GRIPPED (Romance Mystery & Suspense Box Set)

by Abbott, Alex

  Movement attracted my attention once again, and from the kitchen I could see more dark figures spreading out.

  Whoever held me down must have noticed the same thing, for I could sense his limbs stiffening, like a wild animal ready for the spring.

  I cowered in fear as these dark shadows moved all around me, seemingly unaware of my presence or predicament.

  Then, suddenly, a switch was flicked and the room was bathed in light. My eyes wide, I saw that the person holding me down was completely clad in black, a balaclava covering his face, as were three other men, now crouching low in the kitchen, guns at the ready and looking ready for business.

  None of them appeared to be targeting me specifically, and my assailant took this opportunity to quickly lift his mask to reveal his face to me.

  A flash of mustache and twinkling dark eyes had me gasp in surprise. It was Jacques!

  “Kill the lights!” he grunted, and once again the room was plunged into darkness.

  Now that he knew I wouldn’t struggle, he quickly released me, and helped me to my feet, then whispered, “Run along upstairs, Valerie, and tell Jack to stay put. And take the dog.”

  “What’s going on?” I managed, but he’d turned away and all my hands met was empty space.

  Rufus in my arms, I made my way upstairs as fast as I could, and then suddenly there was the splintering sound of a door being kicked in and I involuntarily yelped.

  I raced into the bedroom, where Jack was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “What the hell...” he grumbled.

  I knelt down beside him. “Jacques and his men are here. Something’s happening downstairs. They want us to hide, Jack!”

  The sobering message was enough to return Jack to full wakefulness, and when he jumped up from the bed and took my hand, he quickly yanked me along to a small door located in the wall next to the bathroom.

  I’d seen the door but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to check it out.

  In the semi-darkness, Jack slung what I remembered to be a portrait of a cherub aside to reveal a control panel. He stabbed in a combination code and the door swung open.

  Taking my hand, he ushered me inside, still holding onto Rufus, then started to close the door behind me.

  “Jack! Where are you going?”

  “This is a panic room,” he whispered. “You’re safe here.” And before my surprised gaze the door clicked closed and I heard the mechanism automatically slam home the bolt.

  I slammed the door with my fist. “Jack! Don’t go out there!” I hollered, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to hear me.

  I was safe, yes, but what would happen to Jack? He wasn’t a cop or special forces. He was just a hot banker in funky pajamas.

  I slumped down to the floor, fear holding me in its debilitating grip for the umpteenth time since Jack had saved my life, and looked into Rufus’s mournful eyes. He seemed to feel my despair, for he howled softly. I hugged the puppy close.

  Chapter 22

  Jack stormed down the stairs. If Jacques was here with his storm troopers, that could mean only one thing: his house was being targeted by the bad elements of society again. This had happened before. When you have money and people know where you live, vermin starts crawling from under the rocks to target you either at your place of business or your home.

  Dad had successfully fought off a home invasion when mom was still alive, and that’s when the idea of a panic room had really taken hold. The invaders at that time had only been a bunch of derelicts, and dad had easily managed to scare the living daylights out of them by pointing the business end of a .22 in their faces.

  Jack, who’d been only a little boy back then, had seen the fear in his mother’s eyes, and had decided something like this would never happen to him or the ones he loved.

  So he’d installed a pricey alarm system, and had updated the panic room to be absolutely impenetrable from any outside forces.

  In addition, he’d invested in a small arsenal of firearms, one of which he’d just snatched from underneath his nightstand and was training at the dark figures roaming the hallway.

  Night vision goggles would have come in handy, but for lack of those, he simply decided to make use of a different innovation he’d had installed.

  “Disco,” he said in his normal voice, and instantly stroboscopic lights started emitting their nerve-wrecking bursts, hopefully disorienting whoever had decided to target his house for a nocturnal raid.

  Arriving at the foot of the stairs, he wasn’t surprised to find four black-clad figures hitting the floor, their weapons trained on a fifth and sixth figure crouching low near the front door.

  There was a barrage of shouts and screams as Jacques’s men ordered the intruders to put down their guns.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the intruders finally complied, seeing as they were both outmanned and outgunned and appeared reluctant to go out in a blaze of glory.

  So they weren’t so crazy after all.

  Jack, who’d also been training his gun on the men, barked, “Disco arrêtez,” and the strobes cut out their relentless visual pounding.

  The man closest to Jack ripped off his mask, and Jack wasn’t surprised to find himself staring into the sweaty face of his friend Jacques.

  “Great gadget, that strobe. And voice commanded as well. But didn’t I tell you to lock yourself up and be safe?”

  Jack shrugged. “Just thought you could use a little help.”

  Jacques shook his head. “Always the stubborn one, huh? One day this will get you in serious trouble, Jack.”

  “Oh, but it already has.”

  They walked over to the two intruders who, not surprisingly, were also wearing masks. Yanking them off, Jacques revealed a man and a woman, both looking quite annoyed at being captured.

  They were on their knees on the floor, being guarded by the members of Jacques’s team, all heavy-built men who clearly brooked no nonsense.

  The woman was the first to speak. “You filthy swine!”

  “Oh-ho. A feisty one.” Jacques pushed her down on the floor and neatly outfitted her with a pair of handcuffs.

  Jack had immediately recognized the woman. “I’ve seen this one before. Yesterday morning she and her accomplice broke into my room at the Carlton.” His gaze switched to the woman’s partner and he shook his head. “No, this is another one. The one who hit me yesterday was big and ugly.”

  The woman’s partner was handsome and of small build. His eyes shooting fire, he spat on the floor in front of Jack, and started spewing a stream of vituperation in a language Jack didn’t master. It sounded Italian to his ears.

  “They don’t seem to like you very much, Jack.”

  “I guess not.”

  “Probably a couple of angry investors whose money you managed to lose, huh?”

  Jack grinned at the man who’d cracked the joke. It was one of Jacques’s closest colleagues and a man built like a tank.

  “Angry investors usually don’t come calling after midnight. No, these two are not here for me but for Valerie.”

  Jacques leaned closer to the woman, who appeared to be the leader of the small outfit. “What do you want with Valerie Lorgnasse?”

  If the woman was surprised that they knew Valerie’s real name, she didn’t show it. She merely spat in Jacques’s face. In a reflex action, the latter slapped her across the cheek with his gloved hand. She was struck to the floor and for a few moments had trouble shaking off the slap.

  Jack couldn’t resist. “You always behave like this with the ladies, Jacques? No wonder you’re still single.”

  The woman’s partner appeared not to agree with the policeman’s heavy-handed approach, for once again he burst into a stream of profanity.

  “You better talk,” grunted one of the burly cops, hoisting the woman up on her knees again. “What is your business with Valerie Lorgnasse?”

  The woman looked her attacker in the eye, her spirit clearly not broken. “None of your busines
s, cochon.”

  He stepped closer to her and she blinked. “What if I make it my business?”

  She raised her upper lip like a snarling dog. “Valerie Lorgnasse?” She grinned. “Let’s see you protect her.” She then shifted her gaze to Jack. “You think you keep her safe, huh? See if I care. The moment she steps out of this house, she’ll be taken, if not by me, then by one of my associates, of whom there are many.” This time, she spat on the floor, most unladylike, thought Jack. “For the Lorgnasses of this world there can be no compassion. No mercy. This will never end until they’re gone, not a trace left.”

  Jack felt a sudden inclination to take this woman and shake her until she divulged the information he was sure she held, but he didn’t. It was obvious she couldn’t be broken by mere threats of physical violence. A different approach was needed.

  “If you tell us what you know, I’ll pay you. Name your price. Anything you want.”

  Jacques turned to him, appalled. “Jack!”

  Jack kept his eyes glued on the woman. “You know I’m good for it. What do you say?”

  After a moment’s hesitation, the woman’s lip curled up into that same unattractive snarl once again. “If you paid me all the money in the world, I’d still not tell you what you want to know. You think this is about money? You fool. Just you wait and see. Before this day is through, you’ll regret ever to have laid eyes upon the Lorgnasse bitch. Mark my words.”

  Once again Jack felt compelled to strike the woman’s infuriating grin from her face, but once more he refrained from doing so.

  He merely stared at the woman who held the secret to Valerie’s identity and kidnapping. What did she know? And why wouldn’t she talk?

  Jacques placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll break her.”

  Gazing into the woman’s furious eyes, Jack wasn’t so sure. This was about a lot more than money. Whatever Valerie meant to these people, they were clearly willing to do whatever it took to lay their hands on her.

  “Thanks, Jacques,” he said absently as he watched the police officers escort both prisoners from his house and into the waiting police van parked outside. Then he thought of something. “How did you know they were targeting the house?”

  “Magali. A man accosted her on the street tonight and told her in so many words your house had been singled out for attack. She tried to reach you but was unable to.” He raised an eyebrow in question.

  “I, erm, was busy.”

  Jacques grinned. “Is that what you kids call it nowadays? Good to know.”

  “Who was the guy? The one who warned Magali?”

  Jacques lost his smile. “Unfortunately, he didn’t hang around to inform us. But don’t worry. We have a pretty good description.” He unearthed a robot photo from his inside pocket and handed it to Jack.

  He stabbed at the picture with his index finger. “That’s him. That’s the guy who slugged me yesterday. He’s one of them.”

  Jacques fingered his mustache. “Interesting. So he decided to turn tail and become a snitch, huh?”

  “Find this man and you find whatever lays at the heart of this sordid affair.”

  Jacques carefully returned the picture to his pocket. “We’ll find him. And I have a hunch it won’t take long before we do.”

  Jack helped his friend hope so. This whole mess had dragged on long enough, and the toll it was taking on both him and Valerie was starting to show.

  He flashed back to the scene in the kitchen. Valerie naked on his kitchen table, he pounding away at her like a man on fire.

  He grabbed Jacques’s arm. “I need to know who she is, my friend. I’m afraid I...”

  Jacques locked eyes with him. “No need to tell me. I know. Just... Don’t lose your head, Jack. Keep it together. For both your sakes.”

  Jack nodded, though he feared he’d lost his head a long time ago, along with the rest of him.

  Chapter 23

  It seemed like ages before Jack finally returned. All this time, I’d feared the worst, and when finally the door made a buzzing sound and scared the living daylights out of me, I grabbed the first weapon I could find—a beer bottle perhaps left there by one of the workmen installing the safe room, and swung it before me like a battle axe, Rufus yapping furiously all the while.

  When Jack caught sight of me swinging the improvised weapon, he burst out into laughter. I almost threw the bottle at his head out of pure exasperation.

  “You! How dare you leave me locked up in here!”

  “You look so funny with—” He gently took the bottle from my hand. “You better put that down before you hurt yourself.”

  “I was thinking more about hurting you.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, but everything’s been taken care of downstairs.”

  I threw myself into his arms. “Jack,” I murmured against his chest. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “I’m not so easy to kill,” he smirked, ruffling my hair.

  Then he told me the whole story of what happened, leaving out no detail. It was obvious he was as intrigued as I was about the woman who’d tasked herself to target me.

  “But why, Jack? Why me? What do they want from me?” Exasperation made my voice break.

  “I have no idea. But at least we now have a solid lead. One of them seems to have had a change of heart.”

  He told me about the ugly man from the day before. The one claiming to be my father.

  “Perhaps he will be able to tell us more.”

  “Not if he’s like the others. It’s just crazy. Why won’t they talk?”

  “It’s... a mystery. All I know is...”

  “Yes? What?”

  He eyed me with a mixture of confusion and compassion, and I felt it reach all the way to my soul. Finally, he shook his head. “Nothing. Forget about what I said and let’s go back to bed, huh?”

  If Jack thought I would be able to sleep now, he was sorely mistaken, and I told him as much. But he insisted. And strangely enough, the moment my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.

  I must have been exhausted.

  The next morning, I was awakened by the smell of freshly baked pancakes and coffee. My mood, which had been pretty rotten the night before, abruptly made an about-face, and when my feet swung to the floor and I felt the soft carpeting under my toes, I felt both refreshed and rejuvenated.

  My eye fell on the bedside clock, and I was surprised to find it was past ten o’clock. I’d slept like a baby. Jack was already up, so I stretched, yawned, and padded to the adjoining bathroom to see if I couldn’t take a shower before going down for breakfast.

  I was surprised to find the shower running, and Jack standing underneath the powerful jets, humming a tune. It sounded very much like the theme song from Beauty and the Beast.

  I giggled as I listened to his baritone voice singing horribly out of tune. Then, in a moment of lunacy, I decided to join him.

  I quickly stripped off my clothes, and opened the shower stall door.

  If Jack was surprised to see me, he didn’t show it. Instead, he turned to me with what looked like the biggest sample of morning wood I’d ever laid eyes upon—at least, I thought it was.

  “You seem pretty happy,” I murmured, letting my hand trail a path along his pronounced pecs down to his rippling belly.

  “I am. Now that you’re here. Wanna soap up?”

  “Uh-huh.” I turned my back and allowed him to soap me up. When his hands circled to my front and he massaged my breasts, it elicited a sharp intake of breath.

  Bending over to allow him to do my buttocks, I felt a rush of excitement flutter through my lower belly when his fingers traced the crack of my ass. I spread my legs a little to allow him to probe deeper, and he eagerly accepted the invitation, rounding off the lesson in personal hygiene by spreading my pussy lips with his fingers.

  Standing on my tippy toes, I willed him to explore me further—deeper—and then suddenly felt something else entering me. Aided by the
soapy suds, his cock slid deeply into me before I had a chance to cry out. My hands pressed up against the glass, I shivered with pleasure as Jack’s rock-hard girth penetrated me all the way to the hilt, driving into me as if I was his own personal property, for him to take whenever he pleased.

  His breath ragged in my ears, he grabbed my swaying boobs and pressed them together, his fingers splayed around my nipples as he pounded me hard from behind.

  Pushing me up against the glass, the steaming hot jets relentlessly spraying down on us, his cock felt like a jackhammer as it reached my hidden depths.

  “Faster, Jack,” I implored. “Take me hard.”

  He spread my buttocks wide with his large hands as he relentlessly hammered into me. I was pressed up against the glass, my breasts squeezed flat, the motion of his pounding pelvis driving me to the heights of pleasure in next to no time. Then, suddenly, my body moving as if on its own accord, jerks and shivers wrecked through me, and I was experiencing my first climax of the day.

  “Oh, God, Valerie,” Jack’s hot breath came in ragged gasps. “God, you feel so good.”

  His large hands encircled my hips and he pushed me down onto his spearing length like a rag doll, using me as a fucktoy. And I loved it.

  My inner walls were soaking wet, not from the soapy treatment but from my own lubrication freely flowing around Jack’s relentless rod, and as he slipped into me faster and faster, I cried out in ecstasy, my body and mind in the throes of the greatest climax I’d ever experienced. Even though I had no recollection of my past, I intuitively knew nothing like this had ever happened to me ever before. The heights of ecstasy Jack was granting me were exquisite and new to me.

  He reached his hand up to my face and turned me to him, devouring my mouth with his while he kept up his sinfully delicious thrusts into my center, sending ripples of joy out across my lower belly.

  I quaffed deeply from his mouth, sucking his probing tongue, and when finally he cried, “I’m coming, Val. I—”

  I felt such an urge to feel him spray his cum inside me, to experience his hot seed filling my womb, but instinctively I allowed him to slip out of me, and when he sprayed his seed all across my buttocks instead, I felt both rejoiced and intensely sad. I so wanted us to conquer this final barrier, to become lovers in every sense, but something inside me knew this to be a bad idea.