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Chapter Thirty-seven
Sophia dressed quickly and was ready before Sam. She’d reached the bike first, climbed on, and her decision brooked no argument. “I know every inch of this city. I’ll get us there a hell of a lot faster than you can. Get on or stay here.”
He didn’t answer, just gestured her to move forward then sat behind her and held on. Pleased she didn’t have to argue, she headed for the hills behind the city and took a path she and her grandmother had used many times. The only difference was that they’d never done so in the dark.
Instinct kept her on the uneven trail and led her to the steep hill, the exact spot where she’d have to turn off to get onto a road that would take them into the city, then on the back streets that led them to Yaya’s house. It had only taken them a short time to get there, but to Sophia, who’d died a thousand times on the way, it seemed like too long.
Fucking bastards!She prayed the kid was smart enough to go in the closet. She’d shown her the combination lock her grandmother had installed to protect the safe she kept there, and because it gave her a place to hide if someone broke in. It could be locked both from the outside and the inside with only four digits. If only Stasia had memorized those easy numbers like she’d told her to, she’d be okay.
That’s if they didn’t have agunthey might use on the locking device to get to her.
Upon arrival, they left the bike at the end of the road near a neighbor’s hedge and crept closer to the house. In front, further down the street sat a black SUV, the same one her and Stasia had evaded the night they’d met at the beach.
Reaching into her zipped pocket, she pulled out her own weapon she kept there for times when she rode alone at night. A girl could never be too careful nomatter where she lived. It had become her custom to never leave home without a weapon.
Her grin appeared when Sam reached down to his ankle holster and retrieved his own Glock 33. How he’d managed to keep that from her, she didn’t know or care. Right now, she just felt thankful he would be her backup.
She slipped into the neighbor’s yard, calling to the growling dog to pat him quiet, and urged Sam to follow. At the back of the garden a gate sat hidden by a huge bougainvillea plant filled with bright pink blossoms. Careful to stay low, she easily leapt the barrier and motioned for him to do so too. She knew the squeaking gate could alert someone in her house who would be listening for any strange noises.
Keeping her gun close to her chest, she first made sure no guard was there. Whispering to him that he needed to let her go before him and getting his nod of agreement, she ran to a basement window, undid the latch, and held it open so he could be the first to enter the house.
Then she tumbled into the darkness, his hands catching her to break her hard landing. Both listened to whatever noises they could hear and when the gunshot rang out, both jumped and then ran toward the sound, Sophia first.
She hit the stairs two at a time, Sam close behind. When she opened the door leading to the hallway that took them to the bedrooms, she crouched low and scanned everywhere, her gun in both hands. Listening, praying no other shots would follow, she made her way to the bedroom where she’d advised Stasia to hide.
Coming closer, they heard the commotion, the screams, then the begging. When Sophia appeared in the doorway, she let them know she wasn’t playing games. Her voice as cold as a black witch’s glare gave the command, “Let her go. Now!”
Stasia had blood on her hands from clinging to the shot-up, broken doorframe, fighting hard to stop them from dragging her away. Sophia had arrived just as the biggerarsehad his fist ready to drive it into the girl’s stomach, probably warned not to mark the merchandise by hitting her in the face.
Sam hadn’t appeared, and she wondered at his reasons for hanging back. Not letting it stop her, she shot the gun from the hand of the arsehole who was stupid enough to aim it her way, then she quickly whipped her weapon toward the other creep intending on getting to her. “Stay back, boy-o, or I’ll shoot you, and nobody could say I didn’t have just cause.”
“You stole our property. We just came to collect.”
“G’wanwithya. She’s a girl, she’s no one’s property, and I didn’t steal her. In case you didn’t notice the other night, she came willingly. Looks to me like right now, she’s fighting to stay here too.”
“Yeah? Well, she’s coming back because she knows we have her family covered. If she doesn’t, we can go to her pa and tell him she’s broken her commitment to us. If there’s a scene, he could be hurt. You know what I’m saying? Maybe it’s best if you get out of our way. Let us leave with the bitch and there’s no more trouble.”
His words rang with conviction. She saw Stasia flinch and then drop to the ground in terror. “No, not my papa. Please. Don’t do this. I can’t go back. I better to die.”
Knowing she couldn’t change her position to go to the girl, Sophia still let her attention sway for the few seconds it took the empty-handed pissant to rush her, only to meet up with Sam’s fist seemingly coming out of thin air. He still hadn’t fully appeared, keeping his back to the room.
But the knowledge there was another made it plain that they didn’t have the upper hand. The talker pushed the girl toward Sophia to block his getaway. As hepassed the two in combat, he drove his fist into Sam’s back to make him loosen his grip on his buddy, and then he ran for the door.
The other scrambled to his feet, fighting hard to get away, and Sophia had no doubt Sam allowed him to do so. That didn’t make any sense and neither did the fact that he hadn’t stuck with her from the beginning. He’d let her enter the fight alone. She needed answers and from the closed expression of his face, he didn’t appear to be in a mood to talk.
