“All right. I’ll bring you back a decaf,” Travis teased, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “You’re a mite on edge.”
“Do it and die. Black, strong and hot.”
J.R. made some minor adjustments to the control panel and kicked back to watch Joy follow her usual route to her office. She looked pretty today. Wearing turquoise jeans and a white crop top that was high necked but nearly bared her shoulders. She spoke briefly to Joey, a good kid who would likely get off easy if things went down the way J.R. planned. He was just a kid who needed the money and had no idea what was really going on.
Inside her office, Joy looked at the camera full on as though trying to determine who was watching from the other end. Today there were dark circles under her eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday and it bothered him.
It shouldn’t. This was just an assignment, one of hundreds he’d been on. There was no reason to lose his perspective, but he was losing it. She looked smaller somehow, as though something had been taken from her, causing her to shrink in on herself. He didn’t like it. Not one damn bit. Under different circumstances he would march down to her office, sling her over his shoulder and get her out of there before things got any worse, but his hands were tied. He had to wait for her to make a move.
Joy moved to her desk and booted up her computer. She fiddled with things on her desk, opened and closed the top drawer several times and chewed her fingernail, glancing at the camera every few minutes. Finally, she got down to work and seemed to be focused, extremely focused on whatever she was working on as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Every now and then she would glance up and press a series of keys until finally it dawned on him. She was screenshotting pages, information.
Her cell lay on her desk in plain sight and he could hear the emails coming in right and left. He almost laughed, but Travis was back with his coffee and he sipped it and made small talk with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him; he did and had with his life, but the more people who knew things, the greater the risk. He would not put Joy at any more risk than she already was.
Travis finally heard the tones and looked at him in question.
“She’s getting an awful lot of messages or email don’t you think?” he asked, leaning forward and peering into the camera.
“Some spammer probably got ahold of her email,” J. R. said. “I get them all the time, the bastards just won’t stop.”
“Yeah, same here. They’re getting married you know,” he stated uneasily.
“When did you hear that?” J.R. asked quietly.
“This morning, I heard Barrows telling the kid. She’s a pip isn’t she?” he laughed. “Boy that one doesn’t take any shit from the old man. Wonder what she has on him? It’s almost as though he’s afraid of her.”
“I don’t know, could be anything. So you heard that this morning?”
“Yeah, some party planner is coming tonight to discuss the engagement party. It’s going to be a big deal with press and everything. We’ll have to be careful not to be seen.”
“Right. I’m going to walk the grounds. I need a little fresh air and exercise.”
“All right. Everything seems quiet anyway. If I see Barrows come back, I’ll signal you.”
It didn’t take her long. In three days she had everything she needed to put Barrows and his cronies away for a very long time. Their security system sucked, plain and simple. A ten-year-old could probably have figured out the passwords and gotten through the firewall. She sent everything to her phone and then transferred it to the prepaid one Brittany had left on her bed wrapped in a pretty package along with a congratulatory card. She then restored her cell to factory settings, wiping out the history. For good measure she dropped it in the toilet and left it there.
When the party planner arrived, Joy agreed with everything she suggested. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be there anyway. By his look, it seemed John was not amused. He obviously felt insulted when Joy offered no input and embarrassed that his intended didn’t seem to have an ounce of interest in his gala event. Joy shivered when he followed her upstairs after the woman left.
“I find your behavior abominable,” he hissed once inside her room. “One would think you have no interest in our engagement at all.”
Joy didn’t answer. She walked to her dresser and began to brush her hair.
“Have you nothing to say?” he demanded, approaching her from behind.
“John, you know I have no experience with this sort of thing. I thought you hired her so it would be perfectly planned. What could I possibly have offered to someone of her expertise?”
That seemed to placate him for a moment and he stroked a hand over her hair. “Still it would have been nice if you’d shown some small degree of attentiveness. It must have looked to her as though you have no enthusiasm for marrying me at all,” he complained.
“You are always telling me how lucky I am to be marrying you, John,” she sighed. “I’m sure the planner feels the same way and would love to be in my shoes. What more do you want?” she asked, meeting his eyes in the mirror.
“That is true,” he agreed smoothly, “but you’d better show more interest when we meet with the wedding planner next week or I’ll take you to task for it,” he growled, suddenly fisting his hand in her hair and yanking it back.
His other hand fastened around the front of her throat, squeezing until she saw stars and her knees began to buckle. She clawed at his hand struggling to pry it from her throat, gasping for breath. He released her with a violent thrust against the dresser.
“I’m beginning to think you must like it when I’m rough with you, darling,” he cooed, letting his fingers trail over the marks he’d left as though savoring them. “I’ll remember that the next time you make me angry.”
“Yes, John,” she rasped out. “I’m sorry.”
“As you should be,” he snapped. “I’m going to bed. If you’re smart, you’ll stay out of my sight in the morning.”
I’ll soon be out of your sight forever she thought as she gripped the dresser and tried to stay on her feet.
Chapter 4
She stared in the mirror, slowly putting on every valuable piece of jewelry she owned. Some were worth a great deal of money. For others, their value was personal, like the three jeweled brooches she’d pinned to the inside of her bra. They were uncomfortable, poking the tender skin of her breasts with their prongs and sharp edges. She figured the pain would remind her of why she was leaving.
There were three gold chains of varying weight around her neck, four studs in each earlobe. The diamonds were of escalating size, the tiny opals a gift from her grandmother. Each wrist had several bracelets; one that had been her mother’s was engraved and quite delicate. To protect them she pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt over most of her hands.
On the floor behind her were the expensive clothes she’d worn to the bank. She hadn’t withdrawn much. Nothing that would cause alarm, just a few thousand dollars; a pittance compared to what was in the account. The chauffeur seemed to believe she needed to buy John an engagement gift without his knowledge so she stopped at the jeweler’s and went in, but bought nothing beside a gold cigarette lighter for herself.
Fear choked her when she heard the bedroom door open and she spun around quickly.
“You’re leaving then.”
“Yes,” she replied, looking at Brittany, the girl who would have been her teenage step-daughter in a few weeks. Only a few years separated them yet she felt eons older. They’d never been friends, but not enemies either.
“What’ll I tell him?” she asked, flopping on the bed.
Joy held up a pair of Brittany’s artfully destroyed jeans and stepped into them when the girl shrugged.
“Thanks. I don’t care what you tell him, just please put it off as long as you can. Give me a chance,” she pleaded quietly as she sat and put on her sneakers.
Brittany shrugged again and looked away.
“You’ve sta
yed longer than most,” she admitted grudgingly. “I’ll leave too, as soon as I’m able.”
Joy paused.
“Do you want to go with me?”
“Like that wouldn’t have the hounds of hell after us both,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “No, you have a better chance alone. He’ll come for you,” she warned, staring into Joy’s eyes. “He hates to lose. You should have made him get rid of you. It would have been easier.”
“I couldn’t have survived much longer,” Joy replied, pulling down the sweatshirt to expose the bruises on her neck.
Brittany paled and looked away.
“Where are you going to go? Never mind, stupid question.”
“I have no idea,” Joy admitted as she twisted her long dark hair in to a messy bun. “It doesn’t really matter. Any place is better than this.”
Brittany looked at the bed and blushed.
“I should have made it easier for you,” she said softly.
“Brittany, none of this is your fault. Your father is a sick man and I wouldn’t leave at all if I thought for one moment he might put his hands on you.”
“He won’t,” Brittany replied. “I may be young, but I’m not stupid. The pleasure he gets from abusing women is sexual. He’d never get that from me. He’s a lot of things, but he’s not a pedophile. Besides, I’m his little princess,” she said bitterly.
“What are you going to tell him?”
“Nothing, I’ll say I was out shopping, spending his money when you left. With luck you’ll be miles away by the time he gets home. Do you have money?”
“I went to the bank and got a little this morning. Don’t worry, I didn’t wipe him out.”
“You wouldn’t,” Brittany replied, rising from the bed. “It’s not your way, even I know that.”
“Thanks.” Stuffing her hair under a cap, she grabbed her purse.
“You can’t carry that thing,” Brittany scoffed. “Not dressed as you are. Wait a second.”
She came back holding out a small bag that was worn across the chest. “Here, take this. I was going to give it to Goodwill anyway, and no one will think it looks odd.”
Stashing her wallet inside, Joy stood for moment before pulling the girl into her arms and giving her a gentle hug.
“Take care of yourself, honey,” she whispered, “and get out as soon as you can. I know it’s not happening to you, but you have eyes and ears. It’s not healthy for you to stay here.”
“Aw, you’re just another one of his trashy girlfriends who couldn’t take the heat,” she said, brushing away a tear.
“I’ll take you with me, Brit,” she offered at the last moment. “We’ll go underground and change our names.”
“What and leave all this luxury?” she asked with a snort, looking around at the elaborate suite of rooms. “No, I’ll wait until I can leave for college. It’s only two more years and who knows; maybe the bastard will drop dead before that. I’m his only heir you know.”
“All right, but if he ever touches you, go straight to the police.”
“Fuck the police. I’ll shoot him.”
Joy nodded. The girl meant it.
“Good luck.”
“You too.”
“Hey, go out the back and skirt the lake. Head for the south gate, but stay within the tree line. On your left, about twenty feet from the gate there’s a break in the wall. I use it all the time. It takes a while, but no one will see you. There’s a blind spot on the cameras. After that, you’re on your own.”
Joy nodded.
Joy walked with her head down, occasionally scuffing the toe of her shoe and acting like she was listening to music on her ear buds. She wasn’t of course. She left her phone on the dresser. He could track her with it. Her prepaid didn’t have any music on it. Every bit of available storage was loaded with documents.
Once off the estate she’d breathe a stiff sigh of relief. But, for now, she mumbled a litany of prayers. Please don’t let him come home early. Please don’t let anyone recognize me. It was four miles to the bus stop. She wiped the sweat from her brow, wishing there had been some way she could have taken her expensive new sports car, an engagement gift from John, guaranteed to impress the press, but it was too risky. Even leaving it at the bus station would indicate what form of transportation she’d used to leave town.
No, this was the best way, a bus downtown, a short walk to the train station. North, South, East or West, it didn’t matter to her. She’d be on the earliest train leaving and get off at the first big city she came to. Then she’d grab a room somewhere and assess her options. There was only one way she was going back; it would be in a box.
Jay sat with his size fourteen shoes on the desk, occasionally glancing at the bank of cameras and cleaning his fingernails with his penknife. Lord he hated this gig, but in his line of work you didn’t get to choose. Sighing, he picked up his coffee and took a sip before seeing movement at the back of the property. Zooming in, he checked out the figure and determined it was the kid.
She didn’t concern him. He’d seen her come and go like this a hundred times and if it turned her on to think she was pulling something over on her old man, so be it. He knew better. He knew there were men stationed outside the perimeter who would follow her without her ever noticing.
Leaning back, he took another sip and watched her; then his eyes narrowed. There was something different about her gait, about the way the jeans hugged her ass. The nervous way she stopped and looked around every few yards didn’t seem right. It set his senses on high alert. Peering closer, he noticed the hair peeking out from under her cap. Crap, it was dark and he knew if it should fall off the hair would spill down her back in a cascade of waves. It wasn’t the kid, it was the woman and she was walking right into a trap.
What the hell!
“Travis, I need you to cover for me,” he said calmly into his radio. “Nature calls.”
“Sure thing, I’ll be there in a minute,” his partner responded.
He knew Travis would be running. ‘Nature calls’ was their signal that something was up, something that couldn’t wait. As soon as the other man entered the room, Jay was out the door, no questions asked.
He hit the pavement in less than thirty seconds, hopped over the side of his ’65 Mustang convertible and gunned it as soon as the powerful engine roared to life. Travis was on cue, hitting the button that unlocked the gate giving him mere inches to spare as he sailed through it. The uniformed guard was probably on the phone before he raced down the street.
“Get in,” he yelled when he pulled up beside her.
She ignored him, still pretending to listen to her earbuds.
“Now!” he roared.
Joy froze, looking at him. It was obvious she recognized him, clear she was going to run and right this minute he didn’t have time to chase her. He had no idea where the others were. They could be ahead of him, behind him or taking aim right now. He pulled his gun and pointed it at her.
“Get in the fucking car, now,” he growled. Thank God she moved, diving in the seat without opening the door. He hit the gas and spun out, leaving streaks of rubber on the pavement. Smoke filled the air, giving them precious seconds. He heard the squeal of brakes behind them and knew he’d bought them some time, not much. Jay buried the speedometer while Joy struggled to get in the seat properly.
“Seat belt,” he barked out over the sound of the throbbing mufflers. About half a mile down the road he threw the shifter into neutral and flipped the key, killing the engine. Coasting he pulled into a break in the trees, thankful that it was still daylight and his ‘stang was dark green. He never touched the brakes.
The car finally rolled to a stop and he looked at her. Tears were running down her cheeks and she was still struggling to buckle the belt. Reaching over, he brushed her trembling hands away and snapped it into place.
Big blue eyes looked up at him. Her lip quivered.
“Please don’t take me back,” she whispered.
&n
bsp; “Where were you going?” he asked roughly. He couldn’t lose sight of his objective here, no matter how her tears affected him.
“I don’t know,” she replied, staring at her hands. “Somewhere… anywhere away from here.”
“Why now?”
Joy reached up and pulled the neck of her baggy sweatshirt down. Jay felt the blood rush to his head. He studied each fingerprint around her neck and slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He’d seen worse, but for some reason he couldn’t remember when. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it back down. Instinct pushed him to return to the house and beat the shit out of the man who’d done this to her. Not all the bruises were new. Some were green, indicating this was not a one-time incident. It made everything so much worse.
“Who are you?” she asked, watching his face.
“J.R. Everly,” he replied.
“You work for him,” she said sadly. “I do his books. I sign your paychecks.”
“Yup,” he admitted.
“Then why did you grab me? Why not just let the others drag me back?” she asked suspiciously.
“Let’s just say he’s not the only one I work for and leave it at that,” Jay answered, pulling a cigarette from a pack on the dashboard and lighting it.
“Then you’re a plant of some kind,” she sneered. “Must be nice collecting two paychecks.”
“It would be, if I could keep both of them,” he said with a sharp laugh.
“Why can’t you?” she demanded, fiddling with the buckle.
“Don’t,” he snapped, pleased when her hands fell away.
“What are you going to do with me?” she asked. “Are you going to hurt me?”
“Not like that,” he replied harshly, “never like that. If you’re a good girl and do exactly what I tell you, you might just come out of this unscathed, otherwise…”
Jay watched her face turn even whiter, heard her swallow. Finally, she nodded her head, once. Starting the car, he kept the idle low as he approached the road. Once he was certain it was clear, he pulled out and headed in the opposite direction, going right past the place she was running from. Instinctively she leaned over, laying her head on his thigh. It was not unpleasant and he had to fight to keep his hand from stroking her hair. Damn, this was not like him at all. He was all business as a rule and he’d been watching her for months now and fought any sort of attraction he felt for her. She was just another one of the scumbag’s toys and she had information he needed. He had to remember that.
Hero Undercover: 25 Breathtaking Bad Boys Page 76