Page 63 of Chief's Addiction

“Nice try,” the jerk behind me hissed, digging the gun deeper into my side. “Keep moving.”

The third man went ahead of us, opening the service door with a key card. My mind was a whirlwind of questions and fear as we were shoved through the door into a narrow corridor.

“Who are you?” Beckett asked, finding his voice. “What do you want with us?”

The hollow-cheeked man grinned, revealing those yellowed teeth again. “Name’s Spike. And what I want is my fucking merchandise back that your old man stole from me.”

My blood ran cold.

Mason? Merchandise?

“Look,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “whatever issue you have with Chief, we’re not part of it. Just let us go. We have nothing to do with any of this.”

Spike laughed. “Sweetheart, you became a part of it when you started fucking the man who stole my property. And this kid?” He jerked his head toward Beckett. “He’s living under Chief’s roof, which makes him valuable too.”

I felt sick to my stomach.

Mason had warned me repeatedly that it wasn’t safe, but I wouldn’t listen. I had accused him of being paranoid, and had complained about the prospects following me around.

“Move,” Spike ordered, shoving me forward. “We’ve got a tight schedule to keep.”

As we were marched through the service hallways of the mall, one thought kept hammering through my head: Mason had been right all along.

And now, I had no idea if we’d live long enough for me to tell him I was sorry.

Chapter 15

Chief

“It’s time we had a talk about the intel your sister brought back from St. Louis.”

“Not now, Shade,” I growled into the phone, pacing the length of my office as I glanced at the time again. Cora and Beckett had been gone for over an hour. She should’ve texted by now.

“This isn’t a social call, mijo,” my grandfather’s voice sharpened. “I’ve been asking around about Sidorov. He’s not just here for Spike. He’s looking for a woman.”

My phone beeped with another incoming call. Cueball’s name flashed on the screen.

Finally.

“Gotta call you back,” I told Shade, cutting him off. I switched to the other line, my chest tightening. “About fucking time. Where are you?”

“Chief!” Cueball’s frantic voice crackled through the line, setting off alarm bells in my head. “Chief, fuck, we… there was?—”

“Slow the fuck down,” I barked, my grip tightening on the phone. “I can’t understand a goddamn word you’re saying.”

There was a shuddering breath on the other end, then: “Cora and Beckett are gone!”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What do you mean ‘gone’? They’re not with you?”

“No.” Cueball’s voice cracked. “Her purse is still in the spot we left her at, but they’re?—”

There was no fucking way he said what I thought he just said.

The spot we left her at?

Every hair on my body stood on end as ice flooded my veins. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT HER?” I roared, my ears ringing. “You weren’t supposed to take your fucking eyes off them!”

“We fucked up, Chief,” Cueball started again, his voice trembling. “Lid and I, we just went to grab the shoes. They were right there. When we turned around, they were gone.”

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