Page 83 of Forbidden Whispers
Noah could sense Maggie inch slightly closer to him. She placed a trembling hand against his back. He wished he could comfort her, but he knew that any sudden movements might set Nick off.
“But guess what, princess? It’s all over.” Nick turned to stand over Valentina. “Because I’ve decided that Papa Dom’s got it all wrong. And now it’s up to me to make it right for the good of the organization. I mean, here’s me, loyal without question. And her,” he grabs a handful of Valentina’s hair and yanks it, getting close to her face, “a disloyal liar who I’ve now discovered was planning to break the sacred law of omertà,” he hissed. He placed his knife at Valentina’s throat, and she sucked in her breath. “And all just to run away with this sfigato.” He kicked at Eric, who moaned in pain. Eric’s eyes fluttered and Noah thought he looked like he was about to pass out.
“She’s not worthy to run the Partnership,” Nick spat. “So, I’ve decided I’ll be doing Papa Dom a favor by getting rid of her.”
“Get rid of her how?” Maggie asked.
“Do I really need to spell it out for you?” Nick said sarcastically, then sighed. “I suppose I do, little Matches by Maggie. It’s pretty simple. Valentina here needs to die, along with her boy toy. And of course, the two of you.”
Noah watched the color drain from Valentina’s face, and he felt a knot form in his stomach. Despite the wave of dread washing over him, and the fact that they had no weapons of their own, there was no way he was going down without a fight. If nothing else, he would protect Maggie with his last breath.
Nick’s grin widened at Valentina’s expression. “That’s right, princess. Did you really think that after all of this, I’d just take you back home to Daddy?” The smile fell from his lips as he stared at her. “You’re not worthy to lead the Partnership. The only one who is worthy to rule in Papa Dom’s place, is me.”
“She’s still his daughter,” Maggie said, scooting even closer to Noah. “So, I doubt he’ll see it that way.” As she spoke, Noah felt her hand lift from his back, and then he fought the urge to jump when he felt it slip slowly into the back pocket of his jeans. What the devil was she doing?
Nick smiled down at Valentina, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “Oh, but he will. See, I’ve come up with a new plan. The perfect plan.”
Noah felt Maggie’s fingertips sliding over his phone and suddenly realized what she was up to. Resourceful genius! he silently praised her, shifting his body slightly to provide her with better coverage and easier access. He felt her press the power button five times before she slipped her hand back out again.
Nick shook his head in mock sadness. “Unfortunately, none of you will be around for the final scene. But let me share my creative vision.” He waved his blade in Noah’s direction. “Noah here is just as I suspected, a private assassin who is going to murder Valentina.” Nick gasped in surprise, as if startled by this fake revelation. “Of course, I arrive too late to save her but still in time to avenge her murder for Papa Dom by killing Noah. And since we can’t have any loose ends, Eric and Miss Matches by Maggie here are simply going to have to disappear.”
“That sounds like a lot of murders you’re going to need to cover up,” Noah said.
Nick grinned down at him, and this time it looked genuine. “Don’t you worry about that. I’ve had plenty of practice in that area.”
“Enough chit-chat,” Johnny spoke up from the door. “Let’s get this done, Nick. How do you want to work it?”
Nick’s gaze scanned the group. “Let’s see...” He tapped the flat side of the knife blade against his lips. “We’ll make it look like Noah shot Tina here. Then, of course, I’ll slit his throat in my signature style. Man, I wish I’d killed that old bag who took my favorite knife.” He frowned at the blade in his hand, then cocked his head, making it crack loudly before he continued.
His eyes moved between Maggie and Eric. “I think having these two here will be too messy and difficult to explain. So, we’ll just take them to a different location and get rid of their bodies with an acid bath.”
Noah felt a chill pass through him at the matter-of-fact way Nick discussed their deaths.
“Sounds good,” Johnny grunted, pulling a silencer out of his pocket and screwing it onto the end of his weapon. “What about the blood on the bedspread?”
“It’s fine. We’ll need to call in the Cleaners to remove any evidence pointing to us after it’s all done anyway,” Nick said dismissively.
“Okay. Let’s put these two in the trunk first then,” Johnny indicated Maggie and Eric, “before we off the other two. That way we can take off right after it’s done.”
Nick gave an affirmative nod and Noah felt his hope for rescue beginning to slip away. He couldn’t look at his phone now to confirm it, but if Maggie had successfully pulled the same trick she had during their first encounter with these men, then the police should already be on their way. But the motel was on the outskirts of town. What if the police arrived too late to stop his and Valentina’s murders? And with his phone still in his pocket, there was no protection for Maggie if they drove off somewhere else with her afterward. Was he about to lose the love of his life when he’d only just found her?
“Okay.” Johnny tossed a roll of duct tape toward Nick.
“You, stay right where you are, princess,” Nick ordered Valentina. “The rest of you, get up.”
Noah and Maggie rose slowly from the floor, and Nick proceeded to tape Maggie’s wrists together in front of her. She exchanged a worried glance with Noah, who watched helplessly. Even if he managed to successfully jump Nick, he’d never be able to get to Johnny before he got a shot off.
Nick was about to tape Noah’s wrists, when he realized Eric was still struggling unsuccessfully to rise from the bed.
“You. Help him,” Nick ordered, looking at Noah.
Noah moved forward and attempted to lift Eric, who gave a sharp cry of pain.
“I’m sorry,” Noah murmured as he struggled to support the wounded man. His mind raced, heart pounding against his ribcage. He needed to stall somehow, to hopefully give the police enough time to arrive. Adrenaline coursed through him and every muscle in his body tensed as he plotted his next move. He and Eric hobbled together toward the door, and he decided that when he was close enough he’d have to just let go of Eric in order to overpower Johnny and get that gun.
Suddenly, he heard something. A soft scraping sound at the motel room door.
“Quiet,” Johnny hissed at the group, then frowned at the door. “What’s that?”