The hell she would! She bit down as hard as she could on his tongue and lip, tasting blood. He roared in pain and took a step back. She laughed, but not for long. His fist caught her on the side of the head. The room shimmered for a second before she blacked out.
She woke up when he threw her down on the bed. Instinctively, she rolled, almost reaching the other side before he caught her leg and yanked her back. She kicked out at him, catching the side of his head, but it only slowed him down for a second. With little effort, he pinned her down, pulled her right arm over her head, and latched the cold, metal handcuff around her wrist. Her left arm was useless, sending shards of pain through her shoulder with each movement. He leaned close, wound his fingers in her hair, and jerked painfully until she cried out.
“Don’t fight me, Cara. You can’t win.”
“You son of a bitch.”
He laughed and slapped her hard. Pushing himself off her, he walked to the door, pulled it closed, and turned the lock. He removed his jacket, carefully hanging it on the back of a chair, and started unbuttoning his shirt as he strolled toward her.
“I’ve been looking forward to this.” An eager grin lit his crazed eyes.
His cell phone rang and he answered it, his gaze raking over her as he listened. When he hung up, he slid his hand beneath her shirt and fondled her breasts. Cara clenched her teeth and tried not to vomit.
“Our reunion will have to wait a little while. I have some things to take care of. Don’t go anywhere, okay?” He laughed scornfully.
“Go to hell.”
“Apparently, you haven’t learned your lesson yet. It’s good we’ll have some time later.” He leaned over her, his lips nearing her mouth as his hand encircled her throat. “Bite me again and I’ll strangle you right here.” He kissed her gently and then a second later bit down drawing blood. She gasped, and he laughed with pleasure. “I’ve missed this. I might even keep you alive awhile longer… if you behave.”
David was right. There was no way she could fight him. He always won, but he would kill her anyway. Why not force his hand and save all the degradation in between? The image of Joe’s face appeared in her mind. Gentle, patient, kind, hard-as-nails, vengeful—so many sides to him. Did he know she was gone yet? He’d be going crazy if he did. Or did he think she’d broken her promise and left on her own? Either way, she’d be letting him down again if she didn’t at least try.
Gingerly, she sat up, feeling the bruises already forming on her face and legs. She listened. No sounds came from outside her door. Quickly, she pulled out one of the hidden bobby pins and bent it to the right angle. A few seconds after she inserted it into the lock and wiggled it, the cuff fell open. She offered a silent thank-you to Walker.
She tiptoed to the door and listened again, before opening it a crack. No one in sight. Cara slipped out and sneaked down the corridor toward the stairs leading to the deck above. Halfway there, voices came toward her from the upper level. Hurriedly, she ducked into the closest stateroom and waited.
The voices moved away from her hiding place and kept going until she could no longer hear them. She sighed in relief and leaned back against the door, then gasped as her gaze fell on the two tables in the middle of the room. They overflowed with weaponry and explosives. Handguns, rifles, automatic weapons, grenades, and bricks of C-4 practically obscured the tables they rested on. Boxes of rifles and ammunition lined the walls, all marked SINCLAIR ARMS DISTRIBUTING. She frowned. What was David doing with all these weapons from her family’s business?
She couldn’t worry about that now. She’d just hit the jackpot. A plan began to form in her mind.
She chose a handgun, loaded up on ammunition, and grabbed two C-4 bricks and a detonator. Swallowing a wave of revulsion, she sneaked back into the bedroom she’d just left, loaded the Glock .40, and hid it between the mattress and box spring. One of the bricks of C-4 went into a crack on the inside of the footboard near the floor. The second she molded to the bed frame right below the pillows. At the last minute, she kept out a small piece of the clay-like substance. In short order, both charges were set and the detonator hidden in the pocket of an old coat in the closet.
Handcuffing herself to the bed again nearly made her gag, but she had to if her plan was going to work. The best she could do was cover the ratchets inside the cuff with the small piece of C-4 she’d put aside, allowing it to close without locking.
Waiting was the worst. Her mind dwelled on everything that could go wrong. Her plan hinged on convincing David she’d given up and would willingly participate in whatever perverted act he chose. That thought made her stomach roll. She was a lousy actress, and he wasn’t easily fooled. What if he didn’t buy it?
A sound caught her ear and she cocked her head, listening. A helicopter? No, the sound was gone now. She had only imagined it because she wanted so badly for it to be Joe. Why couldn’t she have met him a long time ago? Why was she even thinking about him now? If she was going to get out of this, she had to make it happen on her own. Her plan would work. It had to.
It was an hour before she finally heard footsteps approaching and looked up when David entered the room. His gaze slipped over her as she sat cross-legged on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He started shedding his clothes as he covered the distance between them.
“You’re right. I can’t fight you. You’re too strong and too smart. I’ll do what you want if you don’t hurt me anymore.” She dropped her gaze and waited, humiliated by her own submissiveness, even though it was only an act.
“You’ll do what I want, regardless. You’re not really in a position to bargain.”
“I thought you might like… something different. Something other than this.” Cara lifted her handcuffed wrist and met his gaze, letting a sultry smile curve her lips.
He studied her, and his eyes sparked with interest. Finally, he shook his head. “Nice try, but I don’t think so.” He smiled as he crawled onto the bed, grasped her legs, and pulled her toward him until the handcuff went taut. She breathed a sigh of relief when the C-4 held the bracelet together.
It was now or never. She forced herself to smile up at him. Her free hand wrapped around his neck, and she pulled his lips down to hers, kissing him with all the passion she could garner. He pulled away and looked at her suspiciously. She smiled again. He grinned eagerly, recapturing her lips. His mouth over hers smothered her cry as he ripped her shirt open and squeezed her tender flesh. Her mind screamed to get away, but she managed to stay focused as he pawed her.
He rose up to fumble with the waistband of her pants and push them down. She fought to keep the panic from her voice as he jerked them off and sprawled on top of her. “I’ll do anything to make things up to you, David. Isn’t there something special you’d like?”
“You’ll do everything I want before we’re finished.” He scowled, but the idea had been planted, and he’d obviously thought of something more degrading than the present scenario. His gaze narrowed on her face and he smiled sadistically then dug through his pants pocket at the foot of the bed for the key.
She sat up—ready. One try was all she’d get.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
* * *
Friday, 11:55 am
THE CHOPPER PILOTS got them as close to the river as possible, and Joe’s men spread out with Murphy’s agents to search the docked ships. It would take all day and part of the night to thoroughly inspect each ship on the wharf, but it was better than doing nothing.
Garrett had to work for Dennelli. Otherwise it would be strictly a coincidence, and Joe didn’t believe in coincidence. Thinking about Garrett turning Cara over to her ex-husband sent Joe’s rage spiraling out of control. He clenched his fists into white-knuckled balls to try to maintain a semblance of objectivity in front of his men. He failed miserably.
Leaving yet another ship with no results, his cell phone rang. “Yeah.”
“Listen carefully, Reynolds. Against my better judgment, I’m going to help you
out.”
“Garrett! You lowlife bastard. Where’s Cara?” Joe stopped walking and waved Ty and Walker to his side, putting the call on speaker.
“I’m trying to tell you. Dennelli has her on his yacht about two miles off the Port of Astoria.”
“You better hope she’s not hurt, Garrett.” Joe started walking quickly back toward the choppers, followed by Walker, Ty, and Steve.
“She’s okay for now, but I heard him in there with her. I created a little problem in the engine room that got Dennelli out of his statement before he hurt her too bad, but I can’t keep him away forever. You need to get here—and fast.” Sam drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Joe didn’t trust him for a minute. “How do I know you’re not sending me into a trap?”
“You don’t. You don’t have any more reason to trust me than I do you, so I’m going to level with you. I’m on Dennelli’s payroll, until today anyway. It was my job to make sure Brian Sinclair killed his sister, and when he failed, Dennelli wanted her brought to the yacht.”
Joe caught Walker’s eye and saw the skepticism reflected there. “So, what went wrong, Garrett? Why double-cross Dennelli?”
“God knows I tried not to care about that woman.” Garrett sighed. “She can make a person feel better with a smile and a ten-minute conversation. Do you know how rare that is?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I knew Dennelli was crazy and ruthless, but I didn’t sign on for this, and I’m getting her out of there. She may have to swim for it, so get your ass in gear.”
Joe stared at the phone as the call disconnected.
“Do you think you can trust him?” Walker asked.
“Hell if I know. It could be an ambush, but I’m going. I have to. You and Ty and Steve don’t. Stay here and help with the search.”
“Can’t do that, boss,” Walker drawled.
“We’ll be going along with you,” Ty said, and Steve grinned.
It would be futile to argue. “Then let’s go.” Joe picked up the pace. They ran the final four blocks to the vacant parking lot where one of the choppers had set down. The pilot was nowhere in sight. Walker climbed behind the controls, started it up, and lifted off as soon as the rest of the team was on board.
Friday, 12:27 pm
“TRY AGAIN! YOU’VE got to get me closer to that ship,” Joe yelled to be heard over the beating of the rotors.
“They’ll knock us out of the sky if we get any closer,” Walker said.
Joe’s team had already made two attempts to get him on the deck of that yacht. Their chopper had been turned back by gunfire both times. He couldn’t ask any more of them.
“Give me the controls. You three take the inflatable raft and bail out. I’m getting on that ship even if I have to crash-land.” Joe stood poised to slip behind the controls as soon as Walker gave them up. His men exchanged glances. Joe saw the argument coming, but they weren’t going to change his mind. Cara was on that ship.
“We’re not bailing.” Ty shook his head.
“What kind of friends would we be if we left you in your hour of need?” Walker spoke jokingly, but Joe heard the sincerity behind his words.
Steve picked up two fully loaded automatic weapons and handed one to Ty as he nodded at Joe. “We’ll keep their heads down long enough for you to drop in.”
“Let’s do this.” Walker grinned from ear to ear.
The chopper swung around and headed toward the yacht. Ty and Steve took up positions by the open doors on either side of the cargo bay. Joe checked his harness and ropes one more time.
They came in from the south, fast and low. Four hundred yards out, Dennelli’s men opened fire. Once in range, Ty, Steve, and Joe returned fire, sending men scrambling for cover.
“Get going, Joe,” Walker yelled over the noise.
Joe dropped his weapon, grabbed the rope, and jumped out the door, quickly rappelling the fifty feet to the deck. The chopper lifted straight up, gaining altitude and speed. He dove for cover.
He took out two of Dennelli’s men before he reached mid-ship. His luck ran out there, as gunfire from two directions pinned him down. Damn it! He could see the steps to the deck below. No way to get there but straight ahead. The gunman on his left was closer, so Joe concentrated on him as he jumped and ran, pivoting to the left as the shooter showed himself. Joe took the shot, and the man dropped.
He dove and rolled, coming back to his feet as he searched for the gunman on his right. From the corner of his eye he saw him. The shooter had moved and was now behind him a few steps. The man stood and raised his weapon. Joe swiveled his upper body to get a shot. He was microseconds too late. Gunfire from his left again. The shooter on his right jerked backward and fell. Joe swung around and came face to face with Sam Garrett.
Friday, 12:34 pm
WHATEVER DAVID HAD thought up for her practically had him salivating. As his hand moved the key closer to the lock, Cara again pulled his lips toward hers, a last-ditch effort to distract him. Simultaneously, gunfire broke out above deck and now she heard a chopper distinctly.
He paused, listening, a scowl darkening his features. His hand hovered next to hers.
No! Not now, damn it! Whoever was in that chopper was going to ruin everything. She hadn’t come this far to let him get away now. Jerking her hand from the cuff, she twisted to grab it and slapped it around his wrist. Before he could recover from his surprise, she shoved the flat of her hand into his nose, ripped the key from his fingers, and rolled off the bed. She landed on her feet and reached for the Glock.
He tried to staunch the flow of blood from his nose as he jerked on the handcuffs furiously. “You bitch!” he yelled. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll put that gun down and give me the key. My men are all over this ship. You won’t get far… and when I get my hands on you again, I won’t be so nice.”
“I do know what’s good for me… and it’s not you. If your men come in here and find you dead, do you think they’ll still be so eager to keep me from leaving?”
“Damn it. Unlock these cuffs. I won’t hurt you.”
“Am I actually supposed to believe you?” She laid the gun down and dressed hurriedly, closing her torn shirt as best she could.
She retrieved the detonator from the closet and held it up for him to see. “Do you recognize this?”
He sneered. “What do you think you’re going to do with that?”
“The C-4 is under the bed, set and ready to go. Now… you’re going to make sure your men let me walk out of here.”
“Or what? I don’t think you’ve got the guts to kill me.”
“Unfortunately, the only way to convince you won’t leave enough for a positive ID.” There was a commotion in the corridor and more gunfire from above.
“If you turn me loose before my men walk in here, I can keep them from hurting you.” He held up his hand when she laughed derisively. “Believe me, Cara, I need you alive. Didn’t you ever wonder why Brian was trying to kill you? You don’t think he came up with that on his own, do you?”
“Don’t lie to me about my brother.”
“I let Brian think he could buy your freedom after you and I had that little knife incident. He borrowed money from your father’s company to pay me. He must have really loved his little sister.”
The words hit Cara like a blow from a fist. She remembered Brian’s last day—his words, it’s all your fault. What had her brother done?
“Then I tipped off the company auditors and it was only a matter of time before they would have discovered the theft. Sam and I convinced Brian his only way out was to pin it on you, but you had to be dead so you couldn’t protest your innocence.”
Cara couldn’t breathe, and she didn’t want to hear any more of his vile words. She leveled the Glock on the center of his chest. “Shut up, David. This is between you and me. Leave my brother out of it.”
David laughed scornfully. “Of course, your brother still wanted to protect you, until Sam
found his weakness—that wife of his. All Sam had to do was describe what he was going to do to her and how long it would take, and Brian was crying like a baby. He would have done anything to save that bitch. Even supply me with weapons to sell for a tidy profit overseas.”
“It was you? You were his contact?” Of course. All the boxes downstairs with SINCLAIR ARMS DISTRIBUTING on them. She should have figured it out.
“The plan was perfect, until Reynolds killed Brian. Now I need you alive to keep the distributing plant in the family, so to speak. The point is, we can work something out if you unlock these now.” He jerked on the handcuffs, causing the wrought-iron headboard to slam against the wall.
Someone knocked on the door. Cara held the detonator up in her other hand. “Play nice, or we all die.”
“Yeah.” David called loudly and the door opened to three of his men. Each reached for a weapon as soon as they saw her.
“I wouldn’t do that if you want to survive the night.” She stared the men down until they looked to David for guidance.
“Drop your guns. There’s C-4 under the bed. She’s got the detonator. Let her walk out of here or she’ll set it off.” David’s voice rang with barely concealed fury.
“Get over by your boss.” She motioned them in with her gun.
“Cara, don’t do anything stupid,” David said.
“That almost sounded like a threat. You’re not in any position to make threats.”
The sporadic gunfire had ceased. The chopper was gone. Whatever had happened, it was over now. For a moment, she entertained the idea it might have been Joe, but he didn’t know where she was. He couldn’t help her.
“You’ll never make it out of here, Cara.” David’s warning brought her back from her daydream.
All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel Page 29