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“Ana, love, take your friends straight upstairs and lock the doors behind you. Do not open the doors for anyone. We will let ourselves in when this situation is under control.”
I nod my acceptance of his gruffly spoken mandate. “Come on girls!” I say, trying to act as if my heart isn’t racing with anxiety at the thought of that man being so close to Xavier. Not looking backward, I walk as calmly as possible toward the private elevator, my friends close beside me, pretending that three hulking men aren't shadowing us from only a step behind.
Xavier
When Ana’s text came through, I honestly thought my heart was going to crash through my chest. It was a ballsy move for Dominic to come to my casino. Even staying in the service areas is less risky for him than announcing his presence right on the floor. His ability to get past my security inflames the anger that simmers
inside of me. All I want to do is to march up to him and put a bullet in his head, but that is in no one's best interest. Not right now anyway, and not that way. The last thing I want is to go to prison for murder. I have too much to lose, and I would never leave Ana alone that way. If I bide my time, I will get the opportunity to put an end to Dominic and his crimes, at the right time.
Once the girls are safely ensconced in the penthouse, Travis, Blake and I retreat to my office where we can strategize without them overhearing. It’s not that I want to keep Ana in the dark necessarily, but I do want to shield her from anything that could cause her stress and worry, and Dominic brazenly waltzing into my casino is definitely a cause for stress and worry.
Blake logs into the security cameras, making sure that Dominic is still where we last saw him. After confirming that he is still sitting casually playing blackjack, I call down to the pit boss and advise him that we need to make sure that he keeps playing. I don’t want him leaving before we are prepared to follow him. This might be our only chance to find Grace. We need to have everyone in place and ready when he finally leaves. The fact that he is still here means that he is unconcerned about encountering me on my own turf and rubbing it in my face. I don’t want to admit how much that concerns me, but it does. I can see the same emotion on Travis’s face and boiling behind Blake’s eyes. We can all see where things are headed with him and Ellie. I think he’s the only one that can’t. She’s ruined him, and he doesn’t even know it yet. I’d laugh if I wasn’t so pissed off right now.
It doesn’t take long to put our plan into motion. That one call downstairs has the waitresses making frequent stops at the blackjack tables to keep the drinks flowing. Dom has never been one to turn down a hot girl serving free booze, and I use that weakness to my advantage. Calling to the floor I make sure that his are made stronger than usual. He’s not in any hurry to leave after the first couple of rounds, giving us time to get men in place so that no matter what way he eventually leaves the casino, someone can tail him. He’s gambling enough that the pit boss will even offer him a ride home when he is ready to go. Not my fault if the driver will be someone from K&S. Things are finally starting to look up.
Several tedious hours pass watching Dominic place bets and drink free alcohol while copping a feel on any waitress unfortunate enough to get in range. My rage has settled to a slow simmer, and I’m as calm as I’m going to be in this situation. All of us are ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Knowing that the women are safe makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand. No one will be able to get to them in the penthouse, and on the off chance that someone does, I showed Ana how to lock down my office and how to access the weapons stored there. One good thing that came from Vince being her father is that he made sure that she knows how to use a gun and is comfortable doing so. I have no doubts that my sunshine is capable of protecting herself, our babies and her friends if it becomes absolutely necessary.
When Dominic finally sets his cards down, after a carefully manipulated losing streak, and moves away from the table, everyone is in place. Travis’s security team is ready. I watch as the pit boss approaches Dom, and I know that he is thanking him for playing with us and offering to arrange transportation for him. Dominic’s smug smile is caught on camera as he accepts what I’m sure he feels is his due, and Blake leaves my office as planned. He will be posing as a casino driver and has already dressed in a uniform so he can execute his part in our plan. It’s a simple one. Drive him wherever he wants to go and do reconnaissance, That way we won’t be going in blind when we return later. His phone is set so that we can track his location easily, and everyone is ready to roll.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Xavier
Blake’s guess about Dominic hiding out in the Woodlawn area was spot on. As Travis and I follow the GPS tracking on one of the computers, Blake follows the most direct route through the always-bustling city traffic for about fifteen minutes. I’m slightly acquainted with the area. The neighborhood around the historic cemetery is not as nice as it once was, and Dominic asks to be let out of the car at the main gate of the memorial park instead of at any specific address. Smart of him all things considered, but we anticipated him doing this, and I have no doubt that Blake is already putting our plan into motion. The GPS shows Blake moving to the end of the block before turning and backtracking slightly. He will be heading back to observe Dom’s movements before returning so that we can develop the second phase of our mission.
Hopefully the girl isn’t being held somewhere else, but if it was me, I would keep her close. She is valuable. Not just in her black market value, but if he doesn’t have easy access to her for Margot’s sake then there would be no way to ensure that the woman would continue to do his bidding. She’s there. I can feel the certainty of it to my core. Now we just have to go get her and bring her home.
Travis’s cell rings, yanking my attention away from the various security screens I’ve been focused on.
“Hey,” he answers curtly before touching the screen and putting the call on speaker.
“This is definitely the place.” Blake’s voice is tight and quiet. “He’s got a place across from the cemetery next to a truck yard. There are guards around the house and the warehouse next door.”
“How many?” Travis asks.
“Haven’t gotten a good count. Six, possibly more.”
Silence stretches for what feels like hours, but I know it’s only a couple minutes. The call shows that it is still in progress, so we wait for him to speak again, not wanting to risk someone overhearing us. The only reason he would have to stop talking would be someone getting close to him.
“Dominic is in the house. I’m going to try to get close enough to see in the windows before I head back.”
“Is that advisable?” I ask, not liking the risk he is about to take. Travis is shaking his head no. He agrees with me that this is not a good idea.
Blake laughs quietly, “I’m not going to get caught. Just stand by.”
Several more long minutes pass with just a quiet rustling telling us that Blake has stowed his phone in his pocket while he sneaks closer to the house. Suddenly the call connects to video chat, and we can see into a bedroom through partially open tan curtains.
“There she is.” Blake's voice is hushed and strained with anger. Huddled on the floor Gracie dressed only in underwear and a dirty t-shirt. Her hair is a mess of brown tangles. Bruises in all stages of healing mar her skinny arms and legs. She is alone. A tray of food sits untouched beside her.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Blake.” The command in Travis’s voice carries through his whisper, and the video flashes across Blakes enraged face before the video call disconnects, and only his voice comes through.
"I know, Trav. I’m already heading back, but we are getting her away from here tonight.” There is an angry tremor in his words.
“Agreed.” Travis bites, glancing at me, and I nod my absolute agreement. There is no way in hell I will leave an innocent child in Dominic’s clutches. Especially when he's been drinking. If he hasn't already assaulted her sexually, the alcohol could easily be the catalyst that causes him to do so.
"Agreed,” I say, my stomach churning violently from the thought. With a grunt, Blake disconnects the call and texts the address of the house. Without another word, Travis and I move, gathering up needed equipment, and sending texts to Geno and Grayson as we head toward the vehicles, and men, waiting for us in the parking garage.
