“You seriously don’t know who my man is?” I demanded. “Cal Jackson?” I prompted.
Thompson’s expression flickered with awareness.
“President of the Knights MC,” I continued in exasperation. Obviously these weren’t career criminals if they hadn’t done their homework. “He runs this fucking town, and you just kidnapped his woman and maybe his son.” I struggled with the last part, hoping like hell it wasn’t true.
“The kid is Tim’s,” Thompson argued in confusion. Well at least he knew that much. Give the man a prize.
I narrowed my eyes. “Maybe by blood. That’s where it ends. He’s Cal’s and he’s mine,” I argued fiercely.
A moment of indecision passed over Sanders’s face before he schooled his expression. “Doesn’t matter who your man is. In just a few minutes you won’t be my fucking problem anymore.” His gaze lingered on Laurie and I could tell his plan forfunwas at the forefront of his mind.
Thompson was in my face before I could blink. “You need to shut the fuck up,” he spat. “You’re not in charge here. I am.” His dark eyes glowed with anger. “Go sit against the wall and wait. One more word, and I’ll prove to you just how in charge I am.” He glowered.
I did as he asked, taking a step back against the wall beside Laurie. We clasped hands and watched as the men began to pace in obvious agitation.
“He should have been here by now,” Sanders muttered quietly, his eyes shooting to his partner.
“He’ll be here,” Thompson clipped. “Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll make you go stand with them,” he added, his eyes swinging with disdain toward Laurie and me.
The minutes ticked by and I was torn between relief at not seeing Tim emerge and fear at what our captors would do as a result of his absence. Sweat pooled between my breasts, sliding down my belly as we watched the two men pace. It was hot in the garage, oppressively so. Every breath felt like trying to breathe under water, the air thick with humidity and tension.
What had happened to Mason? Was he safe? I was tortured with worry.
It had to have been at least an hour before Sanders spoke. “We should go,” he declared, running his hands through his closely shorn hair.
“What, and leave these two bitches without getting paid?” Thompson retorted. “Fuck no.”
My belly lurched in fear as my heart beat triple time, pounding in my chest as they discussed our fate as casually as what they’d have for lunch.
“Then what? You just want to wait until her man finds us? I’ve heard about him, dude. He’s no joke.” Sanders shook his head in agitation. “Fuck!” he shouted. “This was all your fucking idea!”
“As I recall, I didn’t have to convince you very hard,” Thompson growled.
The two men began to argue in earnest as Laurie and I shot each other nervous looks. I squeezed her hand tight, trying to offer any reassurance I could.
“I’m outta here, man,” Sanders announced. “You stay if you want to, but I don’t think that payday is coming. I’m not waiting around here to get caught.”
It was one of the few smart things he’d said since this whole ordeal had started.
“You’re not going any fucking place,” Thompson clipped, leveling his gun on him.
“What are you gonna do? Shoot me?” Sanders scoffed.
The resounding crack of gunfire had Laurie and me crying out in fright and running toward the far corner of the garage.
“Stop!” Thompson thundered, his gun pointing toward us as Sanders collapsed to the ground. “Don’t you two fucking move. Get your asses back here,” he ordered, his gaze cold as he watched us with the calculation of a predator.
With hands clasped tight we walked back to our original spot against the wall, my eyes on Sanders as he lay in a pool of blood.
“He was soft,” Thompson sneered. “I amnot.”
That I believed.
“Can I…,” I began cautiously, my eyes on the dying man at my feet. “Can I see if there’s anything I can do for him?”
It may have seemed odd that I’d want to help Sanders, but it was instinctual. I may not have taken any sort of oath, but I had a deeply ingrained instinct to help those who needed it. My instinct said that Sanders wasn’t evil, just greedy. I watched him gasping for breath, his eyes wide with fright, and I felt compelled to do something, anything.
Thompson laughed mockingly. “Sure. Be my guest.”