Flawed (The Mercenary Series Book 3) Read online

  Thankfully, the gap down to the waterway remained the same size the whole way down.

  My hand slipped, and I fell the final foot or so, jarring my hand and cracking my elbows, landing in the water with a splash. It was ice cold, and instantly my clothes were soaked.

  The space was cramped, but larger than I’d anticipated. I huddled in on myself, partly for the warmth. It was easy to tell which direction the water flowed, so I reached out that way, feeling for the channel the water ran through. If it was too small for me, my journey would be over before it even started.

  With my good hand, I felt around the outskirts of the tunnel. It was big enough for me to get through, though I’d have to go on my hands and knees. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed. Perhaps a part of me had wanted to be forced back into the cellar so I didn’t have to go through this.

  The water buffeted me from behind, as though urging me to get on with it. It wasn’t a powerful flow—my instinct at the sound of the burbling had been right. The water wasn’t any more than six inches deep, though I didn’t know if it would grow deeper farther on. I imagined when there was heavy rainfall higher up the mountains, or when the winter’s snowfall started to melt, this water would grow far deeper, which was probably what caused the passage through the rock to be larger than the current flow. I couldn’t remember the last time it had rained, and snow was still a few weeks away, so hopefully the water would remain shallow.

  For the hundredth time, I wished I had a flashlight. Not being able to see what I was heading into was the worst part of this. I would have to rely on feeling my way forward and hope I didn’t come across anything I couldn’t handle. I told myself I could always edge back again if needed.

  On my hands and knees, I moved forward. I kept my good hand stretched out in front, terrified I might come across a sudden drop and not see it coming. I didn’t know what sort of rabbit warren the waterways ran through down here.

  The space grew narrower and my heart rate increased, my breath growing shallow. The combination of being wet and cold, together with the huge amounts of adrenaline pumping through my system, made my whole body tremble.

  Cold rock pressed down upon my head, and I was forced to lie flat on my stomach, army-crawling forward, my chin barely hovering above the water. I held back my building panic.

  Should I turn back?

  Would I get out of this alive?

  Chapter Twenty

  X

  As we approached the Catskill Mountains, I slipped the disposable cell phone Giovanni had left with the note out of my pocket and glanced down at the screen. I did this subtly, not wanting Mickey’s henchman, who sat in the passenger seat beside me, to see me with it. Up until this point, I’d hidden the presence of the cell phone. I hadn’t wanted Mickey to know about its existence. If Mickey got hold of it, I would lose some of my power. It was only my apparent knowledge of where Vee was being held that was keeping me alive. If Mickey had the phone, he’d be able to find out where she was just the same as I was. Of course, Giovanni wouldn’t be expecting Mickey Five Fingers to turn up.

  That Giovanni had still not sent me a message telling me where to bring the money frustrated me. All I knew was that he was in the mountains somewhere, but this place covered thousands of acres. We had time before the twenty-four hours he’d given me was up, but I didn’t know how far we’d need to drive once I’d received the information. Was this his way of playing with me, of making sure I was right on the edge when I eventually came face to face with him?

  We’d been in the truck for over two hours. Not much had been said between myself and the goon still sitting beside me, his weapon pointed at my side. I’d wanted to take out my own gun and casually aim it at him as I drove, just to even things up a little, but I figured now wasn’t the time to screw around.

  Vee’s father had followed us in the Mercedes at a steady distance. I’d glanced into the rearview mirror on a number of occasions, making sure he was still there. Nicole sat, apparently subdued, in the back. I didn’t know the girl well at all, but in the small amount of time I’d spent with her now compared with back then, it seemed the spirit had been broken from her. Had it been losing the tutor back at Tony the Hound’s place that had done it? Or had she been subjected to a horror I wasn’t aware of since that point?

  I didn’t want to head toward the cabin where we’d been staying. There had been a double homicide at the local store—assuming the old lady didn’t make it—and the police were sure to be teeming around the area. I also didn’t want to go on much farther without knowing exactly where it was I was supposed to be going. Having to double back on ourselves and losing more time would be frustrating.

  “We need to stop somewhere,” I said to Large beside me. “We’re going to be too early for the rendezvous if we go on much farther.”

  He stared at me, his lower lip drooped in a sullen expression, and then pulled his cell from his pocket and hit the number, I assumed, for Mickey Five Fingers.

  “He says we gotta stop somewhere,” he grunted. He listened for a moment. “Yeah, will do.” And he hung up.

  “Boss says to pull in at the next road side stop. He says he needs to eat anyway, and I need to take a piss.”

  I didn’t much relish the thought of sharing a meal with Mickey and his cronies, but at least he hadn’t tried to argue with me. Besides, my own full bladder was getting uncomfortable, and while I was more than happy pissing up against a tree, I couldn’t help but feel vulnerable with Mickey and his crew watching me.

  I was sure Vee and I had passed a place to stop when we’d driven up this way. The thought of her created a dull, hollow ache I didn’t want to look into too deeply. What would I do if this whole thing went wrong and I didn’t get her back? I’d go off at the deep end, I knew that. I’d take jobs without payment just so I could take my rage and grief out in killing. The whole future I’d allowed myself to envisage recently would crumble away and vanish like ashes in the wind. I never thought I would be someone who’d dream of settling down, but that’s exactly what I’d been thinking of. I’d been seeing our child—a boy, perhaps—with his mother’s silky dark hair and dark eyes, and my wicked streak. I imagined trips to the park and beach, family meals, and vacations. To lose all that now to a son-of-a-bitch like Giovanni Bianchi would be more than I could take.

  A road side café I’d passed during my drive with Vee approached up ahead, so I signaled to turn in.

  I parked the truck in a spot in front of the building and nodded down at the gun Large was still holding. “You can put that away now, unless you’re planning on holding it to my head while I take a leak.”

  He scowled, but holstered the weapon. “Fine, but don’t try anything stupid.”

  I sighed. “For the tenth time. I. Came. To. You. I literally walked up to Mickey’s gates and rang the buzzer. Does that sound like someone who’s going to try something?” Once again, I left out the part about how I’d been hoping to shoot Mickey only twelve hours before, but a lot had happened since then.

  Vee’s father’s car pulled up beside us, and everyone climbed out.

  Mickey nodded to all the guns. “Let’s put those away, fellas. We don’t want to make the locals nervous.”

  Who was he kidding? Even if they didn’t walk in there with their weapons drawn, they couldn’t have looked more like gangsters if they tried—with their expensive suits and flashy car, out here in the middle of nowhere. Only the presence of Nicole and me muddied the waters, but we probably looked like a couple of hostages.

  I threw Nicole a glance, but she purposefully refused to catch my eye. I wanted to know how she was, if she’d been hurt. The information wasn’t for me, of course. I wanted to have something to tell Vee when I saw her. Nicole followed her father around like a beaten dog, and that wasn’t something I relished having to tell Vee. I’d wanted to be able to say Nicole was coping and was a strong as her sister, but I’d have been lying.

  Together, the five of us
entered the restaurant. Like something out of an old western movie, the chattering of voices fell quiet. There weren’t many other customers sitting at the booth-style tables, but those who were glanced at us as we stood, waiting to be seated. We’d brought the cases filled with cash in with us, not wanting to risk leaving them in the vehicles.

  “We’ll take that one over there,” Mickey told the hostess as she hurried over to seat us. He nodded to a table in the window. She snatched up some menus and guided us over. We all slid into the seats and she placed the menus down in front of us.

  “You folks come up from the city?” she asked.

  “That ain’t none of your business,” he snapped back. “Just bring us coffee.”

  The poor girl ducked her head and hurried away.

  I got back to my feet. “I’m going to use the bathroom.” I bent and picked up my case. “I’m taking this one with me.”

  Mickey jerked his head at the guy who’d ridden in the truck with me. “Bruno, go with him.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t need him holding my dick.”

  “You might run.”

  I exhaled a slow breath. “As I have to keep explaining, I invited you guys along, remember? I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You could have a gang of armed men just waiting to shoot up the restaurant and steal my half of the cash, for all I know. I didn’t get where I am by not being cautious. So either Bruno here is going with you, or you can sit back down and piss your pants.”

  I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. “Fine.” I shot Bruno a look. “But keep your hands to yourself.”

  He gave me a disgusted glare, but got to his feet.

  I turned and walked toward the bathroom, passing the waitress hurrying back over with a coffee pot. I went into the bathroom, discovering the place empty, and used the facilities. I did my best to ignore my shadow.

  When I was done, I crossed over to the bank of sinks to wash my hands, and surreptitiously checked the cell phone. Damn it. Still nothing. How long was Giovanni going to make me wait?

  A voice came from over my shoulder. “Hey, what you got there?”

  There was no point in trying to lie about it. He would only go back to Mickey and tell him I had something, and it wasn’t as though I could try to dump the phone. I needed it. “Nothing, dumbass. It’s a cell phone. They’re allowed, right?”

  “Who are you calling?”

  “I’m not. I’d have the phone to my ear if I was calling someone. I’m waiting on a text message.”

  He yanked on my arm, spinning me around, and snatched the phone from me. I exhaled a sigh. I was going to have to explain to Mickey now that I was waiting for Giovanni to contact me. I hoped he’d give me the phone back or things were going to get ugly.

  “Right, we’re taking this to Mickey,” he said.

  “Fine, but I’m going to need it back.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  He slammed out of the bathroom and stormed back over to the table where Mickey and the others were sitting. I was tempted just to walk out, but I needed that phone, and I needed Mickey’s money.

  “I found him with this in the bathroom,” Large said, dropping the cell phone onto the table in front of Mickey. The waitress was already gone and everyone was sipping coffee. A jug of water and some glasses sat in the middle of the table, though no one had touched it yet.

  Vee’s father looked down at the object. “It’s a cell phone.”

  “Yeah, and he was trying to contact someone on it.”

  I bit down on my temper. “I’m waiting for Giovanni Bianchi to contact me. All I know is that he’s somewhere in the Catskill Mountains. He left this cell phone and said he’d contact me with further directions.”

  Mickey reached out and swiped the phone off the table. “I guess he’ll have to contact me now.”

  I put out my hand. “I need to have the phone. What if he calls and you pick up? Don’t you think he’s going to figure out that I’m not alone?”

  A muscle beside his eye twitched. I’m sure he wanted to argue with me, but he knew I spoke the truth.

  He handed me back the phone and I resisted turning to give Large a smirk.

  “Fine,” he said, “but I want to hear as soon as he contacts you.”

  “Of course.” I noticed the menus were missing from the table. The waitress must have collected them already. Was I to go hungry? “So, what’s everyone eating?”

  “I ordered you both a hamburger,” Mickey said. “I figured everyone likes hamburger.”

  “Now wouldn’t be the time to tell you I’m a vegetarian then?” I said, deadpan.

  Mickey scowled. “Just sit down.”

  I dropped the phone on the table in front of me and slid into the seat.

  Mickey leaned over to look at the screen then sat back. “What are we going to do if we don’t hear from Giovanni?”

  I shook my head. “Honestly, I’m not sure, but I think we will hear from him soon. He wants his money. I suspect the only reason we haven’t heard from him already is because he doesn’t want to give me time to organize some kind of ambush.”

  Mickey nodded. “Like this, you mean?”

  “We’re not ambushing him. We’re going to hand over the money in exchange for Vee—I mean, Verity.”

  I could see he wasn’t looking convinced. I had to remind myself that this man ultimately wanted his daughter dead as well. I didn’t want a single hair on her head harmed, whereas he simply wanted to be the one to do the harming.

  I leaned across the table. “Don’t fuck this up. If you do, I swear I won’t be held accountable for my actions.”

  He leaned in toward me as well, so our faces were mere inches from each other, so close I could smell the coffee on his breath. “I didn’t bring me into this, X. You knew what you were asking for when you came to me. Like I warned you before, I won’t be letting the two of you walk off hand in hand into the sunset.”

  I knew what he was saying. As soon as we dealt with Giovanni, the fight would be between me and him.

  Would my love for Vee be greater than his hatred of her betrayal?

  We were interrupted by the waitress bringing out baskets containing our food. Nicole was given the same sized portion as the rest of us, though she listlessly nibbled at a french fry and ignored the remainder. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, however, the scent of the fried food making my mouth water. I’d rather go into this with a full stomach, and this might be my last meal. I had the feeling I was going to need my strength.

  Just as we finished, the phone on the table buzzed.

  I snatched it up before Mickey could grab it, and checked the message. There was only one person it was ever going to be from. The text message contained a set of directions, and there was one other instruction.

  Come alone.

  “I think the meeting point is about an hour and a half from here,” I said. “And he wants me to come alone, and with the money.”

  Mickey laughed. “Of course he does.”

  It was starting to get dark now, the sky deepening to a navy blue. It would be pitch black by the time we reached the location Giovanni had specified. Was there a reason he’d wanted us to meet in the dark?

  “He’ll be watching out for me, or will have people watching out for me. I can’t have your friend here sitting in the truck with me. You’re going to have to let me take both cases with the money and you follow on behind.”

  Mickey laughed, throwing back his head. “You’re fucking with me, right?”

  “No, of course not. But if Giovanni says come alone, and I’m clearly not, that’s going to set him right on edge. He might just start shooting, and then we might never get Verity back.”

  “Who’s to say he won’t start shooting anyway? As soon as he sees you—alone—he might just shoot you in the head and take the money. Hell, Verity might be dead already, for all we know, and we’re just about to hand him a whole heap of cash for nothing.”

  “It’s
money I owe him. I don’t care if he takes it.”

  Mickey slammed his hand down on the table top, making his daughter jump. “No, it’s half my money. We should ask for proof Verity is still alive.”

  I checked the phone again. The number came up as withheld. “I can’t. I don’t have any way of contacting him. We’re just going to have to take our chances.”

  He must really have wanted to get his hands on Verity to go through all of this. I hated to think of what he had planned in order to punish her for trying to testify against him.

  “You’re a smart man,” I said. “You know there are better ways to do this than us all barreling in and open firing. You can be sneakier—come around the back, so Giovanni doesn’t see you. You can shoot him in the back and take the money, if that’s what you want. I don’t care. All I want is Verity safe. The rest of this bullshit can go to hell.”

  He sat back in his seat and thought for a moment. “Okay, you get your way. But no funny business. I’ll have my men shoot you in a breath if it looks like you’re going to take the money and run.”

  I had to stop myself rolling my eyes. “How many times do I need to say it? I don’t give a fuck about the damned money.”

  “Fine. Let’s do this. But we’ll travel in the car behind you and, when we get near the location, we’ll pull in somewhere and reconvene. Then you can go ahead to the meeting point, and we’ll make sure we’re somewhere close by.”

  I couldn’t ask for any more than that.

  We paid the bill and got on our way.

  I hoped at the end of this I’d get to see Vee again.

  Alive.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  V