Headhunter (With Me in Seattle Mafia #2) - Kristen Proby Page 0,8
car and immediately pull my sidearm from its holster. Before rushing inside, I make a quick loop around the house to see if I can detect any movement.
From out here, it looks empty.
When I make my way back to the front door, I ease it open farther and step inside, raising my weapon when a figure walks across the living room and snaps on the light.
“For fuck’s sake, Ivie, I told you to wait outside.”
But she’s not listening to me. Her eyes are trained on the destruction in her home. The place has been ransacked, turned over and destroyed.
“Oh my God,” she breathes.
“Stay with me,” I order her, my voice sharp. “Do you hear me? Ivie.”
“I hear you.” She slips her hand into mine, and I lead her through the house, to each room, with my weapon drawn in case anyone is still here.
“We’re alone,” I say at last when we’re standing in her bedroom.
She slips her hand from mine and hurries over to her closet. I follow her over and see her stumble over clothes, then peel back the carpet in a corner, open a hidden spot on the floor, and pull out a small box.
“They didn’t take it,” she breathes in relief. “My mother’s wedding ring. It’s the only thing I have from her, and I could never replace it.”
She hugs the box to her chest and allows her gaze to roam over the mess.
“I guess you’re getting your way,” she says at last.
“It’s not a competition.” I take her hand and pull her to her feet. “Honey, I just want you to be as safe as possible.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like that’ll be here. I’ll try to pull some things together and be ready in a few minutes.”
I nod and step out of the room so I can text my brothers, letting them know about the change of plans. I also call my father to keep him posted. We’ve been feeding him information since all of this began.
When these assholes took Ivie, they pissed off two powerful mafia families in the process.
They’re fucked.
“I’m ready.” Ivie has a small suitcase that’s seen better days, a tote filled to the brim, and a purse, which she retrieved from Annika earlier. “The bastards ruined my Louis Vuitton handbag. It was a gift.”
“It can be replaced.”
“Do you know how much those things cost?” she demands. “Anyway. It’s just a purse. But it pissed me off. I’m taking the few valuable things I have with me, some clothes and toiletries, and that’s about it.”
“That’s all you’ll need,” I assure her. I can feel the sadness and despair radiating off her as we walk through her little house to the front door. She locks it as I put her bags in the car, and then we’re off again. “We have a bit of a drive ahead of us.”
She just nods and stares out the window. So, I decide to let her be. A lot has happened. She’s exhausted.
My questions can be answered tomorrow.
“So, you live way out here in the middle of nowhere,” she says when I turn onto my dirt road.
I let my caretaker know that I was on my way, and the make and model of the car we’re in, so the gate automatically swings open at our arrival.
I imagine Curt is sitting in his little cabin, watching the monitor.
“Yes. I do.”
It’s dark now. I think this has been the longest damn day of my life. We’re quiet, as we were the entire drive, as I navigate the Lexus past the helicopter landing pad, my shooting range, a barn, and an underground bunker—all of which is out of view in the darkness.
I pull up to my house and cut the engine. Several lights are on, also thanks to Curt.
“Is someone else here?” she asks, then turns to me with wide eyes. “Oh my God, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No. No girlfriend.”
“Why are the lights on?”
“I have a friend who lives in a cabin here on the property,” I begin as I open my door, then hurry around to open hers. I take her hand and help her out of the car. “He’s an old Army buddy. He likes to be alone, and he’s damn good at his job. So it works well for both of us. You might meet him.”
She nods and follows me up the stairs to my back door. I set her bags down and open the door, then gesture her inside.