“Okay, I get it. You’re a businesswoman.” She moved, staying in front of the woman. “What’s your price?”
“No way. I don’t go for none o’ that. Beat it.” Jade hobbled away, sucking on her smoke. Two other hookers down the block took notice. And a group of men rounded a corner down the street.
“Hey, I just wanna talk. Nothin’ wrong with that, is there…just talkin’?” Grinning, Jess caught up to her and lowered her voice, turning her back on the unwanted attention from the outsiders. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink inside, and you can take a load off. And I’ll even pay for your time. What’s not to love? Those shoes would be killin’ my feet ’bout now. What do ya say?”
Jade stopped and listened, her tough street act fading as she stubbed out her cigarette. Jess could have been angered by her false accusation against Seth, but she knew the woman had probably had no say in it.
“You buyin’?” she asked, raising her chin in challenge.
“Yep. Whatever you’re having, I’m good for it.”
“I normally get fifty for my time. And I leave, when I say I do.” Jade narrowed her eyes, defying an objection.
Jess grimaced but forced a smile. “I have no doubt you’re worth every penny. Now prove it.”
“Okay, then.” Jade made a beeline for the front door of Phat Jack’s, not waiting for her. But a voice came from behind Jess.
“Don’t move.”
A dark shadow reflected off a nearby window and forced her to stop. On instinct, she inched a hand toward her gun.
“Put your hands up.” A gruff hostile voice. “Don’t turn around.”
The crunch of a shoe on cement gave her an indication where the man stood, too far away for a sucker punch. And the reflected glint of metal under neon warned her the man had a weapon—and two other men at his side, standing in murky shadows. Not good!
Jade turned, and her eyes grew wide when she saw the men. She looked scared shitless. Her gaze darted from Jess to whoever stood behind her. In sympathy, the woman slowly shook her head. Jess took it to mean the men would be trouble, but the hooker wanted no part in the beef.
“Beat it, Jade.” One of the men gave her a reprieve. And by using her name, he reminded her that he knew who she was.
No one had to tell Jade a second time. She limped out of sight, leaving only the unsteady clack of her stilettos on the sidewalk for Jess to know which way she went.
“Now turn around…bounty hunter.” The man’s voice made her skin crawl, like an unwanted touch. “And keep your hands where I can see ’em.”
Jess took a deep breath. She had a real bad feeling. And when she turned, she faced three men who had done their homework and knew who she was. And one of them pointed a gun at her chest.
“Gentlemen…good to see you again. Last time we met, we got off on the wrong foot. What can I do to make amends?” She kept her hands waist high.
Flickering neon washed over Sal Pinzolo, casting his brand of ugly in an eerie glow. The man clenched his weapon, taking perverse pleasure in his threat. And by the looks of him, a well-timed stun grenade exploding at his feet hadn’t improved his looks or his disposition any. Another man she hadn’t seen before looked like Pinzolo’s twin, nothing more than muscle for hire with a vacant stare and no neck. And stepping between them was Nadir Beladi, cigarette smoke wafting in his wake. His cruel eyes were the color of obsidian.
This time she had no surprises up her sleeve.
“It’s not that simple, Ms. Beckett,” Beladi said. “You’ve put me in the awkward position of having to make you an example. You wouldn’t answer my questions about your interest in that crank whore. And you came to my turf, my place of business, giving me attitude and setting off grenades at my feet?”
She had no idea a man could be so sensitive about a small incendiary device.
“Forgive me, Nadir. I didn’t mean any disrespect. But I took exception to Sal using me as a pincushion for his blade. But if you say it was all a big misunderstanding, I’m good with that. We can call it a night.”
“It is too late for that, I’m afraid. For a man of my stature in the community, I must save face.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“You have a very smart mouth, Jessica. I would say that it will get you in trouble one day, but you see? It already has.” The smoker was done talking. He nudged his head toward Pinzolo and No Neck. “Do it.”
Beladi took off, leaving her alone with his men. They stepped toward her, forcing her back. She had nowhere to go except deeper into the alley behind her. And insult to injury, No Neck took her Colt Python and shoved it under his belt as Pinzolo jacked his smug face into a grin. They drove her deeper into the shadows. Her eyes searched the gloom, looking for a way out, but she found nothing to help her. When she got toward the end, the alley looked as if it veered right, but she couldn’t be sure. Old crates and a rusted Dumpster blocked her view.
Jess squared her feet and braced for a fight. She hoped the bastard wouldn’t just shoot her where she stood. Pinzolo guessed what she was thinking and laughed, a sound that echoed off the brick walls.
“I’m not gonna waste a bullet on you, but when we’re done, you’re gonna wish we had.” The smirk on his face told her he wasn’t done taunting her. “You know, there’s a reason they say paybacks are a bitch.”
The coward stuffed his gun in a holster and both men lunged at her. She got in a few good licks but not before No Neck grappled her from behind. He held her arms, wrenching them back until she thought he’d break bone. Jess shoved as hard as she could, putting all her weight behind it, as Pinzolo leered and balled his meaty fists, waiting his turn.
No Neck toppled to one side, but held strong until Pinzolo blocked the light coming from the street. He towered above her, looking like a ghost from one of her nightmares. She clenched her stomach, but nothing prepared her for his vicious first punch. It took the wind out of her and hurt like a mother.
“I have to say it,” she gasped, barely able to speak. “I’m not liking…where this is going.”
She kicked and jerked her body as Pinzolo pummeled her. Two more to the gut, and her legs gave out. Her head lolled to her chest, and he hit her with an uppercut. She saw stars, and her mind faded in and out of shadows.
The punishment continued. She fought to stay conscious although she wasn’t sure why. Oblivion would have been a mercy. But in one swift motion, No Neck let go of her arms and she dropped like a rock. Her kneecaps hit asphalt, jarring her whole body. She fell against something hard. And her head snapped back, sending streetlights spiraling out of control in a blur.
For a brief instance, she lay flat with her swollen cheek on a cold surface. All she wanted was to lie there, not be touched. But the scuff of a shoe near her head made her flinch. She cocked her face to one side and saw a man reaching for her. Jess braced her body, still fighting back, but a movement in the distance caught her fragile attention. A car had blocked the alley. Its headlights cut through the darkness.
And now a lone shadow eclipsed the light, nothing more than an eerie silhouette.
The men saw what had happened. They gaped over their shoulders at the intruder. As they moved aside, the lights from the street blinded her. Jess raised a hand to block the glare, fighting hard not to pass out. She winced and gasped for air, feeling a thousand pinpricks stabbing her eyes. The distant shadow wavered, a blurred spiraling illusion.
Eventually it came into focus.
A tall blonde wearing a long, dark trench coat walked toward them.
“Stop where you are.” Pinzolo’s voice came from the darkness. “Who the hell are you?”
“Is that any way to treat a lady?”