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Chapter Twenty-two
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That I had failed her sat like a lead weight in the pit of my gut.
The car containing her sister had vanished down the road, the headlights disappearing into the burgeoning darkness. Bodies lay like broken dolls, slumped across the hood of the other car. There was no point trying to chase after them. We knew where they were going.
Back to New York.
“I can’t believe it. I was so stupid,” Vee cried against me. “I actually believed we might get Nickie back.”
I held her closer, my hands on her back, my nose against her hair. “We still can. This isn’t over. He wants something from you, which gives you leverage, and he’s not going to harm Nickie while he still thinks he might get what he wants.”
She turned her face up to me, her dark eyes almost black in the moonlight. “You think us shooting at them wasn’t enough to make him think he’s not going to get it?”
“Guys like him are used to being shot at. They’re also not going to give up on their plans so easily. This might feel like a big deal to you, but this is barely a blip to someone like Tony.”
She nodded against me. “I hope you’re right. I hope we’re not going to find Nickie’s body in a ditch farther down the road.”
I squeezed her tight, hoping to provide some comfort. “We won’t. She’s too important for that to happen.”
Even as I said the words, I worried she was going to call me out as a liar and fraud. I’d been wrong about getting Nickie back this time, hadn’t I? I should have acted sooner. I shouldn’t have let Tony the Hound get so close to Nickie. I should have killed Tony instead of taking down the guy who’d been holding her. I should have yelled at Nickie to run.
So many mistakes.
“So now what?” she asked, peeling herself out of my arms.
I nodded to the black car. “We have a ride, at least. They’re taking her back to New York, so that’s where we need to go.”
“And then what?”
“I think it’s time you paid your father a visit.”
She inhaled a breath and stiffened.
I continued. “You said your father loves your sister, right? That he doesn’t blame her for anything, but holds you responsible?”
She nodded.
“So you have a shared goal at this point. He’s going to want to get her back as much as you do.”
“He’s in jail,” she pointed out.
“Yes, but his contacts aren’t, and he might know where Tony the Hound likes to take people he wants to hide.”
“So you’re saying we ask for his help?” The bitterness in her voice was impossible to ignore.
“Is your love for your sister greater than your hatred for your father?”
“I guess it’s going to have to be.”
“Listen to me,” I said. “We need to get out of here before someone spots those bodies. When they do, this area is going to be swarming with cops. But we can’t go trying to reach New York tonight. We need to find a motel and get some rest. We’re both exhausted and when you’re this tired, you’re going to think irrationally, and make mistakes.”
Vee nodded in agreement.
I hauled the body off the hood of the car, and then dragged him to the side of the road, so at least it wouldn’t be noticed right away, then I helped Vee with the second body. I debated removing the police signs but figured they might buy us some time.
Checking inside the car, I was pleased to see the keys still hanging out of the ignition. “Looks like we’re riding in comfort from here.”
