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L ottie’s pulse thundered and she gripped the edges of the chair, trying not to panic. She had no idea who this man was, but she had to remain calm and think logically in order to escape. As much as she was worried about his injury, she knew poor Chaz would be going out of his mind wondering where she was and what happened to her.

“You can have the gems back. I don’t want them. I don’t want anything to do with Andy,” Lottie said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

“I’m glad to hear that. I wouldn’t want things to get…messy.”

Her stomach churned. “I have to call my friend,” she said carefully.

“Your military friend? Is Charles Madden the one who has my gems?” She nodded slowly. “Why don’t we call him together?”

Without much choice, Lottie watched the man pull out his cell phone. “What’s his number?”

She rattled it off and he put the call on speaker. The phone barely rang before Chaz’s deep voice answered.

“Madden.”

Her hope soared at his familiar, gruff tone. God, she loved him. Now she just needed the opportunity to tell him.

“Mr. Madden, I hear you have my gems.”

“Who the fuck is this and where’s Lottie?” he growled.

His take-no-shit attitude made her heart swell and she couldn’t help but smile. Her man was a badass and he was ready to fight for her.

“I suggest you watch your tone,” he warned, face turning a mottled shade of red. “You have no idea who you’re talking to.”

“So enlighten me.”

She could tell the man wanted Chaz to know exactly who he was talking to and to be scared. A man like this reveled in power, control and making others fear him.

“Donato Ferrante,” he announced proudly, chest puffing out. “You have something that belongs to my family and I want it back.”

“You have something that belongs to me, too,” Chaz stated without missing a beat.

Lottie met Donato Ferrante’s dark gaze and lifted her chin. That’s right, asshole. My grizzly bear and his motley crew are coming for me and you’re the one who should be scared.

“I suggest we set up an exchange,” Ferrante said smoothly.

“Where?” Chaz growled.

“I’ll send you the location.” Before Chaz could reply, Ferrante hung up. “Take her upstairs and lock her in the guestroom.”

One of the men walked over and Lottie stood up. “I can walk fine, thank you very much,” she coolly informed him. Then she turned her attention to Ferrante. Although she didn’t know much about him, she recognized the well-known crime family’s name. “They’re going to destroy you.”

His eyes widened slightly before he found his composure again, and she inwardly grinned. Good. She hoped he was scared. He should be—the Motley Crew was coming.

“No, combattiva , they’re going to die. And you along with them.”

Doing her best not to show the fear he wanted to see, she turned on her heel and stalked out. Once she was out of the room, she reluctantly followed Manhandler up the stairs, and when he motioned for her to go into a room, she swept by without a word. The door immediately closed behind her and she heard the distinctive click of a lock.

Now that she was alone, her shoulders sagged and she protectively crossed her arms over her chest. Andy had gotten mixed up with the freaking Mafia. And now, thanks to him, Donato Ferrante planned to take the stupid gems back and kill them all.

She couldn’t let that happen. Her father may have put her in this mess, but Reya wasn’t going to lose her mother, too. And Lottie refused to die before telling Chaz how she felt about him.

◆◆◆

“That motherfucker!” Chaz hurled his phone at the couch, where it lodged between two cushions. Good thing, too. With the force behind his anger, it would’ve shattered against the hardwood floor.

“Lock it down, Madden,” Brandon ordered.

“Why wouldn’t he just set up an exchange?”

“Because he wants to hold all the cards,” Jayson said.

“Yeah, he wants us to feel powerless,” Lex added.

“Men like that want to call the shots,” Corey murmured.

Chaz gripped the back of his neck and began pacing. “How am I supposed to just sit here and wait while that asshole has Lottie?”

“You don’t have a choice,” Brand said calmly. “But when he calls, we’ll be ready to roll.”

“He’s going to bring the same crew we ran up against in the woods,” Jayson said, and the others nodded.

“They have to be mercs.” Chaz stopped pacing and glanced down at the bandage on his upper arm. “They had the gear and knew exactly what they were doing.”

“I’m calling Xander.” Brand pulled his phone from his pocket. “Maybe he knows something about this asshole.”

“If he answers,” Chaz said sourly.

“He’s part of our team now. He better fucking answer.” Brand punched the former CIA agent’s contact number and put the call on speaker. It rang and rang. Right before dropping into voicemail, Xander Hawke answered.

“Hawke.”

“Nice of you to pick up,” Brand said, voice laced in sarcasm.

“Sorry, I’ve been a little busy. Had to leave town unexpectedly. What’s up?”

“Where are you?” Brand asked.

There was a brief pause before Xander answered, “Manhattan.”

The guys all exchanged looks. “That’s convenient. Chaz, Jay, Lex, Cor and I are just north of you. Lottie’s been kidnapped by some fucker named Donato Ferrante.”

Xander hissed out a curse. “The fucking Ferrantes are dangerous. What the hell happened?”

“Her piece of shit ex dragged her into his mess right before getting tossed off a balcony,” Chaz responded. “If you have any intel on this asshole, we need it. Lottie doesn’t deserve this. We need to find her.”

“Donato and Rocco Ferrante are brothers from Sicily. They run the Vegas crime scene. They’re notorious gamblers and host high stakes poker games.”

“Yeah, apparently they’re sore losers, too. Lottie’s ex won some gems from Donato in a game and he wants them back,” Chaz said.

“Does she have them?” Xander asked.

“No, I do.”

“And Ferrante plans on using Lottie as a bargaining chip,” Xander surmised. “I don’t know what he’s told you, but he’s not exactly known for keeping his word.”

“Shocker,” Chaz growled between clenched teeth.

“Send me your location. I’m on my way.”

While Brand rattled off the cabin’s address and more about the current situation, Chaz stalked over to the window and crossed his arms, ignoring the dull throbbing from the bullet graze. He appreciated Xander’s willingness to drop everything and come up to help them. Feeling helpless was not something Chaz was used to, and he hated it more than anything. Lottie needed him and he was failing her. They needed more intel so they could come up with a rescue plan or he was going to lose his shit.

“I’ll see you in about half an hour. Meanwhile, I’ll email Brand the dossier I have on the Ferrante mob.”

“Half an hour?” Chaz echoed, turning around.

“What’re you gonna do? Fly here?” Lex asked.

“Yeah, actually I am. See you soon.” He hung up, and they all exchanged a look.

“I don’t know about that guy,” Jayson said.

“Yeah, he’s got a few too many secrets,” Lex stated. “Can’t say I fully trust him.”

“I don’t give a shit about his secrets,” Chaz ground out. “If he can help us get Lottie back, Xander Hawke just became my new best friend.”

◆◆◆

Lottie spent the next half an hour searching the guest room for a way to escape. The door and windows were sealed up tightly. She supposed she could break a window, but she didn’t want to risk making noise and then jumping two stories. If she landed wrong and broke something she’d be in an even worse predicament. Plus, images of Andy falling thirty floors from his balcony filled her head.

There had to be another way.

Refusing to be a pawn in Donato Ferrante’s game, she looked around for something she could use as a weapon. A plan began coming together in her head. When Manhandler showed up, she’d jump him, somehow knock him out of commission, and then sneak out.

Was it the greatest idea? No, but her options were more than a little limited. And while her odds of success were slim to none, she was banking on them being more on the slim side.

There wasn’t a lot to work with in the room, but she searched through all the drawers, determined to find something of use. On the verge of giving up, her gaze paused on the bedside lamp. Not exactly ideal, but she had nothing else. Chewing her lower lip, she walked over and picked up the lamp, testing its weight. It was fairly solid, actually heavier than she’d expected.

Leaning over, she pulled the plug out of the wall and strode back over to the door. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened. All seemed quiet and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Her thoughts returned to Chaz. She knew he must be freaking out. Despite his gruff exterior, his interior contained a heart of gold. She remembered the small stone Reya had picked up off the ground and placed in his big hand while they’d been at the park. And how he’d not only kept it, but also put it in a treasured place on his nightstand.

Her chest tightened. She’d fallen in love with a good man. Maybe she’d been falling for a while. Since the moment they’d met, she’d felt that telltale flutter, the one that warmed her insides and warned her to be very careful.

Andy had burned her in a way that left scars. Being rejected by a man who you believed loved you, but who in reality couldn’t care less, stung. In hindsight, she now knew she hadn’t been in love with him. She’d been a wide-eyed, small town girl with stars in her eyes, fresh to the big city and naive to the ways of the world. And he’d taken full advantage of that.

He may have been older than her, but he’d been more immature. While she stepped up and prepared herself for motherhood, he claimed he wasn’t ready. Perhaps on some level he’d known the truth before she had—they weren’t suited for each other and going their separate ways would be best for all of them, Reya included.

Talk about a blessing in disguise.

Raising Reya without a father figure wasn’t easy, but Lottie had never backed down from a challenge. She’d found her purpose being a mom and it filled her with a constant joy that had been missing before. Looking on the bright side was a way of life for Lottie and she was teaching her daughter to view the world in the same optimistic way.

Now, however, it felt like someone had ripped her rose-tinted glasses off. Even though the situation seemed grim, Lottie dug deep and told herself everything would be okay. That Chaz hadn’t been hurt too badly, she would see her daughter again very soon and, hopefully, the man she loved would want a future with her…and a two-year-old who adored him.

Gripping the lamp tightly, she did the only thing she could—she waited and prayed.