Gabe held her for several more seconds and then, when she felt him about to pull away, she pulled away first. “Sorry about that. It’s just been a few rough days.”
He stared down at her for the longest time, and if his face hadn’t looked so much older and harder, she could almost believe that it was years ago. His eyes held the old tenderness. In the next second, the ice-cold look returned. And with it, harsh reality.
“We should be landing soon. You should go back to your seat till we do.”
Skylar nodded. Had she imagined those few tender seconds? Wishful thinking that somewhere inside that grim exterior the young, idealistic Gabe still lived? His cool, watchful eyes confirmed her fears. The man she’d fallen in love with no longer existed. He might not have died in the physical sense as she had thought, but the man she had married was dead.
Holding her arms stiff at her sides, careful to keep from touching him, Skylar walked past him and back to her seat.
Kendra sat on the bed, shivering with shock and cold. How long had she been here? Days? Weeks? She’d lost count.
They’d pumped some kind of drug into her again and taken her from the boat. The other girls … where were they? She had gotten to know them. Had learned their names, ages, how they were abducted. It had all been a ruse. Every one of them had been snared in a similar fashion. How incredibly stupid they’d been. What had terrified her most, and what she hadn’t told them, was one common bond they all shared. They had all been runaways. Had been in trouble with the law … with the authorities.
Kendra hadn’t told them her theory. Why kill their hope? It was all they had left. But she knew the truth. How many people wouldn’t just assume these girls had simply run away once again? How much time would be spent on trying to find girls who apparently wanted to disappear? Whoever planned this had done their homework.
“You cold?”
Kendra looked up at her current tormentor. Big, mean-looking, and flabby. And he always smelled like onions. His name was Styx and she hated him.
Today he’d come in with a camera and taken pictures. That was it. Nothing more. She’d covered herself with her hands and he hadn’t stopped her. Hadn’t even acted as if she were alive … didn’t speak to her, just took pictures. And then he’d gone over to the corner, leaned back against the wall … and stared.
No one had touched her yet. Not really. When she’d first arrived, they’d ripped her clothes off and thrown her in a tub of ice water. Then they’d given her a towel to dry off with, a toothbrush, and a small tube of toothpaste. And that was it. The towel had been taken from her and she’d been forced into a room with a bed, a mattress, and a naked pillow. Nothing else. She had nothing to cover herself with and she was cold … so very cold.
But then the real torture had begun. Each day, she was given two glasses of water and a small piece of bread. Bread and water … nothing more. The stomach cramps from hunger had finally stopped. Now she was just weak … and still so very cold.
“Why are you doing this?”
She wouldn’t get an answer. It was the same question she’d been asking since she’d been here. What was the purpose? She wasn’t raped, wasn’t physically violated. She was merely being starved to death.
This time her question elicited more of an answer than she’d been given before. He grinned, the giant gold front tooth gleaming. “You’ll soon see.”
So that meant they had a plan?
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“You know the rules. You piss in the morning and at night.”
Fury gave her a zap of energy. She sat up and screamed, “I’m not a dog, you freak! I want to go to the bathroom and I want to go now!”
The gold tooth gleamed brighter as he approached her. Kendra forced her weak body not to collapse. She knew almost nothing about self-defense, but knew enough to kick him in the balls if he came close enough.
“That’s enough, Styx. Time for another lesson.”
A voice spoke from the ceiling. Kendra jerked her head up and stared at what she’d assumed was a security monitor. Now she wasn’t so sure. Was it a camera? Was someone watching her all the time? Why? What kind of pleasure would someone get from watching her starve to death?
Styx stopped in his tracks and winked at her. “Your lucky day.” He turned around and went through the door. And once more she was alone—she shot a glare up to the camera—or as alone as she’d been since she had been here.
Determined not to cower down to these animals, Kendra gathered her strength and stood. She was naked; she didn’t care. If they wanted to get their rocks off by looking at a skinny, terrified girl, then let them. She was going to tell them what she thought.
She stalked to the middle of the room and began to shout. Calling them every obscenity she’d ever heard and some she made up, she told them exactly what they were.
How long she did that, she didn’t know. At least an hour, maybe more. She was thirsty and so very hungry. Her legs suddenly dropped out beneath her and she fell. Landing on her knees, she began to cry. And then the begging started. She pleaded. She begged. And she cried some more.
When that brought no answers, Kendra crawled back to her bed. Huddling on the bare mattress, she sank into an exhausted slumber.
Sometime later, a masculine voice, thick with emotion, whispered in her ear, “You’re almost there, my jewel. You’re almost there.”
She tried to open her eyes. Was it a dream? Or was someone actually in the room with her? Too exhausted and weak to care, Kendra escaped back into unconsciousness.
Key West, Florida
Noah McCall wasn’t a man who refrained from giving his opinion. Arrogant enough to believe his opinion mattered, he was also wise enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.
Being married to Samara had tempered his arrogance somewhat. Hard to maintain that kind of attitude when his beautiful wife got it into her head to tell him exactly why he shouldn’t be arrogant. Especially when he found himself agreeing with her most of the time.
Therefore, despite his desire to tell both Gabe and Skylar that they were behaving like idiots, he maintained his silence and watched as they tried to pretend they cared nothing for each other.
“So you believe Kendra might have been targeted?” Skylar asked.
Not looking at her, Gabe answered before Noah could speak. “Hard to say, since there have been similar disappearances. The only reason I think so is what you remembered. The comment that she’s already been chosen.”
“Spoken for,” Skylar corrected.
Gabe shrugged. “Spoken for … chosen. Thing is, if she was targeted, it might mean it was someone she knew.”
“What kind of circles does Kendra run in?” Noah asked.
“Typical young crowd. She’s settled down in the last year or so, but her boyfriend is still a sleaze.”
“A wealthy sleaze?” Noah asked.
“Yes, but not bright enough to devise this. Besides, why would he?”
“Perhaps to make money?”
“That’s possible. He never seems to run out. His parents are dead, so he’s not getting it from home.”
Noah gave a quick nod. “That’s an angle we can work. I’ll have him checked out. And this ‘man’ they spoke of … they only indicated he had connections?”
For a second, Skylar’s eyes went unfocused as she tried to remember. Then she shook her head and said, “That’s all they said … that with his connections he might even know me.”
Noah jotted a note, then looked back at Skylar. “Any boyfriends other than Calvin or acquaintances that you know of?”
Her brow furrowed slightly in concentration. “She shares an apartment with two girls, Andrea Partow and Maleah Bramford. They’re not friends, though.”
“Any reason to believe they would be involved?”
Skylar shook her head. “No. They might be a bit self-absorbed, but I can’t see them getting involved in something like this. They tend to treat Kendra as if she
doesn’t exist.”
“So you’re basically all she’s got.”
Noah’s comment caused an interesting reaction. Skylar’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Gabe’s reaction when he saw those tears was a steely-eyed glare at his boss.
Swallowing a chuckle, Noah leaned toward Skylar and gave Gabe a gift he knew the man wouldn’t take for himself. “Tell me about yourself.”
Noah didn’t know who looked the most surprised—though for different reasons. Skylar probably thought he was being nosy. Gabe would know otherwise. Would realize exactly what he was doing. Didn’t matter. He was still going to do it.
“What sorts of things do you want to know, Mr. McCall?”
Known for his subtly in most situations, Noah didn’t see a need for it here. Never underestimate the value of shocking the truth out of people. “Tell me about Benjamin Bradford.”
First reactions were often the most telling. Skylar shot a glance at Gabe, a look of both guilt and defiance. Gabe’s expression was even more interesting. A half second of vulnerability and then an even harder glare. That famous Maddox control had a tiny fracture. About damn time.
Skylar cleared her throat. “Well … Ben and I are very good friends.”
“Any reason to believe he might be involved in this?”
“Of course not. Why would you even ask such a question? Ben is—”
“What?”
Gabe’s growling word startled Skylar so much she jumped and revealed probably more than she intended. “He’s one of the most sought-after bachelors in the country. On top of being enormously wealthy, he’s also one of the most committed and decently moral men I know.”
“Committed to what?”
This time Gabe’s question caused a spark of irritation instead of surprise. “To his girlfriend,” she snapped.
Noah recognized something that Gabe, in his anger and jealousy, had obviously missed. The relationship between Skylar and Benjamin Bradford wasn’t romantic. What was going on, he didn’t know. Didn’t really want to know. At some point, though, once Gabe stopped being so damned stubborn, he’d definitely want to know more.
“And Kendra … how did you two meet?”
Another interesting look. Not guilt … more like defenselessness or fear.
“She was having trouble … we became friends.” An awkward shrug and then, “Is this really pertinent?”
“Might be,” Noah said.
She took a breath and answered with intriguing brevity. “I was introduced to her … related to her problems. I tried to help her.”
Noah leaned forward. “You’re involved in a lot of charity work, aren’t you? On a lot of committees, boards of directors?”
“A few. Why?”
He shrugged. He could tell her he’d done some background work on her in the last few days. Her charity work was unique and quite interesting. Much of it was done behind the scenes, where she would get no recognition or credit. And he was willing to bet she used her name only if she thought it would be useful. The woman had secrets. Something he hoped Gabe would take the time to delve into … once he got his head out of his ass.
Feeling a bit guilty for making her answer questions she was obviously not comfortable answering, Noah let her off the hook. Hopefully, what she had shared would penetrate Gabe’s thick head at some point.
He shot a look at her stubborn husband. “Take Skylar back home. In the meantime, I’ll do some background work on this Calvin creep.”
“Gabe’s coming to New York?”
“You got a problem with that, princess?”
Blue eyes flashed annoyance. “No, I don’t have a problem with that, Gabe. I asked a question.”
Gabe stood. “And there’s your answer. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to use the back entrance to your home so no one will see me.”
Skylar stood and moved within inches of him. Since she was several inches shorter, only coming to his shoulder in height, she stood on her toes and leaned closer. “Make sure you wipe your feet before you come in, too.”
She whirled around to Noah. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. McCall. Please accept my sincerest appreciation for your help in my rescue and for taking on Kendra’s case.” She shot a scathing glance at her husband before adding, “As you know, I have money and influence. I’m ready to offer a substantial reward, if you think that will help. And if there’s anything at all I can do, please don’t hesitate to call on me.”
With a dignity Noah figured she’d been born with, she marched toward the door and then turned around to hurl one final insult at her husband: “If you’re coming to New York with me, be kind enough to leave that giant chip on your shoulder here. I’m getting damned tired of you lugging it around everywhere you go.”
The door closed behind her, leaving Gabe glaring and Noah swallowing laughter.
Then Gabe turned around and Noah felt heartened at the liveliness of Gabe’s expression. His words were even more encouraging. “Damn, she’s a piece of work, isn’t she?”
Noah couldn’t contain his smile. Seeing a different expression on his operative’s normally grim, stoic face gave him a certain kind of hope. About time Gabe Maddox got a life.
eleven
New York City
William Harrington III tossed the newspaper into the small trashcan beside his desk. He barely glanced at the financial papers any longer, since they usually only depressed or confused him. Everything that had seemed so safe and solid a year or so ago had experienced a meltdown. Many of his friends were now living on the fringe of bankruptcy. Others had already toppled. Some would make a comeback; others would disappear into obscurity.
And so it goes.
Leaning back into his leather chair, William released a satisfied sigh of complete fulfillment. Not that he had to worry about such things. He had the perfect life.
As a young man, he’d been the Harrington everyone said wouldn’t make it through Harvard. The Harrington destined to have to marry well because he wouldn’t be able to comprehend the business world well enough to maintain his family’s wealth. The Harrington who would have to rely on his looks because his intelligence was below par. They’d expected him to fail and he’d proven them wrong. So what if he’d had to buy off a couple of professors in college to get his degree? He wasn’t the first or the last to use his creativity to achieve his goals.
Now some of those very same naysayers who’d been sure he would never make it were coming to him, begging for money, begging for his help. Begging for his financial wisdom.
If they knew how he’d been able to maintain his fortune when so many around him had lost theirs, they’d be shocked. But how many would secretly envy his ambition? His ingenuity? Want to share in his little diversions? Most likely a few of them would love to partner with him. Not that he’d let that happen, since he trusted few of them. Besides, he had never really liked to share.
Being the head of his secret little enterprise gave him the opportunity to taste the merchandise and choose the best of the lot. In the ten years he’d been doing this venture, he’d enjoyed some of the tastiest treats ever created.
Some in the trade criticized him for enjoying the fruits of his labor. They chose to keep their hands off the merchandise and benefit only from the profits. To hell with them. Impotent idiots.
To William, not sampling the merchandise would be like owning an ice cream business and never tasting the variety of flavors his company offered. If he didn’t taste the product, how would he know how good the quality was? It was only good business sense.
Besides, it wasn’t like he indulged frequently. When he found a flavor he liked, he glutted himself on it until it no longer satisfied him. And with his exquisite taste, the ones he chose were able to keep him quite happy for a very long time. When it was time for a new flavor, he was extremely selective—quality over quantity was most definitely his motto.
William flipped a switch on his desk that controlled all the doors and windows connected to his offi
ce. His family had a tendency to barge in on him at inopportune moments. Most of the time, they were welcome to come in. Occasionally, it was inconvenient.
Standing, William went to the bar and poured himself a generous amount of his favorite brandy. As the amber liquid swirled around the glass, he allowed the momentum to build. Sometimes this was his favorite part … anticipating. His palms heating the liquor to just the right temperature, he inhaled the subtle but heady fragrance. He took a long swallow and sighed with enjoyment as the heat and flavors blended on his tongue.
Anticipation soared higher. His body now hard with the need to do what he’d thought about all day, William pressed a small latch, then uncovered and opened the door to his secret treasure trove. Turning on the lights, he took a moment to delight in what he thought of as his vault of pleasure. Magazines catalogued and stacked neatly sat on a long narrow table against one wall. Above the table were shelves filled with hardcover and paperback books detailing some of the most interesting and enlightening sexual techniques and experiences known to man. Another wall had a floor-to-ceiling shelf filled with some of the finest adult films ever made.
A third wall was filled with personal memorabilia. Photographs of the few precious jewels he’d collected over the years. Along with a few of his favorite tools of pleasure, the ones he used only on his most prized acquisitions. Such as the one being prepared for him now.
Pulling out a drawer, William withdrew a folder. It had arrived by special delivery two days ago. Self-discipline to the extreme. He’d had it for two days and had waited. Now it was time.
He dropped into his soft leather chair and took another sip of brandy, just to add to the anticipation. Then he flipped open the file. And there she was … his newest jewel. She was special; he already knew that. He was taking a big chance with her. She was a local girl and he rarely liked to keep the local ones. Not only was it too dangerous, William generally preferred the more exotic variety.
But he’d picked her out, chosen her specifically. Usually the merchandise found its way to him. After making his selection, he would enjoy the product until he tired of it and would send it on its way. That method had always pleased him in the past. But he personally knew this one, had met her on several occasions, had cultivated their relationship, and had led her to him. He’d seen her, wanted her, and had arranged for this very special meeting. Yes, she was unique in every way.
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