“Please sit down and take a breath. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
I did as she asked and tried to keep it together, even though I was this close to exploding. “All right. I’m sitting. Now tell me what’s going on and where Abbi is.”
“She’s at a bar called The Greyhound. She’s bartending there.”
“Why?”
She had no reason to bartend anywhere. She made enough money to live on at my club, and I took care of everything else. Why would she need to bartend at some bar named The Greyhound?
“She made a deal so you’d stay out of jail. The Greyhound is that guy’s bar, the one you beat up. Whenever she has a night off from the club, they expect her to bartend there. She had her first shift the other night and she said everything was fine. The guy wasn’t even there. Only his brother was, the councilman? It’s a dive bar, but she doesn’t think it’ll be bad and if it keeps you out of jail, she’s willing to do it.”
My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I listened to Gemma explain how the woman I loved was sneaking off to bartend at some dive bar to keep me safe. Everything inside me said to go to her and take her out of that place.
“So this is why Mason was so willing to get the charges dropped. How could you let her go there, Gemma? Jesus Christ, that guy grabbed her when she was dancing. What made you think he wouldn’t do that again?”
I looked at Gemma in disgust as she tried to excuse her behavior.
“I couldn’t stop her, Kane. She would have found a way there with or without my help. I wanted to make sure I knew where the place was so I could help if she got into trouble. She’s doing this because she loves you and is terrified of losing you. I couldn’t say no.”
Then it dawned on me. It was Sunday. State law didn’t allow alcohol served in bars and clubs on Sunday. “Why is she there tonight? Bars aren’t allowed to be open on Sunday.”
Gemma’s eyes flashed her fear. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize bars couldn’t serve on Sundays. We have to get there in case something bad is happening, Kane!”
“You’ve already done enough. I’ll go by myself.”
I turned to leave, but Gemma grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let me go. “Please, Kane! I need to know she’s okay.”
I didn’t have time to argue with her. Shrugging, I yanked my arm from her grip and barked, “Fine. Let’s go.”
All that ran through my head as I stormed out to my car was God help Mason and Jethro if Abbi was hurt. This time, there’d be no one who could stop me.
I PUSHED open the front door of The Greyhound to find the bar dark and not a soul inside. The door had been unlocked and Mason had been very clear about how he expected me to be here tonight, so I held out my cell phone in front of me to light my way through the building, wondering why he’d demand I show up if the bar wasn’t even open.
My phone showed five missed calls, and as I swiped the screen, I saw Kane had called me four times and Gemma had called me right after him. Something was wrong. I quickly dialed her number and continued to walk toward the bar with my one hand out in front of me to feel my way.
She answered her phone on the first ring, and instantly I heard the panic in her voice. “Abbi, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. There doesn’t seem to be anyone here. It’s a Sunday and Mason said I had to work, but I can’t find him or anyone else. The bar was dark when I walked in. Why did you call?”
There was silence for a long moment and then I heard Kane’s voice come through loud and clear, the hurt in it shooting straight to my heart. “Angel, you don’t have to do this. Get out of there now. We’ll be there in a few minutes. I want you to stay on the phone with me and keep talking. Do you understand?”
“Oh, Kane, you can’t come here. I have to do this or Mason and Jethro will make sure you go to jail for what you did. Don’t be mad at me. Please. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I had to make sure you were safe.”
“I love you for that, baby, but there’s no good reason why they’d want you there tonight. The bar can’t open, so whatever you’re doing there isn’t bartending. Get out now and wait in the parking lot, and if they come after you, run as fast as you can and stay on the road. I’m driving there right now. Abbi, do as I say.”
I felt the bar beneath my fingertips and stopped walking. “I’m okay, Kane. I have to do this. You protected me, so I have to protect you.”
“Angel, get out of there now! Did you hear me? Leave now. We’re almost there.”
Something touched my sleeve, and I turned to see Mason looking at me with a stare that instantly made a shiver run down my spine. I stood stunned that he’d suddenly appeared, my brain unable to form words. I heard Kane telling me over and over to get out of there, but Mason took my phone and ended the call.
“Time to get to work, Abigail.”
“Kane found out and he’s coming here. I told him I was okay, but he’s still coming,” I explained in a shaky voice. “I know when he sees everything’s on the up and up, he’ll be fine. Just give him a chance.”
Mason smiled that vicious smile I saw when I was leaving last time and shook his head. “I’ve got something else in mind. Time to go.”
He pulled me toward the back room as I struggled to get free of his hold. Nearly frozen in fear, I tried to think of some way to escape, but it was so dark and I couldn’t see anything in front of me.
“Mason, let me go! You’re hurting me! What are you doing?”
My arm burned where his fingers dug into my skin, but he refused to answer me. Instead, he walked faster toward the back room, but why? We quickly reached it, but no one waited for us and we passed through and out a door that led to a parking lot behind the building.
Mason yanked hard on my arm to pull me toward a car, and I cried out from the pain. “Let me go! Where are you taking me?”
“Get in and shut your mouth or this will hurt for much longer,” he snapped.
“No!”
The back of his hand skidded across my cheek, and for a moment my skin felt like it was on fire. My vision blurred, and he took advantage of my confusion to stuff me into the backseat of the car. As I tried to shake off the pain jutting up into my temple, he tied my hands together with a cord and covered my mouth with duct tape.
“One more sound out of you and that shot you just took will be nothing compared to what I do to you. Keep quiet!”