Triple Beat-nook(42)

“Good girl.”

Her father quickly climbed from the car and she watched helplessly as he crossed in front of it to her side of the vehicle. She clenched her hands into fists, trying to hide how badly they were shaking when he opened her door.

“Now, we’re going to take a little walk together.” He reached in and pulled her out of the cab. His hand wrapped painfully tight around her upper arm as he directed her toward a rundown building. New Orleans had always possessed an abundance of dark alleys and sketchy streets. This area certainly ranked right up there on the scary-as-shit scale.

Dani’s mind whirled over her options. Running was the smart thing to do, but her dad was too strong. Though she struggled as he dragged her toward the building, she couldn’t break free of his grip. Her attempts infuriated him as he shoved her against a wall just inside the building. The back of her head slammed into the cinderblock painfully.

“Stop f*cking around. You’re not getting away from me this time. You wanna walk on your own or should I shoot you here?”

“Where are you taking me?”

He gave her a grin that was nothing short of malevolent. “Home. You and me got loose ends to tie up.”

She stiffened, and then found a brazenness she didn’t know she possessed. “Shoot me here.”

He laughed, though the sound was cold. “Let me put this another way. I’ll shoot you. Then I’ll go over to that fancy apartment of yours and put a couple bullets in those men you’re f*cking. Always knew you were a slut.”

“You wouldn’t make it there. The cops would catch you first.”

“Look around, Dani. You think a gunshot is going to draw much attention around here?”

The sound of doors slamming outside, babies crying and people shouting filled the air. And while she didn’t think a gun going off would be unnoticed, she couldn’t be sure anyone would dare to investigate it too closely. The hallway of the apartment building was filled with garbage, and dimly lit. She wasn’t even sure anyone would see her body amidst the filth.

And if they did find her body, would they find it before her dad made it to the apartment? It wouldn’t take him long to get there. Aiden and Bryson didn’t even know there was a threat or that they were in danger.

She’d been a coward, guarding her heart instead of opening up and letting them in. Now they would never know how much she loved them.

Her cell rang, but Dani made no move to pull it from her pocket.

Once the ringing stopped, her father held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

She hoped to distract him from taking it. “How did you get my cell number?”

“You gave it to me, you stupid bitch. Didn’t see me sitting at the bar when you had breakfast with that arrogant, little prick of a writer, did you?”

Dani thought back to the morning she’d reconnected with Jett upon arriving in New Orleans. They’d laughed when they realized he only had her home number. Then she’d rattled off the number for him as he plugged it into his cell.

Her father had been that close to her and she hadn’t realized? Granted she’d been super tired that morning, after driving all night, and stressed to the max. And her dad looked a lot different nowadays, his face covered in a bushy beard streaked with gray. His face was puffy. No doubt he was still a drinker and there were defined lines, deep wrinkles around his eyes and grooved into his forehead. She could just make out a scar cutting a jagged red line across his cheek, before disappearing beneath the beard.

He hadn’t aged well. The face that had haunted her dreams for years looked much younger than this one. Of course, his eyes were still the same. Cold and angry.

“Give me the f*cking phone. Now!”

Dani reluctantly withdrew it, knowing she was losing her last hope for being saved. He grabbed the phone from her, smashing it against the brick wall.

Prison had made him stronger.

Dani tried to fight down the panic threatening to consume her. She needed to keep her wits, to keep calm. If she gave in to the terror, she was lost.

“You finished fighting me?”

She didn’t respond.

“I know their names, Dani. First and last. And I’ve got their address in Nashville. You give me what I want and I’ll spare Aiden and Bryson. Keep resisting and I’ll make their lives a living hell.”

He was more than capable of carrying out his threat. She knew that well enough.

While she was helpless to defend herself, there was at least one thing she could do. Protect the men she loved.