by Susan Stoker
But she had no idea if whatever they had was going to last. Yeah, Gray liked having her live with him. What guy wouldn’t? He had access to uninhibited sex all the time, and she’d pretty much taken over in the kitchen just to keep herself occupied. She loved making vegetarian dishes for him. Meals that he’d never make for himself but obviously loved.
Deep down, however, Allye wanted to believe she meant more to him than just a convenient sex partner. And whenever she asked if he had more information about Jessie or if she’d been found, he’d frown and ask her to try not to worry about it.
But she couldn’t continue living in limbo. Her job and her life were back in California. She couldn’t hide out with him forever, as much as the thought appealed to her.
She was making lunch when she heard the door to Gray’s house open. She turned with a smile to greet him, but her smile died when she saw the look on his face.
“What happened?” she asked immediately.
Gray walked over to her and took the knife out of her hand. He put it on the counter, then led her into the other room, to the couch. He sat her down and pulled the coffee table over until it was in front of her. He sat on it, encasing her legs between his own, and scooted closer, holding both her hands in his.
Allye took a deep breath. This was bad. Very bad.
“Jessie was found.”
Allye breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. Is she okay?”
Gray slowly shook his head. “No, kitten. She’s dead.”
Allye blinked. She couldn’t have heard him right. “What?”
“She’s dead,” he repeated. “A tourist found her body in Golden Gate Park. She’d been tortured.”
Allye tugged at her hands, needing to pace. Something. But Gray wouldn’t let go.
He continued. “She had ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and it looks like she’d been starved. He probably didn’t give her anything to eat the entire time he had her.”
“Oh my God. Poor Jessie! I mean, we weren’t exactly friends, but that’s awful!”
Gray stared at her, his gaze unwavering.
“What? Is there more?”
“There’s more,” he confirmed. “Her hair had been dyed brown with a white streak, and she was wearing a pair of contacts when she was found.”
“One blue and one brown,” Allye whispered.
Gray nodded and tightened his grip on her hands. “There was a message carved into her body as well.”
Allye closed her eyes. She couldn’t bear to hear any more. But Gray kept on talking.
“He used a knife and cut the words come back into her belly. Investigators think it was done while she was still alive.”
“No!” Allye yelled, yanking her hands out of Gray’s grasp and pushing past him after she stood up. “No, that’s a lie! You’re just saying that to scare me!”
She ran for the front door, not knowing where she was going or what she was doing, but Gray caught her. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her into his body.
Allye fought him. Fought to escape her reality. Fought to get away from words she didn’t want to hear.
Her struggles didn’t even seem to faze Gray. He picked her up so her feet weren’t touching the ground and carried her, squirming and flailing, back to the couch. He sat her down, then pushed her sideways until she was lying on her back and he was crouched over her.
Allye ineffectively beat her fists on his chest, trying to get him off her. “God, Gray—please tell me he didn’t really do that to her!”
“Calm down, kitten,” he said, grabbing hold of her hands and pushing them to the cushion above her head.
All the fight left her in a rush. Allye went limp and gazed up at him sadly. “He tortured her because he wants me.”
Gray didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. His eyes and facial expression said it all.
“Was she raped?”
Gray hesitated, then admitted, “With the amount of damage to her lower body, it can’t be determined.”
Allye closed her eyes, not wanting to know what kind of torture Jessie had gone through that was so bad that the coroner couldn’t tell if she had been violated sexually. “What now?”
“You stay here so we can keep you safe. Rex is investigating.”
Her eyes opened. “For how long?”
“He’ll keep on it until he finds Nightingale’s location.”
“No, I meant, how long am I going to have to stay here?”
His expression changed then. Allye couldn’t read it.
“As long as it takes.”
That wasn’t exactly the answer she was looking for. She’d begun to think she’d love to stay here with Gray. Forever. But not because he had to protect her—because he wanted her here. With him.
She nodded. “I’m okay now. You can let me up.”
Gray cautiously eased his hold on her hands and sat up. She brushed her hair out of her face and let him pull her upright.
“Have Rex and Meat figured out what the spreadsheet means yet?” They’d cracked the password the night she’d given the flash drive to Meat, but the entire spreadsheet was in code, and they’d been having a hard time figuring it out. Apparently, the man sent to escort her wasn’t exactly stupid.
“Some of it. There have been a few locations and names, but they’re vague enough that there’s nothing concrete Rex can use to send us to check out.”
Allye blew out a breath in frustration. “So, it’s not helpful. Me risking both our lives to grab it was for naught.”
“I didn’t say that,” Gray said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. “Rex has gotten confirmation about several men who he’d believed were involved in sex trafficking, but he hadn’t been able to prove it. Their names were on the spreadsheet. He also . . .”
Gray continued to talk, but Allye tuned him out. All she could think about was Jessie. The woman hadn’t been nice, and frankly, was a pain in Allye’s butt, but she never would’ve wished her dead. Especially not the way it had apparently happened.
“Are you listening?”
Allye jerked when Gray put a hand on her leg. She looked up at him and sheepishly shook her head.
“I said, I have a surprise for you today.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I know you’ve been stressed, and today’s news, while maybe not entirely unexpected, wasn’t good. I also know you’ve been cooped up here. Colorado Springs doesn’t exactly have the public transportation system you’re used to, and you said you weren’t comfortable driving my car. So, I made you an appointment today.”
Allye mentally cringed. She’d never been the type of woman who liked going to the spa. It just seemed like such a waste of money. Especially when she never had any extra. She couldn’t think of any other kind of appointment Gray would’ve made for her.
“Great,” she said, trying to drum up some enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do anything after hearing about Jessie and the damn message that had been left on her body. But Gray was going out of his way to be sweet to her, so she’d suck it up and pretend to want to be pampered and coddled for an afternoon.
They both knew the message on Jessie’s body was for her. Knew the man who’d had her kidnapped wanted her back in the city so he could grab her again.
“I know when I work out, it really helps me refocus and get rid of stress. I figured the same would work for you. Come on,” he said, standing and holding out his hand.
Allye sighed and put her hand in his. So, he wasn’t taking her to a spa. At least that was something. She wasn’t in the mood to work out either, but she needed to. She’d been trying to practice the steps of the dances she’d be performing back in California, whenever she got back there, but it was hard to do while on her own and not in a dance studio with the rest of the dancers. And being lazy wasn’t the way to keep her lead role at the theatre. She needed to start practicing again. Big-time. Gray had also bought her some clothes, but she missed her own workout thing
s, her own T-shirts and fat pants. Frankly, she missed a lot of things about California and her life there.
Gray led her to the garage door, then turned. “Stay here a sec, okay?”
“Why?”
“Because,” he retorted.
Allye rolled her eyes.
He smiled and kissed her hard on the lips, then jogged back into the house.
Allye bit her thumbnail as she waited for Gray to return. She worried about what was happening with the dance theatre. Wondered what Robin was really thinking about her future with the troupe. Did the other dancers know that Jessie had been taken and tortured because of her? She also worried about what her kidnapper was going to do next. It was all just too much, and Allye was as close to crying as she’d been in years.
Just when she’d decided to go looking for Gray to find out what was taking him so long, he returned. He had one of his gym bags in his hand, and he was smiling. When he looked at her, though, the smile faded.
“Fuck, kitten, don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t look so damn sad. We’re going to get through this.”
Allye leaned toward him and put her forehead against his chest. She gripped the shirt at his sides and asked, “You think so?”
“I know so. There’s no way I’ve found you, only to have you taken away from me.”
It was a sweet thing to say, but all it did was stress Allye out. Their whole relationship was impossible. Him saying such sweet things only made her yearn to stay even more, though she knew the possibility of that working out was slim. What if she moved here and they broke up? She’d have given up everything, and he’d be able to continue on with his life as if she’d never sacrificed anything for him.
“Stop thinking so hard,” he said softly. “You’re killin’ me.”
“I can’t help it,” she mumbled against his chest.
“Come on, kitten. I think what I planned is just what you need.”
As usual, he opened the passenger door of his Audi and waited until she was seated and comfortable before shutting her in. He went around to his side and put the bag he was carrying in the back seat. Then he got in, started the car, and they were off.
They made small talk as he drove them toward downtown Colorado Springs. Allye really liked the small city. It was big enough to have most of what she needed, but way smaller than San Francisco. It had a homey feel to it.
She blinked when Gray stopped the car. He got out, grabbed the gym bag, then came around to her side. When she stood, she couldn’t help but stare at the building in front of them in shock.
“Gray?”
“Yeah?”
“Is this . . .”
He chuckled. “Yeah, kitten. It’s a dance studio. I know you must miss it, and I’m guessing dance is a good stress reliever for you.”
Allye sighed in ecstasy. Gray got her. He really did.
“I did some research and made an appointment with the owner, Barbara Ellis. She said you were welcome to practice here as much as you want. There are classes most afternoons, but the mornings are pretty much open. Though she said there was an empty studio this afternoon because one of the classes is away at a competition.”
Allye could only stare up at Gray. She’d thought he was going to bring her to an aerobics class. She should’ve known better. This was so much more enjoyable.
He handed over the bag. “I packed some of your things. I wasn’t sure what you usually practiced in, so I threw in a bunch of stuff, just in case.”
Would he ever cease to surprise her? Allye threw her arms around him and gloried in the fact that he immediately returned the hug.
He gently ran a hand over her head, caressing the white shock of hair as he spoke. “I’m worried about you. I know you have a lot of stuff going on up here”—he tapped her temple—“and I’m doing the best I can to make it so you can feel safe and free.”
She noticed he didn’t say so that you can go home.
“Is two hours enough? If it’s too much, just let me know,” he said.
“It’s perfect.”
“I’m going to go and meet with the guys while you’re dancing. If you need me, just call. We’ll be at The Pit, which isn’t too far away. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks, Gray. This is amazing.”
Then he blew her mind even more. “I researched as much as I could about dance studios here in Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, they seem to merely hold classes. But I talked to Cleo Parker Robinson. She has a professional dance troupe up in Denver that gives performances year-round. I told her your name, and she hadn’t heard of you, but when I told her you danced at the Dance Theatre of San Francisco, I heard her clicking on a keyboard, obviously looking you up. She informed me that your stage name is Allyson Mystic.” He grinned. “She was impressed with what she saw online, and told me she’d welcome you with open arms. She liked the fact that you’re able to do a broad range of dance genres.”
“She said that?” Allye asked, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, kitten. I know it’s unfair of me to expect you to make all the sacrifices. But I would do anything to make this relationship work out. I need to stay here in Colorado Springs, which isn’t exactly fair to you. But if you staying here means I have to call every dance studio in a hundred-mile radius and brag about you and your talent in order to get you a job you love, I will. It’s not ideal to have the troupe up there in Denver, but Cleo said you could practice down here most days, and you’d only have to travel up to Denver once or twice a week.”
Allye smiled up at the huge man in front of her. She never in a million years would’ve guessed he could be so sensitive. He looked unbending and downright frightening at times. But she’d seen the vulnerable and tender side. “You’re amazing,” she said softly. Then, looking around to make sure they were alone, she stood on tiptoe and nipped his chin before saying, “You’re so getting some tonight.”
He grinned and moved his hands to her ass, pulling her into him. She could feel his hard cock against her belly. “You might be sore after dancing for two hours.”
“You can run me a bath,” she told him suggestively. “Then join me in it.”
“We’ve fucked just about everywhere in my house but there,” Gray mused with a glint of lust in his eyes.
“Thank you,” Allye said with all the gratitude she could muster in her tone. “Not just for being amazing, but for this”—she motioned to the dance studio with her head—“and for making me feel safe. And for just being you.”
“Go, dance,” Gray ordered. “Try not to worry. I’ll be back in two hours.”
He bent his head and kissed her. A long, heartfelt, lustful kiss that was inappropriate for a public sidewalk. But Allye didn’t care. When someone whistled out a car window as they drove past and yelled “Get a room!” Gray finally pulled back. Allye rolled her eyes.
“Have fun,” he said as he backed away toward his car.
“I will. You’ll let me know what you guys talked about later?”
“Of course. Go.”
Allye smiled at him and turned to enter the dance studio. She should’ve been thinking about Jessie, San Francisco, and what the madman who wanted her for a sex slave was going to do next. But all she could think about was losing herself in music. It had always been her safe and happy place.
“So it’s a list of women, the men who bought them, and how much they paid?” Gray asked Meat.
All six of the Mountain Mercenaries were sitting around their usual table at The Pit. Meat had had a breakthrough with the code and had finally cracked it.
“Yeah. It lists the requirements of the buyers, like one wanted a blonde-haired, blue-eyed virgin; another wanted a woman under five-three; and still another requested a voluptuous African American woman. Then the women’s names are filled in after they’re tagged for acquisition.”
Arrow scanned the list and whistled. “These women didn’t come cheap.”
“Nope,” Meat agreed. “The cheap
est was seventy-five thousand. The set of twins? Two hundred K.”
“Buyers are listed with only initials, which isn’t helpful at all,” Black added.
“Bloody hell,” Ro swore, slamming his hand down on the table. The crack of sound echoed through the pool hall. “This is like the Cadillac of sex-slave trading.”
“Exactly why we need to shut this shit down,” Ball growled. “Is Nightingale the mastermind?”
Meat shrugged. “There’s no indication on the spreadsheet. The escort Gray sent to the bottom of the Pacific didn’t make note of Nightingale; the dumbass just seems to have put his orders in the document. Probably yanked off to it late at night.”
“It’s Nightingale. It has to be,” Gray said in a low, deadly tone.
“Rex thinks so too,” Meat agreed. “But there’s no proof. Not on this spreadsheet, anyway.”
Gray stared at the line that had Allye’s information on it.
ALLYSON MYSTIC, DANCER, 5’7”, WHITE STREAK IN HAIR, 100K, SAN FRAN., T.B.
“Who’s T.B.?” he asked. All signs pointed to Nightingale being her buyer. If he had a known pseudonym, maybe they could nail him.
“No clue. Rex has his ear to the ground, but there’s no one he knows in the trade with those initials. It could be anyone rich enough to drop a hundred grand on a woman. Some businessman who decided he wanted a piece on the side. A Mob boss who wants in on the sex-trade game. There’s no telling.”
Gray clenched his teeth together so hard, he was in danger of cracking a molar. “How do we find out? This asshole paid someone big bucks to kidnap Allye. He’s not going to just let that go.”
“Obviously,” Meat said, still looking down at the spreadsheet.
Gray couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. He got up so fast, his chair hit the floor behind him with a loud thump, and he reached across the table for Meat. He grabbed his shirt and twisted his hand, forcing Meat to stand or be choked. “This is not some random woman we’re talking about. It’s my woman. He’s killing people she knows in order to get inside her head and force her back to California so he can grab her again. Stop treating this so flippantly!”