“Why would you want to help me? You guys hate me.”
“I don’t know you, and I don’t hate you. I will explain everything to you once you are moved but I can’t let them know that I am giving you any information. You have to trust me, which is easier for me to say than for you to do. Just try and find a way to do it. Go to the new room, do what people ask you to do and I will explain what I can.”
I nod. I don’t really know that I trust him, but I know that being in any room is better than being in this basement where anything could happen.
“Are they going to come into my room?” I don’t ask who I mean specifically, I don’t know who I mean.
He looks at me “I am going to take charge of you for Red, so no one should be in that room but me.”
He is pulling me gently upstairs. He stops me pulls me so that he can whisper in my ear “the house is bugged, so do not let on that we are talking. Just do as I say until we get you into the room.”
I nod in agreement and his grasp on my arm tightens as we pass through the hall.
We walk up the stairs. I notice that there are not many people here anymore. Before when the stocky man brought me to the basement there were about 10 people as we passed. All standing against the wall, all looking scary, all looking like they wanted to see me fried for a crime I apparently committed.
This is the first time I notice that the building has a home like feel to it. If I weren’t being held against my will, I might feel soothed by the sounds. Someone is playing classical music softly in one of the rooms below. There is the smell of fresh bread wafting through the area.5
. Pictures of family members hang on the walls. I notice several of Ashley when she was younger, and Adam the man before me. If I didn’t know any better I would say these were good people. But I do.
I do know better.
Adam leads me down the hall. The room he is taking me to is all the way at the end. I notice that the door is not a typical wooden door. Instead it is metal and heavy, almost like a fire door. There is a code to get in. Adam nods for me to look away while he enters it, I hear 4 quick beeps and the sound of acceptance as the door unlocks.
When he pulls me through, I see there is a large king size bed, with dark red bedding. There is a small couch towards the corner and a TV with a small stack of DVD’s beside it. Several paintings hang on the wall. I notice that one is Monet’s Water Lilies. It’s one of my all-time favorite paintings. Even though it is an oil painting it’s the entire reason I fell in love with landscaping photography. People tend to forget the beauty that nature gives us every single day… It’s the first calming thing I have seen since I entered this hell.
Adam closes the door behind us. I hear the beep and pop of the door locking and the electronic keypad securing. It’s terrifying how that sound made me feel. I am trapped. It feels more real to know there is no getting out that door.
There are thick black iron bars on the windows. There is no way to open the window. I lean over to look out, hoping I will see another building that I perhaps missed the first time I looked out the downstairs windows earlier.
I am disappointed to notice that I am facing the open field. No buildings. No roads. No other signs of life or freedom.
“The bathroom is through there.” Adam grabs my attention, I look at him to see he is pointing to the white door on the other side of the room. He motions for me to follow him. I do. The bathroom is large as well. There is a spa style bath similar to the one that Dean had at the club building. There are several different types of shampoo and soaps lining the bathtub. The sink which is a beautiful expensive looking marble, is loaded with makeup and lotions.
“You must keep a lot of women here.” I say quietly
“No, you are the first. I bought all of this in I didn’t know what you would like. I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible. The dresser is also filled with clothing, I might not have picked the perfect size, but they should work.”
I shake my head “why are you doing all of this?” I can feel the tears welling in my eyes. “I just want to go home.”
He nods in understanding. “I know you do Olivia, and you will when everything falls into place.”
“What does that even mean? You mean when Dean pays your father the money he thinks I cost him? Or when Dean gives up one of his best employees? Dean isn’t going to do that. Which means I am probably going to end up dead. I am never going to see my niece again. I will never hug my mom again. I will never hold my baby.” I am sobbing at this point. I can’t be strong. I can’t pretend my life isn’t over. I’m never going to get the chance to be a mother. I am never going to watch my niece grow up to be the beautiful woman I know she is destined to be. I am never going to fall in love and be loved in returned.
I don’t know which one of those hurts the most. But combined, the weight of those realizations take my breath. Suddenly I am gasping, I can’t get enough air. My heart feels like it is racing, I am sweaty. I feel as if there are a million little pin pricks all over my skin. I am shaking, spots are forming in the corner of my eyes. Suddenly my knees give out. I am still gasping. I barely register the feel of Adam sitting on the floor beside me, rubbing my back, telling me gently that everything is going to be okay.
I don’t know how much time passes. I don’t know if I have fallen asleep, or if I have passed out but when I come to, Adam is still sitting beside me. He’s texting on his phone and he doesn’t look happy.
When he notices me alert he doesn’t smile. “You had a panic attack.” He states matter-of-factly. He’s annoyed with me or maybe himself, it does not really matter.
I have never had one before. I have felt nervous, I have felt fear, but I think a combination of the last few days has really just taken its toll on my body.
“Sorry.” I mumble
“You said something before you started freaking out. You said you would never see your niece again, you said you would never hug your mom and then you said you would never hold your baby. But you didn’t say your niece and baby together, do you … do you have a child?” he asks
“Will that change things?” I retort
“If you have a child that is safe and sound with a family member….well then no, but if you are… If you are pregnant then that changes things. Considering that I have looked into you fairly thoroughly the last few months I think it’s doubtful I would miss a hospital document of you giving birth… So are you… Pregnant?”
I pause. I watch him for several moments. I haven’t said the words out loud. Not once. When Dean was telling me he didn’t believe he could be the father, I knew that if I was pregnant it was his baby, but the words “I am pregnant.” Have not left my mouth. Should I tell him? Does it put me into graver danger if I tell him that yes I am in fact expecting? What if it changes things for the better? What if it means that they will let me go because I am pregnant? Maybe one of my captors has a soft spot? I decide to be naïve and optimistic.
“Yes, Adam. I am pregnant.”
“Fuck.” He shouts. He stands up quickly, storms across the room to the door and enters the code to the door. Slamming it behind him when he exits.
Optimism just bit me in the fucking ass.
Chapter 11
A week passes.
Adam doesn’t talk to me. He brings me in a tray of food. Looks at me briefly and then leaves. Slamming the door behind him.
I watch TV. The movies are all crime dramas and romances. I find that a little sick in humor. I have a feeling that these are movies that interest Adam, rather than what he thinks I would enjoy as for the romance, well just not interested in seeing other people fall in love. There are several cable stations, but I notice quickly that all news stations are blocked. I have no idea what the date is. I know it has been around a week, but I have no idea what the time of day is. I have no idea exactly how much time has passed.
I cry. More and more each day. Until one day, several days later I feel like I can’t cry another tear. Something
in me snaps. No one is coming for me, Dean would be here if he knew where I was. Adam isn’t going to help me. What is crying going to do? I can sit here and feel sorry for myself, I can feel the emotions of sadness, hopelessness and despair but what the hell does it fix? No one cares. No one is going to make me feel better.
I wonder what Jaxon and Josslyn are doing? I wonder if they know nearly 2 weeks later that I have been kidnapped or if they think I am just busy with work. Jaxon and I talked nearly every day, but he knew I was with Dean, maybe he assumes I am closing myself off to be with him? I wonder what Alexis thought the night when I didn’t leave the club? I know she would look for me. I know that she would know that I wouldn’t go this long without talking to her. Would Ryan have stopped her and told her not to bother looking for me? Would she go to Jaxon and tell him that she has a bad feeling? Would it even matter? My brother and best friend don’t have the means nor the knowledge to expect that any of this has happened that I was being held captive by a crazy mob guy. I don’t even think that Jaxon knew what Ashley’s family did. He didn’t know they were a crime family, he never would have gone near her. I would have heard him mention it.
No. Jaxon wouldn’t know I had been kidnapped.
Later that evening I took a long bath. When I was done I crawled into bed and turned on a movie.
Adam came in shortly after. Carrying my dinner on a tray.
“Everyone is out on a job.” The first words spoken since he asked if I was pregnant days ago.
I say nothing. I just begin eating.
“We can talk.” He adds
I nod, still eating.
“Dean received the video. The first night you were here. He hasn’t contacted my dad further. I talked my dad into giving him more time.”
“How do you know he got it?” I ask
“We have a computer guy, he was able to see when the email was opened and the video was downloaded.”
“The man said that he had a week or I was dead.” I note
Adam nods
“He’s not going to pay. I think everyone here is really overestimating the 4 month relationship we had.” I laugh bitterly
“He loves you.” Adam states
“No. He does not. He has never told me, and if he did don’t you think he would have already answered Red?”
“Red is a dead man. He’s been on borrowed time for a while now. That’s why he is desperate to get that money. He has a huge debt to pay, he tried to sell my nice…your niece for money. Do you know what happened when he found out Ashley was pregnant?” He asks
“No.”
“She was strung out on drugs when she told him she was pregnant. He owes an old associate a lot of money. When Matthew Corvus died and Ryan took over, the human trafficking stopped. You see Ryan is really the boss of this town. Several towns in the surrounding the area actually and he’s a big deal. When he took over he put his foot down on dad’s trafficking. He stopped it. He said my dad would be dead if he ever found out that another person was traded.
Dad tried to go behind Ryan’s back, he set up trafficking shipments. Ryan’s men found out and killed dad’s transporters and released the women and children dad was trying to sell. Dad ended up owing money back to all of the people who paid him up front for people. He has nothing left. He might look rich, but all of his money is either borrowed or stolen. What he makes in drug sales he has to give in repayment.”
“When your brother knocked my sister up, dad thought he had a perfect in. He could say the baby was being put up for adoption and sell her to a man he use to work with. Gary Leonard. Gary is a complete douche but his wife has always wanted a baby. Dad talked to him and Gary offered $5.3 million to dad if he would sell him Ashley’s baby. Of course when Jaxon decided to keep the baby, dad lost yet another associate tie and the lanes he was promising to buy with the money for the baby were given to someone else. Dad was looking forward to that income.”
“Then he kicked Ashley out. He disowned her. He was supporting her drug habit in exchange for her doing some other things for him and his associates. When that happened she kind of snapped. She blamed you, she knew that you had moved in with Jaxon. She said everyone in school was talking about it. So she went and hired Dean. She knew of him through hearing about Ryan and his “muscle” hit man, Dean is good at what he does and everyone knows it. When Dean didn’t get the job done in time, she opened another contract with one of dad’s men. Ashley believed if you were dead, Jaxon would give up on being a single dad. When Dean found out she hired another hit man, he killed Frank. Frank was Dad’s most prized associate. He had been with dad for years. So all of that catches you up on why my dad is pissed at you. Dean killed Frank to keep you alive. You helped Jaxon keep our niece and cost dad that money.”
I curl tighter under the blankets. Needing to feel some level of comfort rather than all this talk about how much I ruined everything for these crazy people. I glance at the Water lilies. I need to relax.
“Now as for what I have to do with all of this.” He stops for a moment. He watches me for several moments, whatever he is about to tell me I think he is worried that he can’t trust me.
“I hate my sister. I hate my father even more. I work here because I am… I am an undercover agent with the FBI. Now before you get all excited thinking that I can let you go. I can’t. I am working with my father, but I am working against him in the bigger picture. We were not expecting him to take you hostage. You are a slight bump in the grand scheme of things. I am going to do whatever I can to keep you safe, but if you let anyone know the truth, or you don’t do exactly as I tell you to do. You are going to end up dead. My father’s men will kill you before you even get out the front door. I need you to trust me. I am going to find a way to get you out of this, especially before you start to show.” He gestures to my stomach “Do you know how far along you are?”
I am unsure exactly. “I don’t really know. I was 5 weeks when Dean told me but I am not really sure.”
“So we will have to say you are about 7 weeks now. Which means we really need to get rolling on Dean, we need to get his attention and get him to pay so we can get you out of here before you start to show. Because if we don’t. There will be no going back. My father will never let you go.”
His words cause an ice cold shiver to run down my back. Because I know he is right. He fucking sells people to make a living, whether Ryan knows he is doing it or not, I know that he could make a sale if he really wanted to and that sale could be my baby.
And for the first time in all of this mess I am not angry at myself. I am angry at Ashley. This is on her, not me. I just need to do what Adam asks me to and get the hell out of here.
Chapter 12
Apparently, Red knows a banker. Several bankers who were on his old payroll before shit went south. These bankers have been filling out fraudulent loans and giving the money to Red who has not been able to pay them back. The bankers have stopped reporting on the loss of money. Some of them have ended up in prison, while others have ended up dead. Adam said that Red is killing the bankers off before they can tell the Feds that he is the one that owes the money. Adam said he has embezzled millions over the last 10 years. Not just from banks, but from other organizations. He’s a sneaky man. Add on the human trafficking and drug cartel, he’s wanted.
That’s what you get for being shady and stealing money. Now the FBI have enough information, but want to try and nail Red on all charges possible. So Adam is working with him to get the inside information on how he does his dealings. Adam said he is has one more thing that he has to solve, he says it’s a human trafficking sale that he needs to find the location of the woman. He doesn’t tell me who. But I get the feeling that he has a personal stake at finding whoever is missing.
There is nothing for me to do but sit back and wait he tells me. I will do as Red says. I will do as the other men say, and I will act like I am afraid unless I want to tip them off. It doesn’t matter that I know that Adam is helping
me, I am still going to be afraid. My entire life is being placed into the hands of a man I do not know yet is fully on my side. Really I have no choice but to trust him.
Adam calls Dean. He doesn’t call him from the room with me however. Which I found odd. I would have liked to talk to Dean and find out if he was going to do what Red was asking to get me back.
When Adam comes back in he doesn’t look overly pleased.
“Dean and Red made contact. Dean just told me.”
Relief rushes through my body.
“So he’s going to pay, he’s going to get me out?”
“No.” Adam says
My heart sinks. “Oh.” I manage
I mean that was a possibility. I knew that all along there was a chance that he wouldn’t pay the money.
“He needs something from Red. He’s not going to deal with him unless he gets what he needs. But I have a feeling he wants you back too. He’s not happy. He asked me if you were okay.”
He’s trying to make me feel better, and he is failing miserably.
“Thanks Adam. I am actually pretty tired, I think I am going to go to sleep if that’s okay?” I know my voice sounds totally defeated. I can’t manage another fake emotion today. I just don’t have it in me.
“Yeah, sure.” He pauses “Don’t give up yet Olivia. We are going to find a way to get you out. Even without Dean’s help.”
The problem was, that I knew that. IF Adam was really working for the FBI, even if Red was brought down and I could be taken away. Why wouldn’t Dean help me? Why would he have another matter with Red that mattered more to him than I did? I knew he didn’t love me, but I still thought… I still had this small sliver of hope that he might care about me. That he might feel sorry for all of the pain he has caused me. That he might try and find a way to get me out of this situation because part of it was his fault.
Sweetest Torture (Sweetest Kill Book 2) Page 4