“Get on the bed,” he ordered.
I cringed back. Oh, hell no.
I spun and raced for the door.
Mateo tackled me easily, shoving me down onto the dirty hardwood floor. He tied the rope around my right wrist, then got to his feet and dragged me over to the bed.
“Get on the bed,” he repeated savagely.
I swallowed hard and slowly sat on the edge. He yanked my arm up and tied it to the bedpost. Then he went around the bed and grabbed my other arm. Stretching it tightly, he wrapped the rope around my wrist and tied it to the opposite bedpost, leaving me no room to move my arms at all. Thankfully, I was sitting up, not laying down, not that that made me any less defenseless. I was still bound to the bedposts. There was no way I could escape. I was completely helpless.
Not true. I could use my legs and feet as weapons, right?
Mateo raked his gaze over me, the evil intent in his eyes making me cringe. Then he headed for the door. “I need to hide the car. I’ll be back.”
Then he strolled out, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, yanking the door shut behind him.
My breath whooshed out of me. I had to escape before he came back. I had to.
I pulled at the ropes, straining and stretching my arms, until the rope tore into my skin, burning my wrists, leaving me raw and sore. A sob burst out of me. I wasn’t going down like this, dammit. I had no doubt he intended to rape me when he returned. I would have to fight back. I would have to inflict as much damage on him as I could. I would not make it easy for him.
Time passed. Where had he gone? Maybe something had happened and he wasn’t coming back.
Dusk fell, the sky turning gray. It had to be early evening now.
A car door slammed from outside, then muted laughter. Feminine laughter. I tried to see out the window, but the old plastic blinds were drawn, and I couldn’t see much more than a blur of movement out of the small slits.
Then the sound of footsteps clumped down the hallway. Shortly after, the door banged open and Mateo paused in the doorway, letting his gaze rake over me again. I shivered. There was something sinister in his eyes that wasn’t human.
Two women came up on either side of him, each of them taking me in. “Who’s she?” a tall brunette asked.
“She’s my captive. She’s going to play with us.”
The other woman, a gaunt-looking blonde with dark rings under her eyes, turned away from me in disgust. “She’s not my type.”
Mateo yanked on her arm. “You’re not here to do her. You’re here to do me while I’m doing her.” He wrapped an arm around the brunette’s shoulders and pulled her against his side, leaning down to grind his mouth against hers. He held her there while he plundered her mouth, his gaze latching on mine, obviously trying to get a reaction out of me.
The kiss looked painful. A twinge of sympathy for the girl arced through me.
I lowered my gaze, fighting back a gag. Mateo was disgusting. Evil.
“Are you getting wet, Liz? Does this turn you on?” Mateo thrust his groin at me in a vile manner. Then he grabbed the other woman and kissed her just as roughly, sliding his hand down to cup her ass. He lifted his head and sent me the most lascivious look I had ever received, waggling his tongue at me. “You’re next, Liz. Think about me touching you while I’m touching them. Think about me fucking you while I’m fucking them. Because once I’m done with these two, I’m coming for you.”
He turned away with the two prostitutes. “Come along, ladies. Let’s go have some fun. There’s a bigger bed in the next room where we can all fit.”
Their footsteps echoed along the hallway as they walked away, the women’s giggles easily reaching my ears.
Moments later, the sounds of their rough sexual play floated down the hallway. Slaps. Grunts. Gasps. Moans. I tried to block it out, but it was impossible not to hear them.
Then the rough pounding of the bed slamming repeatedly into the wall.
I turned toward the window. It was almost dark out now. The tiny slits in the blinds taunted me with a glimpse of the world out there, a freedom I could taste, but that which lay just beyond reach. A freedom that might never come.
My chest tightened with emotion. Tears burned my eyes.
Where was Ryan right now? Did he have any clue where I was? Would he come for me? Or would I have to figure out how to escape from this monster on my own?
A gasp floated down the hallway. Then a cry of pain.
A loud slap!
Then a garbled, choking noise.
I cringed. Oh God, was Mateo strangling one of the women?
“You stupid slut!” He shouted. “I’m in charge. You’ll take it however I give it you!”
Another loud smack resounded. Then a whimper.
More male grunting that churned my stomach.
Then a thud.
I closed my eyes as terror wrapped around my heart and squeezed. A tear trickled down my cheek. Mateo was hurting those women. And he was coming for me next.
“Please God, give me strength to face whatever comes,” I whispered.
Suddenly Mateo appeared in the doorway. He flicked the light on. I blinked, momentarily blinded. Then my gaze focused on him. He was naked, his torso splattered with blood, though my shock and horror made me uncertain if I was really seeing blood or if my terror was just playing tricks on me. There was no mistaking the malevolence in his eyes as he entered the room.
“I accidentally killed Rhonda,” he said with a dark chuckle. “The dumb bitch thought she could refuse when I told her to take it up the ass. Stop it,” he mimicked in a high-pitched voice. “That hurts. Lisa was smart enough to not fight me, so she’s still alive. Though she’s a little sore and bloody. Once she recovers, she’ll come join us in here.”
I gasped softly, but I was too terrified to speak. He’d killed one of the women? Would he kill me next?
Oh God. Did that mean I shouldn’t fight him? I should just lay here and let him do whatever he wanted to me? Let him rape me?
My stomach rebelled. No. I would never just stay still and let him hurt me. I would fight and fight until I could fight no more. I would fight to my very last breath.
Mateo stepped closer. Leaning over me, he grabbed my glasses and yanked them off, dropping them on the dust-covered night stand. I cringed away, turning my head to the side, my heart pounding.
He snagged my chin with his blood-smeared fingers and forced me to look at him. My skin crawled as he lifted a hand and roughly brushed my hair behind my ear like he was petting a dog. Rub. Rub.
I gagged. Was that Rhonda’s blood on me now?
Mateo lowered himself onto the bed next to me. “Now it’s your turn, Liz.” He petted my head again, almost lovingly. “I’m going to fuck you in every hole you have. When Ryan finds you—if he finds you—there won’t be any doubt in his mind that I had you first. I’m going to leave my mark all over you. He’ll know that I won the bet, even though I wasn’t even a part of it.” He sniggered.
Oh God. My breaths grew shallow. My skin turned clammy. My heart thundered so hard and so loud I couldn’t hear anything else except for the roar of blood pounding in my ears.
Reaching up, he untied one of my hands, slowly, tauntingly. Then the other one, smirking, watching my face, as he carefully unraveled the rope from around the bedpost.
Then he sat back and watched me like a panther waiting for a deer to bolt so he could pounce, the rope held taut between his hands.
I hesitated. I wouldn’t get away from him. He was too fast. Too strong. But I wasn’t just going sit here and let him attack me, either.
He smirked. “I’m going to give you the chance to try to escape. Because I know you’re going to try. So go ahead, Lizzie.” He leaned back and taunted, “Run.”
I bolted up from the bed.
One step.
Two.
He tackled me back onto the mattress, cackling in a sick, demented way. I fought and squirmed and bucked, trying to wiggl
e free, trying to wound him in some way. Arms. Legs. Hands. Feet. Fingernails. Elbows. But he simply dodged all my feeble attempts to hurt him, then lowered his body on top of mine, squishing me into the mattress. Grabbing my wrists, he held them above my head with one of his hands.
Leering down at me, he sent me a look so chilling it turned my blood to ice.
“No,” I whispered, ashamed and humiliated that I had resorted to begging. “Please don’t do this.”
He glowered at me. “No? Did you just say no? Remember what happened to Rhonda? She said no. And now she’s dead. Is that what you want, Lizzie?”
He leaned back, resting his weight heavily over my stomach.
I was panting now in my terror, squirming and twisting, trying to pull my hands free. I would never say yes to this monster. Never.
“Stop, you stupid bitch!” he shouted, backhanding me across the face.
My head swung to the side from the force of the blow, a gasp erupting from my lungs. I immediately ceased my struggles, my face stinging. Bastard. I hitched in a breath, cautiously pulling my gaze back to him.
“Now,” he said softly, almost soothingly as he trailed a finger down my cheek where he’d just hit me. “Let’s try this again.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Ryan
The call to Ellington’s phone went unanswered. That could mean many things, but we suspected it might mean he knew Mateo had Liz and intentionally didn’t answer, believing it might be us. Our plan to lure Ellington out wasn’t going to happen yet, unfortunately. But now we had his number. Once Noah got here, he could try to track Ellington’s phone with his fancy software. Maybe we could track Ellington before he tracked us.
Luke and I went to check around the city while we waited for the other dregs to arrive, searching for a place where we could all meet in private. If finding Liz ended up taking a while, then we would consider checking into a hotel. But I wasn’t ready to do that yet. To me, that meant giving up. I would search relentlessly for her until I found her. I would not stop at a hotel to rest. I owed her the courtesy of not giving up. It was my fault Liz had been kidnapped in the first place. If I had stayed away from the inn, none of this would have happened.
“Stop thinking it’s your fault,” Luke growled from the passenger’s seat as we slowly drove down a quiet, deserted street. This could be a good place to have the other dregs meet up with us. There didn’t appear to be much activity in this part of town.
I pulled my gaze to his. “It is my fault. I was the one who got her involved in this mess.”
“No.” His voice was cold. Hard. “I was the fucking idiot who took Mateo under my wing, thinking I could help the kid out, thinking I could save him. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”
Luke obviously felt guilty about what had happened to Liz. But I didn’t blame him. It wasn’t his fault Mateo had fooled him. No one had ever fooled Luke before, so how could Luke have known it was even possible to fool him?
“There,” Luke murmured, pointing at an old, brown, multi-story building up ahead. “That place looks abandoned. Let’s check it out.”
I pulled over to the curb and we got out, weapons drawn. Several minutes later, we returned to the car. The building was indeed abandoned. In fact, there was a sign out front that stated it had been condemned and that anyone who ventured into the building entered at their own risk.
This place was perfect. We wouldn’t have to worry about anyone accidentally coming upon us here.
We drove back to the hotel to pick up Luke’s car, then we headed back to our new temporary hideout. We parked our cars out back of the building where they were less likely to be spotted, then ventured inside, deciding to use the main courtyard area to meet. It was big and open and had a large window we could look out of and watch for approaching danger.
Noah called as we were setting up a few discarded folding chairs we’d found in the corner of the room.
“Shannon found Mateo in the recruit files. There was nothing unusual in his file. So we got to thinking and she decided to go through all the recruit files to see if she could find something about interchangeability for one of them. What if Mateo isn’t really Mateo? You get my drift? What if he’s someone else using Mateo’s image as a cover? He could literally be anyone.”
A chill crept down my spine. “Like The General?”
There was a pause, then Noah said, “Yeah. As creepy as it may be, what if Mateo is someone else, like The General?”
Luke and I exchanged a glance. We’d killed The General, dammit. Mateo couldn’t be him. Who else could he be? We’d killed all the shareholders except Ellington, and the FBI had been following Ellington after Mateo had joined us. So who was Mateo?
Then Shannon’s voice came over the line. “When you guys rescued me from the facility that night, I lost sight of Mateo after we all ran outside. I didn’t see him again until we were all leaving. What if someone attacked him, knocked him out or killed him, and then took on his appearance? None of us would even know.”
Silence stretched. Luke scowled. “Fuck. I got played, royally.”
Noah sighed over the line. “It’s not your fault, man. It’s no one’s fault. Shannon’s going to keep searching through the recruit files to see if she can find anything that might hint at who or what Mateo is. We’ll let you know if we find out anything.”
My stomach churned, my fear for Liz’s safety increasing tenfold. We had no idea who or what we might be dealing with. And that scared the hell out of me.
“Hey, man, relax.” Luke’s voice penetrated my thoughts. He squeezed my arm. “Don’t think like that. We’ll get her back. And we’ll kill that little shit.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Noah asked quietly, “I don’t mean this is a rude way, Luke, but how come you didn’t pick up on his vibe? Wouldn’t you have noticed immediately that he was an evil little prick?”
Luke glanced at me, then away. “Normally, yes, I would have. But Mateo doesn’t give off any type of vibe, good or bad. There’s nothing there. The kid knows how to mask his emotions so well that even I can’t detect his feelings.”
Silence, then Noah swore softly. “So if he really can mask his emotions, then none of us could have ever suspected his true nature. Don’t beat yourself up over it, Luke.” Noah paused a moment. “We’re all about fifteen minutes out,” he said at last. “Where did you want to meet?”
I gave him the address of the building we were in, then disconnected the call.
The other dregs were almost here. When they arrived, Tracker would try to get a feel for Liz’s whereabouts, and then we’d go find her.
I just prayed we got to her before it was too late.
The guilt was already eating me up inside, twisting and churning in my gut like a pot of gurgling stew.
How would I ever forgive myself if Mateo hurt her?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Liz
The sound of many footsteps clumped down the hallway, announcing the arrival of someone new.
Mateo reared back. He grabbed my right arm and quickly retied me to the bedpost, then hurried toward the door. A group of men paused out in the hallway while Mateo spoke to them.
“Good. You’re here. I wasn’t expecting you for a little while.”
“Obviously,” a deep voice responded. “The Controller pulled us out of training. He’s on his way. He wants the empath. Get dressed, you idiot, and we’ll recon.”
The man who’d spoken peered into the room around Mateo, his gaze landing on me in the bed. He was huge, muscular, powerful-looking. Scary. I fought the urge to cringe under his bold stare.
“She your captive?”
Mateo sneered. “Yeah. She’s mine, so back off.”
The other man snorted. “You’re not going to share? Don’t we get some kind of reward for dropping what we were doing and rushing to help you?”
Mateo turned his head and glanced back at me, his gaze turning sinister. “I’ll share. But I get her first. Y
ou’ll have to wait your turn.”
The other man—the group leader?—grinned and nodded. “Just don’t kill this one. Leave us something to fuck besides a corpse. We already found the one you killed in the other room.”
Mateo’s lips twisted in a sneer. “Oh, Liz will still be alive when I’m done with her. Though she won’t have any fight left in her.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as a wave a fear crashed over me. These guys were all sick. If I didn’t escape, I would be raped and abused by all of them. I swallowed hard. How would I ever escape all these soldiers?
Mateo turned back to the soldier. “There’s a blonde here, too. You can have her all you want. I already did her. She’s in the third bedroom.”
The soldier nodded. “Already found her. The recruits are keeping her entertained so she doesn’t flee.”
My stomach churned with sickness for the poor woman. I could imagine how they were “keeping her entertained”.
Mateo glanced back at me. “The dregs could find us at any moment. If I don’t fuck Lizzie now, I won’t get the chance. I only need fifteen or twenty minutes to do what I want. Give me that, and then we can recon.”
The other man shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Fifteen minutes. But hurry up.”
He went out, slamming the door shut behind him.
Mateo eyed me with a smirk, then came back to the bed.
“Now, where were we?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan
I handed Liz’s purse to Tracker to help him pick up her energy, so he could attempt to locate her. In order to find someone, he needed a photograph of that person or something personal.
The rest of us all gathered around to wait while Tracker closed his eyes and centered himself, trying to locate her with his mind.
Several long moments passed before he opened his eyes and handed the purse back to me.
“She’s not far. I’d say within a few miles. I saw a small brick house with dormant vines trailing up the front and along the porch railing. Inside I saw soldiers. And…” he paused, turning to meet my gaze, apology in his eyes. “An abused woman lying on a bed. I couldn’t tell if she was dead or not, but I’m thinking she’s alive.”
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