Page 95 of Hard Wired

Chapter Thirty

Dominic cut across a grassy lawn. He was supposed to lose his bodyguard detail, and he’d taken care of that. But he didn’t know where the hell he was going. He’d only been to see Raymond at his dorm once before, and that hadn’t been in the middle of the night.

When he’d called Raymond in the hallway, he’d finally gotten an answer. Except it hadn’t been his brother on the line.

I’ll give myself up, Dominic had whispered into the phone. Just don’t hurt Raymond.

On the phone, Sandford had told him to get to the street that cut through the campus.

Dominic stopped a student and asked for directions. The guy was so drunk he barely made sense, but he pointed, and Dominic went that way, skirting between two buildings.

Finally, he saw cars parked along a curb. Streetlights made all the concrete look pale yellow.

Sandford had said they wouldn’t hurt Raymond if Dominic turned himself in. But what if the lawyer had been lying? What if something terrible had already happened to his brother? His heart was beating so hard he didn’t know how he could keep functioning.

“Dominic!”

He turned. Sylvie and Tanner were running after him. Shit. “I told you not to follow me. Both of you need to get out of here. Now.”

He didn’t have time to warn them about what was coming. A black sedan with tinted windows roared up the narrow street. The window of the backseat was open, and Aaron Sandford pointed a gun barrel out of it.

Tanner cursed, drawing his weapon. Sylvie held a gun too, and she aimed it at the car.

“Tell your friends to drop their guns, or you and Raymond both are going to die.”

Dominic looked over. “Tanner, just let me go. Please do what he says.”

The bodyguard and Sylvie both laid their guns on the concrete.

Sandford leaned forward through the open window. “Dominic, you too. Get rid of your weapons, or you’ll never see Raymond again.”

“I don’t have any weapons.”

“Are you shitting me? Get over here, and we’ll find out if you’re lying.” He looked towards Tanner and Sylvie. “Anybody tries anything funny, then you all know what’s going to happen. Pretty boy’s brains will get plastered all over the sidewalk.”

Dominic approached the vehicle, keeping his arms raised.

Then Sylvie screamed, and Dominic pivoted to see a huge man in a black leather jacket lurch from the shadows.

Tanner’s arm lashed out, knocking the gun from the new guy’s hand. They grappled with one other. Sylvie reached for one of the weapons on the ground, but a gunshot rang out, splintering the tree trunk beside her. Sandford had fired. Dominic yelled, starting toward her. He heard Sandford telling him to stop, but Dominic didn’t care. He had to get to her.

Yet another Syndicate enforcer appeared. They were coming from around the side of the building, like they’d split up to flank Dominic from multiple sides. The newcomer brought a blackjack down on the back of Tanner’s head, and Sylvie’s friend collapsed onto the concrete.

The leather jacket guy grabbed Sylvie by the arm and dragged her toward Sandford’s car.

“No,” Dominic said. “Leave her alone.” He kept hoping Tanner’s other friend, Rex, would drive up and help somehow. But the Bennett Security car was nowhere in sight. Because you wanted to lose him, idiot, and now they’ve got Sylvie, too. This had all gotten so fucked up so fast.

The man holding the blackjack drew a gun and pointed it at Dominic. “Both of you in the car. Now.”

“That wasn’t the deal. It’s me for Raymond. Leave Sylvie out of this.”

Nobody even bothered to respond to him. The car doors opened. They shoved Dominic and Sylvie both inside. The tires peeled as they drove away.

Alexi, the massive Neanderthal who’d visited Dominic’s house with Sandford, was driving. Dominic was squeezed in next to another Syndicate enforcer, with a gun barrel pushing into his abdomen. The man had worked for him—Patrick. That was his name. Though if Patrick had shown the slightest bit of loyalty to Dominic, Sandford would never have brought him tonight.

Sandford had Sylvie on his lap. It made Dominic’s skin crawl to see the lawyer’s hands on her arms, pinning them to her sides.

But just a few seconds later, the car swerved into a turnout and stopped. Another vehicle, this one a gray Lexus, waited at the curb with its engine running. Sandford’s door opened, and someone grabbed hold of Sylvie, transferring her into the other car.

---