A Beautiful Lie (Unlocked #1)
Page 19
And he looped me right back in with his genuine smile. I forgave him in an instant.
“And look, I want to make it up to you. I have a meeting across town all day, but when I get back, you and I are going to do dinner.” He bit into his eggs. “We’ll do dinner and talk about your party.”
He seemed especially excited for the party. His eyes danced when he spoke about it.
“You can have whatever you want there, darling. I’ll leave you with Mr. Polson, who will help you finalize plans.”
It was a name I’d never heard before. “Mr. Polson?”
“Jeremy,” my father called out to the empty room. “Why don’t you come on out here?”
A large, muscular man, who was completely bald, walked into the room. It was like he had come out of nowhere. He wore a black suit and carried with him a feeling of foreboding.
“I’m sorry,” I stuttered. “Who is he?”
“Jeremy is one of my closest business associates,” my father beamed. Mr. Polson didn’t move from his post by the door. As far as I could tell, Mr. Polson had never planned a party in his life. If anything he looked more like door security for a party.
My father motioned for me to continue eating, but my appetite was gone. “I’m just going to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.” I tried to keep my ease as best I could as I walked across the grand floor. Something was not right. I clutched my purse to my chest. Once I was in the privacy of the bathroom, I opened it, hoping to find the one thing that could bring me comfort in that moment.
The contacts. I pulled the small case out of my purse and put the contacts into my eyes. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I said a silent prayer that Luke had meant what he said about never letting me go. Whatever was about to happen was not going to be good.
I emerged from the bathroom to find my father’s place at the table empty. Mr. Polson was standing in the same spot as when I left.
“Where’s my father?” I asked.
“He had to leave for his meeting,” he responded, almost too relaxed.
“Oh, okay. Well I think I’ll just go back to my room to draw up plans for the party.” I started to walk past him toward the elevator. But I had barely reached the door when one of his strong hands gripped me.
“I think you need some help with the plans.” His voice was a warning, or even a threat. I tried to keep walking but a hand gripped each of my arms.
“You’re right,” I relented, too terrified to resist. I tried to remember all of the self-defense moves Luke had pounded into my subconscious, but I came up blank. My entire body went numb as he led me to the elevator. Once we were inside, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver skeleton key. Just like the one Luke and Adam had found. Just like all of the dead girls had been tattooed with. My body went cold. Something wasn’t right.
“On second thought, I think I can do this alone.” I tried to reach for the button to the lobby. But Polson was too strong. He pushed me so hard that I fell against the side panel of the elevator.
What the hell was going on? Where was my father and why had he left me with this guy? Things had been going so well. He pushed the button for the fourteenth floor and a small panel lifted in the elevator, revealing a keyhole shaped perfectly for the key he was holding. He inserted it but didn’t turn it. Instead, some sort of electronic reading was registered. A small beep sounded, and we began moving down. The ride was short and when the doors opened, my fears were all confirmed. The truths that I had hoped were lies, speculation, and jealousy were confirmed. I knew without knowing. I knew when the doors opened and two men in tactical gear, holding guns, were waiting for us. Their faces were shielded. Mr. Polson lead me past the two men into a hallway that looked like any of the other hallways in the hotel.
A large, middle-aged woman stuck her head out of one of the rooms and waved us in. She looked like she had spent a lifetime being pacified on a steady diet of alcohol and drugs.
“I forgot something in my room,” I tried, not wanting to believe what was happening. Even if my father was up to shady things, he would never send me into the middle of it. Tears brimmed in my eyes and Mr. Polson only laughed. The two gun-toting men were following us, and when I tried to retreat back to the elevator, they apprehended me.
Please be watching Luke. Please be watching.
The three of them, all with a hand on me in one way or another, led me through the door. Instead of a hotel room, the suite was set up as an office. There was only a desk, a lamp, a few chairs, and a computer. The woman perched behind the desk looked at the men, a wave of annoyance washing over her face.
Mr. Polson spoke to the woman. “Della, this is her.”
Her? What does he mean by that?
She surveyed me, her eyes taking in the length of my figure. “Hand everything over,” she instructed me, standing up and walking around the desk until she was right in front of me. Up close, she was even larger than I originally thought. She held out her hands to me, waiting.
“Hand what over?” I had no idea what she was referring to.
She rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t want to play games. Give me your phone, your purse, any personal effects.” She reached to sip from a glass of dark liquor that was on her desk.
I turned to look at the three men blocking my exit and, with no other option, handed her my purse that contained everything I had on me. A smile appeared on her face, a guilty, untrustworthy smile that reminded me of the Cheshire Cat.
“Good. Things are much easier when you cooperate.” She raised her eyebrows at me. “You’ll be in room thirty-nine.” She wrote something in her notebook. “But you’ll stop in thirty-one to get tested.”
“Please, I think there’s been some misunderstanding.” I couldn’t stop the tears now. The only thing left to do was beg. “I’m Mr. Blake’s daughter.” Part of me still felt guilty exposing that secret before the party. The stupid part of me that still held onto the hope that a party was ever going to happen.
Della laughed a hearty smoker’s laugh.
“Honey, we’re well aware of that.” She laughed again and waved her hand at the three men behind me. I was apprehended again, their grips tighter around me. My body took over because my mind shut down. I felt myself thrash against them and fight with what little hope I had left. Nobody opened doors to check on me. Nobody else seemed to be there at all.
I threw my body on the ground, refusing to take another step. A cool sensation pressed against my arm. I winced when I felt a prick on my skin, like getting a shot at the doctor’s office when I was a little kid. The memory was a warm place for me. If only my adoptive parents had been enough for me. If only I’d been thankful to have them, I wouldn’t have been here now.
I hugged the warm memory of safety as my mind grew fuzzy and the world around me faded away.
I awoke to a searing pain on my wrist. Before I could open my eyes, I could sense there was some sort of bandage covering it. When I did open my eyes, they stung from the smokiness of the dark room. I tried to assess my surroundings as my last memories of walking in the hallway returned to me. Six bunk beds lined the room, three sets of two on each side.
Am I still in the hotel? What is this place? How long have I been out? My mind raced through questions, trying to regain some sense of awareness.
My throbbing wrist brought my attention back to the bandage. I ripped it off. A small silver key tattoo adorned the under part of my wrist. The silver key.
Around me, there were women lounging on the beds and chairs. Fabrics were hung over the lights to keep the mood dark and strange. My senses felt dulled. It took more than my average strength to sit up.
“You’re awake.” A girl walked over to me with a vacant smile. In her previous life I imagined that she was beautiful. Tall, lean, Hispanic. Her eyes were warm but dead. She set a box in front of me and began picking through it.
“Take your clothes off,” she whispered, extracting a few pieces of lingerie from the box.
“Come on, hurry up,” she whispered, handing me a small bra, panties and a set of garters.
For some reason, I trusted her, and understood it was best to listen to her. None of the other girls were fazed or even seemed to notice as I stripped my clothes off and pulled the new lingerie on. I usually felt comfortable in revealing lingerie. Gigi wore these kinds of things on a daily basis. But now I felt violated and scared.
I wanted to thank her profusely when she handed me a short silk robe.
“Come on, Della says I’m supposed to show you around.” She grabbed my hand with her own thin hand and pulled me. I had no energy to resist her.
“Someone said something about me getting tested.” It felt strange to hear my own voice finally.
“You already got tested,” she gave me a faint smile. Full-blown panic coursed through my veins as I understood that I hadn’t been conscious for that part. It was too much to think about so I focused on the girl’s sweet, sad smile. Her ease with the entire situation helped me remain calm. We stepped over the lounging bodies of the girls. Instead of opening the door to walk out, the girl gave a quiet knock. The door swung open, revealing two additional armed guards; that was what I realized them to be now. They were watching us. We walked down the hallway in silence and I tried to get a closer look at the girl’s face. But she was so lost in whatever drug she was on, I could find nothing within her.
When we made the final turn, we walked toward a large silver door at the end of the hallway. Standing in front of the door, I read the inscription on the door: The Lounge. An additional guard stationed here took out another key and inserted it into a keyhole similar to the one in the elevator. When the door swung open, the long-haired beauty pulled me into the depths of a dark lounge. Loud, bass-filled beats filled the room, so you wouldn’t be able to hear anyone speaking unless they whispered words into your ear. Thick velvet curtains hung from the ceiling in random order. There were a lot of places to hide and seek privacy in the room.
“This is where everything happens,” she whispered to me. We passed a number of booths with drawn curtains. Two shadowy figures sat on opposite sides of the bar drinking, a woman with each. A group of topless women sat around a table. I did a double take when I realized the entire table was littered with syringes, spoons, and small bags of white powder. Heroin. One of the girls tied a band around her arm while the girl next to her flicked a syringe with her finger.
For the first time my tour guide faced me and I got a good look into her eyes. She was floating and at ease with the environment.
“It’s better to behave.” Her casual words were tinged with warning, as if it was a lesson she’d learned over and over again. “If you behave, things are okay…” Before she could finish the thought, her eyes wandered off.
“What is this place?” I begged, trying to keep her with me.
She smiled into the distance at nothing. “Home.”
My heart broke wondering how long she’d been here. She looked young, hell, maybe younger than me.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Lucy,” she responded, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
My senses came alive. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted her to tell me it was possible that we could both make it out of here. I turned to look at the front door of the lounge. It was unguarded. One of the men was at the bar, and the other was replenishing the stock of drugs on the table.
I tried to indicate to Lucy with my eyes that the door was unguarded, but she gave me a silent shake of the head. No.
I dropped her hand, and in the dark, snuck over to the door. When I was sure nobody was looking, I tried the handle. But it was locked. Not only did they control who came in, but who left too.
Two strong, gloved hands grabbed me. My muscle memory kicked in from my training with Luke and I attempted to squirrel away from him. But just when it seemed like I would get away, two more hands restrained me. They laid me down on the ground, kicking and screaming, for the second time since I’d arrived. But this time, a more delicate hand brushed my arm. A topless girl that I didn’t recognize tied a band around my upper arm. My blood flow surged to the area. And another prick, this time into a vein. Instantly, my body relaxed. When the drugs hit my bloodstream, I stopped fighting. I couldn’t fight anymore.
And even though I wore my only hope in my eyes, I closed them, surrendering my body to the drugs.
21
Luke
I shouldn’t have gone back to Watchtower. In fact, I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t until I had better news for Adam. But I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do anything but focus on making this right and making sure Nina was safe. So I spent the night in my office, reviewing the names and backgrounds of everyone currently on staff at the Jasper. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the meditative hum of the office when most of the day workers were gone. At night, Carter’s team took over. They barely moved at all, and met in small groups in conference rooms, hovering over their computers.
They were the foundation of Watchtower, the group who moved the organization forward.
Early in the morning, Adam glided past my office without so much as a look. At least he hadn’t fired me yet. At least there was still time to prove him wrong. I’d spent the evening monitoring the feed from the small camera in the contact lenses I’d given to Nina. I supposed it was a good thing if she hadn’t felt a need to put them on.
“Coffee?” Alicia didn’t wait for me respond before setting a paper cup beside me.
“Thanks.” I lifted it to my lips and sipped.
“Are you holding up?”
“I’m not going to stop until we nail Blake. I’m not going to stop until Adam gets to look his younger sister in the eye and introduce himself.”
Not only did I want that for them, but I needed the win for my career. If Adam fired me, I was finished. I’d never work in law enforcement or for a non-profit again.
“Luke, I talked to Adam. He’s demanded that you be taken off the case. Reassigned.”
“Reassigned? To what?”
My boss demurred. Shit. This wasn’t going to be an answer that made me happy.
“Administrative division.”
“Alicia, Administrative? Are you serious? Nobody knows this case better than me. Nobody has the expertise that I have with this stuff.” Despite my attempt to stay calm, I felt the veins bulging from my neck as I spoke. Adam was just doing this because he was pissed at me. He’d get over this in time. He was always taking up arms against someone who crossed him. He was a bit of a hothead that way. I guess that came with the territory of being a billionaire. You’re just used to getting what you want. And when things don’t work for you, someone else’s head was on the line.
Still, I wasn’t going to take this sitting down.
“I’m going to talk to him,” I announced. Before she could stop me, I tore out of my office. I marched down the hall, past the onlookers raising their eyebrows at me. Past the war room where Carter’s night team was just packing up. Without missing a step, I barged into Adam’s office without knocking.
“You’re making a mistake,” I said. He didn’t get up from behind his desk. “Your sister is in grave danger and I’m the only one who knows enough to get her out safely.”
After a momentary pause that consisted of staring at me, he leaned forward on his desk. “Maybe if you’d done your job in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
There it was, the blaming everyone else.
“Sometimes things don’t work out at first,” I shot back. “Sometimes people come up short.
But that doesn’t mean you cut them off. That doesn’t mean they didn’t try.” My voice caught, recalling how hard I’d worked the case over the last few months, and the feelings I’d developed for Nina. Real feelings for the first time in my life. “I gave everything I could to this case. To finding your sister. While you were out gallivanting God knows where with God knows who, fucking models and drinking yourself to oblivion, I was here, ear to the pavement. I was keeping her safe.”
“A little too safe,” he shot back.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Alicia finally interrupted, shutting the glass door behind her and positioning herself between us. “You both need to knock off this male ego bullshit. Or at least put it to rest until we get Nina back.”
“Has anyone tried calling her?” Adam turned to face his view of the city and asked the question as if it were the most obvious solution.
“Her old number is disconnected.” I left out that it was only disconnected after I’d called a dozen times in the span of a few hours. “The burner phone too.”
The three of us sat clueless. I waited for Adam to order me to pack my office up and head down to Research, but he didn’t.
“Let’s break for lunch and at two o’clock, everyone reconvene in the war room with their ideas. No more of this bullshit,” Alicia scolded before leaving.
Adam was still faced away from me. Turning to leave myself, I stopped before I opened the door. “I really did do everything I could to keep her safe. She’s an amazing person and I hope you’ll let me help you so you can find that out for yourself.”
Without another word I shut the door.
Lunch was a bowl of wonton soup in a small Chinese restaurant housed on top of a laundromat. I’d run the possibility of a hundred plans through my brain before I finished my meal.
“No more?” the waitress asked, almost offended that I had barely eaten.
I shook my head. “Just the bill please.”