by René, Dani
Rolling over, I attempt to open my eyes. Everything is still blurry, and I can’t remember much after the stranger held my arm. I’m almost sure he drugged me, and from the taste in my mouth, I have a feeling he most certainly did. My mind can’t focus on one thing, one event.
“She’s awake.” A deep rumble comes from somewhere in the darkness, causing me to tremble at the thought of someone touching me. Cold trickles its way through my veins, and I feel the icy shivers right down to my bones.
“Get her in here,” another man’s voice responds, but there’s a growl to the tone of his words, anger fueling them. I’m tugged suddenly, drawing a scream from my lips. “Shut her up, or she’ll be put under again.”
“I suggest you listen to the boss,” the man who’s in the room with me says. He pulls at the material covering my eyes, and I find myself in a bedroom. It looks normal enough, nothing sinister about it unless you count the man who’s currently looming over me.
Dark green eyes leer at me. His bald head is shiny in the dimly lit room, and his smirk is nothing short of vile. Just the way he’s looking at me makes me want to throw up.
“You need to get cleaned up,” he tells me, ripping me from the bed and dragging me by my arm as I stumble behind him. He shoves me into a bathroom that looks clean, even though it’s rather basic with only a shower and toilet. There’s no sink or mirror.
“Where am I?” I glance at my captor, who looks ready to kill me rather than tell me anything I want to know. But I can’t be afraid, even though fear has a chilling grip on me. “Please, just tell me where I am.”
“The boss man requested your presence.” He pulls the door shut after his admission and leaves me shivering in the chilly room. Thankfully, I’m still fully clothed. But even so, it’s not at all warm in this house or apartment.
I rush to the window, trying to open it but find it locked. The mottled glass doesn’t offer up much of a view. Frustration causes a whimper to fall from my lips. The man bangs on the door before shouting, “Better get done in there, because if you don’t, I’ll come and do it.”
His words force me to move quickly as I strip and jump under the spray, which causes goosebumps to rise. The prickling of cold needles attacks me, but I make quick work of washing myself.
Once I’m out, I grab the towel that’s been left and dry off before putting my dirty clothes back on. It’s not great, but it’s my only option.
I’m tugging at my hair, pulling it into a bun as the door swings open and the hairless man comes ambling inside. Once more, he pulls me by my arm, tugging me along behind him, and I have no choice but to follow.
I had a feeling JD’s dad was behind this, but I haven’t seen him yet. Perhaps I was mistaken. I know he made a threat that JD shouldn’t contact me, and it’s been such a long while, I thought it was over with.
I’m shoved into an office that looks like it’s come straight from a classic novel. Antique furniture fills the room with an enormous painting surrounded by a gold frame hanging over a fireplace. The carpet is dark, brown or red, but it looks like it’s been there since the eighteenth century.
A large, dark, wooden desk sits opposite the door I’m brought through, and behind it is a man with salt-and-pepper hair, a nefarious look in his eyes.
He regards me as I move closer. The hand guiding me forward is not letting up until I’m right up against the edge of the desk. The man, who I’m guessing is the boss man, glares at me.
“There she is.” He grins manically, causing me to stumble backward, but I’m being shoved forward by the bald man. “You know, when I found out I had a rat in my company, I wondered just how I was going to get back at him.” He looks so calm as he speaks, like he’s telling me about the weather. “I did some digging, and once I found out all about his family, I shot him. The asshole bled out all over the floor.”
“W-what d-d-do you want from me?” My voice cracks, the tears that burn my eyes take over, and I’m tempted to turn around and run, but I can’t. I’m being blocked by the burly man.
“You, my darling, are just someone who got involved with the wrong family."
“I don’t understand,” I bite out, shaking my head in confusion. I never once got involved with anyone.
“You’re the love interest of a boy I want to bait closer. Until he’s in my clutches, I’ll keep you as a prize. I took down the man who thought he could infiltrate my business. Henry Montagu was nothing more than a dead man when he broke my trust.” There’s venom in his words.
I flinch back, wanting to run, to hide, but I know it’s no use. There’s nowhere for me to go. “I don’t understand why I’m here. I don’t know Henry Montagu.” It’s a lie, and the man before me can sniff it out.
“Now, now, little girl. I’m a resourceful man. And as much as I’m all for men trying their luck with certain things, I don’t take kindly to liars, and rats.”
Mr. Montagu.
“W-w-where is he?” I curse myself for showing my fear, but I can’t help it because the man I’m looking at right now doesn’t seem like someone who would allow me to leave here unscathed.
“Well, he’s being buried this weekend.” The stranger grins. “His son has returned to New York, and you’re the bait.” He pushes up from the chair and rounds his desk.
“Are we taking her down to the docks?” the man behind me questions, sending my mind spiraling with what they would do with me down there. It’s the one place I never ventured. My momma always told me to steer clear of certain areas, and I always obeyed. Not even JD took me down to the river.
“Yes,” the older man says as he smirks at me. “When the younger Montagu comes for her, we’ll ensure she’s nothing like this pristine doll we have before us,” he tells the man, but his snake eyes are on me. “I’ll make sure you watch while I slice James Dylan Montagu just like I did his father. It’s only fair that father and son die in a similar fashion.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” I can’t stay quiet any longer. My confidence overrides my fear. Even though I know it won’t last long, I try to voice my case. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
“I’m doing this because the Montagu line needs to end. He will attempt to come after me. I will make sure he pays for his father’s sins. He’ll follow in Daddy’s footsteps more than he already has. And you, my darling, are the bait I’m using to reel him in.”
“But I don’t understand. JD is not a bad person.” I admonish myself for sounding so weak. Yes, I’m young, but I’m also a fighter. My momma taught me that women can do anything they put their minds to, and I know I can be stronger. I can also make JD happy.
“You’re far too young to be talking like that,” the man says. “I think perhaps I should pay your precious mother a visit. Do you think she’d like to be wined and dined?” The dare is clear in his eyes.
“Leave my mother alone!” My words are fired out, challenging the man to a debate, a sparring match of wills between two people who are on such different levels, there is no question who would win.
“Remember my name, Autumn Starling. I’m Christopher Marlin, and I’ll be the one who makes sure if you survive this or not,” he sneers with pure, vile satisfaction.
“You don’t have to do this. If you just let this be, we can all move on from whatever happened. JD won’t come after you if I’m not here. If I go home, he’ll forget about you.”
The old man guffaws. He’s amused at me for even attempting to stand up for myself. He shakes his head slowly, his hand reaching into his pocket, and he pulls out a packet of cigarettes. Once he’s put one between his lips, he flicks a lighter, and the flame dances across the tip.
“You may think like that, but you’re a naïve little girl,” he says. “You know, little lady” — his eyes never stray from mine — “you’re quite the feisty one. I can see why James is so intrigued by you. According to his father, you were practically ready to be married before he made sure his son moved on. But the moment James stepped foot ba
ck into New York, he was at your mother’s apartment.” His words ensure that ice takes hold of me, and it doesn’t let go. “I suppose if you grew up in the right family, with the correct tutelage, perhaps you could’ve been part of his family.”
“Just because I don’t have wealth like some people do doesn’t make me unworthy. It also doesn’t change the fact that I love JD, and I will do anything for him. But of course, that doesn’t matter to you. Does it? You’re one of those criminals that only wants revenge.”
His dark eyebrow lifts. “Vengeance is certainly part of my plan. It’s one part of being who I am that I find satisfaction in,” he says. Shaking a finger in my face, he leans in when he’s near me. “But for you, you’re merely a piece of a much larger puzzle. Once James knows you’re hurt, he’ll seek his vengeance, and he’ll learn that I’m not a man you can cross.”
“What do you mean?”
“You see,” he starts. Turning his back to me, he crosses his hands behind his back and regards the window. “When Montagu decided to cross me, he told me something of note. His son will do anything to keep you safe, even lay down his own life. And he’ll learn that I am to be feared and obeyed.”
“People only obey as a sign of respect.” The moment the words fly out of my mouth, I want to swallow them back. My hair is tugged backward so hard by the bald man behind me, I cry out as the biting pain shoots through my scalp.
“It’s okay, George,” Mr. Marlin says, and the bald man releases me. “I like her fire. I think she’ll do great when the buyers see her. They like those who fight a little, you know.”
“The what?” I squeak as my knees wobble. He didn’t just say what I think he did?
“Tonight, I’ll take you to meet some friends of mine,” he tells me. “They’ll definitely like you. And once you’re on a ship to some unknown location, I’ll be richer, in both money and the death of the son of a man who tried to bring me down. You see, girls are frivolous. They come and go as they please. Family,” he tells me, turning to regard me once more. “That’s your blood.”
“What are you—”
“His father may have tried to stop it, but what he doesn’t know is that James’s mother was working for me all these years. When Montagu walked into my compound, I knew who he was. And when I killed him, he was nothing more than a plan that worked out perfectly.”
Poison drips from his words. The thought of JD finding out his mother made sure his father was killed will mess with his head. He’ll never forgive her.
“And when you’re gone, I won’t have anything more to worry about.” The old man shrugs as if it’s nothing to him that he just mentioned selling me. He wants to trade-in a human life. This isn’t just a man looking out for a woman he’s been working with. It’s a man who’s in love with said woman. Pure and simple. And there’s no getting around it.
I don’t know how JD will ever find me.
I’ll be taken away, and I’ll never see anyone I love again.
Chapter Fourteen
JD
By the time I reach the Virginia offices, I’m tired. My mother wasn’t impressed when I told her I was flying down here, but she didn’t have a choice. I told her I had a meeting that was important, and it had to do with Dad’s murder. Something was off about her, but I didn’t have time to try to figure out what it was. My focus was stolen by the thought of Autumn being hurt.
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket, and I expect it to be my mother, but the name and number are blocked, which means it’s most definitely not her.
“Hello?”
“James,” a familiar deep voice comes from the other end of the line. “This is William Sunderland, your father and I worked together for many years.”
“Yes, Mr. Sunderland, I remember Dad talking about you. What can I do for you?” I ask wearily.
“We’ve received a message, a threat rather, from the man who killed your father. And we think it may be meant for you.”
“What? Why would you think that?” I straighten my spine, rigid at the thought of the murderer wanting me. If he wants a fight, I’ll bring him one. And he won’t be walking away from it.
“It’s a video from a man called Christopher Marlin. Your father was working undercover in a trafficking ring,” Sunderland tells me. “He’s requesting you to be the one to find him, or the girls in captivity will all be killed.”
“Girls?” It seems like time is standing still. For a moment, I can’t wrap my head around the vile piece of shit who could take girls and sell them.
But then William says, “He has Autumn Starling.” My heart slams wildly in my chest. “He’s demanding a ransom for her. You need to deliver it. But he’s made this a game of cat and mouse. Find him within seventy-two hours, or he’ll be sending her to one of his associates, and James,” William says, his voice low, filled with a warning I didn’t need, “This asshole breaks girls. Mentally. He toys with them until there’s nothing left. If you don’t find her…”
“I will. I’m on my way to meet with a team that I trust. But we need your assistance.”
“Let me know when you’re ready, I have a second team on standby, I have my best guys working on decoding the whereabouts of Marlin. If I find something, I’ll let you know. Listen to me, James. He’s dangerous.”
“I will find him. Whatever it takes.”
“I’ll call you soon.” He hangs up without a goodbye, and now I’m even more anxious to talk to Jackson. They have to help me. Or I’ll go it alone. This asshole wants me, and he’ll get me.
The taxi drives me from the airfield, and we make our way to the offices of Cole Security. I pull out my phone and tap out a message to Autumn’s mom before I call Jackson to let him know I’m on the way.
I need to make sure this meeting goes well, and I can get them to help me with this. I knew my father had enemies, I knew he worked undercover, but even through all that, I never thought I’d be burying him so early in life. As we weave through the streets, I pray to all that’s holy that Jackson and his team can help me. What concerns me is that I don’t want them to go out there looking for Autumn. I want to be on the team that does.
I’m nervous. I don’t know why. Even though Jackson was welcoming on the call earlier this morning, I’m still twisted with anxiety at the thought of them possibly saying no.
I should never have left in the first place. When Dad told me that he wanted me to join the navy, I should’ve refused and stayed home. But then again, who could ever refuse a man like him? Formidable, I spent my life fearful of him.
Images of where Autumn could be race through my mind. My girl is somewhere unknown, and all I can do is focus on getting her back because if I think about whoever has her, hurting her, my blood sizzles with rage.
When we finally pull up to Cole Security, I’m rendered speechless. The building is magnificent. It not only oozes strength, it looks like it’s been kitted out for defense. Excitement races through me. The thought of being around these guys makes me feel good. They’ve done so much in their lives, and I look up to them. When I found out about them, I researched until I was sure I had every tidbit of information about their operation.
My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but nothing he ever did made me feel as if he was someone I should look up to. And I didn’t. I think that’s why he was always so hard on me. He wanted something from me I couldn’t offer.
Pushing the door open, I step over the threshold, noticing the modern look to the interior. Gray concrete floors greet me, along with cream and royal blue walls.
There are cubicles in the center of the room, and I take in every square inch I can see from where I’m standing. There are guys milling around, some rushing from one side of the office to the other.
The offices on the left seem to be closed off with dark wooden doors, and I wonder if that’s where the meeting will take place. A few heads turn to regard me, and one of the older guys saunters up.
“Hey, you must be JD?” he asks. “I�
�m Mark.”
“Good to meet you, Mark. I’ve got a meeting with—”
“Jackson at three,” he finishes with a grin. “I’ll be in the meeting as well. Nice to have you here.”
“Thanks. I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you both for so long. I’m glad to be here. There’s something I need help with, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this information.”
“Well, that sounds ominous. Come,” he says, leading me deeper into the building. A few of the guys nod their heads in greeting, but they don’t stop working. Their focus is on the screens in front of them or the folders they’re poring through, and I can’t help but want to be one of them.
He leads me into a meeting room, gesturing for me to take a seat before he joins me, sitting opposite me with a folder on the table.
“So, Jackson will be in here shortly. Tell me about you. What brought you to Cole Security?”
“My dad was in the navy, he had connections everywhere, and when he left the navy, he got a job with the FBI through a friend. One night, I heard them talking about Jackson and the company he started. I’ve always wanted to make a difference, to fight without fighting, and I guess the idea of what you have here appealed to me.”
Mark nods in understanding, flicking through the file I’m sure is mine. I had to send information through to them a couple of years ago when I was looking to join the team. “So, you wanted to join us.”
“Yeah, until my father threw a curveball my way and sent me off to bootcamp. The Naval Academy was his dream for me; it wasn’t mine. As much as he forced me into it, I needed to come back and follow my path. But before I could do that, I got the call that my dad was killed while he was undercover, so I came home. I don’t want to go back; my life is here, and my focus is here.”
He nods again, glancing at my information on the desk before asking, “You’re planning on staying in Virginia, or will you go back to New York?”
