by Alice Raine
‘Oooh, I hadn’t thought of it like that!’ the second voice replied gleefully.
‘I bet he can’t even remember her name!’ A third girl added with confidence. ‘And a love bite on his neck? What are they, teenagers?’
That was it, I couldn’t stay silent for a moment longer. I unlocked the cubicle and made my way to the mirror, enjoying the reflection of their shocked expressions as they watched me emerge.
‘Gosh, you do have a lot of questions, don’t you?’ I asked, with a serious expression on my face as I rinsed off my hands and dried them with a paper towel. ‘Let me help you out. We might play at the club, but Oliver prefers to make love to me at home, in our bed.’ This was playing it up a little bit. We’d never referred to it as “making love”, and we only went to my apartment, which couldn’t exactly be described as our home, but hey, they’d been gossiping, so I think it was fair to play it up a little. I paused for drama and applied a flick of gloss to my lips.
‘And I’m sure you’ll be reassured to know that he definitely knows my name, because he screams it when I make him come.’ I played briefly with the silver disk at my neck, a move that successfully drew the gazes of all three girls to my new collar. ‘And sorry, but I don’t think he’ll be fucking me and moving on to you, either, girls, because he asked me to wear his collar today. Said he wanted everyone to know I belong to him.’ The one whose face was a mask of Botox gasped at my blatancy as I popped my gloss away and zipped up my bag. The eyes of the three women were now as wide as saucers, so I twined the pendant, making sure they’d be able to get a good view of his initials on one side, and my name on the other. I let out a fake, girly giggle, and caressed the word he had engraved on it. ‘This is his Spanish nickname for me.’
As the three of them hurried away, I decided to give them one final snippet of gossip. ‘Oh, and just so you know, the mark on his neck isn’t just a hickey …’ I deliberately made eye contact with all three of them in the mirror before finishing. ‘It’s a mark of ownership, he’s mine, so keep your fucking hands off.’ I flashed them all a fake saccharine-sweet smile and turned back to the mirrors with my head held high and my heart hammering in my chest.
What a run-in! First Alex, and now this. I couldn’t believe I’d been so brazen, and a smile cracked on my face as I imagined Oliver’s face when I told him about it later.
I tucked my handbag at the side of the sinks and gave the sticky patch on my arm a rinse – in my rush to set the girls straight I’d missed it earlier.
Hearing another cubicle open behind me, I tensed, and desperately hoped it wasn’t a friend of the three women I had just dispatched, but sidestepped to give them room at the sinks. I was about to look up when a hand clamped around my mouth from behind and something rough fell over my eyes, plunging me into darkness.
What the hell?
Some kinky-arsed shit might go on within the walls of Club Twist, but being blindfolded in the bathroom? This was a whole other level. I struggled, and was just wondering if it was indeed a friend of the three women enacting out some peculiar revenge on me, when a brief hint of an unfamiliar scent hit my nose. It smelled distinctly masculine, like an aftershave or musky shower gel.
The scent wasn’t Oliver’s, so it wasn’t him playing one of his tricks on me, and as the grip tightened instant panic flooded my system like a bucket of ice water being thrown over me.
I writhed against the grip holding me, and as I stamped my foot down and managed to make contact with something – a shin, I think – I managed to shift myself in the tight grasp. Hope flared in my system, but as I drew in a sharp, terrified breath my nostrils filled with a strong chemical scent and I realised with growing horror that it wasn’t just a hand over my mouth, it was a cloth.
A cloth soaked in something so potent it rendered me light-headed and overwhelmingly tired, and within seconds, my limbs felt leaden.
My body was no longer mine to control. I was vaguely aware of being carried, then dropped onto something cold and hard. As my eyes rolled back in my head I heard the slam of a car door followed shortly by an engine revving to life below me.
After that, there was only darkness.
Chapter Thirty-six
Oliver
Letting out an irritated breath, I gave one more knock on David’s office door. Hearing nothing but silence from within I tried the handle. Finding it locked up tight, I growled my annoyance and spun on the spot to stride back towards the club.
I liked David, but summoning me to his office and not even being there was seriously pushing the boundaries of friendship. I hadn’t seen him in the bar either, so where the hell was he?
Arriving back at the bar, I passed my glance over the crowd, but David was nowhere to be seen. I could do without this. It was Friday, my night with Robyn, and my irritation rose.
Leaning over the bar, I grabbed the attention of the closest server, a young girl called Natalia, and enquired after David. ‘I haven’t seen him, Sir, but I only came on my shift recently. Did you try his office?’
‘Yes, he’s not there.’ I nodded curtly, deciding to return to Robyn and get our evening back on track. If David needed me so desperately he could come and find me.
I made my way through the busy bar and arrived at the stool where I’d left Robyn, but it was empty. Pulling out my phone, I called her, but even though her mobile rang, there was no reply.
It was quite boisterous in here tonight, and I knew that Robyn wasn’t always comfortable with everything that went on inside the walls of Twist, so I made my way towards the entrance, wondering if she had popped out to get some air.
There was no sign of her outside, and Darren on the door didn’t remember seeing her either, so I went back inside, assuming we had somehow crossed paths.
Once again at the bar, Natalia was busy serving someone, but Alex was nearby, so I caught her eye instead. ‘Did you see where Robyn went?’
Alex raised an eyebrow and gave me a seductive smile. ‘If you’re looking for some company, Oliver, I’d be happy to help out.’
Drawing in an exasperated breath, I shook my head. ‘Alex, I don’t have time for your games. Have you seen her, or not?’
Alex’s lips tightened, and her face turned sour at my tone. ‘She must have wandered off. That’s what happens when you can’t control your trainees. I heard about yesterday. Apparently, your new subbie has quite the mouth on her.’ Dios, she really was such a bitch. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before Robyn came into my life.
Overhearing us, Natalia frowned. She glanced behind her and retrieved a glass of wine. ‘Robyn asked me to watch this while she nipped to the toilet, Sir, but she hasn’t come back yet. She’s been gone quite a while.’
Ignoring Alex, I tried Robyn’s phone again, but as before I got a ringing tone, but no reply. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, but my stomach clenched uncomfortably, and I had the distinct feeling that something was wrong.
I spun from the bar and charged directly towards the ladies’ toilets. As I reached the shiny silver door I didn’t knock or hesitate. Instead, I slammed my palm on the surface and pushed it open. I practically knocked over the woman attempting to leave. She raised her arms in shock and I glowered down at her when I saw Robyn’s distinctive red handbag clutched in her hands.
‘Robyn?’ I called out, while still blocking the door and trapping the trembling woman inside. There was no answer to my yell, but I leaned into the room and scanned for any sign of Robyn.
The cubicle doors were all open and there was no one else inside, so I turned my attention to the woman. ‘Why do you have that bag?’ I couldn’t help the growl to my voice, and she visibly wilted before me as she staggered backwards another step.
‘It … it … it was left beside the sinks. I noticed it because a phone was ringing. I was just on my way to hand it in at the bar.’
‘Did you see the girl who it belongs to? Brunette, about the same height as you?’
Her head shook so fr
antically that it made her eyes bulge, and she held the bag out towards me in shaking hands. ‘No, no one else has been in here.’
Clutching Robyn’s bag, I strode back towards the bar, bumping straight into Marcus and Nathan just inside the main room. ‘Have either of you seen Robyn?’ I demanded.
Nathan frowned, then raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Nice manners. No “would you like a drink?” or “come and join us for the evening”.’ I didn’t have time for his sarcasm. Something was wrong, I just knew it.
Before they could answer, Dominic passed close beside us, his usual swagger in his step, and a petite blonde tucked under his arm. From the direction of his path, they were heading to one of the private rooms together. I might not like him, but perhaps his height could prove useful for me, so I reached across and indicated for him to come closer.
‘What? I’m kind of in the middle of something here,’ he sneered, smirking down at the blonde before looking back at me. God, I hated to ask for his help, but where Robyn was concerned, I would lay my pride on the line.
‘Robyn’s disappeared. I can’t find her. She left her drink at the bar, and her handbag was in the bathroom. Can any of you see her?’
My blunt statement closed down any more comments from Nathan, and even Dominic’s expression lost his usual cockiness as all three of them frowned in concern and began to glance around the club. ‘Could she be sick and have gone home?’ Dominic asked, stepping up onto a small stage behind him and passing his gaze around again.
‘I doubt it. We hadn’t been here that long, and I’m sure she would have told me if she was feeling unwell. Besides, she’d never leave her handbag.’ I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to panic, and hating the utter loss of control that was burning in my system.
‘Mierda! Where the fuck is David?’ I spat, wondering if perhaps he and Robyn were together somewhere. It would make sense, seeing as I currently couldn’t find either of them.
‘David?’ Marcus repeated with a frown. ‘I saw him yesterday. His sister Ellen is visiting so they were heading out of town for a few days.’
That brought me up short. ‘What? He’s not here tonight?’
Marcus shook his head. ‘Nope, said he’d be back Monday.’
My frown deepened, as did the sickening sensation of unease in my stomach. ‘He emailed me fifteen minutes ago asking me if I could pop up to his office and do him a favour.’
‘Maybe he changed his plans?’ Marcus suggested weakly, but he, Dominic, and Nathan all frowned in unison, before the blonde with Dominic started to get impatient and tug on his hand. Glancing at his “date”, Dominic looked back at me. ‘Is there anything else I can do to help?’
I shook my head, thinking that my next port of call needed to be a phone call to David to find out what the hell was going on, then perhaps one to Sasha, if David didn’t give me any leads.
‘No. Carry on with your night, thank you.’
Dominic nodded, and jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the private rooms before giving the girl a wolfish grin. ‘We’ll be in room six if you need me.’
There was not a chance that I would be interrupting whatever kinky activities Dominic would be getting up to, but I grunted my thanks, then pulled out my phone. I was already searching for David’s number, when Nathan placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. ‘Is she here with her mates?’
‘They are coming down tonight, but I haven’t seen them yet.’
Nathan nodded. ‘OK. You call David, and Marcus and I will have a scout around the club, just to check if we can see her, or her friends. She might be dancing, or chatting to someone in a corner.’
My gut was telling me it wasn’t quite as simple as that, and I very much doubted that she was dancing, as Robyn always avoided the dance floor, but I appreciated their effort. Nodding to them as they stepped away, I moved towards the reception area to place my call to David. The call went through, and after seemingly endless rings, David finally answered.
‘Oliver, what’s up my man?’
‘David, where are you?’
There was a pause down the line, presumably in reaction to my terse tone, but then I heard him clear his throat. ‘I’m on my way back from the Lake District with Ellen, why?’
‘Why did you email me asking me to come to the club if you knew you weren’t going to be here?’ I demanded, starting to suspect that it hadn’t been David who had sent that email.
‘What? I’ve been with El all day. I didn’t email you.’
I knew it. What the hell was going on? ‘I got an email from you just now.’
‘Oliver, mate, I’m telling you I didn’t email. I’m sorry there’s been a mix up, but there’s no need to sound so pissy with me.’
A vague thought passed through my mind that Robyn’s disappearance could have something to do with David, but surely it couldn’t? I considered him a true friend. Yet he was apparently away, and Robyn was now absent, too, and the email had come from his locked office. None of it made any sense.
Hoping my suspicions were incorrect, I forged on with my enquiry. ‘Robyn’s gone missing from the club.’ Seeing as I hadn’t checked with Sasha yet, I wasn’t entirely sure that was an accurate statement, but the evidence was certainly leading that way.
‘What the fuck?’ David exclaimed. ‘And you got an email from me? Are you sure it was my email address?’
‘Definitely. It was your Club Twist address.’
‘Fuck. That account is only set up for my work laptop. Someone must have got into my office. Look, I’m the only one with a key, and we’re a couple of hours away at least. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
‘Fine.’ I had no intention of waiting. As soon as I hung up this phone I was going back upstairs and kicking his goddam door down, then I’d check the CCTV myself.
It turned out that David’s office door was something akin to that of the safe in a top-notch casino. I kicked the thing for at least half an hour, until my foot ached and I was coated in sweat, and it hadn’t even shifted slightly.
Even with the combined strength of Nathan and me kicking in unison, the innocent-looking door remained solid. It must have multiple bolt locks in the frame to strengthen it.
It was now hours since I’d received the email from “David”, but there was still no sign of Robyn. I’d called the police, but they’d been next to useless, simply registering my concern and telling me to call back once she had been missing for more than twelve hours.
Marcus had tracked down Sasha and Chloe, who were dancing in the club, but neither of them had heard from her since they’d left the house earlier in the evening. After thoroughly searching the club, Marcus had driven Sasha back to the girls’ flat to check, but as of yet he hadn’t called or arrived back with any news.
It was all utterly infuriating. Much to my growing irritation, David was still on the road. The longer he took to arrive, the more my suspicions around his conveniently timed holiday with his sister rose.
Could he have taken Robyn?
Each time the thought arose in my mind, I immediately counteracted the idea with a simple statement. Why would he ever do that? He and I shared a genuine friendship, Robyn liked him, and he had seemed honestly thrilled when I’d told him how serious things were between Robyn and me. It just didn’t make any sense.
While waiting for Marcus and David, I’d managed to piece together what I thought might have happened today. Someone had wanted to take Robyn – perhaps David, or maybe someone else – and knowing that I would be with her in the club on a Friday they had lured me away with the fake email from David, then taken their opportunity while I was out of the way.
That meant that practically every regular member of the club who had signed in tonight was a suspect. And all the staff members. I still couldn’t get my head around it, but it would seem that someone here at Club Twist had a deep enough fascination with my girl that they had gone to extreme lengths to take her.
‘Dios!’
I slammed my hand against the door of David’s office and threw my head back to release a loud roar of anger. I felt so useless, but with Marcus checking the flat, and the police unable to do anything, waiting here so I could check the CCTV cameras seemed like my only option.
Assuming it wasn’t David who took her, I knew he had secret CCTV cameras installed in his office, so if someone had broken in and used his computer to send me an email we’d be able to find out who it was by looking back through the footage. As far as I was concerned, whoever sent that email now had my girl.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Robyn
Breathe.
Breathe.
I was dizzy, hyperventilating and sobbing wildly, none of which was going to help me right now. Although the dizziness and unconsciousness that kept coming at me in waves was quite a relief, because it allowed me time away from the horrific enormity of what was happening to me.
I’d been kidnapped.
Breathe.
Air rushed into my lungs, and I felt lucid, for the moment, anyway.
Finally managing to calm myself a little, I licked my lips and tasted the salt of my own tears on my tongue. Drawing in another long, steady breath to clear my foggy head, I rested my forehead forwards onto my knees.
I’d completely lost track of time since I’d been taken. I might have been sitting here mere minutes, hours or perhaps a day, but the fact that I still had some feeling left in my bum seemed to indicate that it hadn’t been as long as it felt.
I was still completely clueless as to where I was, why I was here, or who might have taken me, but now my initial panic and the heavy sleepiness was clearing, my mind began to regain some of its sharpness and I tried to take note of my surroundings to see if there was anything I could use to aid my escape.
The surface I sat on was hard, probably a floor, but I was blindfolded, so it made it difficult to tell. Whatever was beneath me was cold and damp and making me feel chilled to my bones.