The men rushed out and there were more voices, her bladder worries were put on hold as she tried to establish what was transpiring upstairs. More time passed and the car started up again leaving her wondering what was going on. A silence sparkled in the dew that seeped into her confines... then that creak, the door was open. Someone descended the stairs but then there was more silence.
‘Time to get up girl,’ a voice sneered.
The mattress shifted and a hand covered her breast. She didn’t move or give him the satisfaction of cowering away. When he didn’t get the rise she thought he expected he reached over her and untethered her restraints from their anchor.
When he yanked her from the bed her shoulders screamed in agony. Her arms were heavy, and hollow, without blood to warm them. He kept pulling her and the quick action left her head spinning. She stumbled up the stairs, the solidity of the floor under her feet echoed like bare floorboards but she couldn’t orient herself. A door was opened and she was shoved inside. In the same instant, her blindfold was ripped from her eyes. The light wasn’t on in the room but the change in illumination left stars flickering in her eyes.
‘You’ve got one minute,’ a voice behind her said. ‘Take a piss, wash your face, the boss wants to see you.’
The door slammed and she realised she was in a washroom, with only a toilet and a sink in it – no window, little light from what seeped under the door from the room beyond. Her hands were still tied but she managed to undo her jeans and relieve herself. Working quickly she put herself back together and washed her hands, ducking her head under the cold water she drank what she could knowing that her next drink wasn’t assured.
Water dripped from her chin when she stood at the assault of light when the door was abruptly opened. The man who stood there she thought was the same one from the car but she hadn’t got a good look at him. She had definitely seen him at the apartment, not that she wanted to remember him at all.
The blindfold was put back in place and she was torn from the room to be taken up a set of wooden stairs. Following blindly she couldn’t resist or run. There were voices and movement along her journey and she couldn’t place them, which left her further disoriented. Then they stopped and there was a single knock on a door, which was then opened. Once again, she was shoved inside and her blindfold was plucked off. There was light in this room as there was a large window to her left. A desk with a bookshelf behind it stood in front of the window. To the right side was a broad couch with a four-poster bed behind it. The sound of the door being closed startled her. The chair at the desk turned and a broad sandy haired man sat staring at her. They were alone and all he did was look.
Trying not to show her discomfort under his scrutiny was difficult so she shifted her attention to the window.
‘You’re not what I expected,’ he said eventually.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Do you recognise me?’ he asked.
‘From the apartment,’ she said. ‘Isn’t that why I’m here?’
‘Something like that.’
‘How can I not be what you expected when you saw me there too?’
‘It’s unfortunate,’ he said. ‘Really, it’s a shame.’
‘You brought me here. You wanted me here.’
‘You’re the kind of variable that’s almost impossible to predict, which is what makes men like me nervous.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’ she asked. ‘Your men were the ones that dragged me into this. They brought me into that apartment. They brought me here. I don’t care about you or what you’re doing. Your men did this.’
‘My men have been reprimanded for their actions but they’re not why you’re here.’
‘No?’ she asked. ‘It’s because of them that you fear exposure.’
‘To whom?’ he asked. ‘You couldn’t identify me to the police, and my fingerprints are nowhere near the money.’
‘Is this about getting rich?’
‘The money is a motivator.’
‘If you’re not worried about the police, and it’s not exposure you fear; then why am I here?’
‘Who said I didn’t fear exposure?’ he asked. ‘I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve gotten away with it every time.’
‘You fear exposure but it’s not the reason I’m here. Why am I here?’
A slow smile crept to his lips. ‘Maybe I should introduce myself.’
‘I don’t understand what—‘
‘I am pleased to meet you Lacie,’ he said. ‘I’m Jamie Wallace.’
For a minute she couldn’t breathe or think. ‘You’re Jamie Wallace,’ she exhaled. ‘But you didn’t know he was there. You didn’t know he was—‘
‘Not until he told me,’ Jamie said.
‘The men here don’t know it, do they? They don’t know that you know he was there.’
‘No,’ Jamie said. ‘I didn’t know it until Ryder told me, that’s why my men came to you that night. As soon as Ryder told me – and I knew he wasn’t with you – I got your address from Bruce.’
‘I’m here because of Ryder,’ she said. ‘You fear exposure to Ryder. If he and I were seeing each other and you sauntered into HQ I would recognise you.’
‘Bingo.’
‘But you’re in Sweden. Ryder said you were in Sweden.’
‘That’s not a hard deception to convey. He’s worried about you by the way, seems to think you’re in a lot of danger.’
‘Can you blame him? Your men are Neanderthals. Every one of them gropes me at every opportunity.’
‘They’re up here. The SW team. They got a ping off your friend’s cell phone. We took care of that of course and we’ll be moving out tonight.’
‘We?’
‘That’s right,’ Jamie said gesturing to the seat at her side of the desk then he left his own seat to pour the coffee from a pot standing off to the side.
‘How can you do this to him?’ she asked. ‘How can you betray him like this? You have a successful business, what on earth could you need the money for?’
His easy manner vanished and he abandoned the coffee to march back to the desk, where he slammed his hands down on the surface.
‘Betrayal? How about humiliation for fifteen years? Everything he touched turned to gold! He could never do anything wrong! At school he got straight A’s and all the girls! He flew up through the ranks when we joined up at the same time! He made the money! He started the business! He got the clients! He got the jobs! Hired the men! Built up the company! Everything is his, for him, because of him! He dragged me along, expected me to be grateful, to worship him for the constant reminder that I was a fuck up! Not anymore! I’m a success! I have my own ideas! My own success! I’m not a grunt anymore!’
‘It’s illegal,’ she argued. ‘What you are doing is illegal. Why didn’t you just walk away from StoneWall?’
‘And get out of the easy life? I don’t have family. I didn’t have anything but my friends. He’s not my friend! They all liked him better when he came along. He kept me down there just to show me how much better he was than me.’
‘You’re wrong,’ she said. ‘He cares about you. He trusts you.’
‘I know,’ Jamie calmed and smiled again. ‘Which is how I plan to stay one step ahead.’
‘I thought you brought me here to kill me.’
‘I brought you here to silence you, to stop you from getting in the way of my operation. Turns out that there’s another benefit I hadn’t initially considered.’
‘What’s that?’ she asked with a suspicion that she already knew the answer.
‘He’s on self-destruct,’ Jamie smiled. ‘He’s riddled with guilt. He’ll never let this go, and that’s the beauty of it. All I have to do is keep you away from him. High-achievers who are used to getting what they want and being in complete control don’t cope; they can’t cope with being denied that control, with being helpless. He’s useless, and he’ll never solve this because I’ll always be a step ahead. We’re b
usiness partners; he believes we’re the best of friends. He’ll talk to me ten times a day if he has an operation going. He’ll tell me everything he knows and all the plans they’ve made, or have considered making. This is a battle he can’t win.’
‘Why not just kill me and get it over with?’
‘I try to break as few laws as is necessary.’
‘So your men didn’t shoot him yesterday?’
‘Tyres,’ Jamie said. ‘We’ll keep you around while this is fun. He’ll move on soon enough, or kill himself, one of the two.’
‘This isn’t a game,’ Lacie said. ‘You can’t do this to him. I’m not a pawn that’s here for your amusement.’
‘You’re here for whatever I want,’ he said. ‘You should know I’m not squeamish. If it comes to it I will pull the trigger.’
‘But you want to play with me first?’
His gaze travelled down her body. ‘I’m not into Ryder’s seconds but we could be spending a lot of time together so never say never.’
‘You’re sick,’ Lacie said. ‘You plan to turn me out to your friends?’
‘They’re not my friends. They’re the lowest level of scum but they don’t ask questions, and they do what my man tells them.’
‘I’m happy for you,’ she said.
‘They’re not going to touch you if you behave yourself. Rape is the lowest form of depravity. This is about money.’
‘And revenge,’ she said. ‘You’re trying to destroy him.’
‘The best part is I won’t have to try, he’ll do it all by himself. You’ll be well looked after here. You’ve known Ryder a week you can’t care that much about my motives with him. I’ve known him for more than half of my life. You don’t know him like I do. I’m sorry you’ve been pulled into this against your will, and I apologise that you’ve been taken from your life.’
‘Not sorry enough to let me go.’
‘No,’ Jamie said. ‘We’ll make you comfortable.’
‘Until when?’ she asked.
‘Until I decide what to do with you or until you’re of no use to me.’
‘Until Ryder realises what you really are,’ she said. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? You’ll wait until he figures you out and then you’ll trot me out.’
‘Maybe.’
‘How long will that take?’
‘I’d settle in,’ Jamie said. ‘You’ll be our guest for quite a while. Behave yourself and we’ll all get along fine.’
‘And, if I don’t?’
‘Use your imagination.’
‘You’ve done everything you could,’ Sorcha said to Ryder. ‘You’ve been running the length and breadth of the country for weeks. You couldn’t have done more.’
‘When are her parents in?’
‘Later this afternoon,’ Sorcha said.
‘Deacon just left. The missing person team has got bupkis.’
The door to his office opened and Gabe came in with Rocco. ‘Jamie and Eric just got back in,’ Gabe said. ‘He’ll be through in a minute.’
‘He’s not been around much,’ Sorcha said. ‘I haven’t met him.’
‘He’s been working in Canada,’ Ryder said. ‘He’s picking up all the slack we’ve been left with.’
‘Because of Lacie?’ Sorcha asked.
‘He’s been in constant touch,’ Gabe said. ‘Jamie’s with us on this.’
‘Hasn’t helped, has it?’ Sorcha asked.
Ryder didn’t need to be told. For three weeks they’d followed every lead. They had split up, worked together, chased the ghosts of possibility but every time had come up short. For men who apparently weren’t professionals they were remarkably skilled which told Ryder that whoever was at the top they knew what they were doing.
‘When do her parents land?’ Gabe asked.
‘In a couple of hours,’ Sorcha said. ‘They’re staying with Elise. I’m going over there for dinner. We’re heading over to the police station after that. Her mother has spoken about a direct appeal. Do you think it would help?’
‘We don’t know what would help,’ Rocco said. ‘There’s not been a whisper from Lacie or from Booth since they disappeared from that street.’
Sorcha took her attention from the men and Ryder didn’t like her discomfort, because she was never uncertain. She was about to ask the question they’d managed not to broach yet, though it had been in all of their minds.
‘Are they dead?’ Sorcha asked. The four looked at each other but no one ventured to answer.
The opening door gave them a reprieve. Jamie entered with a smile but sobered when the tension in the air swamped him.
‘Isn’t this a room of happy people,’ Jamie said. ‘Did something break?’
No one said anything for a moment until Gabe stepped up. ‘Sorcha Reynolds meet Jamie Wallace. Jamie this is Sorcha.’
‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ Jamie said and shook Sorcha’s hand. ‘You’re Lacie’s best friend, Booth’s other half.’
Jamie cast his eyes downward but Ryder hadn’t told anyone about her condition – she still hadn’t even told her parents – so he was sure there was no correlation. Still, a smile formed on his partner’s face.
‘You’re quite something to look at,’ Jamie said.
‘I’m not Booth’s better half. He can rot in hell for all I care.’
‘I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that. Is that your way of telling me you’re single?’
‘I’m not your type,’ Sorcha said.
‘How could you possibly know that?’
Ryder knew he shouldn’t be aggravated by the minor flirtation taking place in the middle of his office but he was. Life managed to continue around him. People were continuing with their lives yet nothing was normal. He’d found a woman that he wanted to make the centre of his universe and then he’d lost her. Here they were three weeks after he’d told her that he’d find her and she was still lost.
‘Give us a minute would you guys?’ Ryder asked.
‘I’m going to get going,’ Sorcha said. ‘I’m going to the airport with Elise.’
‘Phone me if you need me,’ Ryder said rounding the desk to kiss her cheek then Gabe and Rocco escorted her out.
‘You’ve frayed,’ Jamie said. ‘You look tired and stressed out... more so than you did last week.’
‘I’m losing my mind,’ Ryder said driving his fingers through his hair.
‘People go missing all the time,’ Jamie said. ‘Some people are never found. Some people don’t want to be found.’
‘This isn’t one of those,’ Ryder said. ‘I told her I would find her.’
‘You’ve told me this already,’ Jamie said. ‘And I’ve told you that all our clients appreciate there’s a risk. If there was no risk we wouldn’t be hired in the first place.’
‘How long are you in town?’ Ryder asked.
‘You’re really mixed up in this,’ Jamie said. ‘You’ve let the business go.’
‘Gabe’s keeping an eye out for things.’
‘Sorcha’s hot,’ Jamie said. ‘She could take your mind off things.’
Ryder frowned at his partner. ‘You’re kidding, right? Lacie’s the only woman I’m interested in. Have you forgotten everything I told you?’
‘You’re not going to practice abstinence for the rest of your life. You have to get back on the horse.’
‘I’m not interested in the horse. It’s only been three weeks.’
‘You’ve spent twenty minutes getting over relationships that you’ve been in for months. You knew this girl a week.’
‘She’s missing because of me.’
‘She’s missing because her friend’s ex-boyfriend is an idiot. That’s hardly your fault. How long are you going to stick on this?’
‘As long as it takes,’ Ryder said.
‘Ok, so we’ll take you off the books here. You want to dedicate your life to finding your Dusty you can do that. But you have to realise that it might not happen. Are you willing to give up your life,
your business, your future, for something that may not happen?’
Ryder didn’t have to think too hard about his answer. ‘Yes.’
‘She means that much to you?’
‘Yes, she does.’
Jamie smiled again. ‘I thought as much. We need to get the guys back to work. But you’ll have access to all of our resources. We could hire a couple more guys I guess. Are you sure she’s alive?’
‘I have to believe it.’
‘Is there anything else on the Booth guy? Are you still following that lead?’
‘We’ve exhausted every avenue,’ Ryder said. ‘The guy has vanished. Everything we’ve traced has gone dark. It’s as if none of it even happened.’
‘You’re tearing yourself apart,’ Jamie said. ‘I hope this woman appreciates how you feel about her.’
‘You keep StoneWall going,’ Ryder said. ‘I’ll find Lacie.’
‘Where are you going?’ Jamie asked when Ryder headed for the door.
‘The airport; I screwed this up and her parents should know all the details.’
‘Be careful of a possible backlash. They’ll want to focus their anger on someone.’
‘You won’t say it so I will – I’d deserve it. ‘
Ryder wanted to be in the thick of it, he wanted to hear her name, and he wanted to talk about her. The longer she stayed in their minds the longer they were all aware, alert, on the lookout. Options might be thinning but he’d said he would find her, and he’d meant it – whatever it took.
Lacie sipped water from the dirty cup she’d been using for almost a month now. The gang had bumped from place to place for the first couple of weeks but they’d hung steady at this house since then. In this location she hadn’t been out of the basement like she had been at previous sites, but after some of the things she’d witnessed those men do to each other – or rather to Booth – she couldn’t say she was sorry to be left alone. Here she spent a large portion of her time blindfolded. Her hands were bound and a chain tethered her to the wall like an animal. But she had just enough slack to reach the toilet, which had a sink that she used to fill her cup.
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