Part 15 (1/2)

He took something out of his pocket and checked it. ”So you figured out the tracker? According to this, you're still on the move.”

I shrugged. ”Wasn't so hard. You kept knowing when-” I caught myself. I'd almost said 'we.” ”When I stopped, and I knew I wasn't being followed. The tracker was the only plausible explanation.”

”Smart. Shame you had to screw everything up and kill my men. I'm going to struggle to let that one go.”

I scowled at him. ”I don't care what you do with me. Release my sister, and I'll come with you.”

”Not going to happen. Tell me what you did with my men.”

I lifted my eyebrows. ”You think I'm going to tell you anything when you have my sister?”

”How about you tell me, and I won't cut her pretty little t.i.ts off.”

”Touch her and I'll ... I'll ...”

He laughed, and the sound made me want to slice him open and disembowel him. ”You'll what? You're barely more than a kid yourself.”

”And yet you sent two of your men after me, and here I am.”

”And why have you come, just out of curiosity? You could have run.”

”I love my sister. I didn't want her to go through this alone.”

He gave a snide smile. ”Yeah, family first, right? Well, you'll get to spend a little time together before we tell daddy-dearest that we have you both. Word is that your father actually wants you dead, and though I want to punish you for whatever you did to my men, I want to get to him first. You're going to testify against him, your own father. Jeesh, what's this world coming to?”

”He made me kill my mother,” I said, trying to sound tough.

”Yeah, I heard that, too. You sure are some f.u.c.ked up kid.” He shook his head at me. ”The problem is, Verity, that you kind of screwed everything up. I didn't plan for things to go like this, and now I can't quite decide what to do with you. Normally, I'd just have you killed for taking down my guys, but I think that would only give your father what he wanted. Surely better to keep you alive and have the threat of your testifying hanging over his head.”

”Why wouldn't I testify against you at the same time?” I snapped.

”Because you know I'd kill your sister.”

”The police are going to know something is wrong if she isn't with me.”

”Witness protection is completely voluntary. You come out of WITSEC but still promise to testify, and we'll be the ones who offer you protection.”

I knew what this meant. I would be owned by the mob, as would my sister. But we would both still be alive, though we would live every day in fear, terrified my father would send someone after us-or at least me. How could I live like that, and what would happen after the trial? Would my testimony still be taken if I was seen to be under the protection of my father's rival?

But if I turned down his offer now, would he just shoot me?

”Let me talk to my sister,” I said, avoiding answering the question, trying to buy some time.

He paused and then jerked his chin at the guy who'd been smoking. The other man opened the back door and reached in and yanked Nickie out. She staggered, but he held her upright.

”Nickie!” I cried.

”Vee?” She blinked at me as though she couldn't believe I was there.

”It's going to be all right, Nickie. I'll fix this.”

Tony laughed again, and I balled my fists. My gaze flicked to where my sister was held in the grasp of one of the men, his fingers digging into her upper arm. Her head was bent, and I wanted to tell her to be strong, but I didn't know what they had already done to her, what they'd put her through after everything she'd already suffered.

Come on, X. Where are you?

I hoped he was just waiting for the right moment. I fought off the fear that he'd taken the opportunity and fled, leaving me to it.

”I'm sorry, Vee,” Nickie sobbed. ”I didn't mean for it to turn out like this.”

”I know, Nickie,” I said. ”Neither did I.”

”No, I don't-”

”Enough talking!” said the man holding her, and he lifted his free hand and slapped her in the face.

That was enough for me. I couldn't wait for X any longer. I reached to the back of my jeans to pull my gun.

The other men saw what I was doing and pulled their own weapons, but before they had the time to shoot, bullets smacked them like punches from behind. The guy holding Nicole released his grip and fell forward, and one of the other men spun in a pirouette before landing, slumped across the hood of the car. Tony the Hound and his remaining sidekick swung around wildly, unsure of what direction the gunshots had come from.

I ran forward, fully intending to grab Nickie, who crouched to try to shelter from the gunfire, but Tony got there before me, the muzzle of his gun pressed against my sister's temple.

”One more step and I'll blow a hole in her head.” He stared at me. ”Why do you have to make everything so f.u.c.king difficult?” he said, as though I was the one who'd started all of this. ”I only wanted to make you an offer, but now you're going to have to suffer the repercussions.”

”No, wait!”

I watched in helpless terror as he shoved her into one of the cars, the other mobster covering them both. X couldn't take a shot-they were too close together now. Even he couldn't guarantee his aim to be that good and he wouldn't hit Nickie instead, especially in the dim light.

They climbed into the car and started it, and I stood helplessly as they drove away. I wanted to shoot at them, but I couldn't, knowing they still had my sister and anything bad I might do to them would also affect her.

I started forward, willing to chase the car and take whatever was coming to me, but X appeared beside me, his hand around my wrist, and yanked me back. ”You can't help her like this.”

”I should have taken his offer. I should have gone with them, and then Nickie wouldn't be all alone again.” All I wanted to do was protect her, yet I always seemed to f.u.c.k up at every step. ”We failed!” I cried. ”You promised me it would be all right.”

He shook his head. ”We lost this part, but you're still alive, and so is she. Tony the Hound is starting a war, not just with your father, but with you, too. I have people I can ask for help. We can make a d.a.m.n good guess at where he's going, where he's taking her.”

There was only one place I could think of. Back to New York.

”What's he going to do to her in the meantime?” I dropped to a crouch and punched the ground, not caring if my hands bled or I broke bones. ”f.u.c.k!” I took a breath and then looked back up at him. ”If she dies, that's it for me. If I can't testify against my father, and I no longer have Nickie to watch over, there's no point in me even being on this planet. If we don't get her back, you might as well kill me anyway, because I have nothing to live for. If all I have are my memories of what I did, I won't be able to live with that.”

”Stop it, stop it.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back up toward him, holding me tight against his chest.

I trembled, my body rigid with anger and fear. The future-however small amount I might have-suddenly stretched out before me.

I was going back to New York.