“You okay?” he asked me.
No, I wasn’t okay. I’d just been punched in the face and then kidnapped.
I just stared at him.
“I’m really sorry about his,” he said. “I’m having troubles with some of my employees.”
No shit.
I thought it but didn’t say it, I hadn’t recovered enough to form words.
Gary came back with an ice bag wrapped in a kitchen towel and handed it to me. I was happy I had enough limb coordination to put it on my face. My cheekbone hurt like hell.
“This didn’t go as I’d planned. I just wanted to have a chat. I heard Nightingale had a woman and I was curious,” the man said to me, his tone surprisingly conciliatory.
“Where’s Ally?” I asked.
First things first. I wanted to know Ally was okay and then I wanted to have a nervous breakdown.
Young Grandpa Munster looked at Goon Gary.
“She was with another woman, we stunned her too,” Goon Gary explained, “We left her in the car with the keys. Teddy’s behind watching the car to make sure she’s okay.”
“Ally?” Young Grandpa Munster asked.
Gary shrugged.
Mr. Munster’s face tightened. “As in Allyson Nightingale, Lee Nightingale’s little sister?”
Gary began to look a wee bit uncomfortable.
It would appear this was an “oopsie” moment for Goon Gary.
“I’m at a loss for words. You do know that this isn’t only Lee’s woman, she’s Tom Savage’s daughter? And her friend is a Nightingale.”
Gary shifted on his feet while the color rose in his face.
Young Grandpa Munster sat down, shaking his head. “This whole thing is a complete f**k up.”
He looked at me and his face had an expression that was somewhere between resigned and depressed. In normal circumstances, I’d probably feel sorry for him. Since I didn’t know if I’d live to see the end of this scene in the film that was my life, I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.
“The simple life is holding some appeal,” he said and I nodded because I could see where he was coming from.
My life had been simple a day ago. Work, coffee, rock ‘n’ roll. Now I was being shot at, dragged around by bad guys and propositioned by the love of my life who I had decided I didn’t want anymore.
The simple life seemed far superior to all of that.
“I’m Terry Wilcox,” he went on.
I nodded again. I was beginning to feel enough of myself to be scared, but not enough to be polite.
“You’re India Savage, Lee’s woman.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say I was not Lee’s anything but these people seemed scared enough of Lee for me to decide that I should keep my mouth shut on that score.
It was then Wilcox really looked at me, from head to toe, and he sat back, getting comfortable, his face changing from depressed to assessing.
“Lee’s always had good taste in women,” he said quietly and something in his eyes made my skin crawl.
Serious euw.
Then he said, “I’m looking for Rosie Coltrane, do you know where he is?”
Great.
Rosie.
The bane of my existence.
I was pissed off enough with Rosie, who had got me into this mess and the one with Lee, to be a little snippy.
“If I knew where he was, why would I be sitting in my car outside his house?”
Something dangerous changed in Wilcox’s eyes and I realized I’d just let my mouth run away with me and that being a little snippy might not go over too well. Like with the guys who shot at me. Evidence was clearly suggesting that bad guys did not like snippy women. I should maybe have been more polite, maybe more meek, then again, I didn’t have a lot of experience with conversing with creepy, scary, bad guys.
“He has something of mine,” Wilcox continued.
“I know.” I felt it safe to admit.
“I was supposed to get it back this morning. Do you know what happened?”
Hmm, I’d never taken the “how much information to divulge during interview with bad guys who kidnap you” course at the local community college. I’d barely squeaked by with computers and business accounting. I was feeling a little bit out of my depth.
“He was staying with Lee but, this morning, me and Lee got kinda… er…” I stopped and searched for a word to describe that morning’s trauma, “busy… and we didn’t notice he took off.”
“Busy.” His eyes dropped to my chest, the Euw Look was still in them. I felt my stomach lurch uncomfortably and tried really hard not to let my lip curl in disgust. “I bet. Do you know where he might be?”
I shook my head. “I wish I knew. He’s my coffee guy. He didn’t come to work, if I lose him, it’ll affect my profit margin.”
“He’s a good coffee guy,” Goon Gary offered, “sheer talent.”
Wilcox was throwing a “shut the f**k up you idiot” look at Gary. Gary’s mouth snapped shut.
Then Wilcox turned back to me.
“Do you know where the diamonds are?”
This I knew, but I shook my head again. I wasn’t going to drag Duke into this mess.
Since I was such an accomplished liar, I think he bought it.
“It’s a million dollars worth of diamonds.”
My mouth dropped open.
Holy crap.
“It is?”
“Yes, and I think you can understand that I want them back.”
I nodded, this time fervently.
If I had a million dollars worth of diamonds, I’d definitely want them back. Rosie must grow seriously primo grass to get paid a million dollars in diamonds for it.
Gary moved slightly, looking out the window, then he murmured, “Nightingale’s here.”
This news sent a surge of hope through me as I immediately decided that, just for the next thirty minutes or so, I wasn’t avoiding Lee.
Wilcox didn’t say anything at first, he just watched me.
“Are you sure you don’t know where Rosie is?”
“San Salvador?” I tried, and I wasn’t joking.
He smiled, he thought I was amusing. It was an oily smile and my skin started crawling again.
Lee walked in. I turned my head to him, the ice still held to my face.
One look and I could understand why these guys were scared of him.
This was a Lee I’d never seen.
He was still wearing his jeans, skintight, navy tee and biker boots and his hands hung loose and casual at his sides. However, the minute he entered, any other presence was forced from the room as his invaded. His eyes were hyper-alert and sharp, he was emanating pure, brutal energy and he was seriously and obviously pissed off.