“You can take out the rage you have for Duke on someone else,” Tito said.
Lou dug into his boot and pulled out a switchblade. Then he reached up and cut the rope.
I fell like a rag doll to the ground then quickly scrambled to get the rope off my ankles.
Lou stomped off like a little boy who hadn’t gotten his way.
Tito leaned against a square beam. “Give me a couple of days, and we’ll be in touch.”
I pushed to my feet on shaky legs and managed to walk up to him without falling. Before he had time to blink, I punched him in the jaw. “You better pray my girl is alive.”
He spat on my boot. “Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind.”
“One last question. If you know I didn’t kill your brother, do you know who did?”
“Not a fucking clue. But if you ever find that person, I want to know.”
Not likely, but he didn’t need to know that. That person was all mine, and if the Feds were right and Duke had been at Hector’s the night he was killed, Tito would never, ever know, at least not from me. I might be pissed at Duke, but I would deal with him myself.
I gave Tito a two-finger salute as I limped my way to fresh air.
“Hey, Hart,” Tito called.
I didn’t bother to turn around.
“If you don’t come through, I will kill you and everyone you love.”
I had no doubt in my mind he was serious. But I didn’t fail at much, and if Jade wasn’t breathing, I would kill him first.
23
Denim
The scent of salt water lingered in the night air as I headed down a deserted street, away from Boston Harbor, away from the rundown warehouse I’d been beaten to a pulp in, away from hell.
The more I walked, the more pain seized every limb in my body. The adrenaline was vanishing, and my legs were about to give out. My head hurt like someone had bashed it a few times with a baseball bat, and a dull pain throbbed in my ribs and stomach. I swished saliva around in my mouth to get the sandpaper feeling to go away, hoping to coat the dryness in my throat too.
I stepped off a curb and faltered as dizziness set in. I wasn’t going to make it another block. I bent over, bracing my hands on my knees and scanned the neighborhood. There had to be life somewhere nearby.
A cat screeched, but that wasn’t what I was hoping for. I blew out a breath and straightened. I had to find a phone.
I held my growling stomach as I crossed the street. I hadn’t eaten in days, which only added to the weakness I was feeling. I spotted a light in the field one block down. I squeezed my eyes shut then oriented my vision and looked again. Flames shot out of a trash can, and two men were hovering over it.
Suddenly, I shivered. The sweat on my body was still there, but with a brisk wind picking up and breezing over me, I felt as though I’d just stepped out of a warm bath and into a winter storm.
I swallowed, licking my lips as I pushed on. Maybe one of those guys had a phone. I sped up my pace as fast as my weak legs would allow. But my efforts were about to fail when I reached the chain-link fence surrounding the field. Winded, I bent over once again to catch my breath.
Come on, Denim. Kick your ass into gear. Think of Jade. You need to see her.
I didn’t even know if she was alive.Fuck.I latched on to the fence. Then I lowered myself to the ground. I needed a minute to clear the dizziness. Otherwise, I would fall flat on my face. I closed my eyes, willing my muscles to cooperate and my head to clear.
Then two men’s voices carried with the wind, floating past me as my head spun like I’d drunk a fifth of bourbon. My ears perked up, and my eyes flew open at the rumble of an engine.
Slowly, I swiveled my head toward the car inching toward me. No doubt the occupant was looking for someone or something. Maybe he’d lost his cat.
Then I stiffened. Maybe Tito was looking for me. Maybe he’d changed his mind about letting me go. I wasn’t sure I gave a fuck, though, with the way I was feeling.
The headlights grew brighter, blinding me until the car pulled up to the curb. Before I could comprehend who the driver was, the man was squatting down in front of me.
