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“Boss,” he greets, gingerly standing to attention. “Someone sideswiped us.”
“They took the money.” Dylan drops that in quickly. “They knew what they were doing.”
“All of it?” I ask, frowning. “They took it all?”
“Wasn’t me this time!”
I glance to my right to see Natalia stumbling forward, only to lose her balance. She looks dishevelled, but for the most part unharmed, apart from the bleary-eyed look she’s giving.
I never thought I would be so relieved to see her. Moments ago, I thought she had a hand in this, a way to leave, to get away, but looking at her, I know my suspicions were wrong.
“Not worth the pocket money.”
“Talia?” I ask, forgetting about everything else.
“Ma’am, I told you to stay where I left you!” Sean scolds lightly. “You’re in shock.”
I approach her because I can see from the way she sways that she’s about to drop. Her body gives out just as I grab her, Sebastian also coming to her aid.
“Are you hurt?”
“What do you care?” There’s a slur to her words, one that causes unease in my stomach, and she tries to swat me away—albeit clumsily.
“Now is not the time. Are you hurt?”
She lifts her head, squinting against the sunlight, and gives a small nod of her head.
“You know the headache you gave me the other day?” she asks, her eyes looking for me. “Nothing compared to this.” She laughs, only to melt into a groan, falling heavier into my grasp as her legs buckle.
“Whoa, darling girl! Let’s get you sat.”
I have a suspicion that if I sit her on the kerbside, she won’t get back up, so I thread my arm around her back, holding her steady.
“Sir?” Sean says from his position. “Someone tried to take her.”
“What do you mean?”
Sean gulps heavily. “I mean, after we finished rolling, three men got out of the other car and went straight for Natalia’s side of the car.”
My stomach roils at the idea that there’s a bounty on Natalia that matches the one I gave her, but also, doubt whispers about her own coming to steal her back. It’s not unrealistic given the lives we live and the company we keep.
“Er, Beck, we have an issue,” Sebastian says, coming toward us, his eyes turned down to his hands. “He’s right… someone definitely wanted her.”
“Who?”
“No signature.”
I swipe the piece of paper from Sebastian’s hand and he’s unfazed by the aggression I can’t keep down.
Let’s see how important she really is to you.
What price to get her back?
“They didn’t get a chance to finish the job.” Sean is hugging his ribs. Evidently, he took a hit to them, but he hasn’t stepped down from the position I gave him earlier. “I got a few hits in on the ones that came for her. One of them has a broken arm and a busted jaw. The other got away lighter.”
“And the third?”
“He grabbed the bags and ran to a van that was waiting.”
