Saving Olivia (Team Cereberus Book 1)
Page 21
In the dining room, River had one of the guards face down on the long table, applying a pair of zip ties to his wrists. Beside him, Hick chewed a piece of gum as he kept his weapon trained on the captive.
"Olivia?" Bruiser asked.
"Sorry, I didn't see her." River pulled the strap tight, making the man grunt in reaction.
"Not since the stage," Hick added as he blew a bubble and popped it.
"Mother humper," Bruiser swore.
River snorted. "You sound like me. Amazing how having a woman cleans up the language."
Bruiser growled. "I don't have my woman yet." Pulling the microphone up, he barked into it. "Railroad, Toad, Finch, Cowboy. Check in."
A chorus of responses filled the earpiece. At least his men were all safe.
"Once things are locked down, split up and search. De Jääger has to have her somewhere in this perverted palace. If you find her, sound off." Bruiser raised his firearm and approached the hallway door.
Cowboy's voice filled Bruiser’s ear. "Keep it cool, SEALs. Remember, no lethal force unless it's a last resort. We don't want an international incident. We do this by the numbers."
That was one of the many things he appreciated about his team. They knew their jobs, and they knew him. Bruiser was barely holding it together, so Cowboy stepped up as the voice of reason. Normally, Bruiser called the plays, but he was too emotionally involved and gratefully gave the reigns to his best friend. As far as an international incident went, Bruiser didn't give a crap. He was taking his woman home; politics be damned.
Cowboy joined him in the hallway with his gun gripped firmly in his hand. Bruiser raised an eyebrow at him. Cowboy shook his head. He hadn't seen her.
They worked their way through the massive building, checking each room carefully. They found Finch and Toad in the den and Railroad joined them in one of the hallways.
Hick appeared shortly after, chewing on a piece of meat. "Seriously, Hick? You're eating at a time like this?" Finch shook his head in bewilderment.
"What? I'm hungry, and they had all those leftovers in the kitchen. You have any idea how much rack of lamb costs back home? Who knows when I'd get another chance."
Cowboy snorted. "One of these days, your stomach is going to get you into trouble," he muttered.
"Maybe, but at least I'll die happy," he grinned as he shoved the last of the food into his mouth.
Here and there, they came across members of the security team trussed up on the floor. He snorted. The rent-a-cops had been no match for the SEALs.
At the end of one of the hallways was an ornate mahogany door. Weapons at the ready, Toad and Finch took the lead. With one hand in the air, Toad counted down 3...2...1 and kicked the door in. The team poured through.
They were in an office/library. Like most of the house, this room screamed opulence. Walls made of rich mahogany panels that were replicated in squares on the floor. There were only a few pieces of furniture in the room - a large black desk with plush chair and two smaller chairs facing it. Behind it was a wall of windows overlooking the Brokopondo waters. The view of a rising full moon reflected on the water was breathtaking. It reminded Bruiser of the moment he had seen Olivia with her face bathed in the pale light. Had that been just last night? So much had happened since then.
"Brave man standing behind helpless women," Finch muttered.
It took Bruiser a moment to understand what Finch was talking about. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the mostly darkened room. He frowned when he zeroed in on a man with his back pressed against the wall. He had De Jääger's three other women in front of him like a human shield.
Daan Bakker's eyes narrowed as he tugged the three leashes he had clenched in his fist, pulling their heads back. He glared from behind the redhead and pressed the muzzle of a Glock against her temple. "Take one more step, and I kill the woman." He nudged the weapon, causing her head to tilt to the side.
"Put the weapon down, Bakker." Cowboy barked as he inched to the left to get a better shot.
Anticipating his moves, Bakker moved as well, keeping the three naked and terrified women in front of him. He grinned toothily. "I am happy here," he growled from behind Rana.
"Last chance, you perverted sick bastard. Drop the gun and let the women go." Cowboy's tone was sharp. The creak of leather gloves tightening on the grip of a weapon mixed with the soft tinkle of the silver chains in Bakker's fist and the whimpers of the women. Bruiser gritted his teeth, knowing what was about to happen.
Bakker inched his head slightly from behind the woman and opened his mouth to retort. Instead of words pouring from his mouth, a spurt of bright red sprayed the side of the woman's face. She stilled in shock before screaming as the other two joined in. Bakker's eyes had widened before he slid down the wall, pulling the three women down with him and leaving a bloody smear down the glass. The gun fell from his hand to hit the floor with a loud thud.
Railroad let out a held breath and flicked the safety on his SIG Sauer. As the trained sniper of the group, it had been obvious he would be the one to take the shot. Bruiser hated to traumatize the women further. God knows what they had already been through in this place. However, he had seen the truth in Bakker's eyes. He wasn't going down without a fight, and he had no problem taking the team and the innocent women with him if given a chance.
"U.S. Navy, ladies. You're safe." Toad holstered his weapon and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Finch, find some blankets or clothes for them, please." He smiled at the women, who huddled over Bakker's body. "It's okay. We're here to help."
Finch appeared with several men's dress shirts. Thrusting them into Toad's hands, he murmured, "Found these in the master suite down the hall."
Toad held the shirts out to the women. "Here," he said gently. "Let's get you covered up. I'm Toad. This is Finch. We're here to take you home. We are going to take you back home to the United States."
"I'm Mishi," said a small woman in a soft voice. She motioned to one of her companions, a dark haired beauty with deep brown eyes who looked to be Native American. "Catori and the other is Rana." She took one of the shirts. "Thank you."
The redhead, Rana slapped her hand. "That is the Meester's clothes. You know we aren't allowed to touch his things."
Mishi's almond shaped eyes flared. She grabbed the woman’s shoulders and shook her. "Wake up, Rana." She thrust the shirt into her hands. "That bastard isn't here. I hope he's dead. I hope he's rotting in some deep pit of hell." She snarled and handed a second shirt to Catori.
"You got this, Toad?" Bruiser asked as he barely kept the grin on his face. Something told him with a little counseling, Mishi would recover. Rana was obviously still in shell shock as she stood and slipped the shirt on her body mindlessly. The third, Catori, stood woodenly by with a dull, blank stare. The poor woman seemed to be borderline catatonic.
"Yeah, bro. Go find your woman."
Bruiser turned to leave but hesitated. "Remember. These ladies have been through a lot, Toad. Don't traumatize them more. You get my drift?"
"Come on, Bruise, give me some credit. I'm not going to hit on them. Cripes!"
"I'll stay with him," Finch volunteered.
Bruiser nodded and exited the room, the rest of the team following closely as they continued their search.
Some of the rooms, particularly the bedrooms, had bars on the windows. Others were openly accessible. It was obvious that De Jääger had plenty of money and spared no expense on using it on his selfish pleasures. This house was one huge, lavishly expensive prison.
Working their way through the multiple rooms, Bruiser found the one that had been Olivia's. Moonlight poured into the door leading to the same balcony she had graced last night. That vision of her would remain with him forever. He wondered if he could adequately describe the scene to Jayden. Though she was still a prisoner, that moment represented the first real moment of peace he had in weeks.
A splash of bright yellow grabbed his attention. Striding to the bed, he p
icked up the yellow shortie pajama set he had seen her wear last night on the balcony. Gripping it tightly in his fist, he growled. Time enough for daydreaming when he had her safely home again. Right now, he needed to find her. Nothing else mattered. He threw the set back on the bed.
"I think I got something. I found a gym in the basement, and there's a locked door against one wall over here," River said through the earpiece. "Look for a set of stairs off the party room."
"On my way," Bruiser barked and retreated out of her room.
It didn't take long for them to find the gym. River was kneeling before a massive door, fiddling with an unfamiliar lock. He spoke as he continued to work. "I've never seen anything like this before. It almost looks like an Allen wrench would work, but it won’t. There are no pins, and even my attempts at popping it with the electronic key didn't work."
Bruiser holstered his sidearm and knelt beside River. He studied the indention carefully, even sticking the end of his pinky finger into the slot and feeling around. It was octagonal with smooth inner sides. As River said, it was void of any visible means of engaging.
Bruiser heard the others behind him as they entered the gym. No doubt, they had followed him from the office. "Here. You'll need this." The woman, Rana, held her hand out to Bruiser. There was a small rod on a plastic coil dangling from it. "The locks are specially made and will only open with a key. This is the playroom. He'll have Olivia in there. If he hasn't already killed her with the collar."
Cold sweat trickled down Bruiser's back as he snatched the rod from her fingers. If Olivia was dead, God help De Jääger, because there was nothing on this Earth that would save him from Bruiser's wrath. Pushing the rod into the lock, he twisted it like a regular key. The indention turned and the door lock disengaged. Standing up, Bruiser drew his weapon and, taking a deep breath, shoved the heavy door open. As he entered, Cowboy followed close behind.
He wasn't prepared for what he was seeing.
Beside him, Cowboy's eyes widened. "Jesus," he muttered.
Behind him, Hick peered around the door facing and took in the scene as well. "Oh, sweet Mother of God," he exclaimed.
They had found Olivia and De Jääger.
Chapter 30
At the first scream of ‘GO,' Livy knew things were about to go down quickly. Her head whipped around to see De Jääger's reaction as the men he thought were hired servers and guards went on the offensive. She couldn’t help but smile, even as his fist tightened on the silver chain connected to her collar. She saw Bruiser lurch toward her as she stumbled off the side of the stage. Her last glimpse as she was dragged away was of Bruiser fighting with Anton. She called out to him, “Bruiser!” but he apparently didn’t hear her over the chaos erupting around them. The door of a storage room artfully concealed by bushes and trees slammed behind her, plunging them into murky blackness. Without turning on the lights, they hurried past several of the throne-like chairs and stacks of cushions that resembled the ones in the garden. At the back of the room, he took out the rod-like key and pushed it into an indention in the door. It swung open, and they stepped into one of the walk-in coolers attached to the kitchen. Her foot found a small puddle of icy water, and she slid, going down on her knees. "Ow."
The tension on the leash stopped De Jääger for a moment. Glancing back, he shook his head. "Now's not the time for shows of obedience and submission, Olivia. We have to get down to the playroom." He turned back and yanked the leash hard. She stumbled to her feet, losing one of the expensive, yellow leather shoes in the process.
De Jääger took the small square controller from his pocket, and Olivia felt her blood chill. "They aren't taking my treasures. I paid for them. I trained them. They are mine," he muttered. "I'll destroy them rather than see another possess what is mine." His thumb caressed the surface, and he clutched it in his fist. "Rana will bring the others. She'll make sure my treasures are safe. Where are Anton and Daan?" He looked at his closed fist then back at her as she rubbed her bruised shin and knees. "Be quiet, completely silent." He lifted his fist with the controller in it. "I'll see you dead before you leave me, Olivia. You are mine. Do you hear me? You belong to me. Mine. You have no control."
He cracked the door and peered out. Satisfied the coast was clear, he slammed the door wide open and ran through the kitchen to the hallway with Olivia stumbling along behind. She could hear a great deal of commotion coming from outside and glanced out the windows as they hurried past. She thought she saw River entering the dining room, but it flashed by too quickly. De Jääger pushed a door open and yanked her into the party room and down the stairs to the gym. In a moment, he had the playroom door open and was shoving her through. With a click, it was locked. De Jääger let out a sigh of relief and dropped into his throne.
Olivia knew the room was secure with no way in or out except for the one locked door. She continued to rub her shin as she tried to think of a way out of this mess. The guys may have rained hell down on the compound, but it would be up to her to get out of here. She glanced at De Jääger as he gently tapped the controller on the arm of the throne. His eyes were vacant as he mumbled to himself. It was obvious he had lost touch with reality. She knew desperate men took desperate actions. If she wanted to get out of this, it was going to be up to her.
Adopting a properly submissive stance, she lowered her eyes to his knees but kept her head up so that he could see the collar around her neck. She wanted to remind him that he had all the control, just like he told her time and time again. She kicked the remaining shoe off and slowly approached until she stood between the two cushions on the floor. Glancing at his hand, she saw he had stopped playing with it and now held it with his thumb over the button. She swallowed and cleared her throat.
"Thank you for saving me, Meester," she adopted the dulcet tones that Rana often used when talking to him. "I was frightened. I knew you would keep me safe."
His sharp intake of breath was followed by a slight easing of his thumb from the shiny surface. "You're thanking me?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, Meester. I know you will take care of me. You'll protect me. You brought me here, to this place, your throne room, to keep me safe. Thank you, I'm very grateful." She kept her eyes down, mostly out of submission but also so that he would not see the revulsion she was sure was swimming in their depths.
"What are you trying to do, Olivia?" He placed the controller on the arm of the chair but still within easy reach of his fingers. "Don't toy with me." His finger hovered over the button, and she whimpered. She had to convince him she was honest. Time to put forth her best effort.
"I...I'm not toying with you. I only wanted to show my gratitude for what you have done. May... May I sit at your feet?"
"I rather you laid at my feet." De Jääger's finger pressed against the control and pain, burning, agonizing pain raced along her nerves. With a scream, Livy dropped to the floor as her muscles bunched and clenched. Gritting her teeth, she tried to draw a breath but couldn't get her lungs to work. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and she realized she had bitten her tongue. In her chest, her heart thumped wildly as adrenaline was dumped into her system. After a moment, he let her go, and she lay convulsing and panting on the cold, stone floor.
"There, much better. Do you still thank me for saving you?" His voice was low and even. "On your knees!"
She pulled herself to her knees. "T...t...thank you, Meester, for disciplining me." She swallowed and adopted a weak tone which wasn't that hard after the massive jolt he had given her nervous system. "How may I serve you?"
She could feel his eyes boring into her. He leaned forward and cupped her cheek in an almost tender manner. "Could it be you have seen your place?"
"Yes, Meester. When those people started all that trouble, I realized they wanted to take my sisters and me away from you. I have nothing back there. I had a dead end job and couldn’t even afford a car to get me back and forth. Here, I am taken care of, pampered, given anything my heart desires. I wear b
eautiful, expensive clothes and enjoy the finest cuisine available." Her voice got stronger as she spoke. Daring to look up at him, she put every ounce of honesty she could into her eyes, knowing it was imperative that he believed her. She recalled every moment of how Rana had behaved and swallowed her hatred for this man. "Here, I have you, my owner ... my Meester. You have opened the world that I never knew existed. You have shown me pleasures that I didn't believe were possible." She inched forward just a bit and bent over, pressing her cheek to his knee. "After they're gone, I want to give myself to you. Please, will you take me? Please, will you be my first? Please, Meester, will you make me a woman fitting to wear your collar?"
He groaned and pulled her forward until she was snuggled in between his knees. Raising her face up, he cupped it with both hands. "See, my Olivia? I told you one day you would beg me to take you." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Once these miscreants are gone, I will take you to my home in Amsterdam. There, I'll show you such exquisite things as to make your mind reel and your body ache."
She placed her hands on his knees as he spoke, his hands still cupping her face. She shivered from his words in revulsion, but he mistook it for desire and murmured, "Soon, my sweet. Very soon."
He tilted her face up toward his and leaned in as if to kiss her. At that moment, she snaked her hand out, slamming it against the side of the control and shoved it as hard as she could, hoping against hope that her actions wouldn't accidentally activate it. The small black box flew across the room and into the corner where it lay against the wall. Shock and surprise made De Jääger's eyes widen as he hissed at her. "You little bitch. Lies and deception!" He pulled his hand back to hit her.
Olivia leaped to her feet and raised her leg. Using every ounce of force she could, she brought the heel of her foot down onto his crotch. The scream of agony from the man's lips echoed in the small room. She smiled in triumph.