"Then we keep looking. Find one of those voices we heard. Somebody knows something," Bruiser growled
"Roger."
They fanned out, checking the room and the displays quickly.
"Here's the elevator." Railroad pointed to a panel in the wall beside him. "Display says five."
"Then let's go see what's on five." Cowboy was already sprinting for the bar and the door to the stairs.
Taking the steps two at a time, they climbed as far as they could and waited before the door. Railroad put his ear to the panel and listened. "The helicopter is revving up. Be ready for anything."
Bruiser nodded then put his hand on the knob. Counting to three, he shoved the door open, and the team poured out onto the rooftop.
The first thing Bruiser noticed was the small private helicopter lifting from the pad painted on the roof. The second was a face pressed against the window; a face he knew in his dreams. Her cheeks were glistening as if tears had recently flooded them. Something dark made a line from her lip to her chin. If that was blood... He gritted his teeth. Ignoring the others, he raced for the edge of the building as if to jump for the chopper. Finch and Toad grabbed him and pulled him back before he could leap for it.
He screamed.
"OLIVIA!"
Chapter 20
Olivia learned something important. There were many types of cages in this world. There were ones with bars, ones with glass and even ones with beautiful furnishings. It was the third type that she found herself in now. The room was huge and more opulently furnished than most hotels she had experienced. The bed had an oversized, thick, comfortable, mattress and luxurious sheets. The sitting area contained two large chairs with a table between them. The floors were of highly polished wood, with scattered plush rugs and the walls painted a sunny yellow. She would have liked this room except for one disturbing fact; there were actual bars across the windows, and she was pretty sure the door leading to a large balcony was locked.
Currently, she was lying face down on the bed while an older man examined her head. From what she could piece together, he was probably a doctor or other medical professional. She tried to talk to him, but he only spoke what she assumed was German or Dutch. When he touched the sore spot on the back of her head, she hissed and pulled away. The doctor tsked softly and said something to her in his native language. Pressing a cloth to the area, he gently dabbed at the cut in her scalp. Satisfied it was clean, he closed the area with butterfly strips and stood. He picked up a small duffle bag from the floor and walked to the door where De Jääger waited alone. She had no idea where the two goons she had nicknamed Hans and Franz had gone.
The two conversed in their mutual language before the doctor left. De Jääger watched her with a smile on his face. She shuddered from the feral intensity of it.
"Very good news, Olivia. You have only a slight concussion, requiring rest for today. Your training will begin in the morning."
He seemed much more at ease today. The severe business suit had been replaced with a white linen shirt with the top two buttons undone, a pair of starched khaki pants, and brown loafers. His dark skin popped against the cool white. His short hair was combed into a casual style, and his cobalt colored eyes shone with something akin to joy.
"My..." she croaked then swallowed and tried again. "My training? What type of training?"
"Training for your new life here in my menagerie." He turned and walked to the door. "Don't concern yourself with it. Rest. Relax. Tomorrow we'll begin. In the meantime, I will have some food brought to you. There's a bathroom through that door and a closet of clothing chosen specifically for you. I'm sure you will see they are all exceptional and of the best quality. I require perfection in everything associated with me." He took a step forward and tenderly caressed her face. Unlike Bruiser's touch that filled her with longing and love, De Jääger's filled her with disgust. She pulled from his grasp and moved out of his reach. Instead of becoming angry, he laughed. "You'll be such fun to break." With that, he disappeared.
Standing, Livy hurried to the door he had disappeared through, only to find it securely locked. She wasn't surprised. Instead of giving into the overwhelming desire to scream, she explored her new space. As promised, the adjoining room contained a bathroom that was as sumptuously decorated as the bedroom. Once again, the fixtures and accents were gold. An enormous tub large enough for two sat in the middle of the room. Remembering the last bathroom she had seen, she studied the corners of the room. As far as she could tell, there were no cameras.
Next, she entered an enormous closet filled with women's clothing either in varying shades of yellow or containing yellow as accents. Examining a few of the items, she found they were all her size. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed it down. There were dresses, slacks, blouses of all manners of cuts. Her jaw dropped as she recognized many designer labels. A dozen or more drawers underneath the hanging racks housed pile upon pile of underwear, bras, sleeping clothes and racy lingerie. This was the only time that yellow was not required. Most of these things were black, red or even pink. She drew her hand back in revulsion and slammed the drawer shut. The back wall contained nooks holding shoes of different styles of well. There was everything here from simple sneakers to lavish pumps. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shivers that raced up her back. This did not bode well for her.
"Hello? Sister?"
Olivia stepped cautiously out of the closet to find a diminutive woman of about five feet standing by the sitting table next to a window. She was beautiful with an olive complexion, wide almond eyes of golden brown and long black hair swept up in an artistic arrangement and secured with a silver clip. Her makeup was flawlessly applied and enhanced her exotic beauty. She wore a thigh length dress of shimmery silver that was sleeveless. Her feet were wrapped in silver strappy sandals. When she moved her head to the side, Olivia saw an elegant necklace that reached from her shoulder to her chin. It looked almost like black netting and shimmered with many faceted stones.
"There you are, Sister."
Olivia looked around the room. "Sister?"
The woman nodded solemnly. "The Meester requires we call each other ‘Sister.' "
"Each other?" Olivia's eyebrows drew together. "How many sisters are there?"
"You are number four." She turned and motioned toward the tray on the table. "I brought you some lunch. Sister Catori was once a chef. She creates the most amazing dishes."
"Sister Catori?" Olivia approached the table, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her it had been some time since she had eaten. She had to admit, it looked delicious, and she was starving. She sat at the table and motioned for the other woman to sit as well.
"Yes, she is the second sister. Sister Rana is the First. She's in charge of us when Meester isn't here. I'm Mishi, the third sister."
Livy could hear the capitalization when Mishi said 'First.' It sounded more like a title than a number. "I'm Olivia." She picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. Flavors exploded on her tongue, and she moaned in pleasure.
"I told you it was good, Sister Olivia." Mishi smiled at her.
Olivia stabbed a piece of a root vegetable that reminded her of a potato but was not quite as starchy. Shoving it in her mouth, she chewed then swallowed. "Oh my, it's outstanding. By the way, my friends call me Livy." She dug into the plate while Mishi watched. After several bites and washing it down with fruit juice she resumed questioning. "So, this is a harem? Sister wives and all that?"
Mishi shook her head quickly. "Oh, no. We're not wives. We’re possessions. You're lucky, Sister Olivia. The Meester is pleasant as long as we're obedient and are no trouble. My last owner wasn't as kind."
Olivia snorted and put the piece of bread she had been eating back on the plate. "Nobody owns me, and I don't care how kind he is. I'm not staying. First chance I get, I'm outta here."
Mishi's face blanched and she looked around fearfully. "You shouldn't say such things. If someone hears you, they'll punish
you." She swallowed, and her voice lowered. “Besides, there's nowhere to go. We're on an island in the middle of a massive lake surrounded by miles of rainforest. We can't leave the compound." She touched the necklace on her neck. "We'll never leave the compound. The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be for you. Otherwise, they’ll force you to conform. Please don't do something to make them hurt you."
Olivia laughed bitterly. "I was in the U.S. Army. I've been trained to survive torture."
"There are many ways to make you comply," Mishi whispered and reached a hand out to touch Olivia's still puffy face. "This is nothing compared to what may happen if you displease the Meester."
Mishi dropped her hand, stood, and turned her back. Olivia watched as the woman pulled her dress upwards until her back was bared.
Livy gasped. Dropping the fork, she hurried around the table and gently touched the marks on her new friend's back. "Oh, Mishi. What did they do to you?"
Mishi dropped the garment and smoothed it in place. "I tried to run once. When they caught me, I was beaten with canes until my back shredded. The Meester said it was my only warning. He would see me dead before allowing me to leave." Her voice had gotten softer. "That was before." She lifted her hand and touched the intricate necklace encompassing her slender neck again. "Now, the punishments are so much worse."
Revulsion gathered in Olivia's stomach, and her appetite left her. She sat at the table but pushed the plate back. "I'll be getting out of here, and when I do, you're coming with me. I'm not leaving you behind, Mishi. I don't care how 'good' the Meester is; nobody is going to beat you again. I promise."
Olivia saw the play of emotions on Mishi's face. It saddened her to see a momentary flash of hope followed by sorrow. She didn't believe Olivia's words. Instead, she truly believed they would never get out of this gilded version of hell. Picking up the plate, the woman started toward the door. She turned and looked at Olivia.
"You're very sweet, Sister Olivia, but sweet doesn't last long here. They take goodness and kindness and twist it into something foul and horrible. It makes them happy to see us pretend to love our life here. When they're happy, we are mostly left alone. Please don’t give them a reason to hurt you. Even what I endured is not as bad as I've seen happen to others. You are the fourth one at the moment, but only one in a long line of sisters who have come and gone. Some couldn't survive the training. Others wouldn't accept their position. Still, others tried to run away. One by one, they disappeared. I don't want that to happen to another sister. I don't want to see you vanish as they did." The door opened, and Mishi walked through. The sound of it closing reminded Livy of all the times she felt trapped and alone when she still lived with her mother.
Alone with just her thoughts, Livy turned and looked out the window. As beautiful as the tropical location was, her heart was breaking. She knew she was no longer in the United States and that meant the chances of being rescued were diminishing rapidly. If she ever wanted to see Auntie, Jayden, and Bruiser again, she was going to have to find a way to get out of this herself.
Chapter 21
Jonathan Jacobson was in the wind. In the ruckus of trying to catch the helicopter before it took off, the man had slipped away and disappeared. Cheesy had no more information about who purchased Olivia. All he knew was she was a special order from a foreigner.
Detective Coopersmith was not happy with the events of Friday night and had no qualms in telling Bruiser and the team how he felt. As they turned Cheesy over to the police, along with a copy of Jayden's sketch with everything they knew about the goings on at Precious Treasures, he expressed his displeasure.
"This isn't a sanctioned military mission. You should have come to me the minute you found out about this guy," he shook the paper in Bruiser's face. "Maybe if you had, we'd have your girlfriend back by now."
The team knew better but didn't press their luck. As it was, Coopersmith wasn't going to report their activities since nobody had gotten hurt. He did, however, insinuate that Jacobson's escape was all their fault. Whatever. The man disappeared the moment the team breached the roof. By the time they searched the building, he was nowhere to be found. Coopersmith assured them he would be caught. His considerable assets were frozen, giving him little ability to move around. Bruiser wasn't sure he agreed with that statement. Weasels like Jacobson had caches of money hidden in case of this type of situation.
PT that Monday morning had sucked. It was going on day six since Olivia had gone missing. The late nights, compounded with worry, had all of their nerves frazzled. Even though Hick was still on medical leave, he had joined them on base. Now, they were sitting in one of the situation rooms, discussing their next move. After going over the events for what felt like an eternity, Cowboy's cell phone rang.
"Digger, talk to us," Cowboy said as he placed the phone on the table and punched the speaker button.
"I did some digging around and found JRJ Corporation owns two other companies. I'm pretty sure Jacobson uses them to launder some of the funds coming in from trafficking. One of them is a real estate brokerage with properties in several countries. That is most likely how he's moving the women. The second is a touring company complete with various aircraft. One of them is a Hawker 400 XP. This top-of-the-line luxury jet has all the bells and whistles, including leather seats, plush carpeting, handcrafted inlays and its own state-of-the-art media center."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. The auction house was decorated similarly," Finch agreed.
"I may have accidentally taken a peek into the air control logs for the area and found a Hawker 400 XP leaving a small airfield outside of Palm City a little after 1:00 am on Friday. It’s the same one owned by JRJ. I was able to track it to Suriname where it landed at approximately 11:00 am on Saturday."
"Do we even want to know how you got that information?" Bruiser asked.
"No, you don't," Digger admitted. "And if asked, you know nothing."
"Roger that," they all said in unison.
Railroad, always the one to be most in stoic of the group, asked the question on their minds. "Do you know where is she now?"
"Negative. I've got some feelers out and have called in a few favors. Give me a little more time, and I'll see what I can do. Anything else?"
"Yeah, get all the information you can about the area. One way or another, I'm going down there," Bruiser growled.
"I'll get right on it. Digger out." The phone went dead.
Bruiser grabbed Cowboy's cell and tossed it to him. "I'm done with playing cat and mouse with these perverts. She's not in the country anymore, so the locals can't do shit. It'll be another day or two before they call in the FBI and who knows how long it’ll be before something is done. By then, she'll be long gone. Time to go talk to the CO."
An hour later, they had briefed their commanding officer. He was sympathetic but would not budge on official channels. "Look, Bruiser, I appreciate the situation you are in, but I can't sanction an op to Suriname. I'm sorry your girl is missing, but I can't send the team in without official backing."
"I have to get down there, sir. Olivia needs me." Bruiser paced the office again.
"I've already told you, this is out of our bailiwick. Unless orders come down the pipe, we can't act on this. I can try to get something started, but I can pretty much guarantee it's not going anywhere. You remember that woman that got kidnapped a few years back? Look what it took to go in and get her. The best you can do, officially, is to drum up some attention and hope the State Department listens. Until then, there's nothing I can do. And when I say to drum up some attention, I mean to have her family do it. I don't want to see any of you on the nine o'clock news giving interviews."
"Dammit!" Bruiser sat and rubbed his face with his palms. Olivia was still missing; he had intel on where she may be, and he was sitting here twiddling his thumbs because the bureaucrats wouldn't get off their collective asses and do something.
Their CO cleared his throat. "I said there's nothing official I
could do." He raised an eyebrow at the team.
As usual, Railroad caught the motion. "Then what do you suggest?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "You bunch of reprobates are still out of rotation for a minimum of ten days until Hick gets his clearance to return. As upset as Bruiser is, I don't think putting you back would be a good idea, so I'm extending that to two weeks. I suggest you all take a nice little vacation. Calm down. Relax. Maybe try out somewhere tropical and leave the missing girl to the official channels. By the time you get back, they may have her home again." He paused and gave Bruiser a hard look. "I hear the fishing in Suriname is excellent. Silver croaker and peacock bass run in that area. I always enjoyed fishing for bass." He picked up a stack of papers and dropped them on the other side of his desk. "Make sure you sign those leave requests. We need to have everything in order before you go on your vacations."
Bruiser picked up the papers and distributed them. Pulling a pen out of his pocket, he signed the request. "I think you're right, sir. We need a break to get things into perspective. Pack up your gear, boys. We're going fishing."
With the official paperwork filed, the team grabbed their gear and drove to Bruiser's apartment to make plans. Parking his SUV, he was surprised to see River leaning against the picnic table outside.
"Hey, Riv, what are you doing here? I thought you had gone home by now."
"Jos and I decided to extend our stay a little longer. She's going to spend some time with Natalie and Jayden. I hear you guys are going on a little trip."
Cowboy did a double take. "Who told you that?"
River shrugged. "A little birdie. Got room for one more?"
"We can't ask you to go along, Riv. You have a wife and business to run." Hick pointed at him. "I don't fancy having to tell Joselyn you're not coming back. This isn't going to be easy."
"Then cover my six, and I'll cover yours. Besides, the only easy day was yesterday." River shrugged as he quoted the SEAL motto. He picked up a large duffel bag and dropped it on the table. "Joselyn thinks I should go. She's pretty smart. Oh, and she's the one funding our fishing trip."
Saving Olivia (Team Cereberus Book 1) Page 15
