by Sam Crescent
Hubert explained that they felt his and Stephen’s parents’ deaths were no accident. Exhuming the bodies now wouldn’t do anything but raise suspicion. They didn’t know how far Henry’s influence ran.
All of them had been staying at Possession working out the best course of action. Daren hadn’t called, and that worried James. He’d not heard Prudence’s voice. The one single photograph on his phone was all he had to go on to know she was all right.
Kevin and Tate were accessing security cameras from England. It was amazing what CCTV could do for people like them. With the right code, they could hack into the system or in their case, ask for permission from the force to see if they could find footage of Daren.
Rebecca sat next to him as all of them went about their business organising the trip that would get his woman back.
“Are you missing her?” Rebecca asked.
He turned to her, shocked she’d spoken to him. “What?”
“Prudence? Are you missing her?”
James nodded. Voicing his feelings was harder than anything he’d ever anticipated. Her gaze remained on Tate and Kevin. Both men were trawling footage or trying to find something that would help them locate Prudence without having to give evidence away. Dane sat with the two agents going through everything he knew about Dominic Green and the organisation he used to work for. Mary had left the hospital but tried to stay as far away from Dane as possible. James had witnessed the interaction between the two. Part of him hurt for the guy while another part of him felt Dane deserved the treatment he was getting.
“I miss her,” James said. He was dying without her. Every waking moment his thoughts were possessed by her.
He pressed the glass filled with whisky to his lips and took a long, leisurely swallow. Coffee held little appeal to him, and he needed the numbing quality of alcohol.
“Lloyd was never like this. He didn’t care who he passed me around to.” Rebecca had been married to Lloyd Black, who used to work with Dominic Green, and Dominic was a criminal who used to sell women and girls. James finished the whisky then placed his glass on the table.
There was no staff around to serve him. “Lloyd was a fucking asshole,” James said.
“I know that now.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything about the way he was treating you?” James asked. His temper got the better of him. Up until recently Rebecca had suffered with agoraphobia and refused to leave her home. From the moment she was attacked in her home, her fear of going back there had far outweighed the fear of moving around outside.
“There were days he was nice.” Her gaze returned to Tate and Kevin, the two men who wanted to claim her. James had kept himself in the loop for a good while before the press invaded his privacy, taking away everything that was sacred to him.
“Did he threaten to tear them apart?” he asked, pointing in Kevin and Tate’s direction.
She nodded. “Something like that. He knew he couldn’t use them the way he did other men. Back then, Lloyd knew they were different. He took everything I loved away. I couldn’t risk them, even then I couldn’t. Lloyd stayed away from them. Looking back, I know he had far too much to lose if he tried to blackmail Kevin and Tate.”
Tears shone in her eyes.
James stood, grabbing his drink. “I knew Prudence when she was eighteen.” He smiled recalling her beauty and the way she’d made him feel. “I was dating her sister but had more in common with Prudence than I did her sister. I wasted those years because of my age and who I am. If I was you, I wouldn’t go around wasting your years without them. Kevin and Tate wanted you. I suggest when all this shit is over, you allow yourself to feel.”
He made to move away. Rebecca grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He stared at where she touched him then at her face.
She let him go. “I’m sorry. I don’t think they’ll want anything to do with me.” Rebecca stared around him to gaze at her men.
Sitting back down, James kissed her knuckles. “They’ll forgive whatever they find out. This possessive feeling inside us doesn’t go away.” He swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. “When I get Prudence back, no matter what is done to her, I’ll do everything in my power to win her back.” He prayed they didn’t lay a finger on her. James couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt, tortured, or, heaven forbid, raped. The image entered his mind of her beautiful smiling face. No one should want to hurt her.
“We’ll get her back.”
Rebecca tapped his hand trying to offer him comfort. James didn’t give in to it.
“I need a drink.” He let her go, moving toward the bar. Stephen sat at the bar, speaking to someone on the phone.
“I told you, Ursula, this is for your own fucking safety. You can bitch and moan at me all you want.” Stephen slammed his palm against the table. “Won’t you see reason?”
James poured whisky into his glass then poured a glass for his friend. The other guy looked like he needed it.
“No, Ursula, don’t you dare hang up—” His friend held the phone away from his ear looking shocked.
“I guess your woman doesn’t like being told what to do.”
“I’ve sent her to be with Cadeon and Violet. I don’t like her being here. Why can’t she see it’s for her own safety that I do this?” Stephen downed his glass in one.
“What else did she say?” James asked.
“That if I don’t want her close by when I’m in danger then I don’t want to marry her.”
“She’ll come ‘round.”
He patted Stephen on the back then made his way up to the room where he was staying. His club was off limits as forensics and the police had claimed it for the murder investigation of Jermaine.
Thinking about the death of his barman made James pause in his movements toward his room.
“Are you okay?” Dane asked, stepping out of the shadows.
“I thought you were talking with your two best buds.” James moved past the younger man to get to his room.
“They’re trying to help, but I needed to be straight with you,” Dane said.
Staring past Dane’s shoulder, he nudged his head in the direction of his room. James opened the door and waited for Dane to enter. The room was small and didn’t have any memories of Prudence. When he needed to rest, James came here. It was the only place she didn’t plague his thoughts with happy memories. When he sat in this room, he could think of how best to get her back.
“Take a seat.”
James moved to the window overlooking the grounds. Possession was located in an ideal spot. The land surrounding the club was beautiful with many varieties of trees and bushes along the edge of the property. The garden looked amazing in spring and summer.
“Josiah and Hubert are not trying to save Prudence,” Dane said.
He turned to the other man. “What?” As far as James was concerned the only reason Prudence was taken in the first place was because of Dane and his stupid transaction for another woman. James knew Daren’s motives. Daren’s employer wanted that file James had found in his father’s stash. Mary was no use in blackmailing James, but Prudence was; so Dane had seized the opportunity to get back the woman he loved. James didn’t understand what Dane wanted from him. Dane had gotten Mary back, so what more did the man want?
Dane ran his fingers through his hair. He looked unsettled and out of sorts. “Their main concern is to get Henry and take Daren Robinson with him. They’ve been trying to crack this ring since they started working on it over ten years ago. They promised to help save Prudence, but I don’t think they will.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I made a promise to stop Dominic’s operation. I want the end of the human trafficking. Getting Mary out was the only thing holding me back. I never expected Prudence to get taken. I thought if I got enough money then they’d give Mary to me. I’m a fucking fool I know, but I had to give it a shot. I know what it’s like losing the woman you love. I can’t let an
other woman get lost because of me. I’m doing this for Prudence.”
James’s grip tightened around the glass. They promised to keep Prudence safe. They’d told him to trust them. “What are you trying to say?” James asked.
Dane stood up handing him a piece of paper. “Prudence has been put up for auction. Henry doesn’t care how he gets the file, and he was never going to give you back your woman.”
James took the piece of paper. The words on the paper were a description of his woman being put for sale. “No, this is not possible. They gave me the month.” His chest felt tight with the constriction of air.
“What Daren said was a ploy. Prudence will go up for sale, and there’s no way of getting her back,” Dane said.
Red covered his vision. James dropped the glass in his hands and grabbed Dane. He didn’t care anymore. Slamming Dane against the wall, James tightened his hold around Dane’s neck. He squeezed the flesh until the man started to turn red then blue from lack of air.
“I helped get you out of that shit, and because of you the woman I love is going to be sold. I swear to you, Dane, if she’s taken by anyone then you’ll have to answer to me.”
Josiah and Hubert pulled him off Dane. The other man fell to the floor gasping for air. Why was everyone stopping him?
“Get the fuck off me.” He tugged out of the two agents grip then pointed his finger at each of them. “I trusted you to keep her safe, and you’re using her to get what you want.”
The other men and women ran to the door to see the commotion.
“She’s just one woman,” Josiah said.
“And she’s the one woman that guarantees you don’t get my help.” James pushed past them, moving as fast as he could out of the house. He ignored the calls for him to come back. Starting the car, James pulled out of Possession without looking back. He felt happier being on his own.
He drove all the way to a safe motel. Once he paid for his room, he made his way out to the car. He froze when he saw Lucas leaning against the car.
“What are you doing here?” James asked.
“I figured you’d need a lot more help to get you to England and getting your girl.” Lucas held up the file that James had given to the two agents. James hated that file. He’d read through every document. His father had kept track of Lloyd Black, Daren Robinson, and Henry Warren. He’d known something was going on with missing girls, and he’d investigated, listening in on conversations and copying paperwork from Lloyd Black. The file contained information on the set up of trafficking women with signed agreements and checks made out to Lloyd. Henry’s signature was in there, along with photographs detailing meetings. How his father had managed to obtain all the information scared the shit out of James. His father believed in fairness, and when he’d seen a woman being taken, he’d done everything in his power to bring down the men who used the clubs as a means of exporting women. He’d gone as far as to start investigating. There was information on a private investigator taking pictures. His father was doing everything in his power to stop Lloyd and Henry. “While they were busy calming everyone down, I took this and followed you.”
“Why would you do that?”
Lucas glanced around him. “I think this conversation is needed in the privacy of your room.”
James went to his room then waited for Lucas to enter. It was light out, but with the curtains drawn the room was in darkness. He flicked the switch to turn the light on inside the room. One full sized bed dominated the room.
The other man moved to sit down. “I’m not letting you do this alone,” Lucas said.
“This isn’t your problem, Lucas. They have Prudence, and I’m not settling until I’ve got her safe in my arms.”
Lucas chuckled. “You know, I’ve not had an easy life. Most of my time I spent it rebelling against my mother or joining the Marines or some shit. I’ve been in battle, James. I know what it feels like to take a life. The only person I’ve ever cared about in this world is Isabella, my sister.” Lucas stopped to run a hand over his face. “She was taken by Eugene and Dominic. Both of those men were working for Henry Warren. I want him out of the equation. I don’t want those fuck-heads to take him in for questioning and put him in a high security prison. I want his head.”
James listened to the other man shocked by the anger in his voice. “What do you suggest?”
“You’ve got the money, and I’ve got the means to get us to England. I can help you. I was after Dominic Green far longer than people realise. I know where everything goes down.”
“What do you want from me?” James asked.
“The guarantee that when the time comes, you leave Henry to me. He and I have got a long conversation that is overdue.”
James sighed. When he left Possession he never expected this. He couldn’t go after Prudence alone. Lucas had training and the skill to get what he wanted.
“What do you say?” Lucas asked. The other man stood and offered his hand.
“If you do what you suggest, you could risk putting yourself away,” James said.
“Then I’d happily go because that’s where Lloyd Black will be. They hurt my little sister, and I’m tired of seeing her hurt. I’d rather kill every single bastard responsible and go to jail than have to sit watching her broken.”
James knew in his heart he should refuse. Instead, he found himself grabbing Lucas’s hand and shaking it.
“Then where do you suggest we start?” James asked.
“I think we go and see old man Lloyd. He’s been far too cosy locked up in his cell. I think it’s time we pay him a visit.”
Chapter Seven
Prue winced as she pressed the cold cloth to her cheek. Her face had certainly seen better days. Being locked up in a room twenty-four seven had lost its appeal, fast. Henry’s constant visits scared her. Each time he tried to get her to agree to something, and his endless touching repulsed her. Cindy continued to bring her food three times a day. She didn’t know how many days had passed since her captivity, and she’d not seen Daren to ask.
There was no way she’d ask Henry for anything. She despised that bastard and hoped he died a long, painful death, where she wished his cock was severed from his body without anything to numb the pain. Henry also seemed to like hitting her. Without her expecting it, he’d lash out and hit her.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she pressed a finger to the new bruise forming under her eye. Her hair caught her attention. When she was home she kept the colour from fading by attending regular appointments. She usually had brown hair, and she saw the brown appearing at her roots. For some reason seeing the brown of her roots upset her more than the bruises.
Taking a deep breath she forced the tears down. Crying wouldn’t solve any of her problems. The sound of the door opening scared her. She peeked around the corner to see Cindy sitting at the table. There was no scent of food, but the woman was placing polish amongst other things on the table.
“What are you doing?” Prue asked.
Cindy jumped. She stood pressing a hand to her throat. There was another bruise on the side of her face, and the movement of her grabbing her throat exposed the length of her arms. Her wrists were red and looked like they’d been rubbed raw. The door was closed. Prue moved closer pulling her hand so she could see where the marks had come from. “What are these?” she asked.
The other woman pulled her hand away, covering the wounds with the long white dress she wore.
“They’re nothing. I’ve been told to do your nails.”
Prue glanced down at her fingers. Her nails were longer than she usually had them with dirt underneath.
“They’re not sending in a man to watch?” Prue asked.
“I’ve been told to shout if you make it difficult.” Cindy aligned all of the nail equipment. Prue had never been one to get her nails done. She liked decorating her hair but nothing else. Staring at the other woman, Prue realised she could get quite a bit of information out of her.
“Yo
ur name is Cindy?” she asked.
“That’s what I’m called.”
“Then what is your real name?” Prue felt her pause as Cindy took her name.
She didn’t think the other woman was going to answer. “Melanie.” The other woman whispered the name quietly. “That’s what I used to be called. I’m not allowed to speak my name though. I’m not even supposed to remember it because that life is gone, and I’m happy for the life I have now.”
Tears sprang to Prue’s eyes at the hopeless sound of the other woman’s words.
“How old are you?” Prue asked.
“I’m twenty-one. I was taken at eighteen and trained by Henry to serve him. He likes having a selection of his own girls for his pleasure.”
Prue couldn’t stop the shuddering at the thought of that bastard touching anyone.
“Don’t be scared for me. I’d rather be Henry’s property than the women he gives to anyone.” Cindy paused as she started cleaning under Prue’s nails.
“What’s the matter?” Prue asked.
“Nothing.”
“Do you like it here?”
Cindy kept working silently.
“You don’t want to say.” Prue nodded. “I imagine if you had a choice you’d prefer to go back to your real life?”
The other woman stared at her. “What are you trying to do?” Cindy asked.
“I’m trying to understand. I was taken against my will, and now I’m here, and I’m frightened. The only person who comes and sees me is that asshole, and I—”
“Is this some kind of trick?” Cindy looked around her. “Is Henry upset with me and wants me to prove my loyalty?”
Prue frowned. She saw the panic on Cindy’s face. “No, do you seriously think I’d agree to something like that? Stop making this all about you,” Prue said. Her words were cruel, but she needed the other woman to stop talking.
Cindy stared at her for several moments before taking a seat. “You’re not here as a test?”
