Provoked

by Riley Murphy

  This was why Cat was the brave one. Charlie would still be running down the hall right into a guard. This way? They’d let the guards walk right by them.

  The two of them did their thing and then waited. The guards were checking each of the rooms. Charlie cringed when one of the men made the call to Kelli, telling him that Pearl was gone. And then she panicked when the men ran past them.

  “Yes sir. They were spotted how long ago? We’re on our way.”

  Charlie let out the breath she was holding, and then squeezed Cat’s hand. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, on three.”

  Well it wasn’t exactly like the old days. Charlie fell sideways out the saloon doors and Cat fell forward into the wall.

  “Ow.”

  “Oh.”

  Charlie got up and yanked Cat out of the closet. “Did you hear those guys? They’re after Pearl and Reggie.”

  “I heard. Let’s get to those kids and then we’ll worry about that. Reggie’s no museum assistant. She’s tougher than she looks.”

  When she went to go forward, Charlie grabbed a hold of Cat’s shirt and tugged her back. “Cat?”

  “What?” She fought Charlie’s grip and got free. “What the fuck?”

  “Travis…”

  She looked away. “We’ll talk about that later.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The look she turned on Charlie then, was bright and uncomfortable. “Because I was hurt you’d think I’d do something like that to you. That’s why.”

  They stared at one another and then Charlie said, “Fair enough. We will talk about this later. Let’s go.”

  They were nearly to the end of the hall when they heard more commotion. Charlie peered around the corner. It was one of the guards. She leaned flat against the wall and looked back up the hall. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide this time. The closet was too far and—

  “The lounge,” she whispered, not giving Cat a chance to come up with a better plan. To her mind there wasn’t one.

  “Why are we in here?” Cat furiously whispered the second the door was shut. “There could have been people in here.”

  “Nope, they’re all out looking for us.”

  “Okay. Okay, that was good thinking, but what happens when they come back?”

  Right then the doorknob turned and they jumped together for a hug. Charlie was thinking they were caught, or she was going to have a heart attack, or maybe a stroke, but Cat apparently had other ideas. While the person on the other side of door stopped to take the call that just came in, she pulled Charlie over to the couch. “We’ll need a diversion.”

  “I’m not taking off my clothes if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “The men in this place need more than a naked woman to spark their interest.” With no warning she ripped Charlie’s blouse.

  “Oh no. You’re not thinking of a Cat fight, are you?”

  “Something like that.”

  Cat dug through one of the drawers in the couch side table, while Charlie shot a look to the door. She couldn’t tell if the knob was turning, but she could see the light coming in from underneath, and it was split by a shadow. The guard was still out there. “Hey, I— What the hell is that?”

  “It’s a strap-on. Just work with me. If he comes in we need to entice him. Get him close enough so I can use this on him.”

  In her other hand Charlie saw the square pink stun gun. “Have you ever used it?”

  “Well no, but I read the instructions twice.”

  “Did the instructions tell you how to hold it so as not to scare away the victim you’re intending to electrocute with it?”

  “Relax. It looks like a vibrator.”

  “It does not.”

  “It doesn’t look like your vibrator.”

  Since when did she know anything about Harold? “What would you know about that?”

  “I know you named him. He’s too small and not powerful enough…like most of your loser boyfriends.”

  Charlie’s lips parted in surprise. Not because Cat knew more than she should about her personal stuff, more because it just occurred to her. This was what Neil had been talking about. All the little bits in one’s life stay scattered until you pull them together with the glue. Sure, she and Cat were two separate people, but they shared the bits. They’d never be un-scattered without each other.

  “Shit.” Cat stepped forward and hissed under her breath, “Play scared. We have to make this good.”

  If the guard hadn’t been standing in the doorway Charlie would have told her she was already scared. The way her sister was waving the ginormous strap-on dick in her face was freaking her out. But then her words that followed were even worse.

  Awful.

  Disgusting.

  Against the law.

  They were going to hell for this one.

  Cat pushed her down on the couch and kneeled over her. “I’m going to give it to you just as hard as Daddy does. He always did like you best.”

  “No!” And she really fucking meant it.

  Cat hooked the dildo in the tear of her blouse and used it to rip it even more. “I want you to beg me, little sis. Beg me to ride you like our daddy does.”

  Charlie threw out a few pleases. A wail and several don’ts, when Cat started taunting her with the dick. Poking her with it. She slapped it away and Cat smiled.

  “I’d be fucking you right now. Ramming this into you if I didn’t think you’d run away the minute I let you go.”

  “I’ll hold her down.”

  Charlie saw triumph flare in Cat’s eyes before she pretended to be surprised and turned. “How did you get in here? Ricky said I’d have the place to myself to work out this little,” she leered down at Charlie, “domestic dispute.”

  “Bitch, I don’t know who Ricky is, but I’d be glad to help you.”

  The second he got one step closer, Cat let go of the strap-on and used both hands to push the gun into his chest. He swore and Charlie jumped up to help Cat keep hold of it against him. The guy was like a gorilla beating against its chest. He continued to fight them until the current finally took effect, and he dropped to his knees.

  “Uh-oh.”

  Charlie literally almost pissed her pants. She could only image what they must look like. Both of them kneeling on the couch, with clasped hands wrapped around a stun gun, while one of Kelli’s guards moaned on the floor in front of them.

  Ripped clothes.

  Wild hair.

  Smackdab in the middle of a den of iniquity.

  Yep, this certainly wasn’t where she wanted to be, or what she wanted to look like, facing Master Neil and his new bestie for the second night in row.

  Damn.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Neil was in complete and utter shock. It was bad enough finding her here, but seeing her and her sister’s little play about Daddy? There weren’t enough tools in his discipline toolbox to correct that kind of shit.

  To put herself in this kind of trouble…?

  “Charlotte.”

  “Neil, I—” She let go of the stun gun and tripped over the guard coming off the couch. Neil caught her before she fell flat on her face, “—wanted to say, this isn’t what it looks like.”

  After she was steady on her feet he let her go and waited.

  “You see, Reggie and Cat thought…”

  Nothing had changed. She never heard a word he’d said to her last night. She might have a problem listening, but there was nothing wrong with her eyes. Right now she’d clearly read the expression on his face because he was sure it was screaming “stop talking” and she had.

  “You owe me a new phone.” Jude said to Cat, sounding as angry as Neil was at the moment.

  “I didn’t do anything to your stupid phone.” Unfortunately Cat didn’t sound as contrite as Charlie had. She sounded snippy.

  “You made me do something to it. Right now it’s wall art in my office.”

  “Yeah? Sounds like a
classic. I hope you appreciate—”

  “Catherine,” Neil barked, before shooting Jude an ‘I’m sorry to have to interrupt look’, but Neil was in no mood. “Now,” he set his attention on the two girls, “I want Catherine to tell me what you’re both doing here.”

  “Why can’t I explain?”

  Neil leveled his gaze on her. He silently counted to five and then said very quietly, “The answer to that would be because you and I have trouble communicating. Catherine?”

  While he waited for an answer, he threw his supply bag to Jude. “Use the handcuffs before he becomes a problem.”

  Jude nodded and dragged the guard a few feet away to a pillar to cuff him to.

  “We came to get Pearl. Who wasn’t a real pearl at all.” She turned and bent forward, jabbing an accusatory finger in Jude’s direction. “You could have told me, jerk.” Then she straightened, blew a coiled curl out of her eyes, tucked the stun gun in her back pocket, and spoke to Neil. “And now we have to find the kids.”

  Neil felt like he’d been hit in the chest. “There are children here?” He turned to Jude and said, “We need to find those keys. I thought they were supposed to be in that box?”

  He heard some scuffling and caught the girls wrestling with each other out of the corner of his eyes. “What are you—?”

  He was going to say what are you doing, but Charlie had her hand shoved so far down Catherine’s pants he lost the words.

  “They’re in my pocket. Not in my crotch. Here.” Cat slammed something into Charlie’s hand and then gently pushed her away, feverishly whispering in her sister’s ear loud enough for all of them to hear, “Men don’t like desperate women, Charlie.”

  Charlie beamed, holding her hand up right underneath Neil’s nose. “I have the keys. Here they are. This is them.”

  “Thank you.” He snatched them out of her grip as fast as she’d snatched that invoice and the risk sheet from him before. “Now, Jude and I are going to get you two out of here.”

  “But…but, what about the children?”

  “We’ll find them after you’re on your way.” Neil dared her to say something. Anything to the contrary.

  Fortunately she didn’t.

  Unfortunately Cat did.

  “Neil, you may want to stick a sock in that guy’s mouth, he’s coming to and dickwad over there hasn’t figured out how to work the handcuffs.”

  Jude shook his hair out of his eyes, and glared up at her. “You think you can do better?”

  Cat didn’t answer, only marched over to where Jude was kneeling and held out her hand. In less than thirty seconds, by Neil’s count, she had the cuffs unlocked and then both locked on the moaning guy so he was secured to the pillar.

  Jude glared harder, but Catherine didn’t gloat. Instead she went to the table beside the couch and searched through the drawer. After she’d found a ball gag she went back to the guard and fastened it on him. When she was done, she stood, brushed her palms together and said, “There’s no thinking about it. I did do better.”

  Neil wasn’t going to let them get into a pissing match here. He stepped between them. To Catherine he said, “I’m a little concerned you’re so good with the cuffs.” When Jude stood he told him. “I have the opposite concern about you.”

  Jude didn’t miss a beat. “This is all new to me. Normally I have no loose ends to tie up. Or, you know, to cuff.”

  Yeah, Neil wasn’t going to go there. “I’d tell you to get these two to the nearest exit out of here, but I’m afraid you and Catherine might kill each other on the way.” He tossed Jude the key ring and added, “Start up this hall first.”

  “They’re not—”

  He turned when Charlie abruptly stopped talking and saw Cat’s hand covering her sister’s mouth. “I got this, sis.” After Charlie nodded, Cat let go of her and shifted to address him. “You’d be wasting your time looking along this hallway. We know where the children are and it’s not there.”

  She was trying to squeeze his balls, but like his heart they were made out of steel. “All right. The sooner you tell us where they are, the quicker you and your sister will follow me out of here. Quietly and without any lip, so I can get you to safety.”

  “It pains me to say this, because you’re my people. Ask her.” She pointed to Charlie who promptly nodded.

  “It’s true. She never called you a nasty name. Not once in all the time she’s been swearing about…” Charlie’s words trailed off and she blushed looking at Jude.

  “Catherine.”

  “Neil, I would appreciate it if you didn’t use that tone on me.” Cat’s chin came up a notch.

  “You tell him, sis.” Charlie said.

  In the tense silence that followed, Jude hoisted the supply bag over his shoulder, bouncing it around a couple of times, before he settled a look at Neil and cut right through the tension. “I’d greatly appreciate you teaching me that tone of voice so I could use it to get her to shut the fuck up for me.”

  Cat growled.

  Charlie gasped.

  And all Neil did was grin. “Consider it done.”

  Cat stepped forward. It was clear by her stance she wanted to go toe-to-toe with him. “Consider this. The children are all young girls already scared by men. How eager do you think they’ll be to see you and him come to the rescue?”

  This was a disadvantage he’d have to work around, as he wasn’t prepared to allow either of the girls to put themselves in more jeopardy.

  “And Cat, don’t forget to mention them speaking Spanish. That’s all they speak, do either of you?”

  This could be a problem. He turned to Jude, but that guy was already shaking his head.

  “So it’s settled,” Cat said, pulling Charlie with her to the door. “We’re all going to save the kids.”

  Charlie winced when Cat squashed her hand and whispered under her breath, “You don’t speak Spanish and neither do I.”

  “I never said we did. I just asked them if they did. Neil was free to assume what he wanted.”

  “This is not good.”

  “What’s not good, Catherine?”

  When both of then tripped over themselves to answer Neil, Charlie realized they were off to a rocky start here…but then she reminded herself, she was rocky road so it all made sense.

  Sort of.

  *****

  They’d opened every door in the area where the children were supposedly being held and nothing. “You’re sure she said this end of the hall?”

  “Positive.” Cat looked to her for confirmation.

  Charlie didn’t hesitate. “Yes, she was very specific.”

  “All clear,” Jude said, when he returned. “The demonstrations started so we should be good for an hour or so. Anything?”

  Neil shook his head. “The cells are all empty.”

  Jude ran a hand through his hair and then stopped. “Any one of them different than the rest?”

  Neil looked at Charlie. “Which one did you make a comment on?”

  Charlie had noticed that one of them was smaller than all the others. “The second one from the end.”

  “Give me the flashlight.” Neil waited for Jude to dig it out of the bag. “Let’s go have a closer look.”

  It wasn’t until Neil unlocked the first cell door and went inside that he confirmed there was another door hidden in the corner. When he opened that one, he found them.

  Charlie was standing right beside him. It wasn’t so much the sight of the small crowd huddled together behind the bars that made her gasp, it was their complete and utter silence. Not even a whimper.

  After a few tense seconds one young girl Charlie guessed to be around fourteen, saw her and she stepped forward, whispering in English, “Friends?”

  Charlie nodded and the girl smiled. Then she turned and told the others who promptly clutched at her, no doubt wanting reassurance.

  “Aw, sweetheart. Don’t do that.”

  Charlie looked down when Neil bent over. One of the yo
unger girls, a tiny bit of a thing, had dropped to her knees and clasped her hands as though in prayer, chanting, “Ayúdenos.” Over and over.

  “What is she saying?”

  Charlie was going to confess to him that she didn’t know, but then the older girl spoke up.

  “She wants you to help us.”

  Charlie watched as Neil dropped down on one knee to be level with the young girl and whispered, “We’re going to get you out of here. I promise.” He pulled back and Charlie knew he was scanning the room in search of the older girl who’d spoken English. When he found her, he asked, “What’s your name?”

  “Lucia.”

  Neil made the introductions and then he said, “We’re going to need your help, Lucia. How many girls are there altogether?”

  “Twelve.” She came forward and put her hands on the kneeling girl’s shoulders, pulling her up. Neil stood at the same time.

  “I want you to explain to them that we’re going to take them away from here. To a safe place so we can get them home.”

  Lucia had just finished translating to the group when a few of the girls rushed to the bars. They were all repeating the same name.

  “Gabriela.”

  Charlie looked at Neil, but it was Jude who asked, “Gabriela? What about her?”

  Cat seemed to study Jude for a few seconds and then turned her attention to Lucia. “Can you tell us who she is?”

  While Neil found the key to unlock them, Lucia explained. “She was the woman who looked after us, but then the bad man’s boss came and said she broke the rules helping someone else. He took her away.”

  Charlie remembered Pearl had mentioned a woman. “Mr. Sharp took Gabriela away?” Lucia didn’t seem to know how to answer that so Charlie clarified. “The boss was a bald man with a tattoo of fire on his neck?”

  Lucia shook her head. “That’s the bad man. His boss is the one who took her away.”

  Neil stopped mid-turn and looked over his shoulder at Jude. Charlie was going to ask what this meant, but Jude spoke first.

  “Gabriela was the name my brother kept crying out for during his recovery. She was the woman who snuck him water and food that kept him alive under Kelli’s watch.”

  “Helping the man who was hurt,” Lucia said. “That’s why Gabriela got into trouble.”