Finding Anna (Hidden Duet Book 1)

by LM Terry

  “Did you let Frank and Irene go?” I ask.

  “Yes, the minute Brian called me, he should be home safe with his loving wife. I do not need to hurt an elderly couple Anna,” he says with an incredulous tone.

  Wow, he acts like he has morals. I don’t know if I believe him. But, one thing he has never done is lie.

  “I will gladly sign, I do not want his fucking money.” I grab the papers and sign on each sheet that is flagged for my attention. I slam the folder shut when I am finished sliding it back across the table.

  He stares at me for a long moment, neither of us takes our eyes off each other. “Good, now on to the second matter. You have caused me a great deal of difficulty over the information you supplied to the FBI. Would you like to share with me how you remembered all the names and locations you spewed to them?”

  I don’t even flinch. “Your gift.”

  “What do you mean my gift? Don’t play games with me kitten,” he says through gritted teeth.

  Good, I am getting to him. I should stop but I can’t, I hate him. My scorn and fear are begging to come out and scratch his beautiful exterior.

  “You told me once I was a talented writer, the FBI thought so too.” I say giving him my prettiest smile. I languish in my dig at him as I see him ponder my words. Slowly it dawns on him what I had done.

  “Hmph, aren’t you a smart little kitten? Well, that answers that. Now the last thing to discuss is what to do with you. I hear you have been fraternizing with my enemy.”

  My tough exterior crumbles. He knows about Dylan. This upsets me. I don’t want Oliver in my head messing with my thoughts about Dylan, tainting them. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Oliver slams his fist down on the table making the plates and silverware clank together loudly. I jump and push my chair back looking for a place to run and hide. Oliver stops me and grabs my throat tightly. Brian sighs to the side of me, but he doesn’t move.

  “Please, please just let me go. You got what you wanted I signed the papers. Let. Me. Go!” I scream at him gasping for air as his fingers grip harshly and his nails dig into the skin on my neck.

  He pushes me forward roughly. Then returns to his seat, I watch him through the hair covering my face. He forces each of his muscles to relax. As soon as he gathers his composure, he fills his plate and motions both Brian and I to finish our meal.

  We eat in silence. I force each bite down, my teeth chatter so loudly that I am sure they both can hear, neither looks at me. He is not letting me go. I don’t understand. He got what he wanted. I signed his damn papers. You were stupid for giving the FBI all that information, stupid. But I had to save as many girls as I could, I needed to make amends for all the terrible things Oliver had done to the people I love.

  “Brian, don’t you think Anna looks similar to that girl you have been pining over, what is her name?” Oliver finishes his breakfast and motions for the attendant who has been quietly standing by to clear the dishes from the table.

  Brian straightens in his chair. “Yes, I guess there are similarities.”

  The server pushes the cart away, Oliver waits to speak as the cart rattles against the tiles of the courtyard. Once the sound fades, he speaks up again, “Brian, I have a wonderful idea why don’t you take Anna? I know she will never replace your little infatuation, but I would bet she has potential if Dylan Lorenz took her to his bed.”

  My mouth drops open. I am speechless on so many levels. Did he offer me to Brian, and he spoke Dylan’s name? “Fuck you,” I scream at him.

  Oliver places his hand out to silence me. “Anna, this is a conversation you are not a part of. What you want, what you think, what you need is no longer your concern.”

  Brian seems confused. “Sir, no disrespect but I thought we had an agreement that if I found her for you, you would bring back Addison. That was the deal, and I found Anna not once but twice.”

  “Actually, you found her once. The second time she told me where she was and all you had to do was retrieve her.” Oliver looks over at me and winks.

  “At a risk. Going across that border was a risk, one I was willing to take to get Addison back.” I can visibly see he is trying to keep himself in check. He knows who he is dealing with, for some reason Oliver seems to enjoy chiding him.

  “Hmm, yes you are correct. But, you should thank me. Anna is exquisite, and she still has spirit left in her. I have heard Addison? Is that her name? Anyhow, I heard she is nothing more than an empty-headed little sex slave these days.” Oliver’s words glide out of his mouth slaying Brian in his seat.

  Brian’s face turns bright red. He grips the arms of the chair so tightly that I think they will break in half. I slide myself back in mine feeling like I am just a supporting character in the story that unfolds in front of me. “Boss, you promised me Addy.”

  “Yes, and you promised me your loyalty. Did you think I wouldn’t question why you had Anna’s phone number? Why Brian? Why would you stop in the middle of a kidnapping to look at your victim's cell and memorize the number?”

  Brian drops his head, defeat deflating his earlier anger. “Boss, I, I…”

  “You were going to contact the people she was with weren’t you?” Oliver accuses.

  My head bounces back and forth between them, is the crack forming between them a benefit or a detriment to me? I don’t know, but I am interested in Oliver’s question myself.

  “Yes, I’m sorry boss, she looks so much like Addy. I felt bad for her, for her family, I felt bad for taking her.” He looks up now and stares at Oliver pleading with him. “I didn’t do it, I never once called the number.”

  “But, the thought entered your mind none the less.” Oliver turns to me. “Brian has been with me for many years Anna. You and Addison seem to be a weakness for him. Brian, tell me how long has it been since you trained her?”

  “Thirteen months.” Brian’s doesn’t look up his head sullenly in his hands.

  “Thirteen months, I thought the little infatuation would subside. Then you came along Anna and got him thinking about her again. So, it is decided then. You now belong to Brian. You will help him forget about her. You can do that for me can’t you kitten?”

  I stare at him. “No.” I shake my head. “No, I gave you what you wanted just let me go. I will disappear, you will never have to deal with me ever again.”

  Oliver laughs loudly. “You act like you have a choice in this matter, kitten. You think I am giving you back to Dylan? You belong to him now.” He tips his head towards Brian. “Don’t worry he will teach you some manners among other things. Won’t you Brian?”

  “Yes sir,” Brian says still not looking up.

  “Good, I know this has been a tense morning for all. I am looking forward to seeing Anna after you deliver her first punishment for all the problems she has caused us. I will see you both at supper tonight. Don’t worry Anna, I’ll make sure we dine inside, in the soft chairs.”

  What the fuck just happened. I can’t wrap my head around anything. I sit quietly and watch Brian, waiting. When he sits up, I jump in my chair. He doesn’t look angry. He looks almost sorry.

  “Come on Anna.” He holds his hand out for me to take. He leads me to my cell. Instead of locking me inside he follows me in and shuts the door behind him. I drop to the ground scurrying away from him over to my wall, feeling my way, surrounded by nothing but blackness.

  He pulls me into his arms and sits with his back up against the wall. I don’t fight him, it would do no good. At least I am still dressed. I can’t control the shaking, even wrapped in the warmth of his arms.

  “I wish I wouldn’t have found you,” he whispers in my ear.

  I hear the anguish in his voice. I don’t speak, I just listen.

  “I thought he would let me have her if I found you for him, he promised me. I never wanted to keep any of them until her. He is right you know, you look a lot alike. She is quiet though, not a spitfire like you.” He laughs and runs his palm down my hair the other
lightly rubbing the side of my hip.

  “I should have known he wouldn’t bring her back for me. I should have taken her and left. Walked away from this shit, but no, fuck no, I stayed, I allowed Oliver to have his hand up my ass, my fucking puppet master.” His voice cracks as he pulls me close to him.

  I don’t feel sorry for him. He chose this life. But, I can tell he is emotional, so a small part of his heart might have thawed when he met this girl, Addison.

  “He will make me hurt you Anna.”

  I tremble at his words. I heard Oliver myself but to hear Brian say it makes it seem so much worse. I need to try and reach that little thawed out part of his heart. It is my only chance. I have no idea when Dylan will find me if ever. “You don’t have to,” I whisper to the dark.

  “He is expecting to see the marks on you at supper, you heard him.”

  “Um, Brian, I can help you find her,” I breathe out shakily, not knowing what to expect from him. He is the man who drugs and tortures me. I know I cannot trust him but what choice do I have.

  He stills not saying anything, so I continue, “Dylan and his team could help you find her.”

  He laughs at this. “Why would they help me? I don’t think you know what you are talking about doll, I appreciate your concern but…”

  I sit up and turn towards him so my breath whispers across his face. I can’t see him, but I need him to listen to what I have to say. “They will help because that is what they do, they save girls like your Addy. If you could just call them, tell them where we are, they will come. I will make them find her, I promise. They won’t do it for you, but they will for me…for her.”

  He laughs again, but he doesn’t dismiss what I am saying. “And you happen to have their number on you?”

  Shit, I didn’t think about that, wait the FBI. “I know you will not like this, but if you could call the FBI and ask to speak to Agent Liam Sharp.”

  “No, Anna.” He dumps me to the cold ground. I see the sliver of light, he pauses before leaving and looks back at me shaking his head. He closes the door and the lock clicks.

  I tried, I tried. The tears flow for the first time since I received Oliver’s message while on the beach. I cry myself to sleep exhausted by the morning’s events.

  ∞∞∞

  Dylan

  We lost them. I lean over and pick up the tracker on the desert ground. I stare at the mountains. Where are you Anna?

  Liam puts his hand on my shoulder. “We will find her.”

  “How many times did we say that with Sophia?” I look up to see him flinch. “Sorry,” I say as I place a fist in my hair, pulling until I can feel the pain.

  “No, you are right,” Liam says. His phone rings cutting our conversation short. He turns away from me to answer it.

  I stare at the tracker in my hand. Liam slugs me in the chest to get my attention, pointing towards his phone, he covers the receiver and whispers, “It’s the bureau, they say there is a man named Brian who wants to talk to me about a case.”

  I stand slowly, Brian, Anna told me a Brian had tortured her, shoving her into a bathtub of water, could it be? I watch Liam’s face intently and look for clues as to what is being said on the other end.

  “Yes, this is Agent Sharp,” Liam says poking a finger in his other ear. He looks up at me and nods.

  “Motherfucker,” I say as we both jog back to the car.

  Chapter Thirty

  ∞∞∞

  Anna

  Brian woke me up out of a dream. I was with Dylan. He was leaning over me smiling with that sexy smile of his. We were on the beach lying in the warm sand. I was safely tucked under him. Now I am awake, in a fresh new kind of hell.

  My arms are secured above my head. I can only take the pressure off my wrists by standing on my tiptoes. He didn’t speak when he came for me. He pulled me up, drug me by my arm to this room, made me remove the dress and strung me up.

  He is behind me. I listen to him breathe. The only thing I see is the cement wall in front of me. I can do this, Oliver expects him to punish me. I assume that he will whip me. Dylan whipped me back at the cabin, it wasn’t so bad.

  “I’m sorry Anna,” Brian says as I feel him move close. “I will try to do this, so it doesn’t leave any permanent scars.”

  The marks Dylan gave me only lasted a few days and then faded. Why would he say that? Then he strikes, and I know. The slice of pain running through my backside steals my breath away. My legs cave out from under me, straining my shoulders, my wrists. I feel a trickle of blood run down my ass tickling down my leg.

  “I’m giving you twenty Anna, he will expect no less. I’m sorry.” I hear the anguish in his voice.

  A monster or a man I am not sure, he could stop this couldn’t he? I tried to help him. I would have asked Dylan to find Brian’s girl, I would have, I wasn’t lying.

  I scream as the whip slices into me again, and again, and again.

  I try not to think of Dylan, this is nothing like the whipping I received from him, I realized that after the first strike. I let my mind go, far away from what is happening, away from Oliver, Brian and even Dylan. My friend is there, she is always there for me, always waiting.

  “Anna, look I caught him.” I peer into her small hands. A tiny little toad jumps out making us squeal and giggle. She grabs my hand and pulls me to the beach. “I got a new one,” she says. She holds up a bright blue bucket with a white handle. We sit down packing sand inside of it. She smiles at me and I tell her thank you for being my friend.

  The cold brings me back to reality. Brian is pushing me into a shower. How did we get here? I try to escape the freezing water, but Brian pushes me under the spray so that it cascades down my back.

  “Anna, it will help ease the pain, just for a bit, okay?” Brian says holding me by my arms under the stream.

  My teeth chatter, it’s so cold. I glance down to see blood wash down my legs the drain swallowing it. My entire backside throbs. My heartbeat is rolling over each welt, keeping time with each beat of my pulse.

  After what feels like hours Brian shuts off the water and carefully pats me dry. He applies something sticky to the lash marks, making me hiss at the initial contact. Whatever it is, it eases the sting after a few moments. He hands me a clean dress and helps slip it over my head. My shoulders scream in protest as I lift my arms for him.

  “It’s time for supper.” He lifts my chin and forces my eyes to meet his, I don’t see the bully Brian, I see a man who is tired. “Whatever happens tonight you need to hold on. I will try to protect you the best I can. Just don’t lose hope, okay?”

  “I don’t want to go back to the house,” I say. My entire body hurts, I cannot face Oliver.

  He leans over and places his forehead against mine. “We have to Anna, we do not have a choice.”

  I sense he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. After a few moments he gently takes my hand. We head to the main house. The sky is turning a brilliant shade of pink. As we walk I wonder where Dylan is at, is it night or day in his world? I would like to think he is close, please be close. We stop in a room that Brian tells me is his.

  It is nice but there is nothing personal in here that would show me something, give me an idea of who this man is, his interests. He orders me to sit on the bed, he goes into an adjoining room and comes out handing me a glass of water and two white pills.

  “It’s just Tylenol with a little codeine, it will help with the pain. Don’t tell Oliver that I gave these to you,” he says as he crouches down in front of me. “Anna don’t provoke him tonight. He is furious at the both of us.” He runs his hand through his shaggy brown hair.

  I nod my understanding. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t…don’t thank me. I have done nothing good for you,” he declares, I sense the remorse in his voice as he stands to take the glass from me setting it on the nightstand. “Let’s go.”

  Oliver is in the dinning room when we enter, he looks up as he pours himself a drink.
“Ah, the happy couple. Come in, supper will be served in a few minutes. Drink?” He doesn’t wait for either of us to answer and turns two glasses over.

  I stare at the table, four place settings, I glance at Brian. He also notices, and a wariness settles along his features. Oliver turns to watch us as he pours. “Go ahead you can sit, take the seats at the end. I have a business associate joining.”

  Brian pulls out a chair for me, then sits down next to me. Oliver sets the drinks in front of us and makes his way to the other end. I pick up my drink trying to down it in one gulp. Brian reaches out and takes the glass from me shaking his head. I guess he doesn’t want me mixing too much alcohol with the painkillers he gave me. I don’t care. I need any escape I can find.

  A butler comes in heralding the arrival of Oliver’s guest. A man walks past us, Oliver shakes his hand and then motions for him to take the seat beside him. “Derrick, so glad you could make it, how was your flight?”

  “Good, good.” The older man says and looks down the table at Brian and I, his gaze settles on me.

  The guy is as tall as Oliver, with silver gray eyes. The look he gives me is a true predator stare. He has short hair and a short-clipped beard, both speckled with white. Oliver fills a glass for his associate, then beckons me over to him with his finger.

  I freeze in my seat. Brian squeezes my leg under the table.

  “Come here, Anna. Show Derrick and I the lovely lash marks that Brian made this afternoon. I watched the video feed, he worked you up nicely.”

  I don’t move. I stare at Brian. He leans over and pushes my chair back urging me to stand and obey. I gaze down at the other two, they are patiently waiting for me. I swear the newcomer hasn’t taken his eyes off me since they landed there. I inch my way over to Oliver, when I get within arm’s length, he grabs me. He pulls me to his other side, so that I stand between him and Derrick.

  Oliver lifts the back of my dress, my bare bottom on display. I place my hands firmly on the table, fear of my legs giving out beneath me. Derrick leans behind me and runs his large hand over my ass, igniting the pain over the broken welts.