“Is this…is this your world Dane? How can you live like this? How can anyone survive all this?”
“It happens Abby. I won’t lie to you. But there’s so much more than this. You’ll see for yourself. We’ll be at the compound in twenty minutes. Hold on. Hold on for me.”
He pulled me close and put his powerful arm around me. He held me to his chest as he drove the last miles in silence. I listened to the slow steady beat of his heart and tried to match it with my own. I realized with surprise that my ability to cope was strengthening. I wondered how much of that was me…and how much of it was having Dane beside me?
The next thing I knew the tires were crunching gravel and I looked up to see a long drive and elaborate black iron gates. Dane pushed a button under the dash and the gates opened with a soft whine and closed behind us. At the end of the half mile drive was the most enormous mansion I had ever seen, done in pale yellow dressed stone and several stories high. The roofline was dark wood shingles and there were turrets with windows looking out in all directions. “Ohh, Daaane,” I breathed out softly.
“Yes. It strikes me the same way, every time,” he said, parking the Jeep near the front entrance. The double doors were copper colored and wide, ten or twelve feet in height. It was imposing.
“You said it was a compound.”
“It is. And much more. Come on. I need to get you inside now.”
He got out and came around to my side. He took my arm and led me up the steps. The doors opened and two heavily armed guards let us pass inside. Dane kept one warm hand securely at the small of my back.
We walked through white columned halls lined with enormous paintings in heavily gilded frames, the floor in classic black and white marble tile. I wanted time to examine the paintings more carefully, to see if I could recognize any of them. Some looked like they could have been painted during the Renaissance. Lazar was a connoisseur. And he had excellent taste.
After a confusing maze of hallways and an elevator we reached another set of massive doors. These done in dark wood and brass with another matched set of well armed guards. Ok, I thought. Compound.
The guards let us through, but stayed outside. Dane and I stood in an empty office. While the halls were all light, this room was darker and expensively decorated. Mahogany bookcases and thick oriental carpets set off narrow floor to ceiling windows hung with velvet drapes. A door behind the desk opened and a tall man, as imposing as the office stepped in briskly, drying his hands with a towel. His hair was gray at the temples, thinning slightly on top, and his eyes were unnaturally pale. This was Lazar? He seemed expressionless somehow, unnerving. There was something all wrong about his face and I felt Dane’s hand stiffen against mine.
“Macek,” he said in a low growl. “Where the hell is Lazar?” His words were menacing. “I didn’t appreciate your attempt at intimidation back there on the road. I’m getting tired of dealing with your fucking goons.”
“Dane, Dane, still not one fucking ounce of respect.” Macek said with a sneer. “I don’t know what the fuck Lazar sees in you,” he said as he sat down at the massive desk. “I never did.”
“Where is he Macek? You have no fucking business in here and everyone knows it.”
“This, Dane, is a new beginning for us all. This is the fucking end of your disrespect and the shit your boss has been getting away with. Lazar’s small time art racket and fucking money laundering.” He shook his head. “I have a vision of the future for this organization,” Macek said, throwing his arms wide. “A vision that a small man like Lazar could never see. This is a time for change.” He leaned back. “Lazar is…out of town, on business it would seem. I’m doing his job as well as mine.” He leaned his face forward threateningly. “There are going to be changes Dane. Shit is going to change.”
“I don’t fucking care for you offing my men, Dane. I don’t like that one fucking goddamn bit.” He paused and lit a cigar, taking time to blow the smoke out slowly. Putting his feet up on the desk, his eyes ran me up and down and I felt unclean. “But I might just find a use for you, since you were good enough to bring me one of Arseny’s girls. This one will bring fucking top dollar. Yes, I like your taste. I might even be generous enough to grant you a kennel of your own one day.”
In a flash Dane was over the desk, his powerful hands at Macek’s throat. They fell together behind it and disappeared from sight.
“Dane! God, no Dane, stop!” I screamed. The guards from outside burst through the doors, flying over the desk and dragging Dane off Macek. I got only a glimpse as one of them hit Dane hard in the stomach, doubling him over.
Rough hands had caught me from behind, a calloused hand clamping over my mouth. I was spun roughly, my chest crushed painfully hard against my captor.
God no. Not this. Not Cutter.
13
Dane
I was conscious long enough to see the fucking bastard put his hands on my Abby.
I woke to his boot smashing into my ribs. Cutter stood over me, greasy hair hanging lank in his face.
“Rise and shine, boss man. That was a little gift from the big boss.” I could hear his breath whistle through his teeth. “I brung you some breakfast.” He dropped a plate on a dimly visible coffee table.
I stood with effort and looked around, finding myself in one of the smaller suites in the south wing of the mansion, lights out and curtains drawn. “Where is she Cutter?” I asked shortly, my breath catching in my chest. My head was pounding and I was in no mood for this asshole.
“Me and her are makin’ good friends Dane. I can see what you like about her, for sure. That girl’s got some sweet titties on her.” He drew out the words, enjoying the feel of them in his mouth. “Bet her hot little pussy’s nice and tight.”
I needed to crush the life from him.
“This isn’t going to end the way you think, you worthless fucking prick. If you touch her Cutter you will die in my hands and I will make you last until next year, begging me to end it you goddamn fucking son of a b…” I advanced on him, backing him to the door.
“Back off asshole,” he said, pulling a gun from his waistband, his high voice betraying his bravado. “Just you back the fuck offa me.” He recovered his courage with his gun in my face.
“You just back off and calm the fuck down. I gotta go see my princess now. I bet she’s missing me already.” His face twisted into a sneer as he laughed. “I’ll give her your best.”
He slipped out the door fast, his gun trained on my face as I lunged for him. I caught a glimpse of the guards in the hall before the door slammed and the bolt shot home. I turned my back to the door and leaned, running my hands through my hair and trying to master the black rage surging through me. I pulled a deep painful breath and started to pace the room. I had to clear my mind. I needed to think...
The fact that I wasn’t dead right now meant Macek had plans for me. That shithead who fired at us on the road had been Macek’s attempt at intimidation. I was still alive because Macek needed me. He knew there were a lot of men in the ranks who were loyal to me. Shit, some of them just looked up to whoever offered them the biggest payoff. But if I were to turn to Macek’s side, all those men would follow and there were enough to turn the tide in his favor. He would use every persuasion at his disposal to make that happen and his persuasions were notoriously vicious. I didn’t give a shit what he was planning for me. But my blood curdled thinking he would use Abby as a pawn.
I flipped on the lights and looked around me. The room was mostly stripped, the door and windows secured. This wing was used mostly for isolation. The poor fucks that landed here lasted only as long as they were still valuable.
It was possible they were holding Abby somewhere nearby. Macek wouldn’t fuck with her yet, but he’d try to use her as leverage. He’d try to force my cooperation by threatening to turn her over to another trainer. One like Arseny. I’d give my life to protect her, but first I had to get the fuck out of this room.
There were
footsteps and voices out in the hall. The door opened and Nicolae Petrescu walked through, closing it to the guards behind him. He was tall and dark like his father Lazar, but not as robust. He was lean with a sensitive face. This was the last goddamn man I expected to see.
“Nic, what the goddamn fuck?” We’d grown up like brothers. Whose fucking side was he on now?
“Keep it down Dane. Just listen to me. I know what you’re thinking but I’m asking you to trust me.” I flashed back to asking that same thing of Abby.
“Where the fuck is your father, Nic? Is he still alive? You must know what Macek’s doing. He intends to take over the whole fucking business.”
“I know, Dane. Shit blew up before you got back. Dad knew where this was headed. He flew out to solidify some New York connections, but now he’s not answering his cell. We need to crush Macek and we need to do it fast, but we need to find Dad to make that happen.”
“Do you know where Abby is? The girl I brought. I have to fucking find her. Cutter has her.” I saw the tension in Nic’s face when I said the name. It was shit news about Lazar, but right now Abby was my priority.
“They put her in the west wing Dane. I don’t know if she’s still there.”
I took a deep painful breath. The west wing was Macek’s. “I don’t fucking care if I’m taken out in the process, Nic, I have to make her safe. It’s why I fucking brought her here. I made her a promise.” I took Nic roughly by the shoulder as a sickening wave hit me. “Macek will work her in a kennel, Nic. Just to get back at me for Arseny.”
“I can get you out Dane, but then you’re on your own. I need to find Dad.”
“That’s all the fuck I need,” I said breathing a little easier. “Just get me the fuck out of here and I’ll find her.”
Nic pulled an automatic from his waistband and stuck it into my side. “I’ll get you past the guns,” he said as I pulled myself to my full height. “Try to look a little more beaten, alright?”
He walked me past the armed guards posted at the end of the hall. “Boss asked for him,” Nic said, and they passed us into the elevator. I was careful to keep my eyes down, slumping a little. “Do they think you’ve switched alliances?” I asked, after the doors had closed, indicating the guards with a nod.
“I fucking have...as far as Macek knows,” Nic said wryly.
The elevator hit the first floor and Nic pressed his gun into my hand and dropped a cell phone and an extra clip into my pocket. “Godspeed,” he said with a hand on my shoulder.
“And to you and Lazar. You know if I live, I’ll back you both to fucking hell and gone.”
“We’re counting on it,” he said. “Go…! Find her. Get her the hell away from Cutter, then meet me at the old pump house.”
Nic scanned the hall in both directions. “Red Room Dane,” he said, disappearing around the corner.
14
Abby
I huddled alone in the corner, cold and shaking for many hours after they’d taken me from Lazar’s office. They’d brought me here and left me. I was too terrified to sleep, not knowing what they’d done with Dane.
Cutter had dragged me out the doors and down the hallway after the guards had taken Dane down. I had screamed and screamed for him and though the office doors had hung wide open, I hadn’t seen or heard him again...
Cutter had summoned a guard near the elevators and together they had dragged me inside. I’d stopped fighting when the doors slid shut. I’d intended to save my strength. I’d known I would need it to stay alive. And to give Dane a chance to find me. If he was still alive.
“The Red Room,” Cutter had said to the guard and together they’d taken me to this place. The guard had aimed his gun at my chest, forcing me inside and bolting the door behind him. That had been forever ago, and now I watched, shaking as the door opened again and a fresh wave of fear washed over me.
“Sooo…did you miss me princess?” Cutter asked as he entered the room like a predatory animal. “Now you’ve met the big boss,” he said, taking a slow step toward me. “I think he likes you, baby and I know he’s got some big plans for me. I been wanting to step up in the world for a while now and I think you just might be my fuckin’ ticket.” He reached out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanked back hard, his foul breath in my face. “I lucked the fuck into you when I found some of this pretty blonde hair in that trainer’s bed.” He leaned into me, holding my wrists in one hand and my hair in the other and ran his tongue up the side of my neck. “Did you have a good time with that fat ol’ prick, honey? You’ll like me even better.” He yanked my head again hard and pushed his hips into mine. “I’m gonna show you how a real man fucks, princess…”
I screamed, twisting to free myself, my stomach churning. “Get the fuck off me…!” He let go of my hair and grabbed my breast, squeezing and crushing it hard. Panic hit and I screamed again. Hard pounding at the door stopped us both.
“Fucking shit.” Cutter pushed me to the floor in a heap. ‘Bad fucking timing, asshole!” he yelled through the door.
“Macek wants you in his office. Now.” The voice was deep, abrupt.
I heard the door bolt grind. “Goddamn mother fucker boss man,” Cutter said under his breath with an ugly sneer. “Minute!” he yelled toward the door and then he turned to me. “Wait for me baby. I’ll be back and we’re gonna have us some good fucking fun.” His face curled into a lear. “I’m gonna tie those tits up tight and I’m gonna fuck your little cunt hard as shit ‘till you don’t fuckin’ fight me anymore. You’re gonna call me boss man, little girl, on your fucking hands and knees.”
I crept to the corner, my empty stomach heaving. The room was empty, the walls and carpet a dirty burgundy color. The Red Room they’d called it and so it was. Dusty and sour, the air seemed to have weight. The room itself breathed hopelessness. Dane, I thought with a prayer. Find me...
Cutter watched me, his thin lips in a tight smile, his eyes shining. He reveled in his power a moment longer, and without taking his eyes off me he slid out the door.
I heard a dull bone-crunching thud then and the door shook hard in its frame, a shower of dust filling the room. Another crash had the door flying wide. Cutter stood stunned in the opening for a moment, a gush of blood running from his forehead and his nose. I watched as he fell forward, hitting the floor with a sickening crash. Behind him stood Dane, dark, massive and furious.
15
Dane
“Abby…!” I crossed the room in a single step and was next to her lifting her, holding her in my arms. “Abby, my Abby. Did he hurt you…did he lay a fucking hand on you?”
“Dane, oh god Dane. You found me, you found me… Just hold me and don’t let me go.”
“I’ve got you Abby. And I won’t let go.” Holding her tight to my chest, I leaned down and crushed her lips against mine. She was breathless when I finally pulled back. “You’re mine,” I said, pulling her hips against mine and plundering her mouth again. I took her face in my hands. “Are you hurt? Can you run Abby? I need for you to run.”
“I’m okay… He didn’t hurt me. I can run Dane, but I need you with me.”
“I’m all yours,” I said, the words were out in a flash. I pulled a breath, looking steadily into her eyes. “Come on. We’re getting the fuck out of here.”
I took her hand. Moving to the door I kicked Cutter’s body out of the way harder than I needed to. It felt nearly as good as slamming his fucking face into the door. I took a fast look into the hall. “Move, now!”
We took off down the long hall, stopping at the end near the doors to the foyer. “Just keep behind me and low as you can.” I pulled out the piece with a silencer that Nic had given me and turned to her, her eyes wide. “Whatever happens, don’t stop. Once we’re outside keep close to the hedges. Get into the trees behind the house as soon as you can and head for the lake. It’s about a quarter mile. There’s a small brick building with a steel door on the east side. If we get separated I’ll meet you there.” I kissed he
r hard. “No matter what, don’t stop running.” She nodded, breathing hard. She could do this. “Wait ‘till I tell you.”
I opened the door to the foyer, firing at the same time. One guard dropped, a neat hole in his forehead and I heard Abby gasp behind me. The other fucking guard squeezed off one shot, hitting the transom above us. Glass showered down as I got off my second round, hitting him squarely in the chest. “Go go go!” I grabbed Abby’s hand and we ran hard, making it out of the compound, into the cover of trees, moving fast through the thickening undergrowth. I knew the man I’d hit in the chest was in body armor. He wasn’t dead and he’d seen my face, but he was moving slowly enough right about now that we had time. Our feet silently pounded the carpet of leaves, the only sound the heaving of our lungs. I held Abby’s hand tight in mine as we ran. Nic should be there. If he had a fucking truck waiting we’d all make it out of here alive.
We stopped, out of breath and hearts pounding, only when we saw Nic in a steel colored Range Rover. He pulled out from behind the pump house, one back door open and waiting. I lifted Abby inside, threw myself in after her and slammed the door. Nic hit the gas hard.
“Took your fucking time, didn’t you?” he asked over his shoulder. I heard the tight smile in his voice.
“Showing my girl the sights, asshole,” I said, slapping his shoulder with a short laugh. “Now shut up and fucking drive.” I turned to Abby. “I’d like you to meet Nic, Lazar’s son. Nicki, meet my Abby.” I shot a glance behind us. No tail.
“I’m glad to meet you Nic,” Abby said breathlessly. “Please do drive. I can’t get far enough away right now.” She smiled unevenly at me. My brave fucking girl.
“Sit back and enjoy the ride Abby. Dane, I’m headed to Lazar’s newest. It’s a safe house even Macek doesn’t know about. You’ll be good there while I track Dad the fuck down. I’ve made some calls and got a lead on him. I want to leave you two at the house to recover while I go follow up.”
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