King of Clubs (Aces & Eights Book 2)

by Sandra Owens

  “I did not see him and did not take the time to look.”

  That had to be Vadim. They had planned to kill Court? Thank God he had been in the shower. Her hands and feet were tied, rendering her helpless for the moment. The best thing she could do was pretend to still be unconscious. Hopefully they would say where they were taking her.

  What would Court think when he found her missing? That she’d left him again? No, she’d promised him she wouldn’t do that, and she was sure he believed her. His security cameras! He would check them first. But would he be able to find her? If they were taking her to Stephan’s house, yes. Were they that stupid, though?

  She wiggled her hands, trying to loosen the plastic tie. It was tight, and there was no way she’d be able to get it off. Think, Lauren. A plan was what she needed, but her mind was still fuzzy. Had they used chloroform? She didn’t know much about chemicals. How long could she get away with pretending she was still out of it?

  Her hands were going numb, and she rubbed them over her butt, trying to get her circulation going. As she scraped them across the back pocket of her jeans, she stilled at feeling her phone. Her heart beat with excitement. Could Court trace her through her cell? Did it have to be activated?

  They hadn’t discovered it when they’d tied her up, but at some point they would. Somehow she had to hide it. She slid her fingers into her pocket, pulling it out, careful not to drop it. If only she could see the screen so she could call Court. With it behind her, though, that was impossible.

  Where to hide it? There really wasn’t a choice, as there was only one place she could reach. She pushed it inside her jeans, fumbling to get it inside her panties, and then she managed to slide it to her hip, praying there wouldn’t be a visible outline.

  How long had they been traveling? Since she didn’t know how much time she’d been out, she had no way of telling. If they were going to Stephan’s house, then they were headed for Coconut Grove, about a thirty-minute drive from South Beach. She prayed that was their destination. Court could find her there, and it was a place she was familiar with, making it easier to escape.

  “She should be awake by now,” Peter said.

  The man she thought was Vadim said something in Russian, and a conversation ensued between the two men in their native language. Why couldn’t they talk in English so she could understand them? She kept her eyes closed, hoping they would leave her be, giving her time to think. At least she had her phone. She just needed to find the privacy to use it.

  One of them suddenly shook her, startling a scream out of her.

  “You are awake,” Peter said.

  “No, I’m not.” She was prone on the seat with her back to them, so he couldn’t see the tears running down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to go away. It was important she not appear weak, if only to herself.

  “It didn’t have to be this way, Lauren.”

  “I’m not much up on the laws in Russia, but in America, kidnapping’s a federal offense. You might want to think about that. If you stop here and let me out, I’ll pretend this never happened.” Not.

  Peter laughed. “You always were amusing. Maybe that is what Stephan sees in you.”

  “If that’s the reason, I promise to bore him to death.”

  The other man she assumed was Vadim said something in Russian, causing Peter to bark a laugh. She figured he’d just said something dirty. Why hadn’t she tried to learn Russian when she was married?

  “Where are we going?” It seemed like they should have been at Stephan’s house by now. If that wasn’t where they were headed, how would Court ever find her?

  “Someplace no one will think to look for you.”

  Even when Stephan had beaten her, she’d never felt such despair. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she’d wake up to the morning sun shining through her window to find this was just one of her nightmares. Fear tightened its talons around her heart, squeezing so hard that it was difficult to breathe. She’d never felt so alone or so scared.

  Breathe, Lauren, she mentally chanted. In and out. In and out. See, you can do it.

  During her marriage, she’d lost herself until the day Stephan announced he wanted a son. Somehow she’d found the strength to leave, and dammit, she was strong enough to get through this new nightmare.

  “Court,” she whispered, needing to hear his name.

  As if he’d heard her, his voice was there in her mind, repeating what he’d said during one of her self-defense lessons. “Always remember, G.G., you will have options.” To keep from giving in to a total meltdown, she ticked off all his instructions.

  She should pay attention to her surroundings. Always watch for a chance to escape, something she should do as soon as possible. “The longer you wait, the less chance you have,” he’d said. And, “If there’s the possibility of anyone hearing you, scream your head off.”

  After showing her ways to get away from her attacker, he’d put his fingers under her chin, lifting her face. “Your hands, the back of your head, your feet, your knees, are all weapons. You’re not helpless, Lauren. Use whatever you can, but most of all, use your brain.”

  Her phone was her best hope. Beyond that, she needed to watch for any opportunity to get away. More than anything, though, she had to remember to believe in herself. She’d survived Stephan once. She would again. Miraculously, her breathing calmed, returning to normal once she realized that she possessed the tools to fight back. Stephan could play his stupid games, but she’d find a way to come out the winner.

  The car slowed, and she strained to hear anything that would tell her where they were. All she heard was the engine and . . . What was that? A garage door opening? A minute later, the car stopped, the engine going quiet. It had been a garage door because it was now closing.

  She was pulled out of the back, and Peter carried her inside a house she didn’t recognize. Remember to use your brain, Lauren. When he set her down on a kitchen chair, she said, “If you don’t take these damn ties off my hands and feet, I’m going to tell Stephan you two gang-raped me.”

  Peter snorted. “He will not believe you.”

  “You sure about that? He has a jealous streak that keeps him from thinking straight.” And yes, it had been Vadim in the car. She glared at him. “Who the hell are you?”

  “She has a mouth on her,” Vadim said, ignoring her question. “She cannot escape. Cut the ties.”

  “Do you have a name?” They didn’t know she knew who he was, but she feared she might blurt out his name at some point. That wouldn’t be good if he hadn’t told her.

  “Vadim. I am family.”

  “Maybe you’re Stephan and Peter’s family, but you sure as hell aren’t mine.” Peter opened a drawer, removing a knife. Good to know where the knives were. After her ties were cut, she rubbed her tingling wrists. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Peter went to an alarm box, punching in some numbers. “Down the hallway. Do not try to escape through any windows. They are all alarmed—we will know if you try.”

  That was discouraging. “Fine. Don’t crawl through the window. Got it. When I get back, I want to know exactly what you plan to do with me.” Although she was shaking inside, she was proud of herself for managing to give them attitude.

  “Stephan will explain everything when he arrives tomorrow,” Peter said.

  Did Stephan really think he could get away with taking her to Russia? Well, she had news for him. Wasn’t going to happen. In the bathroom, she shut the door and locked it. Thank God they hadn’t discovered her phone. She pulled it out, her fingers trembling as she keyed in Court’s number.

  “Please answer the phone,” she whispered as it rang.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Court walked out, refreshed from the shower, ready to tackle the emails again as soon as they finished their pizza. Lauren wasn’t at the table, and thinking she had gone out on the balcony, he checked there. He searched his entire condo, including his safe room.

&nb
sp; He stood in the middle of his living room, fighting down panic. Had she decided to run after all? No, she wouldn’t have taken off. She’d said she wouldn’t, and he trusted her. The realization that he really did settled over him, but at the same time, his panic grew. He walked to the door. The dead bolt wasn’t closed. Maybe she’d gone up to see Madison. That had to be it.

  He grabbed his cell from the dining room table, and called Alex’s home phone. Lauren was going to get an earful about taking off without letting him know. Right now, even the condo’s hallways weren’t safe. She knew that.

  “Hey, Madison,” he said when she answered. “Can you put Lauren on the phone?”

  “She’s not here. Is she supposed to be?”

  The panic returned in full force. “Let me talk to Alex.”

  “He’s at the bar. What’s going on, Court?”

  “Lauren’s gone.” He strode to his safe room.

  “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  “I don’t know. Listen, I’ll call you back when I know something.” He slid his hand down the side of the frame, unlocking the door.

  “I’m coming up.”

  “No, stay put, Madison. I doubt anyone’s hanging around, but we don’t need to take any chances.”

  “Okay, but I’m calling Alex.”

  “Yeah, do.” He disconnected, setting his phone on the desk. The first security camera he pulled up was the one outside his door. He backed it up until a man wearing a ball cap, the visor pulled low, and carrying a pizza box came into view. The dude kept his head down as he approached. When he rang the doorbell, he turned his face, giving the camera a full view.

  “Fucking Vadim.” Court wanted to stick his hands through the monitor and choke the bastard. “Don’t open the door, Lauren,” he said, knowing the warning was useless. “Please don’t open it.”

  All she would have seen was what she expected, a man delivering pizza. As soon as she opened the door, Vadim slapped a cloth over her mouth and nose. Still holding the pizza box, he caught her with his free arm. A second man jogged up, and scooped her up in his arms.

  “I’m going to kill you, Peter.” That was a promise. Court watched helplessly as Peter carried her away, Vadim following them. How the hell had they gotten past Jorge? And how had they known pizza was being delivered?

  His phone buzzed, Nate’s name coming up. “What the hell’s going on?” Nate asked as soon as Court answered.

  “They got Lauren. I was in the shower. We were expecting a pizza delivery, so she opened the door, thinking it was the delivery guy. I have to find her, Nate.”

  “We will. Alex is on the way now. I’m closing the bar early, then I’ll get over there. I doubt they’ll take her to Stephan’s house since that’s the first place we’d look. Start doing your hacker thing and see if you can find someplace the Kozlovs might have bought or rented. Another house, a warehouse, storage shed. Anything like that.”

  “I’m going to kill them. Both of them.”

  “Just stay calm. And don’t take off before I get there,” Nate said, then disconnected.

  Stay calm? He was ready to tear the town apart. He was not fucking calm.

  How did they know about the pizza delivery? That bugged him. There was only one way he could think of. They had to be listening. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk, taking out a small, black debugger. By the time he’d scanned all of Lauren’s possessions, he’d found three bugs, one in the larger purse she’d taken from her apartment, one in her backpack, and one under the cover of her Kindle. He left them alone for the time being.

  While he waited for his brothers to arrive, he returned to his soundproof safe room, shutting the door. He reviewed all the security tapes for the last forty-five minutes. When he finished, he called Alex, since he was supposed to get back to the condo first.

  “When you get here, let Jorge out of the office. He’s tied up at the moment.”

  “Is he hurt?”

  “No, but he looks pretty pissed. My condo’s bugged, so don’t talk when you get here.”

  “Just stay calm, bro. We’ll find her.”

  People needed to stop telling him to stay calm. It was pissing him off. His next call was to his friend on the police force. “David, need another favor.”

  “That fishing trip to the Bahamas is going to come faster than I thought, dude, if the favors keep happening.”

  Court wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “Sorry if I’m not laughing. My girlfriend’s been kidnapped.”

  “Oh, shit, man. Tell me what you need.”

  “First, for you to keep your mouth shut about it. I don’t want your department to get involved.”

  “You got it. What else?”

  “I want you to scare the hell out of a pizza delivery man. He took money, looked like a hundred-dollar bill maybe, from the kidnappers, giving them the pizza to bring up to my place.” Court gave David the name of the pizza joint, along with a description of the deliveryman.

  David swore. “It’ll be my pleasure to chew him a new one.”

  “I guess you should give him a reason for showing up.” Court thought for a moment. “Tell him the woman he was delivering the pizza to had a restraining order against the man who bribed him.”

  “That’ll work. I’ll make sure he thinks twice before he does something like that again. I’m really sorry, Court. You’ll find her. You guys are like superheroes with all your fancy toys. Keep in touch, and anything else I can do, I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks, man. Later.”

  As he set his phone down on the desk, he stared at it, then slapped his forehead. “Stupid.” Did she have hers with her? He made a search, and not finding it, he resisted the urge to call her. What if she’d managed to keep it on her? If the ringtone wasn’t cut off, then he would alert Peter that she had it.

  He had to assume that she would have called him if she’d had the opportunity. If they hadn’t discovered the phone and ditched it, he could track her. His fingers flew over the keyboard, so absorbed in connecting to her cell that he didn’t hear the safe room’s door open. When the sound of someone entering penetrated, he put his hand on his gun.

  “Don’t shoot, bro. It’s just me.” Alex walked in. “Whatcha got?”

  “Close the door.” Once he was sure they couldn’t be overheard, he brought Alex up to speed.

  “How long they been listening?”

  Court had thought about that already. “Since she changed purses the day her apartment was broken into. Her backpack’s in the guest room, and we’re never in there. She only reads on her Kindle when I’m not around, so they wouldn’t have heard anything there. As for her purse, she usually drops it on the kitchen counter. Most of the time, we sit out on the balcony to talk. Earlier tonight, though, we were reading a bunch of Peter’s emails.”

  “Did you discuss what you were reading?”

  “No, thankfully. We each took a stack to read. After a while, she said her eyes were tired and took time out for a shower. We ordered pizza, and while we were waiting, I took a shower. I should have waited.”

  Alex put his hand on Court’s shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up. You couldn’t have known.”

  He should have. Somehow he goddamn should have. He’d promised her that he would keep her safe. “Anyway, there were some things I learned from the emails that I wanted to talk to her about, but decided to wait until after we’d had our dinner.”

  “Did she find anything?”

  “Don’t know. Give me a few minutes here. I’m trying to trace her phone.”

  Alex wandered out, and Court returned to tracking down Lauren using a cell-site simulator that mimicked cell phone towers. Hopefully, the signals the program sent out would trick her cell phone into replying with a location.

  Court not only liked his toys, he also believed in being prepared. In the back of his mind, he’d feared the day would come when a bad guy might decide it was a good idea to kidnap one of his brothers. If that ever happened, he wanted t
o have every resource at his fingertips that would help him find them.

  If their bureau chief knew he had a cell-site simulator at home, there would be hell to pay since legally he needed a warrant to use it. Court didn’t give a shit. If anyone had a problem with it, they could fire him. With a big antenna, it would work up to a hundred miles, but with the one he’d put on the roof of their building, Court estimated he could only go out at the most fifty. He didn’t think they would have taken Lauren farther than that. If it didn’t work, then he’d start looking for any properties the Kozlovs owned. That would be time consuming, though, so he was counting on the program working.

  “Did you read these?” Alex said, walking back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

  He glanced at the papers Alex held. “What are they?”

  “Some of the emails. These were sitting on the counter, next to Lauren’s purse.”

  “They must have been the ones she was reading. Something important on them?”

  “More like something disturbing. According to these, Stephan plans to take Lauren back with him to Russia.”

  “The hell?” Court snatched the sheets away.

  The door opened, hitting Alex in the back.

  “Move your ass, baby brother,” Nate said, walking in after Alex made room.

  After reading the emails, Court handed them back to Alex. “He’s a dead man.”

  “Bring me up to speed,” Nate said, moving to stand behind Court. “What’s that?” Nate asked, eyeing the simulator.

  “Don’t ask. Alex can fill you in. I’m busy. And close the door.” Court half listened as Alex explained all that had happened. He patted the simulator. “Come on, baby, you can find her,” he murmured.

  His phone buzzed and, annoyed at being interrupted, he glanced at the screen. At seeing Lauren’s name, he snatched up his cell. “Where are you?” he said, putting the call on speaker.

  “Court, oh God. I don’t know where I am. Peter and Vadim brought me to some house, but they drugged me and laid me down on the backseat, so I couldn’t see anything.”