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Zavala stood, pulling out money from a clip and tossing it on the table. “It’s time to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I felt something hard pressed into my side and nearly gasped at the sudden intrusion.
“I wasn’t asking. Get on your feet or I will make sure everyone in this restaurant pays the price. And then I’ll take you anyway.”
I quickly tallied the number of patrons in the restaurant. Even one death on my head was too many, but there were at least twelve people still in the restaurant, and that was just the diners. What about the waiters and cooks and hostess?
I had no choice but to do as he said. If I was lucky, I might find a way to escape, but I couldn’t allow him to kill innocent people because I got wrapped up in the wrong thing. Very carefully, I folded my napkin and placed it on the table, ensuring it was parallel to both sides of the table. I watched as Zavala did the same, probably figuring that if he didn’t do it, I would do it for him.
And as I watched, that’s when I realized that Zavala wore a tie pin and it was emblazoned with the letter Z. I pushed back from the table, glancing over my shoulder at the man who slid my chair back. As Zavala stood in front of me, I took my chance while I could.
Slowly, I reached up to his tie, fixing the slightly crooked state, then ran my hand down the tie, smoothing it before straightening his jacket. His eyes were glued to mine the whole time, but he didn’t try to stop me. Finally, I stepped aside.
“Lead the way.”
The lecherous grin on his face sent shivers down my spine, but I forced myself to stand still. As the men turned, I dropped the tie pin on the napkin and followed Zavala out of the restaurant. I had no clue if Nicholas would come back to find me or if he would see it, but it was the only chance I had.
A black town car was waiting at the curb and the driver opened the door, waiting for me to get inside. I glanced at Zavala, then slid inside. When the door shut behind me, a shiver of cold raced down my spine. I held my breath, wondering what would happen from here.
Zavala grabbed a glass, pouring a small bottle into it. Handing it to me, he grinned. “Drink.”
“No.”
He pulled a gun and pointed it at me. “Drink or I can end this faster.”
I stared at the gun, wondering if I should just allow him to shoot me. The thought of what was to come scared the shit out of me, but ending it all without giving Nicholas the chance to find me was something I couldn’t do.
I grabbed the glass and drank it in one swallow. It didn’t take long for the drugs to kick in and the world to go black.
33
NICHOLAS
“Raven!” I pounded on the door again, but got no answer.
Rafe slid a keycard from his pocket and into the reader.
“Where did you get that?”
“From the cleaning cart. They always leave those things unattended.”
The door opened and I rushed inside, looking all around. It was exactly as I left it earlier in the night. Not a thing was out of place, and I would know if it was because Raven always left her room spotless.
“All of her things are still here. The only thing missing is her purse.”
“Let’s check downstairs. Someone must have seen her,” Rafe suggested.
I was just about to leave when I saw something laying on the table beside her bed. It was my St. Christopher medal. I had dropped it somewhere and couldn’t find it, but she had it all along. Snatching it off the table, I pulled it over my head and followed Rafe out the door. I walked up to the first person at reception, showing them a picture of Raven I had on my phone.
“Have you seen this woman? She’s staying in room 318.”
The woman shook her head. “No, but I just came on shift. Margaret might have seen her.” The woman looked around and then waved her hand. I turned and hurried over to the woman she’d signaled.
“Have you seen this woman?”
She frowned, then nodded. “Yes, she was down here earlier in the restaurant.”
