“That’s who she was with,” Beck pointed out, cruising onto the interstate headed west.
“Yeah, but an old boyfriend doesn’t kidnap a girl and take her to an industrial dock. He might try to force her into her apartment or something like that.”
Tuck nodded at his friend, even though James had set him up to go to prison, it didn’t seem logical for him to kidnap Maryn.
“Do you have weapons?” Johnson asked Beck.
“No.”
“We’d better swing by our place,” Johnson said.
Tucker nodded his agreement. He hated to take the extra time, but he wanted to be prepared. Nobody was going to hurt Maryn. He started praying that no one already had.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Their hoods were finally removed after they were hustled from the car and into a building that smelled like rotten fish. Maryn looked around, her eyes adjusting quickly to the poorly lit interior. It was some kind of warehouse, reminding her of the spot the bad guys might hang out in a James Bond movie. This was not good. Her spine was tingling and her legs unsteady. If her pulse accelerated any more she’d probably have a heart attack.
The three men who brought them in escorted them toward a small office. The big baldy stayed by her side while the other two stayed close to James.
An average-size guy with dark hair, bright blue eyes, and a huge nose walked out of the office door. He glanced over her once before focusing on James. “Did it really need to come to this?”
James shook his head. “It was a mistake. I’ll get it fixed.”
“Why did you bring the girl along?” he directed toward Baldy.
“Thought it would be good insurance to get him to follow through,” Baldy answered.
“And now if he doesn’t follow through her death is on your hands too.”
Maryn’s hands trembled and cold sweat trickled down her bra. She felt her cell phone vibrate with an incoming text. Maybe she could ask to go to the bathroom and call the police? She stood straighter. “Let me go and you might not all burn in hell,” she said in what she hoped was a commanding voice.
“Tell your girlfriend to shut it,” the head honcho told James.
“Ha! He’s not my boyfriend, my boyfriend is Tucker Shaffer and when he finds you he’s going to make you all wish you’d never seen me.”
“Tucker Shaffer?” Head Honcho looked at Baldy. “Isn’t that the rich guy that got arrested for a bar fight?”
“Yeah.” Baldy smirked at her. “Huge threat since he’s in prison.”
“Maryn.” James squeezed her arm. “Stop. Let me handle this.”
“Handle this!” Maryn shook him off and took a step away. “We’re in this mess because of you. What have you gotten involved in, you idiot?”
“Youridiothas forgotten to deliver the latest shipment. He thought he could pull a fast one on me.”
James held up his hands. “That’s not true. My contact wasn’t there. It was a simple misunderstanding. I still have the packages. Let’s go to my apartment and get them.”
“If it was a misunderstanding, why didn’t you respond to our texts and phone calls?” Head Honcho glared with his brilliant blue eyes. Maryn had never seen eyes that cold before.
“I proposed to her.” James pointed Maryn’s direction. “She said no and I’ve been a mess trying to figure out how to get her back.”
Maryn almost felt bad for James. Almost. But what kind of a dummy got involved with people like this?
“Ah. Love. Makes us into real idiots.”
“It’s the truth. Please. The packages are all in my spare bedroom closet.”
Head Honcho tilted his dark head to the side. “I’m tempted to believe your lame story. I’ll send someone. If they aren’t there, you both die.” He gestured with his hand. Baldy lifted a vicious-looking gun and gestured Maryn and James away from the office toward the back wall of the building. The other guys typed James’ address in their phones then took off. Head Honcho went into his comfortable office while Maryn and James slunk to the floor, Baldy watching them.