Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 05 - Gems & Gunshots (15 page)

After what seemed like hours of driving, but according to my watch was only twenty–five minutes or so, I felt the car slow down and make a right turn. It got bumpy like we were driving over a gravel road, which didn’t give me much encouragement. I could envision some backwoods gravel road and an abandoned farmhouse. I shook my head as if to stop my mind from going there. Thinking thoughts like those wouldn’t help anything. The car pulled to a stop and the engine was turned off. So, maybe we were getting out somewhere. I heard voices, but they were too far away for me to tell what was being talked about. I just hoped someone was coming soon to let me out of here. I was getting a Charlie horse in my leg. I heard a beep and the trunk opened up. I looked up to see Amelia, Alan, and Nate standing there.

“Well she didn’t suffocate,” Nate said as if he were almost surprised.

“Cars have well ventilated trunks these days. It’s a safety precaution that…”

“Shut up, Alan. No one cares,” Amelia snapped.

I saw Alan flinch a bit at Amelia’s harsh tone and found it kind of odd to be sensitive about being yelled at when you weren’t worried about kidnapping someone. Didn’t really make sense to me. Nate grabbed my arm and started walking.

“We need to go around back. The key I have will fit the padlock on that back door,” Nate said, fumbling in his pocket presumably for the key. At least I hoped it was for the key. I didn’t want to think about the alternatives.

I looked up at the sign on the front that said
Mart’s Homemade Italian Cuisine
. “We’re at a restaurant?” I asked.

“Yeah. But it’s closed. Permanently,” Nate said.

Maybe because no one had ever heard of an Italian named Mart and it probably made the customers think the food wasn’t really homemade, I thought to myself. We made it around back, and Nick unlocked the padlock that was holding together a chain on the door and opened the heavy metal fire door. As soon as Nate opened it we were assaulted by the stench of stale burnt air.

“What the hell is that smell?” Amelia asked, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. “It reeks!”

“There was a small fire here in the kitchen. Don’t worry, you get used to it pretty quickly.”

We walked in, and I didn’t foresee getting used to this smell at all, much less quickly. I was trying hard not to gag. The smell was so strong I could taste it. The door we went in was the kitchen back exit, and looking at the charred walls and melted fixtures I was assuming the site of the fire.

“What happened here?” asked Alan.

“The owner was one of Dad’s clients. He didn’t pay, so we made sure he could by making it so he collected the insurance money from the fire,” Nate said with a shrug as if this was the most natural thing in the world. “Once we get into the main dining room the smell won’t be so bad.”

“God, I hope so,” said Amelia.

When we made it into the dining room, Nate was right but not by much. It was tolerable in here but barely.

“Have a seat, Presley. Anything in here to tie her up with?” Amelia asked Nate.

I put my hands on my hips. “Really, Amelia? I don’t think we need to go to extremes and tie me up.”

“You’re the one who tried to run away, and I can’t trust these buffoons to watch you.”

“Will this work?” Nate asked, holding up some bar aprons he found.

“As long as it ties it should be fine. Now tie her to that chair. I’ve got a phone call to make.” She turned to me. “We will see how much my dear husband and your beloved Cooper will pay to get you back unharmed.”

I wasn’t all that worried about the ransom aspect. I was more worried that she would get trigger–happy. I watched her walk away to make her phone call, and Nate roughly pushed me into the chair.

“Watch it, you buffoon. You don’t need to be so rough,” I complained.

“Yeah, Nate. She’s a lady,” said Alan.

“Shut up, Alan.”

“Alan, I appreciate your sticking up for me, but you should really stick up for yourself more. Don’t let these guys treat you like this.”

Alan started to reply but stopped when he saw Amelia come back into the room. Again I could see she was the boss here.

“Well, that’s done. Now, all we have to do is wait.”

“How long do we have to wait?” Nate whined.

“Why? Do you have something more important to do?” Amelia asked sarcastically. “It’s almost eight. They have until midnight to come up with the money.”

Okay, now I was panicked a little. “Amelia, banks aren’t open right now. How are they supposed to get the money?”

“You really think Greg keeps his money in a bank? Hell no, he has a stash and that’s the money I want. He is my husband after all, even if he is a womanizing louse. I know most of his secrets, especially, where money is concerned.”

“So we just sit here and wait?” asked Nate.

“Yes. We need to be patient right now.”

Chapter 24

H
ow much longer is this going to take?” asked Nate.

“It’s only eleven. They have until midnight,” Amelia replied, rolling her eyes.

But I could tell she had started to get antsy about thirty minutes ago, which didn’t bode all that well for me. I, too, wondered what was taking so long, but then I didn’t know how much Amelia had asked for. She hadn’t said, and of course I had no idea if Greg actually had a stash or where it was located. I could only hope it was sizable and close and that Greg would have immediately called Cooper.

Nate had found some cards and he and Alan were playing gin rummy while Amelia and I had mostly stayed silent, but the air was filled with tension.

Amelia pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call and see what is taking them so long and just remind them what is at stake if they don’t come through,” she said looking at me clearly conveying her meaning. “Greg! I’m just checking in to make sure everything is on track. You’ve only got an hour and I would advise you not to be late,” she said threateningly. “Don’t give me that. You will just have to find another way to get money for your bimbos. You’ve got an hour or Cooper will be attending his girlfriend’s funeral!” She hung up.

I raised my eyebrows at her. After hearing that side of the conversation, I was worried. It didn’t sound like things were progressing the way Amelia wanted them to. “Everything okay?”

“Don’t worry. Greg will come through. He’s stingy, but he’s not heartless.”

The next hour crawled by. The guys continued to play cards, Amelia paced nervously, and I just watched Amelia pace, which made me nervous.

“Well, I’m a bit disappointed,” Amelia said to me, as the guys were engrossed in their game. “It’s five after midnight and not a peep.” She looked at me. “Sorry Presley, it seems as if—” Just then the phone rang. Amelia looked at the display. “Hmmm, maybe I spoke to soon. It’s Greg. Hello?” Amelia listened for a few minutes and then gave directions to where we were. “Make sure it’s just you coming, Greg, and no one else or Cooper will be planning a memorial service.” There was a pause. “Okay, fine, but only Cooper and no one else!”

“Good news. They have the money and are on their way.” Amelia clapped her hands together gleefully. “Soon I will be on my way out of the country with enough money to start over.”

“What about my share?” Nate asked, his attention finally pulled from the card game by the mention of money. Go figure.

“You will both get your share, though I don’t know if you even deserve it. You’ve both been more trouble than help.”

“Hey, wait a minute. You better not be trying to cut us out of our fair share,” Nate said.

“Yeah,” Alan chimed in. “You couldn’t have done this without us.”

“Men,” Amelia said to me, rolling her eyes. “They really think we can’t live without them. I admit they can make life a little easier at times, but it’s not like we have to have them around.”

While I didn’t disagree with her in theory, I wasn’t about to agree with her and I didn’t relish seeing them argue about it either. Though I did wonder how Nate and Alan had helped her with this whole scheme.

“What’s that noise?” Nate said suddenly. We all froze to listen.

“I don’t hear anything,” said Alan.

“Shhhh,” said Amelia. “I think I heard it, too.”

I didn’t hear anything at first, but then I heard a squeaking noise. It kind of sounded like the door we came in. It had been rusted so it made that rasping sound rusted metal makes.

“Alan, did you lock the door behind us?” Amelia asked.

“No one told me to,” Alan said defensively.

“Keep your voice down, you idiot. You were the last one through that door and it didn’t occur to you to make sure it was locked?” Amelia slapped her forehead with her hand in dismay. “See,” she said to me. “Nothing but trouble. Alan, go check out the noise and lock that door!”

Alan turned to walk to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen. He no sooner disappeared into the kitchen, than he walked right back out followed by three men. They didn’t have guns out but by the looks of them that wouldn’t have mattered to me and it didn’t seem to matter to Alan either. He wasn’t going to give them any fuss. He was clearly scared.

“Dad! What are you doing here?” Nate exclaimed.

Dad? I also wondered what Mr. Ganuchi was doing here. I could see Amelia was thinking the same thing and she didn’t look too happy. As if she was afraid this might put a wrinkle in her plans.

“I could ask the same thing about you, son. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mr. Ganuchi said without even raising his voice and it scared me to the point I was glad he wasn’t directing it at me. I could see Nate wasn’t any more at ease with it than I was.

“Well, um. It’s best I explain later. Maybe I can meet you at home?” Nate said tentatively and even I knew that wasn’t going to fly.

“How about you explain it to me now.”

“You see, Amelia here is owed some money by her husband and I was just helping her collect. See, not a big deal,” Nate said with forced casualness.

“Oh, really. And that’s all?”

“Yep. Just trying to help a woman out,” Nate said nervously.

“Then help me understand why you think it’s okay to kidnap a woman and hold her for ransom to help another woman out. Somehow that doesn’t seem logical, son.”

“Dad you don’t understand…”

“No, you don’t understand,” Mr. Ganuchi said, crossing the few feet that were between him and his son until he was right up in Nate’s face. “You have dishonored this family for the last time. You will have to face the consequences of your actions and I won’t be bailing you out this time.”

“But, Dad…!”

“Can anyone join this party?”

My heart leapt. It was Cooper who interrupted Nate and had just walked through the door with Greg right behind him. Tears welled up in my eyes again, but these were happy tears. I couldn’t be happier to see him.

“It’s about time you got here,” Amelia said. “Where’s my money?”

“You really think I’m going to give you my money? Woman, you’ve got to be out of your mind.”

I could see Amelia grow angry. Her face started to get red and she was clenching her fists. “If you think I went though all this just to end up empty–handed,
you
are out of your mind.” She reached around her back into the waistband of her dress slacks and pulled out her gun. I didn’t even know she’d put it there. She brought it around to face Greg. He didn’t seem shocked, though I’m sure that unlike me he knew she was a good shot.

“Quit being such a drama queen, Amelia. It’s not like you’re going to shoot me.”

“Oh, no?” she replied and fired off a shot. It hit Greg in the shoulder, barely grazing him so that for a second or two he didn’t seem to even feel it.

Then all of a sudden a small stain started to spread on his suit jacket and he screamed. “You bitch! You actually shot me! You crazy lunatic!”

“I warned you,” she said. “Besides I just grazed you. It could have been a lot worse. Quit being such a baby.”

While they argued Cooper made his way over to me and untied me. He kissed me on the forehead and winked at me signaling everything was going to be okay. He walked back over to Greg with one of the bar aprons in his hand and then reached up and tied it around Greg’s arm.

“It’s not bleeding bad. This will do until we can get you to the hospital.”

“If he doesn’t have my money you might as well let him bleed to death,” Amelia said to Cooper.

“You’re not getting a cent. You can rot in jail for shooting me.”

“Now, Greg. Let’s handle this rationally,” Cooper said assessing the situation, and I was hoping that like me he had been surprised that Amelia was such a nut case. Surely he wouldn’t have let me be friends with her unless he’d thought she was normal.

“She’s the irrational one. She just shot me. I may bleed to death,” he moaned.

“Now who is being a drama queen?” Amelia said. “Just give me my money and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Amelia, you have to know it’s not going to work that way,” Cooper said calmly as one might talk to an overreacting child.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have my money.”

“Amelia,” Cooper said in his most soothing voice. “You know I can’t let that happen.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” she said still pointing the gun at Greg, but it was wavering. “I deserve that money and if I can’t have it then he can suffer the same fate as his precious Nicole!”

Chapter 25

I
t was you!” Greg exclaimed, shaking with emotion. “You’re the one who killed my beloved Nicole.”

“Excuse me!” We all turned to find Kendra standing in the doorway. She evidently wasn’t too thrilled at hearing Greg call Nicole
his beloved
. And what was she doing here? This was turning into quite the party.

“What are you doing here?” Amelia asked, and it looked like she knew exactly who Kendra was.

“I knew Greg was lying when he cancelled his date with me tonight. I wanted to see what was more important than me. What is going on here?”

“None of your damn business,” Amelia yelled and then turned back to Greg. “Don’t you dare blame this on me, you womanizing piece of garbage. If you had kept your pants zipped this would have never happened. I gave you thirty great years and this is how you repay me. You plan on running off with this whore. Someone young enough to be your daughter and with our money! You’re pathetic.”