The possibility of Hunter locking her in crossed her mind but the door opened easily at her touch. Slipping through the crowd downstairs might be difficult since so many of the patrons had watched her under the whip. Instead, Kerri turned toward the back stairs, hoping to avoid Hunter and Richard and make a quick getaway. The emergency exit was clearly marked and doors at the bottom, one she knew opened to the back of the building. Curious, she pushed at the other door and found a long hallway. It was well lit, florescent panels on the ceiling for the length of the hall, and no doors on either side. The urge to explore sent a shiver down her spine. Did this lead to a hidden room where women were being kept and sold?
But the need to escape, to find some peace and quiet where she could slowly lose her mind had her quickly turning from the corridor and pushing into the back drive. Richard was obviously a careful businessman. The exterior of his club, front and back, was brightly lit and safe, a few security guards cruising the lot and driveways in golf carts, eager to help anyone in need. One stopped in front of Kerri when she’d only walked a few yards to the side of the building.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked.
“I must have made a wrong turn on my way out. I’m trying to get to the parking lot.”
He welcomed her into the cart and scooted around the building. Her cab was pulling to the curb as they rounded the bend.
“That must be my ride,” she told him and hopped off the cart. Relief finally hit her when the cab turned onto her street. Hunter would be furious, but she needed time to make some decisions about who she was and what she wanted. Letting him woo her yesterday, making love to him without bondage and allowing him to take care of her had been a mistake. When he was in the same room, her brain took a holiday. It wasn’t fair for him to take advantage of her weakness.
Her cell had been buzzing every five minutes since she left the club. She finally replied after paying the cabbie and going inside. Her text to him was simple. I need some time.
Hopefully, he’d give her at least a day or two.
Chapter 20
A strange buzz followed Jase through a dark room, invading her brain to the point of pain. She couldn’t move, couldn’t stretch aching limbs. Her fingers tingled, begging for relief from their position under her back. Her only conscious thought was of her last conversation with Kerri. Somehow her dreams had revolved around bondage, and she was stuck between reality and a dream state where she was bound to a bed.
Her eyes cracked open to complete darkness. Not even a sliver of light could be found in the musty room. Jase groaned, her fingers cramping as she tried to roll onto her side. It wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.
Hazy images began to coalesce, until Jase pieced together the events that brought her to this place, wherever it was. She remembered Harvey ringing her doorbell unexpectedly and remembered inviting him inside. He’d looked different, dressed in tight black slacks instead of his usual black jeans and hiking boots. His hair was mussed, and his eyes were a little pinched like he was peeved about something.
“It’s nice to see you, Harvey, but I thought you were working tonight,” she said.
“Got off early and hoped to catch you at home. But I can leave if you don’t want company.”
He followed her to the sofa and sat next to her, not quite touching but close. He’d never been demonstrative in private, usually choosing to sit across from her. Jase was unsure about the change in him, wondering if it signaled a change in their relationship. Whether it would be a good change was yet to be determined.
That aside, Jase bounced back to her feet, pacing.
“What’s with you, baby?” he asked. “You’re way out on the edge. Talk to me.”
Jase perched on the edge of an armchair, couldn’t settle, got up and started pacing again. Harvey was so not the person she needed to talk to tonight, but Kerri was unavailable.
“I’m just worried about Kerri. She’s with this new guy, and he’s a little intense, into some weird stuff. She met him last week at that club you took me to.”
“So why are you worried? You’re not her momma, and she’s just having a good time. Or are you jealous?”
Jealous. Jase hadn’t given it a thought, but why would Harvey? She sat on the chair across from him, keeping her distance and keeping an eye on him, too. This new look of his was disconcerting.
“No, of course not. If it was anyone else, I’d be happy for her. But this guy is doing some strange things. I think she’s out of her league.”
His demeanor changed, his body tensed, and Jase popped up to pace again. An inexplicable awkwardness invaded her skin, throwing her off balance.
“What do you mean by strange?” he asked.
“Well, for one thing, he’s into bondage. Did you know the club you took me to, the Velvet Glove, is a bondage club?”
“Just the private side, the public side is cool,” he replied, clear cold blue eyes on her as he spoke. He was unruffled, the Harvey she was used to having in her living room.
“And you’re okay with the bondage part?” she asked, watching his reaction.
Harvey shrugged. “Everybody has their own thing. What do I care?”
“Well, I guess. But this Bondage Guy is dating Kerri, and he takes her to that place. She said she’s helping him with some kind of investigation, but I think she’s going to the club to be…I don’t know what to call it, bondaged?”
He laughed, his eyes tracking her as she paced. “I don’t think that’s a word, Jase.”
“I don’t think so, either,” she replied, deciding quickly to change the subject. He looked uncomfortable, the tightness in his body evident in his hands more than anywhere else. They were fisted where they lay on the sofa at his sides.
Moving across the room, Jase plopped into the armchair and leaned back to rest her head, letting her eyes close. She needed to shake this restlessness.
“Let’s change the subject. Distract me, please.”
“Take a ride with me. We’ll go find something fun to do tonight.” Harvey’s voice conveyed the smile she suspected on his face.
And she had. She could remember getting into his car. She remembered leaving her driveway. She remembered him giving her a bottle of water and telling her to relax and enjoy the ride. After that, nothing.
She shivered on the thin mattress, wondering how long she’d been here and how she’d gotten to this awful place. Where was Harvey? What had they done to him, and why were they targeted? Had they contacted her parents?
Growing up as she had, Jase was well coached about stranger danger and the possibility of kidnapping. Her father had even gone so far as to hire a retired FBI agent to train her in ways to escape and the fine art of observation. But there was nothing to see in this dark, dank room.
The door opened, blinding light shunting around a male figure in the doorway. Jase cringed, wanting to shut her eyes to the bright light but unable to give in to the need. Seeing her captor was imperative if she was going to get out of this situation alive. And there was Harvey to consider. He’d never seemed the He-man type, more of a geeky guy, and she worried about how he would fare in this situation.
Watching as the man in the doorway stepped toward her, the door slowly swinging closed behind him, unnerved her. Just before the light disappeared completely, she saw him reach into a deep shadow and another light flared, weaker than the light from the hall, but enough to clarify a few dark shapes in the room. Jase could see his silhouette grow larger with his every step, feel the tension emanating from his body.
This was no kidnapping for ransom. This man meant to hurt her, and suggesting that he contact her parents first wasn’t likely to work. Her worst fears were confirmed when his hand wrapped around her ankle and flipped her to her back on the bed.
Her body cramped at the tightness of the restraints around her legs and she cried out, instantly regretting the sound. A show of weakness wouldn’t help her. Grinding her teeth, she held back another groan and focused
on the man, knowing that every tiny detail she could remember would help her put him away when she finally got free.
The crackle of Velcro being ripped apart jerked her attention to her feet as a rush of returning blood sent a painful heat coursing to her toes. A hot hand clamped around one ankle and Jase gathered her anger to kick out at the hand holding her.
He cursed but didn’t let go. She felt the loop of rough fabric wrap around her ankle and she was caught. She continued to kick the other foot, hoping to hit some part of his body that would give her an advantage, but he moved to the side of the small bed and lay over her thighs, completely halting her efforts. With her hands bound and trapped beneath her back and her legs flattened against the mattress, she was helpless. In short order, both ankles were secured to opposite edges of the metal bed frame.
Her breath stopped at the glint of a knife in the weak light.
Hope fled.
A rough voice said, “This coulda gone easier.” He slipped the blade into the hem of her capris and sliced the fabric open to the waistband. With a jerk, he severed the elastic.
“Scream all you want, cutie. The rooms in this club are so well soundproofed no one will ever hear you.”
Jase clamped her teeth together, fighting the need to scream and curse at him while his hands rubbed up and down her thighs. When his rough fingers slipped beneath her panties, she stared at the ceiling, the metallic taste of blood in her mouth from biting her tongue. She steeled her nerves at the sound of her favorite pink briefs being ripped from her body. This was going to be bad, but she wasn’t going to give up hope.
“Do as you’re told and I won’t cut you.” His voice rasped across her senses like nails on a chalkboard, but she felt the rope around her wrist loosening. “Hands over your head.”
Her fingers felt like overstuffed pillows, skin pulled tight and tingling at the loss of circulation. Her arms and shoulders weren’t much better, but she followed directions even knowing that she’d be restrained again. Another strip of Velcro was wrapped around her wrists and secured to the metal headboard.
Her shirt and bra followed her pants, becoming rags. He’d slowly cut his way through her clothes, baring her in small sections while he crooned filthy comments about her body and what he wanted to do to her. By the time he’d finished, Jase’s control had eroded and her body trembled in equal parts of fear and anger.
She gulped in air, trying to think of some way to escape, reaching for any possibility of freedom. Her captor’s hand paused on her breast when the door opened and another man entered.
“Enough.”
He was average height, average everything, so nondescript Jase wondered if he faded into the background of every room he inhabited.
“You’ve done more than I told you to. Leave the rest to the boss.”
“Only if I can watch.” With a snicker, her captor moved away, just far enough for her to get an idea of his general build. Husky, with working class hands and ruddy skin from spending too much time in the sun. The buzz cut was another clue, exposing a diamond-shaped tattoo at the base of his skull.
“Get out. No witnesses with this one. We weren’t expecting her, but there’s already a possibility of a sale. They’ll be here in a few minutes to check on the goods. I’ll call you when it’s time to move her.”
The big man moved closer to the door, his frame blocking her sight of the newcomer for a minute before the door opened and closed.
Now what? Jase was glad to see the other man go, but at least she knew what he had in mind for her. This one was a puzzle. She watched him move around the room, putting away things left on the tables, adjusting the lamp to shine in her face and cast him in shadow.
He was smarter than the first guy, cautious enough to make sure she couldn’t recognize him if she had a chance. Jase kept her mouth shut and watched, waited. Mostly, she observed and catalogued the little she saw.
His feet weren’t very large, maybe a size nine. Her last boyfriend, before Harvey, had huge size 16 feet, but this man’s feet, while larger than hers, were definitely smaller than Doug’s. He paced around the small room, touching too many things to be worried about fingerprints, so she decided he must be a regular at the club. Or maybe he worked here and had access to all the rooms.
He wore khaki pants and a buttoned down dress shirt, more business than roughneck, and Jase wondered who he could be. The sleeves were turned up and pushed well-past his wrists, revealing a nice watch. Kerri’s story about the club and the sale of women roared back into her head and fear swallowed her plan to remain calm.
Being kidnapped for ransom was a possibility she’d lived with for years, but the thought of being sold to the highest bidder and kept from her family and friends for the rest of her life horrified her. Panic took over and she couldn’t focus on anything in the room except the bindings at her ankles and wrists. Instinct overrode every other idea and she frantically jerked at the restraints.
A hot hand settled on her belly, pressing her into the bed. “Shit, calm down, baby. No one’s going to hurt you. We’re just going to show off the merchandise and see if we can make a sale.”
He chuckled as she flailed harder. “You’re a feisty one. He’ll like that. And we can patch up the damage to your wrists and ankles. He won’t mind a bit.”
“Let me go.” Jase flinched at the rough sound of her voice, the desperation she felt showing all too clearly. A bad move in a negotiation. “My family will pay, give you anything you want. Just let me go.”
The hand on her stomach moved higher, sliding under her breasts while he hummed.
“Please.”
“Little lady, there are men willing to pay plenty to have this tight little body. Don’t you worry, we’ll find a good home for you. Already have a likely prospect.”
He palmed her breast, a smile forming on his face with her jerk. “Yes, you’ll give us a healthy profit, even if you don’t fit in with our regular girls.”
He stepped away and Jase panted, hope fleeing. She was as good as gone, her plans for a future wasted. She couldn’t talk her way out of this.
“Who are you? At least tell me your name. What difference will it make after I’m sold?” She huffed, frustration rising. “Just give me a name so I’ll know who to curse for the rest of my life.”
He laughed at that, loud and long. “Sure, honey. Can do. Alan. Feel free to curse me all you want. In fact, I’d feel honored.”
“You son of a bitch, why are you doing this? Why me?” Jase was beyond caring, beyond negotiating, beyond rational conversation. She was shouting her lungs out.
Laughing again, Alan leaned over her heaving body. “No one can hear you. I could climb on the bed and force you right now, and no one will turn up to help. Well, they might help me, but not you. Turn off the hysterics.”
“Why me?” she asked when she finally reclaimed her breath.
“You were available, I guess. Maybe you can ask the guy that delivered you.” He pinched her nipple and turned to the door. “Someone will be in to check you out in a little while. Be nice and you might catch a good master, one who will cherish instead of punish. Maybe.”
The door clicked shut and Jase tugged at all four restraints again. Still no give.
Hot tears gathered but she pushed them back, blinking away the few accumulating across her vision. No time for female weakness, she needed to think, figure out some way to get out of this mess.
And she worried about Harvey. Had he been taken with her? Was he tied to a bed in the next room? Would anyone in this God-forsaken place help her?
Chapter 21
Kerri listened to her phone jangle, wondering what Hunter was doing. He hadn’t called, hadn’t tried to see her at all since she’d left his house last night. A part of her was relieved he didn’t want to contest her exit from his life. But her heart was aching.
She missed him. In the short time he’d been with her, Kerri found herself immersed in the way he treated her, took care of her. She even m
issed his demanding tone and the way her body responded so intensely to him. A quick check of her phone told her he wasn’t the caller. No name flashed on the screen.
Resigned, she pushed the button and answered.
“Miss Leonard, this is Mara at the Southside YMCA. I’m looking for Jase, and she has you listed as an emergency contact. She missed her class this morning and didn’t call like she usually does when her schedule changes. I’ve tried her cell several times and it goes directly to voicemail. We’re all worried about her.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen her since last night. No, wait, I haven’t seen her since Sunday night.” Kerri checked the message board in the kitchen, then walked into Jase’s bedroom.
“Oh, dear. Do you think we should call the police?” Mara asked.
“I’ll check with a few other people and see if I can find her. Something urgent must have come up for her to miss the class. She loves those kids.”
Mara agreed. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
No note in the kitchen or the bedroom. So not Jase, since she’d come up with the rule about leaving notes for the others if anyone left alone. Kerri checked in Jase’s bath just in case she’d left a clue to her whereabouts, but was surprised to see all her toiletries arranged neatly on the counter.
Strange. Jase never left for an overnight trip without her cosmetic bag of goodies. Kerri opened the top drawer of Jase’s bedside table and grabbed her little pink address book.
It took almost an hour to contact everyone in the book. No one had seen her since the weekend. The only person Kerri hadn’t been able to reach was Harvey. His phone kept going to voicemail. She called Sara again and told her what she’d found.
“Do you think they slipped off somewhere to be alone?” Kerri asked her.
“I can’t believe she’d do a disappearing act with Harvey. From what she told me last week, she was about through with him.” Sara had never been impressed with Harvey, and it showed in her tone. “Jase told me just the other day that he was, how did she put it, ‘not really into her’ and she was feeling more like a friend than a girlfriend. Maybe they broke up and she went to visit her folks?”
Daye, Lavender - Bound By Trust (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 17
