On the pretense of smoothing his hair, he talked directly into the watchband. “Another man is driving me to a meeting point where Paul said we’ll exchange Carlie for the bracelet. Expect him to have a lot of guns there. Be careful.”
A muscular man approached Nick’s car from the gas pumps. He wore ripped up Levi’s and a blue muscle shirt. A hawk tattoo graced his right arm and a tribal band circled the other. Dark sunglasses obscured his face.
“Put your keys inside your car,” the man said. “Get the item the boss needs. We’re taking my truck.”
Uncomfortable, Nick pulled back his suit jacket slightly, showing the man his gun. “I don’t know what the boss told you about me, but you have no chance of outdrawing me and living if you decide to steal the jewelry and dump me somewhere.”
The man pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. “I’m not the criminal here, you are. I don’t kill people unless I have to, but Paul warned me you weren’t above that.” He spit on the ground. “Nothing worse than a bad agent. You disgust me.”
Disgusted or not, Paul must have warned him about Nick’s skills. Grabbing his bag from inside the car, Nick left the keys in the visor. He hoped if Muscle Man checked his bag before driving away, he wouldn’t realize the bracelet inside wasn’t the correct one. Nick wasn’t stupid enough to bring it along. The man could just kill him and take it if he did.
After following his captor to a truck, he climbed in and fastened his seat belt.
“For the record,” Nick said, “I’m not a criminal. I always thought Paul was a good guy, too, but a real leader doesn’t kidnap an innocent woman or kill people for monetary gain. You don’t know the man you’re working for.”
Muscle Man grunted and put the key in the ignition. “He said you’d tell me that. Shut your mouth the rest of the trip, unless you want to find out which of us is really better with a gun.”
***
As soon as Paul left the room, Carlie struggled against the zip tie binding her hands. Pain flared along her left arm, though she bit down on the inside of her lip and didn’t cry out.
“Good girl,” Ryan said. “I knew you’d cooperate and tell Nick everything was fine. I’ll have my men hold off on the killings. Pity, too. They were looking forward to one woman they have captive. Maybe I’ll let them have their way with her anyway. I try to be a good leader.”
“You’re sick.” She pulled her right hand further inside the opening of the zip tie.
Ryan must have taken her grimace of pain for distaste of his words, because he laughed. “I really don’t think the guards here should be deprived either. That one at the door told me how much he wants a few minutes alone with you.”
As Carlie’s hand slipped closer to the top of the binding, Shelley didn’t call out a warning or stop her from freeing herself. Either she was still in shock at Ryan’s monstrous personality or she decided to do the right thing.
“I can tell by the eager look on your face you like the idea of the guard,” Ryan said. “Since you’re still my wife and property, I think I’ll give him alone time with you before sending you back to your cell. As long as you’re alive when good ol’ Nick gets here, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been violated.”
Fear clutched Carlie and it was all she could do to not fight the bindings harder and draw attention to her actions. If Shelley really wasn’t on her side and just didn’t notice, Carlie couldn’t blow this. The thought of being trapped in the room with Stephen nearly brought her to tears. She knew what Stephen was capable of and what he wanted.
Ryan gave him permission to rape her. She was sure Stephen would love combining rape with his love of beating a woman. She glanced over her shoulder, praying she’d see some indication from Shelley that she’d help her avoid that.
Shelley stared at Ryan, seeming horrified, but also not making any move to come to Carlie’s rescue. Apparently, she didn’t realize Carlie worked to free herself. Looked like she had to save herself...somehow.
Ryan glanced at Shelley and jerked his head to the doorway. “You can leave. If the guard can’t handle her bound and waiting for him, he’s got a problem.”
Taking a deep breath, Carlie went back to work on the bindings while Shelley walked to the door.
She turned, just before opening it and met Carlie’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t know.”
“And yet,” Carlie replied, “you’ll let Stephen rape me. I misjudged you. You really do belong with this group of criminals, Shelley. I’m sorry I ever considered you a friend.”
That provoked a laugh from Ryan. “You’ve gotten feistier than that sad, pudgy girl from college. Short hair, trim body, and an attitude.” He shook his head. “You look good, Stephanie. Never thought I’d think that.”
Knowing that Ryan wasn’t trained in karate, in fact had no fighting skills, Carlie wondered if she could convince him to stay for a little fun. Once she got her hands free, she’d be able to take him down. With him under her power, she’d have a lot more leverage to get herself out of here.
“I’m a lot different than I was before, Ryan. Why don’t you stay? I’ve learned a few things since our marriage.”
“As interesting as this new confidence is, you always were a lousy lay. I doubt that’s changed.” He walked to the door, whistling to himself as he and Shelley exited. “Hey, stud.” He turned to Stephen. “You’re on. Have a good time. Don’t kill her, but as long as she can talk, I’m okay with whatever you do.”
Over Ryan’s shoulder, Shelley stared at Carlie, obviously blinking back tears, but not doing anything to stop the men around her.
Looked like she was on her own. Carlie fought against the tie, crying out with pain as the hard plastic scraped her skin. She couldn’t quite get it over the bulge of her thumb, and panic set it when Stephen walked into the room.
He shut the door and faced her, cracking his knuckles. “I knew I’d get my way with you eventually. Sex and a beating, all with your hands tied. My idea of a great time.” He ran his tongue across his lips. “You aren’t breaking my balls, Carlie, but we will enjoy them.”
Chapter Forty-Six
“I’m not enjoying your balls. You wish.” Carlie whimpered as a particularly vigorous jerk on her hand shot pain all the way up her arm.
Stephen obviously thought the whimper was for him and chuckled, running his fingers through his sandy hair. “You’ve been trying to fight this since we met. You don’t have to pretend to be a nice girl anymore, love. This could be enjoyable. I don’t have specific orders to hurt you, after all, and can do whatever I want. Why don’t you hop on the edge of the table here? Cooperate. Make me feel nice.”
She narrowed her eyes, a thrill of victory running through her as she squeezed her thumb toward her pinky and the hard plastic fell across the knuckle. Jerking her hand back and forth, she didn’t care if Stephen realized she tried to free herself. “I don’t need my hands free to break your balls.”
He rushed to her, gripping the front of her shirt and pulling her upright. “Guess I have to beat you into submission first. That’s okay with me.”
He slammed her back against the wall, sending shockwaves of pain skittering up Carlie’s arms and into her shoulders. Too many hits like that and even if she got free, she wouldn’t have any feeling in her fingers to execute attacks.
Carlie tried to clear her mind. Nick trained her well. She could fend Stephen off, even with her hands bound.
He gripped her neck in a vice-like grasp and slammed her head into the wall. “How exciting.” Stephen ran his tongue down her face. “Remind you of the last time we were together, love? I’ve spent every night dreaming of what would have happened if Nick hadn’t interrupted us.”
He loosened his hand and Carlie took a deep breath. All the defenses against choking assumed she’d be able to strike her attacker. She’d have to improvise.
“Not worried about your balls being broken because they’re so small?” She asked, smiling sweetly. “A real man wouldn’t ha
ve to abuse a woman to get off.”
He pressed his hand against her windpipe a little tighter. “Not smart, bitch.”
So much for all the annoying ‘love’ talk. “Bite me.” She smirked. “I don’t care what you think.”
Even though Stephen scared her, she hoped rage would make him lose focus. If he started reacting, not thinking, she might be able to outsmart him.
“Bite you? Oh, I’ll bite you.” He loosened his hold again, shoving her head sideways and biting her neck full force, his teeth deeply piercing her skin.
Carlie struggled, still pulling at the zip tie. Even though her neck hurt horribly, she had to throw him off track. “Wow, Stephen. That feels good. I didn’t know you could be so exciting.”
He looked up, his face mere inches from hers. “You...like that?”
The bite throbbed, but she smiled. “It thrills me,” she whispered huskily. “Now, what can those lips do against mine?” Anxiety filled her at what she was about to do, but it was the only weapon she had available.
Stephen grinned and leaned into her, lips puckered.
Lurching forward suddenly with as much force as she could, Carlie smashed the top of her forehead into his nose, jerking on her zip tie again.
Stephen crashed to the floor just as her hands popped loose. She raced for the doorway, not knowing if she knocked him out. If not, he’d be so angry that her chances were better with the man in the hallway than in here.
She reached the door and tugged on the handle, but it didn’t budge. Fear clutched her and she turned to face Stephen, pressing her back into the door.
He stood, blood trickling down his face. He shook his head, as though to clear it. “That was a mistake. No matter how nice I am, you want to fight. There’s nowhere to run, love.” He grinned. “Let’s have some fun.”
***
Nick sat nervously watching the desert and cactus speed past as Muscle Man drove in stony silence next to him. They were far from Phoenix and traveled on remote back roads. Though he’d tried to watch the side mirror without being noticed, Nick hadn’t spotted any vehicle behind them. He could only hope the tracking device worked properly and the feds were on the way.
He swung wildly between thinking they would help, and fearing they would get Carlie killed. At least Carlie was alive. She sounded okay, though stressed, on the phone. He knew she might be angry at his deception, but if he could just get her safely away from Paul, nothing else mattered.
He loved her. Perhaps they could work things out and be together, or maybe she’d hate him and tell him to get out of her life forever. Either way, he had to save her or he knew what his future held. Nothing good.
“How much longer?” he asked.
Muscle Man grunted. “We’ll get there when we get there.”
Nick went back to counting cacti. At least Carlie had training to protect herself. He had to take solace from that. She was better off now than when they first met. Everything would be okay.
Nick leaned his head against the seat, biting back a curse. Carlie was in grave danger and unfortunately, he still didn’t believe in fairytales.
***
Carlie screamed as Stephen punched her face again. He had her trapped against the floor, pinning her arms to her sides while sitting on her chest. He periodically rubbed his groin against her, just as he had in karate class the last time they sparred.
“Your screams are arousing,” he laughed, punching her again before nuzzling into her neck. “Your husband’s a real standup guy, letting me have time with you.”
Carlie screamed again, struggling to free her hands like Nick taught her, but Stephen’s strength was wearing her down.
Out in the hall someone shouted, and Stephen lost focus for a moment when he glanced at the doorway.
Not wasting the opportunity, Carlie twisted with all the force she could muster, managing to free her left arm. Ignoring the zaps of nerve pain, she drove her elbow into his crotch.
As he let out his own scream of pain, the door burst open and Shelley rushed in. “Get off her, you asshole!” She launched across the room, piling into Stephen, driving him off Carlie and into the wall. She gave him a chop to his neck and then another kick between the legs.
Screaming, Stephen rolled into a ball, clutching his groin.
Shelley held her hand out to Carlie. “Hurry. We have to run. I took care of the guard in the hall, but there’s more where he came from.”
Carlie accepted her help in standing, pain throbbing in her head to rival the ache in her arms. “Why are you helping me?”
Wrapping her in a fierce hug, Shelley let out a soft sob. “Please forgive me. They showed me pictures and changed my mind. I was sure you were innocent after Stephen’s first attack, but Paul...” She stepped back, shaking her head. “You are like a sister to me, and I’m getting you out of here. I really didn’t know about Ryan.”
“I believe you.” Carlie glanced to where Stephen still rolled on the ground, moaning in pain. “What’s our plan?”
Shelley walked to the open doorway. “Let’s drag this guy inside and lock them in. That’ll give us a little more time. We’re on the fourth floor, and we have to sneak down. I don’t know what all goes on here, but there are a lot of guards.”
Relief flooded through Carlie. Even though they weren’t free yet, chances of that were greatly improved. While she wasn’t sure she wanted to forgive Shelley so easily, Shelley thought she was doing the right thing all these months and investigating a terrorist—the same thing Nick thought. It was their boss who lied and made them lie to Carlie. Either way, Shelley was her only hope to get free from this grim situation.
Then, all she had to do was figure out how to save Nick and stop Ryan from torturing innocents in Maharla.
Like that’ll be easy.
***
“Where are you going with the prisoner?” A guard walked from the far end of the hall.
“Put your hands behind your back,” Shelley whispered. She raised her voice, “Back to her cell. The boss is finished with her.”
The guard continued to approach, and Shelley propelled Carlie along the hallway. Carlie’s heart pounded with anxiety. So far, this was the first person they’d seen.
“Why are you on the second floor?” he asked, stopping alongside them. “She’s on the fourth floor.”
“New orders.” Shelley sounded bored, though Carlie didn’t know how she accomplished that. “They need her close to the loading area. She’s getting transferred soon.”
His bushy eyebrows narrowed. “No one told me that.”
Shelley pushed Carlie slightly, forcing her to walk past the man. “Take it up with the boss. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.”
Carlie kept her hands firmly together as she walked, praying the other guard wouldn’t notice they weren’t tied. It could all be over right here if he did. Freedom seemed so far away. Once they exited the building, Carlie hoped Shelley’s plan extended to getting them out of the area, since she didn’t even know where they were.
After a few seconds, a door closed. “He’s gone,” Shelley whispered, “but keep your hands behind your back. I know it hurts, but we can’t risk someone seeing.”
Carlie nodded, continuing along the white corridor. They finally reached another set of stairs, and Shelley opened the door to them, pulling Carlie inside.
“This is the trickiest part,” she warned. “We’ll be pretty close to the doorway for the loading area, and we can steal a vehicle there to get away. If we’re lucky, I can convince the guards I’ve been ordered to take you to the meeting place.”
Rubbing her painful wrists, Carlie looked over at her. “And if we’re not lucky?”
“We’ll have to outrun some bullets.”
Carlie shook her head. “Shelley, you don’t have to do this. I’ll be safe. They won’t kill me, because Nick won’t give them the bracelet unless I’m alive. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll get away. Give me a few minutes and then raise the al
arm that I escaped. No one has to know you helped.”
Shelley bit her lip and looked at the wall over Carlie’s shoulder, not meeting her eyes. “I knew Stephen had orders to kill you the night of the fire, and I didn’t stop it. It’s also my fault they found the lake house. Nick did a great job of hiding you, and when you called to tell me you were safe, they traced the call and found you.” She blinked rapidly, and a tear streaked down her cheek.
Carlie already figured Shelley knew they planned to kill her the night of the fire, so it didn’t come as a shock for her to admit it. Then again, she didn’t understand how they traced her call. She’d been so careful to disconnect quickly. “How did you find the lake house?”
“Calls are easy to trace. Didn’t you know that? The tech guy found the tower signal your call came from and learned what general area your phone was in. After that, it was just a matter of searching until they found the house.”
Sighing, Carlie knew she couldn’t blame Shelley for her own mistake. “I thought a call had to be connected for sixty seconds to be traced. I should have known better.”
“A real criminal would have, which proves you aren’t one.” More tears slipped down Shelley’s cheeks. “I should have trusted my gut and believed in you. I knew you were innocent, but I let them change my mind. Hell, I had to be stupid to think the government would actually hire a slime ball like Stephen.” She shuddered. “It’s my fault you’re in this situation. Let me fix things.”
Carlie shook her head. “They’ll kill you for helping me. You thought you were doing the right thing. Paul lied. This is his fault, not yours. I can’t let you risk your life for me.”
“I’m not arguing about it. I’m getting you out of here.” Shelley swiped her tears away and nodded down the steps. “Let’s do this.”
She pulled a gun from the waistband of her pants, and Carlie raised her eyebrows. “Won’t that seem strange?”
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