“Rafael! What are you doing here?”
“Everyone is looking for you. Your old man panicked when you didn’t pick up your little girl.”
Jason knew she was missing! That was excellent news. People were looking for her.
How late was it? Raf never left the door of the club before closing time. It didn’t matter. She was found. Wait. How did Rafael know where to find her? She was in the middle of the woods in a state park in the dark.
“How? How did you know where to find me?”
Suddenly, his arms tightened around Cyndi’s waist as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. “What the hell, Raf? Put me down!”
“You know I like you, Cyndi, but you are way too damned nosy for your own good. If only you had been content to dance for a few hours on Friday nights, then none of this would have happened. Now, your little girl will have no idea what happened to her momma, and super-cop at the club tonight will have to live with the fact that you were stolen right from under his nose while he was so busy trying to bust up my business.”
Cyndi stopped struggling. “Your business?”
Rafael was plowing through the trees and brush back the way she had just come. She flopped on his shoulder like a ragdoll, but it didn’t slow him down.
“What do you mean your business?” she demanded once again.
“Miss Liberty, you didn’t think that working as a bouncer in a strip club paid all my bills, now did you?”
Why did everyone keep calling Sugar Shakers a strip club? “It’s not a strip club! No one takes their clothes off!”
A deep throaty chuckle escaped from Rafael. “No. Maybe not. But it sure as hell isn’t a place I would let my sisters or my mother work. Respectable women don’t shake their…tassels…for money.”
Ouch!
“I like to dance! What’s wrong with that?”
“Men give you money to turn them on. Might as well be a prostitute.”
Rafael stepped out of the woods and into a clearing. The very same place she had fled. Realization hit her with all the intensity of a bolt of lightning. “Oh my God, you’re the…”
“Hey, boss.” Johnny stepped into her line of sight. Before Cyndi could even try to free herself, Rafael dropped her with a thump on to the ground. Landing on her elbow, Cyndi let out a grunt.
“What the hell did I ever do to you people?”
“You ask too many questions!” her three captors answered in unison.
She sat back on her heels and massaged her elbow. Looking from one sneering face to the next, Cyndi felt a chill run down her spine. This was it—the end of the line for her. She was about to be sold into the sex trade market, and she had no idea how to escape.
Rafael’s cell phone rang. He fished it out of his jeans pocket. “Hello?”
Cyndi strained to hear but couldn’t make out the voice on the other end of the call. Rafael listened for a few seconds and then, without bidding the caller goodbye, he hung up. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Tie her up,” he demanded, nodding at Johnny.
Roxy let out a loud guffaw. “Don’t let the boy scout over there do it. He couldn’t tie up a loaf of bread!”
“If you think you can do better, go ahead!” Johnny kicked some rope at Roxy and stomped away.
Cyndi looked from one of her captors to the next, still having trouble digesting what was going on.
Rafael grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. “Skip the chair. Tie her to that tree over there. The transport will be here in a few minutes, but I don’t want to risk her getting away again. Once we dispose of Miss Liberty here, life can get back to normal at the club.”
“Normal? You think things will go back to the way they were? My husband and his team will be all over that place if I go missing!”
“I’m not worried. No one wants to see anything happen to the club. Excitement over your disappearance will be short lived. A couple newscasts, a vigil or two. Maybe even one at the club. Then people will find something else to talk about.”
Raf gave Cyndi a little shove toward the tree. Roxy followed them, grinning like the Cheshire cat. As soon she was close enough, Rafael spun her around and pushed her against the tree. Roxy set about wrapping rope around her in a way that reminded Cyndi of the old Saturday morning cartoons. Despite Cyndi struggling against her, by the time Roxy was done, she was wrapped up like a mummy with no hope of working her way out of it.
“They may never find me, but mark my words…they will never stop looking. I know my husband. He is like a bloodhound on a case. He will take you all down!”
“Now, now, Liberty.” Roxy patted her on the head like she was a faithful house pet. “I’m sure you are right. That hottie of a husband of yours will need a lot of comforting in your absence.” Roxy lifted her boobs and squished them together, exaggerating her tired cleavage. “Do you think these will be enough to keep him happy?”
Although her mind knew Roxy was only trying to get a rise out of her, the thought of Jason’s hands on the older woman was enough to give Roxy exactly what she wanted. “If you so much as lay one finger anywhere on my husband…”
“Oh, it’s not a finger I plan to lay on him, Liberty. Your husband ain’t never been with anything like ol’ Roxy here. I’ll have him begging for mercy!”
Her gravelly laugh incited so much hatred in Cyndi that she lunged at the older woman and nearly decapitated herself. She gagged where the rope snapped against her throat, spitting out a string of cusswords even she didn’t know she was capable of.
Rafael, Roxy, and Johnny dissolved into fits of laughter.
Cyndi clamped her jaw shut and glared at them. Getting angry wasted too much energy. J.J. would never touch the likes of Roxy Feathers. In her heart of hearts she knew that, but in less than an hour she would be no more than a memory in her husband’s dreams. A handsome, virile man like Jason would eventually be with another woman.
As long as it was never Roxy, Cyndi could live with that knowledge. As long he never, ever put any part of him in the same room as Roxy Feathers, Cyndi could accept that Jason might fall in love again one day.
She hung her head in resignation. It was over. She was about to become another statistic on the Monday night news.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Psst…Mrs. Mills? Can you hear me?”
Cyndi’s head snapped up. She looked around the small clearing, but didn’t see anyone nearby. Roxy, Rafael, and Johnny had disappeared into the dark a couple of minutes earlier.
“Who’s there?” she whispered, scanning the area again.
“In your ear.”
Oh, crap! She had long since forgotten about the microphones attached to her body.
“What took you all so long?” she demanded, looking around to make sure she hadn’t called attention to herself. The camping area was empty and quiet.
“It took a good hour for anyone to realize you were missing. When you didn’t turn up to pick up your daughter, your husband pulled the surveillance videos in the area and caught someone climbing into the back of your car. We tracked you to First Landing State Park, but that’s as far as we got.”
Leaning her head down as far as she could toward the mic on her chest, she whispered, “I drove to the part of the park where the campsites are. It’s a dirt road. The campsite is in a clearing in the woods. Not a regular one. That’s all I can tell you.”
“We’ve got officers searching the park. Just sit tight.”
She glanced down at the ropes and chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. You ever seen those old cartoons where the damsel gets tied to the train tracks?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s me, only I’m tied to a tree. I keep waiting for someone to bring a torch and light me on fire or something.”
“Not gonna happen, Mrs. Mills. It won’t take long to get to you. Do you know your kidnapper?”
“Kidnappers. And, yes, I know them all.”
“Wow, really?�
��
“They are from the club: Roxy Feathers, who was in my car, Johnny the bartender, and Rafael the bouncer. They’ve got some sort of human trafficking gig going on. They’re waiting for a van to arrive and take me away to my new life.”
“No worries, Mrs. Mills. Your husband found that van. Those dudes aren’t going anywhere but jail…maybe a quick stop at the emergency room first.” She heard a burst of laughter in her ear.
“Is Jason okay?”
“Oh, he’s fine. Hell bent on finding you. We let him know we re-established contact, and he is probably burning the woods down as we speak in his effort to get to you!”
“Tell him to be careful.”
“No worries there, ma’am.”
Cyndi heard a rustle in the underbrush. “Someone’s coming!”
“Hang tight. No one is getting you out of this park except us.”
Johnny stepped into the clearing, followed by Rafael, who was cursing up a storm. “Where the hell are those buffoons? Can’t count on anyone to get a job done anymore! I should have stopped for the van myself!”
Roxy’s raspy cough, accompanied by the smell of cigarette smoke, made its way through the dark. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon. It’s the middle of the night, so where they gonna go?”
“Who the hell knows? I got a deadline to make.” Rafael kicked at a rock and sent it skittering into the fire pit. Sparks jumped into the air, lighting the night like a thousand tiny fireflies. Cyndi watched as one of those tiny sparks settled on the tent and started smoldering. Johnny plopped down in the same chair she had been tied to earlier while Roxy stood by the fire, puffing on her Lucky Strike.
“What I wouldn’t do for some vodka right now.”
“Shit, Roxy. That all you think about? Booze and cigarettes?” Johnny sneered.
“I like sex too.”
“You sure you ain’t a dude?”
“Come on, Johnny, you of all people know this ain’t no dude.” Roxy gestured to her crotch and boobs.
“Whatever.” Johnny jumped up and started pacing. Rafael pulled out his cell phone and started texting someone.
Cyndi hoped they would continue to forget about her long enough for Jason to find her. She let her head rest against the rough bark of the pine tree. A bright flash of light caught her attention, and she whipped her head up again.
“What the holy hell?” Roxy whipped around, eyes wide.
“The tent’s on fire!” Johnny squealed.
“You numb-nuts!” Rafael yelled. “Who the hell set the tent on fire?”
The flames grew quickly, fueled by whatever had been stored inside, and licked at the branches of the pine trees above it. Cyndi could feel the heat on her skin as the fire spread quickly around the clearing, jumping from pine tree to pine tree. But, oh no! She was tied to one of those pine trees.
“Help! Someone untie me! Johnny! Please! Untie me!” She struggled against the ropes, but it seemed the more she tugged, the tighter Roxy’s knots grew.
“Let’s get the hell outta here!” No one paid any attention to her as Rafael ran into the woods with Roxy and Johnny close on his heels.
“Help me!” she screamed.
“Mrs. Mills!” The voice in her ear sounded worried. “What’s happening?”
“The woods are on fire! They left me! Those sons of bitches left me here!”
“One of the officers radioed in. They see the smoke! Please try to stay calm!”
Two trees over from her, dry pine needles burst into flames. “You want me to stay calm?”
“It will be okay! No one here wants to answer to Officer Mills if something happens to you. They will get there!”
“They’d better!”
From somewhere in the dark, she heard shouting, followed by a barrage of gunfire. That sent her into another fit of trying to escape her bonds. As she pulled at the ropes, she kept one eye on the burning trees and yelled into her chest mic. “What happened? I heard shots! Is Jason okay?”
“Some of the officers caught up with your kidnappers. Officers are all fine, although some dude in women’s underwear might have a reason to wear them for real now…”
“Oh my God! Someone shot Johnny in the…in the…”
“Yeah, they shot him in the nuts!” Another burst of laughter filled her ear. Those guys were sure having a lot of fun while she was about to die!
“He won’t care! Is someone going to get me out of here?”
“Mrs. Mills!” a voice called from out in the smoke.
“Here! I’m over here!”
Two officers bearing Virginia Beach Police Kevlar vests on the outside of their clothing rushed toward her. One grabbed a knife from his hip pocket and started slicing at her bonds. The other started pulling at the ropes. “We’re gonna have you out of here in a jiffy, ma’am.”
A loud crash sounded as the first tree to catch fire dropped one of its massive branches to the ground. Brush and leaves and pine needles went up in flames, spreading sparks and burning leaves all through the clearing. Fire trailed straight toward them. The first officer cut the final rope. The second scooped her up in his arms and took off into the woods.
Smoke swirled around them. The sound of forest animals fleeing the area sounded like thunder in her ears. All she could think about was Jason and Harper and how close she had come to never seeing them again.
Cyndi held tight to her rescuer. The three of them exploded out of the woods into a rainbow of flashing blue, red, and yellow lights. Cops swarmed the area as fire fighters rushed to get water into the burning area. Helicopter blades sliced through the air, and they were bathed in the brightness of a spot light. Cyndi searched the crowd for Jason, but he was lost in the sea of faces. If he was even out there. He could have been anywhere.
The officer carrying her approached an ambulance and placed her on a stretcher. To the EMT he said, “Check her feet. No shoes. This is Mills’ wife. I’m gonna radio him now!” With that, her two knights in shining Kevlar disappeared into the chaos.
One of the EMTs—a young man probably barely old enough to buy a beer—gingerly examined her cut and bruised feet. “This looks like it hurts.”
The other EMT elbowed him. “What the hell you thinking, dumbass?”
“I’m just saying…”
“Not everything that comes into your head has to come out of your mouth!”
Pushing the younger medic out of the way, the obviously more experienced one started pouring saline solution over her aching feet. “I’m sorry it’s so cold, ma’am.”
She offered up a wan smile. “That’s the least of my worries tonight.”
He eyed her knowingly. “Yeah, I bet it is.”
“Cyndi!” From somewhere out in the chaos, she heard her name.
“Over here!” she yelled back. Jason responded with the special whistle they had taught Harper to help her signal them for help if she ever got separated from them in a crowd. She responded, and in seconds Jason was there in front of her.
“Jason!” Her husband wrapped his arms around her and held her close. All of the anger and sadness of the past week disappeared in an instant.
Jason kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her lips. He repeated over and over, “I thought I’d lost you.”
“It takes a lot more than some crazy stripper and psycho cross-dresser to take me away from my family!”
“We caught them, Cyn. Caught them all. The dude in the bra was singing like a canary all the way to the hospital.”
“I’m sorry, Jason.” The tears fell as her husband held her tighter.
“No, Cyndi. I’m sorry. I hate the way I treated you.”
Cyndi kissed him, long and hard, right there in front of everyone. If not for the coughing and throat clearing going on around her, she might have completely forgotten where they were and taken him right there on the ground.
“Um, Mrs. Mills, we really should take you to the hospital and get you checked out.”
She looked at Jason, suddenly fearful
of being separated from him. “It’s okay, Cyn. You go on ahead. I’ll be there in a little while. I just want to head up to the precinct and have a little talk with our suspects before they head down to booking.”
She nodded and let Jason put her back on the stretcher. “Don’t be long.”
He leaned in and kissed her again. “I won’t. I promise.”
As the doors closed on the ambulance, she saw Jason disappear into the smoke. She might have enjoyed her night undercover, but it hadn’t been worth almost losing her husband.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Cyndi?”
“Hmmm…?” She opened her eyes slowly. Jason stood by the bed, smiling down at her.
“There’s someone here to see you.”
After her ordeal in the woods and a day in the hospital, she must have looked a fright. The nice pain meds the doctors had prescribed to ease her aches and pains had her feeling pretty good, though. It didn’t really matter what she looked like. Sick people had an excuse to look bad.
“Who?” she managed to ask through parched lips and a smoke-irritated throat.
“Why don’t you look and see?” Jason stepped aside, and Cyndi forced her sleepy eyes to focus on the young woman that stood behind him.
She looked familiar, but then she didn’t. She smiled at Cyndi, her big brown eyes moist with unshed tears. “I hear you are quite the hero.”
“Jade?” she croaked out.
The girl smiled and nodded. “Your husband said you’ve been searching for me.”
“You disappeared…and the blood…”
“Johnny and Roxy kidnapped me like they did you. Rafael sold me to some rich guy out west. After you brought down their business, he set me free in exchange for me keeping my mouth shut. Which of course I didn’t—I got straight on a bus and came back here. My first stop was the police. Your husband here found me at the station and grilled me until I cracked.” She laughed and tossed her smooth, straight hair over her shoulder.
“She was one tough interrogation!” Jason laughed as well.
“You look beautiful. You always do but…different somehow.”
Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos Page 19
