by Angel Steel
My phone buzzes again and I still ignore it as I swing the strap over my shoulder. The men in front do the same and I move forward and around the building to the parked SUVs back where we’d come from.
Once we are all seated in the large black vehicle, Alex driving, my phone buzzes continuously, letting me know of an incoming call. Reaching into my pocket and swiping the screen, not looking at the caller ID I answer.
“Masters,” I grunt into the phone.
“Such a pleasure to hear your voice, Masters,” Carlos says on the other end of the call.
All eyes in the car land on me as they sit there quietly listening. “You have a reason for calling, Carlos?” I ask.
His laughter echoes over the line. “Well, aren’t we a happy one, Masters. Something on your mind?”
“The only thing I have on my mind is, what’s the reason for the call?” I ask roughly as I grip the phone tighter in my hand.
“I have one last run for you, Masters. You have one hour to get to the Langley Shipping Company, dock twelve.” Once I hear the words the call disconnects in my ear.
“Langley Shipping Company, dock twelve,” I voice from the back of the SUV. “He wants us for a run.”
“The drugs haven’t even come in yet to do the run,” Masen says from the front seat.
“No. Which means it’s something else entirely,” I grumble.
What the hell is Carlos up to?
“What’s our status?” I ask, checking my weapons over.
“ETA, five minutes,” Masen replies sliding his phone into his pocket.
My phone vibrates once in my pocket. Ripping the Velcro apart, I slide my hand in and pull it out and run my thumb over the screen unlocking it.
Without seeing who it is, I hit on the message. The instant I do, my face blanches at seeing the attachment come to life on the screen of my phone. My heart stops in my chest. One image. A woman, in only her black bra and panties. Strung up by chains. Bleeding. Bruised. I can’t see her face, blonde hair cascades down, blocking my view.
The phone cracks in my grip as I check the number that it’s has come from. Anonymous. I quickly search Chopper’s number and send him a text.
Did u find her?
It couldn’t be her! I tell myself over and over again. My heart is pounding profusely in my chest.
Alex turns sharply left, turning the last corner coming up to the warehouse. I need to get this over with. The warehouse comes into view in front just as my phone vibrates in my hand. Opening my hand up, I swipe the screen and read the text.
No.
My gut twists as I know exactly who it is in the photo. Amelia. My blood quickens in my veins, as I go back to the image and hit reply.
What do you want?
Within seconds, I get a reply. My heart constricts in my chest. My breath logged in my throat as I read the words.
You or Amelia dies.
You know where I am!
That’s it.
Fuck!
I crush my phone in my hand. The metal bending and cracking into pieces as each piece drops from my hand onto the floor of the SUV.
Now I know who has her. Carlos.
I grip my head in my hands, pulling at my hair, allowing this to happen.
“What,” Masen says from the front.
“Carlos has Amelia,” is all I reply through my hands.
My body lunges forward as Alex slams his foot down on the accelerator. My hand shoots up stopping my body from crashing into the back of the seat in front of me.
“Fuck!” Masen curses from the front then pulls out his phone and makes a call. I don’t hear the words he says as the blood pumping in my ears becomes louder and louder the closer we approach the warehouse.
I should’ve gone after her the second I heard she was gone! But I didn’t. I chose my fuckin’ job over my wife. The one woman that holds every part of me with her. The one woman that now is in the hands of Carlos.
My heart sinks lower as the warehouse comes into view.
God, I hope I’m not too late!
Grumbling, I turn my head away from whatever is touching my cheek. I don’t move too far as my chin is held in place. My eyes open suddenly and come in contact with Carlos standing over me. Ripping my chin from his grip, I push myself away from him.
“Don’t touch me, you sick fuck,” I spit out.
His eyes roam over my body. “You’re about to find out just how sick I can be, sweet Amelia.”
He steps forward quickly and pushes something round and hard into my mouth, thrashing in my grip it doesn’t help as he ties it around the back of my head and steps back, staring down at me.
I breathe through my nose as my teeth dig into the rubbery object as he shifts the trolley over closer to him and picks up the same knife again. “I want answers, Amelia. Nod either yes or no. Where is Zane?” he says waving the knife in front of my eyes.
I instantly shake my head no toward him. I know it’s the wrong answer he’s after, as he shifts closer to me and trails the knife over my collar bone.
“Where is he?” he growls digging the tip of the blade into my flesh.
Tears pool in my eyes as I shake my head frantically no again.
“Such a shame to ruin such beauty.”
My body quakes as the knife cuts through the material of my shirt, then slips down my arms and rests at my bound hands, exposing me to everyone around us. He raises the tip of the blade to my chest and glides it down over my covered breast then moves to the other one, lingering there longer.
Sucking in a breath, I stay still as I can. He circles my nipple with the tip of the blade and smiles down at me. Then his hand drops to his side.
“This can all end now, if you tell me where he is.”
Even if I could speak, I still wouldn’t tell him.
“Well, it looks like I need to get it out of you then. It will be a pleasure to spill your blood to get what I want.” His hand moves quickly and flashes at my side.
Then I feel it. A burning sensation sears over my forearm. My teeth sink into the rubbery object in my mouth, as I scream around it. My eyes drop down to my arm and watch as a small trail of blood slides down my arm into my hand, then between my fingers.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
Lifting my head up, I watch as he wipes my blood on the sleeve of his shirt, still looking at me. Fear kicks in and my heart accelerates, thumping so hard it might actually explode. I pull against the bonds but to no availability because they don’t move. He moves closer to me, and then his hand lashes out again and again and again.
My teeth dig down into the object in my mouth so hard that I taste blood. Both my arms hurt from the cuts. I feel the blood running down my arms, through my fingers and dripping onto the floor beside me.
He shifts to the chair in front of me and sits down, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Does it hurt?” he asks bitterly.
My head shoots up and I glare at him, breathing heavily through my nose.
“Of course it does,” he laughs. “Let’s see how much pain you can handle before you pass out,” he says and raises his hand quickly with the knife and stabs it down hard and buries the knife into my thigh to the hilt.
My head falls back on my shoulders as excruciating pain flares up my thigh.
Oh my God, it fucking hurts!
His hand grips the handle of the blade and shifts it slightly. My vision blurs as he twists slowly, turning the steel within my leg. I can feel my blood pumping around it, my muscle tensing as the sharp edge scratches along the bone in my leg. Everything slows around me. My head drops forward my breathing slows and my eyes close shut.
“Come on, sweetheart,” he says slapping my face harshly several times.
Dragging my heavy head up, I glance his way. A trickle of sweat slides down my arm and seeps into the cuts, I hiss as the pain intensifies.
He drops the knife on the tray and picks up something else. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I wat
ch on as he picks up a gun. My eyes widen. A slow smile covers his lips as he flips the barrel open and leaves it there.
“Have you ever played Russian Roulette?” he questions as he reaches into his front pocket of his shirt and pulls out a bullet.
I can’t take my eyes away as he slides the only bullet in and spins the barrel and flicks it closed. His thumb rests at the back and cocks the gun and aims it in my direction. My breath lodges in my throat as he swings the barrel from side to side.
“I’m surprised you have made it this far, Amelia,” he chuckles, and then pulls the trigger. The moment he does my eyes slam closed and I wait for the impact. Nothing. His laughter echoes in the room and I open my eyes slowly, looking at him.
“One down, five to go,” he tells me as he leans back in the chair. He waves the gun toward me again. “Want to share where Zane is?”
I close my eyes trying to ignore the pain in my thigh as it begins to throb. How much more of this can I take? I hear the sound of the gun cocking again and my eyes reopen.
“No, I guess not,” he says and pulls the trigger again. My body jumps against the bounds at the clicking sound echoes around us in the quiet room.
I whimper behind the rubbery object as he aligns the gun once again toward me. I can’t handle much more of this. A slow smile covers his lips as he squeezes the trigger again. I freeze as a boom splinters through the room then my body jolts suddenly with the impact as the bullet hits me directly in the shoulder. I throw my head back and howl behind the object in my mouth. Pain flares through my body. As I breathe through the pain, I hear the legs of a chair scratching along the floor then Carlos is in front of me, leaning in.
“Where the fuck is he, Amelia,” he growls.
I shake my head from side to side, tears streaming down my face as my whole body hurts.
He backhands me hard, my head spinning on my shoulders, the taste of blood in my mouth. My nose is running. It’s hard to tell whether it’s blood from the hit or snot.
He grips my chin and pulls my face back to his. My head slams forward connecting with his. He stumbles back, stunned then lunges forward.
“You fucking little bitch,” he hisses and my head rolls on my shoulders again as his fist connects to the side of my face. He steps back breathing heavily, wiping at his mouth. “Move her to the chains,” he says into the room.
Someone shifts behind me and begins untying my hands. I stay where I am till they move me to my feet, and that’s when I make my move. My good arm shoots out and slams into the guy’s face. He falls back on his ass, stunned and I hobble out of his reach to the side. I spin around and make a run for it the best I can with my injured leg, but don’t get too far as I’m spun around and find Carlos in front of me. Then his hand is around my throat, tight. He lifts me up off the ground, my feet dangling in the air. Gasping for air, I grip onto his arm, desperate to breathe as his fingers dig into my skin. Panic overtakes me at the look in his eyes. They light up and sparkle at my clear distress. His snarl is pure evil as he pulls my face to his.
“You still have some fight in you, but that won’t last for long.”
Blood rushes in my ears and my vision blurs as he constricts tighter, suffocating me. But I don’t give up. I scratch at his skin, sinking my nails in and causing him to bleed.
Cursing, he let’s go slightly and glances at the damage I’ve caused.
I’m wheezing, struggling for breath. Struggling to figure out how to get out of this mess.
His fingers are cold and callous, chilling me right down to the bone. The strong pressure he’s applying is cutting off my airway. I fight once again to push him away, scared for my life. It’s no use though. My hands fall down away from him as his hold intensifies. I try to suck in a breath but to no avail. I feel light headed, faint, from the loss of blood from my wounds and no breath in my lungs. This is the end. I know it. I can feel it. My head drops to the side and my eyes close then darkness cloaks me, dragging me into unconsciousness.
I’m out of the back of the SUV as it comes to a complete stop, with the rest of the men following suit, all doors staying wide open. I shift the strap so my rifle sits on my back, looking toward the main door.
“Second vehicle arriving in seven minutes,” Masen says as he raises the phone to his ear and turns away.
Both Rosko and Alex move to the back of the vehicle and pull more weapons from the case and strap them to their bodies. Not needing anything more than what I have, I tighten the strap for my hunting knife on my thigh and zip up my bullet-proof vest.
Masen ends the call and turns around faces us. “Team Beta, is twelve minutes away. Half will take the back, the rest will be here when we come out.”
My gut clenches, knowing this isn’t going to end well. I just need to get Amelia out alive, then the rest I can deal with. Once the team is ready, we move forward toward the door. Masen to my left, Rosko to my right and Alex to my back as we watch everything around us coming up to the door. I tap on Masen’s shoulder once, raise my gun over his shoulder and proceed through the door.
Blinking once, my eyes adjust to the darkened room and scan around till I stop suddenly at what is in front of us. My whole body goes numb as my eyes rake over Amelia’s still form. Chains are wrapped around her wrists, pulling her arms tightly over her head. I follow the chain as it continues up and stops on a hook high above on the ceiling attached to a beam. I take another step forward, and then stop. Every part of me wants to get to her. But I know the moment I do, this will all end suddenly. So I stay where I am and glance over the rest of her body. As I look to her ankles, I see the dark bruising that has already formed around them. I clench my jaw as I step forward several steps, my hand flexing beside me. I stop moving as someone moves from the shadows and into the light.
I growl low in my throat, as Carlos comes into view. My hand automatically goes to my back, my hand wrapping around the butt of my rifle, then I freeze as he smiles and raises his own Glock and points it at Amelia’s head, stepping across to her.
“That’s not a good idea, Masters,” he says, stopping beside her motionless body, and trails the gun down along her arm as he leans into her body. His mouth lingers near her ear, his eyes on me. He says something, his lips moving but I don’t hear the words, then laughter as he steps back. Several men come in the room behind Carlos, guns raised toward me. They don’t bother me that much until my eyes rest on Max as he steps up behind Carlos.
That motherfucker! I grind my teeth together, stopping myself from going directly for him.
As the men surround Carlos, I feel Masen, Rosko and Alex side up behind me, ready for battle. Click after click echoes through the room as every weapon is loaded. I pull my rifle to the side of me, ready. My eyes glance over to Amelia again, and the anger inside of me intensifies. Trail after trail of dried blood covers her arms down to her fingers. I grit my teeth seeing the knife handle sticking out of her thigh, blood seeping around it. The black material of her bra and panties stands out against her pale white skin mixed with bright red streaks of blood covering her body.
My eyes swing back to his. “Let her go?” I growl, my body tensing.
Carlos smiles evilly the men behind him each and every one of their guns trained on my movement. “Why would I do that, Masters?” he says then leans over and says something into Amelia’s ear. There’s no reaction from her at his words. Then his top lip lifts up at the corner. “Or should I say Davenport.”
My body stills the moment the words leave his mouth, my eyes going straight to his.
He turns his body more toward Amelia’s, his hand comes up and traces over her cheek. “You thought you could fool me into believing that you were someone completely different, Davenport?” he says shaking his head, his eyes still on Amelia. “You know what gave you away?”
The men behind him all step forward, their guns raised, aiming at me. Max doesn’t move from his position at Carlos’ back. I glare his way, and then back toward Carlos, holding myself togeth
er.
“The moment you stepped foot into Satonic.” His fingers slide lower until they rest at the top of her bra. “You couldn’t keep away from her.” His hand glides down further and cups her breast. “I can see why you couldn’t.” He laughs.
His hand drops from her and turns to face me. “You weren’t the only one watching her,” he says.
“You have me, now let her go,” I grit through my teeth as I unlatch my strap, remove my rifle from my side and drop it to the floor at my feet, hands raised in front of my body and stepping forward once.
His hand shoots out and grips Amelia by the throat, her body flinching slightly at his touch. He laughs, deep in his throat. “I think I’ll enjoy killing your wife instead. Watch as her life slips away right in front of you, and there’s nothing that you can do to save her. To see the pain in your eyes as the last part of life leaves your wife’s eyes.” Then he steps back and lifts the gun to her temple.
“No,” I shout and lunge forward, only to stop with a gun drawn to my head from the side of me. My fingers dig into the palm of my hands as Carlos steps away from Amelia’s body. Relieved slightly as he moves further away from her, I follow his movement, panting.
Both Masen and Rosko flank my side, guns drawn ahead of them. “I’m fuckin’ here, take me instead,” I yell at him.
I watch out the corner of my eye as Masen shifts away from me and closer to Amelia, gun at her head, going between each of the men standing near Amelia. Alex steps left, watching the other men on Carlos’ side. I lift my hands up further in front of me and take a step forward.
Carlos watches as I shift closer to him, a slow smile covering his lips. He raises his hand and I stop. One of his men steps from around him and comes over and begins removing all my weapons. Two Glocks, throwing knives, a hunting knife, all clunk and clank to the ground. The belt around my waist is cut and thrown toward Carlos’ feet. Fifteen magazine clips aligned on the belt now sat under Carlos’ leather shoe as he places his foot down on them. Carlos narrows his eyes and with the gun, points to the ground directly in front of his feet.