Tell Me You Love Me (22 page)

Despite the road conditions, Sheldon drove like a man possessed. He had to get to Ultimate Fitness and he had to get there yesterday.

Damn Tyanna. She just couldn’t leave well enough alone. The first thing she had done when he’d told her the story about Dino was head to Ultimate Fitness to check it out. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she had decided to visit her old workplace, after learning about the fire.

This was exactly what he had feared. That Tyanna would get some crazy idea in her head to try and take care of this situation. This wasn’t an episode of
Miami Vice
, where all had to end well. She didn’t know what these people were capable of.

Dwight hadn’t known either.

Sheldon should have sat her down and drummed the seriousness of the situation into her
head. But would that have kept the free-spirited Tyanna standing on the sidelines, cheering him on?

Not likely.

None of that mattered now. He had to get to Ultimate Fitness.

He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

Tyanna awoke to a throbbing headache. Immediately, she realized she was in a warm, pitch-black space.

Her hands were tied together behind her back. Her feet were also bound, her legs bent at the knee. But worse was the piece of material stuffed in her mouth. There was a foul taste in her throat, and she could only imagine where the cloth had been.

Good Lord, what had happened to her?

Her breaths now coming in a frantic, uneven rhythm, she scrambled to put the pieces together. The last thing she remembered was heading to her car after leaving Ultimate Fitness. She had made it to her car door….

Then nothing.

Someone had hit her over the head and knocked her out cold!

Tyanna tried to move her legs, but couldn’t fully extend them. She quickly realized she was in a confined space. A confined space with an odd odor.

Grease, maybe?

She wriggled from her side onto her stomach.
Her face brushed the floor. A carpeted floor. Squirming some more, her arm came up against a wall. Metal.

Oh, God. Her heart went into overdrive. The greasy smell. The confined space.

She was in a car trunk!

Panic washed over her. For several seconds, Tyanna pulled desperately at her wrists, hoping to free them, but she was secured with some type of tape, and it was impossible to get free. Then she lay still, trying to figure out what to do.

She felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.

Not impossible
, she told herself several seconds later.
Just difficult. But you will get through this. You have to.

She twisted and squirmed until she was on her stomach, hoping to kick her feet, but then her full body weight crushed her hands. She quickly shifted herself onto her side once more.

A sob crawled up her throat, but it didn’t have anywhere to go. God help her, if she started to cough, she could suffocate.

Slowly,
she told herself.
Breathe slowly and concentrate.

She drew in a hot, strained breath through her nose, then did her best to let it out in a steady stream. How much longer could she breathe in here?

The faces of her family members passed through her mind. If she were to die like this, how would they ever get over it? Lecia, Charlene…

They would be devastated. And little Michelle. Would Tyanna live to see her niece grow up?

The thought made her throat fill with emotion, which only made it harder to breathe. She had to stop thinking like this. She could not—would not—die in there.

She started to kick out sideways with her feet.

Sheldon stormed into Ultimate Fitness, knowing the expression on his face was lethal. He looked to the left, shooting his deadly gaze in Leona’s direction.

Seeing him, her face crumbled. Clearly afraid of what he might do, she took a few steps backward.

“Hey, buddy.’’

Sheldon whipped his head to his immediate right when he felt the slap on his shoulder. Pete, the gym’s manager, grinned at him. “You look like you’re ready to rip someone apart.’’

“Pete. You’re just the man I need to see.’’

“Oh? What’s up?’’

Sheldon glanced at Leona, who eyed him warily, then back at Pete. “I wish this was a social call, but it’s not. Something major’s going on. I don’t know how much you’re aware of, but if you know and you don’t tell what you know, you could very well face charges.’’

“Whoa. Wait a second.” Pete held up his hands. “If you’re talking anything illegal, I have no clue what you mean.’’

“Sorry. Let me fill you in on what’s happen
ing.” Sheldon walked Pete a few steps away, to a spot where they wouldn’t be overheard. Then he explained everything that was going on, starting with Dino and the illegal steroids he had sold from the gym.

“I swear, man,” Pete said when Sheldon was done, “I had no clue.’’

Sheldon couldn’t be sure. He had always thought that Dino was cutting Pete in, considering he was the gym’s manager. Still, he could be wrong. “If that’s the case, then you won’t mind helping me.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you find Tyanna. She’s a doll.’’

More than a doll
, Sheldon thought. Emotion clogged in his throat as he once again contemplated the seriousness of the situation.

He said, “I’m gonna speak with Leona. See what she says. You…Considering Tyanna’s car is parked outside but there’s no sign of her, maybe you need to call the police.’’

“Sure thing.’’

Pete headed to the main reception desk, while Sheldon marched to the juice bar. The expression on Leona’s face said she wanted to flee, but Sheldon had a feeling that she knew better. She stood rooted to the spot, fear dancing in her eyes.

“Leona.” Sheldon’s voice was commanding, even if his stomach was filled with butterflies. Two young men sitting at the juice bar got to their feet and walked away.

“This can be ugly,” Sheldon began, “or it can be easy. Your choice.’’

“I—I,” she stuttered.

“I know Tyanna was here. Her car’s still outside. And I doubt she went for a walk in this weather.” He glanced around. “Where’s Tony?’’

“I wanted nothing to do with this,” Leona said in her own defense.

“Then I suggest you help this come to an end. Because I swear, if anything has happened to Tyanna, there will be hell to pay.’’

Leona’s bottom lip quivered. She knew Sheldon was deadly serious.

“Where did Tony take her? And I suggest you start talking, because the police will be here soon.’’

A pained expression crossed Leona’s face. “I…I think to the house.’’

“What house?’’

“Our house.’’

“You two are living together?” Sheldon shook his head. “Forget it. I don’t care. Just tell me where the house is.’’

“In the Grove. Not too far.’’

“What’s the address and how do I get there?’’

Leona gave Sheldon the information.

“What’s he going to do with her?’’

“He wants to get to you. Tony’s got some crazy idea that he needs to live out Dino’s agenda. I didn’t mean for it to get this far. If I knew it would, I never would have told him you were
back in town. But Tony’s crazy. Whatever he wants, he gets.’’

Crazy…Crazy enough to kill to keep Dino happy? Sheldon had to know. “Is he the one who killed my brother?’’

Leona’s eyes watered. She nodded. “Yes. All Dino had to do was ask, and he was all too willing to obey.’’

Sheldon felt the sting of tears, but he fought them. They wouldn’t bring his brother back, and he had to be strong right now. Tyanna needed him.

“I’m so sorry….” Leona moaned.

“Yeah, well, you’ll be even sorrier if you don’t help Tyanna now. I’m sure your cooperation will make the difference between a bit of jail time or many, many years in prison.’’

“I want to help.’’

“Good. Get your stuff together. We’re going for a ride.’’

But Leona didn’t get to go for that ride. Well, not with Sheldon, anyway. Seconds before Sheldon and Leona were about to leave the gym, the police arrived. After hearing her story—she rambled on and on about her part in it—they immediately arrested her and put her in handcuffs.

The only ride she would be taking now was in the back of a cruiser
, Sheldon said to himself.

“Can you tell me your version of what happened?” one of the two cops asked him, once the other one had taken Leona out of the gym.

“Right now?’’

“Yeah.”

“My girlfriend is missing!’’

“Officer Colburn has already put a call into dispatch, and they’re contacting the Coconut Grove and Miami-Dade police, advising them of the situation.”

“You mean you two aren’t going after this guy?’’

“The house is in Coconut Grove, and this is Coral Gables. But don’t worry, there’ll be cops there in a matter of moments.’’

Sheldon stared at the man in disbelief. “I…”

“What happened?”

“No offense, but I can’t go into all this right now,” Sheldon told the man, surprised he would even think otherwise. “I—I want to be at that police station when they find my girl,” he lied.

The officer nodded. He dug into his pocket and retrieved a business card. “Hey, I understand. But please call me as soon as possible. We can set up a time for you to come into the station and give that statement.”

“Sure.” Sheldon took the card, then rushed out of the gym and to his Explorer.

Unlike most of the streets in South Florida, which were numbered, the ones in Coconut Grove had names. Sheldon only hoped he’d make it to the house without any complications.

Please, God. Let Tyanna be okay. Let the police get to her in time.

Despite the rain, Sheldon made it to the Coconut Grove home as fast as he would have had the roads been dry. As he turned onto the lush, tree-lined street, he saw that police had surrounded a house. Several cops were in the street with their guns drawn, taking cover behind their police vehicles.

Sheldon slammed on the brakes when he neared a cruiser that was blocking his route. Something was wrong. These cops looked like they were ready to take down a small army—which was not the scene he’d expected.

He jammed the car into park and jumped out. Two cops were instantly in his path.

“You can’t go past here,” one of them said.

“But my girlfriend…”

“You can’t go past here,” the cop repeated. “We’ve got a dangerous situation we’re trying to get under control.’’

Helpless, Sheldon looked down the street to where the majority of cops were, weapons drawn. Damn, this had to be bad. “How bad is it?’’

“There’s a man with a gun in one of the houses. He’s not surrendering, and we have word that he may have a hostage.’’

Shit. Tony wasn’t going down without a fight. What was wrong with the man? Did he feel that since Dino had died in a police shoot-out that he had to do the same thing?

Sheldon ran a hand over his head in frustra
tion. “My girlfriend was kidnapped by the guy with the gun. I need to know if she’s okay.’’

“I wish I had more information for you. I’m just making sure the scene’s secure.’’

“Can you ask somebody?” Sheldon asked impatiently.

“Sir, there’s a SWAT team getting control of the situation right now. All we can do is stand back and wait, for the moment. I have to detain you here.’’

Damn! Sheldon spun around, clenching his fists. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

He just wanted to know that Tyanna was okay.

He turned. It was then that he saw the ambulance. His heart plummeted to his stomach. How had he not noticed it before?

“Why’s the ambulance here?” he asked, frantic, wondering if someone was hurt.

“Standard procedure—”

“POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPON AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!’’

At the sound of the command over the loudspeaker, Sheldon whipped his head in the direction of the house.

“I SAID, DROP YOUR WEAPON. COME OUT SLOWLY, WITH YOUR HANDS—’’

There was immediate silence as the front door opened slightly, then two quick popping sounds pierced the air. It sounded like firecrackers, but it took Sheldon only half a second to realize it was gunfire.

Every cop instantly reacted, returning several rounds of gunfire in the direction of the front door. It all happened so fast, the scene surreal.

The shooting stopped, and Sheldon kept his eyes glued to the front door. He watched in horror as someone stumbled forward, then fell to the ground.

Tony.

A sea of uniforms converged on the fallen man. Some charged the steps and ran into the house.

But where was Tyanna?

While the two cops who’d stopped him were watching the unfolding chaotic scene, Sheldon used the opportunity to take off.

He ran full speed toward the house, his stomach sinking every step of the way. There was no sign of Tyanna. If Tony had had her in the house, wouldn’t she have come out already?

Of course she would have. Unless the unthinkable had happened.

“Please, God.’’

“Sir.” Another cop grabbed hold of his arm as he was about to charge up the steps. “You are interfering with a crime scene.’’

“Then arrest me,” Sheldon snapped. “My girlfriend is somewhere in that house!’’

The cop met his eyes with a hard stare. His hand went to the spot on his belt where he kept his handcuffs. “Sir, you need to calm down.’’

Sheldon knew the man was serious. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry. My
girlfriend was kidnapped by the guy you just shot. I have no clue where she is….”

“We have officers checking the house. If she’s inside, they’ll find her.’’

Sheldon closed his eyes, frustrated. His hands were tied. He could attempt to run in the house and look for Tyanna himself, but he wouldn’t make it far with all the cops around.

All he could do was stand and wait.

After a few minutes, one of the officers emerged from the house and announced, “It’s clear in here.’’

“Clear?” Fear gripped his heart. God, had Tony taken Tyanna somewhere else? Dumped her body before he’d come to this house?

He glanced around in frustration, thinking—thinking and looking for another spot where Tyanna might be. That’s when his eyes were drawn to the late-model Lexus parked under the carport.