by C. A. Harms
I had already decided that when I was finished today, I was going to convince Audrey to take me to see Margo. Did I think Josh would like that? Nope, but I didn’t care either. I wanted to ask her myself why she chose to band together with some crazy ass psycho and help lead him to me.
Pulling up in front of the medical building that held my obstetrician’s office, I began looking around for my sister. And of course she was nowhere.
“We are here, ma’am,” the cabby announced.
As if I hadn’t figured that out yet.
He was looking over his shoulder at me in irritation. I’m sure he calculated the amount of money each moment I sat here cost him. He was already anticipating his next passenger.
Without wanting to further aggravate him, I pulled a twenty from my purse and handed it to him.
Maybe I should have just driven my own car, but a dark parking garage was an area Josh made off-limits without an escort. I had many of those. I was to stay home with company, but if I had to leave, I was to be accompanied by someone and to remain in public at all times.
Blah blah, it was all just as annoying as it sounded. It drove me insane. I would never get used to all the damn rules that I had to live by now.
As I crawled from the cab, I dialed Brooklynn’s number and she immediately picked up. “We are fine, momma, you’ve only been gone twenty minutes. I swear I have not yet corrupted our little man.”
She began mumbling something to Asher that I swear contained the words Mommy and overprotective crazy woman.
“For your information, I am not calling to check in,” I declared. “I’m actually calling to ask if you’ve heard from Audrey. She was already supposed to be here, but I don’t see her anywhere.”
“Nope,” Brook replied. “Last time I talked to her was yesterday afternoon.”
I stepped off to the side to allow a couple to pass, my gaze immediately falling to her protruding stomach as she waddled toward the entrance. Oh how I remembered those days. Yes, I ached, and the discomfort of my incision was rough, but tolerable. I had grown to miss my feet during those days, and now at least I could tie my own shoes again.
“Okay, well…” I turned back again, taking one last look toward the parking lot. “I guess I’ll just go upstairs then. If you hear from her, tell her thanks for deserting me.”
“Don’t leave without someone being with you,” she ordered, and it reminded me of Josh. So authoritative.
“I’ll call you after,” I promised as I hit end and tucked my phone in my pocket.
I stepped in through the front entrance and walked down a long hallway toward the Hawthorne elevators. I didn’t really pay much attention to those I passed. I was still confused as to why my sister had forgotten about me. I mean, we talked less than two hours ago and she assured me she would be here.
Tapping the button to retrieve the elevator, I stepped to the side and pulled my phone from my purse once more as I typed out yet another message to Audrey.
Remind me why it is I love you. Because right now, abandoned and alone in a dingy hallway, I can’t honestly remember why.
I pressed send and smiled, thinking of what her response to that would be once she ever took the chance to read it.
The ding of the elevator distracted me, and I looked up just as it slid open. I stepped inside, and just before the doors closed a man slipped inside.
I reached out to press number three, but he placed his hand over mine and the touch startled me. I jerked back and watched as he pressed the G. The elevator began to move and he turned around to face me once more, holding out what appeared to be a syringe in his hand.
My heart raced as he lunged at me without speaking a word and grabbed my shoulder with one hand as he jabbed the needle in the side of my neck.
I struggled and screamed, but almost immediately I felt my body grow limp as I sagged against the wall behind me.
“Gabriella,” he whispered against my ear. I did everything I could to lean away from him. But I was so dizzy and my eyes were growing heavy. “We finally meet,” he said just as my body gave out and I began to slide to the floor.
Chapter 29
Leo
“Josh should really make sure his woman is better protected.” I chuckled while looking over at Gabriella slumped in the backseat of my Lincoln.
“Audrey was pretty easily distracted. All I had to do was dangle a little lie in front of her and she was running off thinking she had your exact location and would be the hero who finally brought you down.” Nic had been a great asset, a proud and dedicated officer with the CIA.
The joke was on them.
Nic was a dirty cop, strung out on my merchandise and hooked on the women I could provide. The man would do just about anything as long as I continued to support his newfound addictions.
He had been keeping me informed all along, allowing me to stay one step ahead at all times.
“Trusting you was something she was easily led to do. You did well, my friend.” I congratulated him as I tossed a bag of cocaine in the form of payment over the seat, along with a wad of cash that would fund the biggest of parties. “Your night of celebration is on me. The penthouse rented under my alias is also available, and the women await your arrival.”
I watched as his face lit up with what I would consider lust. “Kera?” he asked.
Kera was in fact one of my best entertainers. The men loved her. “Oh yes, of course,” I assured him. “She will also be bringing along a few others that guarantee a good time.”
I looked over at Gabby to my right and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “You deserve big payment for this. And after you drop me and Gabriella off, I want you to enjoy yourself.”
He nodded his head as he continued to drive toward our destination.
I knew my plan with Gabriella would still take time. After all, she was not yet completely healed. However, this would allow us to get to know one another on a whole different level, making our impending union easier for her to accept.
I could feel myself salivating at the thought of truly marking her and making her mine.
I placed my palm against my hardening cock and pressed downward, trying to gain any form of relief. Waiting for Gabriella was going to be an extreme test of my patience.
Chapter 30
Josh
“It’s a fucking dead end, Audrey.” I tried to refrain from expressing just how pissed I was, but it was impossible. We had been sent on a wild goose chase across the damn city to only come up empty.
“Nic said Leo made contact,” she said as she looked around at the display before us. A group of elderly people square dancing as a younger couple directed them on their next move.
It was all a hoax. A way to distract us from something, but what?
“Well Nic fucking lied.” A few people looked in our direction, and I spun on my heel and started walking toward my waiting car.
“I’m sorry, Josh,” Audrey called after me. “I didn’t have a reason to believe this wasn’t a legit lead.”
“I know,” I confessed.
Any of us would have done the same.
I leaned in and rested my hands on the hood of my car. Hanging my head in defeat, I closed my eyes tightly and wished like fucking hell for some form of control.
The ringing of my cell only infuriated me more.
Pushing off the car, I jerked it from my clip and didn’t even take the time to check the ID.
“Phoenix,” I barked.
“Josh?” a soft voice questioned. “Hey, it’s Brook.” Gabby’s sister would only be calling me for one reason. “Have you heard from Gabs?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t she at the apartment with you?” I asked, turning around in search of Audrey.
She was already at my side, looking up at me in confusion.
“No,” she replied. “She left here a few hours ago for an appointment. She was supposed to meet Audrey, but I’ve tried both of them and they aren’t answering. Plus I�
��ve tried the doctor’s office and they said she never showed up.”
I could feel my heart beating at an uncontrollable rate.
“I’m starting to worry,” she added, and I slouched back against the fender of my car.
“Audrey is here with me,” I said in response. It came out as more of a whisper.
I was unable to fucking move. I knew I should be running, commanding everyone to move, but I couldn’t. I was frozen in fear. Something wasn’t right. The distraction, Gabby not showing up for her appointment; I think I knew deep down what it all was, but I didn’t want to say the words.
If I said them aloud then I would be forced to face the fact that when I returned home, I wouldn’t find Gabby there.
“Something’s not right, Josh.” It was Brooklynn who spoke the words, and it felt like my heart was ripped from my chest the moment she did. “It’s Leo, isn’t it?”
Audrey put her hand on my forearm, and it was then everything came back into focus.
“Where’s your phone?” I asked her.
She gave me a strange look as she reached into her back pocket only to come up empty. “I must have left it at Mike’s. I called you and then scrambled around the apartment for my keys. I think I sat it down on the counter, and in my rush I must have forgotten to pick it back up.”
“Josh,” Brooklynn said, trying to gain my attention.
“We need to move,” I said to no one in particular as I opened my car door.
“Josh,” Brook said again, only this time a lot louder than before.
“I’ll call you when I know something, okay?” I tried to remain calm, but I was so close to losing my shit I could hear the vibration in my voice.
I climbed into my car and Audrey ran around to the passenger side. “Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?” she asked.
“Did you forget about plans you made today?” I said, without turning to face her. “Something that involved Gabby and an appointment?”
“Oh shit,” she said in response.
“Yeah,” I replied. I tossed my phone at her and she caught it as I punched the gas and the car lurched forward. “Call Grayson and tell him we’re on our way to Dr. Bali’s office. It would seem your sister never showed up, and she hasn’t returned home either.”
I obeyed no traffic laws. I didn’t give a shit whose car mine may have collided with, if any. I had to get across town, and everyone would be better off if they just chose to move the fuck out of my way.
***
Fifteen minutes later I came to an abrupt stop and leaped from the car.
People turned in my direction in alarm as I wove past those standing just outside the door. The elevators Gabby always chose to take were down a hallway to the right.
She liked those because they opened just outside the door of the main entrance to Dr. Bali’s office.
They were obviously the least used as they rarely had anyone waiting every time we had come to one of her appointments before.
I slid to a stop and began tapping the retrieval button over and over as if it would call the elevator to my floor faster.
Clicking of heels had me turning toward the sound just as Audrey slid to a stop next to me.
The sheer panicked expression written all across her face only made my own ten times worse. Right now I couldn’t be the tough guy; there was no hope for that.
“Everything is gonna be okay,” she whispered, but I never even acknowledged her comment. I was sure she was trying to reassure herself.
The doors slid open, and before I could step inside, the reality of the situation had me dropping to my knees. A cry of agony ripped through me as I fell forward onto my hands.
There in the corner of the elevator was Gabby’s red bag, her keys lying just at its side.
There was absolutely no way to confuse the bag with someone else’s, because there, hanging from the strap, was the small plastic keychain she had made with a picture of Asher tucked safely between the casings.
I felt someone lifting me from the floor and moving me to a bench or chair only a few feet from the elevator, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her bag.
My biggest fears had come true.
Leo had her.
Chapter 31
Gabby
I woke disoriented and in sheer panic as I looked around the room. I had no idea where I was.
I tried to move, only to find my wrists were bound to the bedpost above my head with thick, coarse rope of some kind. It felt like sandpaper with each movement.
A burning sensation on my left side caused me to wince unexpectedly. My head lifted instantly as I focused on the door across the room, holding my breath.
When I was satisfied no one was coming, I began trying to move once more. If I could just get my wrists free, maybe I could find a way out.
“It’s good to see you awake, Gabriella.” I froze mid tug and twisted entirely too fast toward the voice, only to cause yet another shot of pain to rip through my abdomen. “Look what you’ve done.”
I found a man with light brown hair approaching with ease, as if he didn’t have a woman tied to the bed, holding her against her will.
I watched him closely as he took a seat at my side and reached out, lifting the hem of my shirt. I shrank back against the mattress, unable to gain the distance I was hoping for.
“Lie still, beautiful, and let me see.”
I couldn’t get away from him.
He slowly lifted my shirt, exposing my stomach, and it was then that I noticed the blood, both fresh and dried.
“You’ve torn your incision,” he stated as he dragged his finger across the area just beneath. A nauseous feeling filled me instantly as I shivered.
He smiled at my reaction, actually thinking I enjoyed it. “I knew you’d love it.”
“You’re disgusting,” I said with a hate I hadn’t known I possessed. “You are a sick son of a bitch, and I will never love your touch. You make me sick.”
“That will change with time,” he insisted. “I had hoped to allow you adequate time to heal, but it would appear I hadn’t chosen the best person to handle my affairs. Margo’s mistake could have cost me you, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
I glared at him as he looked up and met my gaze.
“You will learn to accept your fate, Gabriella. You are mine now.” A chill ran through me, because I had heard enough about Leo to know what it meant to be his.
He rose from the bed, leaving my shirt up and tucked beneath my breast. His eyes roamed over my body before his gaze settled on me once more. “A doctor friend of mine will be here in the morning to have a look at that. Try not to cause any further damage than you already have. Some scars are sexy, sweet one, but I don’t want you marring my body any more than you already have.”
The way he said my body sounded as if he truly did believe that I was his, but he couldn’t be more wrong.
I didn’t care what he did to me or how much he threatened me, I would never be his.
Once he stepped out of the room and I heard a click, indicating he had locked me in, I began working the rope banded around my wrists once again. Refusing to give into the pain it caused, I thought of Josh and of Asher. I couldn’t give up or give in; I had to get back to my boys.
***
Sometime through my struggle I grew weak and exhaustion took over. I woke to Leo standing over me, peering down at me, highlighted only by the setting sun peeking in through the blinds covering the window only a few feet away.
He looked almost angry or disappointed as he shook his head.
“You’ve marred your delicate skin,” he said as he grabbed my wrist and turned it from side to side, observing the damage the rope had caused. “Maybe I need to show you how much I need control. Deception only angers me, Gabriella, and you do not want to see my anger.”
My breathing picked up as I tried with everything inside me to remain calm, but I was slowly falling apart. Knowing this man had beaten and killed p
eople without a second thought terrified me.
My sisters and I used to watch scary movies, and during the events where the girl would get captured or hurt in some way, we would always tell ourselves that would never be me. I would never be taken and just give up without a fight; I would give it everything I had to escape.
I knew I had thought about this situation on more than one occasion. Hell, with Leo’s continuous attempts to get to me, I had no other choice.
But the truth of the matter was no one could ever begin to know exactly what they would do if they were in this situation until they truly were.
And right then with the way Leo was looking at me, I knew I had to give in just a little. I had to let go of the fight and convince him I accepted what he had in store for me. And then once I had him convinced he had me, I would look for the best way to strike back.
“Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll stop.”
He smiled. “Great choice.”
I watched as he immediately relaxed and grabbed a blanket from the edge of the bed. He slowly began to cover me, and the entire gesture made my stomach tense in disgust.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, and I only shook my head in response. “There is a bottle of water on the nightstand next to you, some Tylenol in the package at its side,” he continued. “If at any time you need anything, just speak my name. I promise, Gabriella, I will hear you, as I am only a short distance away.”
He backed away from the desk with a gleam in his eye. I knew then it was his way of assuring me he was in fact listening, his attempt to instill fear in me, that if I tried anything he would know.
“Sweet dreams, my darlin’.” Bile rose in my throat as he licked his lower lip and scanned over my body once more. “The thoughts you invoke in me are like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I don’t understand exactly what it truly is, but I know I can barely control the excitement in me to find out.”
