| |
Chrissy hadn’t heard a thing. All she knew was one moment she’d been talking with Saks at the car’s edge, and the next he’d yanked her down, using the vehicle as a shield. The alleyway was eerily quiet, save for the wash of nearby gentle waves crashing on the shore and the occasional gull soaring overhead. Her head tilted, straining to hear whatever could be coming, when a voice jolted her so roughly Saks squeezed her arm in reassurance.
“Kovel!” A string of angry Russian spilled from the person’s lips, slamming Chrissy’s heart against her ribcage. As cautiously as she could, she poked her head around the back end of the car and spotted a portly man emerging from the shadows into the light of the alley’s single floodlight.
Each figure trailing behind was clearly visible only for a moment, when they stepped beneath the bright spotlight. First was a disheveled, ghostly Jessica that had Chrissy slamming her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. The woman’s hands were tied behind her back, and she hobbled along with a limp that had never been there before. Even more shocking than the sight of her was the sight of a restrained Pearson, blood running down his face and defeat all over him. Never had she seen him so withdrawn as in that moment, but the last man made it all clear. Whoever he was, he held a gun at Pearson’s head.
The banging on the windows gained the immediate attention of the older man in front, who Chrissy guessed was Kosikov.
“What the hell,” the man muttered. In a hurry, he rushed to the door and yanked on the locked handles. “Open the doors, you idiots!”
From behind the protection of the car, Saks rose. “I dare you to move,” he growled as he lifted the gun and pointed it directly at the man’s head.
With the car between him and Saks, there was little the man could do except curse.
“Come here, Jess,” Saks called out. “And you,” his chin jutted out toward the man behind Pearson. “You move and I’ll shoot your boss, then you. Now drop your gun.”
“Do it,” Saks’ prisoner gritted out.
The young man hesitated, the gun shaking in his hand, before finally he bent down and dropped it to the pavement. In that very moment, Pearson ran. His bare feet slapped the pavement in his hurried escape; Kosikov’s angry voice sent spittle across the car’s roof. “Get him! Fucking kill him!”
Saks watched in horror as the younger man dove for his gun and shot off a blast at Pearson. Jessica, halfway toward the car, threw herself in utter fear and slammed down hard without the use of her arms to catch herself. All hell was breaking loose, and Saks needed to regain control.
“Don’t fucking move,” Saks spat as he wrenched Kosikov’s arm behind his back and jammed the gun into his ear. “And you!” he shouted after the kid, “drop that fucking gun and kick it away.”
Like a deer in headlights, the young man stared until he darted off after Pearson like a skittish cat. For a moment Saks thought of trying to hit him in the leg to keep him from running, but he was probably hired help anyway. The young kid had probably just gotten himself in deep without realizing what he was doing.
Everything slammed back into focus when Chrissy’s voice rang in the air. “Jess! Jess! Oh, my God, are you okay?”
Jessica groaned and rolled over. “Damn heels,” she muttered, drawing the softest of sighs from Chrissy.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?”
“I think I may have sprained my ankle, but I’m not sure. I’d been tied to a stupid chair for so long my legs were asleep. I could barely feel my feet when we were forced out here.”
“I was so worried you got shot.”
Jessica groaned as she moved to sit. “Makes me sound like a badass.”
Chrissy grabbed hold of her friend, and with every bit of strength she had pulled her back to her feet. She’d barely been up for half a second, when Chrissy yanked her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Jess.”
“What a beautiful sight,” Kosikov murmured sarcastically, “but what are you going to do now? Kill me?”
“You deserve it, you bastard,” Jessica spat as Chrissy worked on untying her restraints. “Selling me to some creep just to make some cash? You deserve to burn in hell.”
Saks leaned in and let his harsh whisper do the talking. “You don’t deserve to die.”
The wail of police sirens filled the air, and in Saks’ grasp the man struggled. He wasn’t about to let go, though, not with all of the damage he’d caused. He also couldn’t allow himself to think too much on the fact that it could’ve been Chrissy stepping out of that building. Had it been, the man may not have survived to make it to prison.
“Let go of me!” the man screamed as he flailed against the strength of Saks’ hold.
“Fuck you. You’re going to jail. For a very long time.”
