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“Cans of worms are kind of my specialty.”

Savannah got called away by a patron, but she kissed Carrie on the cheek before walking away. “Stay out of trouble, honey. I like you a lot.”

Was that supposed to be some kind of warning? Carrie watched as Savannah sidled up to the customer and tried to sell him a lap dance. Her drink was mostly empty when Lola approached with another.

“Have a drink on me. Sorry I was rude earlier.”

“Aww thanks. I’m sorry if I got you in trouble.”

Lola shook her head. “Not at all. Just be careful, OK?”

Carrie just nodded and took a sip of her drink. Commotion at the booth caught her attention. Director Upwood and his protection detail were leaving. She followed them with her eyes to the front of the club. When she turned back to the booth, it was empty. Dino Carranza had slipped out without her noticing.

Now that she had a name to dig into, it was time to call it a night. She didn’t spook easily, but Lola and Savannah both seemed adamant that she would put herself in danger if she asked too many questions. Hopefully, whoever sent the package had seen her and would send more information as promised.

Dropping some extra cash at the bar, she headed for the exit. As she got closer, the room spun, and she stumbled for the door. Lola must have made that apology drink extra strong. As she grabbed the door frame to steady herself, a hand touched her back, and she jumped. A second hand gripped her arm.

“Come with us, Miss Davenport.”

She was escorted to a limo. Why wasn’t she struggling to get away? The thought occurred to her too late.

Shit.

“Listen closely and you’ll make it home alive. Don’t and you’ll wind up floating in the Potomac.”

The inside of the car was dark, and she couldn’t make out the face of the man speaking. Fear kept her from turning to the man at her side, so she just nodded.

“You’re going to stay away from the Doll House and stop asking nosy questions, especially about Corbit Upwood. I’m sure you can find something else to report on.” The voice had a thick Hispanic accent. Was she talking to Dino Carranza?

The limo stopped at a red light and Carrie wondered if she could make it to the door and roll out like they did in the movies. Probably not. As she was considering her options, something hit the back of the car, jerking Carrie forward, nearly launching her off the seat.

“Son of a bitch,” the man next to her said.

The privacy panel lowered, and the driver spoke.

“Sorry, Mr. Carranza. He hit us pretty hard. The cops are probably on their way. And there are too many traffic cameras around for us to drive off.”

Mr. Carranza jumped out of the car, and Carrie watched out the window as he disappeared around a corner.

Someone tapped on the driver’s window and the sounds of the surrounding street grew louder as the driver lowered the window.

“I’m so sorry, mister.” Carrie strained to hear as someone spoke through the open driver's window.

“I’m sure it’s OK. Let’s have a look at the damage.” The driver opened his door.

Her captor opened the back door and climbed out to speak to whoever hit him. He was pulling out his wallet as he did. Was he just trading insurance information, or was he trying to buy the driver off to keep authorities out of it? The door nearest her opened and someone dragged her from the car.Fuck.Whoever it was crouched with his arm around her waist and put his other hand over her mouth.

“Run around the corner as fast as you can. A cab is waiting for you. Take this number. Call Peter Mercer. You can trust him.”

Before she could fully process his words, he’d jerked her to her feet.

“Run!”

***

Carrie’s hands trembled as she unlocked her apartment. When she was inside, she leaned against the door and inhaled deeply, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. Whatever she had stumbled into was even more serious than she first imagined.

Twice, she had picked up the phone to call the police or Peter but wasn’t sure what to tell either of them. Her story sounded ludicrous in her head. She considered calling Tom, but he would likely bench her if he found out what happened. There was no way she was letting him pull her off this case.

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