Page 79 of The DeLuca Crime Family: Vol. 1

“Please don’t shoot me,” I whispered as I neared him. It galled me to do so, but I placed my hand in his free one and let him help me out. As I straightened, my eyes narrowed on Greg as he climbed back into the front of the limo, tossing me a smug grin through the window. The bastard had been smart enough toleave the reception hall with me, which meant Brandon wouldn’t have any leads on my whereabouts.

The same limo driver who’d picked me up this morning stumbled out of the small office, buttoning up his pants and then swiping a finger under his nose. A scantily clad woman followed behind him, teetering on a pair of ridiculous heels as she tottered over to where Sean and I were standing.

“You need me for anything else?” Her eyes dropped to the crotch of his pants while she licked her lips, making it blatantly clear exactly what she thought Sean might need her to do for him.

“Run along now,” he instructed, giving her a swat on the ass as she walked past us to an older Ford parked outside the hangar.

“Not sure how you can turn an offer like that down. Her mouth is like a Hoover vacuum.” It seemed the limo driver had a hell of a time while Sean used the car. At least he had the grace to blush when his startled eyes landed on me before he hurried to the driver’s side door.

“You’ll wait until the plane takes off ta leave, just in case anythin’ goes wrong,” Sean ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

The stupid bastard didn’t even question what kinds of things could go wrong. He probably assumed Sean meant something mechanical with the plane, and not my husband coming to my rescue with guns blazing. Speaking of the plane...

“You’re kidnapping me in my own plane?”

“It’s not yours anymore. It’s mine,” he boasted, nudging me in the back with the gun to get me moving towards the steps that led up to the open door. “Ya fecked up, choosin’ to dump the traffickin’ and the drugs. I stepped inta the gap ya left behind. Some of your men aren’t like the blind idiots who’ve chosen ta follow ya. They want ta keep the money rollin’ in, an’they’ve made sure I’ve had what I needed to ensure their pockets remained well-lined.”

Information. Access to me. The plane. Greg might have been the traitor who’d turned me over to Sean, but he couldn’t have pulled all this off himself. He wasn’t smart enough, or high enough up the ladder, to get Sean everything he would have needed. There had to be more of my men involved.Fucking shit.

Seeing no other option that wouldn’t put the baby at risk, I boarded the plane. Sean didn’t waste a moment, instructing the pilot to take off immediately. I stared out the window, praying Brandon would somehow manage to find me before that happened. The odds of my survival dropped even lower once we got in the air. Minutes ticked by as the pilot readied the plane before we taxied to the runway. When the wheels left the ground and we were already in the air, I saw several black SUVs racing towards the limo. Tears streamed from my eyes, knowing Brandon had done the nearly impossible and tracked me down, even if it was a couple minutes too late to rescue me.

Pressing one hand to the window and the other to my stomach, I watched as one of the SUVs plowed into the limo. The tears kept falling, but I stayed silent, not wanting Sean to know Brandon had gotten there in time to capture Greg. I waited until they were out of sight, and then I brushed the tears away and turned away from the window.

“Enough o’ that, now,” Sean chided. “It won’t be all bad. Once we arrive at our destination, we’ll get your marriage ta that dago annulled. Then you’ll marry me an’ we can go on as though your stupid decision never happened.”

“That’s impossible,” I whispered, but not softly enough because he heard what I’d said.

“It’s going ta’ happen, Carly. I caught ya before the marriage could be consummated, and a lucky thing too. I’ll have what was promised ta me, one way or another.”

“I’ve already given it to my husband, and I’ve got a baby in my belly to prove it.” In my fury and fear, I tossed the words at him.

His eyes turned ice cold. “Well, then, I guess I’ll just have ta find another use for ya.”

Chapter Twenty-One

BRANDON

“Get me a flight to Haiti. I don’t care if you need to steal a fucking plane, I want to be in the air in thirty minutes or less.” My hands clenched and unclenched, in my attempt to hide the shaking, as I instructed Aiden and Conor.

They nodded and took off to complete their assignment. Their faces were a mask of anger and fear. My gut told me they weren’t part of the mutiny against Carly, but it was obvious Greg hadn’t acted alone. I wasn’t sure who to trust, but I couldn’t turn to my family completely, or I would lose what little ground I’d gained with Carly’s.

My phone rang and I dug it out of my pocket to see Nic’s name flashing across the screen. I hit accept and he started talking before I’d gotten my mouth open.

“Our last shipment came into the airport you’re at. Enzo and the guys are unloading our merchandise, then he’ll fly you to Haiti. I’ve got the jet fueled and a flight plan filed, get your ass to hangar eight, pronto.” I was never more grateful for the tight circle of my family than at that moment. Someone had kept Nic up to date and he had my back, like always.

I hung up the phone without a word and started running, yelling for Aiden and Conor to meet me at the plane. Ewan started to follow, but I didn’t know what kind of condition he was in after the collision and couldn’t take any chances that he would slow us down. Luckily, I had the perfect job to entice him to stay behind.

“Ewan, I need you to stay here. I need your help. I’ll call you once we are in the air. For now, get to a fucking doctor and then back to O’Reilly’s. Call ineveryone.” That pub was where we’d held the wake, the largest by far and where we held most of our meetings.

I didn’t wait for his response, sprinting out the door and into an unattended airport vehicle. I didn’t stick around to see who it belonged to and less than thirty minutes later, we were in the air.

Conor and Aiden sat across from me. Thomas, who’d shown up as we boarded the plane, occupied the seat next to me. As pissed as I was, I knew I could trust him, and considering our situation, I needed as many trustworthy guys with me as possible. A mix of Italians and Irish were scattered throughout the rest of the jet. I made the call to Ewan and told him to find me the fucking traitors. Each one had a noose with their name on it.

Slowly,my men slipped along the outside of the high stone wall surrounding a yellow, Haitian villa. The small guard shack at the gate hadn’t been a deterrent. The motherfucker who owned this place clearly had a monumental ego if he thought a pathetic, little rent-a-cop would keep his ass safe. One bullet to the head and we had access to all of the perimeter security.

Aiden and Conor had been more involved in the drug trade, but they were in the loop enough to know the key players involved in the trafficking of women. It made the most sense that Sean would hole up with their contact, Josué, a cabinet member in The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I prayed Carly was with him because every minute she was gone, the chances of finding her diminished.

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