432 messages waiting for me. I didn’t bother checking my voicemail box. I knew it was going to be full.
I almost dropped the phone in the toilet when it came to life in my hands again. UNKNOWN NUMBER scrolled across the top.
I hit the connect button. “Yes?” I asked softly, my hand cupped around the mouthpiece.
“Cupcake?” Ryker said. “Where the fuck are you?”
Tears gathered in my eyes. “I’m in my old house that I shared with Ethan. Ryker, you have to come. You have to bring the Amatuccis and you have to come get me now. Please. Please, goddess, you have to come now.”
I heard the distinct jiggle of the key in the lock of the main door. I stuffed the phone, with the line still live, under the edge of the toilet base between the wall. Hopefully they could track me if the line stayed on.
I grimaced as the water in my belly tried to make its way from my tired body once again. A heavy knock came on the door of the bathroom. “Willow?”
“Just a minute,” I called. I dropped my pants again and sat to pee. Thankfully I’d been asleep long enough that I had a full bladder. He must have removed the catheter pretty quickly after I lost consciousness.
The dry burning ache came back to mind. I pushed it away. I didn’t have time to investigate every weird feeling in my body right this moment.
As soon as I was done, I stood up, fixed my clothing and washed my hands. Ethan knocked on the door again as I was drying them. “Coming.”
I opened the door and stepped into his personal space. Anything to keep him from inspecting the bathroom.
He had eyes only for me. A disgusting softness entered his gaze as he petted his hands down my hair. “How are you feeling, love?”
A sick smile tugged at my mouth. “I’ve been better.” I didn’t mention the cut or the deep burning of my ureter. He wasn’t actually interested in my wellbeing beyond the fact of how it could impact his experiments.
With my head caught between his hands, he leaned forward and whispered, “And your phone call?”
Oh shit.
Chapter 42 – Ryker
“Fucking now,” I shouted at the computer, thankful I’d had the wherewithal to put my end of the phone call on mute. When the ping had come back as her phone being on, I’d prayed like I’d never prayed before.
Listening to Willow pee had been a unique experience, but if hearing her tinkle was the least of my problems, I could live with that. A hysterical laugh built in the back of my throat.
I squelched it with ruthless control. No. I still had a job to do. A woman to find. My woman. The blinking blue dot on the screen turned a solid blue. “Got her.” I pushed from the desk, ignored the sharp piercing pain in my side. I sent the location to my phone and deleted the results.
These fuckers weren’t leaving me here while they went in and rescued her. No. This was mine.
“Give it to us,” Domenico snarled as he got in my face. “You’re staying here. With Massimo.”
“No.” I pushed by him, limped as fast as possible to my elevator. “You’re more than welcome to join me, but you’re not leaving me here. And good luck getting from here to basement without my new codes.” I hit the button to open the elevator doors, stepped inside.
I stabbed the CLOSE button and watched with grim satisfaction as all four Amatucci brothers leapt into motion.
Domenico got pinched by the doors on his way over the threshold. His light brown eyes held the announcement of my impending death. “If she’s not where that says, you die. Today.”
I nodded. I couldn’t take any more of this waiting and hoping only to have them crushed with no Willow at the end of any particular rainbow. “I’ll hold my shirt open for you.”
His smile was a hard slash on his face. “You won’t have the time.”
The elevator slid to a quick stop at the garage floor. We piled out and headed for my SUV. I kept the keys as I jogged/hopped towards the huge vehicle. I pulled my phone from my pocket as I slid into the driver seat. I nestled it in its integrated cradle and started the car.
“Call Talia,” I ordered.
“Tell her what’s happening, you die right here,” Massimo said in his damaged voice.
I cancelled the call. “Fine, then I want it on record that I tried