Oak, Sophie - Siren Enslaved [Texas Sirens 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Sophie Oak

  “No,” Finn replied. If there was one thing in the world Finn was certain of, it was that he knew Danielle Bay. He knew her inside and out. “She wouldn’t leave. She wouldn’t cause trouble when so many lives are at stake. There’s no way she stole Julian’s car because she was mad. Something happened. Something, or someone, made her take off.”

  Finn pushed his way past Sam and started to jog toward the house.

  “Why? If Julian had called, wouldn’t he have called you, too?” Sam asked, following behind.

  “Or Dani would have told me she was leaving. Besides, Julian would never allow her to go alone. He wouldn’t have called her. He would have called me.” Finn stopped when he saw the small, black box on the back porch. Now he was really panicking. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins. He rushed to pick up the phone he recognized as Dani’s.

  Sam stared at the phone. “Damn, there’s no way she dropped it. She had that phone in her jeans. It wouldn’t have fallen out.”

  “And she left her purse behind. How many women do you know who leave their purse behind unless it’s an emergency? And she doesn’t have Julian’s keys. How the hell did she hot-wire a car?” Nothing added up for Finn. He picked up the phone, hoping to see who might have called. When the screen came on, he saw the last thing she’d done. It was an unsent message. Three characters in stark relief.

  <3 U

  Love you. Finn felt his heart drop to his feet because that felt like good-bye.

  * * * *

  “But this girl was taken from Dallas. I don’t see what that has to do with us here in Willow Fork. Girls don’t go missing in Willow Fork.”

  The sheriff was grating on Julian’s every nerve. His laconic speech and lazy manners made Julian want to punch the man who was supposed to protect and serve his people. Apparently women from the big city weren’t his concern. Julian shifted from one foot to the other, unable to stay still. The mid-morning light filtered through the Sheriff’s Department’s windows. Casting a glance outside, he could see that the rest of Willow Fork just moved along as though nothing untoward was happening under their noses.

  “We have every reason to believe that this woman was brought here,” Leo was saying. The sheriff simply nodded as Leo continued to talk, as though actually following the conversation.

  These people wouldn’t help him. They didn’t have the resources even if they had the will, and Julian doubted they wanted to help him. This town seemed to think anyone who wasn’t born here was an outsider and unworthy of support. Even the ones who had been born here were up for rejection. Danielle and Finn had been miserable in this small town. They had been outsiders looking in.

  How long could he keep them? The question flitted through Julian’s mind as Leo argued with the sheriff. He could get them under contract. He could move them to his penthouse. He could control much of their lives, and they would still leave him. Everyone left.

  Not everyone. Some he’d pushed away. Some he’d shoved away, and now it was coming back to haunt him. He thought about that night almost four years ago when he tossed Jeremy into the streets. It was the night he’d set everything in motion.

  * * * *

  Julian had stared up at the stage. Samuel was lovely in his submission. He had finished his count of twenty, and his body had sagged forward. He was being punished for causing trouble at The Club, but it wasn’t really punishment for someone like Samuel. For someone like Samuel, finally being on a St. Andrew’s Cross was something akin to redemption. Jackson tenderly took his partner off the cross. Julian had handed a robe up to them, though covering Samuel’s magnificence was the last thing he’d wanted to do. Samuel belonged with Jackson. They both belonged with Abigail. Something sad lodged itself in Julian’s chest. They were happy. He would content himself with that.

  “Boss.” Leo’s voice had pulled him away. “Have you forgotten about the other situation we have to deal with?”

  Julian had sighed. Yes, Jeremy. He had almost forgotten about Jeremy. He should never have taken the young man on, but he’d seemed so eager to please. He’d been a lovely young man with a lanky body and large eyes that seemed to plead for someone to take care of him. He was a sucker for that.

  Jeremy had conspired against a guest of The Club. He’d drugged Lucas Cameron’s drink. He’d done it at the behest of someone looking to harm Lucas, but the simple act of bringing the drug into the building was a punishable offense. It was far past time to cut the little fucker loose.

  In the end, it had been easy. He’d simply had him carted out. Julian hadn’t listened to offered explanations. He hadn’t listened to pleas. He told the man who had shared his home and bed for almost a year that he was done. Julian struggled to remember the words, and then the night came back in vivid color.

  “I am no longer your Master,” he’d said.

  No longer. He’d watched as Jeremy struggled with the bouncer at first, and then when he realized it was never going to work, something had died in his eyes. Jeremy had slumped down, and the bouncer had to carry him. Julian had turned back to the drama at hand, his former slave completely forgotten.

  There had been weepy voice mails. Each time, Jeremy promised to be good. He’d promised to be a better slave, to give Julian free access to anything and everything he had. Jeremy had offered to take any kind of punishment the Master saw fit. He’d begged and pleaded.

  Julian had changed his phone number.

  When Jeremy had sat outside the building for two days in the pouring rain, Julian had the police escort him away. He’d delivered the young man a restraining order the following morning.

  He had been quiet after that, and Julian had forgotten.

  Jeremy had not.

  Would Danielle and Finn pay for his mistake?

  The sheriff’s voice pulled him from his memory. “Now why would this boy kidnap this particular woman? Is she real good-looking?”

  Julian hissed through his teeth, and he saw Leo tense. Leo knew him well. Leo seemed to sense that he was about to explode. “Alexis Moore is Jackson Barnes’s stepdaughter. I expect you to speak of her with some respect.”

  The sheriff’s eyes got wide, and he sat up straight in his chair. “Damn, man, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” His hand flew toward the phone on his desk. He dialed a number with more vigor than he’d seemed capable of moments before. “Maudene, I need you to get the Dallas police liaison on the phone for me.” He looked up. “This won’t take but a minute.”

  Leo sat back in his chair. “Damn, we’re far from home, boss. I never thought I’d see the day when someone was more afraid of Jack Barnes than you.”

  “It’s only because he doesn’t know me,” Julian murmured. He toyed with his phone. The urge to call one of them was almost overwhelming. The thought that he wouldn’t be able to see them or touch them again until this was sorted out gnawed at him.

  The door to the main office opened and closed. That man Danielle had almost married walked in wearing some form of polyester work uniform. His name was stitched on the right side. Jimbo. How atrocious. He could never have appreciated Danielle’s loveliness.

  “Hey, Maudene, is Andy around? I got a problem out at Momma’s house. She said someone’s been prowling around Daddy’s old hunting shack. I looked last night, and I didn’t see anything, but she’s on my ass about it. There were tracks, but it’s just kids, I know it. If Andy could just talk to her about it, she might let me alone.”

  Julian shook his head. He didn’t need to hear about the man’s problems. He had real problems.

  Leo stood and stared out the window behind the sheriff’s desk. “Is that Finn?”

  Julian stood immediately. The SUV that pulled up was Finn’s. Finn slammed out of the car and started running for the building. Julian’s heart raced.

  Leo was frowning. “You’ll have to punish him. He had clear orders.”

  “Shut up, Leo. He wouldn’t have disobeyed without good reason.” What had happened? Was it Danielle
? He raced out of the cramped office and met Finn in the hall.

  “Sir!” Finn’s boots nearly slid on the floor. His hair was wild and his hands shaking.

  “What is it, Finn? What’s happened? Where is Danielle?” The questions raced through Julian’s mind. A thousand scenarios, each worse than the next, played out in a manner of seconds.

  “She’s gone. She took off in your car.”

  Leo was right behind him. “She did what?”

  Finn placed a hand on Julian’s arm, the warmth of his body a comfort to Julian, who felt icy cold everywhere else. “Julian, please, you have to hear me out.”

  “About what, Finn? We don’t have time to talk. Somehow that little fucker got to her. Was she alone for any amount of time? Is it possible she got a phone call you didn’t hear?”

  A sigh that could only be relief swept out of Finn’s mouth. “Yes. I’m sure that’s what happened. Sam checked the tapes. He called me on my way here. He said Dani looked up at the rear camera and dropped her phone, like she was trying to show someone she was doing it. Then she took off in your car.”

  “Damn it. He told her about the spare key I keep.” Jeremy had known his habits.

  Leo was on the phone already. “Yes, ma’am, my boss has just had his vehicle stolen. Could you please turn on the tracking? Thank you. I have the passwords.”

  Finn was staring up at him. “I checked the last number on her phone. It was Val’s. He used Val to get to her, I just know it. Val’s phone is old. There’s no way we can track it unless he calls again. How are we going to find her?”

  Julian cupped Finn’s face. “I promise I’ll find her. I won’t let anything happen to her. I will find her, and I will bring her back. Now, why didn’t you call me? We could have turned on the GPS on the Audi immediately.” He tried to keep his voice calm. The last thing he wanted to do was chastise Finn. Finn had dealt with things the best way he knew how.

  “I tried, Sir. It kept going to voice mail.”

  Julian rammed his hand in his pocket and came out with his phone. Damn it. He’d put it on silent the night before. He didn’t want to be interrupted with mundane things like business when he was playing with his subs. Though he’d almost never turned off his phone before, his time with Danielle and Finn seemed different, almost sacred. Nothing should interrupt that. He’d forgotten to turn it back on.

  Julian flipped the switch and immediately saw that he had more calls than he should have. A fission of fear crept across his skin. There was a text as well. It popped up when he pushed the button.

  I suggest you answer me, Julian. You’ll note I don’t call you Master anymore. A true Master never neglects his slaves. Well, your slave has the power now.

  Pure terror flooded his system. Before he could process any of the facts, his phone was ringing. The number was unfamiliar, but Julian knew who it was.

  “What is it?”

  There was a purr of pure pleasure that saturated the line. “Worried are you? Don’t be. I have little Danielle. Might I say she’s a step down from Sally? What are you thinking, Master…I mean Julian. At least Sally was slender and lovely. This girl looks like she fell off a trailer.”

  Leo was asking Finn some questions. It gave Julian a moment to step away. He pushed the door open and walked outside. He didn’t want the others to overhear what might be a private conversation. There was only one reason to take Danielle. Jeremy wanted to lure him into a trap. If it saved her, if it spared her a moment’s pain, he would go willingly. He wouldn’t risk Finn. He needed to know that one of them was safe.

  “What do you want, Jeremy?” He wouldn’t waste time with bluster. He could tell Jeremy that he would kill him if he so much as harmed a hair on Danielle’s head, but Jeremy would almost surely know that to be a lie. Julian would kill him no matter what he did at this point. Today or somewhere down the line, if Julian survived the day, he would make certain that Jeremy Walker died.

  “Oh, so many things, but I’ll start with you meeting me at a time and place of my specification. This is going to be different for you, Julian. You don’t call the shots now. You aren’t in control. I am.”

  It rankled. That alpha part of him growled and clawed to be let out. But Danielle needed him. “I’m walking to the car now. I want to speak with Danielle.”

  “No can do. She’s a bit indisposed.”

  Julian stopped. “I won’t come to you unless I have some proof that she’s alive.”

  There was a long-suffering sigh and then a feminine voice. “Julian?”

  “Lexi? Lexi, are you all right?”

  “No, I am not. Some freaky asshole shoved a needle in my neck, and when I woke up, I was chained to the set of Deliverance. So, no, I am not all right. I am as far from all right as a person can be.” There was a jostling sound as though Lexi was moving. “Stop it. Fine. I’ll tell him. Dani’s here. She’s alive, but I don’t know for how long. You have to tell Lucas to stay away. He’ll kill you bo”

  Lexi’s scream was abruptly cut off. “See, she’s alive. How long she stays that way is up to you. I’ve left a map in a black Jeep. It’s at a café on Main Street. The keys are under the driver’s seat. Come alone, or I’ll kill Danielle. There’s a map in the car leading you to where I will meet you. Don’t try anything, Julian. The Jeep doesn’t have GPS. You can’t be traced, and I’ll know if you try. I have planned this very carefully. There’s no way out. You have twenty minutes. If you’re a second late, I’ll slit her throat.”

  Julian knew the café. He’d had lunch with Jackson there the day before. It was less than a block away. He could make it in under a minute if he ran. He would have to in order to get away from Finn and Leo. The time limit was there to ensure he didn’t make any side trips. Of course, he could always call.

  “Now drop the phone. My sister is watching. She’ll tell me if you make a wrong move. Poor thing. She’s always been a bit sad. Don’t blame her though, I kidnapped her cat. It’s the only thing she’s had to love since her husband died. Whatever you do, don’t tell her I already killed the fucking thing. Julian, your twenty minutes starts now.”

  Julian dropped the phone and ran for the café.

  He heard Finn behind him, but couldn’twouldn’tstop for anything. He had the car in gear and was off before Finn could catch up. His eyes caught Finn’s as he drove by, and the terror in Finn’s eyes haunted him. Julian was sure it mirrored his own.

  Julian picked up the map and followed directions.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dani came awake slowly, her head pounding and the sound of a woman crying leaking into her brain. She tugged at her hands. The feel of tight, hard plastic on her wrists was jarring, forcing her out of that fuzzy place.

  She opened her eyes. The world came into focus in fits and starts. Brown walls. Wood. The scent of gun oil. Where was she? Oh, yes. She started to piece it together. She was in Jimbo’s family hunting cabin. Set back on the Smart family land, the small cabin had been his father’s retreat, and then Jimbo’s. She’d come out to this place on several occasions, mostly to pick him up when he was done “shooting deer and drinking beer,” as he put it.

  It came back in little flashes like pictures in her mind. She’d done everything Jeremy had told her to do, though this time obedience had been a vile thing. She’d driven Julian’s car to her house and traded it for an old sedan. The sedan had a map, but she’d known immediately where she was going. She’d stood outside her house and wondered if she dared to run inside and call someone, but a cell phone had rung in the sedan, and she’d been told she had ten minutes to get to the cabin before he put a bullet in Val’s head. Unsure if she could make it in time, she’d flown down the highway and up the back road. When she was on the dirt road that led through the woods, she’d never felt so alone. She’d gotten out of the sedan with tears in her eyes, certain she would never see Finn again, never feel Julian moving against her again.

  It had all happened very quickly. One minute she was stepping onto
the rickety stairs that led to the door, and the next she felt something sink into her shoulder. The world had turned odd and soft. She’d had the barest moment to register a face looming above her before she hit the ground.

  Dani pulled at the zip tie that held her wrists together. She seemed to be tied to a hook that was anchored into the ceiling. It must be new, because it wasn’t something she’d noticed before. There were only two rooms. There was a living space and a small bedroom. There wasn’t even a bathroom. Dani always remembered to go before she came out here because she was never going to use that outhouse. The small cabin, well, it was more like a shack, barely had electricity. It was run from a generator. There was very little in the way of furniture. There was only a sofa bed, an easy chair, and a scuffed table with two chairs. She managed to turn her face.

  “Val?” The words felt heavy in her mouth.

  She saw her sister, tied similarly on another hook from the ceiling, just four or five feet away from her. Her head came up at Dani’s words, and a manic look came over her face, her eyes bulged, her mouth opened, and she shook.

  “Dani. Oh, Dani. You have to get us out of this. You have to.”

  There was a whine to Val’s voice that cut through her brain like a hacksaw. Still, she had sort of been the one to get Val into this. This Jeremy person must have taken her sister in order to get her to comply.

  “I will, Val. You just have to give me a minute. Is he here?” Dani forced herself to try to focus. Everything was still a little fuzzy, and her mouth felt as dry as a desert.

  Val kicked out at her. “He walked outside. I think he’s waiting on someone. Maybe he’s brought someone in to kill us all. You give him whatever he wants, Dani. You just give it to him.”

  “Shut up,” a husky voice said. “You’re getting exactly what you deserve, you deceitful bitch. You think I didn’t overhear your conversation with our giant ass of a kidnapper?”