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“We’re fine, honey. We’re going to be okay. Just breathe.”
The convincing wasn’t going very well. I’d learned far too much during my incarceration with Jericho. The Sanchez cartel would never let Blade go. Never. He knew too many secrets, could identify too many individuals within the organization. If he ever made a deal with the Feds, a hell of a lot of people would go to jail.
I’d found a flashlight earlier, making certain there were fresh batteries. The light was just enough to keep me from panicking. Pacing, I kept a steady hand while I brought the glass to my lips and by the time I’d consumed almost the entire amount of wine, I was steadier than before.
Almost.
“Fuck!” The rolling thunder nearly drove me to my knees.
“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven—” My mantra was cut short when I could swear there was a shadow outside. Shrinking back into the darkness, I cut the beam of the flashlight and stood silently, my eyes scanning the back deck. Just the storm, the way the wind was shifting. Had to be.
Yet I remained totally immobile for a solid two minutes. Seeing nothing else, I immediately polished off the wine, appreciating the richness of the liquid running down my throat. As the wind began to kick up in earnest, I poured another glass and shifted next to the refrigerator. At least I had a bird’s-eye view of every glass door.
Everything was quiet, almost peaceful. Then the tapping began at the front door. Insistent knocking. Almost immediately Zorro began to growl, only the sound was deeply penetrating, the kind of woeful noise that cut straight through to my bones. He was terrified.
“It’s okay, baby.” Wineglass down and gun in hand, safety off, I took careful steps toward the front door, unable to make out any headlights. My lower lip was trembling as I studied the door, the hair raised on the back of my neck. Zorro remained by my side, huffing and snorting and I couldn’t help but notice his tail was between his legs.
“Crystal. Are you in there? Please, if you are, open up.”
What the hell? How could he be here? How did he find the place? A shiver trickled down my spine even as my adrenaline flowed wildly. Opening my mouth to answer, I shook my head instead. What in the hell was he doing here? When Zorro issued a single bark, I rubbed his head, trying to keep him quiet.
He pounded again, more aggressively this time. “Crystal. Blade is hurt. I need to get you out of here. He was gunned down.”
“What?” I whispered. No way. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.
“Crystal. Is that you? I can hear Zorro barking. It’s Pappy. I have to get you to safety.”
“Pappy.” I repeated his name as a swirl of information floated around my head as I reached for the door. Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought about Blade and the images of the man I loved began swishing by my mind’s eye, one after the other. I was sick and unsure, but I refused to lose him. I refused! God damn the world.
Just as I unlocked and opened the door, the most terrifying realization hit me hard.
I’d never once told Pappy Zorro’s name.
Pop! Pop!
“No!” Screaming, I dropped to the ground as the flash went over my head, watching in slow motion as Pappy’s body slowly slumped over me. Kicking out, I couldn’t catch my breath as I scrambled to get from beneath him. “No. No!” Zorro was wild, barking and yapping, moving back and forth behind me. Everything was a blur, my heart racing. What was going on? Two men rushed past the entrance just as I managed to free myself. The gun still in my hand, I pointed it wildly. “Get away from me.”
“I got you. Baby, I have you. You’re safe.” Arms reached for me, dragging me to my feet and into a solid warmth, a thumping heartbeat.
“Blade? Is that you? He told me you’d been shot and…”
“I’m fine. Fucking asshole. I knew he was lying to me,” Blade hissed.
“Glad you were right about this.” Huffing, a second pair of hands yanked the gun from Pappy’s dead hand.
Seeing the second man, the one who’d pulled the trigger, I yanked on Blade’s shirt. “What is going on? Carter. I don’t… I don’t understand.”
“There’s no time for a reunion, boys and girls. We need to get you out of here,” Carter instructed. He dragged the body all the way inside, closing the door behind him.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hissed in return, crowding closer to Blade.
“He’s legit, Crystal. This is Agent Jack Michaels of the FBI. I found him at your house, just like I knew I would. He’s the real deal. I made certain and checked him out.” Blade brushed his hand through my hair, the gesture comforting.
“FBI?” Palming Blade’s chest, I pushed away, trying to get my bearings. “Hold on. Then who’s Pappy?”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve had a sting going on for some time. Pappy, aka Abbot Popovich is working for Ricardo Francisco and has been since he retired from the New York Police Department.” Jack walked further into the house, both hands wrapped around his weapon. “We can talk more, but not here. There is no doubt that Mr. Popovich has an entourage following him.”
“You have to be kidding me. Is that why he was spending so much time in my club?” I whispered, the shock starting to wear off.
