by Tori Carson
“Those drugs are making you loopy, sweet face. Desi would fuck over his own mamma, but you’ll see him soon enough.” He held up a syringe in front of the light. “You gonna give me any trouble?”
“No, please, I just want to see my brother.” The light continued to bob in front of her eyes so she couldn’t get a good look at him, but he didn’t sound like anyone she’d known from her childhood.
The handcuffs drew tighter as he unclipped the hook holding them over her head. Her hands swung down into her lap. The blood rushing into her shoulders and arms brought the feeling back and with it pain.
“Step into this,” he ordered, holding out a sailor’s style duffel bag.
“I want to see this through,” she answered softly, hoping to keep Sid and his men from rushing to her rescue. Alexa knew this was their one shot at catching Danny.
The man snickered. “That’s good, sweet face, cuz you’re gonna. But ‘Danny’ ain’t gonna save ya. He’s gonna sell ya, and knowin’ that bastard, he’ll train ya himself. I could see him doin’ his own sister. He’s a crazy fucker.”
A shiver went down her spine. She’d been warned the transmitter wasn’t very strong. Once she drove away with this man, she would probably be out of contact and on her own.
“No, you’ll see. He loves me. This is a mistake.” If he believed she’d go with him quietly, maybe he wouldn’t drug her.
“You’re one dumb bitch, ain’t ya? I bet Desi gives us all a free ride. He gets off hearing the dumb ones scream and fight.”
The punch to her abdomen came out of nowhere. Air rushed from her lungs and she doubled over in pain.
“What happened, Alexa? Are you all right?” Sid shouted through her earpiece. She tipped her head away from the man, hoping he couldn’t hear.
“I won’t try anything. Please don’t hurt me,” she managed to get out through gritted teeth.
“Just warming you up, sweet face. Get used to it. Sometimes pain is the only way to know you’re still alive.” He chuckled then hefted the bag, with her curled inside, to his shoulder and began walking.
He turned sideways and used the momentum of her body to bounce the door farther open. The air rushed from her lungs and pain crashed along her ribcage. Somehow, she kept from groaning. A few more steps and he dropped the duffel bag. She landed on her back and rolled sideways to stop her head from hitting the road. To keep Sid from freaking out, she took the abuse as stoically as possible.
A moment later, she was hurled through the air. She brought her hands up as far as she could and tucked her head down. As she hit the side of what she assumed was a van, part of the cast on her wrist shattered. Her sharp scream of shock and pain allowed plaster particles into her mouth and down her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she coughed uncontrollably. Her stomach muscles, already tender from his punch, knotted and cramped, making it almost impossible to catch her breath.
“Alexa, baby, talk to me,” Sid whispered through her earbud.
She tried to respond, but all she could do was cough.
“Baby, are you all right?” Sid asked again, this time with an edge of desperation.
By the time she had control again, the man was settling into the driver’s seat and she dared not speak.
As soon as he started the vehicle, music blared from the speakers. He dumped the clutch and pulled away. Each time he changed gears, Alexa struggled to stay in one place. There was no doubt in her mind he was doing it on purpose.
“I’m okay,” she said softly, hoping Sid could hear her.
“We’re”—static crackled—“you.”
“You’re breaking up, Sid. If you can hear me, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Okay, so that was a lie of the highest order. She hurt like hell, but she wasn’t in immediate need of rescuing, at least not yet.
The canvas of the duffel bag was scratchy and stiff. Each time the vehicle stopped or turned, Alexa strained against it, scraping her knees and elbows into a raw mess. She focused on plucking away the rest of her cast. It was good to have something to occupy her mind besides fear.
“Fuck,” the man shouted and turned the music down. “If you make one sound, I’ll make your death long and painful. You hear me?”
“I won’t, I swear,” she answered as meekly as possible as she caught the faint sound of sirens. Oh Sid, what have you done?
Alexa felt the van slow and pull over to the side of the road.
“Shut off the ignition and show me your license, registration and proof of insurance card, please.”
The steady vibration of the motor ended abruptly as she lay perfectly still and prayed Sid hadn’t called a stop to the operation.
Some clunking sounds, she assumed was the glove box lid opened and slammed shut, filled the silence. It was impossible to see anything clearly but a beam of light illuminated the area near her.
“What do you have in the back?” the officer asked.
“My tools and drop clothes and shit. I’m a painter,” the man answered in a perturbed voice.
“Where are you headed this evening, Mr. Grumer?”
“I’m en route to meet a client and I’m late, so if you’re going to give me a ticket, can you get on with it?” he grumbled.
“You were doing forty-two in a thirty-five. Slow it down, Mr. Grumer, or next time I’ll write you a ticket,” the officer warned.
“No problem,” Grumer replied, then started the van.
Once they were back on the road, Grumer shouted over the radio, “Maybe I won’t turn you over to Desi. Maybe I’ll keep you for myself, sweet face. I think you’re my good luck charm.”
“We’ve got a GPS transponder on the van and a transmitter boosting your signal, Alexa. Talk to me. I need to hear your voice, baby.” Sid sounded calm, but she knew he was stressed.
“I’m okay. I feel better knowing you can find me. I love you, Sid, and I do trust you.” She needed to say it, just in case.
“Hell of a time to tell me, baby.” He sounded strained, but amused.
She suddenly remembered everyone could hear her. Only Sid’s comments could be directed solely to her. “Sorry, folks, for the TMI, but sometimes you have to seize the moment,” she apologized.
Alexa was pretty sure the agents with Sid would give him a hard time for her indiscretion and the thought made her smile. Funny how even in the midst of a dangerous situation, with just about every part of her body hurting, Sid could still make her smile.
“No worries, baby. You can tell me you love me any time.” He was definitely laughing now.
Sid was one street over tracking the van Alexa was riding in. He wished to God he could trade places with her. Acting as support was always trying. Boring as hell for ninety percent of the mission, but that ten percent when your friends and colleagues were in the line of fire he’d always considered as the worst part of the job. Until this. Having Alexa in danger as he rode safely behind her was pure hell. He knew first-hand just how quickly a case could go to shit and this one had already gone awry. Of course, they had planned for every contingency, but Sid had expected Desman to go to the unit himself.
Something was off. Alexa had been the only witness to Ezzy’s murder, with Alexa dead he’d be home free. So if he planned to kill Alexa, it stood to reason he’d want to limit the number of people who could link her back to him. Yet he wanted her alive. Why?
“Alexa, you mentioned that Desman had you declared dead. When was that?” He hadn’t run across the official paperwork and he should have.
“A couple years ago. I hacked into his computer and saw his correspondence with an outside lawyer.” Alexa was breathing heavily.
Adrenaline could do that, but he suspected she was in pain. The urge to pull her out of there was almost too much to ignore. “Outside?”
The agent that had pulled over Mr. Grumer had reported seeing five gallon paint buckets, a small compressor and other painting accoutrements. Every time Grumer hit a bump or turned, Alexa was likely getting banged around in the
back of the van.
“Desman’s Designs has used the same lawyer, Mr. Hawkings, since my parents founded the company. He was emailing someone from a different firm.” Alexa groaned softly. “I don’t remember the name right now. I saved copies of all their correspondence on my laptop.”
“I have the files. I’ll look for it.” Sid would have known if a request had been filed. He’d definitely have to look into the attorney as well.
“Do you…?” Static.
“Alexa?” Knots tightened in his gut. “Alexa?” He picked up his two-way radio. “I’ve lost contact. What’s going on?”
“The van turned into an underground parking garage. We’ve sent agents in on foot,” Sammy answered from one of the other surveillance vehicles.
What the fuck?
Chapter Twelve
“Sid? Can you still hear me?” Alexa asked for the fourth or fifth time. He’s been quiet too long. Something’s happened. Did Grumer figure it out and lose them? Oh God.
The vehicle had been stopped for a minute or so, but was still running. Were they waiting for a train? Oh no. What if Grumer put her back in a storage unit and packed her away on a train? Sid would never find her.
Metal clanked then she was dragged about two feet. Someone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head through the top of the duffle bag.
“You’re no fun, sweet face. I like to hear crying and begging,” Grumer complained, right before he shoved a syringe into the side of her neck and the world grew fuzzy.
The van had been out of range for approximately five minutes. Five long fucking minutes. When it reappeared on GPS, the sounds being picked up from Alexa’s mike were completely different, the road noise was considerably louder, the music was gone and she wasn’t responding. Calling the end to a mission was a serious decision, but Sid made it instantaneously and without any reservations. It didn’t matter that he was probably blowing their only chance to bring in Desman. Alexa’s safety was more important.
Sid gave the order. “Intercept the van. We’re pulling Alexa outta there.”
“You got it, boss,” Sammy immediately responded through the two-way radio.
Sid’s driver cut across a parking lot and pulled the city water department truck they were using to the curb a block away from the suspect’s van. Grumer was out of the vehicle with his hands on the hood, yet the road noise from Alexa’s mike was as loud as before. “Fuck! She’s not in the van. He moved her to another vehicle.”
“Are you sure? The officer is still searching the back,” Sammy asked cautiously.
“Her signal is growing weaker. She’s in motion,” he answered as alarm spread like fire. “Get us moving before we lose her completely,” Sid ordered his driver.
“What direction?” the agent driving the water department truck asked Sid.
“Back toward the garage.” If he were Desman, he’d have sent Grumer in the opposite direction. By pulling him over again, they’d shown their hand. If Desman was keeping track of Grumer, he’d know Alexa was baiting him. “Detain Grumer until further word from me.”
“We’ll transport him to the safe house. Good hunting, Sid. I’ll get what I can from him and relay it ASAP,” Sammy informed him.
Sid feared he would need it. As they backtracked to the garage, Alexa’s signal grew faint. He reached out to every agent involved in the investigation. “What other vehicles were seen leaving the garage once Grumer entered?”
The list the undercover officers were rattling off was terrifyingly long. Sid linked his laptop with the Transit Authority’s network and began to track the vehicles using traffic cameras, as well as bridge and toll pass stations.
While they were following Grumer, Alexa’s signal had started to fade, so Sid focused his officers in the other three directions, hoping to reacquire her signal.
Fear clawed away at him. Was Desi one paranoid SOB or had they somehow tipped him off?
As Sid coordinated the search, he hung on to the hope that Desi needed her alive. Hackman’s orders had been to retrieve her, not kill her.
* * * *
Alexa awoke with a start. Her vision was fuzzy and she couldn’t move her arms. Flashes of light drew her attention. Was it storming? She heard whimpering and crying, but she couldn’t see where it was coming from. Each time she tried to pull her hands down she heard metal clanking and something bit into her wrists, sending excruciating pain through her arm.
More flashes had her blinking and looking around. A man’s voice, patronizing and cruel, sounded off to her left.
“Cry harder, honey. You’re turning me on.” Flash, flash, flash.
A shadow crossed over Alexa’s face and she instinctively tried to pull away. The bright flash of a camera hit her eyes, blinding her momentarily.
“Nice tits on this one. Older though.”
Alexa looked down. Dear God, she was naked. She tried to cover herself, but her hands were secured over her head. Failing that, she drew her knees up to her chin. From where she lay, she could see two rows of cots. Each row had four women, like her, handcuffed and stripped of all clothing. Her heart sank. They were in a large, fairly dark room. Two men, one in faded blue jeans and the other in camo, were walking around taking pictures of the women and chatting nonchalantly with a third man that Alexa couldn’t see.
Once each woman had been photographed, the men left. With the immediate danger past, Alexa took stock of her situation. It wasn’t good. When they’d taken her clothing, they’d also taken her only source of communication with Sid and the dagger she’d had hidden in the heel of her shoe.
Unless Sid had somehow followed them, she was on her own.
The girl closest to her was huddled in the fetal position, softly crying.
“My name’s Alexa. What’s yours?” she asked quietly.
The girl hesitated a moment then sniffled. “Crissy.”
“Do you have any idea how we ended up in here?” If she could learn how they abducted the women, maybe they could figure out how to protect others before they ended up in a place like this. That’s assuming, of course, that I get out of here alive.
Crissy’s chin trembled as she shook her head. “It was supposed to be a photo shoot. My big chance.”
“It’ll be all right, Crissy. We’ll get out of here…somehow.” Alexa prayed she wasn’t lying to the girl.
“This one?” the man wearing jeans asked, as he walked toward Crissy. He had tats along both arms and a carefree smile.
“Yeah, the scrawny blonde. She’s the next Sophia Vergara, don’t ya know?” a man answered from behind Alexa.
The guy in jeans blocked Alexa’s view, but she caught glimpses of Crissy struggling so hard she was rocking the cot.
“She ain’t no Sunny Leone, that’s for sure. No damn tits. Settle down, Sophie, you’ll be feeling right fine in a few minutes.” He started laughing as he walked back out of sight.
“Alexa?” Crissy whispered.
“I’m here,” Alexa tried to reassure her.
“I feel funny. I’m all tingly and hot. What did they do to me?”
Alexa’s gut twisted and she renewed her attempts to get free. Each time she tugged the pain in her wrist sent bile to her throat. “I don’t know, Crissy. Try to stay calm.”
“My crotch is on fire, Alexa. Help me,” Crissy pleaded as she rocked her hips back and forth.
“Breathe deep, Crissy and stay calm. It’ll pass.” Alexa knew she was lying. Whatever they’d done to the girl wasn’t going to go away quickly or easily. Damn it. She had to get loose.
Alexa remembered the handcuffs had a special release clasp. If she could just reach it, maybe she could do something to help the girl.
Suddenly the other half of the room was flooded with light. It looked like the inside of a cheap motel. A bed, curtains, dresser and lamp were visible. If she could get free, she might be able to break the window and get out.
To reach the catch on the handcuffs, she had to slide them farther down her arm. Either
they had tightened or her wrists were swollen because she couldn’t move them enough. The skin was abraded and the cuffs hurt like hell. Her left arm, where the cast had been, was pale and bruised.
Mr. Faded Jeans made his way back to Crissy.
“Leave her alone!” Alexa warned.
He turned and looked at Alexa as if she were gum on the sole of his shoe. “You don’t talk to me like that, bitch.” He backhanded her across the face, making her see stars.
“Muzzle that one,” he ordered.
Someone yanked her hair. When she gasped, a wooden dowel was thrust into her mouth and secured at the back of her head by vinyl straps. She kicked and thrashed but they just laughed at her.
“It ain’t your turn yet, honey. Just settle down,” the man in camo told Alexa before turning his attention to Crissy. After unclipping her handcuffs, he pulled her into a sitting position.
Alexa noticed the poor girl’s eyes were glazed over and she looked confused.
“This is your big shot, honey. Make it believable.” The man who’d ordered Alexa be gagged was speaking sweetly to Crissy. “Now in this scene, your husband has returned from war. You never expected to see him alive again. You can’t wait to touch him. You have to make sure he’s real and not another fantasy that you’ve had night after night. Your only thought is to please him and make up for all those lost months without him.”
Crissy wore a huge grin and was brushing through her hair with her fingers. “Got it.”
“If you do this right, you’ll be a big star. Everyone will know your name.” The man continued to prep her.
Alexa’s heart sank. Whatever they’d given Crissy had completely befuddled her. She ran a finger across her teeth and pinched her cheeks. Alexa knew Crissy believed she was about to audition.
The man in jeans led Crissy to the lit area of the warehouse. “You’re going to stand by the dresser. When you see your husband, you run to him. You have to make it look real, Crissy. He’s your husband and you missed him terribly.”
