I park the car in front of the bookstore and flip the mirror down, quickly swiping my fingers through my hair to give it a preppier look. I didn't tell Tor what I'm doing. It's fucking wrong as hell.
Marney and Rich have both been monitoring Stan's calls. This morning I found out Joe comes back tomorrow, landing in Nashville, and that Stan is scheduled to pick him up. I need Stan to be so desperate he will do exactly as I tell him. You can threaten someone's life all day long, but it doesn't have the same effect as when you threaten the life of someone they love.
I hope luring this girl will work, because I don't want to resort to actually kidnapping her by force, but I will if I must. I open the car door and step out onto the sidewalk, smoothing out the creases in my slacks. The bell dings as I walk inside and, just as luck would have it, Sofia Solomon is rearranging books on the far right wall. Her ink-black hair is tied up in a neat bun, her high cheekbones stained with makeup. I walk past her, pretending to browse but keep drifting my eyes over to her. Finally she glances up, smiling when our eyes meet. I grin and blatantly drag my eyes over her body, deepening my smile as I do. Her cheeks flush and she quickly turns around to tend the books laid over on the shelf. I run my mind back over the things she listed as her interests, where she's enrolled in school, what her major is. Social media makes it all too easy for fuckers like me to do things we shouldn't.
I wait a few minutes before slowly walking up behind her, and touching my hand to her shoulder. She jumps from the unexpected touch. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to startle you, but I'm looking for the Apocrypha. Does this store carry it?" For fucks sake I sound like a fucking tool.
"Yes, we do have it." A bemused look plays over her face. "I'll show you.” I follow her down the aisle, and let the lies begin. "Thanks," I say. “I’m studying it for my dissertation. I'm getting a doctorate in historical religion."
She glances over her shoulder, smiling. "Me too."
An hour later we're discussing different religious theories and laughing. I shut the book and glance at my watch. "I've got to go." I pause and narrow my eyes on hers. "Do you want to get a drink or something?"
She bites down on her lip and giggles. "Yeah. Sure."
"Meet me at The Blue Monkey at eight?"
She nods, and I head to the counter, pay for the book and leave.
"How can you not like Taylor Swift?" she slurs over her fourth martini. Fuck me, she's annoying.
I glance around the dimly lit bar, force a smile, and shrug. "Just don't. You want another?" I ask pointing at the empty glass she's just slammed down onto the table.
"I probably shouldn't. I get really horny when I drink," she laughs. "And you are super-freaking-hot. I would do dirty, dirty things with you mister man."
"Mmm, is that so?"
"Very so," she says, leaning in to kiss me. I grab her chin to stop her and her eyes widen.
I stare into her eyes, gently stroking my thumb over her chin. "Oh, trust me. You don't wanna do that here. I'm not very good at controlling myself." I drop my hand, and she teeters on the stool. "I don't play like all those little boys do." I smirk, and I can practically see her swoon. I pull a hundred dollar bill from my wallet, lift her glass, and set it back down over the cash as I take her hand, and pull her from the barstool. "Want me to show you what I mean?" I growl.
She giggles and follows me up the stairs and out of the bar. My heart slowly picks up its pace. I am kidnapping this twenty-one-year-old girl. They look nothing alike, but all I can see when I look at her is Tor. She is innocent, and that pricks at a part of me I wish it didn't. I swallow as I open the passenger side door and watch her climb in, blowing out a hard breath as I walk around to the driver's side.
I start the engine and glance over at her. She glances up at me, a nervous smile playing over her lips.
"I've never done this before," she says timidly as I back out of the parking space.
"Neither have I." I've never fucking kidnapped anybody before. Shit...
"Somehow, I don't believe that."
I turn the radio up as I speed down the road and merge onto the interstate. I catch her anxiously fiddling with a piece of her hair. "So where do you live?" she asks.
"Not far from here at all."
I close the door, locking it behind me as I toss the keys onto the table. There's a nervous energy buzzing through me. My eyes lock on the back of her head and I try to calm my racing pulse.
"This is a nice place," she says as she steps into the living room. Rich emerges from the hallway and she jumps.
"Well, hello there," he says, his eyes raking over her. Sofia spins around to face me; her face drained of all color.
My brows pull together as I frown. "I'm sorry," I say as I step toward her. She screams and goes running for the door, but I grab her shoulders and hold her in place. She thrashes around, shouting.
"Get her fucking hands, Rich."
I feel teeth rip into my forearm and I grit my teeth. She somehow yanks one arm free and punches me in the mouth. My lip throbs as warm blood trickles over my chin. I take hold of her arms, shove her against the wall and spin her around. Using the weight of my body to hold her in place as Rich ties her wrists together.
Using the back of my hand, I wipe away the blood from my split lip as I stare down at her. She's bound and gagged, but still squirming around, trying to get out of the restraints.
Rich eyes me. "How long do I have to keep her?"
"Until tomorrow. I hope." I squat down in front of her, and she closes her eyes. "Sofia, I am sorry, but I need your father to do me a favor, and this is the only way I know he'll do it." I pull my phone out. "All you have to do is scream, okay?" I stand up and walk a few steps away from her as I dial Stan's number. I put the call on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Stan, I'm gonna need a little favor from you, partner."
"Who is this?"
"Oh, now, don't worry about who the fuck this is. What you need to worry yourself with is who the fuck I have." I lean down to Sofia, her eyes welling with tears. "Sofia, wanna tell your father hello?" She screams against the gag. I wedge a finger beneath the cloth and wiggle it free. The tattered material lips down her neck and her screams bleed through my ears.
"Daddy! Daddy, please help me. Please..." she sobs. My chest tightens. This right here is fucked up.
His breath is audible over the line. "If you hurt her in any way—"
"That's all up to you. All I want is Joe Campbell. You do as I say, she'll be just fine. You don't..." I swallow because I haven't really thought about what I'll do if he doesn't. I don't want to think about that shit.
"I'm not a man you wanna fuck around with. I'll just say that."
"Please don't hurt her." There's this edge of desperation to his voice, and I know just how he feels which makes this harder than I want.
"You will not call the cops, the feds; you will tell absolutely no one about this. You do, she dies." Sofia's sobs grow louder, and I attempt to block them out. "I'm going to call you tomorrow, and you're going to meet me. I'm going with you to pick that bastard up. You let him know anything and one of my guys will kill her. I will not give Sofia back to you unless I get Joe. You understand that?"
"Daddy... please. Please do it. I don't want to die!"
"You're not, baby. Daddy's not going to let these bastards hurt you." He pauses for a moment. "You don't give her back to me, and I will find you."
"You do as I asked, and you won't need to go to the trouble."
I hang up the phone and stare at Rich. "Feed her. Be nice to her. Don't fucking touch her!" My gaze falls to Sofia. "I will ask you if he hurt you, and you will tell me the truth." I turn back to Rich. "You don't hurt her, and I will give you a quarter mil. You touch a hair on her fucking body, and I'll kill you."
He rubs his hand over the back of his thick neck. "Yeah. Got it."
"Your father just works for the wrong man, sweetheart," I say as I turn toward the door to leave.