Page 17

PART XIII

MARK

The door clicked shut and his heart fell. "H- Nix?"

Mark reached for the door and yanked on the handle.

He'd been ready to brace himself for what he'd see on the other side of the door, but the heavy metal door didn't budge. It was locked. "Fuck!"

He turned to Badger who was already on his phone. "I'm calling Alex."

"Good. Call him. We're going to need help."

Fuck. He wanted to scream and pound his fists against the door but it wasn't going to do a damn bit of good. Lifting his hand to his com, he tapped to open the link. "We're on lock down."

Gunny's voice came across next. "Want me to head to you?"

Mark didn't know what do to and that scared him more than he'd care to admit.

"Take the others, sweep the building, get everyone without a reason to be here the fuck out of here. We're going to need to take this door down so I- so we can get to her."

HEATHER

"Tanner." She repeated his name as if saying it a second time would make it more understandable, but no.

She was still stupefied at the whole situation.

"What's going on?"

"I came to see you again. A long awaited reunion for me."

He stepped closer and all she could do was stare at him. She narrowed her eyes at his face trying to see him and only him, but it felt like she was drugged, his face bled into his father's and back again.

She felt her whole body tense up and her knees weakened, making her stumble to the side. She reached out to steady herself and caught hold of Evan.

He didn't pull away from her, but he stiffened.

"Evan? What's going on?"

"Don't blame Evan too much."

She shook her head. "He's never liked me much. I never knew why."

Tanner took another step closer and put his hand on the table where she'd rested the violin.

He slid his gaze over the instrument and then up to Evan's face.

His complexion had gone a little gray.

"Well?"

Evan startled when Tanner spoke. "What?" He looked at her and then back up at Tanner.

She read his expression well, and his mannerisms.

Evan was afraid.

She was, too.

She just didn't know how well Evan and Tanner knew each other.

She didn't think they knew each other well.

At least not face to face.

Evan was watching Tanner as if he might reach out and slap him.

She started to rethink her original assumption.

Tanner picked up the violin by it's neck and squeezed.

Evan's face paled even more. "You... you said I could have it."

"Answer her."

Tanner's words were dull.

Unaffected.

But she'd heard that tone before and knew that it could be deceptive.

If he was anything like his father was, he would have become a talented liar.

Evan shook and his teeth ground together so hard she swore she could hear the sound echoing in his head.

"What... what do you want to know?"

Tanner shook his head. "Not the sharpest tack in the box, is he?"

Evan looked back and forth between them as if he was trying to figure out which one of them was the most dangerous.

That gave her some of the answer, but she did want to know more.

That, and give Mark a chance to figure out how to get into the room.

"Heather," he drew out the sound of her name as if he was enjoying her virtual unmasking a little too much, "wants to know why you've never liked her."

Evan's expression twisted a little. "I knew Nix wasn't your name."

Tanner slapped his palm down on the table top and the sudden sound pushed a fearful gasp from Evan's throat.

"I... I thought you were... that you would..."

He gestured toward the violin and Heather understood what he was saying. Evan wanted that violin. Tanner was threatening it with every second he held onto it.

Evan might not know who Tanner was beyond the source of information and the promises he'd made, but Heather knew what lengths his father had gone through to gain power and influence.

She knew his father would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Evan was only beginning to discover the depths of his evil. She'd never liked Tanner's father.

He'd always seemed too... smarmy for her liking, but Tanner had been a friend.

It wasn't until the night she'd been shot that she'd had her first good look at the man who always seemed to take a second place to her father in business.

She hadn't known until that night how two-faced that a man could be.

She hadn't forgotten that lesson.

There was nothing she could do to stop Evan from learning it.

It was going to be a rude awakening.

"Speak!"

Tanner yelled at Evan, pointing a finger at his face.

"Do it. Fast. Otherwise you're wasting my time."

The yelling didn't scare her as much as Tanner's quiet voice.

There was something building behind it and she didn't want to be in its way.

"You're like everyone else in my life," Evan sputtered out the words to her. "Everyone else in my family just has things handed to them. They get what they want. That man... Blackwood, you've got him under your thumb, don't you? You tell him you want a fancy violin? He buys it for you! You want a big show in a fancy venue? People throwing money at you to perform? He gives it to you!"

Heather wasn't going to argue with the man.

"I wonder what you give Blackwood in return."

The implications of his words were clear.

She heard the disgust in Evan's voice. Saw the way his mouth twisted into a cruel line.

"You... you're a... a whore."

Heather's mouth went dry and her face tingled as if she'd been slapped.

"He told me."

Heather frowned at that. "Told you what?" She shook her head. "Who told you what?"

Evan stomped his foot looking more like a petulant child instead of a man. "He did!" He pointed at Tanner, but she was still waiting for the other shoe to fall. "He told me what you were willing to do to get what you wanted."

She turned her gaze to Tanner and saw the hate in his eyes.

Cold, snapping fury.

Heather felt grief swamp her, drawing her down.

Tanner had wanted her once, but she hadn't returned the feelings. She'd been in love with Mark.

She had no idea what Tanner was talking about from that time. Did he see it as truth? Or had he just said what he thought would get him what he wanted?

It didn't make any sense.

"And I'm thinking that maybe, you should give me what I want."

Heather turned to look at Evan.

He was yanking at his tie, loosening it around his neck.

She frowned at him, trying to understand what was in his head.

It was only when he tugged at his belt that she realized what his intent was. "No."

"Maybe if you give me a taste of what you gave that rich fuck, I'll let you keep the violin."

Heather's heart skipped a beat in her chest, and she took a step back.

MARK

He heard Faith Bergstrom before he saw her.

"Mister Goddard! I want to know what's going on!"

Mark had already heard from Uptown that she was mad. Especially when he and Gunny had all but shoved patrons out the door.

"There is a small fortune in hor d'oeuvres sitting on tables and a bar with no customers!"

He went down the stairs faster than he should have, but he didn't really give a damn. "I want to see the plans for this building."

She had a full head of steam when she was yelling at him and now she stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "You've already seen the plans! She jabbed a finger in the air at Badger. "He saw them and spent hours staring at them. I think he probably knows this building better than I do!"

Mark pointed up the stairs at the dressing room door. "We need to know how to get into that room."

Faith turned her head slightly to the side, but her eyes were still on him. "That door," she frowned at him, "you know that's the only way into that door."

"Well, it's locked now and we can't get it."

The words killed him.

He'd let Evan inside with Heather.

He'd listened to her when she'd told him to go.

It was a mistake he would never have made if he hadn't been in love with her. If he hadn't been trying to prove something by giving her what she wanted.

Fuck. He'd made a mistake. One that he'd never forgive himself for if something happened to her.

"Why would she lock the door?"

Mark felt his guilt nagging at him, judging him. "She wouldn't. But she's not the only one in there."

Faith's eyes widened and she looked up at the door. "It was Evan, wasn't it?"

Badger stepped closer. "I just talked to Alex. He knows and he's on his way."

Mark shook his head. "We're not waiting to deal with this. By the time he gets here, we'll have her back."

"It had to be Evan." Badger's tone was hard, his words clipped. "We made a mistake letting him see her."

"I know I did." Mark shook his head. "I made the mistake of letting him in thinking that having one way in and out was a good thing."

Flash was suddenly there in the hallway. "He was searched. He didn't have anything on him that could be used as a weapon." His face took on a distasteful look. "It was a very thorough search."

Mark had heard about it. Evan had put up a fuss but it was the only way that they'd let him near Heather.

He had to pull himself together so he could get her back.

Yes. Evan had nothing on him that he could use as a weapon.

That meant that he was in there with Heather but nothing he had could cut her. Or shoot her.

The items in the room. The furniture. They'd all been secured to the floor.

Faith had given them a look when they'd told her what they'd planned to do, but she'd let them do it.

Having Nix perform at the venue was something she wasn't going to pass up.

Still...

Uptown stepped closer. "Hanson's gone to get his gear. He can take the door off the hinges if nothing else. It's a long process but the sooner we start-"

Mark agreed. "We'll start as soon as he gets back."

Uptown moved aside to contact his twin and Mark turned toward Evander again.

"Badger. Go with Faith and take another look at the architectural plans for the building. It looks like we're going to need to find a way into that room beside this door in case we can't get it off the hinges."

Faith didn't waste a moment, striding down the hallway with Badger in her wake.

She might not be happy with him barking orders at her, but she wasn't putting up a fight.

Because of Heather.

They were going to get her back, because he couldn't imagine a world without her in it.