"That's terrible! I'll go down now and see if I can help." She rounded the couch and squeezed his hand.
"She'll be fine. She's tough."
Gabriel knew she was tough, but the worry didn't go away. He ran towards his room and took the quickest shower he'd ever had in his life.
* * * *
Ten minutes later, Gabriel stood in front of the computer screen as Zach played back the footage of two men in suits grabbing Cate and shoving her into a limo. The hair on Gabriel's neck stood on end. Someone had taken her in broad daylight and put her into a limo, for crying out loud! What kind of balls did this guy have?
Zach zoomed in, catching the license plate number. He switched to another keyboard and typed in the numbers. "I'm going to see if I can see who this is registered to."
"Play it again," Gabriel said.
Zach hit the play button, and Gabriel watched carefully. The guy had put Cate's purse and phone in her car but had pocketed her keys. It seemed weird for him to do that. Why would he leave her belongings safely locked in her car?
"I've got a hit!" Zach shouted.
Gabriel looked over his shoulder as Zach said, "Andrew Haney."
He turned in his chair, meeting Gabriel's eyes. "The senator?" Zach asked.
"One and the same. He's apparently got some obsession with Cate. He had her followed—at least, we think that's who had her followed. Then last night, he left a message on her phone saying that he knew where she'd been and that she was his. The guy's nuts." Gabriel began to pace back and forth.
"Andrew Haney wants Cate, but why?"
"I don't know, exactly, except that she's beautiful, and he has some fixation on her. But he's secured her services exclusively after she finishes her three weeks with me."
"Dude, that's weird," Zach said, his surfer roots coming through.
"Yeah, it is. I'm going to go see if I can get any clues from the site. Let me know if you find anything else. I hate feeling helpless."
As he walked out, he ran into Sully and Isabel in the hall as they were heading towards the computer room.
"Andrew Haney took her. I'm on my way to the escort service to see if I can find out anything else. Maybe Christy knows something," Gabriel said, attempting to brush past them towards the garage.
Sully put up a hand, stopping his progress.
"You can't blow your cover, man. Give it some time. Go see if you can find anything that might lead us to where she is, but steer clear of Christy for now. Let Zach work his magic."
Gabriel nodded, knowing that Sully was right but hating that he was powerless to keep Cate safe.
* * * *
The car made a series of turns around the city. Cate watched out the window, trying to figure out where Andrew Haney was taking her, but it appeared that they were just going in circles. She'd been in the car for more than fifteen minutes, and Andrew had not said a word. He'd just watched her with that predatory gleam.
"So glad you could join me, Cate," Andrew said, after a few more minutes had passed. She guessed his silence had been meant to disarm her. Sadly, it had worked.
"I wasn't given much choice, now, was I?" she retorted.
"No need to be bitchy. I just wanted a little time with you after you spent the night with that young man last night."
"How do you know I spent the night with him?"
"I have my ways."
"What do you want, Andrew? We don't have an appointment until Friday night. So why are you here?"
"You'd be wise to watch your mouth, Cate, or I'll have to find a way to punish you." His mouth turned up into a sinister smile, his eyes traveling up her body. Cate's stomach turned as she thought about the ways he might come up with. No, thank you.
Then it hit her. He'd said her name. Her real name. How did he know?
"I'm sorry. I just don't understand why you had me manhandled, and kidnapped me off the street."
"I'll return you shortly, but first I want to make something perfectly clear."
She waited, not sure she wanted to hear what he had to say, but knowing that she'd never get to leave this car until she did.
"I will have you, exclusively. You will tell that young man that he will have to pay for someone else's time from now on. I don't share."
"But he's reserved me for several events over the next—"
Andrew's hand slammed against the window, the smacking sound loud in the small confines of the car. Cate flinched, her nerves creating butterflies in her stomach, but not the good kind of butterflies. These were the ones that flew around churning its contents, until your stomach couldn't contain them anymore.
"I said, I do not share. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," she said.
"I saw him kissing you on the sky wheel last night. I saw his hands on you." Andrew's face grew red with anger, and Cate was frightened.
"I don't like other men's hands on you." He paused, a grin splitting his face. "Unless I’m there to watch. To control it. To participate."
Cate shuddered, repulsed at the thought of being with two men—two strangers.
"I see you like that thought, too." She thought it best not to correct him, especially when he reached down and touched himself. She had to get out of there!
"You will break it off with the young man, and you will be at my beck and call. Do we have an agreement?"
Cate nodded. She knew the question was rhetorical. She wouldn't be permitted to say no.
"Good." The car stopped, and she looked out the window, noticing that she was back at her car. She figured she'd been gone about half an hour, and yet it felt as if her whole world had changed. Her car still looked the same. The office building was the same. But inside, she felt older, wiser—but not with knowledge she wished to have. This story would change her even more, and Cate suddenly wondered if she should have just let it go.
The door locks clicked open, and Cate reached for the handle, ducking out of the car. One of the henchmen was standing there with her keys in his hand. She took them, but before she could move, Andrew slid into the seat she'd just vacated.
"Oh, and Cate?"
She turned to face him, raising one eyebrow.
"I'll be watching."
With those parting words, the door slammed, and the car pulled away with a lurch. The use of her real name confirmed that Haney had been her midnight caller as well. She wasn't sure what that meant. If he knew she was a journalist, why was he still exposing her to his lifestyle? Why keep up the charade? He had to have a reason, and the reporter in her was dying to find out what it was. She only wished that she didn't have to pose as a high-dollar hooker to get this story. The role was getting old, and quickly!
Cate used the key fob to open her car doors, and she slid into the driver’s seat.
She turned the car on, gripping the steering wheel with her shaking hands. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest.
Someone grabbed her from the back seat.
Cate screamed.
Chapter 13
"Stop screaming! Dammit, Cate, it's just me," Gabriel yelled, his hands placed tightly over his ears.
"You scared the crap out of me!" Cate yelled back.
"I'm sorry. I was in your car, looking through your things to see if I could figure out what had happened, when Zach called me, saying he'd spotted the limo up the street. So I hid in the back seat."
"Wait, how did you get in here?"
"That's not important." He'd parked his car in the parking garage and had brought his slim jim to get her car door open. He was glad he'd put only a tiny scratch on her paintjob. He'd have it fixed later. "What is important is why Andrew Haney kidnapped you in broad daylight and then brought you back to tell the tale."
"He wants me to call off my dates with you. Said he doesn't share. Said he's watching me." She shivered, and Gabriel resisted the urge to crawl up there and hold her in his lap.
"Turn the car off. I'll have one of the guys come pick it up. You're coming with m
e."
Gabriel was glad when she didn't argue. She simply turned the car off and opened the door. Gabriel climbed out of the back seat, picking up her bag and handing it to her.
"Thanks," she muttered. He knew she was probably still in shock. The need to take care of her was overwhelming.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. They walked quickly to his car, and he pulled out his phone and texted Zach to send someone to pick up her car and take it back to her house. He didn't want to take the chance that Haney would send someone else to watch her. As of now, he thought they were safe.
"How do you think he found me?" she asked.
"I'm assuming someone followed you from the hotel that night."
"But he was otherwise indisposed."
"I'm sure he had someone watching the door. He could have given instructions that if you left, you were to be followed."
She shuddered again, and Gabriel wished he could just get her out of this mess. He could find Amanda some other way. He could attend the party alone and hope that she would be present. Somehow, though, he didn't think that she'd be willing to let this story go.
He wondered what her motivation was. He knew she’d said it had a tie to a story from five years ago, but surely she wasn't still investigating the trafficking ring from Libya that had almost gotten her raped and sold into slavery. Gabriel bent his head to look at her, the question on the tip of his tongue. When he saw her pale complexion and trembling hands, however, he reined in his curiosity. She'd been through enough and needed rest. If she was investigating that same story, an epic battle of wills was sure to be had.
When Gabriel pulled into the garage of the warehouse, Cate came out of her stupor.
"What are we doing here?" she asked as if in a fog.
"They can't watch you here. I don't think we were followed, but I wanted you somewhere you could feel safe."
She nodded and exited the car. Gabriel had called ahead, and Isabel stood waiting at the door.
"Oh my gosh, you poor girl. Let's get you inside," she gushed. Cate gave her a weak smile. Isabel caught Gabriel's eye over Cate's head and winked.
They walked into the shared living space, Isabel escorting Cate over to the bar. She poured her two fingers of Gabriel's Limited Reserve bottle of Jameson, then squeezed her shoulder—and his—as she exited the room, leaving them alone. Gabriel watched Cate fiddle with the glass before she tipped the tumbler back, taking it like a shot. He cringed.
"Woman, if you're going to shoot something, please don't waste my two-hundred-dollar-a-bottle Jameson."
Cate's mouth dropped open, and she slapped her hand over it. Then she giggled. Gabriel knew from the other night that if he let that giggle turn into belly laughs, he'd be dealing with her tears. No way in hell was he going to watch her cry her eyes out again.
So, he did the only thing he knew to do to keep her from laughing or crying. He kissed her.
* * * *
Cate had been on the edge of hysterics when Gabriel's mouth lowered over hers. The kiss was comforting, slow and simple. Just a light press of his lips to hers. She looped her hands around his neck, drawing him closer, and then she licked his full bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth.
Gabriel sucked in a breath, and lifted her up onto the bar in one swoop. She squealed, but he silenced her with his mouth, his tongue erotically slipping and sliding against hers. Reaching up, she grabbed two fistfuls of his gorgeous hair and pulled him even closer, the kiss going from comforting to tear-your-clothes-off in no time.
"Gabriel, Sully said to tell you—oh, gosh! Sorry!" Isabel's voice broke through their sensual haze, but Gabriel seemed in no hurry to let her go. He pulled back, giving Cate a devilish grin, and then turned to look at Isabel.
"You were saying?" he asked.
"Sorry," she said.
"Yeah, you already said that," he teased.
"Sully said to bring Cate down, so we can talk about our next move. He has a plan."
Cate perked up at that. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to be tough. But this thing with Andrew had gotten out of hand. She'd only had one date with him. Well, two, if you counted the coffee. But the man was absolutely bonkers!
She'd thought she would just go out on a few dates with some guys, maybe have to kiss a few of them. But she never in her life imagined that she'd be forced to go to a sex party and participate. Hell, she was sickened at the thought of even having to watch.
Gabriel lifted her off the bar top and back onto her feet. His distraction had worked perfectly, and she no longer felt like she was going to fall apart at any second.
They entered the conference room and saw that Ethan and Sully were already there. Sully sat with his feet propped up on the table and his hands behind his head. He and Ethan were in the middle of a discussion about something. When Gabriel and Cate walked in, Sully sat up straight in his chair, and their conversation came to an abrupt halt.
"You ok?" Sully asked, and it warmed her heart a little to see that he seemed to care.
"I am," she answered. "He didn't hurt me. Just creeped me out."
"Good. Let's make a plan here," Sully said, jumping right into the business at hand.
"I want you to call Christy and tell her that you can't be an escort anymore to—"
"What?" she and Gabriel asked at the same time.
Gabriel leaned forward. "Not that I’m at all against this idea, but what's your plan?"
"Wait just a minute, here! This is my story, and—" she protested.
"Hold up!" Sully said, his voice raised to talk over her.
She stopped talking and met his eyes.
"Just hear me out." Cate nodded and sat back down in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Call Christy and tell her that you can't be an escort anymore. That she will need to tell Gabriel that you can't see him. Tell her you're scared of Andrew and what he might do if you don't let Gabriel go."
Cate relaxed at his words. She was glad that he wasn't pulling her from her story, but she hated that she wouldn't see Gabriel anymore. As sad as it was, and even though she couldn't keep him, she loved being around him again.
"I'm not in favor of that plan. If I can't be around her, then I can't protect her," Gabriel argued.
"You'll still be around her. Cate can stay here. We have two extra rooms now, and we can keep her safe here."
"I can't stay here," Cate said. "He knows where I live. He'll follow me here. If he sees Gabriel, I'm not sure what he'll do. Plus, I have a cat."
Gabriel rolled his eyes at her. She didn't care. She loved Legs and wasn't going to leave her alone for an indefinite amount of time.
"Do you have a back entrance to your home?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes. I also have a garage—I just never use it. It's easier to get into traffic from the off-street parking."
"Perfect." Gabriel turned his attention towards Sully. "I can use one of the surveillance cars. Andrew knows she has a roommate, but he doesn't know what she drives. The windows are tinted enough that no one should recognize me coming or going."
Sully nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Now, on to what we're going to do about Friday night."
The whiskey in Cate's belly threatened to make a reappearance when he reminded her of the night of debauchery she was supposed to attend.
Zach burst in the door.
"Dudes, do I have some good info for you guys." He sat down on the other side of Cate, a file in front of him.
The team seemed to take his interruption in stride, and he went on before anyone could say anything.
"I've been doing some research on these sex parties. There are two different kinds. There's the kind that has an open invite. All you have to do is google “sex parties in D.C.,” and up come several events that you can purchase tickets for."
He passed around several printouts of the events page. The advertising images alone were enough to make Cate want to vomit in her mouth.
"The
other kind is held by secret sex societies. These are invite only. You can't find them from a Google search. You have to know where to look." He waggled his eyebrows. "And fortunately, I know where to look."
"How is it that you know where to look?" Isabel asked, accusation written across her face.
"Not because I know, but because I'm good at what I do. Geez. Now, don't interrupt." He gave her a winning smile, and Cate figured he could get any woman he wanted with that grin.
"Now, I followed the trails, and I found two in D.C. One that is pretty much run by a D.C. socialite. The dude's a real perv. But I digress. The other is exclusive. So exclusive, I can't figure out—yet—who runs the show. The only party that is happening on Friday night is for the second one."
"Of course it is," Sully muttered.
"You think they'd make it easy for us?" Ethan drawled.
"Nope. I was able to hack into their database and get Gabriel and two of his guests into the party on Friday," he said, giving Ethan and Isabel a pointed look.
"No way is Isabel going to this freak show," Ethan said.
"I'm capable of making up my own mind, thank you very much," Isabel retorted. She turned her attention back to Zach. "Now, you were saying?"
"You and Ethan will go as a married couple that just wants to watch. See, there are levels and different fees depending on what you want to do. The prices vary by whether you're single or attached, male or female, participating or watching, bi, gay, or straight. You get the picture."
Cate's level of disgust rose higher, the more information she was given. She didn't understand why people wanted to be a part of this kind of thing. She'd always felt that sex was special, between two people who loved each other. She knew that not everyone ascribed to that, but it was hard for her to reconcile this kind of public display with her traditional upbringing.
Her other concern was whether everyone participating was doing it of their own free will. She had a feeling that some of these women were being forced, and, if her source was correct, were part of the sex trade tied to Tariq Ahmed Ben Ali. She feared that these parties spiraled into other, more dangerous activities.
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 36
