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Tatum
“Murphy?”
“Fuck.”
Yeah, fuck about summed up the last day for me.
Twenty-four hours ago, I had just pulled into my parking spot after work when suddenly a blacked-out SUV pulled up next to my car, and then my passenger window exploded from a gunshot.
Yup, fuck was right. If it were in all capital letters, that would be spot on.
“What is going on?” I asked, dazed. I had been in and out of consciousness, being moved from here and there until I landed at Murphy’s feet.
I had been surprised and shocked when I was kidnapped, and that shock continued when I saw Murphy.
“How did you get here?” Murphy asked.
I scoffed and laid my head on the cold floor. “Carjacking, gunshots, and I think a plane was involved, but I honestly can’t really tell you.”
“You’re shot?” Murphy asked frantically. He struggled against his restraints, and his foot kicked the side of my head.
“Jesus,” I gasped. “I’ve kind of been through a lot,” I muttered. I hurt everywhere, but now the side of my head a little bit more.
“Dammit, Tatum, I’m sorry, baby girl.”
“I’m not your baby girl,” I whispered. I hadn’t been for five years. “Give me a second, and I’ll get up.”
“You’re not restrained?” he asked.
I sighed and closed my eyes. “No, just exhausted. They took my restraints off before they tossed me in here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Murphy pondered.
“None of this makes sense,” I grumbled. “I can tell you how I got here, but I would like to know why I am here.” I knew the type of world Murphy was a part of. This had to do with him. I hadn’t put the kidnapping and him together until he had said my name. “What kind of trouble are you in?” I asked.
Murphy chuckled. “Honestly? Shit from the past none of us saw coming.”
“Does anyone know you are here?” I rolled over onto my back and let out a moan.
“I’m sure Brandt let Leo know,” he grunted. “Not sure what his plan is, but the sooner you untie me, the sooner we can get out of here.”
“I’m beaten and battered. Can you give me a minute?” I whined. I was being dramatic; I knew it.
“Take your time; I’m not going anywhere.”
I grumbled under my breath and managed to get up on my knees. I shoved my hair out of my face and looked up at Murphy. “Please say I don’t look as bad as you.” Murphy’s normally handsome and chiseled face was bloody, bruised, and swollen.
“You always look beautiful, Tatum.”
I blew out a raspberry and rolled my eyes. “And you were always full of it.” I couldn’t see my what I looked like, but I knew it wasn’t pretty. “Is your nose broken?”
Murphy shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
I rolled my eyes again and bent over to work on the rope tied around his ankles. “What a grand thing to brag about.”
“Just stating the facts, baby girl.”
I curled my lip, ready to tell him to stop calling me baby girl, but I figured setting him free so he could get us out of here was more important. “Do you have any idea how we are going to get out of here?” I asked.
“Working on a plan.”
I glanced up at him. “So that’s a no.”
“If you’ve got a plan, I’m all ears,” he grunted.
I didn’t. I managed to loosen the knot on the rope and freed his legs. I moved to his arm, tied to the arm of the chair. “My plan is getting you freed, and then it’s all you.” Not exactly rocket science, but this type of scenario was in Murphy’s wheelhouse. I tended to keep my head buried in the sand when I dated Murphy, but I wasn’t dumb. Leo Banachi was a rich businessman who had his hands on everything. Legal and illegal.
Being locked in this room with Murphy obviously had to do with the illegal things he did. God knew working at a bookstore didn’t put me in contact with anything illegal.
I freed both of his arms and fell back on my butt.
Murphy jumped up and crouched in front of me. “Are you okay?”
I waved him off. “I’m still breathing, so I’m good.”
He ran his hands over my body and worriedly stared at me. “Did you hit your head at all?” he asked. “Anything feel broke?”
I rolled my eyes yet again. “I don’t know what broke would feel like since I’ve never broken a bone.”
“It would hurt like hell, baby girl.” His hands moved to my face, and he caressed my cheek. “You’ve got a few cuts on your face but nothing that needs stitches.”
“I wish I could say the same for you,” I muttered. Murphy’s normally handsome face was bloodied and there was a large gash on his cheek. “I should have listened to my mother when she told me to be a nurse. I’m not much help when it comes to blood and gore. I could direct you to the sci-fi section and recommend some of my favorite books, though.”
Murphy chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve still got a great sense of humor.”
I batted my eyes. “It’s my go-to when I’m in awkward situations or on the brink of dying.”
“Which one is this?” he asked.
“I’ll let you know.” It was honestly both. “Why don’t you James Bond us out of here, yeah?”
Murphy stood and did a slow spin, taking in the room. “Where were you before they brought you in here?” he asked.
“Uh, well, there was just a blanket on the ground.”
“That’s it?” Murphy growled.
I shrugged. “I’ve never been kidnapped before, but I don’t think comfort is what they go for.” Leave it to Murphy to be mad I wasn’t given five-star accommodations. “There were two windows.”
“Covered?” Murphy asked. “Like these?” He moved to the window on the opposite wall that was boarded up with streaks of light coming through the cracks.
“Uh, mostly. The top of one was missing a board. I could see trees.”
“Tops of trees, or the trunks?”
I wrinkled my brow. “Uh, well, I guess it was the trunks. Does it matter?”
“Yeah.” He tried to pry the wood off the windows. “That means we’re on ground level. Should make it easier to get out of here.”
I sighed and shuffled back until my back hit the wall. “You wouldn’t, by chance, have a pry bar in your back pocket, would you?”
“Very funny,” he muttered. “The real question is, are you going to be able to keep up with me once I get these boards off? We’re gonna have to run like the devil is chasing us, baby girl.”
“I was all-state in track, Murphy. I would worry more about yourself,” I muttered.
“Good, good,” he chuckled. The board in his hand creaked, and my hopes soared that he was actually going to be able to get us out of here.
“Water and bread, that is it!” A voice boomed from the other side of the door.
“Shit,” Murphy whispered. He dove for the chair he had been tied to and frantically tossed the ropes over his wrists. “Stay there,” he ordered me.
As if I had anywhere else to go.
The door opened, and I squinted at the bright light behind the man. “This is all you get.” He tossed a bottle of water at Murphy and something else sailed through the air. “Have a nice night,” the man cackled. He slammed the door behind him, and the familiar click of locks sounded.
“You know him?” I asked.
Murphy grunted and tossed the ropes off his wrists. “No. I’m assuming he’s one of the grunts Brandt managed to get to work for him.” He stood and moved over to the window. “I wouldn’t eat or drink anything he just gave us. I’m assuming it’s been drugged.”
Just great. “What do you want me to do?”
“Keep watch by the door. If you hear anyone coming close, let me know.” The board he pried on creaked again. “I don’t want them to find out what we’re doing until they come in here to find us gone.”
“You’re pretty confident.”
Murphy glanced over her shoulder at me. “I know what I’m up against, baby girl. Brandt is lucky he isn’t dead yet. For years, he has been trying to take out Leo but can never pull it off. We stop him, and then he slinks off to come up with some other harebrained scheme.”
“This is a scheme?” I asked. “A scheme to get what? If he wants Leo, then why doesn’t he go after Leo?”
“Because to get to Leo, he knows he needs to knock me, Creed, Princeton, and Apollo out of the way.”
“He can’t kill Apollo,” I gasped. “He’s got Greer and the kids.”
Murphy turned back to his task of getting the wood off the window. “It’s nice to hear you are so concerned about Greer and the kids. I’ll be sure to let her know.”
“She was nice to me, and the kids were adorable,” I shrugged. “I do miss her.” Murphy and I had dated for around a year and had gone on a few double dates with Apollo and Greer. She was a sort of an enigma. She was beautiful and elegant, but also so down to earth, you never would have known she was rich as hell and married to the mafia.
“Greer is nice to anyone who is nice to her and the kids,” Murphy mumbled.
“Yeah, but she doesn’t have to be. I like her. Does that make you mad?” He should have been happy I had gotten along with his friend’s wife.
“No, but it does sound like you missed her more than me.”
I rolled my eyes. “We didn’t work, Murphy. I figured you would have moved on from me by now.”
“Why didn’t we work?” he grunted. “Refresh my memory.” A loud creak sounded, and the top board fell from the window. “One board down, five more to go.”
“We really want to take a trip down memory lane?” I asked. It wasn’t some torrid story to tell. It was just zero communication from Murphy.
“Make it a short trip,” he chuckled.
I tipped my head to the side. “I was an open book, Murph, and you were illiterate.”