by Susan Stoker
Allye’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
“She’s disappeared.”
Allye leaned forward and covered her face. She stayed hunched over as she asked through her fingers, “Was it my kidnapper?”
“Probably.”
She sat up. “What’s being done to find her? To rescue her?”
“Arrow and Black are in San Francisco now. They’re questioning her neighbors and the other dancers to see what they know. Rex is using his contacts too. The same ones that had the lead on your transfer.”
Her eyes dulled, and the truth registered on her face. “She’s going to show up dead, too, isn’t she?”
Gray tried to soothe her. “We don’t know that.”
“She is. We both know it.” Allye pushed to her feet and paced in front of him in agitation. “Why is he doing this?” she asked in a shrill voice. “Why is he so obsessed with me? It doesn’t make sense! He can’t have me. I’m not something he can purchase and lock away and do whatever he wants with. I’m a person. A human being! He doesn’t have the right to steal my friends and kill them. He doesn’t have the right to play God! You have to stop him, Gray! You have to. Make him stop—please, God, make him stop!” And with that, she crumpled to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
Gray hated seeing her like this. He bent and scooped her up as if she were a child rather than a full-grown adult. He carried her up the stairs and into their room. He put her on the bed and curled himself around her, doing everything he could to make her feel safe.
She shook for quite a while, but never cried, her emotions coming out through her trembling body rather than in the form of tears. Then she spent the next twenty minutes telling Gray everything she could about Melany. Her favorite kind of dance, what she liked to snack on during rehearsals, everything she knew about her family. She talked about her quirks, how she had to wear pink underwear when she performed. How she would knock on a piece of wood along the stage of the theatre every time before she went onstage. How she lived alone, but always asked one of the male dancers to accompany her home.
Gray let her talk. Let her get it all out, always alert to anything that he might pass on to Rex that could assist in finding her.
Finally, her words trailed off, and she sighed. “He’s not going to stop.”
“He will when we find him and kill him.” In the past, with other girlfriends, Gray would’ve never been so blunt, but he’d found over the weeks that Allye honestly didn’t seem to mind what he did for a living. Maybe it was the way they’d met, and the fact that he’d killed two men rescuing her from a fate worse than death. Maybe it was her background. Whatever it was, Gray knew he could always be who he truly was with her.
“He wants me,” she said softly.
“And he’s not going to get you,” Gray retorted immediately.
“But what if it’s the only way he’ll stop?” she asked.
Gray used his greater strength and turned her in his arms. He put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. “No, kitten. Absolutely not.”
“No, what?” she asked, trying to sound innocent, but he knew her well enough by now to know there was nothing naive about her question.
“You will not put yourself in harm’s way. I won’t allow it.”
“But if you’re there with me, you’ll keep me safe.”
“No,” Gray repeated, tucking her head into his chest, not able to look into her beautiful eyes anymore. “Just no.”
She didn’t say anything else, and eventually he felt her grow lax in his arms. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t even noon yet. She’d fallen asleep, probably to try to block out some of the pain she was feeling over what was happening to her friends.
Gray slipped out of her arms and replaced himself with a pillow, waiting until Allye had settled before easing out of the room and heading back to his office. He needed to get online and do whatever he had to do to find Nightingale and end this. Before Allye insisted on being involved.
Nightingale grinned as the escort he’d paid ten thousand dollars entered the room, dragging a struggling woman on her back. He always paid his people above and beyond what they’d get for doing the same jobs for someone else. He found that by shelling out good money to those who snatched the women—and to the men who collected payments from others and escorted his own special pets—the more careful and loyal his employees were.
The service he provided wasn’t cheap. There were a lot of risks in the human-trafficking business, and the more difficult the woman was to obtain, the higher the fee. But he had no problem shelling out money to good escorts and kidnappers.
The woman being dragged into the room really didn’t look anything like his Mystic, but Nightingale knew he could work on that. He indicated to the zookeeper to take off the blindfold around her head. She blinked once it was removed and squinted as if the light hurt her eyes. She was about the same height as Mystic, but her hair was black. Her dark eyes would be tough to lighten, but he’d already considered that.
“Welcome, Melany,” he said congenially.
The woman had a piece of duct tape over her mouth, so her response wasn’t clear, but what was clear was that it seemed full of venom and not at all pleasant.
Knowing he had to start training her now, even if she wouldn’t be around all that long, Nightingale walked over to where she was lying on her back on the hard floor and grabbed the hair at the top of her head. She was breathing hard, and her eyes were dilated with fear. He wrenched her up slightly, then tilted her head back until she was struggling to pull in air through her nose.
“Is that any way to greet your new master?” he asked. “Why don’t you try again, and be nice, or I’ll have to show you what that defiance gets you. Welcome to your new home, Melany.”
She glared at him through her dark, boring eyes, and mumbled something through the tape.
Without remorse and without delay, Nightingale shoved her head back down, not caring that it met the concrete floor with a loud thud, and grabbed one of her kicking feet. She wasn’t wearing shoes, as per his instructions, and he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small nutcracker. He positioned her big toe in the middle of it and squeezed.
The sound of the bone breaking was loud in the room, but her scream, even muffled as it was by the tape, was louder.
Nightingale dropped her foot, satisfied he’d made his point. After all, dancers protected their feet at all costs. He crouched by her head once more.
“Welcome to your new home, Melany,” he repeated.
He grinned when his new pet meekly said a garbled “Thank you.” Nightingale was disgusted by the tears leaking from her eyes and the snot dripping from her nose, but at least her attitude had improved. His Mystic would never debase herself like this whore was doing. He stood, nodded to the escort, and gestured for the man to follow him.
The zookeeper stepped forward to take control of the new pet. He had his orders as to how to groom the new addition. He had some bleach for her right eye, and some blue dye, and her hair had to change color as well. The bleach would also work for the streak in her hair, but would need to be followed up with some plain ol’ matte-white paint for it to look as Nightingale wished.
The zookeeper took hold of the new pet’s foot, the one with the broken toe, and began to drag her toward her new living quarters as Nightingale and the escort left the room without a backward glance.
Chapter Twelve
The next two days were tense. There hadn’t been any word from Arrow or Black about Melany’s whereabouts, and Rex hadn’t called with information about Nightingale either.
So Allye had spent two horribly long days worrying about what was happening to her friend and what she was going through. And she knew in the pit of her stomach that it was bad. It had to be. After hearing about some of what had happened to Jessie, Allye knew Melany was probably suffering the same fate.
The more she thought about it, the sicker she felt. This was her fault. No m
atter what Gray tried to tell her, it was. The man wanted her, and since he couldn’t get to her, he was systematically attacking her friends. And she knew without a doubt he’d keep doing it. Who would be next? Molly? The sweet young dancer who’d just started? Bethany? The girl who wasn’t that good, but had so much enthusiasm Robin couldn’t help but let her have bit parts in some of the smaller productions? Would he go after some of the kids she used to teach before she began dancing full-time?
It had to stop, and Allye knew deep down, she was the only one who could stop it. If Rex hadn’t been able to find this Nightingale guy yet, it was unlikely he would without some help.
The problem was Gray. He was adamant that she stay right where she was. With him. In Colorado Springs. He’d said time and time again that there was nothing she could do that he and his team weren’t already doing.
But it sure didn’t feel that way to her.
It was later in the afternoon, two days after Melany had been taken, when the doorbell rang. Allye couldn’t make herself move from her spot on the couch. The television was on, but she wasn’t watching it. Gray had gone into his home office, like he did most afternoons, but she had no idea what he was doing in there.
Things had been tense between them, and she hated it. They still slept in each other’s arms every night, but they hadn’t made love since they’d found out about the second abduction.
She watched as Gray walked toward the front door and answered it. When she saw Ro, Ball, and Meat enter, she stiffened even more.
“Oh shit,” she whispered as the four men came toward her solemnly.
She knew without them having to say a word that they’d found Melany. And it wasn’t good.
“Just say it,” she begged softly as the men settled around her.
Gray sat next to her and took her hand in his.
“They found her in the same place Jessie was found. Golden Gate Park.”
“Was she tortured?”
Gray nodded.
Allye pressed her lips together.
“Contacts? Her hair?”
“No contacts this time. It looks like he tried to use bleach to lighten her right eye. It didn’t work. It just blinded her. Her hair was dyed brown, though. And the streak was added.”
“Was there a message like on Jessie?”
Gray hesitated for the first time, and Allye braced for the worst.
“It said, How many more? Come back.”
Allye felt cold inside. This was worse than Jessie.
“There was a witness to the dumping of her body this time,” Ball told her, as if that would make her feel better.
“And?” she asked. Allye knew her voice was flat and emotionless, but she couldn’t make herself feel right now. If she did, she’d lose it.
“And Black and Arrow are working the lead.”
Which meant they had nothing. If she could cry, now would be the time, but no tears came. She was uncomfortably numb. “So what now?”
“We continue to do what we can to find him. And you continue to stay here and be safe.”
Allye wanted to refute Gray’s words. Wanted to yell that it just wasn’t right that others were being tortured and dying because of her. But she didn’t. She stayed sitting. “Thank you for all that you’re doing to try to help,” she told the other three men. “It means a lot.”
She looked down at her hands, not wanting to see their reactions to her words.
“We’re going to find the arsehole,” Ro said, emotion making his accent thicker than usual.
Allye nodded.
“He’s going to pay for what he’s done,” Meat added.
“Good.”
“We’ve got this,” Ball said, when she didn’t say anything else.
“What are you thinking, kitten?” Gray asked, lifting her chin with his finger and turning her head to his.
“I’m kinda hungry. Are you guys hungry? I can make something.” She wasn’t hungry in the least, but she needed to do something. Anything other than sit around and worry about who would be next to fall into the hands of the madman who wanted her.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Maybe some sandwiches?” Gray asked.
Allye nodded and stood. She walked around Gray, feeling his hand trailing on her hip as she went past.
“Bloody hell,” Ro said when Allye had left the room. “What the fuck was that?”
Gray ran his hand through his hair tiredly. “That was Allye not dealing well with hearing another one of her friends is dead at the hands of this asshole. What did Black get from the witness?”
“Not much. Just that he saw a four-door sedan parked along one of the side roads near the park, and it caught his eye because there were literally no other cars around, and it’s not the safest place to be at two in the morning,” Ball shared.
“What was the witness doing there?” Gray asked.
Ball shrugged. “Don’t know. Frankly, don’t care. But he said he saw a man between five-ten and six feet, carrying a large bag. Then later, when the man was getting back into the car before he left, he didn’t have the bag anymore.”
“Could’ve been the body,” Ro observed.
“Did he get a plate number?” Gray asked.
Ball shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“So, he’s completely useless,” Gray huffed. “Fuck, why can’t we get a break?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Ball said. “Rex told me he did add that there was some sort of hangtag on the mirror of the car. He only noticed it because it was reflecting off the streetlight nearby.”
“What was it?” Gray asked.
“He couldn’t tell for sure, but he thought there was some sort of paw print on it,” Ball told the group of men.
“A paw print? What does that mean?” Ro asked.
“A zoo? Does the San Francisco or Oakland Zoo have passes like that?” Gray asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Meat said decisively.
“Maybe it’s some kind of private animal reserve or something,” Ro added.
Meat nodded and stood. “Let me know if you guys think of something else, or if you hear from Rex, Ball. I’m headed back home to see what I can dig up.”
“Will do,” Ball told him. “And with that, I’m going to go too.”
“You want to stay for lunch?” Gray asked Ro.
The other man shook his head. “Naw, I’m thinking you and Allye need some time alone.”
Gray nodded. He wasn’t glad, exactly, that his friends were leaving. Things had been awkward with him and Allye lately. But he did want to do what he could to comfort her.
He walked his friends out and shut the door. When he turned, Allye was standing there.
“They left?”
“Yeah, kitten.”
“They didn’t want lunch?”
“No. They wanted to see what else they could find.”
“Oh.”
The word was low and sounded uncertain.
“Come here,” Gray said, and held out his hand. She came to him immediately, ignoring his hand and cuddling right up to him.
Gray sighed in relief. Holding her felt so right. He didn’t know what he’d do without this. Without her. He shuffled them back into the living room and sat them down on the couch.
They sat glued together for several minutes without speaking. Then Allye pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Make me forget?” she asked softly.
Gray’s cock immediately hardened, but he shook his head. “I don’t think—”
“Please, Gray. You’re the only thing that makes me feel safe. I feel like the world has gone crazy, but when you’re inside me, it all fades away, and the only thing I can think about, or feel, is you.”
She was killing him. But he felt exactly the same way when he was balls deep inside of her. He stood and took hold of her hand. He led her to the bedroom and slowly began to strip her. He treated her as if she were as fragile as a piece of glass. He removed her blouse and bra. Th
en unzipped her jeans and slid them down her legs. He carefully eased his hands under the elastic of her panties until she stood in front of him completely bare.
Then she returned the favor, pushing his shirt up until he took if off the rest of the way. She unbuttoned his jeans and kneeled as she slowly eased them over his hips. His cock was hard against his briefs, and when she tugged the elastic down, the head popped out, nearly smacking her in the face. But instead of pulling his briefs all the way off, she left them there, with nothing but his dick sticking out, his balls still encased in the cotton.
She put her hand around him and, without any warning, sucked him into her mouth as far as she could.
Allye didn’t want tenderness. She didn’t want Gray to treat her like she was going to break. She wanted her Gray. The rough, take-what-he-wanted-and-damn-the-consequences Gray. But she knew she wouldn’t get him if she didn’t make the first move. If she didn’t force him to forget the last hour and what they’d learned.
She knew she’d surprised him when she engulfed his cock in her mouth. He hips jerked, and she gagged when he pushed past what she could take, but she didn’t let him ease up. Using her hand to jack him off at the same time, she licked and sucked him. She knew the exact moment when he broke.
He picked her up with his hands under her armpits and practically threw her onto the bed. He jerked off his underwear and reached for the drawer in his nightstand. Allye licked her lips as she played with herself while he rolled the condom down his length.
“You want this?” he asked huskily.
“Yeah, Gray. I want that,” she replied.
“You’re gonna take it how I want to give it to you,” he warned.
She nodded. Because how he wanted to give it to her was exactly how she wanted to take it.
He crawled up between her spread legs, pushing her thighs farther apart. He pushed her hand away from her clit and took over manipulating it.
“You like sucking my cock, kitten?”
Allye could only nod as his knees pushed her legs open even farther. She could feel the burn in her inner thighs, but welcomed it. The physical pain pushed away the emotional anguish she could still feel.