"Yeah, not as young as I once was," Lee agreed wryly. "Okay, I'll just check on Rika, and then we'll go to bed."
Dana glanced at the kitchen clock, which read past eleven. "Oh, hon, it's late. Why don't you leave it until the morning?"
"No, she promised she'd call when they were back from David's, and she's probably been fuming because she couldn't get through while I've been tying up the line. You go get ready for bed. I'll be there in a minute." Lee smiled as she watched her partner roll her eyes before leaving the room.
With a little chuckle, she turned back to the phone and entered the speed dial code for their friend. She grinned in expectation of the scolding she'd get for being overprotective, but her smile faded as the phone was picked up by the answering machine after four rings.
"Rika...pick up. It's Lee. Hey, c'mon...pick up. Look, if you're there, call me right back."
When no one picked up, Lee frowned uneasily. Hanging up, she waited two minutes and then tried again, with the same negative results. Telling herself that they must have stayed late at David's, she dug the priest's number out of her address book and rang it.
A sleepy voice answered and the fear in Lee's belly began to grow. "David? It's Lee Glenn. Are Marika and Rhi still there?"
Instantly the voice sharpened. "Lee? They left quite a while ago."
"Damn it!" Lee swore, her mind instantly racing over possibilities. "Exactly what time did they go?" She heard a clatter over the line and waited for a response.
"Sorry, Lee. I dropped my glasses and can't see the clock without them. Um, goodness, it's been at least an hour and a half since they left."
Lee could hear the worry in the priest's voice, but she didn't have time for blithe reassurances. Her gut was telling her that every minute counted now.
"Gotta go. I'll let you know what's happening when I find out," Lee snapped.
Distressed, David asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Pray."
Lee hung up without another word and quickly looked up another number. Punching it in, she muttered, "C'mon, c'mon, be there!" When a curt voice answered, she sighed in relief.
"Barb? It's Lee."
"Boss?" The voice was puzzled now. "What's up?"
"Tell me you installed that GPS in the Lexus like I asked you to do." Lee held her breath.
Vaguely insulted, the security electronics expert answered, "Of course I did. Put it in the same afternoon you told me about it."
"Bless you! Remind me to give you a raise!" Lee realized she'd had a death grip on the tabletop and eased her grip.
"Hell yeah," Barb chuckled, before sobering. "But why, boss? What's going on?"
"There's a possibility that my friends are in trouble. They're not where they should be, and I haven't been able to locate them. It may be a false alarm..."
All business now, Barb said, "Let me boot up my computer and access the office interlink. Stay on the line and I'll have a location for you in a moment."
She dropped the phone without further ado, and Lee began what felt like an interminable wait. Still toweling her face dry, Dana walked back into the kitchen and looked at her curiously.
"What's taking so long, Lee?"
Lee looked at her mate, hazel eyes sick with worry. Dana returned the look in consternation. "Oh no! Lee, what's going on?"
"I can't find them. They left David's over an hour ago, and they're not answering at home."
Dana gasped and sank into the chair opposite Lee's, twisting the towel unconsciously in her hands. At that moment, Barb came back on the line.
"Got 'em, boss. The car is in the Southfield Industrial Park on the north side of the lot."
"What's in that park?" Lee asked, as she jotted down the location.
"Let's see...Okay, there's two main companies and a bunch of smaller ones. The big ones are Miller Petro-Industries and DeAndre Shipping, and the small ones..."
Lee straightened. "Did you say DeAndre Shipping?"
"Yeah. In fact, their terminal is on the north side according to the map I'm looking at."
"Jesus! Barb, stay on them; and if that car moves, call me immediately on my cell. I'm heading out now."
"Will do. Do you want me to contact the police or anything?"
Lee agonized over that for a moment. Did she have enough to go to them? What if she sent the police in and it endangered her friends? Knowing she could be at the Park in fifteen minutes or less decided her. "Hold off until I can get a look at what's going on, but be ready to tell them as soon as I give you the word."
"Okay, boss. I'll wait to hear from you."
Lee hung up and looked at her partner. "I've gotta go, hon."
Dana nodded somberly. "I know, but you be damned careful, and you call me the instant you can."
"I will." Lee stole a precious couple of seconds to hug her lover, and then strode out, snagging the cell phone and keys to the truck on the way out. Within moments, she was driving rapidly down quiet streets, heading for the south side of the city.
* * *
Ever since she'd seen Gao in their back seat Rhi had been alternating between kicking herself for leaving the car door unlocked, and furiously turning over possible escape plans. Worried about Marika's head wound, the younger woman was prepared to seize the smallest opportunity that presented itself, but thus far there hadn't been any openings.
At the sound of the newcomer's voice, Rhi looked up to examine the woman who had just entered their storeroom cell. Casually dressed, the unremarkable, middle-aged stranger was of average height and build with drab brown hair and eyes. Then Rhi took a second look at those eyes, and an involuntary shiver ran through her as she tightened her grip around Marika's waist.
They were the eyes of a born predator, radiating cruelty and contempt from opaque depths. The young woman was reminded of a film on sharks she'd once seen at an Imax theatre. She'd been awed at how the flat-eyed creatures rent their prey with casual, deadly efficiency, and she had no doubt that this stranger, like the sharks, could kill without a second thought.
Rhi's fear increased a hundred-fold. Gao had been bad enough, but he didn't strike her as psychotic. She'd held out some hope of reasoning with him...but at first glance, she knew there would be no reasoning with this newcomer.
Marika raised her head off Rhi's shoulder and glared. "Cass! It figures. What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
Cass knelt in front of the women and smiled. She reached out a hand to touch the lawyer's face, but Marika jerked away. For a brief instant, Rhi felt like cheering, but seeing the rage that flared in their captor's eyes, she chose the discretion of silence.
Without answering Marika, Cass turned her malevolent gaze on Rhi, who met her eyes defiantly.
"So you're the little mouse that's been causing me so many problems," Cass mused dismissively.
In deliberate imitation, Rhi mocked, "So you're the piss-ant psycho bitch that can't take no for an answer."
Cass' hand lashed out, but was blocked by Marika's arm milliseconds before impacting with Rhi's face. The young woman didn't dare take her eyes off the predator, but she could feel her friend's body quivering with tension as the lawyer pressed tightly against her and fought to hold Cass' hand back.
There was a battle of will and muscles until Cass smirked and pulled back. "Such an odd time to start showing a little backbone, my dear."
She stood and strolled over to where Gao was standing, his gun pointing at the prisoners. "Oh, do lower that," she instructed with faux-amiability. "This is just a chat between old friends...an opportunity to arrive at...an understanding."
Gao did as he was told and sank back onto the stack of boxes. Cass paced slowly in front of the women, never taking her eyes from them. She appeared to be considering something unexpected, and Rhi wondered if she'd been disconcerted by Marika's defence of her. The young woman had gleaned enough to know that Cass was accustomed to dominating the lawyer to psychological and physical extremes.
Rhi turned ove
r the idea, looking for ways to exploit the changed dynamic, but before she could develop any plans, Cass stopped and again crouched in front of the women, focusing her gaze on the smaller woman but addressing the lawyer in an eerily ordinary tone.
"To answer your question, Marika, I've come to claim what is mine." Slowly she let her eyes drift to the lawyer, and she smiled. "You."
Anger flaring, Rhi was about to tell the woman off when she felt Marika's hand close over hers with a slight warning squeeze. With equal calm, the lawyer said simply, "No."
Cass' nostrils flared and Rhi saw fury erupt in brown eyes, but when she spoke, her voice was controlled. "I'm afraid I wasn't offering you a choice, my dear. I'm not in the habit of allowing my chattel...free will."
Marika leaned forward, and again stated firmly, "No, I'm not yours. I never was. I never will be."
The tranquil façade slipped and Cass' flat, cold eyes narrowed. "I don't think you quite grasp the situation, dear." Then changing tack abruptly, she gestured at Rhi and sneered, "You think this little thing can satisfy you? She'd run screaming if she knew what you're really like...if she had even an idea of the rot inside you."
"The only rot in her was the shadow you cast," Rhi snapped. "She's free of you now, and you'll never be able to touch her again."
A malignant laugh rang out as Cass inclined her head at the smaller woman. "You are a fool, little girl. She'll even admit herself that she can't keep away. I didn't have to summon her. She just kept coming back because she needs what I do to her. She knows she deserves it, and no way she can get it from a white bread thing like you."
"Past tense," Rhi asserted fervently. "Whatever you did to her, she's grown beyond you."
Cass' eyes blazed. "Would you like to know what I did to her, little girl? Shall I tell you the details of how I made her crawl and cry...of how sweet it was to make her beg for more and then beg me to stop?"
Rhi's foot lashed out and caught Cass solidly on the thigh, sending her sprawling backwards. Marika gasped and Gao leapt up, aiming his gun dead at the young woman's head before Cass growled, "No!" as she pulled herself to her feet.
Terrified at what her instinctive reaction might have wrought, Rhi was nonetheless grimly pleased that their captor limped as she returned to her position in front of them. She was also wryly amused that Cass positioned herself carefully to Marika's side and out of range of any further flying feet.
Cass stared at Rhi, and the young woman read her death sentence in that venomous gaze. Then to her surprise, the predator turned her attention away, ignoring Rhi completely as she focused intently on the lawyer. Taking a different approach, she said reasonably, "I believe we can come to an arrangement here, Marika. I understand your little pet here might be somewhat important to you, so I'll offer you a deal. I've got an apartment waiting for you in Vancouver. You agree to fly there with me tonight, and we'll forget all about this nastiness. Your little pet can stay here, and you and I will pursue our...arrangement without her interference."
Rhi opened her mouth to protest, but was forestalled as Cass said casually, "Say a word, girl, and I'll cut your tongue out." She backed up her words by pulling a switchblade out of her pocket and flicking it open.
Instantly Rhi's mouth snapped shut. She had no doubt at all that Cass would take profound pleasure in mutilating her, but she sensed that she was safe for the moment while the woman attempted to persuade Marika.
"I don't even mind if you wish to continue your career, my dear," Cass said soothingly. "We'll make arrangements for you to transfer to the top firm in the city. You'll have every advantage you could possibly ask for."
"And all I have to do is be at your beck and call," Marika said with disturbing self-possession.
Rhi wanted to shout at her not to trust this woman, not to accept her terms, not to willingly submit to slavery. Every instinct screamed that Cass was not to be trusted, but Rhi feared that the lawyer would accept this deal in exchange for her friend's life.
Cass laughed, an undertone of confidence readily apparent. "Oh don't worry, dear. I won't make too many demands on your time. After all, I do have my own life to lead. You'll be quite free to live your life mostly as you choose. You can even bring your damned cat with you."
"You'll let Rhi go? She'll be safe?"
Cass nodded, but didn't say anything.
Rhi tensed, this new fear overwhelming everything else. She can't agree! She can't go with that...monster! Knife be damned, she was about to plead with Marika not to listen, when loving gray eyes sought hers out. Instantly, Rhi calmed, reading the unspoken message in the clear, peaceful depths...a message that spoke of love and indivisibility. Whatever happened would happen to them both.
Turning back to face Cass, Marika reiterated calmly, "No. I'll never be with you again, under any circumstances."
Incredulous, Cass repeated, "No? You understand that if you refuse, I'll kill your little pet?"
Marika met her eyes steadily and said with absolute certainty, "You're going to kill her anyway, and I'd rather be with her than you."
The knife trembled in Cass' hand. Pointing it at Rhi, she snarled, "You'd choose dying with this...this nothing, over living with me!?"
"Yes." With a slight, bemused smile, Marika added, "She'd never forgive me otherwise."
Rhi was awed at the lawyer's sang-froid, aware-even as she was convinced they were seconds from death-that something profound had changed in her friend. Marika didn't flinch from Cass' furious stare, meeting her eyes coolly until the other woman abruptly stood and snapped her knife shut.
"Kill them."
Instantly Gao moved forward, but Cass barked, "Not here, you moron. Make sure there's no trace of them ever having been here. Everything else...I'll leave to your discretion." Looking at him coldly, she warned, "Don't let me down, Gao."
"No, Madam. It will be as you said." Gao bowed his head slightly as the Chameleon strode to the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned back to gaze at Marika.
Rhi wondered what was going through the woman's mind. Reeling from the casual execution order, the young woman was startled to see a brief flash of...regret? She blinked, and the muddy brown eyes were once again flat and impassive.
"Unfortunate, my dear. You were an interesting...divertissement." With those dismissive words, Cass opened the door and left the room.
* * *
Lee worked her way silently up the side of the building, cursing the security lighting that left so few shadows to shelter in. She could clearly see Marika's Lexus and another car parked beside the back door to DeAndre Shipping. She had made it to the Industrial Park in record time and parked the truck behind one of the big transports lined up at the rear of the yard.
She was within twenty feet of the door when it opened and she flattened herself back against the building. In the quiet night air, Lee heard a woman say, "They'll be leaving in a few moments. When they do, double-check the room, and then lock up for the night. Did you ensure the security videos were replaced?"
The big woman heard the rumble of a man's voice, but couldn't make out the words. She decided that he must have been still standing inside the building. She was heartened by the woman's words, taking "them" to mean that her friends were still alive; but she knew she'd likely only have one chance at a rescue, and that time was critical.
Waiting until she heard one of the cars start up and pull away, she rapidly covered the remaining distance, pausing under the floodlights nearest to the entrance. Lee had grabbed the security locking bar that she normally affixed to her steering wheel as a makeshift weapon, and she used it now to break two floodlights, covering her head against the shower of broken glass.
Satisfied with the results, the big woman took up a position beside the door, weapon in hand as she waited. She'd been there less than five minutes when the door swung open and Rhi stepped out, closely followed by Marika and Gao pointing a gun at her back.
Instantly, Lee lashed out with the locking bar, sma
shing the gun out of the man's hand and drawing a howl of a pain as he clutched his damaged hand. She swung the bar again, snapping his head back as he collapsed in a heap.
Hearing a shout from down the hall and the clatter of running feet, Lee hissed at her shocked friends, "Go! Now!!"
Galvanized, they sprang for the Lexus, Rhi fumbling in her pocket for the keys. Lee set herself and met the other man with a solid blow to the stomach as he burst through the door. He went down with an audible whoosh of expelled air, and she dashed for the car, where Marika was holding the door open for her. She dove in and the car roared off, tires screeching.
Glancing out the back window, Lee saw the second man trying to get up and was mildly relieved to see the first man stirring too. With a grim smile she acknowledged that she didn't really care if he died, but she didn't need the aggravation of the investigation and enquiry that was sure to ensue if she had killed him.
"Where to?" An increased velocity accompanied Rhi's terse question as they sped away from the industrial park.
"Head for my house," Lee instructed as her cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket.
"Yeah?" she answered. "Oh, thanks, Barb. I know it's moving. I'm in it, and I've got my friends with me. Thanks a million, kiddo. There'll definitely be a bonus in your next paycheque."
Hanging up on the electronics expert, Lee was surprised when Rhi abruptly pulled off the busy main road into a quiet side street and stopped at the curb, throwing the car into neutral and engaging the emergency brake.
"What...?" Lee's confusion cleared as Rhi and Marika reached for each other at the same time. She leaned back against the seat and smiled in understanding as the women clung to each other in wordless comfort. After a long moment, they drew apart, and Rhi gently touched the left side of Marika's face.
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