I nodded, wide-eyed, like a small child who’d been caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar.
“If you continue to try to escape, I’ll have to chain you down in a place that isn’t nearly as pleasant as this room.”
For the first time, I was able to speak. “I wasn’t trying to do anything. I just don’t know why I’m here.”
His laughter sent chills through me. “Our little Lexie doesn’t know what she is capable of, or she’s playing innocent. I’ve grown wary of your games for now my love. I’ve got an exquisite dinner planned for you this evening. Perhaps you should change. Thane will escort you to the dining hall.”
“No Diprovan then?” Thane grunted towards my captor. He seemed almost disappointed.
Link eased himself off of the bed. “No Thane, no Diprovan. Just show our lovely guest around her new quarters. I would like her in the dining hall at precisely six o’clock. Oh and Thane, I’d like her to remain unharmed!”
Link shut the door behind him, but I don’t think he actually shut the door. They just closed as he floated past them. It must be the drugs still wearing off. I stared at the door momentarily before realizing Thane was still on top of me, glaring at me. I clenched my jaw and glowered at him ferociously. In an instant his face was inches from mine, his mouth pressed against my ear. I could hear his breath, uneven and rapid. “Be smart, and don’t make me hurt you. Do you understand?”
I nodded. My heart was beating so hard I was sure he could hear it. He released one of my hands, and pulled me off the bed with the other. He walked me through a set of doors that were next to the bed. It was a gigantic room filled with designer clothes and expensive shoes. Boutiques in Beverly Hills could only wish to be this well stocked. Walking through another set of doors was a stunning spa room with a large beige and brown Italian marble shower that took up nearly half the room. The matching marble garden tub looked very inviting. How long had it been since I’d had a bath?
“What day is it?” I asked apprehensively looking up to meet his gaze.
“Why?” He snarled, looking away instantly.
“I just wanted to know how long I’ve been asleep.” The words were barely able to escape my lips.
“Two days. You’ve only been here two days,” he snapped back.
“How did you get all these clothes for me?” I asked meekly, waiting for him to yell again.
“It was a long plane ride. Link had time.” He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Do you want to get cleaned up or not?” His voice rough again. I could tell he was becoming impatient with my questions.
“MmmHmm,” I nodded. I waited for him to turn and leave, but he just kept staring at me.
“Um, A little privacy please?” I asked in the most aggravated voice I could muster.
“Oh sorry.” He clumsily turned on his heels and walked through the spa room door.
I broke down in the shower. I began sobbing so hard I couldn’t catch my breath. I lay on the cool marble tiles holding myself in fetal position as the scalding water cascaded over my body. How had I gotten myself into this predicament? The Bronx brothers couldn’t possibly track a plane. I doubt they’re still looking for me. They probably think I’m already dead. None of the FBI or CIA agents investigating this guy ever came home. I can’t tell Link what I am, or why I was snooping around outside his house. Would he believe that I was just a hiker who had lost my way? Doubtful, but I can’t tell them about the others. I can’t put my family at risk. I have to get out of here somehow. But how? I let the rich smell of the expensive vanilla soap cleanse my body and my thoughts. It all became very clear. I knew how to escape.
Chapter 7
Pandemonium
Evie
“How could you lose her?” Lenny snarled at Cam, Paul, and Brent. “How hard is it to track her scent?”
Cam, Paul, Brent, and I ran silently through the forest towards Domus Aurea in an attempt to let Lenny calm down. His first reaction to losing Lexie was smashing up the furniture in Lexie’s room. Then he threw every piece of clothing out of her closet at us, yelling at us about trailing a person’s scent. Paul and Brent had done nothing wrong. They followed the car as far as they could without being noticed by civilians. They had to slow their pace when people were around. They followed her trail ten miles east of Tahoe to a clearing in the woods on one of the larger peaks. It was there that the scent ran cold. I assumed that she had been taken away by helicopter, but there was no reasoning with Lenny right now. He was off to tear through Domus Aurea and whoever was unlucky enough to be there. I had to reason with him somehow.
“Lenny, Stop!” I demanded.
He snarled at me.
“Look, we can do this the easy way, or I can just kick your ass into submission.”
That made him stop and turn to me. Cam, Brent, and Paul stood behind me, all of us ready to fight if necessary. Lenny paused and took a deep breath. He looked like he was on the edge of losing it.
“Evie, we have to find her. We have to get her back,” his voice was shaky and pleading.
“Lenny, we will, but this is not the way to do it.” I put my hands on his shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “She’s not at Domus Aurea. They’ve taken her away by air. Don’t you see, that’s why Paul and Brent lost her trail? We need to refocus our efforts if we’re going to get her back.”
“Wrestling anyone?” Cam chimed in enthusiastically. I nodded towards him.
“Infiltrating his organization as wrestlers is really the only way now Lenny. We have to get someone inside if we’re going to get her out.” I glanced at his features for any sign of agreement. It was just a blank stare. His heart was broken and his brain was suffocating. “I know you’ve had a rough history with Lexie, but killing yourself to get her back right now doesn’t do any of us any good. If you ever need to talk, you know I’m here for you. We all are.”
Lenny remained silent as we walked through the forest back to the hotel. My heart went out to him. I know how it feels to lose someone you care for so deeply. I began to think about the mess I had to clean up at the hotel to keep my mind off of him. I didn’t want to remember the hurt I’d felt when my husband had simply vanished from the face of the earth. I’d spent months searching for him, but found nothing. I guess that’s what brought me to The Pride. Giving your life to something bigger than yourself is a sure fire way to heal. I had my new family to care about now. It eased the pain. The five of us sat silently in the woods at the edge of civilization for hours that night. I knew it wouldn’t give Lenny enough time to heal, but I wanted him to gather his thoughts enough to clear the chaos from his mind. If we were going to get Lexie back alive, it would take every ounce of strength, smarts, and conviction we had. I didn’t know yet what we were up against, but I knew this foe was one to be reckoned with. This man from Domus Aurea easily tossed Lexie around like a rag doll. He was smart enough to take her away by air so our highly trained senses couldn’t find her. It’s amazing that he was able to find her at all. No human could keep up with us when running. Humans can’t track like we can. He heard us whispering from nearly a half a mile away. Strong, smart, great hearing, possibly very fast, or has an incredible sense of smell. No, this isn’t a coincidence at all!
“Cam! Get Laughlin on the phone now!!” I could barely contain my excitement. Everyone in the group jumped as I shrieked my words. It had been so silent, everyone so lost in their own thoughts.
“Evie, its three in the morning. He’s gonna kill you.”
“I’d like to see him try.” I snarled. “I think old Laughlin’s been holding out on us, and he has some major explaining to do.”
Cam punched up the number and handed me the phone. It rang until his voice mail picked up. I decided not to leave a message as I slammed the phone shut.
“You have a hunch Evie?” Cam asked quietly
“I do, but I need to speak with Laughlin first.” I stood and stretched before heading back towards the hotel. “Let’s get that mess cleaned up a
nd get the hell outta here.”
Cam, Brent, and Paul followed along, but Lenny stayed motionless with his back against the tree.
“Len, you coming?” I asked
He shook his head no. I kneeled down in front of him. “Len, if we’re going to get her back, you’re going to have to let her go. You’re letting your emotions get the best of you right now, and that’s not good for her.”
“Don’t you get it Evie? This is my fault. My anger made her leave the room. My impatience and stupidity sent her away. I was only trying to protect her, and now I may have killed her.” He was on the verge of tears.
“They’re not going to kill her,” I stated with conviction.
“You can’t know that. For all we know, she is dead now, laying cold and lifeless in a gutter somewhere.” He was shaking now, and I shuttered at that thought.
“Lenny, let it go. For her, and for the team! We can’t get her back if you’re like this.”
“Then I’ll go. I’ll get my head together and catch up with you.”
“No! That’s not what I meant.”
“You’re right. I’m doing no good here. I’m gonna take off for a few weeks and pull myself together. “
“If that’s what you want, we won’t try to stop you.”
I hugged him and watched him walk away.
“Bronx Brothers, follow him please.” I sternly stated as soon as Lenny was out of ear shot.
The brothers from the Bronx looked perplexed.
“I don’t want him to do anything stupid. Please follow him, and make sure he doesn’t know you’re watching. Keep me posted ok.”
The Bronx Brothers nodded calmly and followed after him into the woods.
“Sheesh! What a dumbass. What a stupid dumbass!” Cam’s anger was flowing over as he punched a poor spruce tree for an outlet. “He’s leaving us now! What about Lexie? He’s just going to up and leave when she needs him the most? I’d never do that! What a….”
I placed my finger to Cam’s lips trying to quell his hostilities.
“He’s upset, but I think you and I can handle this one.” I’d hoped Cam couldn’t hear the worry in my voice. “Alright, we’ve got a mess to clean up.”
Cam and I headed inside the hotel. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated. There were a few pieces of furniture that needed to be repaired, but nothing was so broken that it had to be thrown away. I began packing up everyone’s suitcases and tossing them onto the luggage cart.
“Oh Camster?” I called seductively.
Lance Cameron came running in so fast his feet didn’t have time to hit the floor. The wide grin on his face gave away his intentions. I put out my hand to stop his pounce. The grin left his face.
“Can you take the luggage down to the truck while I check out, please?”
“You women sure know how to get us fellas to do the dirty work don’t ya?”
I chuckled smugly, grabbed my purse, and headed out the door. Checking out was fast and easy. There’s never a line at five in the morning. Cam was still loading the luggage into the Suburban when I emerged from the hotel.
“Did ya take a detour?”
“N’ah, I just figured you’d take longer than you did.”
I picked up one of Lexie’s suitcases and stared at it a moment too long. Cam took it from my hand and tossed it into the trunk. He placed his hands on my shoulders and pressed his forehead to mine. It was the first time I’d noticed he had stunning hazel eyes.
“Evie, she’s going to be ok. She’s tougher than she knows.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Cam placed a finger to my lips before I could protest.
“No arguing. She will be fine. Now where are we headed?”
I opened my eyes. I could see the reassurance coming from his, and I drew a little bit of strength from his optimism.
“D.C. We need to talk to Laughlin face to face.”
Cam and I drove in silence through the winding mountain road. We arrived in Reno just before six. Luckily there was a flight leaving to Atlanta shortly. We could pick up the D.C. flight from Atlanta. Laughlin had some serious explaining to do.
Chapter 8
Midnight Snack
Lexie
I emerged from the shower with a new found conviction. In my haste to be by myself for a moment I had forgotten to grab a robe. I found a stock of luxurious plush towels in a cabinet next to the sink. I wrapped the fluffy white cloud-like linen around my frame. Still dripping from the long hot shower, I opened the door to the closet and stepped through. A billow of steam followed me from the spa room. I began searching for a robe.
“Uh Umm”
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned and saw him perched atop a plush bench in the corner of the closet with a pink silken robe dangling from his finger. I flushed with embarrassment. In an instant he was standing in front of me draping the silky robe over my shoulders. His eyes smoldered with a strange hunger. Wide eyed, I met his gaze. The fire in his piercing blue eyes continued to grow. He gripped my upper arms once again with his talons of steel. I couldn’t think. My mind had gone completely blank. I couldn’t tell if he was going to kill me amidst all these beautiful clothes, or if he was going to kiss me. I averted my gaze.
“Remember, your boss says I have to arrive unharmed!” I managed to say in the most powerful voice I was capable of. My knees were weak and shaking. This man had some strange power over me that I couldn’t explain. I couldn’t struggle too much against his grip for fear of losing my towel. A strange smile crossed his lips as he released his grip. I glowered at him and stomped back into the steamy spa room, slamming the door as hard as I could behind me. I slid down the back of the door and sat on the cool marble tile attempting to regain some composure. At least he was gentlemanly enough to get me a robe. Perhaps there was some small glimmer of goodness in him. I took a deep breath and picked myself up from the tile floor slipping my arms through the robe and tying it as I stood. I stepped to the mirror to prepare for whatever doom may befall me once dinner began. The drawers were stocked fuller than the make-up counter at Macy’s. This would be every girl’s dream, if there wasn’t a giant nightmare waiting on the other side of the door. Maybe I could just live here in the bathroom amongst all this wonderful make-up. I perused the various shades of eye shadows and lipsticks. I found the perfect shades for my complexion and eye color. How formal will this dinner be, I wondered? Should I apply matte lipstick or gloss? I opted for the gloss. My lips were a nice rosy color naturally; the gloss would just enhance their fullness. I combed out my dripping wet locks. I applied a touch of mousse. My hair would air dry to bouncy golden waves soon enough. I didn’t want them to think I was trying to look good, but I couldn’t help caring what people thought of me. It was my own personal curse. One more deep breath and I was out the door. A new man stood in the middle of the boutique sized closet holding a stunning crystal beaded white cocktail gown in his right hand and a pair of silver strappy stilettos in his left. He introduced himself as Joseph, my personal butler. He was a hulking specimen, six foot six, and solid muscle. He looked menacing and evil. His dark eyes seemed to pair perfectly with his dark ominous smile. I’d only seen his type in movies, usually playing the totally roided-out biker who is smashing bar stools over some poor guy’s head.
“Where is Mr. Ganyon?” I inquired sheepishly.
“Mr. Ganyon had some business to attend to. I offered to babysit in his absence.” His answer was a snarl.
“Oh. Well then, I hope he is paying you well.” I was trying to find some humor in the situation I was in. “The dress is lovely, but I would prefer something more casual.” I attempted a brave smile. I took a quick second glance at the garments and flitted past him towards the rack of jeans.
“You will be wearing this tonight.” He grunted at me.
“No, I will not!” I snapped back ungratefully. It really was a fantastic dress. Oh and the shoes took my breath away. But alas, I couldn’t stand it when someone was
telling me what to do. The teardrop shaped crystals hand sewn into the bottom of the dress shuddered as he bounded towards me. His face held in an angry snarl.
“Link handpicked this dress for you, and you will be wearing it even if I have to put it on you myself!”
I playfully flicked the tip of his nose with my index finger and winked. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” I didn’t even have time to finish calling him the freak that I thought he was when a thunderous guttural growl escaped from his chest. He picked me up by my neck and tossed me like a ragdoll into a rack filled with fur coats. Instantaneously he pounced on top of me knocking the air from my lungs. He held my wrists over my head with one hand and had the other wrapped tightly around my neck.
“What I would like,” he snarled inhumanly, “is to tear you limb from limb and leave the carcass for the scavengers.”
I struggled violently against him with no success. “Why don’t you then! Just get it over with!” I screamed into his distortedly angry face. It appeared as if he may end my nightmare. One tiny twist of his hulking hand and I’d be vulture food. Instead he released the grip from my neck and began trying to rip off the thin piece of silken fabric that covered my frame. I wriggled violently under him keeping his free hand from reaching the belt on my robe. That tiny little belt was the only glimmer of hope I had left. In frustration he head butted me, hoping to knock me unconscious. I was able to free one hand, and I clawed him directly in the eye. I was kicking and thrashing every free part of my body I had against him. Once again he had a tight grip on my free hand, he pinned it back over my head. I could feel his hand crushing down on my neck as he tried to choke me into unconsciousness. Had I still been a human, my windpipe would have been crushed under the pressure. I struggled to breathe, as he pressed ever harder. My lungs burned as they reached for the last bits of available oxygen. Death was imminent. I stopped fighting.
“Joseph! Release her now!” A booming voice snarled from the opposite corner of the closet bringing me back from the grave. Joseph continued glowering at me, his grip becoming increasingly stronger. He placed his face millimeters from mine.
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