Laura Kaye - Hard As You Can

Which was why she’d told Shane she’d join him for lunch with some of the guys in a few minutes. She’d just needed to sit in the quiet and wait for the ground to stop moving beneath her feet.

All she knew was, fairy tale or not, sitting in on that meeting gave her real hope that Jenna would be with her again soon. A matter of hours, now.

From her purse on the dresser, a cell phone rang.

Jenna!

Sara gasped, lunged across the room, and tore the phone free. Not recognizing the number, she swiped the button and loudly said hello before she’d even put it to her ear.

“Sara, it’s Howie.”

Hearing the older man’s voice was so unexpected, Sara wasn’t sure how to react. He’d always been kind and protective of her, and Marz had overheard that he was helping with Jenna, but Howie was still inside the Church organization. She couldn’t help but be suspicious, even as her gut said it was okay. “Howie?”

“You need to listen, honey. I don’t have long,” he said in a hushed whisper. “You know what’s happened?”

“Jenna,” she said cautiously, pacing in an almost dazed circle.

“She’s bad off, Crystal. And Bruno is not acting right. Erratic, flying off the handle at everyone—”

“What do you mean by ‘bad off,’ Howie?” God, there were so many ways to read his words. She shivered and hugged herself.

“Horrible seizure when they brought her in. The guys couldn’t even watch. Left the room. And I think he must’ve hit her because she has a black eye. What the hell happened?”

Tears clogged Sara’s throat, but she tried to keep a clear head. “Me,” she said simply.

“Well, he says he’s sending her away tonight, Crystal. If you don’t come. And you shouldn’t. I don’t know what to do.”

Sara’s mind raced. She needed Shane’s help with this. He might know something to suggest to Howie. “Hold on, Howie. I need to check something. Just don’t hang up.”

“Hurry. They think I’m taking a smoke break out back. I can’t be gone long.”

“Okay,” she said. Sara hit the mute button and tore out of Shane’s room. Racing up the hallway, she called, “Shane? Shane?”

He nearly jumped off a stool at the breakfast bar, his expression shifting from surprise to concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Sara held up the phone and blurted out a fast stream of words. “Howie called me from Confessions. This is the old friend of my father’s I told you about before. He called about Jenna. Wants to know how to help. We have to hurry though, he doesn’t have much time.”

Shane crouched to look in her eyes. “Can we trust him, Sara? Do you?”

Sara’s heart beat faster. That was the question, wasn’t it? “Yes. I really think so. I’ll admit I was suspicious at first, but I’ve known this man since I was a kid, and I think he’s genuinely upset over what’s happened.”

Marz slid off the barstool and joined them. “Well, let’s see what he has to say, but no names, Sara. Don’t mention us yet.” He dashed to the counter by the phone and returned with a pad of paper and pen.

Sara turned off the mute and turned on the speakerphone. “Howie, are you still there?”

“Yeah, yeah. Thought I’d lost you.”

“You’re sure Jenna’s still there, Howie?”

“Yes. Seen her with my own eyes. But Bruno said if you weren’t here by seven, he’d initiate the sale and finalize it when he returned from a meeting.”

Sara shook her head, her mind rejecting the very idea. Suddenly, Marz and Shane started whispering back and forth. Sara got the gist, so she just asked the question outright. “Howie, I hate to ask because you’ve been there for me a lot. But I have to. How do I know Bruno didn’t put you up to this call?”

“Truth is, Crystal, you don’t. No real way for me to prove it to you, either. But as a man who held you in his arms as a baby, I’m telling you I’m on your side.” Sara nodded at the guys, letting them know she believed him. So many times Howie had covered for her or helped her out over the last four years. For crying out loud, he’d brought her flowers to her high-school graduation and had helped her pick out her father’s casket.

“Okay, Howie. I had to ask.”

“I know you did, honey. But what can I do?”

Sara’s thoughts reeled, but one main idea came to mind. “Well, after Bruno leaves at seven, can you just free her?”

Howie blew out a breath. “I’m the only other person who has access. If I do, he’ll know it was me. I may go down for this anyway, but someone else has to be the one to carry her out of that room.”

“Well . . . how about this,” Sara said, thinking on the fly. “Could you leave a key for me somewhere?” Marz’s pencil flew over the pad of paper. Sara read it and nodded. “Like maybe somewhere in the big party room?”

“Uh, oh, Jesus. Yeah. I could maybe duct tape it under the bathroom sink in there. But how will that help you?”

“It just will, Howie. Thank you so much,” Sara said, pressing her hand to her mouth.

“This whole thing is just wrong. Who your father was, you girls ought to be treated like princesses around here. I’ll keep an eye on her, Crystal. Don’t you worry.”

Totally impossible, but she appreciated the sentiment and the protectiveness. “Okay,” she managed, as her eyes scanned over a note Marz had written. Sara nodded. “One last question, Howie. Do you know where Bruno’s meeting’s happening tonight?”

“Oh, lordy.” Howie’s sigh was troubled yet resigned, a sound she’d heard from him many times before when he’d learned about bad things going on around the club. “Parking garage at Wicomico and Ostend,” he said in an almost whisper. The line went dead.

“Holy shit,” Marz said. “You did great, Sara. And we’re in business. I’ll call Nick and Beckett and tell them to get their asses—”

“Tell us what?” Nick asked, walking in the door with a briefcase in his hand. Becca and Beckett joined them at the island.

Now that the urgency of the call was over, Sara’s body wouldn’t stop shaking. And though the news was mostly good—Jenna safe for now, the location of the delivery for the team—adrenaline left her feeling like she was going to cry. Not something she wanted to do in front of all these people. “I’m gonna . . . go,” she whispered to Shane, pointing back down the hall. She didn’t give him time to stop her. As she retreated, she heard Shane and Marz recount the conversation and the other men’s animated responses.

Back in Shane’s room, Sara sank onto the edge of Shane’s bed. God, Bruno was really serious about selling Jenna. Sara’s worst nightmare come true. A light knock against the door. “Um, come in?” she said.

“Hey,” Shane said, stepping into the room, a concerned expression on his handsome face “You okay? I’m sorry I didn’t come back right away.”

She smiled. “I’m okay. Actually, Howie’s call was kinda reassuring.” And it was true. If she could just forget what happened if they weren’t successful.

“Yeah,” Shane said, coming closer. He rubbed her arms. “I wish I could spend the day with you, but now that we have this location intel, we need to scout it.”

“Oh. Of course.”

“Becca will still be here, though. And Jeremy’s downstairs in the tattoo shop. Don’t hesitate to let either know if you need something. Okay?” He leaned in for a soft, slow kiss.

“Okay. I’ll be fine,” she said, even though she hated the thought of Shane’s leaving. Part of her yearned for the bubble of happiness and love they’d stepped into early this morning. Silly. And selfish. Jenna’s return and the team’s safety were the most important things here.