“What are you involved in?” Maryn asked.
“It’ll be fine. They’ll find the heroin and then they’ll let us go.”
“You’re dealing drugs!” Maryn got out, though her throat was closing off. “Oh, James, why?”
He glared at her. “So I could compete with your stupid billionaire.”
“You’re so dumb! It’s never been about the money.” She clenched her hands together.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“I love Tuck because of so many reasons that have nothing to do with money.” Maryn groaned. “You honestly just started dealing drugs so you could compete with Tuck?”
James looked away, but finally gave her a slight nod.
“Oh, my heck, of all the dumb ways to get a girl. Now they’re going to kill us once they have their stuff. We’ve seen their faces.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” James watched Baldy carefully, but the guy didn’t appear to care about their conversation. “He said he’ll let us go, he will. That’s why they covered our heads to get here.”
“But we’ve seen his face. You can’t trust drug dealers.”
James exhaled slowly, but didn’t respond. Maryn’s entire body was trembling. James put an arm around her. She wanted to elbow him in the gut, but she needed something to hold on to right now or a full meltdown would commence. If she ran screaming, would they shoot her? Then she remembered. Her phone. There was hope.
“Um, sir,” she said to Baldy. “Do you have a restroom?”
“Nope.”
“Um, could I borrow some napkins and go around back?”
He chuckled. “No. You can go right there for all I care.”
“And ruin this dress?”
His eyes flicked over her and she felt like she’d just rolled in the mud and would never be clean again. “I can help you out of it if you’d like.”
Maryn folded her arms across her chest and looked away. James pulled her closer. “Mar. Please stop talking.”
She burrowed her head into his chest. “I’ve got my cell phone in my bra.”
They’d taken James’ phone on the car ride over, but she’d told them hers was in her purse at her house.
“I wondered where it was.”
“Do you think I dare try to call 911?”
James watched Baldy for a few seconds. “Not right now, but maybe he’ll get distracted or bored watching us soon.”
At least James didn’t discourage her from calling for help. He would be arrested right along with these other scumbags. She felt bad about that, but he was the one who had started dealing drugs. Thinking about arrest brought her back to Tucker. The thought of him sitting in a prison cell turned her stomach worse than the rotten fish stench in this place. She started praying,Please bless Tucker can get free and please bless these guys won’t kill us.
Maryn heard a vehicle pull up outside then the soft tapping of feet walking toward the warehouse. Her stomach tightened. The other bad dudes were back. Even if they found the drugs James had hidden, would they really let them go?
She didn’t see anyone in the dim interior. Then suddenly a gun was pointed at Baldy’s head. “Drop the weapon,” a voice said.
Baldy complied. Johnson stepped forward and kicked the gun out of the way.
“Johnson,” Maryn cried out then clapped her hand over her mouth. She looked to the office, but Head Honcho didn’t appear.
Johnson smiled at her and brought a finger to his lips. “Lay down nice and easy.”