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Thomas cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him. “Maisie just called. She’s found her way to Ronda’s Chicken Shack in the Green Zone.”
His nose crinkled at the mention of the worst part of Glitz, where anything short of martial law was a waste of time and resources.
“Perfect,” Calvin said with a little too much excitement and a fucking smile on his face.
“Cal,” I growled.
“Sorry,” he said but his smile didn’t go any fucking where. “But it narrows down where those motherfuckers are.” He did some more tapping on the screen and rattled off an address. “Owner is Dietrich Mueller.”
“Motherfucker!” Sadie got that look in her eyes that spelled more work for me and Jasper but that was later.
I nodded to Terry. “Let’s go.”
“Take the trucks. One through eight with you, double up the men.” Jasper gave his nod of approval. The last thing I saw before leaving was Ma and Jasper both making a beeline toward the bar.
Again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Maisie
“This isn’t the way to my uncle’s house.”
I didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but I wanted to go home. Where Uncle Max and Charlie were. Where I was safe. Not wherever Oliver was taking me.
“Hey,” I shouted at him, louder than I meant to, but I was doing everything in my power not to freak the fuck out.
Oliver’s dark eyes revealed nothing when they met mine in the rear-view mirror. “Your uncle as well as a Mr. Cross Wiley have been apprised of the situation, Maisie.”
His gaze left mine to cast a glance into the side mirrors before they landed back on me. “They have agreed with Ms. Ashby that you should return to Ashby Manor, for now.”
Well fuck, that was the last thing I expected to hear. It was good news, I guessed. I just hoped Virgil wasn’t too pissed.
“Okay, then. Sorry Oliver, I’m a little…” Fucked in the head wasn’t something I was ready to share with anyone, especially a stranger.
“Don’t worry about it, kid. You’ve been through a lot. It’s all right to be a little paranoid.”
“Try a lot.” Right now I would totally love to be only a little paranoid. It would be a welcome reprieve from the heart-racing double-time, the blood rushing through my ears, the way my leg wouldn’t stop shaking major paranoid rush taking over me.
“You want me to crank up the heat?”
“Sure.” My teeth chattered so bad I wasn’t sure I would ever feel warm again. “Thanks.”
He’d given me his coat as soon as he saw my dress torn to shreds. It was warm and smelled like a man with good taste, or more likely a man who had a woman with good taste.
I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t even get the air out of my lungs before the loudest sound I had ever heard in my life tore through the air and jostled the whole car. I choked on my breath and turned around, looking out the back window to see a giant ball of fire in the distance and then blackness.
“Breathe, Maisie!” Oliver’s voice sounded far away. Farther away than the front seat, but I couldn’t look away from the smoke, the fire. It looked like the whole block was burning.
“Breathe!”
A hand landed hard as fuck on my back, shocking and startling the fuck out of me. I tried to push away but hands gripped me. “Oliver! Help!”
“Maisie, breathe goddammit! Breathe!”
Oliver. It was Oliver’s voice and his hand pounding against my back.
“Shit. Fuck.” I turned to him. “Did you…” I pointed out the window.
“Yeah. Saw it, felt it, can feel the heat coming from it. We gotta go. You’re not going to stop breathing again, are you?”
“No. Promise.” I tried for a smile but my cheeks trembled from the effort. Something in my eyes must have assured Oliver that I would keep breathing because he slid behind the wheel and got us moving again.
Eventually, we arrived at Ashby Manor where Bonnie and Sadie greeted me at the door.
“Oh my God, Maisie, are you all right?”
"I'm fine," I assured her. "Just a little shaken up."
Bonnie was a crying and blubbering mess as she flung herself at me, holding me tight enough to stop my breathing. Again. “I’m so happy to see you!”
I patted her back and closed my eyes, soaking up the warm touch for as long as I could stand it.
“I’m okay Bon. I’m here and I’m fine.” I lied.
When she could bear it, Bonnie let me go, and I turned to Sadie, who’s cool eyes I remembered from last time. They had warmed considerably.
In a quaking voice, I managed, “Thank you for sending the car.”
“Not a problem,” she said and gave my shoulder a cursory pat before guiding me into the mansion’s main entrance this time.
“You’re important to my son, which means you are important to me.”
