Lily: Captive to the Dark

by Alaska Angelini

  The tall blonde jerked from his grasp, slapping him. “I don’t think you know who you’re talking to. Don’t ever insult me like that.” She started toward me, revenge written in her glare, when he grabbed her hair, pushing her back against the wall. The kiss he gave her was far from sweet. She fought against it only to submit halfway. My eyes widened as she pulled at his shirt, whispering in his ear.

  Jonathan’s head pulled back and he turned to look at me. What looked to be amusement had him smiling before he turned back to her. “Bedroom, huh? You want me?” he asked, pushing her legs apart with his knee. “Hmm? Say it, you fucking slut. This turns you on?” He kissed her again. “Say you want my cock.” His hand gripped tighter in her hair and he pulled her head back so he could nip at her neck.

  “Please,” she moaned. “Let’s go to the back before we start this.”

  “Your husband? Where does he think you are?” He pulled harder.

  “I kicked him out the night the detective left the house. He’s gone for good this time.”

  Jonathan’s fingers eased under her short white dress and I tore my gaze from them while I squeezed Alec’s hand. Nothing. I didn’t want to let go, but I couldn’t continue this. I needed to try to escape. Days had gone by without any luck on getting free while they waited for Alec to take vacation. My time was running out, and fast.

  Movement had my eyes darting up. Jonathan pushed his hands deeper between her legs while she moaned. It made me sick. If I could get out of these ropes, I’d grab that knife and slice them to pieces. As it was, my hand could barely move. Deep within, I knew I was in a losing battle. If they left me as I was, my life was as good as gone.

  “Fuck me,” she breathed out, pulling at his shoulders. “I know you want to. It’s been so long.”

  One minute, they were all over each other, the next, Bethany was being thrown across the room, as if she were nothing. A grunt left her as she landed half on the sofa, half on the floor.

  “Don’t presume to know what I want. Fucking whore. I can’t believe you’re even here.” He walked over, grabbing the knife out of his brother’s chest. My stomach flipped and I breathed through the nausea.

  “I ended things with my husband for you.” She struggled to stand on her four inch heels as she began to stalk forward. “And you’re going to treat me like this? I’m a Hagen,” she screamed, advancing.

  Jonathon laughed. “You’re still a whore. And I never asked you to leave your husband. Why would I? It’s not like I’d marry you.”

  Bethany slowed, her eyes going from narrow to wide and enraged in a mere second. Harder, I tugged at the ropes. Shit was about to get bad really fast. I could feel it.

  “Is that all you see me as? Someone to screw while you plotted murder? What the fuck were those I love yous you whispered in my ear? You…” her head shook. “You led me on! You…”

  “Got you right where I wanted you,” he said, laughing quietly. “Did you really think I didn’t expect you to come, pumpkin? Why would I give you the address of where I was staying if I didn’t? Sure, I made you beg for it, but don’t I make you beg for everything?”

  I grew still at his words, feeling my heart start to race.

  “Think about it, Bethy. Let everything sink in. Why would I pretend not to want you here when all along, I really did?”

  The determination on her face melted and her eyebrows drew in. She looked over to me, then back to him.

  “Oh, come on. It’s not that hard.”

  “This is one of your sick games. You wouldn’t dare,” she breathed out.

  He glanced down at Alec and then turned back to her. “No? He was my brother and I think he’s pretty much dead. You…you’re no one, baby. Trash. A has-been who only wishes she was what she used to be in her prime. And let’s face it, buttercup, we both know you’re not even close to the Bethany Hagen you used to be. Lack of money has left you a little…aged.”

  A yell tore from her throat as she rushed toward him. I could have cursed her stupidity had I not hated her so much. She never stood a chance.

  “There we go,” he said, wrapping his bicep around her neck and tightening his grip. Bethany’s face turned red as she fought against him. ‘Time to go to sleep for a while. When you awake, the real games will begin.”

  Chapter 18

  Zain

  “No, use the code with forty-one-eight-thirty-two at the end.” My finger pointed to Brace’s monitor, though I already knew he was on to what I was talking about.

  “I’ve never heard of that code, what will it do?”

  Brace’s question had Slade’s head turning in our direction. He put the coffee cup down and stood, walking over. My mouth wanted to purse at his sudden interest, but I tried to pretend it didn’t affect me. Shit. Not good.

  “Hey…” His head lowered closer to us. “What the hell? That’s Mary’s phone number. Those are my phone records. What are you two doing?”

  Brace’s jaw tightened as he looked over at me.

  “I need Blake’s number,” I rushed in, grabbing Slade’s phone from the counter. “And now I have it. Thank you, Brace.”

  The guard’s eyes widened. “I swear, I didn’t know what he was having me do, Boss.” Brace turned back to me. “What was that code again?”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute.” I punched in the number as Slade cursed.

  “I could have told you the damn number if you would have asked. You didn’t have to break into my personal records to get it.”

  My head shook as I entered the last digit. “Wrong. What you have isn’t his real number. I mean, it is, but not his true one. You call that number and it won’t cause his phone to ring if he has it rejecting calls or on silent. It’s like…a spare, tied into his device. With this number and the ones I’ll add to the end, it’ll ring no matter what. He could have it off and it’ll turn on and force my call through. That’s the bad thing about these Smart phones. They’re very easy to manipulate, if you know what you’re doing.” I looked up at Brace. “Go back into that main system and get into your tracking software. Then enter seventeen-one-one-four-nine-two. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said, standing and turning to the side for privacy.

  Ring.

  Ring.

  “How the hell did you get this number?” I turned in time to see the screen turn into a map. It zoomed in and continued to do so until we were watching a moving dot. Slade waved his hand and I put it on speakerphone.

  “Hello, Blake. This is Zain. Tell me what you have on Lily.”

  A large exhale rushed over the phone. “Zain. I should have guessed. I knew you weren’t to be trusted.”

  I did purse my lips then. “Wrong. I’m one of the few people you can trust. Now, tell me about Lily.”

  Silence.

  I looked down at the map, brushing Brace’s hand aside as I punched in numbers to get his exact address.

  “You’re just outside of Portland, Oregon. What the fuck are you doing up there?”

  “You’re tracking me?”

  The threat was there, but so was the surprise.

  “You’re not the only tracker, Blake. Now, I’m not going to ask you again. Please.”

  The one word that would have been like acid in my mouth concerning another man came easily. He was searching for Lily. That made him more than okay in my book.

  “The cabin she was at before was empty, minus three dead bodies. I was under the impression from the recording that she only killed two. That means whoever took her killed off the man attacking her at the end of the tape. Unless it was the other way around, which wouldn’t be very good in Lily’s case.”

  I processed the information, letting it sink in. The anger swirled and I clenched my fist to stay in control. “So, one of them has her alone. Fuck,” I said, beginning to pace. “What else have you learned? Do you have any suspects? Theories?”

  A sigh came over the speaker. “I don’t usually give a play by play on my investigations, Zain. I like to have evidence befo
re I start saying anything.”

  My jaw tightened as reality carried in his tone. “You know nothing more on Lily’s location and we both know it. At least, not yet. Instead of wasting time getting further away, come back and let all of us lay out your evidence and work together. We might have better luck that way.”

  “I like that idea,” Slade said, interrupting.

  Blake made an aggravated sound. “I work alone, dammit.”

  “Not all the time,” I rushed in. “I know who you are. I mean, I’ve heard of you before. Everyone in the trafficking world has, Blake. You’re a killer. And not in the sense of having to protect yourself. You enjoy killing. Look for reasons to do it, even. You’re a serial killer, but you hide it well by what you do.”

  “You’re walking on very, very thin ice, Mr. Cook.”

  “Collins,” I corrected. “Zain Cook has been dead since he was a child. Listen, you have to come back. We’ll go over the evidence and…I’ll give you what you need. Help me kill my father and his men. They have a deal going down with a transaction of slaves either tonight or tomorrow. I’ve heard two different accounts of how they’ll meet. My father probably regrets me hearing that now, but it’s worth a try. And we have to act fast if we want to be ready. They know I killed two of my uncles and they had every intention of getting rid of me. I want to take them out first. Before those girls end up gone for good. I have locations of other traffickers, Mr. Morgan. I can feed your deepest cravings for months to come. I’m a wealth of information. You help me and I will supply you with more names that you’ll know what to do with. But after that,” I looked over to Slade, “after we kill them tonight, you’re taking me with you to find Lily.”

  The line disconnected and I closed my eyes, gripping the phone hard. He had to take me with him. I couldn’t just sit here and wait for any information she might feed us. Lily belonged to me. I needed to be there to find and protect her. Not to mention, make whoever did this pay for what they’ve done.

  “If he doesn’t have any leads, he’ll come back.” Slade walked over, pouring himself another Scotch.

  Brace was still watching the map when I moved in to sit down.

  “Yep, he’s turning around. Guess your deal was too good to pass up. Don’t you think your information would be better with someone like Gaige? The FBI might be able to bring the girls home.”

  The thought was dismissed almost instantly. “No. The FBI won’t save them before the word gets out. They’ll move those girls so fast, they’ll never be found again. Blake is the only one who can save them. Besides, those bastards deserve what’s coming to them.”

  “I’m with you.” Slade handed me a glass. “How are those pills working? You still hurting?”

  My first instinct was to play the tough guy, but I shook my head. “I’m a lot better now, thank you. The pain is—”

  Ring.

  I glanced down, my eyes narrowing at the blocked call. “Does Blake’s number show up when he calls?”

  Slade slammed his glass on the counter. “We’re not chancing it. Brace.”

  “One second, boss.”

  The guard’s fingers pressed keys quickly and he nodded.

  Ring

  I swallowed hard and hit the button for speakerphone. “Hello?” Slade and I spoke at the same time and he twisted his mouth to me.

  “Hello?” he repeated.

  “Twenty million, wired into my account or she dies.”

  The woman’s voice sounded monotone, but…shaky.

  “Who is this?” Slade snapped. “Where’s my sister?”

  “Lily is fine,” she said, annoyed. “Are you going to send me the money or not?”

  Slade and I stared at each other and I motioned with my hand to keep going. As I turned, Brace’s fingers were still working.

  He’s not picking up a location. Fuck!

  I shoved the phone toward Slade and spun around, nearly knocking Brace out of the way. When it came to searching people out, I knew what I was doing. It was my life. My father wasn’t only in the human trafficking business, he dealt in drugs and illegal weapons, too. People owed him more money than most could imagine. I was the one who searched them out and collected when they neglected to pay.

  “Let me talk to Lily. I want to hear that she’s okay before I agree to pay you anything.”

  Shuffling sounded and heavy panting broke through. I hit the last button just as I turned to face the phone.

  “Slade?” A sob tore into my heart.

  “Lily,” I yelled. “Baby, we’re going to get you back. I promise.”

  “Zain?” Another sob broke through and a scream immediately followed. I could hear the struggle of them trying to get her quiet again.

  “Lily!”

  “I’ll be sending you the information on where to send the money.” A sniffle. “You have two days.”

  The line went dead and I spun around to look at the computer.

  “Amateurs,” I said, shaking my head. “Let’s get ready. We’re leaving.”

  “Wait, wait…” Slade was already next to the screen. “That can’t be right,” he breathed out.

  My head shook. “Why not? It says right there that they’re in Washington. See,” I said, pointing to the exact address. “Let’s go.”

  “It can’t be right,” he exploded. “That’s my fucking address and I know for a fact they’re not at my estate. I would have been called if anyone even entered my road. It’s private and almost impossible to get down. I fly in and out to the grounds directly because I keep it that way for a reason. I can say, almost for certain, no one flew in there. Something isn’t right.” He turned to Brace. “Get the exact coordinates of the estate and how close this location is to the actual house.”

  “Already on it, Boss.”

  “Slade tapped his finger against his thigh as he paced. “Play that recording back, too. I want to hear it again.”

  As it began, I closed my eyes, forcing myself to listen to every single sound I could hear.

  “Twenty million, wired into my account or she dies.” The woman’s voice sounded devoid of emotion, but I could still detect shakiness. Was it because she was nervous?

  “Who is this?” Slade rushed in. “Where’s my sister?”

  “Lily is fine.” The annoyance was clear. She didn’t like Lily. Her instant distaste was laced deep in each word. “Are you going to send me the money or not?”

  As it played on, nothing about the woman changed that I could hear. She seemed very detached. My mind kept getting sucked in to every sound Lily was making. I strained to memorize each breath. Every sound I thought might be her.

  “I’ll be sending you the information on where to send the money.” A sniffle. “You have two days.”

  Shattering glass had me spinning around. Mary was standing there paler than I had ever seen her. Slade was already rushing over.

  “Hey, talk to me, baby, you okay?” His hand cupped her face as she clung to the front of his suit jacket. “Mary, honey, talk to me. Is it the baby?” I could see her legs giving out. If it weren’t for Slade’s arm wrapped around her lower back, I had no doubt she’d be on the floor. “Mary,” he growled. “Talk to me.”

  “Play it again,” she whispered. “Play back the tape.”

  Slade’s head tilted as he peered down at her. Before he turned, Brace was already on it.

  “Twenty million, wired into my account or she dies.”

  Mary’s hand lifted to her mouth. The voice continued while tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I’ll be sending you the information on where to send the money.” A sniffle. “You have two days.”

  “Bethany, I’m positive,” she said, breaking down even more. “Oh God, Slade, she’s going to kill her. I know my sister. She’s going to kill Lily.

  He held her tighter to the side of his body as he walked her over to the sofa. “I had a feeling it was her.”

  “You have to call Gaige,” she pleaded. “You have to report this right
now. Lily is in serious danger. No more waiting.”

  Slade turned and looked at me, but brought his attention back to her. “I’ll take care of it. You trust me, yes?”

  “Of course.”

  He nodded, walking over and taking his phone from me. I could see the battle that played on his face. I wasn’t sure what he was planning to do, but I knew the police getting involved wasn’t going to be good for the revenge I had planned. For the life of me, I couldn’t see letting them handle it turning out well. I could find her first. I could save her.

  “Boss, the coordinates match up with your estate. Unless they’re inside, I’m pretty sure this is fake.”

  “Routed,” I repeated the word, walking over. “Let me see what I can do.” I hadn’t once been outsmarted on tracking a person. It wasn’t about to start now.

  Chapter 19

  Lily

  “I hate you,” Bethany sobbed, jerking against the ropes. “I’ll kill you. You watch, I’m going to—”

  Jonathon stuffed the gag into her mouth, tying it tight behind her head. His palm pushed against her temple, making her head sway before he stepped back and laughed under his breath. God, they were all sick. Well, all but Alec. He seemed to be the only one I had met that came out of the Brighton family with good morals and a kind heart.

  My eyes went back to the body that still lay on the table. I couldn’t stare for long. The sight of Alec, dead, turned me weaker than I already was. It broke down my walls and left me on the verge of weeping. There was no room for that right now. Whatever game Jonathan had planned, I knew it was going to be bad. I had to stay strong. Fight to live. I’d come so far.

  “Well, now that we’ve gotten the important part out of the way, I think we’ll go over a few things while we wait for my friend.” He paused, looking over at me and coming forward. The gag was pulled from my mouth. “Before we start…Zain.” His face turned hard. “He wasn’t supposed to live. There’s going to be a lot of people who aren’t going to be happy about that.”