Dirty Dealers Read online

  “You think I want to see that?” Still, he shuffles out of our space.

  Ava leans close to my face, and I see her eyes wide. “We’ll go back, but I need you now. Are you with me?”

  Even though pain floods my chest with each heartbeat, I nod in response. I’m still with her.

  Searching

  Logan

  Pacing the war room, I watch as Freddie checks satellite clip after satellite clip. Rowan is in the adjacent room on the phone with border patrol, giving them the descriptions of all the vehicles. God knows where Reggie is, but I can only hope his spy network is proving useful.

  “What are you doing?” I demand, my agitation getting the best of me. I can’t stop seeing Kass wounded and bleeding.

  “I went back through the satellite feed and captured the image of the square vehicle that took Ava and Kass, and now I’m using a macro to search it through the timeline for where it went after it left the mill.”

  “You’re able to do that?” I confess, I’m impressed by this answer.

  “It’s military technology developed for missile tracking. Classified. Very new.” He makes several clicks. “So far I don’t have a match, but I’m hoping…

  “I’ve got something!” Freddie shouts.

  “What is it?” I’m leaning over his chair, staring into the laptop.

  Rowan quickly joins us, and our collective tension is palpable. “Tell me you’ve found her,” the king demands.

  The desperation in his voice compounds the anxiety I’m already feeling.

  “Not yet,” Freddie says, and our shoulders drop.

  Rowan’s dark head falls forward, but I take a fortifying breath. “What have you found?” I ask.

  “I’ve got a trace on the vehicle. It’s here.” He points to a dot on the black screen. “They returned to Monagasco. I get as far as the Cinq Mondes, and they disappear.”

  “It’s right on the water.” I go back through my mind to all the possible hiding places along that stretch of road.

  “Logan!” Freddie’s out of his seat, racing for the door.

  Rowan and I exchange confused glances before I take off after my partner. I’m just about to go through the door when he’s back, coat in hand, and holding a rolled sheet of paper.

  Rowan meets him at the door. “What do you have?”

  “When we were searching for him last time, when we found Kass?” I’m with him, taking the paper as he puts on his jacket.

  I scan the list of abandoned cargo holds dotted around the city. “Is something in that area?”

  “Two large storage facilities are there.”

  “Let’s go.” I jerk my leather jacket off the back of the chair, list in hand.

  He stops at the king. “Your majesty, It’s my fault she was taken. I promise, I’ll get Her Royal Highness back or die trying.”

  “Give me the list.”

  Reluctantly, I hand it to Rowan, grinding my teeth at the time passing. He quickly takes a picture with his phone and gives it back. “Go! Text me your first location. I’ll send a team of men to the next place.”

  It’s a good call. “Yes, sir,” I say, headed for the door, Freddie on my heels.

  Execution

  Kass

  The air is tight as a tripwire, and the men holding us pace in and out on a regular basis. Dev keeps saying it’s dangerous to keep us here.

  “This isn’t Uranu,” he says, whatever that means. “Anyone could find them, take a picture… The fucking paparazzi are all over the place here.”

  “Shut up,” is Blix’s standing response. He doesn’t seem concerned, but Blix is a master of hiding his thoughts.

  Still, I’ve been with these guys long enough to know if more time keeps passing, things will get ugly. I’ve never known Dev to be nervous. His hands are the size of my face, and he typically communicates in grunts.

  “They’ve got eight hours to respond.” Taz’s breathy, nervous voice makes me think of a hyena. A spineless, lying hyena. “What then?”

  Metal scrapes across concrete as Blix rises from his chair. “Then we incentivize them.”

  I know what that means, and my stomach sinks. Eight hours… It’s the length of a workday, and it will go by fast. How much time has gone by already? It can’t have been longer than a day… I can’t tell since we don’t have a window, and I can’t read a clock. Less than twenty-four hours.

  Ava is on a cot, but I’m on the concrete floor. The warehouse is cold and damp, and it smells faintly of gasoline exhaust. A loud drill clatters, and the sound of cranes lifting boxes never stops. Occasionally a strange beating noise I can’t seem to place will run for about ten minutes then fade away.

  In spite of the din, I managed to doze for a while. Now I’m awake. My hip still throbs, but my head has stopped hurting. We’re all in one large room together, but Ava’s too far for me to talk to her. I can’t tell if they’re worried about us trying to escape, or if they simply don’t want to hear our voices. Not that we can accomplish much with me injured and blind.

  The only hope we have is our plan. I’m not sure how we can make it work in our present situation. Still, I know our trigger word.

  Blix is walking around, and I notice he stopped where I’m sitting. His feet are in front of me, and I can make out his dark shape looming above.

  “You loved him?” he asks.

  Occitan feels like a dream to me now. Logan feels like a dream. When my eyes are closed, I can see his smile clear as a bell. I can see his eyes, and even though his face has matured, it still smolders in my memory. I can feel his arms and his lips on my skin. I can feel his beard teasing my thighs.

  “Not answering me?” Blix is waiting, but he’ll only use whatever I say against me.

  “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been any use to you.” I say, not giving him anything he doesn’t already know.

  “You’re no use to me now.”

  How many times have I watched him at this game? How many times have I wondered when it would be my turn to play it?

  “I must be of some use or I’d be dead.”

  “Touché, Cassandra, although your usefulness will only cause you pain.” He touches my chin, moving it roughly with his finger. I jerk my face away. “For a few moments, I actually wondered if it would be hard for me to kill you.”

  “Don’t kid yourself. When the time comes, you won’t even see me. I’ll be meat for you to carve up for your purposes.”

  He exhales as if he knows the meaning of regret. “No one knows me like you do.”

  I’m about to respond when he turns and walks away. I listen to him take five steps to the left before stopping again. “Your majesty.”

  Ava’s voice is as defiant as mine. “What do you want?”

  He takes a few more steps, then a scraping noise like he turned on his heel. “So beautiful…” Shuffling noises come next then Ava inhales a sharp breath. “It would be a shame to ruin it.”

  Her voice is still strong. “I don’t care if you cut me.”

  “It’s easy to say until the cutting starts.” He chuckles, and anger burns in my stomach. He’s holding a knife on her, probably against her cheek like he always does to me.

  Searching my mind, I try to think of anything to distract him. Ava beats me to it. “Beauty has cut me deeper than you ever could. It made me a target for abuse when I was a child. It drove us onto the streets. If you’re looking for a way to hurt me, you’ll have to do better than that.”

  “I know how to hurt you.” He grabs her, and she emits a startled cry. “Your king won’t want you once I’ve finished with you.”

  “Then his love isn’t worth much.” She’s speaking as if he has her by the mouth.

  Blix grunts, and she falls back onto the cot. I place my arms on top of my knees and press my forehead against them, willing myself to calm, focus. Ava is okay, and we know where the knife is. The ball is in her court now.

  The men are speaking softly to each other. I take a deep breath and
lean my head against the wall. Cam’s death tries to creep into my memory. I’ve done my best to keep it at bay until I can finish our plan. Once we’re out of here, we can go back to the mill, and I can recover his body, bury him… and mourn him. Tears threaten, but I’m able to hold them off when Dev rushes into the group.

  “We got something.” They all move quickly to him.

  “What is it?” Blix’s voice cuts through the chatter.

  “The king,” Dev says. “He replied to our demands.”

  “Read it,” Blix orders.

  I turn my head to where Ava’s sitting, and I know she’s on the edge of her cot. Anticipation and anxiety are so thick in the air I can taste them.

  Dev is quiet, reading to himself at first then he swears loudly. “Motherfucker!”

  “Give it to me.” Blix takes charge, but his voice is on edge.

  I swallow the knot in my throat. Whatever that message says is bad news for me. I wish with all my strength I was beside Ava so she could tell me what they’re doing. Instead, I hear her speak, and fear paralyzes me.

  “May I see the message?” Her voice is different now. It’s innocent and strangely seductive. “Ooo, I never noticed your muscles. Do you work out? I bet you’re ripped under this shirt.”

  Oh, god, Ava, now is not the time to tweak his nose. My brain is hot with fear.

  “What the fuck!” Blix shouts. “Get your hands off me. Go back to your cot.”

  She sniffs as if he’s offended her, and she walks away from the group toward the cot, taking a detour in front of me on the floor.

  “Dear Sir,” Blix reads loudly, derision in his tone.

  He is not paying attention to Ava, which I realize is a great thing when I feel a hard object drop into my lap. Faster than anyone can see, I move my hand on top of it. She continues walking in the direction of that cot, and the men are none the wiser.

  “He fucking called me Sir.”

  “That can’t lead anywhere good,” Taz taunts.

  It’s the push dagger. I don’t know if it’s my push dagger, but it’s small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. If only I had my holster. If only I were still wearing my jeans. As it is, I’m in these fucking sweatpants with nowhere to hide it. I don’t even have a pocket. My panties are gone… My only option is my bra, but I don’t know if I can hide it there without attracting attention, much less get it out.

  “He’s not sending the money.” Blix’s voice has gone dead. “He says he’s calling our bluff.”

  “Wrong choice, your majesty.” Dev’s voice drips with sarcasm.

  That knot is in my throat again, and I don’t have to be able to see to know they’re all looking at me. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do now. I have a blade hidden in my palm, and my number just got called.

  “Excuse me?” Ava’s sassy voice breaks their focus on me. “Am I wrong or did my husband just refuse to negotiate with terrorists? It seems I told you that would happen.”

  “Is that right, queenie?” Taz starts to move in her direction.

  Ava, no! I’m sitting in panic. Sometimes my friend is too ballsy for her own good.

  “Won’t negotiate with terrorists? Is that right?”

  Sounds of a struggle then Ava gasps and whimpers.

  “Don’t hurt her!” I shout before I can think better of it.

  Shit! Now all eyes are on me again.

  “Taz!” Blix snarls. “Find a chair for the queen. She needs to witness how terrorists respond to a failure to negotiate.” He’s walking slowly to me, and I’m losing the ability to breathe. “Dev, get my kit.”

  Fear grips my chest. He’s with me, jerking me to my feet. The small knife is in my right hand, and the pointed tip is digging into my middle finger. I can’t hide it much longer. I need to get closer, close enough that I won’t miss this time.

  Dev leaves the room. Taz is getting a chair. Blix is so close, the front of his shirt brushes my left arm. It’s now or never. God help me…

  “DIE!” I scream, using my body weight for leverage as I rotate my fingers around the tiny blade.

  No eyes, my aim is for the base of his neck. The satisfying Chunk! of metal piercing flesh fills my ears and warm liquid spills down my arm. I pull back to jab again, but I’m blocked.

  Blix seizes my wrist. He’s too strong, and he manages to squeeze the blade from my hand. It hits the concrete with a light tinging sound.

  Gurgling is at my face, and vomit burns my throat. “Dev…” Blix tries to say, but his teeth are clenched together.

  I got him right through the neck and into his jaw. Liquid bubbles in his throat, and I’m terrified. I got him, but it wasn’t enough. He’s still alive, and now I’m unarmed… And Taz and Dev are steps away.

  Shushing noises come from my left. Ava races forward to grab the knife off the ground, but Blix is ready. Still holding my arm, I feel his leg move as he kicks her with all his might.

  She yelps like a dog being kicked, and she lands with a hard thud. No more noises.

  “AVA!” Tears are in my eyes, and as much as I try to fight them away, they spill down my cheeks.

  He hurt her. More gurgling is at my ear. “Time to die, Kass.” It’s a snarling, wet sound through gritted teeth, and it nauseates me.

  I try to jerk my arm away. I bend my knees and try to twist, but he has me. He whips me up and spins me around so my back is to his chest. Pushing me, he guides us to the cot. Blood is still pouring on me hot and sticky.

  “JESUS!” Taz is back, running to where we stand. “What the hell happened to you?”

  Blix’s jaws are still clenched, but he grinds out a response. “Tie her up.”

  Taz takes me from his boss and pushes me onto my stomach on the cot. My hands are behind my back, and he grips my ankles. I struggle, trying to fight, but I’m hog tied. I can’t move. My wrists are behind my back, my ankles tied to them. I jerk, but it makes no difference. I can barely breathe, but I can hear Blix drowning in his own blood. It’s the only thing that gives me hope. He’s got to be weakening. He’s got to pass out.

  “Beautiful,” he says through clenched teeth.

  “Shit!” Now Dev is with us. “What the fuck happened to you?”

  “I need fire,” Blix says, and the momentary satisfaction I felt dissolves into panic. “Bring me a long, metal hook.”

  The tackle box hits the concrete. I hear it open, and I can see the scene in my mind’s eye like so many times before. He’s choosing the exact tool to inflict the most pain. A metal lighter scrapes, and orange flames appear in my peripheral vision.

  “Where will you start?” Taz asks the question on everyone’s mind.

  “Ears,” Blix growls, and I struggle against the rope. He knows the only thing I have left is my ability to hear. If he takes that away… “Only three things can cause permanent hearing loss in adults: disease, traumatic brain injury, or damage to the middle ear structure.” I’m completely blinded by my tears as he continues. “Tie her hair back.”

  Taz jerks my head side to side as he pulls my hair into a knot. I can’t escape. My wrists are bound to my ankles, and Ava is knocked out on the floor.

  “Boss?” I’ve never heard Taz use such deference with Blix. It almost distracts me.

  “What?”

  “If you kill her, I’ll never get to…” His voice dies out and my stomach roils. “I always wanted to try a blind girl.”

  Blix shoves off the stool and gets right in his face. “Blind-deaf girls still have warm pussies. You’ll get to fuck her.”

  Bile fills my throat. If I wasn’t sure I was in hell before, I’m convinced I’ve sunk to the depths now. Closing my eyes, I allow the tears to flow.

  He pulls my earlobe taut, and I feel the heat approaching my skin. Hot metal sears my daith, and I shriek. I can’t breathe anymore. I’ve reached the end, and with a final exhale, I release myself to…

  Scream my ass off.

  “NOOOO!!!!” I scream.

  “NOOOO!!!!” I s
cream like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do, because it probably is.

  I scream and scream. I scream so hard, I’ll probably burst a blood vessel in my face.

  I’m still screaming when the burning suddenly stops. I breathe hoarsely in and out. I sound like a wild thing, but I understand what’s happening. Blix has fallen beside the cot.

  “Boss?” Taz releases me to check on him, and I fall forward on my stomach.

  Exhaustion hits me so hard. The darkness won’t be held at bay any longer. It washes out my last ray of consciousness.

  I’m drowning in what I’m certain is the end of my life…

  I choke on a sob, and with the final strength in my body, I wish with all my heart for him. I hiccup a cry and say his name one last time.

  Logan…

  Recovery

  Logan

  Desperation sets in as we finish searching the third abandoned warehouse from top to bottom and find no trace of them.

  “It’s empty,” Freddie says, returning to where I stand in the middle of the enormous, dark space, looking up at the grey sky visible overhead through the broken roof.

  I let out a slow, measured breath. The king has his rejection of their demands set to go. He’s convinced it will force them to make a move and blunder into the open, but I’m afraid of what will happen if he’s wrong.

  “What exactly did the satellite imagery show?” I demand, shining my light all around.

  It’s deserted, but clearly somebody’s been here. We can tell from the abandoned shopping carts and the overwhelming funk of body odor.

  “The king should be informed this one’s a den of homeless people. Refugees most likely.” Rex is beside me holding a cloth handkerchief over his mouth and nose.

  “Ava will organize an outreach.” I pat his shoulder, doing my best to keep our hope alive. “Come on. We have to find her so she can help them.”

  The evening is wearing on. It’s not raining, but the low-hanging clouds makes it feel later than five. “What is the schedule on Rowan’s email?”