Page 14 of The Bratva's Weakness

I know James said that I’m in danger, and I’m more than happy to oblige him by spending my nights by his side, but there’s no way I’m at risk as much as he thinks. I know Katie is working the morning shift, so if I head to her house right now, I’ll be able to catch her before she leaves for her 7 a.m. shift.

I quickly dress and head downstairs, grabbing the keys to the Mercedes SUV James said I could use since we left my car back at my place. I leave him a note on the kitchen counter, telling him I’ve run out to see Katie and will be back around 7:30. I also jump on my phone and share my location with him, wanting him to know I’m taking precautions.

When I pull up in front of Katie’s house ten minutes later, I catch her sipping coffee and scrolling on her phone at the kitchen table. When I walk in she looks shocked to see me, but quickly recovers and pours me a cup of coffee, filling it to the brim and adding some caramel creamer, just like she knows I love.

“Okay, I know what happened with the airport—hilarious, by the way. I haven’t talked to Jim since, but he didn’t seem too peeved by it. What’s been happening the last few days?” she asks, sipping from her mug and settling in for a good gossip session just like we have for countless mornings over the years. It’s comforting to talk to Katie like this.

I fill her in on everything from James offering me a job and having me over for dinner, to the kiss that first night and then everything in-between. I blush recounting the way we made love last night, leaving out some of the spicier details, of course. And then I fill her in, vaguely, about the danger James has said that I’m in.

When I finish, I let out a deep breath, feeling a bit winded from how much I just unloaded on Katie.

“Do you think you’re in any real danger?” she asks after a moment. “I’m so, so happy for you, but I also don’t want you to be in a situation where you’re not safe.”

“I know,” I say, reaching across and grabbing her hand, just like we’ve done to comfort each other so many times over the years. “I don’t think James would let anything happen to me, but I know I need to be cautious. That’s why I came to see you at the crack of dawn. I feel like gem dealers don’t keep early hours,” I say with a laugh. Katie laughs, too.

“Then I think I’ve never seen you this happy before and you should be with him as long as you feel safe with him. And as long as he keeps being honest with you, I don’t see any real reason for you to worry.”

“Thanks, Katie, I needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, babe,” she says, squeezing my hand before looking at the clock. “Shit! It’s almost 6:45, I have to run.”

“I’ll clean this up for you and lock up—sorry for keeping you!” I say, rising to give her a hug before she runs out the door, blowing me a kiss and asking me if I remember the door code. I do.

I quickly clean up our coffee mugs and run a cloth over her kitchen table, noticing the family picture that hangs over it, along with a variety of photos of us and other friends. I spot who must be Jim, sporting a dark mop of hair, matching dark eyes, and swirling tattoos that are so different from the beauty of James’ Celtic knots. I wonder what would have happened if I’d picked him up instead of my James, but I can’t even begin toimagine the very possible reality where I had never met the man I’ve fallen in love with.

I drop the cloth over Katie’s drying rack before heading out the door, remembering to type in the lock code. I turn to leave, and by the time I hear footsteps behind me, it’s too late. Everything goes black.

***

I wake slowly, sitting in a very uncomfortable chair. My head throbs, and I can feel that my wrists and ankles are tied. I let out a moan as I feel the fog in my head beginning to lift. Once I’m able to open my eyes, I see nothing but a blank concrete room. It looks like some kind of storage unit or something, but there’s no hints of sunlight or anything for me to get my bearings. The only light in the room comes from a single lightbulb with a string for a switch situated in the center of the room.

I take another pass around the room, the panic starting to bubble inside me. I move my wrists, but all that does is saw the rope further into my flesh. I cry out with pain and frustration and rock my chair, doing anything I can think of to lessen my restraints. Again, my movements only seem to tighten the bonds around me.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and think of James. He’ll come for me. I know he’ll come for me.I can’t believe I didn’t take this seriously. I’m so sorry, James.A tear leaks out of the corner of my eye, but I will the rest of them away.

I hear the muffle of footsteps, and I take another deep breath, remembering that I had turned on my location on my phone. I just hope it’ll be enough for James to find me in time.

Chapter Eight

James

I wake with a smile on my face, hoping to be able to slide into Allie once again. I’m desperate to feel her quake around me, desperate to see myself bring her to the edge. I need to tell her I love her, that I would be totally and completely lost without her at this point. When I roll over to tell her just that, my smile falls immediately when I realize she’s not there.

“Fuck!” I shout, jumping out of bed and rushing downstairs, hoping to find her there. I run through each room, my heart pounding faster and faster as I find each of them empty before arriving in the kitchen to see she left a note on the counter telling me she went to Katie’s and should be back around 7:30. I glance at the clock. 8:07. Fuck.

The bottom of the note lets me know she shared her location with me for safety reasons, and I head out to the security hut to the side of the house, ready to get answers. I had it built after my last close call, and the men inside should be watching the cameras, guaranteeing 24 hour a day constant surveillance.

When I get there, I find the man on watch completely passed out and the second officer nowhere to be found.

“Get up!” I bark at the sleeping officer, and he jolts in his chair, his eyes filling with shock and fear at the anger in my voice.Good. He should be terrified.

“Why the fuck are you sleeping on the job, Tony? I told you someone had to be on watch 24/7. Allie is missing and so is your fucking deputy. So why don’t you tell me when exactly you fell asleep and where the fuck you think this other guy is?”

“I’m so sorry, sir. We just had another baby and…” he takes one look at my face and must realize now isn’t the time for excuses. “I must have fallen asleep around 5:45, Luis was here then, I know that. How long do you think Allie has been gone?” He gets on his walkie and starts mumbling that he needs all hands on deck.

“She left me a note saying she would be back around 7:30, and as you can see, it’s well past then. I checked my phone and her phone’s last known location was at her friend Katie’s house, about ten minutes ago,” I tell him, my voice still seething as the hut starts to fill with the rest of the security team pouring in from other locations.

“Allie’s missing,” I shout. I point at three of my men. “You, go to Allie’s house and stand guard in case her grandfather returns.” They take off, and I turn to the rest. “The rest of you, with me. We’re heading to her friend Katie’s house where she was last seen. Let’s go.”

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