Chapter 36 - Jenna

"You screwed it up!" Hardy shrieked. "You sounded scared out of your wits and didn't sell the plan at all."

I dropped the phone out of my trembling hand, and he snapped it up, looking like he might slam me in the head with it. It was impossible not to be scared when both he and his wife were waving their guns in my face.

"It was a stupid plan in the first place," Mrs. Hardy said. I wholeheartedly agreed but kept my face downcast and neutral.

"He'll come," I said. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Frustration boiled in her eyes, turning her face beet red. She slapped me hard and stormed out of the room. With a sigh, Hardy followed her, slamming me back into my dingy little prison. There was no point in calling after them and trying to get them to believe I hadn't foiled their plan on purpose. Mrs. Hardy was right about it being ridiculous, and one that Lev wouldn't have fallen for in a million years.

I'd had to listen to them argue about it, with Mrs. Hardy wanting to pretend some random hill person had snatched me and was demanding a ransom. They were horrible people through and through, but it was clear they'd never kidnapped anyone before.

Just because they were new at it didn't mean they weren't all in. They continued to argue, and it was impossible not to hear every bitter word as they sniped back and forth with each other. Mrs. Hardy was even worse than him, and probably the one who decided bringing me up here to use as bait was a good idea. Now that it was going south, she thought it would be easiest to just kill me and dump me somewhere, then forget the whole thing.

Talk about stupid. As if Lev wouldn't hunt them to the ends of the earth. I had to smile despite my terror when Hardy argued that very point.

"He'd never let us rest. You think we could continue to live in San Francisco? This whole thing is to get me closer to our goal. How am I going to run for mayor when we're hiding out in Mexico?"

I wanted to call out that he'd have to go further than that, but was sick of getting hit. My head still ached to the point it made my stomach roll with nausea, and now my face stung from her hearty slap. They started speaking in lower voices, so I scooted over to the door, pressing my ear to the ancient, dusty boards.

"We have to end him, too," he said.

There was a knothole lower down, and I tried to see through it. My only view was of their feet. He was pacing; she sat at a chair by a rickety folding table. It was somewhat comforting to know where they were, but hearing was more important, so I pressed my ear back to the door, concerned about their sudden need for secrecy.

I'd known from the beginning that their main goal was to take Lev out of the equation, and I was only the bait, but with Lev on the way, it was starting to sink in how little time I had left. If he was coming from San Francisco, it would only be a few hours, and with my racing heart, churning stomach, and zip-tied hands, it was difficult to come up with a plan to stop them before he arrived.

"There's no way he can get a crew together before our friends arrive," the councilman said. "They'll be here long before he can get here. We'll be prepared even if he decides not to come alone."

"It'd be better if we didn't have to shoot him, though," Mrs. Hardy said in the same tone she might talk about preferring chocolate cake at her garden party. "It'll be easier to stick to making it look like a trail accident."

Easier for them to go back to their lives. Hatred welled up in me, so strong I felt dizzy, even sitting on the floor. It was the only thing keeping the fear from overwhelming me. Who were these friends that were coming to help overpower Lev? I should have stalled somehow, faked an illness to give Lev more time. He wasn't supposed to pick me up until after dinner, but if I could have waited until he was meant to be in Monterey, then he might have been able to get here quicker.

But the ‘friends' were already on the way. That might have only given them more time to set up. If it were only Hardy and his wife, I could have gone berserk and overpowered them, even if it meant possibly taking a bullet. But now there was going to be backup, and I had no idea who or how many.

Locked in the room with my hands tied, I wasn't sure what I could do to help, or how I could find a way to warn Lev once he arrived. The fear and anger that had been sustaining me started draining away, along with my energy.

It was possible I might never see Lev alive again if their ambush worked. I scuttled away from the door as bile rose in my throat. I really didn't want to puke in this tiny room, and if they heard me, it would probably annoy them enough to warrant another smack.

Breathing slowly through my nose, I managed to calm down enough not to heave, but a deep sense of despair rushed in soon after. The clock was ticking to Lev's possible demise. Would I even get a chance to shout that I was sorry?

Because I was sorry, deeply so, and the realization didn't shock me. Over the course of our time together, my feelings for Lev had become stronger than I let myself believe. Every sweet thing he did for me came rushing back, every smile that lit up his handsome face, even every furrow of his brow when he was pretending to be annoyed with me.

The stubble that grew on his strong jaw and the way it felt when it brushed against my cheek—or the inside of my thighs. Except for the part near his chin that had a small white scar. I'd kissed that scar, and the one on his shoulder that he promised to tell me about on our first anniversary. No matter what scenarios I dreamed up, he promised the reality was a crazier story. We'd laughed ourselves silly so many times, and he'd been an anchor when schoolwork made me feel like I was drifting out to sea.

He acted tough, and there was no doubt in my mind that he'd tear someone to pieces if they deserved it, but he was a kitten around me. A big, bossy kitten. What I wouldn't give to be wrapped up in his strong arms again.

Oh, damn it. I had been falling in love with him all this time, but kept pushing those feelings down and covering them up with my anger that he was in the Bratva. But did that really matter anymore when we were both about to breathe our final breaths? He was a good guy who sometimes did bad things, and I'd take one Lev over a thousand of Hardy, who was a bad guy who sometimes did good things.

That far-off future I thought I was fighting for didn't seem so important now. I didn't even care about politics anymore now that I'd seen behind the curtain. I could help people in so many ways, maybe even as part of Lev's family. If I got the chance.

If only it wasn't too late.

If only I could find a way to warn him. It was time to try, one last ditch effort, and it would involve acting a lot better than I did on the phone with Lev. Loudly sobbing, I called frantically for them to open the door. After a minute, Mrs. Hardy yanked it open and told me to shut up, but a peek through my hands showed me that the councilman was curious.

"I don't want to die," I wailed. This was definitely true, and they both believed me. But Mrs. Hardy only shrugged. "Give me another chance," I begged. "You said if I cooperated, I could leave here a widow."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" the foul wife asked.

"I got knocked out," I reminded her. "And I'm still dizzy and confused." This also wasn't really a lie. "But I don't want to be married to Lev. He tricked me, basically forced me into it. I've never even shoplifted before, so this whole killing thing threw me off."

Hardy held up his hands. "I'm not enthusiastic about it, either. But with people like that, there's no other way to be free from them."

He disgusted me, still pretending to have a conscience. "Just let me help, and don't kill me," I said. "You need it to look like an accident, right? But I know Lev. He'll come in here with guns blazing. There's no way this isn't a firefight if I don't help you. Bullet wounds are pretty hard to write off as accidental."

My nerves crackled as I waited to see if they'd fall for this unplanned bit of babbling. I had no real idea of what I was trying to achieve, except that I wanted to get close to Lev one last time. To warn him, to apologize, or just to tell him I finally accepted my feelings and I wished things were different. That was all I wanted; if I somehow helped him survive, that would be a bonus.

"Get back in your corner and stay quiet," Mrs. Hardy said, her hand rising for another slap.

I ducked, and to my shock, her husband reached out and held onto her arm. "Let's not dismiss her too quickly."

"You fool," she said, stamping her dainty, expensive flat. "She's just trying to save her own skin."

"So are we," he told her with a shrug. "Let's listen to her plan, at least."

Oh God. Now, I had to come up with something in the space of my next breath that would convince them not to instantly shoot Lev on sight.