Page 79 of Lane

Here, sitting in Jordan’s dining area, we let our hearts bleed and our eyes leak. We let ourselves be vulnerable because there was no one else in the world who’d have our backs like the ones in this room did.

33

ALTON

Fear wasn’t a common emotion in me. It couldn’t be when I worked for a powerful man like Jordan Altair Sr. But then I started dating two of his men who had dangerous jobs. I knew going in, there was a chance they could be seriously hurt. While I was afraid when they were, the fear was quickly pushed aside so I could focus on the task at hand—healing them.

This afternoon, being taken from my practice while someone I considered a friend was stabbed trying to protect me, I knew real fear. Not only for myself, but for Sheldon too. I’d seen the damage stab wounds could do. I could only hope someone realized he was in there and helped him. He would need a hospital and an operating room.

As I was escorted out of the practice by Ulrich, with his hand wrapped tightly around my bicep and a concealed gun pressed to my side, I couldn’t yell for help. If I did, he said he’d finish the job and kill Sheldon.

While Jordan and those who worked for him were very intelligent, so was Ulrich. He knew damn well Jordan wouldn’t give him the twenty million he asked for. That was why he shot up my home. That was why he came into my practice and tookme by gunpoint. And that was why he held me hostage until he had what he wanted.

The lives he could take in the process didn’t matter to him. He laughed on the drive from my practice when he said he was aware of Jack and Ethan’s deaths, along with their guards. They didn’t matter to him. They were pawns in the game he played. The money was his goal. Fuck whoever stood in his way to get it.

Jordan dealt with a lot of his problems in warehouses and rundown buildings, where no one would be the wiser as to what went on there. The floors and walls were easy to clean of the blood that would inevitably spill.

Ulrich, on the other hand, took me to a park. One full of people out on the trails, sitting on benches, and some enjoying a snack or meal. There were young children playing nearby. This was the first day in a while where the temperature drifted into the fifties. March could do that in Pennsylvania. It would snow one day and the next have it melting from the warm-up.

“Have a seat, Dr. Keeley,” Ulrich said, directing me toward a bench no one occupied. It was near the back, facing the park and the people in it. There was a trail which ran behind us. Ulrich was confident when he put his back to it. That told me he already had guards in the trees beyond the trail. He was covered. “So, tell me what it’s like dating Lane Everhart and Raiden Sutton. You have two powerful men on your arms who would kill for you.”

I hadn’t said a word since he’d taken me. If I didn’t speak, he didn’t add to his arsenal to hold against Lane and Raiden.

“Ah, the silent treatment,” he observed. “That doesn’t work on me. I’ve already dug through your files, know the names of your sister and her husband. I’ve seen the trouble she was in previously and how she married one of Jordan’s ex-guards. If you don’t think I have a man on their house, ready to kill them, then you’re not as smart as I gave you credit for.”

“Don’t,” I bit out.

I trusted Felix with my sister’s life. In their house, they were fully prepared for someone to attack them. They were also aware of Ulrich, thanks to Jordan sending a guard to Felix to tell him. Ulrich might think he knew all of Jordan’s men, but Jordan had people in place I hadn’t seen before. Ones who worked for him but weren’t in the building.

“Hit a nerve, did I?” Ulrich asked. “I’m not surprised. You’re protective of her much like her husband is.”

He kept talking while I focused on the entrance to the park, wondering when Jordan and the others would arrive. There was no doubt in my mind Jordan would be with Lane and Raiden. As much as I didn’t want them here, there would be no keeping them away. Ulrich expected to see the three of them, especially after taking me. If Jordan showed without them, Ulrich would want to know where they were. Jordan strived to be steps ahead of his opponent. I wasn’t privy to the inner workings of his dealings. The man didn’t make it for as long as he had by allowing mistakes to happen.

“Do you think Sheldon will survive?” Ulrich asked, drawing me from my thoughts. “I’m skilled with a knife and know how to hit the most vulnerable spots. The question is, did I or didn’t I? I could have missed them on purpose. Or I could have hit them as a reminder that Jordan shouldn’t fuck with me. I guess we’ll wait to see if Sheldon lives. There will be a lot of unhappy people if he doesn’t. Except maybe his father, who I heard was slowly dying in prison. Violence must run in the family.”

He baited me. My first instinct was to defend Sheldon and say he was nothing like his father. I’d heard what happened. Sheldon would never have done what his father did.

“So, it’s only your sister that has you responding? Good to know.” His phone rang. He lifted it from his pocket and put it to his ear. “Thank you.” He hung up. “It seems your sister is in labor. Too bad you won’t be there for the birth. It’s a girl, bythe way. I saw when I was digging through your sister’s personal life.”

I stayed silent, even though it was burning me inside not to speak. Fuck him and his bullshit. I didn’t care if he spoiled this. I cared if they were healthy and safe. At least if they were in the hospital, there was security. No one could get in or out of the maternity ward easily. Now to hope she got there safely behind locked doors with Felix.

“Do you know what I want the twenty million for? It’s not to do anything noble like Jordan plays at. He donates to the city, so they’ll leave him alone and let him continue on with his illegal activities. I’m using the money to fund my next business venture. I’ve already started collecting samples. It’s good to give people a taste of what they’ll be buying. With the money in hand, I’ll be able to fund a sophisticated online network to keep everyone from being tracked. These aren’t small players. They’re big clients who have addictions with plenty of money to burn. The quality of products I’ll be able to purchase in advance will be well worth it.”

At first, I thought he was talking about trafficking people, but this had to do with drugs. If he could get his hands on enough of it and hook the buyers like he said, they’d stay clients of his. All he had to do was deliver the products. Money went into his account, and he had someone deliver. If he only catered to the wealthy who could afford the best, he would make a fortune. God, I hoped when Jordan, Lane, and Raiden showed up that one of them was able to kill him. Not here in front of everyone, but if they could lure him away, they’d have a chance. Innocent people didn’t have to be caught in this.

Ulrich’s phone rang again. “It’s Jordan. How much do you want to bet he doesn’t want to meet me here?” He lifted the phone. “I’m not leaving the park.”

I could only hear one side of the conversation since Ulrich held the phone to the other side of his head.

“No.”

“I said no.”

“Fine. Five mil and I’ll move down the trail. If you fuck with me, I’ll kill him.” He hung up and then turned to me with a smile. I had to refrain from visibly shaking. There was nothing friendly about the look on his face. If I weren’t being used as a bargaining chip, he would have hurt me in ways I didn’t want to think about.

He elbowed me. “On your feet. Let’s go for a walk.”

I stood, him doing the same. He walked just behind me, nudging me toward the trail using the gun. There was no point in trying to fight him and get away. I wasn’t fast and I wasn’t stronger than him. Sure, I kept in shape, but it wasn’t my job to go toe to toe with criminals.

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