“I know,” he said. “I’ve been staying here, remember?”
I laughed nervously. “Of course. I forgot. Well, still. Want anything?”
“I want to know what you were just thinking about.”
I bit down on my lower lip and took a step away from him. “Nothing important.”
“Mmhmm. Tell me anyway.”
“I swear, it was nothing.”
“No? Are you sure? Because I think it was something. I think you were wondering if you could get away from me quickly. Get out the door or maybe into the panic room before I caught you. And let me tell you, there’s no chance.”
I started running while he was still talking. But I was only halfway across the room when he reached and tackled me. We hit the ground hard, my face and chest slamming into the brushed concrete with enough force to push all the air out of my lungs.
I gasped and tried to move, but it was like having a truck on my back. Fabian covered my entire body with his, trapping my legs between his knees, and reaching to capture my hands.
With a grunt, I squirmed and bucked, trying to get enough leverage to free myself, but it was impossible. He wrapped one arm around my neck and pulled up, choking off my supply of air. I stopped moving, knowing any motion would just make it worse.
“Good girl,” he said. “Smart with big tits. Now I get what the fuss is all about. What a shame you’re a lying bitch.”
“Let me go.”
“Not just yet. We need to have a little chat.”
“Fuck you,” I spat out.
“Cute. Any maybe, another time. I’m kinda busy right now.” He kept his grip on my throat but started to stand, pulling me up with him. He shuffled backwards and over to the loveseat. “I’m gonna let go now. You will sit down and behave or I’ll shoot you. You should be able to feel the gun under my shirt.”
I could, and I nodded.
“Excellent.” He loosened his grip and I took two gulping breaths. “Now sit.”
When he released me, I didn’t even consider doing anything but what he’d ordered. I sat down and glared up at him. “What did you do to Sam?”
“Me? Nothing. He’s my oldest friend. But, the boys I had pick him up? They’re somewhat unpredictable. Who knows what fun they might be having with your boyfriend right now.”
“And Anna?”
“Who? Oh, your little friend? Don’t worry about her.”
“Why do you say that?”
“There’s nothing you can do for her anymore.”
My heart stopped beating and I sobbed loudly. “No.”
Fabian shrugged and pulled the gun out from under his shirt. “Casualties of war, honey. If you don’t want Sam to be the next one, I suggest you start cooperating.”
I could barely hear what he was saying. All I could think about was Anna. Her smile, her practiced laugh she thought was sexy but I always found silly. The hours and hours we’d spent behind the counter at Angelo’s dreaming of the future and the things we’d do more exciting than serving pizzas. None of those dreams would ever come true for her and it was my fault. I was horrified and ashamed. To think I’d taken time to make up with Sam, sleep with him while she was – I couldn’t even think the word.
“Interesting,” Fabian said. “I would have pegged you for a screamer. Anyway, I don’t have time for you to mourn. Let’s get down to business.”
I pushed down everything I was feeling. Used what I learned to control my panic attacks and rage to lock away the sadness and the rage and the fear. “What do you want from me?”
“The same thing we’ve been asking for. All the documentation. Whatever form it’s in, I want it right now.”
“I told your associate at the motel. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And I know you’re lying. So stop it.”
“I am not lying. I don’t have any disks or whatever the fuck you think I have.”
“Of course you do. And you’ll hand them over, one way or another. If we have to take Sam apart piece by piece in front of you, we will get what we want.”
Tears dripped from my eyes and I buried my face in my hands. It was too much. I couldn’t control my emotions. “Please. If I knew anything, I would tell you. If I had anything, I’d give it to you. I don’t. You have to believe me.”
“I’m not sure what to believe. But tell me this. How’d you know? Why were you so scared of me?”
I looked up, surprised. “What?”
“You were wary from the second I came in. And then you freaked. Tell me why. The truth.”
I stared into his cold eyes, shivering. “I saw you.”
“Huh?”
“At the warehouse. The big one. I saw you with that woman. At the time I thought it – never mind. But I saw you. You did that thing with your hand. The thing from the movie.”
“Well,” he said, chuckling. “That’s rather impressive. You’re pretty clever, putting it all together. It’s lucky for me that my good friend Sam isn’t quite so smart.”
“He is smart. But he talks about you like family. He couldn’t imagine you’d do this. Betray him like this.”
Fabian threw back his head and laughed. “Oh yeah, you’re a tough one. That’s cute. I don’t give a shit. Sam’s a boy scout. Always has been. Loves all that bullshit like honor and duty. The rest of us live in the real world. I’m not a delusional idiot like him.”
I burst up from the seat, throwing my entire body weight at him. Catching Fabian off-guard was enough to send him tumbling backwards. He landed on the corner of the glass coffee table and shouted out in pain.
Not stopping to see any more, I fled for the front door. It was still open a tiny bit and I slid it all the way over and went out into the hallway. I ignored the elevator and made my way through the fire exit and down the stairs.
I was half a flight down when I heard footsteps pounding above me. Knowing there wasn’t time to waste, I pushed harder, flying over the steps. I hit a landing and was rounding a corner when a wave of searing heat slammed into my shoulder and I fell.
In slow motion I saw the walls tilt as I was spun around. A loud boom echoed in the stairwell. The last thing I saw before my head hit the ground and everything went black was Fabian’s feet rushing down the steps towards me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a wall with peeling paint. I turned my head to the left and moaned as pain radiated out from my shoulder. I looked down, blinking in the dim light. The arm of my shirt was torn off and a bandage was wrapped around me. Beneath it, my skin throbbed and my muscles screamed.
I looked around again, this time slowly. I was in a basement boiler room or something similar. It was filthy and smelled slightly damp. I tried to raise my good arm but discovered I was cuffed to a pipe attached to the wall behind me. Above my head, there was a tiny, dirty window. If I craned my neck, I could just see outside. The sun was setting. I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious, but it had to be hours.
After a few seconds of looking up, my vision swam and I felt nauseous. Concussion, maybe. Whatever the cause, I was in bad shape. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t going anywhere. I stomped the heel of one bare foot on the ground and yelped as the motion caused another flare of agony in my shoulder.
The pain cleared my head a little and memories came flooding back. Sam. The safe house. Fabian. Anna. My god, Anna.
Fabian. I’d run away from him. Down some stairs. There was a fire. No, not a fire. An explosion? No, that wasn’t it either. A gunshot. Yes. Fabian had shot me in the shoulder as I tried to escape.
It all fit, but didn’t make sense. If he’d shot me, who bandaged my arm? Why wasn’t I dead?
“What the hell is going on?” I asked the empty room.
As soon as I spoke, there was a click to the right of me. A door opened and Fabian walked in. I shrank back, earning another hot knife of pain for my efforts.
“Carly, how nice of you to wake up. I thought we�
�d be stuck all night waiting for you.”
“Where am I?”
He grinned, the expression wide and terrifying. “Don’t you recognize it? Ah, that’s right. You never made it downstairs on your last visit. Though I saw you spent quite a lot of time traipsing around on the first floor. Watching the footage later was quite entertaining.”
“Footage? What are you talking about?” My brain was still a bit foggy, and it took me a few moments to figure out what he was trying to tell me. “The warehouse. With the security camera room.”
“Very good. Is it nice to be back?”
“Not really,” I replied dryly.
“Still got your spunk. How nice. Now, be a good girl and sit still. I need to check your bandages.”
“Don’t touch me.”
“Believe me,” he said, approaching slowly. “The last thing I want to do is play nursemaid to you, girl. But the doctor who patched you up is long gone and I can’t have you dying on us. Not after all this.”
“That’s a heartwarming tale. Stay away from me.”
He cocked his head to the side and sighed, as if dealing with a tiresome child. “Whatever. Frankly, I hope you die. Down here all by yourself. So close to your beloved and so far. I wonder if he’ll feel it as you slip away? Is this legendary ‘connection’ between you that strong?”
“I-Sam’s here?”
“Of course. And if you behave yourself, you both might even live through the night.”
I didn’t believe a word of it. I was only alive now because they still thought I had some files or information. Once they realized I didn’t, Sam and I were both goners. No way they’d bring me back to the drug operation’s headquarters, or backup location, or whatever the hell the place was, otherwise.
“Let me see Sam. If you let me see him, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“You’re in no position to make deals right now.”
“Aren’t I?” I had no idea where this brazenness came from. Maybe it was brain damage, or blood loss, but I felt no fear. Just anger and disgust. “You’ve been chasing me all over the county to try and get your hands on what I’ve got. Here’s your chance.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have anything. Got a new story to tell now?”
“Just let me see Sam and I’ll spill everything I know. I swear. If I don’t, you can just go ahead and kill me anyway. What’s the harm?”
Fabian looked thoughtful for a moment, as if considering my offer. He walked over and knelt down in front of me so his face was close to mine. “If I had my way, I’d do it. Take you across the tunnel to him. Let you have a tearful reunion. And then I’d blow his brains out right in front of you.”
My stomach roiled and I bit back a whimper. I could imagine that scene all too clearly.
“But it isn’t up to me. Boss man says we handle it this way for now. But don’t try my patience, Carly. There’s a limit.”
My heart sank. I’d hoped stalling might buy me some time to do…something. But he wasn’t willing to play anymore.
“Fine, fine. Look, I told you the truth before. I don’t know anything. I don’t have anything. I can’t give you something that doesn’t exist.”
“Ah, but there’s the problem I got. It does exist. We know that. So all your little lies aren’t going to work.”
“How can you possibly know I have something I don’t?”
“Stop messing around and tell me where it is.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I shouted.
Fabian snarled and squeezed my shoulder through the bandage. I screamed and almost passed out from the pain. He made a creepy hissing sound and yanked me to my feet. The cuffs pulled at my arm and a wave of nausea went through me.
“I’m getting bored of this now. Maybe a little video will jog your memory.”
He released the cuff from the pipe, but I couldn’t even think about trying to run. Everything was tilting and I could barely stand without his support.
We made our way down a brightly lit hallway and up a staircase. It took what felt like days to climb the stairs to the ground floor. Once there I recognized the warehouse Anna and I had run through, dodging the henchman we’d spotted there.
Fabian pretty much dragged me the rest of the way, as what little energy I had was exhausted. He pulled me into the room I’d found with Anna. Full of computer equipment and video screens. He sat me down in a chair and pressed a few buttons on a computer and I saw footage of the front of the building. Nothing happened for a few seconds and then a figure came limping into the frame, pushing a bicycle. It stopped and fiddled with something before leaving the bike and walking towards the camera. As the figure came closer I could see her face. It was me. The day I’d fallen off the bike, dinged the box and found out my employer was using his messengers to deliver drugs.
The Carly on the screen stood fidgeting nervously for a few seconds and then straightened up. She lifted the box up and when her hands were visible again, they were empty. I’d given the box to the mystery woman I had later seen with Fabian at the other warehouse.
I watched myself turn away, face obviously stricken.
“Do you see?”
I shrugged at Fabian. “See what? I remember that day.”
“Good.” He pushed some buttons again and the screen flickered off and then back on again. It was the same camera. This time I saw myself again, but I wasn’t alone. Anna was with me. My lip quivered just looking at her, even on the grainy camera footage. The pain in my shoulder was nothing compared to how my heart felt knowing she was gone.
“I remember that too,” I said, my voice thick with anguish.
“Yes. One more.” He fiddled with something again and another screen lit up. This tape was different. Better quality. And instead of the front of the warehouse it showed a room that looked vaguely familiar.
A man’s voice off-camera came through speakers I couldn’t see. “Could you repeat that, please?”
On the screen, a figure sat with his body curled over a table. His head was pressed against the metal.
“Sir, please sit up and repeat that,” the disembodied voice said.
The figure sat up and I gasped. It was my boss, Mitchell. He looked awful. Even worse than usual, which was saying something. His thin hair was a mess, his face drawn and blotchy.
“I said I was just following orders. I didn’t know what they were doing.”
“So you had no idea that your employees were using your business, Courier Express, to deliver illegal prescription medications?”
“Of course not,” Mitchell said rather unconvincingly. “I’m a respected businessman. But it isn’t my job to police what comes and goes. I just run the place.”
As he spoke, I finally recognized the room. It was an interview room at the police station Sam worked out of. I’d spent hours in one just like it after Mitchell tried to assault me in his office.
“Right,” the voice continued. “It’s a little hard to believe all of this was going on without your knowledge.”
“I know, I know. But those boys are sneaky. I mean, I knew about some stealing and lying about hours, but it doesn’t shock me to hear they were up to worse stuff.”
“By ‘those boys’ you mean the messengers under your employ?”
“Yeah.”
“Including one Darius King? The young man found dead?”
“Uh-huh. He was the worst of the bunch. A real clever-minded one.”
At that I snorted. I hated to disrespect his memory, but Darius was anything but clever. Kind and sweet, sure. But not at all bright.
“So, Mr. Douglas. If you didn’t know what was happening with your business, then who did?”
Mitchell sat up straight and looked right at the camera. “I been thinking about that a lot. And you know I wanna help you guys. I know who did it. I know who you want to talk to. The girl. It was the girl.”
“What girl?”
“Carly Chase. She’s the one.”
My mouth hung open with shock. I glanced over at Fabian but he was watching the screen with a slight smile on his face. Asshole.
“She’s the one who what, Mr. Douglas?”
“She knew all about the pills and stuff. She must have. She did all the scheduling and routing. She always made sure certain boys did certain pickups and deliveries. Besides, she told me something that didn’t mean nothing to me at the time, but now I get it.”
“What did she tell you?”
“One day we were in my office. She liked to bring me coffee, you know. Flirt a little. Like the girls always do.”
I rolled my eyes.
The voice said, “Yes, and?”
“So we’re in there. I’m drinking the coffee and she’s kind of bending over a little so I can see down her blouse and all. I mean, come on. I’m human. I’m gonna look, you know?”
“Yes. Please continue.”
“So while she’s flirting, she mentions that she’s got something big going on. Something that’ll set her up for life. I wasn’t really paying attention, but she seemed really excited about it. Something about all the evidence she’d ever need. Files on disk and hard copy, she said. All the information she would need if things took a turn.”
“Did she explain what she meant?”
“No.”
“And you didn’t ask?” The voice sounded vaguely incredulous.
“Nah. Hell, I never know what the hell girls are going on about. Just pointless shit mostly, in my experience.”
“But now you think she was talking about this illegal prescription delivery enterprise?”
“Yeah, yeah, I do. I bet she was keeping records of everything. She was always taking notes. Not the best employee, but she did keep track of things real well. So I figure she had all this info about what was going on. And I bet she’d use it to blackmail whoever. Get some extra money when she was ready to get out of the game.”
I wanted to punch him through the screen. “Okay, I get it. Turn it off,” I said to Fabian.
He pressed a button and Mitchell’s face was frozen in front of me. “The Slug” was too nice a name for that piece of garbage. I hated him with a burning passion. He’d caused all of this. And tried to pin it on me.
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 39
