Ladyfish

by Andrea Bramhall

  “Jack, is it?” Oz said. Her voice sounded rough and she spit a bit of blood at his feet.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s the plan here? You can’t take us back to the marina or the docks since too many people will see you with us.”

  The blow was vicious. A thin cut opened on her cheek where the butt of the gun struck her. The blood trickled slowly down her skin before dripping onto the deck. Finn heard her own gasp and tried to move toward Oz, stopping only when she saw Oz shake her head the tiniest bit while looking straight at her.

  “That was a little unnecessary wasn’t it? We’re just talking here, Jack.”

  “Shut up, you fucking bitch!”

  A thrumming noise caught their attention. Finn watched Jack as the motorboat pulled alongside them. The man on board slowed, tossed a line to Decker, and they made short work of securing the rib to the dive boat. He climbed aboard.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” The man was tall and wiry with tattoos down his arms and a shock of red hair glinting in the sun.

  Jack nodded in Oz’s direction. “Bitch decided to try and be clever.” He tossed a couple of cable ties at him. “Secure her wrists and let’s get out of here.”

  They quickly cuffed Oz’s and Finn’s hands behind their backs using more cable ties and then dragged them to their feet. Jack kept his hand tight around Finn’s arm and led her to the back of the boat.

  “Get in.” He shoved her toward the edge of the Eleanor Rose.

  “I can’t. I have no balance with my hands tied behind like this. Unfasten them and I’ll get in.” She screamed as he pushed her roughly and she landed on the harsh wooden deck of the smaller vessel, making her knees take all her body weight. Another set of hands gripped her arms and dragged her to the side of the deck.

  “Get the fuck off me.” Oz tried to shrug them off her arms.

  Finn watched helplessly as Oz was pushed off the Eleanor Rose. She twisted during her fall and landed on her shoulder. The sickening crunch and the odd angle when Oz pulled herself to her feet told her that she had dislocated the joint, but she didn’t make a sound.

  Finn heard herself cry out again as a black hood was pulled over her head and her world went dark. She jumped as she felt skin touch her own, but it took only a second to recognize the warm flesh. It was Oz, her arm pressing gently against her own flesh. They didn’t speak as they waited.

  Finn could feel the fear rising in her as she sat, blinded by the hood, her cheek throbbing and her head aching. The heavy scent of diesel fumes filled the air as the engine roared back into life and they left the dive boat behind. Every lurch of the boat across the waves stirred corresponding waves of nausea that threatened to overtake her, and she worked hard to quell the bile rising in her throat. She thought she had accepted the truth of the man her father was, but she wasn’t even close. He wanted to talk to her, so he had her kidnapped. What about her friends on the boat? Were they dead because her father wanted to speak to her? Or was it beyond that point now? Was it her death he wanted? She felt Oz move beside her, and her tears started falling inside the hood. Her cheek stung like hell and she didn’t want to think about the pain Oz must be in. She hated that she had let Oz convince her to stay, knowing that if she had left two days ago like she had planned, Oz would have been safe. She cursed her own foolishness for believing she would ever have happiness in her life. Now that foolishness would cost them both. She didn’t want to consider how high that price would be, but images of the gun in Jack’s hand were all she could see.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Oz felt the boat slowing down. The diesel fumes weren’t blowing away like they had before. The thickening air made her stomach turn, and she fought the urge to vomit. A series of bumps and scuffles, followed by the sound of water lapping gently against the side of the boat told her they had docked.

  Hands gripped her shoulders roughly and dragged her from her seat. Pain seared through her shoulder, the bones grating against one another, and she tried to keep her feet as she was pushed onto the jetty.

  She could hear Finn stumbling and shuffling across the deck of the boat. She heard her whimper and fought back the rage at the thought of one of the men with his hands all over her. She shuffled to her feet, trying to find her footing, but the uneven wooden decking made it impossible and she tripped, falling to one knee.

  “For fuck’s sake, stand her up.” Jack’s voice was harsh as he spat the words from his lips. She felt two sets of hands grabbing at her and dragging her to her feet.

  “Fuck, have you seen her shoulder?”

  “I don’t give a shit if her arm falls off, Decker. Just get them both inside.”

  “No. I won’t—”

  She heard a sharp slap and then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

  “Boss, I don’t think that’s a very good—”

  “I’m surprised you think at all, Decker. Now pick her the fuck up and get them both inside.”

  She heard Finn groan and assumed one of them had slung her over his shoulder. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. She was glad the hood hid her smile as she pictured Finn vomiting all over her captor. The hands around her arms loosened and she worked methodically at her cuffs. As painful as it was, the dislocated shoulder allowed her to twist unnaturally and gave her the space she needed to escape her bindings with a little time. She wished she could see, but right now she had to depend on her abilities without vision. With Finn in danger, it was imperative she keep her head.

  “That’s fucking disgusting. It’s all down the back of my trousers.”

  “Stop being such a girl, Decker. Get her inside.”

  The hands on her arms tightened again, forcing her to stop working against her bonds, and urged her forward. She listened intently for anything that would give her a clue as to where they were. The gentle lapping of the ocean against rocks and the wooden jetty made her think they were on a private island in the Keys. She felt the spray of sprinklers against her skin as they flung a never-ceasing stream of water across the lawn. She stumbled up some steps, her dislocated arm jerked upward with the awkward movements. The temperature changed, and air-conditioning chilled her skin as they entered a building. She couldn’t help the groan that left her lips as she was pushed down onto a chair, her arm twisted painfully against the backrest.

  “Fuck, Decker, you stink man!”

  “Ha, ha. Very funny, you little prick.”

  “Decker, go and change.” Jack’s authoritative voice echoed through the room, and the man scurried away.

  “She’s here,” Jack said and waited a beat before the louder snap of a phone closing rang out. She heard fabric rustle then the sound of someone sitting on upholstery a few feet away. “He won’t be long now.” He sounded happy. Confident. Cocky.

  She felt the tension knotting between her shoulder blades, and sweat trickled down her spine. She managed to get her wrist in a workable position, the movement forcing contact with Finn. Her heart soared to feel her skin touching Finn’s and she took a chance that the hood would muffle almost any soft sound she made. “Finn, baby, I’ve almost got my cuffs off. If you can distract them for a few minutes, I can get us out of this.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “How?”

  “I didn’t dislocate my shoulder by accident. It’s the only way to get out of these damn ties—”

  “Stop fucking whispering!”

  She heard movement then the light stung her eyes as he ripped the hood off her head. His face was only inches from hers, and the stench of his breath turned her stomach.

  “Did you think I couldn’t hear you whispering?” He leaned closer. “Now tell me what you were saying.” He wrapped his fingers around her throat and her arms jerked against the ties.

  “Jack, I was the one talking.”

  “Saying what?”

  “I was telling her I loved her.”

  He removed his hand, and she sucked in a deep breath. Her relief was s
hort-lived when he yanked Finn’s hood off and dragged her from the chair.

  He laughed as he pulled her tight against him, his face barely an inch from hers. “I watched you.” He put his nose to her hair and inhaled deeply. “For years, he’s had me watch you.” He pulled the hair back off her neck and dragged his tongue across her skin before biting down hard.

  Oz wanted to wrap her hands around his neck as she saw Finn’s body jerk, and she knew Finn was fighting back the urge to scream.

  “Could you feel me?” He nipped on her earlobe and slid his hands down to her ass, pulling her tight against him. “Could you feel me watching you?” He turned her around so her back was pressed against him and she was facing Oz.

  Oz looked straight at Finn, the anger she felt turning to cold, hard rage. The revulsion in Finn’s eyes tore holes in her soul as she tried to control her breathing and focus on the task at hand. There was nothing she could do for Finn until she was out of the cuffs.

  “Dear Daddy made me watch you, and all the time he knew.” He grabbed roughly at Finn’s breast, squeezing her hard through her wet suit until she cried out. “Do you know what he knew?”

  Oz watched tears roll down Finn’s cheeks. She stared at the wall, her face blank.

  “He knew that I wanted you.” His hand slid between her legs and he cupped her. “He knew that I was watching you every time you got undressed.”

  Oz knew without a doubt that she was going to kill him as he reached behind Finn’s back and began to unfasten the zipper on her wet suit. She wanted to feel his blood on her hands, hot and sticky and red. She didn’t care if that made her a murderer.

  “Every time you got in the shower.” He slid the zipper down her back and pulled the thick neoprene off one shoulder. “Could you feel my eyes on you?” He licked her shoulder where it met her neck. “I bet you could. Did you like it?” His hands squeezed roughly at her breasts again, and he bit the back of her neck while he pressed his crotch against her. “I’m betting you did.” He grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked back hard.

  Oz had never felt so helpless. She couldn’t control the shaking in her hands, and it was only making it harder for her to break her bonds. She could feel the heat of rage burning her face, and sweat coated her skin. The pain in her head and shoulder were totally forgotten. They were completely irrelevant in her need to destroy Finn’s tormentor.

  “I think your bitch likes to watch too. She hasn’t taken her eyes off you, has she?” He laughed as he pulled Finn tighter against his body, his fingers still wrapped in her hair. He tucked his gun into the back of his pants and started to inch her wet suit away from her skin. His eyes never left Oz’s as he slowly bared Finn’s torso, trapping her arms more securely by her sides with the wet suit. Every movement dared Oz to speak, both of them knowing his behavior would only get worse if she did. He pushed the scant fabric of Finn’s bikini top aside and gave Oz a vicious grin.

  Oz strained to lift herself out of her chair as more tears slid down Finn’s cheeks when Jack grasped and squeezed her breasts before pulling hard on her nipples. Finn bit her lip, and Oz ached to wipe away the tiny trickle of blood she created.

  Jack let go of Finn’s hair and wrapped his fingers around her throat, twisting her head away from his and giving him greater access to her neck. He licked at her flesh and slid his hand inside her wet suit. She squirmed in his grasp and fought to pull away from him. “Now, now, Daniela. No need for that.”

  Oz could see his fingers tightening on her throat, cutting off her air. She could see Finn gasping, and she fought harder, twisting and turning in his grasp.

  “Bitch!” He pushed her away from him, cupping his crotch. He lashed out and slapped her across the face, grinning as she stumbled. Oz watched helplessly as Finn fell to the floor, coughing as she tried to drag air into her empty lungs. Jack reached for her again, pulled her to her feet like a rag doll, then he crushed her body against him and pressed his lips hard against her own.

  The floorboards creaked, and the air became thick with the sickly odor of cologne. Jack froze.

  “Put her down, Jack.”

  Jack straightened and stepped away from her.

  “Cover her up.”

  Jack quickly straightened the bikini top and began to slide the wet suit back up her arms, struggling with the damp neoprene every step of the way.

  “Where is Decker?”

  “He had to change his trousers, sir.”

  “Why?”

  “She threw up on him, sir.”

  William Sterling stepped in front of Finn and looked down at her.

  “Does that have anything to do with the blow to her head?”

  “I don’t know, sir. She fell in the driveway and I told Decker to pick her up.”

  “Fell? Then why does the mark look like a handprint, Jack?”

  “She was somewhat reticent to do as she was asked, sir.”

  “I see. So you gave her a little persuasion.”

  It wasn’t a question, but Jack nodded anyway.

  “And you, Daniela, why were you causing Jack so much trouble?”

  “He didn’t ask me nicely, Daddy.” Her voice was rough and she was breathing deeply.

  Good girl, Finn. Keep them distracted just a little bit longer. I’ve nearly got the cuffs off, baby. Oz could feel how close the bonds were to releasing. She knew she would already be free if she wasn’t trying to keep her movements from giving her away.

  “She seems reasonable enough to me, Jack.” Sterling walked slowly to the bar and poured himself a drink. “I must say, though, your behavior of late has given me cause to question your judgment, Daniela. Do you know why that is?”

  “Because I’ve been having cold feet about marrying Pete.”

  Oz watched her drop her eyes trying to look contrite.

  “No, Daniela, this has nothing to do with that sniveling little faggot. This is about you and her. This fucking bitch!” He kicked out and landed a glancing blow on Oz’s shin.

  She sucked air in through her lips and stifled a moan as Decker and the other man came back in the room. They positioned themselves by the door, one on either side, their guns held loosely in their clasped hands. Oz mentally paced the distance to them. She carefully gauged the distance to Jack, weighing and assessing the best way to approach them when she attacked. Deciding who the biggest threat was and how best to eradicate that threat. Would she have to kill Jack to stop him? Did she care? Who did she need to target next? She saw the fight develop in her mind in a split second and knew exactly where each counterattack would come from as well as where she needed to position herself between Finn and danger. Every decision was already made when her binding finally gave way and she sat waiting, biding her time. Every decision except one. If she had to, could she kill Sterling? Could she look him in the eye and pull the trigger, knowing he was Finn’s father? Would Finn ever forgive her if she did?

  “You have disgraced me, you disgusting little pervert. I’m just glad your mother isn’t here to see this.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  Oz knew the anger had been building in Finn, held back only until the shock wore off a little and simmering until it reached boiling point. Please, baby, don’t push him too far. Oz was terrified that her anger would blind Finn to the danger signs.

  “Don’t even think about her! You aren’t good enough for that. You aren’t good enough for a lot of things, Father.”

  Oz grunted as the blow to Finn’s stomach doubled her over and made her gasp. She took her time getting her breath back, but she straightened her spine and kept speaking.

  “You see, Daddy, I know.” She spat the words at him as she took a step closer. “I know every diabolical thing about you. You’re an evil, despicable bastard.”

  Oz cringed at the blow that landed across Finn’s face, causing her head to snap to the side, before she spat blood on the ground. The adrenaline in her system probably blocked the worst of the pain, and Oz grinned when Finn took another s
tep forward and he took one back. Her words were quiet, cold, and she was seemingly unafraid.

  “I know what you have growing in the bio lab.” She took another step toward him. “And I know what you’re planning to do with it.” She took another step. “I also know that no matter what you do to me today, you will not get away with it.”

  The next slap caused her eyes to water, but she took another step, and this time when he backed up another step he hit the edge of a chair and sat down. She leaned down so that her eyes were level with his.

  Oz wanted to cheer as she watched Finn stand up to the tyrant who had ruled her.

  “I always wanted to make you proud of me, Daddy, because I thought I could be proud to call you my father.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Oz saw Jack step toward them, only to step back with a flick of Sterling’s hand.

  “Even though I didn’t like you,” Finn continued. “Even though I hated what I saw you do to the people who worked for us. For you. What you did to me. That you didn’t care that I didn’t love Pete. Or that he didn’t love me. I still wanted you to be proud of me.” She stared at him. “But you’re a monster. You don’t care about anything or anyone but yourself. Your money. Your power. You tortured my mother, and you tortured me for years, with all your mind games. No more.” She stood up and looked down at him. “It ends now. Today. I’m through playing your games, you pathetic little bastard. I know that you killed my mother.”

  He stood quickly and wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed until she went quiet, her eyes bulging and bloodshot. Her cheeks reddened, making the blue tint to her lips stand out further. Oz felt like throwing up, but she knew she couldn’t make her move yet. If he didn’t let go, she’d be forced to move, but she couldn’t take out everyone in the positions they were. She swallowed her bile when he let go of Finn’s throat and she gulped air.

  “Are you quite finished, Daniela?” He let go of her throat and slapped her hard across the face, the force of the blow spinning her round. “Good. I do hate a woman who doesn’t know when to shut up.” He held her jaw and looked at her. “You don’t know a damn thing, little girl. I didn’t kill your mother. She did it all herself. But do you know what the real kicker is?” He twisted her face from one side to the other. “Do you know I had to bribe the coroner so that I could get the money?”