“Grant Christo is Felix?” Desiree sounded astonished. “God, Ivo…”
Ivo was alarmed by her tone. “What is it?”
“Don’t freak out, but I don’t like that guy. I never have. I don’t know, call it instinct, but he reminds me of a guy I used to know, before I transitioned. A hustler. The more I think about him, the more I’m convinced he’s the same guy.”
Ivo’s blood was like ice. “Desiree…what aren’t you telling me?”
He heard the hesitation in Desiree’s voice. “He’s into…stuff. Kinky stuff, some of it more…avant-garde than the usual. Knife play, stuff like that.”
“What the actual fuck? Oh, god, Des…” Ivo felt his breathing get shallow and faster. “What if he…why would she go with him?”
“Like I said, he’s a hustler. Very convincing. Didn’t she say he stopped her father from abducting her that time.”
“Step-father,” Ivo said, almost unconsciously. “She said he was a friend…but wouldn’t a friend stop her from running, get her to come talk to me, talk things out?”
“Depends what kind of friend…”
“Sofia would never cheat on me,” Ivo said fiercely and Desiree sighed.
“I know that, but what’s to say he state of mind is? After that photo…what were you thinking, Ivo?”
“The Rutland bitch kissed me, obviously had set it up to be photographed. I did not cheat on my wife.”
“I know that too,” Desi said gently. “Calm down. We have to work this problem. Who does Sofia know in New York? Jonas and…?”
“Penn Black.” Suddenly Ivo felt a little better. “I call Penn, see if he can make it to the airport by the time they get through passport control.”
“You’re reaching but it’s worth a shot.”
Ivo said goodbye then grabbed his own passport, leaving the apartment to run down and fetch a cab. In the cab he called Penn, who eventually answered. He sounded drunk.
“Penn, dude, I need you to focus right now.”
“Can’t, man. Willa died because of, I should have…” Penn was barely coherent and Ivo felt a rush of anger, and despair.
“Penn! Listen to me…Sofia is gone.” Ivo made a decision. “She was taken.” He winced a little at the lie but he needed to get through to his friend – he was Ivo’s best hope. He would call Jonas too afterward, but Penn was closer and had the resources to get things done. “Penn, are you listening? Sofia is on her way to New York with a man called Grant Christo. We don’t think she’s with him voluntarily.”
There was a loaded pause on the end of the phone. “Ivo, did you say Grant Christo?”
“Yes. He’s a friend, or an acquaintance of Sofia’s. Listen, something happened, something with Sofia’s stepsister. At my mom’s funeral. She set me up and there was a photograph and Sofia saw it.”
“Man, you need to start at the beginning. You said Sofia was taken…and now you’re saying she’s with Christo? Grant Christo?”
Ivo was alerted by the strain in Penn’s voice. “What is it?”
“Ivo…Grant Christo is one of Tamara Rutland’s lovers. They’re in business together.”
Icy cold shock. “What?”
Penn drew in a long breath. “Ivo…I was fucking Tamara Rutland. I didn’t know about her connection to Sofia, I swear, until Sofia told me about Tamara’s mother. Then I knew. Tamara killed Willa. She’s psychotic, Ivo, truly and she hates Sofia. She also knows that I…was with you and Sofia.”
“And she’s in business with Grant Christo?” Ivo felt sick. “And he has my beautiful girl? God, Penn. Desiree told me he was a twisted fuck.”
“He is. If he has Sofia…”
“Please, Penn, get sober and get to JFK. I’m getting the first flight I can. Please…Penn, I have a terrible feeling about this.”
Penn sounded as if he were fully sober now. “I’m on it, Ivo. Listen, Tamara and Grant have a club, Le Petite Mort…if they were going to hide someone, it’ll be there. When you get here, if I haven’t called you, go straight there and I’ll meet you. We’ll get her back, brother, I swear we will.”
Sofia woke as the plane landed. At first, she forgot where she was, then looking around, her eyes widened when she saw Grant beside her instead of Ivo.
Then she remembered. God. That terrible moment when she’d seen that photograph. Ivo, her beloved, trustworthy, gorgeous Ivo kissing Tamara. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt and after printing out all of those copies, she had been like a whirling dervish, plastering them to her mood boards, then finding that one photo online of the family. Fucking, fucking Tamara…
Sofia had sobbed out her rage as she packed her possessions into her backpack and ran out of the apartment. Her eyes were so swollen with tears that when she ran into Grant and he gently guided her into a cab, she just let it happen. And now she was back in the one place she swore she would never go back to.
She felt Grant take her hand. “Hey, sleepy.” She tried to smile at him but if she were honest, she felt a little nauseous, and the way he was looking at her…
“Grant, I shouldn’t have gotten on this plane. God,” she sat up and rubbed her face. “What was I thinking?”
“Listen, it’s okay.” Grant’s voice was smooth, persuasive. “We’ll get you to a hotel and then you can call Ivo, or whoever you want.”
Something was off about his smile. “Maybe I should call him from the airport.”
Grant shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“From what you told me, Ivo fucking your step-sister isn’t something you want to talk about in public.”
Sofia gave a shocked gasp as his words hit home. “I saw them kissing…once, in a photograph...”
“You really think it’s a coincidence? Come on now, Sofia, you’re young but you’re not naïve.”
Sofia didn’t say any more until they were passing through passport control. Her legs wobbled and Grant took her elbow. “Let’s get some coffee and some breakfast inside of you.”
Sofia let him steer her out of the airport and into a cab. As they pulled away, she saw a familiar face. “Hey! There’s Penn…hey, stop the cab.”
“Don’t stop the cab,” Grant ordered the driver and Sofia gaped at him
“No, wait, he’s a friend…stop!” She began to panic but Grant out his hand over her mouth. His eyes were cold.
“He is not your friend, Sofia. He’s been sleeping with your step-sister. I’ve seen him at a club, an S&M club, and he’s been fucking her for months. He is not your friend, okay? Now, listen to me, I’m going to take you somewhere safe, where you can eat, rest and gather your thoughts. Then we’ll go from there, okay?”
There was an icy determination in his eyes and suddenly Sofia felt very afraid. “Grant…where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere we can talk.”
And that’s all he would say for the rest of the journey. The cab drove into the heart of the city and pulled up in an alleyway. “Thanks, Dwayne.” Grant handed over a bunch of notes and the driver nodded, silent and watchful. He didn’t look at Sofia.
Grant helped Sofia out of the cab. “Come with me.” He walked to a door, half hidden behind some dumpsters and opened it. Sofia hesitated, peering into the darkness within.
“It’s my business premises,” Grant said, a little impatiently. “Nothing to be scared of.”
Sofia walked inside reluctantly, but to her relief, the corridor inside led to some offices and then out into a bar. Grant put her backpack down and went behind the bar. She saw him put a pot of coffee on to percolate.
“Now, I’m not a great cook, but I can make us some eggs, if you’d like.”
Sofia’s stomach gave a lurch. “No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.”
He seemed like a stranger, his whole manner changed even from a day ago. She didn’t recognize this man. Her skin prickled with unease. “Can I use your phone, please?”
“Not yet.�
�
Oh god. She swallowed hard. “Grant…what is this place?”
“I told you, it’s my business. Come on, Sofia, you know what a club looks like. I know you’ve been to the ones in Paris…sorry, you’re probably confused because this one doesn’t have a glass cubicle.”
Her stomach dropped to her feet. “What?”
Grant grinned and moved closer to her. “You like being watched, don’t you? Being serviced by two men? Quite the departure from the little virgin who arrived in Paris a year ago, hey?”
He suddenly gripped her thigh painfully. “I hope you’ve saved some of that sweet cunt for me.”
Sofia jerked away from him and darted for the door. She didn’t make it. Grant dragged her back into the club, throwing her to the floor and straddling her. Oh sweet Jesus, he’s going to rape me. Sofia struggled with him but his strength vastly outweighed hers. Desperate, she bit the hand that was covering her mouth and Grant roared with pain. He rocked back then, as she saw the murderous fury in his eyes, he slammed his fist into her temple and everything went dark.
Grant picked up the unconscious woman easily and threw her over his shoulder. He walked down into the labyrinthian corridors beneath the club, then down yet another level, his excitement building. At last he would see his fantasy made real. He unlocked the killing room and took Sofia in, laying her on the bed. She was so small, so vulnerable that he couldn’t stop staring at her. He pushed up her shirt and tugged it over her head, before removing her jeans. Her body, all soft curves and dusky skin, was as sensational as he remembered from the club. He lay down beside her and stroked her face. Then was a thin stream of blood running from her left eyebrow where he had punched her and split the skin, otherwise she was perfect.
“Jesus, are you just going to spoon with her?”
Grant, irritated, looked up to see Tamara standing in the doorway, a mocking smile on her face. Trust the bitch to ruin this moment. No matter, he would have plenty of time with Sofia. “Your boyfriend Black was at the airport. I think he was looking for her.”
“Which means Zacca sent him. They know we have her.”
Grant gave Tamara a chilly smile. “It makes no difference. She’ll be dead long before they find their way down here.”
“You hope. Why don’t you just do it now? Stick a knife in her belly and let’s dump her.”
“All this planning, all this work and you just want to rush it? No way. I’m going to enjoy killing this beauty…after I’ve fucked her off course.”
Tamara made a disgusted sound. “What the fuck does she have that she makes men slather over her?”
Grant merely smiled. “Now that you’re here…let’s get things going. Help me strip her and put her in that gown.”
Tamara made a face. “What’s this?” She pulled the white gown away from the wall, studied it, then began to smile. “Fine. Let’s get her into it.”
The gown fit Sofia’s curves perfectly, the fabric clinging to her body like a second skin. The deep curve of the neck showed off her full breasts perfectly. The skirt skimming her ankles. It would have made for a perfect wedding dress- with the exception of the large circular cut-out over the abdomen, Sofia’s deep, round navel at the center of it. Tamara grinned.
“Target practice.”
Grant smiled. “Exactly. Now, let’s tie her to the St Andrew’s Cross. I think she’s coming around.”
Tamara squinted into the unconscious face of her step-sister. “You’re going to die today, bitch.” But Sofia remained unconscious, unhearing, her head slumped to her chest.
“Did you hit her too hard?”
Grant shook his head. “I know what I’m doing. Go change into something more…fun,” he said to Tamara. He began to strip, enjoying the admiring looks Tamara was giving his body. When he was naked, he slipped a cock ring onto the base of his penis and began to fist his cock, never taking his eyes from Sofia. “Go change, Tamara,” he said again, “I want some alone time with Sofia here.”
Tamara left and Grant focused entirely on Sofia now, lifting her chin with his finger and kissing her lips. “Wake up, beauty. Look what Daddy’s got for you.”
Sofia moaned and opened her eyes. When she saw where she was and what was happening, she whimpered in terror. Grant smiled. “Hello again, darling. Welcome to the last room you’ll ever see.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“I missed them, I’m sorry man, I looked everywhere.”
Penn Black looked sick to his stomach but it was nothing to how Ivo felt. She’s gone, she’s dead. The mantra kept repeating in his head over and over. “Just take me to Christo’s club, man.”
The rode in silence to the club. In the early afternoon sun, the frontage looked dull and lifeless, and the least threatening place in the world. Was she here?
The doors were locked but, after five minutes of banging on the doors, an annoyed cleaning woman came to see them. “There’s no-one here, come back later.”
Ivo pushed his way into the club, ignoring the cleaning woman. He strode past the cloakroom and reception and pushed his way into the main room of the club. “Sofia? Christo?”
Silence. He scanned the room, looking for any clue. Penn walked in beside him. “There are private rooms downstairs for couples. Let’s check there.” He led Ivo down the stairs to the maze of corridors underneath. They checked each room, finding them unlocked and Ivo shook his head. “This place…I’ve been to sex clubs before, as you know, buddy, but this is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. There’s something about it…”
“It’s sinister,” Penn nodded. “There’s a darkness, a wrongness about it as if…it’s not about consensual S&M.”
Ivo looked at his friend. “It’s that exactly. This doesn’t feel right…Jesus, Penn…what have they done to her?”
Penn put his hand on her shoulder. “We don’t even know if she’s here, yet, brother. Let’s just keep looking.”
Ivo nodded, and drawing a long breath, he shouted. “Sofia!” They both listened but there was nothing but silence.
“What was that?” Grant went very still, his knife clenched in his fist and Tamara, who was grinning at the fear in Sofia’s eyes, shrugged.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Grant turned cold eyes towards her. “Go check.”
Tamara stared back at him. “Who died and made you boss? Go check it out yourself, you fuck.”
For a moment, she was scared by the anger in his eyes, but then he put the knife down and strode out. Tamara smiled at Sofia, who was panting with fear, straining at the ropes which bound her wrists. “All alone, princess. Do you know, we have been planning thus for months? This room…we built it with your murder in mind. And now we’re here, so, Sofia, how does it feel to know you’re going to die very soon? Painfully too…Grant is looking forward to gutting you, so he says. Myself, I don’t care how he does it as long as you feel unimaginable pain.”
“You’re a sick fucking bitch,” Sofia spat at her. “You’re worthless, a waste of good air. And now you’re upgrading to murder. You think Ivo won’t come after you?”
“Oh, the delectable Ivo Zacca…how easy it was to get that photo. He had no idea what was going on, of course, which was the whole point. So, you reacted as we thought you would and that sealed your fate. You’ll never see him again, Sofia. Maybe Grant will kill him too…”
“No!” Sofia was beside herself, thrashing against her binds and Tamara laughed. She picked up the knife Grant had left and pressed it to Sofia’s exposed belly.
“I almost want to deny Grant the pleasure and do you myself…but there’s something erotic about a man killing a woman. Besides, you’ll be Grant’s first female kill. He’s been very excited about this.” She raised the knife to Sofia’s throat and nicked the skin. Sofia didn’t look away, her eyes blazing with both terror and anger.
“You killed your own mother. Your own mother!”
Tamara smiled. “Yes, and I would have killed yours too, but she conveniently d
ropped dead of her own accord.”
Sofia spat in Tamara’s face and, enraged, Tamara raised the knife again. Before she could stab Sofia however, Grant grabbed Tamara’s wrist and twisted the knife from her hand. Tamara screeched but Grant was unrepentant.
“Your boyfriend and Zacca are snooping around upstairs. Get rid of them.”
Tamara glared at him. “What?”
“You heard me. Get rid of them. I’m going to deal with our guest here. Sadly, it looks as if we’ll have to rush this.”
“I want to watch.”
Grant grabbed Tamara’s throat. “Get rid of them” he intoned, “or I’ll end you myself.”
Stumbling back as he released her, Tamara fled, anger and fear roiling through her. She closed the door behind her, sliding the iron covering that melded seamlessly into the wall across it. She straightened herself up and slipped along to her office on the floor above. Make it look as if you’re just working. They’ll never hear anything down there, not with the soundproofing. They’ll never find the room. She was disappointed she would see Grant kill Sofia but if she was successful, she’ll still see the body afterward.
She sat at her desk and opened her computer. In less than two minutes, Penn Black pushed into the room and she stood, feigning surprise. “Penn! I thought you said you never wanted to see…”
“Cut the crap, Tamara. Where’s Sofia?”
Ivo Zacca followed Penn in, and Tamara couldn’t help but marvel at his angry beauty. “Last I knew she was in Paris with Mr. Zacca, here. Hello again.”
Ivo’s eyes narrowed. “Where is she, Tamara? Where is Grant Christo?”
Tamara smiled and walked to her drinks cabinet. “I honestly couldn’t tell you. Drink?”
When the attack came, it was Ivo who shoved her violently against the wall, gripping her throat. What was it with men grabbing women’s throats?
“I hate violence against woman,” Ivo said in a voice trembling with rage and fear for his love, “But for you I would make an exception, you murderous piece of shit. I’ll ask again: where is my wife?”
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