Briefly, her mind flickered to Todd, but she hurriedly pushed the thoughts away. That was a road that would lead to nothing good right now.
"What is it?" Gabriel asked, much too perceptive, as always.
"Nothing. Just thinking. Let's go."
Cate stood, pulling Gabriel up by his hand. He looped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Haney was nowhere to be seen, but Cate was sure he hadn't gone far.
Leaning in to Gabriel, she whispered, "The highest membership levels have a whole floor above us that are inaccessible to the normal guests. I believe that that's where the girls might be."
They passed by several rooms, where she could just imagine what was going on behind the closed doors by the sounds emanating from them. She shivered. If Gabriel hadn't shown up—
Gabriel pulled her in more tightly when he felt the shiver go through her. Cate leaned her head on his shoulder, reveling in the feel of him as long as she could.
"We need to get up there. I'll tell Zach—"
"You can't," she interrupted.
"Why can't I?"
"The access is restricted to only members who pay for premium status. There's a key fob that you have to have to open the door. It's in the shape of an X."
"How do you know all this?"
"I heard Haney talking about it. He has one."
"So, I need to get a key fob."
"How are you planning to do that?" she asked, stopping to look up into his ice-blue eyes.
"Watch and learn," he said, then chucked her under the chin and strode off towards the library.
Cate followed closely behind, not wanting to be too far away from him. She peered around the door, watching as Gabriel chatted up an older man with a head full of thick white hair, and a shorter, much younger, curvy woman at his side.
Moving closer, Cate propped herself up against the bookshelves, leaning in to try to hear his words. The older man reached his arm out and squeezed Gabriel's bicep, then moved his hand across his chest. Cate saw Gabriel slightly stiffen and then force himself to relax just a bit. The man leaned forward and whispered something in Gabriel's ear, and she saw the muscle in his jaw twitching like crazy. Gabriel pulled back, a fake smile pulling at his lips, and then nodded at the man.
Gabriel reached out and stroked the man's arm, and, more quickly than she thought possible, his other hand slid into the man's pocket and back into his own. Gabriel leaned in, kissing the woman on the cheek and then saying something as he backed away and walked towards Cate. When he met her gaze, his eyes were haunted, his face as white as a sheet. What had the man said to make that look appear in Gabriel's eyes?
For a moment, she lost him behind several people gearing up for their next playtime. A firm hand gripped her upper arm, jerking her around. Haney.
"There you are. He's done with you already, I see. Already moving on to the next best thing." His face was inches from hers, his spittle hitting her cheek. She carefully wiped it away. "Let's go."
Without giving her a moment to respond or try to flag Gabriel down, Haney pulled her towards the stairs. She looked around frantically, trying to find Isabel, Ethan, or Gabriel. As she approached the stairs, she saw Gabriel watching her, two men blocking his way. Haney's thugs. She was sure of it.
Instead of stopping at the second floor, Haney dragged her up to the third floor and stopped at a large wooden door that had a black X on it. Cate wondered if the door always looked like this, or if it was some sort of special décor just for the parties. Haney moved the key fob over the panel on the side and pushed into the room.
It opened into an attic of sorts, with vaulted ceilings, and appeared to run the length of the entire house. On one end were blackened windows, a stage set before them with a lighted X sign behind it. Two stripper poles were on each side; naked women gyrating to the pulsing music swung haphazardly around them.
On center stage was a bed, and a man whom Cate had seen walking around earlier, greeting people and shaking hands, sat in the middle. The women around him were performing all sorts of sex acts on each other and on him. The man wore a black, Venetian-style mask with eyes that slanted eerily and horns that flared up on top and out to the side. A satanic ritual where the devil himself was being worshipped, the high priest exuding power and authority.
Cate instantly recognized that he must be the one in control here. But how to get close? How to find out who he was without causing a scene? Haney pulled at her arm and dragged her to a couch in the corner. It was surrounded by velvet curtains. Cate's pulse picked up its pace as she realized that he was taking her there to be alone.
Quickly glancing around, Cate saw multiple women who were all naked in some fashion. Some wore pasties, or went topless with thongs, and some had on no clothes at all. They teetered on high heels and spun around as if they were high and controlled by the substance running through their veins, as well as by the music pumping from the speakers.
A girl stumbled into her, her mask slipping. Cate gasped. She couldn't be more than seventeen.
"S-s-s-orry." Then she giggled and started groping Cate. Pushing her away lightly, Haney tugged harder on Cate’s arms.
"Stop messing around," he spat, and pushed her none too gently onto the settee-style couch.
She fell, her skirt parting dangerously high. Cate fidgeted, trying to get the layers of fabric back into place, but Andrew caught her hands.
"You have entirely too many clothes on," he said. Then, taking two pieces of the fabric in his hands, he ripped it, baring her to the waist.
Startled and embarrassed, Cate moved her hands to cover herself. Andrew watched, his eyes raking her body, his arousal clear in his dilated pupils.
He was going to rape her. And there was nothing she could do about it.
Slowly, he made his way to the other side of the couch. Cate sat as still as she could, trying not to move—hoping he'd get bored. He hadn't closed the curtains yet, so she was hopeful that if she protested, maybe someone would come to her rescue. For now, she'd need to play the part.
Haney's hand traced slowly up her leg, stopping just shy of the place between her thighs. He leaned closer, kissing her neck, shoulders, and collarbone. He slid her dress a little lower, and Cate stiffened.
"Relax, Cate. You've known this was coming. I've been patient, and I'm no longer willing to wait."
He pushed her back against the side of the settee, placing one of her feet on the floor and the other by his side. She was panicking. She didn't want this. It wasn't worth it. Not for a story.
As he drew closer, she fought. With all that was in her, she started squirming and flailing, trying to get his weight off her. He grabbed both hands, pinning them above her head, and then with his free hand, he slapped her hard across the face.
Stars filled her vision, and the pain in her jaw was excruciating. Someone passing by paused in front of the curtain, but before he could inquire about her safety, Haney stood and pulled the curtain to. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Cate jumped off the couch. Catching him off guard, she pushed him as hard as she could, and he stumbled back just enough for her to squeeze through the curtains. Before she could get very far, however, Haney grabbed her by the hair, spinning her around to face him.
"Bitch," he spat. And reared back to hit her. Two men surrounded Haney. His eyes went wide, and his mouth hung slack.
"The woman doesn't look as if she wants your attention," one of the men said. He was big, with arms the size of boulders.
"She likes it rough," Haney answered back. She could see the fear etched on his face.
"Ma'am, is that true?" the other man asked. He was a little shorter than the first guy, but his physique was equally as intimidating.
"N-no. I don't."
"Then we have a problem here," the first guy said. He crossed his large arms in front of him, and Haney released her hair.
As soon as she was free, Cate hit the ground running, trying not to think about the fact that her dress was torn from her waist
to her toes. She reached the door, scanning the room behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed.
The man with the satanic mask stood to the side, watching her. She wondered if he'd been watching Haney grope her on the couch. They made eye contact, and he grinned, a sinister smile that made her think of horror movies.
She wanted to get away, but she was held captive by his stare. A commotion at his side caught her attention. Two men approached him, and he tore his attention away from Cate to shake their hands. One of the men turned, and Cate gasped. Tariq Ahmed Ben Ali. He was here. And so was the guy who'd taken her captive five years ago. Their eyes met. There was no way he could recognize her, not unless—surely not. But just as she thought it, Tariq's man took off in her direction.
Not wasting another second, Cate flung open the door, Tariq's man hot on her heels. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack into Gabriel climbing the stairs.
"What—"
"Run," she yelled. And he took her hand, not even pausing to question what or whom she was running from. Hitting the front door, she saw Isabel and Ethan back up along the wall, barely giving them any attention.
"On the move," Gabriel said. She guessed he was talking to the team.
"I'm at the corner in the Jeep," Sully's voice echoed in her ears.
As they hit the outside steps, Cate said into her mic, "Tariq Ahmed Ben Ali. He's here. And he recognized me even with my mask on."
Gabriel caught her gaze, suspicion and anger warring with each other. She hated that she'd kept this from him. But she hadn't known. Well, not for sure.
They rounded the corner, and there sat Sully in the Jeep, its back door open wide.
"Get in!"
Gabriel lifted her up and pushed her inside the Jeep, then jumped in after her. She looked through the window as Tariq's man pounded down the front steps.
"Go, go, go, go!" Gabriel shouted.
Sully hit the gas, and the guy ran into the street, watching them disappear down the road.
Cate tried to catch her breath, bending at the waist. It was then that she realized her barely-there, flesh-colored thong left little to the imagination. She pulled the pieces of her dress together and tied them in front of her.
"Are you ok?" Gabriel asked.
She nodded.
"Good. Now would you like to tell me what the hell you've been keeping from me?"
Chapter 21
Gabriel paced back and forth in the conference room, waiting for Cate to return from changing her clothes. He had dropped her off at Isabel's room, instructing her to put some damn clothes on. When he'd seen her running down those steps with her dress ripped up the middle, it had been all he could do to keep from going back in and kicking Haney's ass. Then he'd seen the thug and realized there wasn't time for that.
As he'd approached Ethan and Isabel, he'd given Ethan the nod. He'd heard the guy go down, and Ethan's murmured apology. He had taken a moment to look back, to see the thug sprawled on the black and white tile with Ethan, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. It had been enough to give them the time they’d needed to get away.
Gabriel wasn't sure if he'd ever been more grateful for backup. Taking that guy out himself would have left Cate exposed, and his main goal had been to get her the hell out of there.
"Hey, man. Cate ok?" Ethan asked from the doorway. Gabriel could see Isabel hovering behind him. She looked different. Almost as if she were embarrassed. Her arms were crossed, and she wouldn't look up to meet anyone's eyes.
He peeked around Ethan. "Izz, you all right?" he asked.
"What?" She jerked her gaze up to his. "Yeah, of course. Fine." She quickly looked down again.
Gabriel raised his eyebrows at Ethan, but Ethan just shrugged and looked away.
What was with these two?
"I told Cate to borrow some of your clothes, Izz. She's upstairs now, changing. Sully said to meet back here in twenty, if you want to go change, too."
She nodded, turning to take the elevator up to the top floor.
"You want to tell me what's going on between you and Isabel?" Gabriel asked Ethan, who'd pushed inside the room and sat down at the table.
"Nope. You want to tell me what's going on between you and Cate?" he returned.
"Nope."
"Yeah, didn't think so."
They sat in silence for several minutes, both tapping their fingers on the table and refusing to talk about the two elephants in the room. Gabriel had seen the way that Ethan and Isabel had kissed tonight, and it hadn't looked like they were having to act very hard. He knew Sully would have flipped his lid if he'd seen them, and was grateful that he hadn't.
Sully walked in, a folder under one arm, followed by Zach and Lucas. He glanced at the two men sitting in silence and quirked a brow. Gabriel shrugged in response, and Sully shook his head. He and the guys were excellent at nonverbal communication.
Zach placed his computer on the table, then connected it via Bluetooth to the TV screen at the front of the conference room. An image of Tariq Ahmed Ben Ali filled one half of the screen. On the other half was the thug that had chased Cate out of the house.
Cate and Isabel entered the room and paused as they determined where they would sit. Both women seemed on edge, rattled by what they'd experienced that night. Gabriel wanted to shield Cate from it all—tell her to go home and rest and not worry about any of this—that he could take care of her. But he knew she wouldn't appreciate that, and they needed her help with this since she obviously had information that she hadn't shared with them.
And wasn't that the kicker? Here he'd trusted her, thought she'd trusted him, when in fact she was keeping one hell of a secret from him. Why would she put herself in that kind of danger, knowing who might be involved?
Cate sat next to him but wouldn't make eye contact. Good. She should feel guilty.
Sully cleared his throat.
"So, Cate, it looks as if you kept a huge piece of information from us. Like to tell us why?"
Cate straightened her spine, lifting her chin in defiance.
"I wasn't keeping information from you. I only had a suspicion that Tariq might be involved. I had no reason to alarm everyone."
"I disagree. You absolutely had the responsibility to alarm us," Sully responded.
"I was only going on gut instinct. I had no proof."
"Which is how approximately half of our cases are solved. We trust our guts. And if you had any indication that a known terrorist might be involved in this, you should have told us."
Chagrin passed over Cate's features, and Gabriel almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Not only had she kept it from the team, but she hadn't told him her suspicions, either, and that hurt far more than he wanted to admit.
"You put us all in danger by not sharing your intuitions. I won't stand for that again. Are we clear?" Sully continued.
Cate nodded.
"Good. Anything else we need to know?"
"I'm not sure how much you know. Tariq has been trafficking drugs, guns, and women into his country from the U.S. He had previously been targeting the African migrants trying to get to Western Europe. But after his run-in with me, well, it seems he now has a taste for Americans."
Gabriel groaned beside her. This was personal? She'd gone in unprepared against a terrorist who was trafficking in women and hadn't told a soul. He was going to strangle her. Did she have a death wish?
"This is the story you've been working on for five years?" Gabriel asked.
Cate didn't say anything. She didn't have to. He knew. Maybe he'd already known and hadn't wanted to admit that she'd be so stupid as to go into a situation like this—so similar to the one before. If his SEAL team had not gotten there in time five years ago, Cate would most likely be dead now, or worse—someone's sex slave.
She turned her attention back to Sully. "I don’t know where he's getting the drugs or the guns, but I had been following leads to different escort services where some of the gi
rls were disappearing, missing persons cases—things like that." She looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone but Gabriel. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't sure. And I didn't want to get everyone up in arms if there was nothing to be concerned about."
Gabriel could see that she was getting worked up. The color was high on her face, her hands were slightly shaking, and her voice hitched every now and then as if she couldn't slow her breathing.
"I don't think he's the one pulling the strings. Nothing in my research has pointed to him. But seeing him there tonight means he's involved in this somehow, and he was expecting me." It was then that she finally looked at Gabriel. He saw regret and sorrow in her eyes. She'd hurt him, and she knew it.
"What do you mean, he was expecting you?" he asked, sticking to the business at hand instead of dealing with all the emotions going on inside of him.
"When I saw him next to the stage in the attic, our eyes met. But even with my costume on, and my hair up—he knew who I was. Which means that someone told him I'd be there and what I would be wearing. There's no other way he could have known it was me from that far away."
Gabriel clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from shaking some sense into her. She'd made herself a target. They should have pulled her as soon as Haney figured out who she really was.
"Zach?" Sully leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest.
"With the revelation that Tariq was involved, there came a barrage of other information. There are no definite ties to Haney or anyone else in politics, but there are a lot of rumors going around," Zach started.
Zach hit a button on his computer, and a website came up. It looked slightly different from normal websites. For one, it was a site that publicized the sale of sex slaves. Not something you could find with Google.
"This is Tariq's site."
"Wait, how do you know it's Tariq's?
"I have my ways. This is hosted on the dark web. If we can tie Haney to this site, and whoever is hosting these parties to this site, we can take them all down."
"But how do we do that?" Cate asked.
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