Looking in the mirror at the gorgeous coiled serpent decorating her body, she refused to be embarrassed. She loved it and would not let Rafe’s reaction dissuade her. It was sexy, dammit and so was she. If he’d just give her a chance. God, the way he made her feel. The things he’d whispered he would do to her. Glancing in the mirror, she was startled to see her nipples harden just thinking about his wicked tongue licking them, sucking them.
~~~
“Nicki?”
Rafe’s low command shocked her back to the present.
“Please, Nicki, if you will, summarize your findings.”
Nicki clung to the podium, her fingers white with the strain, feeling the incandescent heat rise in her cheeks. She chanced a quick glance at him. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, a wicked twinkle gleamed in his eyes. No question, he knew what she was thinking about. His cocky certainty that that he found her “innocence” her crush on him amusing, galvanized her.
She tossed her head and swallowed hard.
“I’m pleased to summarize, Rafe.”
She looked away, instead focusing on the men sitting in front of her.
“I need you all to understand. I know where these girls shop, the things they buy, what they do for fun, and the men they seek. I even think I know where they met. Not the exact place, but the setting. I have a very good idea of who took them and how he enticed them. What I don’t know is where they are. That’s where I need your help.”
She looked around the table, gratified that the men were regarding her seriously, their solemn expressions confirming the gravity of the situation. Only Caleb’s wink, and Grayson’s peering down at his notes, confirmed that the two of them caught the silent exchange between her and Rafe.
Drawing herself up to her full height, she looked at each of the men in turn as she spoke. She didn’t hide her intensity or her concern. She knew perhaps better than any of them except Katya and Rafe, what the young girls were likely being subjected to. She also knew they were running out of time.
“In summary, the girls are all spoiled daughters of powerful wealthy men. They spend their days preparing for their nights. They shop for clothes—and shoes. They spend twelve hour days in expensive spas ensuring that there isn’t an inch of their lovely bodies that hasn’t been buffed, massaged and lasered to perfection. They pay three hundred dollars to have their hair trimmed, and their clothes budget would support a family of four in grand style.
“The reason the shoes are important is they symbolize the excess, the easy availability of all the toys, good and bad, that gobs of money can buy.”
Nicki flashed her audience a guilty grin.
“I’ll admit it. I also wear Jimmy Choo shoes and when I’m down, nothing except perhaps salted caramel truffle Haagen Das ice cream perks me up like a pair of Manolo Blahnik five-inch high heels.”
She smiled at the appreciative laughter and shook her head in mock dismay when Caleb hollered, “Yeah, hotstuff. When I’m ‘down’ nothing perks me ‘up’ like thinking about what those five-inch heels do to those sexy legs of yours!”
A chorus of groans greeted his outrageous remark.
“Continue, Nicki.” Rafe’s sharp interjection silenced the room.
Nicki glanced at him, surprised to see him glaring at Caleb, his eyes smoldering. Caleb gave a nonchalant shrug and winked at Nicki. She gave him a sweet smile in return.
“In addition to shoes and spa days, this is how the girls entertain themselves.”
Clicking on the computer, she brought up a screen filled with drug paraphernalia. Pointing to the mounds of white powder, she said, “This cocaine in all its forms is the finest ‘blow’ money can buy. Count on it. And know that young girls who spend $500.00 on a pair of shoes won’t settle for anything but the finest, highest-octane drugs available. And this is how they get it.”
Nicki brought up a picture of the six mug shots that had terrorized Bernie Schwartz.
“Don’t misunderstand. These aren’t the guys who entice ‘our’ girls. But they are the dealers, the thugs who have access to the kind of drugs our girls use. And, they likely are the men who are ‘guarding’ our girls.”
At the conclusion, she flashed the headshots of the three girls up on the screen. She wanted the men to focus on them. She wanted them to see what she saw.
“Rather than seeing spoiled beautiful young women who have everything in the world that money can buy, see if you can see what I see. Look at their eyes. Think about where they are. What is happening to them now. These are vulnerable girls, caught in a trap of their own making. They are facing hideous pain and fear. The only thing between them and certain rape, torture, and death… is us.”
She let the silence settle over the room, then brought up another screen. Five clean cut, well dressed young men grinned haughtily at the camera. Wealth was written all over their indulged countenances.
“Here is how we will try to rescue them. Whether they want to be or not, these young men are the key to finding our girls. These are their boyfriends, the ones the parents approve of. Some of them are good kids, some are not. All of them have more money than God. And all of them fly from city to city to attend the parties where our girls met.”
“Apparently, our kidnapper doesn’t like young boys or these men would be missing too. I’ve tracked their flight schedules and they match the girls’. In the last six weeks our three girls and these five young men have been in six different cities attending parties the likes of which none of us except maybe Rafe and Caleb have seen. The difference is that the boys returned home. Our three girls—and no doubt others—didn’t make it back. Our job is to blanket the country, interview every one of these guys and if necessary beat the information out of them. That can only be done in person, by men who look and act like all of you.”
Rafe spoke for the group.
“Masterful, Nicki. I’m impressed.”
Apparently her offhand dig at his flamboyant lifestyle hadn’t dampened his approval of her investigative instincts. Only his narrowed eyes and rigid jaw telegraphed his annoyance. Whether it was with her or with Caleb, she didn’t know or care. Let him think she was a disrespectful bitch. Better than dismissing her as one of the gaggle of women groveling for his attention. She grimaced and reminded herself that the horde of women Rafe amused himself with didn’t make stupid remarks about vibrators. And sure as hell, they lost their virginity long before they turned twenty-six. Like Nicki wished she had, instead of holding out for the perfect man. Lot of good that had done. Now that she’d found her dream man, it was her very innocence, her lack of sexual experience, that stood in the way. No wonder he had laughed at her. She would have too, if she’d been him. Unfortunately she felt more like crying than laughing.
Rafe took the floor to lay out the travel schedule for the men, assigning pairs to each of the privileged young men on the screen.
Nicki tried to focus on his orders, but her brain was mush. She needed air. Talking about the plight of the young girls had drained her. She knew she shouldn’t focus on the terror they were facing. She needed to keep her objectivity if she was going to be useful to the team. But for the moment she needed to get away. If only for a few minutes, she needed to close the door on the crisis they were facing. She knew Rafe would be irritated, but she barely cared. She excused herself and left the room.
Nicki followed the narrow path up a winding trail she’d discovered her first week at the center. The Poconos were astonishingly beautiful. They were nothing like the jagged peaks of the Alps she was accustomed to, or the rugged snowcapped Rocky Mountains. But the peaceful slopes and lush forest were precisely what her spirit needed.
“Nikita, wait! Wait for me.”
She turned to see Katya following her. She slowed to allow Katya to catch up.
“Nikita, I mean Nicki, do you mind if I join you? The way you are dashing up this mountainside, you’d think those kidnapping bastards were chasing you. You look like you could use some company.”
“Thanks, Katya. And thanks for following me. You’re right. Company—especially yours—will be nice. I’m tired of the ugly voices rattling around in my head.”
Katya smiled and caught up with her, linking her arm in Nicki’s. Without thinking, Nicki leaned into the comfort of the smaller girl’s slender body. In the last two days, Katya had sought her out three different times. By the end of their second conversation, they’d worked through the incident in the sparring ring and were on their way to becoming friends. Nicki was surprised how much she enjoyed the company of the other woman. Surrounded by men all her life she’d never had a close girlfriend. Being with Katya underscored what she’d missed. It was nice.
“Sure you don’t mind incurring Rafe’s anger? Me leaving is bad enough, but having two of his captive audience skip out is probably more than his overblown ego can handle.”
Katya laughed, and her gorgeous tinkling laughter made Nicki smile.
“Really, girlfriend! Is that why he told me to follow you? Why he told me to make sure that you were okay? We all know how hard you have been working and how personally you take your responsibilities. It’s obvious, Nicki. The only way you could have figured all this out was to get inside those young girls’ skin. And to do that you needed to feel the fear and terror they’re facing.”
She took Nicki’s hand in his hers and stroked her palm.
“I can see the toll it takes, Nicki. And so can Rafe.”
Nicki blinked at the tears stinging the backs of her eyelids.
“Thanks, Katya. Thank you for understanding. I’m not surprised that you know what it takes, but I think that’s the last thing Rafe would understand. He didn’t get where he is by being soft, weak.”
“Ah, Nicki, you are the strongest woman I’ve ever known. And not only because you kicked my butt and put me in the infirmary!”
Nicki laughed. One of the most engaging things about Katya was her outspokenness. More times than she could count, Katya had surprised Nicki with her insights and naughty sense of humor.
They sat quietly for several minutes gazing over the verdant hills. Only the rustle of the breeze in the trees, and the chirping of birds broke the peaceful silence. The compound with all its intensity and edgy danger seemed blessedly far away.
Katya broke the silence.
“Speaking of that sexy-assed leader of ours, what’s going on between you and Rafe?”
Nicki jerked up, startled. Pulling her hand away from Katya, she scooted back.
“Nothing! What do you mean? There’s nothing between us.”
Katya laughed. She shook her head and grinned at Nicki.
“Nothing, huh? Is that why your face is as pink as the thong I am wearing and you’re trembling like those Aspen trees?” She waved her hand at the expanse of forest below.
Katya huffed. “Really, Nicki. Don’t insult me. Good grief, girl. The sparks between the two of you could burn down this forest.”
She wheedled. “C’mon, Nicki. Out with it! I’m going crazy without my hot man making wild sweaty love to me all night long. At least let me enjoy some vicarious pleasure.”
Nicki shook her head fiercely.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Katya. But there is nothing between Rafe and me.”
She hesitated, then added, “At least until last night and… well…the other night….”
Katya jumped up, clapping her hands in glee.
“See!” She shouted triumphantly. “I knew you were lovers. I knew it!”
Nicki frowned and shook her head.
“No, Katya, we’re not. Not really.”
Seeing that Katya didn’t understand, Nicki felt an overwhelming need to tell her what had happened. To confess what she’d done, what she was feeling. But she couldn’t She was too confused. Too ashamed.
She closed her eyes against the pain. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself not to cry.
“You don’t understand.”
Katya reached out and pried Nicki’s clenched hands loose and held them in hers.
“Try me.”
Nicki was quiet for a moment wracked with indecision. Katya’s sympathetic gaze galvanized her. Restored her courage.
As much as it hurt, she needed to speak the painful truth. Her voice was firm.
“We’re not lovers, and I don’t think we ever will be.”
She took a deep breath then repeated the words that had been tormenting her.
“Rafe told me I’m not the kind of woman he fucks.”
Katya shrugged dismissively.
“I should hope not! Of course you aren’t.”
Nicki was shocked, too surprised to speak.
Katya continued in a breezy voice.
“The kind of women our bad ass fucks is the kind he takes once at his convenience and never sees again. You, my lovely fire-haired friend, are not a convenience kind of gal. Not hardly. No wonder you scare that stud silly. He knows if he makes love to you, it is all over.”
She added with a wicked wink, “Notice I didn’t say if he fucks you. Although that can be fun too.”
“Look honey, you and I both know Rafe’s reputation. Let’s face it. He’s earned every bit of it. Women line up three deep to be in his bed. But he makes it clear that is a one-night-only privilege. No expectations on either part.”
Nicki struggled with the enormity of what Katya was saying.
“You think that Rafe thinks I have expectations?”
“Don’t you?”
Nicki shrugged then said softly, “I love him, Katya.”
Katya put her arm around her and hugged her close.
“I know you do, Nicki. If it’s any consolation, Rafe is gaga over you.”
Katya pressed her lips together with a knowing look.
“Once he lets loose with you, Nicki, and stokes those red hot coals simmering just below the surface, he knows there’s no way he can control that fire. Yours or his.”
Nicki sat quietly trying to absorb what her friend was saying. When she looked up at her, the hooded look in Katya’s eyes frightened her.
“What is it, Katya?”
“Nicki, I’ve known Rafe since I was a teenager. Grayson and Caleb are the only people closer to him than Vlad and I are. And, of course, your father knows him best of all. Vlad’s referred a couple of times to something that happened to Rafe in Rwanda. Something bad. Something that shook Rafe to the core.”
Katya gave her a troubled frown.
“There isn’t much hope in Rafe’s worldview, Nicki. I think he sees hope in you. And honey for a big tough badass like Rafe Boudin, that must scare the hell out of him.”
Chapter 18
“Please don’t hurt me.” She hated to beg. And she knew it wouldn’t do any good.
“That is entirely up to you, or to be more precise, your father.”
The cruel man named Aiden raked his eyes over her naked body and sneered.
“Come now, Sophie. You know how to work your father. What did you do when you wanted him to raise your allowance? Did you swish your chubby ass and give him a big smile? A big smack on the lips? Or did you pout and cry, saying how all the other girls in your little clique had a new dress for the party, or a newer car, or two weeks in Belize instead of the measly 10 days you got to spend?”
Aiden gripped her arm and dragged her up on the small stage in the center of the empty room. He ordered her to stand on the x in the middle of the platform and look straight ahead. One of the big tattooed men stood behind a video camera propped up on a tripod. There was a full length mirror off to the side.
Sophie tried not to cry. She wanted to be brave. She thought she’d cried as much as she could. But she couldn’t stop the tears. She shuddered at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were almost swollen shut. Her n
ose was red, snot ran down her face. Her body looked ugly. She hated that this was how her father would see her. It would kill him. Crush him. She prayed he wouldn’t show the tape to her mother. She couldn’t survive it.
The shiny gloss on her nipples gleamed in the bright lights they shone on her. Her hands were tied behind her back. The jeweled collar around her throat attached to an ominous chain would terrify her parents. They would think that she’d been raped. But the men had orders not to touch her. She heard them say she was going to be in an auction, and that she had to look good. That wealthy men would be bidding on her. She was a special prize because she was a virgin.
Remembering the blond man’s excitement when he reached between her legs, she flushed with shame. The scene and his horrid words burned in her brain.
“Well, I’ll be damned. This little slut still has her cherry. As I live and breathe, will miracles never cease?”
He’d warned the men guarding her that they would be beaten and tortured if there was so much as a scratch on her. That hadn’t kept the black man they called Jamal and his buddy Pedro from whispering all the dirty things they were going to do to her once she’d been sold.
Aiden stepped up on the stage and began to position her for the camera.
Yanking her hair back, he lifted her chin so that she was looking straight at the camera. He stood behind her and jerked her shoulder back. Reaching around her body, he tweaked her shiny nipples and chuckled when she cried out.
“Tits up, little slut. That’s a good girl. Stick them up as high as you can. Be proud. They’re your best feature. They’re going to earn us almost as much as the unpopped cherry between your legs.”
He pressed his cheek against her and leered at their reflection in the mirror wagging his eyebrows in a comic display of arrogance. He hopped off the stage and nodded to the man behind the camera.
“Okey dokey. Show time!”
He motioned to Victor to begin.
“Victor, we’ll lay in Boris’s introduction after we get her on tape.”
Moving to the side of the stage, he spoke off camera to the terrified girl but his words were meant for her father and any others who viewed the tape. His voice was unctuous, eerily pleasant. His agreeable words mocked the reality of the shivering naked girl on the stage, and were certain to send torrents of fear through her father.
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