Page 27 of Ridin' True

“Boy, if you don’t get to talkin’, your throat will know my fist,” muttered Bull.

“Look, I, uh—I know. I know he’s got her,” he admitted, backing his way toward the closest wall. “He’s been trying to get a hold of me for the last hour. He sent a message—told me to meet him with the cash I owe him or else. But I don’t—”

“Or else what?” asked Twister.

“I don’t know,” he stammered with a shake of his head.

“How much cash?” Maverick asked.

“Ten large.”

Wrangler turned toward Bull, got close, and spoke in a whisper. “Best case scenario. I’ve got the cash. Find out where we’re goin’, I’ll meet you there.”

Bull frowned. “Wrangler—”

“I’ve got the cash. We settle the debt, we walk away, our hands are clean. Find out where we’re goin’, and I’ll meet you there.”

Wrangler wasn’t about to argue. He didn’t need to give it a second thought. He had three times that much in the safe he kept in his basement. He wouldn’t miss it before he could make it back. Couple of jobs off the books was all it would take. He didn’t wait for Bull to say another word before he headed for the door.

Alexia

Iwasinastorage unit.

Or maybe it was a small warehouse, I wasn’t sure.

They left me in the trunk for a while, even after we stopped. I wasn’t usually claustrophobic, but when they finally opened the back of the car, I didn’t need to be convinced to keep my mouth shut and not to scream. They were letting me out, and they promised to remove the hood if I behaved.

I didn’t want to be in the trunk with a hood over my head for a second longer, so I obeyed.

For an hour, maybe more, I was alone with my captors. One of them was the scary crony who’d been to my office twice before. The other was uglier, bigger, and scarier. I surmised he was the one who grabbed me initially—which meant it was my old acquaintance who punched me.

As soon as I was free, I backed myself into a corner. Neither of them seemed to care. There was only one way out, and I already lost one fight that night. We all knew I wouldn’t start another. The closest thing I had to a weapon was my one remaining shoe, and I didn’t guess that would get me very far.

After a while, there was a banging on the other side of the garage-like door. I was on the ground, hugging my legs to my chest, peering around the car I hid behind when I heard his voice.

“Where is she?”

I didn’t hear a response, but the heels of his dress shoes clicked against the dusty, concrete floor until he came into view. Rocco looked down at me and smirked.

“Lovely to see you again, Alexia Torres.”

I said nothing in reply, holding myself tighter as I glared at him coldly.

I really did hate the way my name sounded coming out of his mouth.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he said mockingly, a disingenuous frown tugging at his lips. “I warned you it wasn’t over. But don’t worry—after tonight, we’ll have worked it out.” His expression grew hard as he continued, “Alejo has until ten o’clock to bring me my ten grand, or a new deal will be struck. And if I’m being honest…” He took a step toward me and grabbed himself between his legs. “I’m kinda hoping he doesn’t show.”

With a furrowed brow, I shut my eyes closed tight and told myself to breathe. I didn’t have the luxury of tears. I couldn’t cry, I had tothink—because there was no way Alejo was showing up with ten thousand dollars. I didn’t know what time it was. It was like time didn’t exist in whatever black hole I’d been sucked into. But whether Alejo had twenty minutes or two hours remaining, he couldn’t save me anymore than he’d been able to save himself.

I didn’t know what to do, so I did the only thing of which I could think.

Pressing my forehead against my knees, I concentrated on my breaths, and I prayed.

I recited the rosary in my head. I hadn’t done it in years, but I remembered every step—the repetitive nature of the prayer hard to forget. I chose to focus on the glorious mysteries, needing to cling to the hope of resurrection and the belief that Mary was up there, too. She would hear me. She would pray for me. The Lord would help me. He had to help me.

As I repeated each hail Mary, I felt a little less panicked.

I still didn’t have a solution to my problem, but I knew I wasn’t going to surrender to Rocco. No matter what.