The back doors opened, and they were jerked out of the van by their feet. She stumbled. Hands roughly settled her. Yes, the breeze was brisk here, though she had no idea which way it was blowing. Music flowed from somewhere. Voices, a man’s laughter. A woman’s scream that petered out as quickly as it had started. That shot through Mollie’s body like an electric shock. Was it Di?
The lake, as wide open as the ocean, was only a few yards away. Moonlight glittered on the ruffled surface, diamonds on black velvet.
“Welcome to the Kings’ Ball,” a big, blocky guy said with a grin, his gold tooth catching the light. “I’m the King. King Crimson.” That grin disappeared, and he grabbed Julian’s shirt and hauled him up to his face. “Where’s your friend?”
He must be talking about Rath. And if they didn’t know, it meant his team had returned and retrieved him.
Julian shrugged. “Have no idea. Last I saw, he was back at Hidden Assets.”
“He says he and the other guy own a security firm,” Damon said.
Crimson narrowed his eyes. “We’re gonna find your friend.” He turned to the men on his right. “Take him around the back side of the wall and make sure he’s secure.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve got thirty minutes before the festivities begin.”
“Wait.” Damon put his hand to the back of each of their heads. “These two should have one last kiss.” He smashed their faces together, laughing.
Julian had put his hands out, so her nose didn’t crunch against his cheek quite as hard as Damon had intended. Still, the impact sent pain through her face.
“Take them,” Crimson said.
Julian fell forward, a move she thought was calculated based on their earlier conversation. “I can’t walk,” he said.
“We’ll carry you,” one of the guys said. Four of them hoisted Julian, and two lifted her up and carried them like canoes.
She watched that dark water, both relieved and sorry that their watery escape plan had been thwarted. As they came around the edge of the wall, she saw that two walls formed a long, roofless corridor. She shifted to see the interior, lit by those lanterns. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. Her heartbeat ground to a halt, fear pulsing cold through her being.
Women in the same skimpy kind of costume she wore were in what looked like stations that depicted a different kind of fantasy. A sick, twisted fantasy. And each station bore a handwritten sign with a number. Makeshift curtains surrounded each area for privacy.
One of the two women in view was dressed as Alice in Wonderland, tied into a chair contraption suspended from a bar that stretched across the walls. Another was in a sexy nurse’s costume and strapped to a surgical table. Terrifyingly, there was a tray of instruments next to her. It was Lilliana’s pale face that stared up into the night sky, eyes fixed in fear.
The men carried Mollie down the center of the stations, where she took in more tableaus. Oriental décor with a woman dressed as a geisha. A virginal sacrifice in tribal gear. A schoolgirl, old-fashioned desk, and … Katie! In that same outfit Mollie had seen her in, braids, and tears. She was bent over that desk, struggling to free herself from the cuffs. The desk had to be anchored to the ground; it wasn’t giving an inch. Lying nearby were rulers, paddleboards, and other implements of punishment.
Katie looked up at Mollie’s whimper, despair in her eyes. More so when she saw who was joining the party. The breeze whipped loose strands of her hair across her cheeks and her lipstick-smeared mouth.
Plastic tarps covered the ground around them. To catch the blood. A violent shudder racked her. But where was Di? Had she come all this way in vain? And what were they doing to Julian? He might be Houdini, Spiderman, and Aquaman, but he wasn’t really a magician. And it was going to take magic to get them out of this now.
* * *
Scotch stiffened when Crimson came up beside him as they watched the guys carry off their cargo. Crimson slapped him on the back so hard that his teeth rattled. “Good job covering up your mistake.”
Like Scotch could have foreseen the trouble Birdy had caused. He swallowed back his ire and said thanks. It was always better to keep it simple with Crimson. “But I don’t like keeping the guy around. What are we going to do with him?”
“His friend’s still in the wind. And we can’t be absolutely sure there aren’t more of them. I’m thinking we should torture him and find out.” Crimson’s smile spread across his ugly mug. “Then dump him in the lake. Sink him good, like we’re going to do with the women when we’re done.”
“The sooner the better.”
“You scared of him, Scotch?” Crimson affected a girlish shiver, compounding the taunt in his voice. “Does he make you wet your pants?” He dropped the tone. “He’s unarmed, cuffed, and surrounded by patches. He’s not even fighting anymore. He’s given up.”
“That’s what bothers me. Most guys in that situation would be scared shitless. Not him. He’s got a cold edge to his eyes, calm and calculating. Why risk keeping him around?” Scotch flexed his fists. “Let me and the St. Louis guys finish him for what he’s done to our clubs. Then you can relax and enjoy yourselves.”
Crimson turned his narrowed eyes to Scotch. “You’re not a paying attendee. In fact, you’re the one who’s always squawking at Church that I shouldn’t be holding the Ball.”
Scotch nodded. “I’m looking out for the club, is all. I don’t want us exposed.”
Crimson’s big hand shot out and tightened around his throat. “You saying I’m not looking out for the club? Me, the president? The one who’s brought tens of thousands of dollars to our coffers?”
“No,” Scotch squeaked out. Yeah, he was, but he wasn’t going to press the point now. “Just … want … to be careful.”
Crimson released him. “Go, take care of the interloper. Then take a post by the road.”
Damon stepped up beside them. “Problem?”
“Making sure Scotch here shows proper respect for leadership. Just to show what a great guy I am, I’m letting him and the St. Louis boys take care of the troublemaker now. I figure we shouldn’t take any chances, not tonight.”
Scotch fumed at Crimson’s pawning his advice off as his own. He held his tongue. Damon wasn’t going to back him up; he was Crimson’s right-hand man.
“Dude ain’t going anywhere, but I’m for getting rid of him now.” Damon nodded toward Scotch. “He wants to finish Mollie. He did spot her at the club, came all the way up to make sure she didn’t cause trouble. I say we let him, once the paying customers are done.”
Crimson frowned as he considered it. “If there’s anything left of her. You know, she’s worked hard to find her sister. Put her next to Birdy so she can watch. Double the torture, double the fun.”
Chapter 18
Chase followed the cell phone’s signal to an area of town that did not look warm and welcoming. On the way, he had updated the police chief, unfortunately with a lot of noninformation. A possible abduction of a civilian who went into a strip club undercover. A J-man who was last known to be riding atop a van.
“All I can ask is that they keep a couple of area patrol cars on standby,” Chase told his two operatives. “Mostly it’s up to us.”
Risk and Sax nodded, unfazed. “Okay.”
He liked SEALs for their fortitude. They took what came, no complaints. Their ousting had been bad for them, but good for The Justiss Alliance.
“Just us and maybe fifty bikers?” Brick whined. “They’ll clean our clocks. Look, they’re already waiting for us.”
A small group was gathered in the vicinity of the phone’s signal. None of them wore vests, which Brick obviously noticed. “Whew, it’s not any patches.”
Chase rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure if bringing Brick was a good idea. An additional fighting body would be helpful, especially one who knew the Kings. Other than that, he didn’t seem to have much in the way of balls.
“Brick, you ever killed someone?” Chase asked as he surveyed the crowd. No weapons, no fighting, only a group
of people discussing something that had just happened.
“No. Ran some drugs, stripped a couple of stolen bikes. Broke up a few fights.”
Figures, Chase had to find the one nonviolent member of the Kings. “You willing to shoot someone to save your girlfriend?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. “I tried to knife one of my brothers. That’s how I got kicked out. They were trying to claim her.”
So he was motivated by jealousy. “And you can imagine what they’re going to do to her tonight.”
“Yes. Can I have my piece back?”
Chase slid a look to Sax, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Sax subtly nodded. “Get his gun out of the case, Risk.”
He heard Risk opening the case that concealed their weapons. Risk had been tasked with keeping an eye on Brick.
“Let’s disperse and find out what happened.” Chase found a place to park. People were talking excitedly, using their hands to reenact some sort of altercation. He homed in on two young guys who seemed the most psyched while scanning the ground for Julian’s cell phone and headset. “Fill me in. We were down the street and saw something going on down here.”
“This old VW van comes to a screeching halt, and this dude goes flying off the roof. Then three biker dudes pull up and just beat the shit out of him.”
Chase’s chest tightened at the image that went with that. He kept his expression placid, something he’d learned in his former job. “That’s some sick business. Did anyone help him?”
“Hell, no,” the other guy said. “No one’s gonna get involved with those badasses. But it was over fast. They grabbed him, threw him in the van, and they were gone.” The guy pointed east.
“It was the Kings,” Brick said as he came up.
“Man, you’re cops,” the first guy said, moving back.
“No, I own a private security firm, and that ‘dude’ was one of my men.” He glanced over to see Risk holding up a cell phone. “Did anyone bother to call the cops?” Chase scanned the crowd, who had all suddenly lost their enthusiasm and was breaking up fast. “I’ll take that as a no.”
Chase nodded for his guys to return to the van. They had a direction. But not much else.
The phone was scraped up, but still working. Didn’t give them any more clues, though. Kansas’s “Hold On” started playing somewhere in the van. Had to be Mollie’s phone. “Grab that, would you, Risk?”
A few seconds later, Risk handed him the phone. The screen read “Big Juan.” Chase answered. “This is Mollie’s phone. Julian here.”
“Oh. Hey. Is Mollie around?”
“She’s missing. With the Kings.” He wasn’t going to explain that Julian was, too. Mollie had only told him that if she didn’t answer, Julian was all right to talk to. Chase wanted to keep it simple. “You get anywhere?”
“Yeah. My cousin’s friend’s brother is a Devil Deuce and he has an invite to this Ball. He had to guard it last year, prove himself to the club. He paid three thousand to play. Said he’d forfeit for double that.”
“Did he mention where it’s being held?”
“No, wouldn’t rat them out. He felt that selling his ticket would bring him less hell.”
“Hook us up.”
“Let’s meet at a club not far from where this place is. Least that’s what he said.” He rattled off the name of a club and address. “He wants cash.”
“Is this guy on the up-and-up?”
“My cousin’s friend vouches for him. He thinks the guy’s having second thoughts about the whole thing. Rape. That’s some serious shit. Sounds like he’s not too broken up about parting with his invite. Me and my boys will meet you there.”
“Your boys?”
“I brought my club. You don’t think you’re riding in there alone, do you?”
* * *
Mollie found her sister at the end of the sections. Or rather, she was brought right to her. The number 12 was posted nearby. Her lovely, sweet sister in a black leather outfit out of a BDSM movie. She was kneeling, bowing, already looking beaten and diminished. Her hands were cuffed, chained to a bolt in the wall.
Mollie’s stomach churned, but she managed to shout, “Di!”
Di jerked her head up, puzzlement playing over a face that had aged ten years in the last two months. Black mascara ran down her cheeks. Confusion quickly turned to horror. “Mollie. No. Please tell me I’m hallucinating, or that I’ve finally gone crazy.”
The men dropped Mollie unceremoniously next to her sister. “Two for one,” a man said with a snicker.
Mollie threw herself at Di, though she couldn’t hold her as she wanted to do. “This isn’t how I’d hoped to find you.”
“Oh, M,” Di cried. “You were looking for me?”
“Ever since your Facebook page died, and especially after that call.”
Di started bawling, guilt lacing her voice when she said, “What are you doing here? They’re going to—”
“Shh, I know.” She couldn’t stand to hear the words.
One of the men whipped out a huge hunting knife. Her heartbeat plunged. They wouldn’t just kill her … would they? He knelt down and cut the cable ties looped around her ankles. With a gap-toothed smile and stale beer breath, he said, “Can’t have your legs all closed up, now can we?”
He and the others thought that was hilarious. Mollie fought to not break down in hysterics. Remember Julian’s calm.
Julian. They’d taken him off to kill him. A hot pain in her heart made her think the cretin had stabbed her after all.
He’s Houdini.
And bound, injured, and surrounded by armed men.
The man grabbed Mollie’s hands and looped new cable ties through Di’s handcuffs. Mollie watched with dread as the plastic tie clamped on. She fought the scream that rose up her throat. They liked when the women screamed. Don’t give them that.
“Party starts in a few minutes,” the gap-toothed guy said as he headed toward the front.
Di started to cry. Mollie pressed her cheek against hers. “Shhh. I love you.”
“I did this to you,” Di said. “It’s because of me that you’re here. We’re both going to die because of me.”
“I have backup.”
“The police?” Di whispered.
“No. Men from a private security firm. These guys are kick-ass and they don’t have to follow the letter of the law.”
Di blinked the tears from her eyes. “And they’re here?”
“Julian is. He’s …” How to describe him? “Strong and yet tender and everything wonderful. He’s a retired SEAL.”
“Oh, thank God. Where is he?”
“Well, they caught him and took him to the other side of the wall.”
Di’s face fell. “They’re going to kill him.”
“No.” Mollie shook her head. “He’s good, Di. They call him Houdini. I have to believe …” she faltered. “I have to believe he’ll get out of it.”
“And the rest of these guys? Where are they?”
“I don’t know. There are three of them, and I’m sure they’re looking for us right now. Oh, and Brick! He’s been helping.”
Di’s smile was faint, then disappearing altogether. “But these kick-ass men don’t even know where we are?”
Mollie shook her head. “I have faith.”
Di tilted her head. “I’ve never heard you say anything like that before. You’re always so cynical, skeptical. And me, I’m the stupid one who believes everyone who says they love her.” Her laugh was bitter, broken.
“Julian, he makes me want to believe. He’s a good man. Way too good to drag down with me and my baggage. But I know he’ll do everything in his power to find us.”
Music that had been in the background suddenly blared from speakers, then lowered again. One man’s voice rose above the music. “Gentlemen, it’s time to get this party started. As we did last year, you will buy tickets for the women you would like to, uh, entertain. The only rule is, leave her alive for the next guy. At
least until the end of the party.” His harsh laughter felt like a razor scratching across her skin. “Let the fun begin!”
* * *
Julian studied his surroundings as they carried him around the back of the wall. A channel of water ran between this tract of land and another razed tract. Four guys carried him, their big hands gripping his legs and chest. Damon hadn’t noticed that Julian’s bound hands were now in front of him. That was good.
They’d used two cable ties, looped together as cuffs. They were tight, cutting into his skin. That was the least of his body aches. Pain throbbed throughout, though he didn’t think anything was broken or crushed inside. He bent his finger up to touch his watch. One of his uncles was a watchmaker, and Julian had commissioned him to put some special features in this watch. He’d picked the cuff his brother had clamped on him with the pin hidden in the band. But since these weren’t regular cuffs, he needed the small knife. Not easy to maneuver out as he was jostled, with these idiots stumbling over the uneven ground. The hell with it. Risk had chewed through one of these things. Julian went to work on his.
He needed to concentrate on his task, but thoughts of Mollie on the other side of that wall kept pushing in. His heart dropped out at the thought of her being raped, brutalized. Focus on right here, right now.
Someone big was running up to them. Chains jingled, which meant it was another patch. Of course, if it had been Risk or Sax, Julian wouldn’t have heard them at all. He had no idea where his cell phone was, could only hope that these bichos had taken it with them so Chase could zero in on him. Julian craned his neck but couldn’t see from his angle.
“I’m finishing him now,” the newcomer said, huffing breathlessly. Out-of-shape newcomer.
Scotch, Julian thought. He was more concerned about what he’d said. That was bad.
“Who says?” one of the other men asked.
“Crimson. I talked him into getting rid of him immediately. I don’t know who this guy is, but he’s bad news.”
“Uh, there are five of us. He’s tied and bound. How bad can he be?”
“Especially after we beat the hell out of him,” another guy said. “Dude’s gotta pay for killing Rifle. He was my brother.”
Wild Ways Page 24