at his men around him and said, "Lower your weapons."
Nico didn't give the same order... yet.
"Carmine's on his way down," Stephen started, looking at Nico. "He'd like to handle this civilly, in his office."
Nico looked over his shoulder, and ordered, "Guns down but stay alert."
* * * * *
Olivia tugged at her bindings, hoping to loosen the tape at her wrists. She wasn't having any luck, but that didn't stop her from trying.
Travis and Al were across the room in deep conversation. Travis was doing most of the talking—big surprise—with Al doing a lot of nodding. Whatever they were talking about, Al seemed to agree.
She knew she should probably be scared, but the truth was, she was more concerned about the pains in her stomach. They were getting stronger and closer together, and she feared she may be in labor. She wasn't due for another two weeks, and she was worried something was wrong.
She also didn't fear that Travis planned to kill or hurt her. If that had been his intention, he'd had ample opportunity to do so by now. She wasn't sure what his agenda was, but she needed something to happen. She couldn't stay tied to a chair much longer.
Travis glanced over at her, and she stilled her movements, not wanting to draw attention to the fact she was trying to get loose. Another pain hit, and she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, concentrating to mask any expression of discomfort.
His head tilted a bit, then he took the steps that separated them. "It's almost time."
At first, she thought he meant the baby but realized he wouldn't know she'd been having contractions, so he must have been talking about why he had taken her and what he was going to do with her. She wanted those answers. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm planning to set things right." He stepped closer, his knee brushing her thigh and grasped her by the chin. "You ruined my life, Olivia. Carmine cut all ties with me when he found out I'd lost you. He was so upset, flying into a rage anytime your name was mentioned. I knew I needed to get you back and set things right."
Travis took a step back, pacing the space in front of her. "I hired a guy, Rocky. It took him weeks to finally get a shot at you and then the stupid fuck blew it."
The guy from the bathroom, Olivia thought, watching Travis warily as he clenched then unclenched his hands, clearly growing agitated.
"I noticed Carmine's anger was lessening, but I knew I still needed you before he would talk to me. I was getting desperate. I was running out of money. I had to downsize and relocate. All that took time, but my time was running out." He stopped pacing to turn and look at her. "And then fate threw me a fucking bone."
Travis looked over his shoulder, and Olivia followed his gaze to Al. Their eyes collided, and Al grinned at her. How he fit into all of this, she wasn't exactly sure, but it was painfully obvious, he'd sold them out.
Travis looked back at her, pulling a phone from his pocket. He waved it dramatically in the air. "Time to send you where you belong and get my old life back."
* * * * *
Nico and Marco followed Stephen into Carmine's office while the rest of his men waited outside the door. Stephen walked behind the desk to stand at Carmine's side.
"Have a seat gentlemen." Carmine waved at the vacant seats in front of his desk.
"We'll stand." Nico clenched his hands into fists, trying to control his rage. He needed answers before he'd get the pleasure of fucking Carmine up. "Where the fuck is my wife?"
"I don't have your wife, Nico."
"Then you know where she is. Don't twist your words."
"No, I don't know where she is. None of my men took her."
"Why should I believe you?"
Carmine shrugged. "She's just a girl. Granted, a very beautiful girl I hated to lose, but a girl just the same." Then he stressed, "And no girl is worth starting a war over."
He was wrong. Olivia was worth starting a hundred wars for.
"Why the change of heart?" Nico demanded still skeptical. "You seemed pretty adamant when you stormed into my house a few months ago."
There was a long pause before Carmine said, "Would you believe me if I told you I've grown quite attached to my wife?" He spoke hesitantly as if embarrassed to admit it.
Yeah, Nico could believe it, and his gut twisted at the realization Carmine didn't know where his wife was. He'd been so sure he'd been behind her abduction and that a few well-placed threats would get her back. Just the thought of not knowing where Olivia was and if she were safe had the twisting sickness in his gut multiplying to include a stabbing pain in his chest as if his heart were being pierced with a dagger.
He needed to find her. He needed to get her back.
He just fucking needed her.
Nico heard a ping and Carmine look down at his phone lying on his desk. He swiped the screen then took a moment to read before bringing his eyes back to Nico's. "Travis has your wife."