by Dia Cole
Ah! I let out a muffled cry as my restrained left arm took some impact. The floor felt strange against my hand. Almost as if it was covered with some kind of plastic. Although I’d rattled every bone in my body, the abrupt fall still hadn’t been enough to tear or loosen the duct tape. Damn it.
Bright overhead lights suddenly flickered on, blinding me. As I blinked, a pair of sandaled feet walked over. There was only one guy I knew who wore black socks with sandals. It was all the confirmation I needed that Jeremy was my abductor.
The fat man bent down, his face inches from mine. “Finally! I thought you were going to sleep forever.”
“Let me go,” I tried to scream through the duct tape.
Jeremy made a tsking sound. Then he picked up my chair, righted it, and pushed it several feet forward until I was sitting at the head of a long table. The table looked decorated for a party with a confetti-print tablecloth and brightly colored disposable plates and cups.
Icy fear choked me. “Help!” I screamed against the tape.
Jeremy clapped his hands together. “I can’t wait for you to meet the others.”
I looked over at the four empty chairs gathered around the table. Crap. Don’t tell me more sickos are coming to this party.
Jeremy headed back through the door giving me an opportunity to scan the space. It was a large room. Blackout curtains were drawn tight over what had to be a window. Plastic sheeting, the kind I’d used when I’d painted my apartment, covered the undecorated white walls and carpeted floor. Other than me and the table, there was nothing in the room. Oh hell. This is bad. Very bad. Panic overtook my senses, forcing me to take shallow sharp breaths. I need a plan. A good motherfucking plan to get out of this mess.
Before I could come up with anything, the door opened and Jeremy reappeared pushing a metal utility cart. He wheeled the cart over to the table and started unloading metal serving trays that were covered by domed lids. Instead of placing the trays directly on the table, Jeremy carefully placed each one on the chairs. Then he glanced over at me with an expression of wild anticipation on his face. “Do you know what we are celebrating today?”
I had a feeling that was the last thing I wanted to know.
Jeremy smiled widely. “We’re celebrating you joining our family. I’d like you to meet your sisters.” He reached down and yanked off the lid of the closest serving dish with the flourish of an English butler.
The breath froze in my lungs. Sitting on the platter was a decapitated woman’s head. Her skin was mottled, and her frizzy brown hair was matted but there was no mistaking the multiple nose piercings. Destiny. Oh my God.
A whimper escaped my lips. This whole time Jeremy was the Strip Club Killer. He’d killed my friend and the other dancers.
“Destiny was the most recent addition to our family,” Jeremy said, patting Destiny’s head gently like she was some kind of pet. Then he reached over and pulled the lid off the next dish revealing another head belonging to an unfamiliar dark-haired woman. Her mouth was open, her bluish lips locked in a silent scream. “Meet Lily,” Jeremy said, rearranging the woman’s hair around the bloody stump of her neck.
Bile rose up the back of my throat. I slammed my eyes shut, not able to look as he unveiled his next two victims.
“Don’t be rude, Mistress Robin,” Jeremy said. I could hear his sandals flopping closer to my chair. “You should want to meet your sisters.”
When I didn’t respond, he shouted, “Look at me!”
I opened my eyes to see Jeremy shaking his fist in my face.
“I expected more from you. The others I knew would have a hard time. But you. You’re the mistress of pain. I thought you’d be excited about this.” He turned to grab something from the cart, and then he set a weapon down on the table in front of me.
It was a knife, unlike any I’d seen before. The hilt was thick round metal while the blade was long with a wickedly sharp, curved edge that looked like it could cut through stone. Or through a person’s spine. Oh, God. Hot tears streaked down my cheeks as I struggled against the terror threatening to suffocate me.
Jeremy leaned down and licked a tear from my face. “Don’t be sad, Mistress Robin. It only hurts for a second. Then you will be part of our family, forever.” His hot anchovy-smelling breath washed across my face as he let out a sigh of happiness. Then he stood and began gathering my hair into a knot.
Oh shit! My head would literally be on a platter if I didn’t think of something. Control, my inner voice whispered. You must get control.
I started laughing, at first it was forced, but then I managed a few hearty belly laughs that were audible even through the duct tape.
“What’s so funny?” Jeremy released my hair and stepped around to look at me.
I continued laughing and shaking my head at him.
His face slowly turned the color of a tomato. “What’s so damn funny?” He reached out and ripped the duct tape off my mouth.
“Ah, Jeremy,” I giggled. “I always thought you were such a good boy. But you’re not, are you?” I licked my stinging lips and gave him my most seductive smile. “You’re such a very naughty boy and you deserve to be punished. Please let me punish you before you ki… have me join your family?”
His mouth dropped open and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t think you can trick me.”
“No tricks,” I said in a husky voice. “I only wish I’d worn one of my special outfits for you.” I frowned, looking down at my blouse.
“You look beautiful,” Jeremy said quickly, his beady eyes running up and down my body.
“I can’t punish you in these clothes,” I said, shaking my head. “Take them off for me.” I thrust out my chest and held my breath. Will he take the bait?
Jeremy licked his lips. “I-I normally don’t… But just this once…” He reached out and started undoing the buttons to my blouse.
“Slowly, Jeremy. This isn’t a race,” I chided.
“Yes, Mistress Robin,” he said, moving slower.
I gave him a smile of approval all the while hope sparked inside my chest. It’s working. I’m taking control.
When my blouse was fully open he stepped back, his eyes locked on my lacy black demi-bra.
“Now my bra.” I held my breath again knowing there was no way he could take it off without cutting my arms free.
Jeremy picked up the long knife and ran it under the middle of the bra, then with one jerking motion sliced through the fabric.
Shit. Point to Jeremy.
Holding the knife with one hand he reached down and caressed my bare breast with his other hand.
Fear and nausea churned inside me, but I fought against it. “Naughty boy. There will be time for that later. Now take off my pants and panties. I wore sexy ones today. You’re in for a treat.”
Sweat dotted his forehead as his breathing hitched. “Yes, Mistress Robin.” He set the knife back on the table, bent down, and undid the top of my pants, but no matter how he tugged he couldn’t lower them with me restrained in the seated position. He made a sound of frustration.
“Enough of this. Cut me free, Jeremy,” I ordered in my most imperious voice. “Cut me free, take off all my clothes, then tape me down again. Naked.”
Here it is. I could barely breathe while I waited for him to respond.
His hand trembled as he grabbed the knife off the table and turned to face me. Then moving way too fast for a man his size, he sliced through the duct tape on my arms and legs.
I’m free! The blood returning to my limbs felt like a million tiny needle pokes. Not daring to move a muscle, I allowed Jeremy to pull me to my feet. “Now my pants. Remember take them off slowly.”
“Yes, Mistress Robin.” Jeremy set the knife back on the table, knelt down on the floor, and then grabbed either side of my waistband with his hands.
I made an approving sound.
He was so focused on dragging my pants down my thighs he didn’t notice me reaching over and snatching the knife off the t
able.
I waited until he’d gotten my pants all the way to my ankles before stepping out of them and saying, “Jeremy.”
He looked up at me with an eager look in his eyes. “Yes, Mistress Robin.”
“Time for your punishment.” I swung the hilt of the blade down as hard as I could on the top of his head.
16
Nathan
As I sped down the road, my cell phone rang through my car speakers. Assuming it was Ty with an update, I clicked the answer button. “What’s the news, brother?”
A husky voice at the other end of the line replied, “Ambassador Steele, this is Shoshanna Moreau.”
Fuck. I didn’t have time for diplomatic matters now. “Alpha Moreau, this is a very bad time and—”
“I know there was an assassination attempt on you and your family,” she said interrupting me.
“How do you know that?” There was no way she could’ve known about it so quickly.
“It was my nephew who compelled your housekeeper to poison your food. Kanin overheard Manny bragging about what he did. Manny hasn’t been in his right mind since his brother was killed.”
“What?” I slammed on the brakes and stared down at the vehicle dash. The cars in back of me squealed to a stop. I barely heard the sounds of their horns blaring.
“It was a vicious, craven thing that Manny did. Please tell me no one was harmed by his actions.” The plea in her voice sounded legitimate.
“Mira was the only one poisoned.”
She inhaled sharply. “No. Not the babe.”
“But some quick thinking by the nanny saved her life.”
Shoshanna exhaled heavily. “Thank the fates for that. I want you to know I’m dealing with this very seriously, Nathan. My nephew is locked up and is under twenty-four-hour guard. I will report his actions to the council tonight and he will face their judgment.” Her voice trembled slightly. She was well aware that the penalty for breaking the council law protecting ambassadors was death.
I cursed. “If you report this, Alpha Digoski will declare open war on the Moon Valley Faction.” A bloody war that would result in countless deaths on both sides.
“What would you have me do then, Ambassador Steele?”
Kill Emmanuel in the most painful way possible, I wanted to shout. Instead I gritted my teeth. “Keep him locked up. I need to know he’s not a threat to my family.”
“It is done. You have my word, neither Manny nor anyone else in my faction will ever threaten you or your family again. I’ve also taken the liberty of reassigning my personal housekeeper to your home.”
“That’s not necessary.” The last thing I needed was another potential threat under my roof.
As if reading my mind she said, “I swear on my very life that Rachel will only be there to take care of your house and your meals. She’s human and completely deaf so she can’t be compelled in any way. She reads lips, is loyal, and is dedicated to her work. Please let me do this for you, Nathan.”
The plea in her voice and the use of my first name shattered my resistance. “Fine. I’ll interview her next week.”
“Thank you,” Shoshanna said, relief in her voice. “I hope you can also accept my most sincere apology.”
“I do,” I said, glancing at my watch. We’d been talking too long. I needed to find Vana. “I have to go now.” With that, I hung up on one of the most powerful faction leaders in the country and slammed my foot on the gas.
It took far too long getting to the Meridian apartments due to the fleet of emergency vehicles surrounding the high-rise. The flashing lights of the police cruisers and ambulances made a fist-sized knot grow in my stomach. Please tell me they’re not here because something happened to Vana.
Media vans had already arrived and news anchors were stationed around the apartment building speaking into cameras with animated intensity.
Since the police had forced a perimeter around the building, blocking all access to the parking garage, I pulled over to the right shoulder of the street and jumped out of my car. The vehicle behind me honked its horn, but I could not have cared less. Not even bothering to close the door, I ran across the street.
As I approached the apartment building, I overheard one of the reporters speaking.
“Sources tell us that police have the suspect in custody. The suspect, who reportedly lived and worked in this building, sustained non–life-threatening injuries during an altercation with an unidentified woman. The woman, who we believe to have been the fifth intended victim of the serial killer, managed to escape from the suspect and call for help.”
Serial killer? What the hell? A roaring sound in my ears blocked out the rest of the reporter’s words. It can’t be Vana they’re talking about. Panic drove me to rush by the police tape and up the steps of the building.
One of the police officers standing guard near the door, a lanky pimple-faced male who didn’t look old enough to have a badge, grabbed my arm. “This is a crime scene, sir. All residents are being asked to wait outside until the forensic team has cleared the building.”
“I need to know if my friend is involved. Her name is Havana James.”
His Adam’s apple jumped. “I can’t discuss an active police investigation, sir. If you could wait over—”
I got into his face and glared down into his eyes. “Is Ms. James here?”
The officer let out a moan and clutched his head, no doubt feeling crippling pain from my full-force compulsion. But I didn’t have time to temper my power.
“Yes,” the man replied, a glazed look in his eyes. “She’s in the lobby giving a statement to one of the homicide detectives.”
The knowledge that she was okay took the edge off my fear. But I needed to see her. “Take me to her now,” I ordered.
Nodding, the man motioned me to follow him through the circular glass doors.
Once inside, a short female officer ran over. “No one is allowed inside—”
“He’s with me,” the officer I’d compelled said, stepping around her. “She’s this way, sir.”
Ignoring the confused look on the female officer’s face, I followed the young male past the front desk where a frantic-looking older man in a suit was trying to answer multiple ringing landline phones and the questions of yet another police officer.
The young officer I’d compelled led me toward the entrance to Saiko’s. Despite it nearing lunch hour, the gourmet Japanese restaurant’s doors were shuttered. “She’s this way,” the male said, pointing at a small seating area.
I smelled Vana before I saw her. Her signature floral scent held notes of anxiety and frustration. But not pain. Thank the fates. I quickened my step, slowing only when I caught sight of her.
She was perched on the edge of a low-back art deco couch with a blanket draped across her shoulders.
A balding man in a wrinkled suit sat across from her with a digital recorder in his hands. “Ma’am, if you could take me through it all once more from the beginning.”
Vana pushed off the blanket. “I’ve already gone over all of this with the first officer I spoke to. I need to get home, Detective.”
The bald guy held up his hand. “I know you’re in a hurry, but after I get your statement, we’ll need to take you to the hospital for a toxicology screen.”
Vana shook her head. “I need to get home.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. That’s not—”
I’d heard enough. “She’s coming with me,” I announced, striding over to where they were seated.
The bald detective’s gaze darted between me and the officer. “Who is this guy?”
The officer I’d compelled stammered something, but I only had eyes for Vana.
The female jerked in her seat and turned toward me. Her beautiful brown eyes lit up. “Nathan!” She jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around my waist. “You won’t believe the morning I’ve had.” Then seeming to remember herself she pushed away from me. “Sorry.”
Screw that. I pulle
d her back into an embrace, savoring the feel of her in my arms. For weeks I’d been trying to keep my distance from her. No more. She belonged with me. “What happened here?”
She let out a heavy breath. “This guy, Jeremy, who has been bothering me for months, grabbed me while I was walking home.” She glanced up at me. “Do you have any idea why I decided to walk home from your place?”
Yes. “No. What did the guy do to you?” I dropped my gaze to examine her. Other than some redness around her mouth she didn’t appear to be injured.
“Jeremy drugged me, duct-taped me to a chair, and showed me the heads of all the women he’d killed.” She shuddered.
“What?”
“I could have you suspended for this,” the detective shouted at the young officer.
I brought Vana off to the side, away from the arguing men.
“He cut off their heads, Nathan. It’s so sick. The forensic team said he’d been keeping the heads frozen to preserve them. He was going to cut off my head too, but I…I got the knife, knocked him out, and got out of his apartment.”
“Where is he now?” I growled, scanning the lobby. I wanted to tear the son of a bitch apart with my bare hands.
She waved over at the front door. “The EMTs took him away in a stretcher. I guess I hit him hard enough to give him a concussion.”
A fierce sense of pride and admiration rushed through me. “You’re incredible, do you know that?” I bent down and kissed her forehead. She’s my chosen, I realized with a burst of clarity. My mate.
Her cheeks flushed. She looked at me with an expression of uncertainty and hope. “What are you doing here?”
“Your friend, Sydney, called your phone this morning. You’d left it in my study. Sydney was worried that something might’ve happened to you. She suspected Jeremy might be involved and told me where the guy lived.”
“So you rushed over to rescue me?” she asked, her lips curling.
“Apparently, you’re not a female that needs rescuing.”
A look of unease crossed her face. “I really need to get home.” She tried to pull away.
