The Redemption Lie

by Amanda J. Clay

  Nina clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, trying not to react. Luther was just trying to get a reaction. He wasn’t going to hurt her…but she couldn’t fully convince herself of it.

  She tried not to picture how terrified Brooklyn was, sitting there listening to Luther's vile vitriol, her fate resting in Nina’s palm.

  “All right,” Nina said, defeated. “Just don't hurt her. Give me the address. I'll be there as soon as I can.”

  “That’s my girl,” Luther said.

  Nina jotted down the address quickly into her phone.

  “Nina, darling,” Luther said before she could hang up. “I know you're not stupid enough to tell your little boyfriend at the DEA. If I so much as smell a faint whiff of law enforcement, I will cut out her eyeballs and shove them up her cunt.”

  Nina swallowed hard, trying to keep the vomit from coming up.

  “Good thing I'm not that stupid, Luther. I believe you,” Nina said, her words barely a whisper.

  “There is a good girl. I will be waiting for you. Ahoj.” And with that Luther hung up the phone.

  Nina ran to the bathroom and expelled everything in her stomach.

  Chapter 33

  Nina cradled her phone, rotating it back and forth between her palms. Anger blinded her but she needed to focus, to act. If anyone laid a hand on Brooklyn, Nina would personally remove appendages.

  She trusted Beck Graham, she really did. She was certain he was one of the good guys, and frankly she thought he was one of the capable ones. But, he was a little too idealistic for his own good. He thought that if he played by the rules they'd all come out of this alive. But people didn't win this game by playing by the rules. The rules of this world were meant to be bent and broken. She wanted to tell Beck about her escape, but she knew that he would just try to stop her, and she couldn't afford any setbacks. She didn’t want to put him in the position to have to stop her.

  She would need to slip out the back of the safe house so that the uniforms parked outside wouldn’t see her. She could climb through the bathroom window and slip down, then get down the block out of sight and catch a taxi home.

  This was going to be a fight, she knew. But she was no stranger to the fight. Luther had trained her, mentored her. Made sure she was prepared. And it had served her well. But would she remember? She’d lived a peaceful life the past six years. Even during her time in jail she had maintained a low profile, avoided confrontation. She flexed her fists, summoning the strength she once knew.

  She packed up her things and tidied the room. She peeked out the window. The uniforms were parked out front, but looking in the opposite direction. She took a breath and climbed out the window.

  

  Nina snagged a cab down the road, practically heaving as she poured herself into the backseat. She didn’t know what she’d find at her house—Luther’s men or uniforms on lookout. Thankfully, her home was abandoned. She quickly hopped on her bike and took off before she could reconsider.

  The address burned a hole in her mind as her bike twisted through the dark rustic roads of the woods encasing Tahoe Village. She knew the road, she knew the area. The moon was approaching full, casting a strobe light down onto the dark path. She was trying to maintain an easy, casual speed, but finding it impossible. She just didn't want to get pulled over before she got to her destination. If she didn't show up, Brooklyn was as good as dead.

  The summer evening was quiet, eerily quiet. The serenity of a country night can be unsettling if you're not used to it. People from big cities are so used to the chaos, the sirens, the shouts and horns. If things are too calm and quiet it signals that something's wrong. Most people don't trust the quiet. But if you listen closely, the country was no quieter than the city. The country was alive with a concerto of thousands of tiny noises. Rustles and soft chirps. The tiny footsteps of insects and the dancing of the breeze through the evergreen trees.

  Nina came to the end of the road and spotted an old warehouse. Google maps finally buzzed in her earbuds that she’d arrived at her destination. She turned off her bike and walked it behind a thicket of trees.

  She pulled out her gun and quickly checked the magazine. She took a deep breath and slid it into her back holster. They would likely disarm her the moment she stepped through, but it was worth a shot. The cold metal of the knife in her boot beat against her skin.

  She stood up straight and walked slowly, her low black boots pressing into the summer foliage. She inhaled deeply, absorbing the scent of fresh pine in the crisp mountain air. Would she ever smell it again?

  She couldn't think thoughts like that. She had to assume she was going to come out of this alive. She was going to save Brooklyn, they were both going to survive this. And then they were going to get the hell out here.

  If there was time, she was going to put a bullet right through Luther’s brain. Fucking with her was one thing, fucking with her family was an entirely escalated game.

  Nina had blamed herself for so much over the years, but the one thing she had never been able to forgive herself for was what she put her family through. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone; but sadly she hadn’t thought about them at all. As she’d let herself succumb to the seduction of Luther’s world, she hadn’t given her family a second thought. She was selfish, self-absorbed, only looking for her next kick at a life. She didn't stop to think that everything she was doing was putting those whom she loved at risk.

  Nina mustered her courage and approached the guard at the door of the warehouse.When he spotted her approach, instant recognition crept across his expression. He grinned, knowing and anticipating.

  “He’s expecting you, kitty,” the guard said. Nina bit her tongue to keep her temper in check.

  Nina followed him inside. The room was rank—the putrid scents of stale liquor and sex clinging to the dank walls. She quickly counted fifteen men and a handful of skanky women in various states of undress. Beer bottles, white powder and weapons littered the tables. It was nothing like the precise, meticulous headquarters Luther once kept.

  They all looked up at her, some curiously, some with contempt. She recognized a few of the faces, but most were new. She had to wonder what exactly had happened to the organization after Luther’s “death.” Finally, she spotted Luther emerging from a back room. He wore a dapper gray suit without a tie. His dark hair was brushed back, his face tan, highlighting the eerie pale blue of his eyes and the sharp angles of his Slavic features.

  Luther met her eyes and smiled.

  Emotions flooded her body until she felt like she was being held under rushing water. Like her soul had been sliced open and exposed to the bitter winds of vulnerability. She stood baring the raw and exposed fibers of her core, placing the most tender nerve in his hands. That ultimate trust was both terrifying and exhilarating as though leaping from a towering mountain peak.

  “Nina, you’re home,” Luther said, coming toward her.

  The tickle of bile rose up in her throat and it was everything she could do to keep the burning tears at bay. She knew this feeling—the familiar sickness. Her whole body burned—anxiety, insecurity and anger tangoed together until they erupted into flames like butterflies beating against her chest. But these were not the happy butterflies that flutter when the moment hangs on a thread of pleasant tension. These were angry, spiteful butterflies out for futile malice. These were sadistic fucking butterflies.

  The darkness is coming. Are you afraid? A voice said at the back of her mind.

  I am not afraid. I bask in darkness.

  “Where’s Brooklyn?” Nina said, keeping her tone steady.

  Luther smirked. “First thing’s first. Badger, please search the lady. Never can be too sure, darling.”

  Badger—a sleazy Jax Teller wannabee—approached her with utter delight in his eyes. Nina met his lecherous smirk with a hard glare.

  “Watch your hands. I bite,” she said.

  Badger snickered and slid his arms down her arms, up her legs, then a
round her waist. His hands stopped at her crotch and made sure to cup in between her legs. Nina kept still, not giving into his prodding.

  “Badger,” Luther said, dry and annoyed. “Don’t do that.”

  “Sorry, boss.” Badger easily located the gun in her back holster and pulled it out.

  Luther nodded approvingly. “I would expect nothing less, darling.”

  “Brooklyn,” Nina said sternly.

  “I did count on your loyalty. It would appear you don’t betray everyone you love,” Luther said.

  “I never loved you,” she spat.

  Luther smirked. “You can lie to yourself all you want to, kitty.”

  “Where. Is. Brooklyn!”

  “Oh, calm down. She’s fine.” Luther turned and snapped his fingers behind him.

  A moment later, two men dragged a tied-up Brooklyn from the back. Her expression was terrified, exhausted, beaten. Her clothes were torn and she had an angry bruise on her cheek. But she was alive. Nina exhaled with relief.

  “Brooklyn!” Nina ran toward her but one of the men grabbed her and pulled her back. “B, I’m so sorry.” Brooklyn’s mouth was covered but her eyes told her everything.

  I should have known you were trouble. I hate you, Nina.

  Nina glared at Luther. “You keep your promise, Luther. Let her go.”

  Luther looked as though he were considering it and Nina’s heart dropped. She’d been an idiot to trust him. He would kill them both.

  Then Luther laughed, chilling its deviant quality. “Of course I will. Gents, please escort Mrs. Jones safely outside.”

  “You can’t just turn her loose in the woods,” Nina said.

  Luther raised his eyebrows. “Would you rather she take her chances in here? It’s difficult to control these animals once they’ve had enough vodka.”

  “You know how we get when we smell pussy, kitty cat,” Badger said.

  Nina pressed her eyes closed and breathed. “No. Let her go.”

  She met Brooklyn’s eyes one last time before they hauled her out.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nina whispered.

  Chapter 34

  “Well, all that drama was quite exhausting, wasn’t it?” Luther said. “How about a drink, darling?”

  “Yes, please,” Nina said, trying to keep herself pleasant.

  Luther walked to a table covered in bottles and glasses.

  “Honestly, how do you all suffer this filth?” He thrust his arm across the table, knocking the bottles to the ground in a clamorous shatter.

  He shifted his shoulders back and proceeded to pour two vodkas. He handed one to Nina.

  “Now that all the drama is out of the way, we can have a little fun,” Luther said.

  Nina threw back the vodka, sharp and floral on her tongue.

  Luther continued. “Nina, Nina, so good to have you back. I must admit, I was a little angry with you for that stunt you pulled with the police. Cooperating with the DEA. I thought better of you.” Luther shook his head like he was reprimanding a child.

  Nina held his gaze, clenching her abs to stay steady. She just needed to stay calm. She knew how to appeal to Luther.

  “I was just trying to stay alive, Luther. I wasn’t really cooperating, you know that.”

  Luther smiled thinly, then suddenly lashed out, grabbing her by the hair. She shrieked and dropped her glass. The glass shattered against the concrete floor. He yanked her head back, then cupped her cheek, tenderly not overly forceful. The contrast of harsh and tender had her head spinning.

  Luther’s fingers trailed down her neck, down her shoulder and her bare arm. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Despite her hatred of him, her hatred for everything he stood for, she still breathed in the scent of him like a drug she’d been denied for so long. He was still captivating, still enticing. She dared not meet his eyes. Those eyes could bring her to her knees. They would be her downfall.

  He sniffed her hair and pressed his lips to her ear. She hated her body for reacting, for leaning into his, for not being able to separate her hatred from her arousal.

  “I know what you're thinking,” Luther said to her ear.

  “You couldn't possibly,” Nina snapped.

  “I know what you're thinking because I'm thinking it too. How much I hate you. How much I'd like to snap your delicate little neck for what you've done. But also how badly I want to fuck you. Because no matter what you do Nina, I will always want you. Isn’t that the shit of it? And I'm pretty sure your body is telling you the exact same thing.”

  Nina bit down hard on her lip hard to mask the sensations with pain and the taste of metal.

  “Luckily for me, biology does not ruin my common sense. We women have an advantage over you,” Nina said.

  Luther laughed. “I'm glad to see civilian life hasn’t dulled your wit, my love.”

  “So what happens now?” Nina said. Deep down, she knew. He’d take her to a back room, have his way with her, and it would be in her best interest to pretend to enjoy it. The sick thing about it, she was half afraid that she would enjoy it. She was half afraid that he could still make her body come alive. She reached down to the very pit of herself and tried to pull her anger out, to fuel her rage.

  “For now, Nina, I'm going to need you to just behave. Do you think you can do that?” Luther said.

  “We have a deal. I won't break it,” Nina said.

  Luther loosened his grip on her. “All right, let's go into the back room.”

  Nina swallowed hard. And that was it. She would resign herself to this fate. She would not fight it.

  Luther led her by the hand, gently and tenderly, into a back room. He walked over to the bed and gently urged her to sit. He wasn't forceful. He didn't push.

  “All right darling. Now I'm just going to need you to stay there. Until I can figure out what to do with you.”

  Nina's eyes widened. Luther laughed.

  “Did you really think I was going to force myself on you? What kind of man do you think I am? I’m not an animal. I’ve never needed to do such things and I don’t intend to start now. You'll come to me if I want you to. You always do.” He slipped his hand under her chin and lifted it, then pressed his lips to hers. Nina almost opened her mouth, but fought the sensation.

  Luther pulled away and smiled.

  “Can I bring you anything?

  Nina shook her head. Every ounce of willpower or pride she’d had slipped right out of her. “No, thank you.”

  Once the door was closed she fell back on the bed and tried not to cry.

  Chapter 35

  After the third call when Nina didn’t pick up her phone, Beck was officially starting to freak the fuck out. He’d given her specific instructions to answer every time he called. God damn it, he knew she didn't like to take orders, but this was serious. If she was just ignoring him for the hell of things, he might just kill her himself.

  He drove over to the safe house in a panic. His palms dripped on the steering wheel, his heart raced. He pulled the car around the corner down the block. He jumped out and walked as quickly as he could without creating a scene to the row houses at the end of the block.

  He nodded curtly to the undercover officers outside.

  “What’s the weather?” Beck said.

  “Tepid and sunny. Nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year,” one said back.

  Beck nodded. Ok, so she was likely inside just ignoring his calls like the brat she could be. He started to relax.

  He knocked a few times in the pattern that he'd given her so that she would know it was him. She didn’t answer. He waited a beat and then unlocked the door. He pushed in. The house was silent and dark.

  “Nina,” he called tentatively. There was no answer. It was deathly and cold, like a tomb. He slowly reached for his gun. “Damn you, Nina.”

  He flipped on all the lights, frantically searching. But the small house was empty. She was gone.

  Beck fell against the wall and
breathed in deeply. He needed to stay calm, to think. Every possible scenario ran through his head. Had she been taken? Killed? Had she run? How had the officers out front not seen anything? He ran to the back of the house. The bathroom window. Damn that woman. She really was a cat.

  What now? Did he radio it in? What exactly was he calling in—a kidnapping, a runaway, an escape?

  One thing was for sure. He couldn’t wait around for a search to get approved. He had no choice, he had to go after her himself. But he hadn’t the faintest idea of where to look.

  He scrambled around the safe house, searching frantically for a clue. Upon closer examination it was obvious she’d left intentionally. Things looked deliberately neat, not overturned. Then he spotted a small slip of paper on the desk.

  BG

  39.190146

  120.140738

  He studied the cryptic note. What the hell did it mean? Then it clicked. It was coordinates. BG. For him.

  Beck sucked in his breath. This had to be the address to where she had gone. It had to be Luther's hideout.

  Every bone in his body, every ounce of blood, knew that he was making a huge mistake. He was going against protocol, he was going against common sense. He didn't care. In that moment, his instinct was stronger than his common sense.

  Chapter 36

  He didn’t have time to prepare. He ran back to his Tahoe and pulled out the supply box from the back. He loaded up his magazine, slipped two knives into his belt and threw off his necktie.

  He started up the vehicle and tore off down the quiet street.

  Once he was blazing down the back road, far enough away, he radioed in for backup. He knew he’d need them, but if they all showed up guns blazing, it might get Nina killed.

  “Backup requested at…” he glanced down at the scribbled note in his hand. “39.190146

  120.140738. Suspects likely armed and dangerous. ASAP.”