“See you in a few days, sis,” Rachel muttered before walking back to the bathroom and finishing her shower,
Once in bed, Rachel thought back to the things Lis had told her and smiled. James was alive. That’s all she needed to know to get through the next few days.
When a knock sounded on her door, Rachel sighed and got out of bed. “Who is it?”
“Let me in or I’ll break the door down,” Mike said from the other side.
Sighing, Rachel walked to the door and cracked it open slightly. “What do you want?”
“Let me in, now,” he said in a soft, almost deadly voice.
Rachel rolled her eyes and stepped back from the door, allowing Mike to enter. As soon as he was in the room he closed the door and locked it firmly behind him.
“What do you want, Michael?”
“You,” he answered firmly.
“Well, you can’t have me,” she informed him, just as firmly.
“One way or another, I will have you before the end of the week. I’d hate to force you, but I will do whatever I must in order to assure you stay with me.”
“I have already agreed to marry you and consummate the marriage after it happens, forcing yourself on me will not make me stay with you,” Rachel responded calmly. “The only thing that will accomplish is me hating you more than I already do, so fuck off.”
“Oh, my dear, Rachel. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
“Michael, if you touch me I will kill myself before the wedding and you will be left with nothing.”
“You really think I believe that?”
“Do you really want to underestimate another Manning?”
Michael stopped moving as he remembered receiving Kiwa’s head in a box. “Have it your way,” he finally said and turned to walk out of the room. “Just remember, the last Manning who crossed me is dead.”
“You’ll soon learn that I am not my sister,” Rachel told him as he turned to leave.
“And you will learn that one bitch is as good as another,” he told her, then he was gone.
“And you’ll find yourself looking down the barrel of a gun just before I pull the trigger,” she told the closed door.
****
“Chris, I have news,” David told him as soon as he answered the phone.
“What did you find out?” Schaffler asked, knowing exactly what David was talking about.
“Kevin wasn’t lying about being in the military with our cousin, but what he failed to mention is he is also Morrison’s head of security’s oldest son. I also found out that he’s involved in the kidnapping and pimping out of teenage girls.”
“So, he’s most likely playing both sides at the moment,” Schaffler stated and David grunted in response. “So, let’s give him something to play with and see what happens. As for the teenagers, we will eliminate him once he has served his purpose”
“What do you have in mind?”
“He knows Tiffany is going in, but he doesn’t know when or as who, right? Well. Let’s give him a little more information and see what happens. As long as Tiffany knows what’s going on she will be able to handle herself in any situation.”
“Agreed, sir,” David responded and Schaffler cringed.
“Please stop calling me sir. You and I both know that I’m only heading up the family until Rachel is home safely.”
“Be that as it may, sir, you are the boss at the moment. Dakota would expect nothing less from me and I will respect my brother.”
Schaffler heard the catch in David’s voice and had to stop himself from telling David that his twin was alive. He knew he couldn’t tell them yet, but not telling David felt like a betrayal of trust. “Okay, David. Just remember that I will be back down the ranks with you as soon as Rachel is safely home.”
“I remember, sir,” David responded and ended the call.
“Shit,” Schaffler spat out and punched the wall beside him.
“You know all that’s going to accomplish is a cracked knuckle,” Lis told him as she walked into the room.
“David just called,” he said in way of explanation.
“He will understand, Chris,” Lis told him reassuringly. “When he sees Dakota alive and well, he will forget everything else and forgive the hidden truths.”
“I sure hope so, Elisabeth.”
“He will,” Lis reassured again. “For now though, we have to get a plan in place to get Rachel out of there. I spoke with her tonight and she seems to be okay, but we all know how Michael is and I do not want her in his house longer than absolutely necessary.”
“I have a plan,” Schaffler told her and motioned for her to sit. When she sat he started telling her what he’d learned from David and what he’d come up with to get Rachel out.
Chapter Four
“James, I saw Rachel yesterday. She looked well, but is being held in Morrison Manor.” Lis told him as soon as she walked into his hospital room.
“Has that sorry son of a bitch touched her?”
“I don’t think so. Michael wouldn’t do anything to hurt himself, and he knows if he does anything to hurt her she will not give him what he wants.”
“Lis, I’m ready to get out of here and help get my girl back.”
“Couple more days, James. She’s okay and Tiffany is inside now. She should be moving into the manor as we speak. She won’t let anything happen to Rachel.”
“Elisabeth, I need to talk to her, to see her, to hold her. I need to know for myself that she’s okay.”
“I know and I understand. Give us forty-eight hours and she will be back in your arms. I promise.”
“I will hold you to that promise,” James told her and sighed deeply. “I’m ready for this shit to be over with.”
“Me too, James,” Lis agreed with him and turned toward the door. “I’ll be back in a little while. I have to check in with Dakota and message Tiffany. I want everything to be in place before we move in.”
“Lis, keep my girl safe until I can,” James said, causing Lis to look back at him and nod. “I can’t face this all without her.”
“Forty-eight hours,” Lis reminded him before she walked out of the room.
“Forty-eight hours,” he said quietly before laying back against the pillows and giving in to the pain meds the nurse had given him a little while ago.
****
“Miss Manning, how nice to see you again,” Tiffany said as she walked into the kitchen where Rachel was sipping a cup of coffee at the table.
“Hello, Miss Page. Please, call me Rachel.”
“Okay, but only if you call me Tiffany.”
“Done,” Rachel agreed and smiled. It felt wonderful being in the room with one of her most trusted friends.
“I guess we can get started if you’re ready. I have several magazines with me that we can start looking over to get ideas if you’d like.”
“Umm, yeah, sure,” Rachel responded with a confused look. “We can take them into the dining room if you’d like so we have more room to spread them out.”
“I was thinking somewhere a bit more private. We wouldn’t want the groom to overhear anything he shouldn’t,” Tiffany said with a raised eyebrow and Rachel smiled. She knew that look well.
“How about my bedroom? He doesn’t come in there unless invited.”
“Sounds perfect,” Tiffany agreed and Rachel rose to her feet.
“You can head on up if you want and I’ll let Michael know where we are if he needs me. It’s the room at the end of the hall, last door on the left,” Rachel told her and headed out of the kitchen.
Once she was gone, Tiffany gathered her things and headed upstairs. She had a blueprint of the house and relied on her memory to lead her to the room she needed to go to before heading to Rachel’s bedroom.
Checking behind her often, Tiffany headed to the upstairs library where the safe was hidden behind a portrait of Michael’s grandmother. Once inside, she pulled her phone from her pocket and started snapping picture
s of the room. Chris wanted the entire layout before sending someone in to crack the safe.
Less than two minutes later, Tiffany was safely in Rachel’s room and was pulling bridal magazines from her bag when Rachel walked in moments later followed by Michael.
“Hello, Miss Page. I trust your room is suitable,” he addressed Tiffany with a crooked grin on his face.
“It’s more than adequate,” she responded with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Rachel and I have a lot to do and a very short time to do it.”
“Of course,” he responded with a wink and a nod. “Please let me know if you require anything, anything at all.”
Tiffany nodded and went back to pulling magazines out of her bag. Once Michael closed the door behind him, Rachel locked it quickly and hurried over to where Tiffany was standing, “Oh my God, he is such a pig.”
“He is, but you knew that already, love,” Tiffany responded with a grin. “Damn, it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too, but how did you get hired for this?”
“David cooked up some credentials and hints were dropped to the right people. All I had to do was make sure I wasn’t recognized and I managed it beautifully if I do say so myself.”
“That you did, love,” Rachel responded with a smile. “Now, what are you doing here? I know good and damn well it isn’t to help me plan a wedding.”
“Rachel, even if you wanted to marry that asshat, I wouldn’t help you plan that wedding,” Tiffany informed her with a grin. “But, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because Chris wanted intel on the house and to make sure you were being kept here. I offered to stay here so I could help them from the inside when the plan to rescue you falls into place.”
“And when might that be?”
“Soon, love, very soon,” Tiffany told her and frowned. “When we got the news about Lis, Dakota, and James being murdered and you being kidnapped, Chris stepped up and started searching for you immediately. He has his wife and daughter hidden away in a safehouse and the rest of us have been working from one of the warehouses. It’s been really difficult on everyone, but once you’re back we can move forward and rebuild the family into a solid structure once more.”
“Tiff, I have to tell you that when Morrison told me that James, Lis, and Dakota were dead I almost lost it. I agreed to marry him under the condition that he keep me safe. I don’t think I’m strong enough to lead the family by myself. I don’t think I’m strong enough to lead it without Lis.”
“But you are strong enough, Rachel. You are as strong as Lis, even if you don’t see it,” Tiffany assured her and smiled. “My mission, other than to keep you safe, was to get the layout of the upstairs library. I’ve already completed that and now I’m here as your personal protection until the rescue mission happens.”
“Tiffany, what if Lis, Dakota, and James aren’t dead? I know Michael and his men haven’t been able to locate bodies yet. What if they survived?”
“If they were alive, why wouldn’t they have contacted us yet? David has been searching for them since it all happened and he’s come up empty. If anyone could find them it would be him, he and Dakota are identical twins after all.”
“But what if they don’t want anyone to know yet? What if they’re hiding in order to keep Michael from discovering them? What if they plan on coming out as soon as I’m safely away from him?”
“Hmm, that could be, but why not tell David or Chris? Those two would surely need to know even if no one else did.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Rachel finally agreed, knowing she couldn’t tell Tiffany that she knew they were alive. “What’s the plan to rescue me? What do I need to do in order to make it happen?”
Tiffany grinned and started laying the rescue plan out, step by step. When she was finished, Rachel was grinning, too.
Chapter Five
“Morrison,” Mike answered after the first ring of his cell phone.
“Boss, Morgan here. I have news,” Kevin Morgan said and sighed. “The Mannings have at least one spy in your house and are potentially sending another in.”
“Who?” Mike asked without hesitation.
“Not sure yet, but as soon as I have a name you’ll have it,” Kevin answered and cringed at the low growl that came from the other end of the phone.
“You find out by tomorrow or you will be the next to die,” Mike told him and hung up before Kevin could respond.
“Fuck!” He yelled and hurled his phone across the room and into the wall. Reining in his temper, he picked up the landline on his desk and dialed his head of security.
“Morgan,” the man answered quickly.
“Your son is failing me. If you want him to stay alive, make sure this doesn’t happen,” he told the man who had protected him all his life.
“Yes, sir,” Morgan answered without hesitation. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I know anything.”
“You, like your boy, have until tomorrow,” he told him and ended the call.
Sighing deeply, Mike rose from his desk and walked over to the bar on the other side of the room. Pouring a scotch, he looked out the window of his office and thought about what he would do to Kevin if he didn’t get the information in time. The thought of a slow, painful murder made his cock twitch and a smile come to his face.
Walking back to his desk, he picked up his phone and called one of the women he always turned to in a situation like this.
“Hello,” a sultry, smoky sounding voice answered.
“Tracy, I need you,” he said without preamble.
“I’m always available for you, dollface.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Be dressed in the red and black lace I bought you,’ he told her and hung up the phone.
After grabbing his keys off the table beside the door, he walked back to his desk and grabbed the tie he’d discarded earlier and grinned. “This will do perfectly,” he said before slipping it into his pocket and walking out the door.
Fifteen minutes later he unlocked Tracy’s apartment door and walked in without a word. Closing and locking the door behind him, he walked into the bedroom and saw her lying on the bed in the black and red lacy teddy he’d purchased for her a few weeks before.
“Good girl,” he told her before he motioned for her to come undress him.
“Anything for you, sir,” she responded as she unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders.
“On the bed, now,” he ordered once his shirt was off and she obeyed immediately. “Good girl.”
“Mike, I’m so hot for you,” she told him in her sultry voice.
“Patience,” he told her and pulled the leather cuffs from the table beside the bed. “I want to play for a bit first.”
A devilish smile crossed her face as she raised her arms above her head. He answered her smile with one of his own as he tethered her to the bed. “I’m going to gag you now. I want quiet and that’s the only way I can guarantee you will be.”
“Yes, sir,” she responded hesitantly. She didn’t like being gagged and he knew that, but he paid her well so she would let him do whatever he wanted. “Anything for you, sir.”
The look that came into his eyes frightened her, but she pushed that fear aside and let him affix a ball gag into her mouth. When he was finished he grabbed another set of cuffs from the table and tethered her feet to the bed.
“I’m going to blindfold you now then we will begin,” he told her and pulled his tie from his pocket.
After securing it around her eyes, he walked into her bathroom and pulled her stash of drugs from the cabinet in there. Grinning, he walked back into the bedroom and laid his supplies on the table beside the bed.
“Now the fun begins,” he announced as he grabbed a flogger from the drawer and hit her across the stomach with it. She bucked off the bed and he hit her again, his cock growing hard in his pants.
When her skin was bright pink, and she was dripping wet, he stopped hitting her and slid his
pants off. Sliding a condom on, he climbed on top of her and entered her with a hard thrust, causing her hips to meet his.
Sliding his hands around her throat, he started lightly choking her as he built toward release. Smiling as she started pulling against the restraints, he released her throat and grabbed a syringe off the table. Sliding the needle into her vein, he filled her with enough heroine to stop her heart.
Removing the blindfold, he looked into her eyes as he wrapped his hands around her throat again and held tight. He watched as her eyes rolled back into her skull and came at the exact moment her heart stopped beating.
“You always were a great fuck,” he whispered in her unhearing ear. “Too bad I had to do that.”
As he uncuffed and ungagged her, he thought about the only other time he’d paired murder and sex and he grew hard again. “Fuck, I need to do that more often,” he said as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his pants before slipping them on.
When the person answered he gave them the address and told them he needed a cleanup then ended the call without another word before he dressed quickly and left, leaving the door unlocked for his men to remove all traces of him from the apartment.
Chapter Six
“Dakota?” Lis called out as she entered the safehouse.
“Right here, baby,” he answered and stepped out of the kitchen with a crooked grin on his face.
“I think it’s time we tell David,” she told him and the grin instantly turned into a frown.
“But we agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone until Rachel was safely away from Morrison,” he reminded her,
“Yes, I remember, but I think David needs to know that you’re alive. I know he won’t tell anyone, even your parents, until we tell him it’s okay.”
“I know that, but the fewer people who know we’re alive the less chance something will slip out.”
Mafia Princess (The Manning Sisters #2) Page 2