Using hand signals, Dave instructed one team of his men to take out the two stagnant guards first and another to ambush the other two guards as they neared the more shadowed end of the pier.
His men were good. One by one the slave ring’s guards went down with no more than an umph of expired air and not one discharged weapon or alarm sounded. A couple of minutes later two of his men assumed the position of the downed guards in the shadows to prevent anyone coming to see what was wrong.
“Dock secure,” one of them said in the walkie-talkies.
Dave took the remaining men and headed towards the first yacht. Time to prevent the loss of a victim or any chance of an escape by water for these slimeballs.
* * * * *
As the elevator rose Luke didn’t release his hold on Abby’s head or relinquish the near brutal pressure of the kiss. He let the anger over all those brutalized women, especially Abby’s friend and the frustration at losing her in the obviously fixed auction, drive his barely leashed passion. The fact that it was Abby and that they were on a case with hidden cameras probably on them, kept him from making the elevator ride a more sensual one.
The discreet ding of the elevator door let him know they’d arrived. He released Abby and taking her hand led her into the hall. Pulling her close as they walked, he whispered a warning in her ear. “No talking. Cameras and mics.”
Stopping a few feet from the elevator, he surveyed the hall. Six rooms, three on each side. “Look, Ms. Whitson. We have our choice of six rooms,” he said loud enough for both any hidden mics to pick up and his own team to be aware of the situation. “Which would you like?”
Abby giggled. “Master Luke, you always know the right one to choose.”
Damn, she was way too into her character.
Slipping his arm around her waist, he pulled her with him to the nearest door. “Then we’ll take the first one. I wouldn’t want you cooling down while we checked them all out.”
He slid the key card into the slot. The green light to signal it unlocked flashed and he quickly ushered Abby inside, slipping a shoe off to prop the door open slightly. Before she could ask any questions, he laid one finger against her lips.
“As tantalizing as the bit of voyeurism was to you downstairs, Ms. Whitson, this is going to be an exercise in self-control,” he said, slowly moving around the room. “So I hope our hosts don’t mind, but I’d like to not have this filmed.”
He studied the dresser across from the four-poster bed identical to the one Brianna had been strapped to. There it was. A tiny camera discreetly hidden among the silk flower arrangement. And yes, a second stationed just under the base of the lamp. Standing tall, he pulled off his suit coat and draped it over the entire desk, being sure nothing could record through the black material.
“And since this is all about my control over you, we’ll have to gag you to keep you from making any noise,” he said, hoping whoever was listening on the other side of the cameras would believe the scenario he’d just set up.
Sitting on the bed he motioned Abby to come sit beside him, letting their listeners hear the bed creak a few times. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We have to get out of here to check the other rooms. But not just yet. I have a feeling Master Lee will come up and collect his property himself which may save us some effort, so let’s give it a few minutes. Get your weapon out and have it ready, okay?”
She nodded, slipping the purse from her shoulders. Taking her weapon out, she laid it on the bed beside her. Her eyes slightly wide as she anticipated the coming actions, her lips still puffy from the elevator kiss, she was a tempting vision. One he couldn’t resist. He cupped the far side of her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheek and leaned in for a gentler kiss. One to warm and reassure her.
“We’ll find her, sweetheart,” he whispered, staring deep into her green eyes. Her gaze one of trust. A trust he’d do everything to keep.
Something shifted hard in his heart.
Mine.
For this woman, his woman, he’d do anything.
“Okay, Luke,” Jake said in his ear. “We’ve got the perimeter set, the women are safely tucked in with Katie and Matt. Castello’s coming up the stairs. He said the senator and Master Lee’s group are in the elevator.”
Luke walked to the door, pulling his shoe out, but keeping the door slightly open. With his finger on his lips he reminded Abby not to speak. She wiggled on the bed to keep the pretense of someone on the bed for the microphones he was sure still listened.
The elevator ding barely sounded across the hall. As the doors opened, he eased the room door together until the smallest crack possible remained when they passed it.
“You will be able to take her out of the country as soon as possible?” Senator Klein said as the group passed the door.
“My yacht will be more than capable of having her in Canada and then we’ll board a plane for my island before morning,” Master Lee said in a clipped Asian accent.
After the group passed their door, he opened it enough to watch their progress all the way to the end of the hall and the door on the opposite side from their room. He motioned for Abby to join him. She jumped on the bed for a few more creaks, letting out a moan, then hurried over, her gun in hand and pointed at the floor. Easing the door open as the one down the hall closed behind the group, he pointed to the room where Abby’s friend was more than likely being held. She nodded that she understood. Silently, he slipped his shoe back on, then opened the door.
Time to save Brianna.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Time to wake up, slut.” Dylan’s voice sounded just before someone slapped her face hard.
Brianna tried to move away, but her arms were chained or something above her head. She opened her uninjured eye to peek at him. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo with the neatly tied bowtie.
Why was he hitting her again? He’d been so nice to her before.
Before what?
They’d been in the bed. He’d been loving, putting salve on her cuts, kissing her, making love to her, even as he asked her questions. Questions about the flash drive. About the Abbey. He thought it was a church. She hadn’t corrected him. When she’d refused to talk about it, he’d gotten mad and smacked her.
Then there was a pinch. Things had gone dark, like she’d been drifting down into a deep cavern. Now he’d bound her hands, trapped her, and was hitting her again.
“Why?” she whispered over her sore, cut lips.
“Why do you need to wake up?” He slapped her again. “Because I told you to. You’re leaving now.”
Tears burned in her good eye and an ache started in her chest—hope that this ordeal was finally ending. That she’d been right and somewhere inside Dylan Klein was a sliver of love for her, enough that he would take sympathy on her plight. “I’m going home?”
He laughed harshly as he leaned in close. “Wrong, whore. You’re going with your new Master.”
Grabbing her by the hair on the top of her head, he forced her to look to the far side of the bed. There stood an Asian man in a tuxedo similar to Dylan’s. He had salt-and-pepper hair and finely manicured fingers, with gold rings on them and a gold watch on his wrist. Sophisticated and rich. The kind of man who’d always attracted her attention. Only when she looked into his eyes, cold dread snaked up her spine.
Lust.
Not the kind she’d seen in other men’s eyes for her beauty. No, he was focused on her injuries. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. The desire in his eyes promised pain, even more than she’d already suffered. He’d break her, then throw her away, like yesterday’s trash.
Swallowing hard, she tried to look back at Dylan. “Please…” she whispered over her parched mouth and lips.
“What did you say, bitch? Speak louder.” He pulled her head back, arching her neck, but finally letting her see him again.
In his hand he held a knife.
He wanted her to beg. Okay, she’d beg. Anything to keep from going with the dange
rous man at the bedside.
“Please…” She swallowed again, forcing her voice to gain strength. “Please don’t,” she begged as loudly as she could.
* * * * *
Footsteps sounded on the steps near the elevator. Abigail turned so her back was to Luke as they progressed toward the door where they suspected Brianna was being held. She raised her gun arm slightly in case she needed to take out whoever was coming up on their flank.
Castello stepped into the hallway, followed quickly by Jeffers. She let out the breath she’d been holding, gave them a slight nod, then turned back to follow Luke as quietly as possible.
Holding up his fist to signal them to stop, as he pressed his ear up against the door.
She stood just behind his shoulder, straining to hear what was being said inside. A loud male voice was all she could make out, not what was being said. If that room was as huge as the one she and Luke had been in up the hall, the bed was too far away for them to make out actual conversation.
Was Brianna in there? Was she still out from the drugs?
They heard something being smacked.
Luke motioned for Castello to stand on the far side of the door. When she moved to join the Marshal, Luke pulled her back behind his hip. Jeffers flanked her, his back to them as he kept his gun trained down the hall. Luke pointed at Castello, then at the door, and held up three fingers.
Frank nodded.
Luke looked back over his shoulder at her and held up three fingers. Frank would kick in the door on a silent count of three and they were all going in.
She nodded, relaxed the hands on her gun then gripped it tighter.
“Please don’t,” Brianna screamed on the other side of the door.
Abby surged forward, but Luke held her back. With a pointed look at her he reached up and tapped his ear bud three times, then spoke into his wrist phone. “Utah, Utah, Utah.”
The signal they were ready.
“Omaha, Omaha, Omaha,” Jake said in their ears.
Luke held up one finger.
She exhaled.
Two fingers.
She inhaled and tightened the grip on her weapon.
Three fingers.
Castello’s boot heel slammed into the door just above the knob, shattering the wood and forcing it open.
“Federal agents!” Luke yelled as he was first in the door, with Castello right behind him. Abigail came in third with Jeffers on her heels.
“Drop the knife!” Luke said, coming up behind Dylan Klein, who dropped the knife on the floor.
Castello had his weapon drawn on the bodyguard who had his hand in his suit jacket. “Ease that gun out slowly, big fella, and drop it on the rug.”
“How dare you. This is a private home,” Senator Klein blustered from the far side of the room.
“And you’re all under arrest for human trafficking, Senator,” Luke said as he secured Dylan’s hands behind his back with a plastic zip-tie.
Not wanting to look at the bed until everyone was secure, Abigail focused on the people standing around the room. Master Lee had moved back against the wall, his female slave by his side.
“Ms. Whitson, let’s get Ms. Mathews unbound,” Luke said, forcing her to look at the bed.
She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat at the condition her friend was in. Yes, she’d seen it on the television downstairs, but up close and in real life it was even worse.
Quickly, she pulled the sheets back up over Brianna to cover her nudity, then retrieved the knife Dylan had dropped. Once she had the bindings cut, she lowered Brianna’s hands to her side. Leaning in she smoothed the hair from Brianna’s uninjured eye and whispered in her ear. “It’s okay, Brie. I’m here. You’re safe now.”
A sob racked Brianna’s body as she clutched Abigail’s hand in hers. “Abby, I didn’t tell them, I didn’t.”
“Abby?” Both Senator Klein and his son said.
Staccato gunfire sounded from outside the mansion and yelling could be heard downstairs.
“We’re moving in. Secure the mansion. No one leaves.” Jake’s word filled their ears. “Luke, I’m on my way upstairs.”
“That would be our task force securing the area, Senator. Your days of selling women have ended,” Luke said, shoving Dylan to the floor.
“You bastards,” the senator said. Moving quickly for a man of his age, a weapon appeared in his hand, focused straight on Luke’s heart. “I’m not letting some lowly government grunt destroy what I’ve built.”
He was going to kill Luke, the man she loved. She had to do something.
“Luke!” Abigail didn’t pause, just threw the knife at the senator and herself at Luke.
A boom sounded in the room as the gun went off.
Searing pain and heat exploded in her side as she landed on Luke’s warm body.
She looked into his beautiful hazel-green eyes and smiled at him. “I love you,” she whispered.
Then everything went dark.
“Abby!” Luke cradled her to him even as he saw Jeffers tackle the senator, clipping him in the jaw with his elbow and snapping the weapon out of his wrist.
“I love you,” she whispered, then went unconscious.
Something sticky filled his hands and he rolled her away from him. His hand was bloody and the right side of her torso was covered in it. “Oh God, baby, no.”
Someone pushed a towel in his hands and he pressed it against the side of her chest.
“Sami. Get in here now,” Jake was beside him talking to his sister.
“Why’d you do it, Abby?” He pulled her in closer, keeping pressure on the wound, the bleeding slowing.
“Let’s clear the room.” Castello led Master Lee, his woman and the bodyguard from the room, while two of Jake’s agents secured the Kleins who were both babbling about warrants.
“Please wake up, Abby. You know I didn’t want this.” Pain seared his chest so hard he couldn’t take a deep breath as he stared down at the woman he loved. He cradled her against his chest, smoothing the hair from her head and feeling the side of her neck for a pulse. It was there, but it was fast.
“Luke, let me look.” His sister-in-law Katie was there.
“She won’t wake up.”
“It’s probably shock.” She caught his hand in hers. “Just let me see where she was shot, so Sami and I can let the hospital know.”
“I’ll get an evac copter on the way, Luke,” Jake said, already stepping away to make the call.
Luke eased Abby down onto his thighs, and lifted the blood-soaked towel from her side.
“The bullet was meant for me. Why did she do this?”
Katie examined the spot, then placed a clean towel over the site, pressing his hand back down. “Keep the pressure on it. It’s helping stop the bleeding. And she jumped in front of the bullet because she loves you. I’d do the same for Matt. Sami would for Jake.”
“That’s right. We protect our men,” Sami said, breathless from the apparent sprint in from her truck. She squeezed in beside him. “Luke we need to stabilize her as best we can for transport.”
“I can get her down to the truck, Sami.” He started to gather Abby close once more, but his sister laid her hand on his shoulder.
“No, Luke. The medic and I will take Brianna in it. She’s more stable than Abigail. It will be faster for her to go by helicopter to the closest trauma center.”
That made sense, but there wasn’t a helicopter here. He looked down at Abby’s pale face. And there was so much blood. Just like he’d seen in his dreams.
“Luke, I need to get an IV in her and keep her blood pressure from dropping.”
IVs. Sami knew what to do. She’d done it hundreds of times in the ER. Helped save hundreds of lives. She could save Abby.
“Luke, you have to let her go.” His sister’s eyes held both calm confidence and a gentle pleading.
Tenderly he lifted Abby off his legs and slid her to the floor, keeping pressure on her wound with his hand as hi
s sister slipped a tourniquet on Abby’s opposite arm and proceeded to insert an IV needle, which was attached to a bag of IV fluid.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he leaned in to whisper in Abby’s ear. “We’ve got you. You can handle this. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”
As Sami worked to slip on the blood pressure cuff and check her vital signs, he continued to whisper to Abby, even after he heard the whap-whap-whap of the helo’s blades outside on the mansion’s lawn.
“Let me get a pressure dressing on the site, Luke,” Sami said, nudging his hands off the towel he had pressed tightly to Abby’s side. When they moved it, a soft moan escaped Abby.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear again. “I’m so sorry I let this happen to you.”
He watched Sami and the medic work.
“The blood isn’t coming as fast now. That’s a good sign, right?” he asked.
“Could be.” Sami said without looking up. “We won’t know until she’s been seen at the hospital. The gunshot wasn’t a through and through.”
“The bullet’s still in there?” Damn, that wasn’t good.
“Right. She’s going to need surgery and God only knows what it nicked while it bounced around in there.”
A litter was brought in and Luke stepped to the side as they lifted the limp body of the woman who had become so important to him on it. Why wasn’t she waking up?
“Her BP is 80 over 45, pulse is 120,” Sami was saying to one of the people in orange-and-brown flight suits as they moved down the hall. “We started an IV of Ringers and there’s a pressure dressing to her right side, just under the ribcage.”
“Estimated blood loss?”
“About five hundred to a thousand ccs, if I had to guess.”
“Can I go with her?” Luke asked, numb with worry, hearing everything as if from a long distance.
“Sorry, sir. There isn’t that much room inside,” one of the young helicopter crew said. He’d introduced himself as a transport nurse and he seemed to know what he was doing. At least Luke prayed he did.
He followed the team, Sami and the medic outside to the waiting copter. As soon as they had her on board, he grabbed the young transport nurse by the front of his flight jumpsuit and stared straight into his eyes. “You take care of her, you hear me?”
VANISHED, A Romantic Suspense Novel (Edgars Family Novel) Page 24
