by HELEN HARDT
Several yards away, another man was rustling Raj out of his deep sleep.
“You’re coming with us,” the man holding me said.
“The hell we are.” I broke his grip. Now if only I could reach my gun.
Talon shoved his fist under his attacker’s chin in a perfect uppercut. The attacker let out an oof but managed to grab my brother again. Talon easily broke the grip once more and pounded the guy’s face into the tree we’d been sitting under. The man yelled and fell to the ground.
Talon turned to my guy, who had grabbed me again. He hurled his body into both of us, taking us to the ground. He grabbed the goon and started pounding his fists into his face. The guy screamed and gurgled.
“Get off him.”
Raj’s voice. The big man approached us, holding his own attacker at gunpoint. He regarded the two unconscious, bloody men.
“Make sure they aren’t armed, and then strip them. The two of you put those black clothes on over your own. This one will show us where we’re going, or he’ll get his fucking head blown off.”
The man with Raj was also dressed all in black, including a black ski mask.
I grabbed Talon and pulled him into a stand, steadying him. His eyes still shone with a wildness, a primal fury.
“You okay?”
He nodded slightly but didn’t say anything.
“Come on. Let’s go with Raj.”
“Not until we make sure they’re not armed,” Raj said.
I quickly frisked the two men, finding two pistols and three knives. I took one of the guns and gave the other to Talon, who still looked freaked.
“Take this, but be careful,” I said.
He nodded slightly again. I’d need to keep my eye on him.
Then I stripped the clothes and masks off them. One was white and the other black. Without masks, they looked a lot less menacing. The masks were both tainted with blood, but Raj was right. We needed to put them on. I handed Talon the better mask of the two and took the gun from him for a minute.
“Come on,” I said. “Put this shit on.”
I pulled the shirt and pants on over my clothes. They were tight, but I was able to get into them. Then I put the mask over my head. It was made of a breathable cotton, thank God, but with the coppery smell of fresh blood…
I held back my puke.
Talon followed my lead. Once he put the mask on, I shuddered a bit. His eyes still looked wild, and with his face obscured…
I wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley.
“Okay, mon,” Raj said to his own attacker. “You take us in.”
“The fuck I will.”
“Let me make this easier. You take us in there, or your brains will be smeared all over your friends here.”
“They’ll kill me.”
“Well, then, you’ll have a few hours’ reprieve while you take us there, then. A few hours is better than nothing, right, mon?”
Raj’s attitude overwhelmed me. The man had nerves of steel. Quickly he pulled the mask off the man’s face. He was white with darker hair. I couldn’t discern his eye color yet, but the haze of dawn was just beginning to break. Had we really been up all night?
Raj stopped a moment and looked back at the two men. “You think they’re out for a while?” he asked Talon and me.
“I’d say so,” I said. “Talon went at them pretty good.”
Raj regarded them for a few more seconds and then shook his head. “Can’t take the chance.” He produced some twine from his bag and bound their arms and legs. “I ought to put bullets through their brains.”
I stopped myself from gasping and looked to Talon. He didn’t seem fazed.
I quaffed down my astonishment—and a little bit of fear—and followed Raj.
The man led us to an SUV parked on a dirt road about a half mile away. Raj pushed him into the driver’s seat, still holding the gun to his head. “Get in,” he said to Talon and me.
We got in the back seat, and I held my gun on the guy while Raj got in the passenger side of the front seat. He situated himself and then pointed the gun at the man’s temple.
“What’s your name, mon?”
“Fuck you,” he spat.
Raj nudged the gun against his temple. “Your name, asshole.”
The man winced. “Scotty.”
“All right then, Scotty. Drive.”
* * *
We arrived half an hour later at a large brick structure with lots of small windows. The area had been cleared of trees and brush. In fact, most greenery was gone. Strange.
“They won’t let you in,” Scotty said.
“Yes, they will. Take your fucking clothes off so I can put them on.” He handed me his piece. “Hold it on him.”
I forced my hand to remain steady as Raj changed in record time. Clearly he was used to changing clothes inside a car. Though I still didn’t fully trust him, I was impressed so far.
He put Scotty’s mask on and then said, “You’ll take us in.”
“They’ll wonder where my mask is. Where my clothes are.”
“Tell them you lost them. Make something up. I don’t give a damn.”
“Three of us left, and now four of us return?”
“Use your wits, if you have any. I’ll have this pistol in your back the whole time. I’m betting it will spur your imagination.” He looked back at us. “You two ready?”
Ready? I had no idea what we were about to encounter, but I was armed with two guns. Talon still didn’t look quite like himself, but we had no choice but to move now.
The time had come. Whatever was in that building was what we had come here for. I just wasn’t sure I was prepared to see it.
“Ready,” I said.
“Ready,” Talon echoed.
Chapter Eighteen
Ruby
I had only been to the main Steel house a few times. I’d spent most of my time on the ranch at Ryan’s home, which was several hundred yards behind the main house, so I’d gotten some good views of the sprawling abode from the back. I was less familiar with the front, but from what I could remember…
I was looking at an exact replica of the main Steel ranch house. The house where Talon lived with Jade, Marjorie, and Brooke Bailey.
I blinked several times. The brick color was exactly the same—red with flecks of gold and yellow—the trim painted the same pale blue, like a robin’s egg. I walked forward as if in a trance. I almost expected to see Talon’s little mutt, Roger, appear in the window by the front door.
Then I stopped. Cold.
I turned around. I had completely forgotten about Juliet. She had emerged from the car.
I ran back to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you.”
She stood on shaky legs. “Where are we?”
“I honestly don’t know, but I recognize this house.” I turned to Theo. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“I promised you better accommodations. I trust this will suffice.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the inside yet.” Visions of rooms filled with starving women and children chained up forced themselves into my mind.
“The inside is as pleasant as the outside. I assure you, no expense was spared. I should fucking know.”
Resentment. Resentment in my father’s voice. I didn’t stop to try to figure out why. Right now, my main concern was Juliet. I felt a twinge of guilt that I couldn’t focus more on Ryan, but at least I knew he could take care of himself.
“What’s in there?” I demanded.
“Better accommodations, as I said. Follow me.”
I took Juliet’s arm and followed my father up the pathway to the front door. Oddly, my father rang the doorbell.
The door opened, and a woman in a maid’s uniform stood there. “Mr. Theo. What can I do for you?”
“I’ve brought some guests for you, Marabel. These two ladies will need rooms and a shower, obviously.”
“Who are they?”
“The dark-haired one is my daug
hter. The other is her…er…friend.”
“We’re happy to have your daughter here, of course. Please, do come in.”
My father stood back and let Juliet and me in first. Gentlemanly of him, which surprised me. But I didn’t doubt my father was a charmer if he had swept Brooke Bailey off her feet. Juliet was stone-faced and showed no reaction to the news that I was Theo’s daughter. I turned to look at him.
He stared back at me with his natural brown eyes. When had he taken out the blue contacts? Sometime during the night, while I was asleep, I guessed. Funny I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Come on, girls,” Marabel said. “Don’t just stand there. You both look like you could use a good meal. I’ve got spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove for lunch. It’s the lady’s favorite. But it’s a hearty breakfast for you first.”
The lady? But I couldn’t consider the implications of Marabel’s statement at the moment. I walked in, guiding Juliet, and the spicy smell of tomatoes and basil drifted toward me. I inhaled.
A tear came to Juliet’s eye. “Why are we here?” she asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” I said. “But let’s make the most of it while it’s happening.”
“But the others…”
Her thought mirrored my own. I wouldn’t rest until the others were safe as well, but for now, we could both use a good meal and a good bed. We’d be better able to help the others if we were well fed and rested.
Marabel led Juliet and me down the corridor to a door. “Here you go. One of you can take this one.”
“You mean we’re not staying together?” Juliet asked frantically.
I squeezed her hand. “Of course we can. We’ll need just one room.”
“All right.” She led us farther down the hall. “Then take this one.”
We walked into a room that had two queen beds. “You’ll have to share the bathroom. There are robes and pajamas in the bureau. Leave your soiled clothing in the hamper, and I’ll do your laundry for you later.”
“You don’t have—” I began.
“Don’t be silly. I’m happy to do it. Now the two of you get cleaned up, and I’ll get a hot breakfast ready for you.”
“We will,” I said. “And thank you.” I looked at Juliet. I had no idea when she’d last had a proper shower. “Come on.” I led her to the bathroom and turned on the shower. “You go first.”
She looked at me timidly, biting her lip, her eyes darting back and forth.
“You’ll be all right,” I said. “I’ll be right in the bedroom.”
“Please. Don’t leave me.”
I smiled. “I can’t shower with you, Juliet.”
“No, of course not. Just stay in here while I shower. And then I’ll stay in here while you do.”
“All right. If it will make you feel better.”
She pulled the dirty gray sweatshirt over her head.
I held back a gasp.
She looked nothing like the beautiful blond bombshell I’d met at the resort in Jamaica. Her curves were gone, and ribs showed through her skin that was red and dry in places. Her full breasts now hung limp. Though she was blond, her body hair was thick under her armpits and on her vulva. Her legs were unshaven. When she finished disrobing, I urged her toward the shower before she had a chance to look in the mirror. I needed to prepare her for that.
“I’m going to find you some moisturizer for your skin. Take it easy while you shower. Don’t use a shower pouf. Just a soft cloth, okay?” I didn’t mention a razor because her skin was in no condition to be shaved.
She nodded. Her hair was a raggedy mess, and I probably should have brushed it out for her before she washed it, but too late for that now. I’d help her with it when she was done.
She let out a wail when she stepped into the hot water.
“Is it too hot?” I asked.
“No. No. It’s fine. It just feels…warm. It feels…good.”
I smiled. When was the last time Juliet had felt good? Not since that day on the beach. It had almost been worth it, to be drugged and hijacked by my father, just to hear Juliet say that the warm shower felt good.
Was my father still in this house? I wanted to explore, but I didn’t dare leave the bathroom. Juliet would panic if she got out of the shower and found me gone. So I went through the medicine cabinet and other cupboards. I found some unscented moisturizer for Juliet’s skin. Also some facial moisturizer. And a lavender toner. I also turned up three brushes and two combs—plenty for me to help Juliet work the tangles out of her wet hair.
She spent a long time under the pelting water, and I didn’t blame her. I’d had a shower a lot more recently than she had, I’d bet, and I planned to take my time as well.
When she finally turned off the faucet and the water dripped to a stop, I grabbed a fuzzy bath towel and handed it to her when she stepped out. This time, I couldn’t spare her the reflection in the mirror.
“Oh.” She clamped her hand over her mouth.
“You’re still beautiful,” I said.
“How can you say that?”
“Because you’re still you. We’ll fatten you up. You’ll see. And those red patches on your skin will heal. I found some moisturizer for you to use. Once your skin is back to normal, you can shave.”
Without asking, I grabbed a comb and brush and began work on her hair.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“I don’t mind.” And I didn’t. It took about fifteen minutes, but I eventually worked all the snags out of her hair. I handed her a robe. “Put this on. I’m going to take my shower now.”
“Can I stay in here with you?”
I wasn’t one to undress in front of others, but she’d already seen me naked at the resort. Even if she hadn’t, I had to give her what she needed now. I owed her that.
And again Melanie’s voice entered my mind. You don’t owe her anything. I ignored it.
The hot water was glorious on my tired and achy body, so I could only imagine how Juliet had felt. Once I was finished, we dressed in some of the pajamas we found in the dresser and left our dirty laundry for Marabel as she’d instructed.
Juliet eyed the bed. “I’m so tired. So damned tired.”
“Lie down, then. Breakfast can wait.”
“You won’t leave me?”
“No, I won’t leave you.” Though I wanted some decent food, the bed looked pretty good to me as well.
She lay down and snuggled under the down comforter. In a few minutes, she had fallen asleep.
Though sleep beckoned me as well, I wasn’t anxious for a repeat of the creepy dream I’d had about Ryan. Or rather, not about Ryan. I looked around the room a bit. I hadn’t been in any of the bedrooms in the main Steel house, but I could only assume this one was identical to one of them. It was meticulously decorated with walnut furniture and hardwood floors. A beautiful ornate rug in reds and golds covered the floor, and my bare feet sank into it as I walked.
I jerked slightly when someone knocked. It was probably Marabel, but what if it was my father? I knew I’d have to deal with him soon, but I wanted a few more moments of peace for Juliet.
I opened the door.
A woman stood there—a beautiful woman with dark-brown hair and brown eyes, a long braid hanging over one shoulder. She was older, her skin lightly marred by age, but still she was stunning. She wore a lush robe, and in her arms she cradled a baby in a pink crocheted blanket.
Chapter Nineteen
Ryan
Scotty led us to a door. He punched in a code, and the door opened. He walked in. We followed.
“That seemed to go all right,” I whispered to Talon.
“Where to from here?” Raj asked.
“I have to sneak you in the back way,” Scotty said. “I can’t get you through the front way without IDs.”
Raj fished in his pocket. “Seems I have your ID, mon.”
I stuck my hand in the pocket of the pants I was wearing. Sure enough, I came out with wh
at looked like the ID Raj was holding.
“Guess we don’t need you at all, do we?” Raj smiled, his teeth nearly glowing.
“Uh…yeah. You need me. Like I said, there are four of us when only three left. And if you haven’t noticed. I’m in a T-shirt and boxers here.”
“That’s not a reason to keep you around, dumbass,” I said. “Seems like a reason to get rid of you.” Not that I had any intention of pulling out my gun and doing the job.
Raj lifted his eyebrows and fingered his weapon, still smiling. Scotty went pale.
“We’ll do it your way,” Raj said. “But no funny business. We’ve all got guns on you, mon.”
The man was visibly tense. He hadn’t forgotten we were armed.
We walked down a dark hallway that appeared to be deserted, though we could hear muffled cries coming from…where? I wasn’t sure.
My skin turned icy. Ruby was here. If any of those cries were coming from her… I was glad I was armed, because I’d kill any motherfucker who was making her wail like that.
We turned at the end of the hallway to another corridor. A group of women dressed in gray were sitting in the hallway, chained to each other.
I tried to breathe through my nausea, but I wasn’t successful. These were the women they’d kidnapped, the women they were going to sell into slavery.
I ripped the mask off my head and heaved. Nothing came up.
Talon didn’t seem as affected. After all, he’d been held in worse conditions than these. Though his stoicism was no doubt a cover.
I didn’t realize I’d forgotten to put the mask back on my face until a soft voice invaded the quietness of the hallway.
“Ryan?”
I jerked and followed the voice. A pair of blank eyes met mine. The voice had come from a woman. A woman who had a familiar look about her.
“Ryan?” the woman said again.
A brick hit my gut.
“Oh my God. Anna.”
Anna Shane. My ex-girlfriend, whose ranch had been acquired by the elusive Steel Family Trust. They’d sold the ranch and gone to Hawaii. I’d never heard from her again, even when I attempted to contact her through email and social media.
