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I’d planned on keeping that information to myself. Now that it was out in the open, there was no sense not filling Kellan in.
“Don’t get extreme about it. We had a good lunch, and when that was done…” I trailed off, leaving the rest to his imagination.
He grinned, reaching over and giving me a shove.
“Ah, you old dog. Anyway, what happened after?”
“Nothing happened after. Well, let me rephrase… she told me to fuck off. You ask me, there’s something wrong with my brain if a woman can take that sort of attitude toward me and I’m still mad about her.”
“Or maybebecauseshe was able to talk to you like that is why you’re feeling the way you do. When you’re used to having people bow and scrape to get on your good side, finding someone with a bit of a spine can be refreshing as all hell. Especially if that spine is wrapped up in a gorgeous package, am I right?”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe the fact that she’s hardheaded and smart as hell is playing into all of this.”
“And maybe this means she’s just the sort of gal you ought to be thinking about if you’re looking to get out of this life.”
I winced as he spoke. Kellan, being my brother and all, was the only person on earth with whom I’d shared my misgivings about my lifestyle, along with my desire to get out. I hadn’t even told Ma, since letting her in on it would only mean she’d put the screws to me about leaving the life behind for good.
“Might be a little soon to start thinking that way about a woman who wouldn’t mind slugging me in the face if she saw me again.”
“Now, that’s not true at all. The opposite of love isn’t hate, brother, it’s apathy—not giving a shite about the person one way or another. And this woman doesn’t sound at all apathetic to you if you made her that pissed off.”
“Or she hooked up with a strange man she barely knew and was regretful about it. Sounds like the more likely explanation.”
“Once again, Con, you’re going for the boring instead of the fun. You want to believe she used you and dropped you, go right ahead. Personally, I’m going to believe that there’s some gorgeous lawyer out there who can’t get you out of her head.”
I liked that thought, too. But with all that was going on with work, I didn’t want to waste a moment on the luxury of daydreaming such a scenario. Not to mention we were about to pull up to the warehouse. The building was situated in the industrial district, just near the Port of Boston. The area seemed dead, not a soul around. Shipping containers moved slowly and silently in the distance through the murky fog over the bay.
I parked and we got out, making our way toward one of the side entrances.
“So, the girl,” Kellan said solemnly.
“Right now, we check in on her, make sure she’s got food and water and all that. Once that’s done, we’ll figure out our next move. But whatever happens, it’s going to be up to us to see it through.”
I opened the door, the two of us stepping into the vast, mostly empty interior of the warehouse, our footfalls echoing. Aside from a few large metal shelves here and there, along with a few stacks of boxes along the walls, the place was mostly bare. A faded bloodstain on the concrete ground in the center of the warehouse floor was the only clue as to what the place was really used for—not storing goods but handling people who needed to be taken care of.
My stomach tensed at the idea of Eddie’s men working the poor girl over. I’d thrown a punch or two in my day, seen my share of violence. But hitting women was something I’d never done, never stood for in my presence.
“We can’t let any of these low-level thugs Eddie’s been collecting get ahold of her,” Kellan said, as if reading my mind.
“No kidding. Some of these young guys he’s been bringing on… they’re vicious. Don’t know what he’s thinking, hiring braindead, sloppy thugs who don’t give a second thought to getting busted.” The conversation was another one that could only take place between my brother and me. Eddie didn’t take too well to being criticized in such a way.
“Where is she?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips and surveying the warehouse.
“They’ve got her in one of the offices upstairs. Come on.”
He nodded toward the set of steel stairs along the walls that led up to the second floor, the glass windows of the offices looking down. Together, we headed up and into the narrow hallway behind them. The air was still and musty, everything about the building uninviting, making me want to be back home in my penthouse with a glass of whiskey close at hand. The idea that some poor woman had been stuck here for days was enough to get my blood boiling.
Down the hall were three doors, each one made of steel, each heavy-duty.
“OK, now which one is she in?” I asked, crossing my arms and leaning back against the door behind me.
“That’s a good—”
He stopped midsentence. Right away I knew that something was very wrong.
“What is it?” I asked.
Without saying a word, Kellan hurried over to one of the doors. I was about to ask again what was going on, but as I took a closer look at the door, I noticed it was open.
