“I’m not sure,” Evan admitted. They’d followed Larry when he’d left his house around eleven o’clock that night. Larry had driven into an older subdivision on the outskirts of town. He’d parked three houses down the street and then slipped across the dark neighborhood to a large, three-story house on the corner near the woods. Evan turned the car off. They watched as Larry entered the house. Lights were on inside, which indicated someone was home. They waited about fifteen minutes. Larry didn’t come out.
“Let’s go check it out,” Evan said. “Whatever he’s doing, I have a feeling he’s doing it in there.”
Meg hesitated. “Do you think that’s where he took the girls he kidnapped?”
Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. He obviously parked down the street for a reason. Whatever’s going on inside that house is probably illegal.”
They glanced at each other across the dark car.
“Come on. Let’s see what he’s up to.” Evan opened his door and slipped out of the car. Meg followed, her heart hammering. She was scared of what they would find, but Larry had to be stopped before he abducted any more girls. Before he killed anyone else. Though she had no proof, she was certain he’d killed her parents. He’d hinted as much. Her chest squeezed and she pushed the pain aside. She vowed she’d make Larry pay.
They snuck across the street to the house near the woods where Larry had disappeared. The house was on a large lot and surrounded by pine trees. They ran from tree to tree, hiding behind the trunks, until they reached the house. No one was around. No one saw them. The neighborhood was quiet.
Evan tried the front door where Larry had gone in. The door wasn’t locked, which told Meg Larry wasn’t worried about anyone finding him or discovering whatever it was he was doing inside.
Or maybe he knew they’d been following him and he’d left it unlocked on purpose to lure them in so he could catch them. As soon as that thought entered her mind, the hair on her arms sprang up. A chill slithered down her spine. Before Meg could turn and flee, Evan grabbed her arm. He pushed the door open a crack, peered inside the house. She remained rooted to the spot. The entryway was dark, but a light shone from the living room. Meg caught a glimpse of the edge of a couch, but that was all. It was quiet inside. Evan glanced back at her and lifted a finger to his lips. Then he pushed the door open and stepped into the house. He grabbed Meg’s hand, pulling her in after him. They hovered in the entryway, holding their breaths, and glanced around. Meg eased the door closed behind them.
“I wondered how long it would take you to come inside.” Larry’s voice boomed from off to their left. Meg gasped. She jumped back as Larry stepped out from behind a large Ficus tree that stood near the window in the entryway. Evan squeezed her arm. He pressed back against the door, his eyes wide as he stared up at Larry. Meg gripped his hand.
Larry chuckled, taking them in with his icy blue stare. “If I’d known you wanted to join the party, Meggie girl, I would have invited you a long time ago.” His gaze slid to Evan, considering. “I think I can find a place for you, too. Some of my clients prefer boys.”
Evan paled. His grip tightened on Meg’s arm.
“Well, come in,” Larry waved his arm around, “and check it out. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Meg and Evan exchanged worried glances.
Larry shoved them forward into the house. They stumbled into the living room, glancing around wide-eyed. A man sat on a large couch near the wall with a teenage girl. The girl was naked from the waist up. Her head was bent, her long red hair covering her face. Meg stared as the man fondled the girl’s breasts. The girl whimpered, but kept her gaze downcast. She didn’t look up at Meg and Evan, though Meg was certain the girl knew they were there.
Sickened, Meg turned her head away. So this was what Larry did with the girls he kidnapped. Forced them to…to…
Bile threatened its way up Meg’s throat. She swallowed hard, forcing it back down.
Larry steered them toward the stairs. “Go on up. There’s more to see.”
Reluctantly, Meg and Evan went up the stairs. Larry followed, his hands on their backs, pushing them forward. He knocked on the first door on the left. It opened a few seconds later. A tall muscle-bound blond guy peered out at them.
“Yeah?”
“I brought some visitors,” Larry announced, shoving Meg and Evan into the room. “Show them what we do here.”
The man gave a curt nod. He stepped aside. Larry pushed them forward. Meg halted when her gaze landed on the people on the huge bed: two men and a girl. The girl was sobbing quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. One man sat on either side of her. The man to her left was touching her breasts, while the other man was grunting as he…
Meg gasped, unable to look away. Evan let out a sob and reared back. Larry grabbed him by the back of the neck, forced him to watch.
“You wanted to join the party,” Larry said coldly. “So watch, fag boy. This is what we do here. She’s still in training. When they’re done with her, she’ll know how to please any man.”
Meg lifted her gaze to Larry’s, refusing to look again at the people on the bed. At the poor girl who was being raped right in front of them. She tried to shut out the sounds of the girl’s sobs, tried to block out the men’s grunts, but those sounds ended up haunting her for years afterwards.
“You’ll never get away with this,” she said bravely, glaring at Larry. “When I leave, I’m going to tell everyone what you’re doing here. You’ll go to jail for a very long time.”
Larry threw back his head and laughed. “You really think I’m going to let you leave here? I’ve got plans for you, Meggie girl. Big plans.”
A chill crept down Meg’s spine. She shuddered. Larry shoved Evan toward the blond giant who’d opened the door. “Take him to the basement. Rough him up a bit. He’s got a rich daddy who will probably pay a lot for him. We can ransom him off for a couple million.”
“No, please,” Evan cried as the muscle-bound dude hauled him from the room. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” Meg squeezed her eyes shut when the door closed behind them.
I’m so sorry Evan. This is all my fault. Her heart pinched. If they hurt Evan, she would never be able to forgive herself.
When she opened her eyes, Larry was leering down at her. “I’ve finally got you in my lair,” he said softly. “This is where I’ve wanted you all along.”
She lifted her chin and sent him her most hate-filled glare, refusing to let him see how terrified she was.
The girl had stopped sobbing from the bed. Worried about her, hoping they hadn’t killed her, Meg glanced over there. The two men rose from the bed, naked. Meg jerked her gaze to the girl. The girl’s head was bent, her arms wrapped around herself, but she was alive. They hadn’t killed her. But they may as well have. Though Meg didn’t know the girl, she wanted to go to her and comfort her.
Larry snapped his fingers in front of Meg’s face. She pulled her gaze back to his.
Larry motioned the men over. “This here’s Meggie,” he introduced. “She’s special. I want a private room for her. We can start her training tomorrow. She’s mine. No one is to touch her but me. Lock her up in number three. I want to give her a few hours to think about what she’s done. I want some of the fight to drain out of her first. She’s a feisty one.”
The two men approached, each grabbing her by an arm. Meg fought and yanked back, but they easily dragged her from the room and down the hallway.
“You’ll never get away with this!” she screamed. Larry’s chuckle followed after her, taunting her.
The men opened a door at the end of the hall. They shoved her inside. The lock clicked. Meg glanced around. The room contained nothing but a king-sized bed. She glared at the bed, refusing to go near it. The window was boarded up.
There was no escape.
Fear clenched her chest.
She’d found out what Larry was doing. But her plan had backfired.
Now she’d become his prisoner.
* * *
“Jesus,” Zach whispered when she grew silent. He rubbed a hand over his face. Then he looked at her, his face white. Meg couldn’t meet his gaze. She stared down at her lap.
“How?” Zach cleared his throat. “How did you get away?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “They left me locked up in that room all night and all the next day. I sat on the floor behind the door, waiting for them to come back so I could attack. I wasn’t going near that bed. I swore they’d have to kill me first.”
A spark of admiration entered Zach’s eyes. He squeezed her hand.
Meg lowered her gaze. “The two guys came back the next night. I don’t think they did anything but sleep during the day so they wouldn’t disturb the neighbors and make people suspicious. All their activities happened at night when people were in bed. Anyway, when the first one came in the room, I launched myself at him, kicking and hitting and biting. I think I bit off a chunk of his ear. He let out a grunt and shoved me off. I rushed past him and raced out into the hallway. The other guy grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder. Then Larry came up the stairs. He said I still had too much fight in me and told them to lock me back in the room.” She shuddered. “So they did. This time they left me there for three days. Without food or water. I was so hungry and thirsty, but I wasn’t about to let them know that. I spent my time alone in there trying to get the board off the window so I could escape. I kept pulling on the board, scraping my fingers raw, until I managed to wiggle the board loose. I pulled and scraped and pulled and scraped for nearly three days straight. Then I finally managed to work the board free. I tossed it aside and yanked open the window. The room was on the second level, about fifteen feet up. It faced out into the woods. It was daytime and the house was quiet, but I’d made a lot of noise when I pulled the board loose, so someone could have heard me. I didn’t hesitate. I leapt out of that window and rolled as soon as my feet hit the grass.”
She felt Zach’s gaze on her, intense and waiting.
“I sprained my ankle when I hit the ground, but it didn’t stop me. I hobbled into the woods. I had no idea where Evan was, if he was still in that house or if they’d ransomed him off to his father. I hoped his father had saved him, that he was free, because if he hadn’t, then I was abandoning him, leaving him there.”
She closed her eyes as that horrible day came rushing back. “I only got a couple hundred yards into the forest before they caught me. One guy held me down while another one stuck a needle into my arm, drugging me with something. The next thing I remember, I woke up on a bed and my arms were handcuffed to the bedposts.” Meg wiped a tear from her cheek. She closed her eyes and let the memory consume her…
A noise came from out in the hallway. Meg tensed, pulling at the handcuffs, but it was no use. She couldn’t escape.
The door creaked open.
Evan slipped into the room. Meg couldn’t believe her eyes. He was alive!
Evan glanced over at her. Meg stifled a gasp when she saw his face. She could tell they’d beaten him. His face was swollen, cut and bruised. He walked gingerly across the room as if it hurt to move.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “We don’t have much time.”
“How did you escape?” Meg whispered, so happy to see him.
“I kept working and pulling at my bonds until I worked them loose. It wasn’t that hard to escape from the basement. The guards sleep during the day. No one’s around.”
Voices came from out in the hall. Evan dived beneath the bed. Meg held her breath as the door opened.
Larry came into the room. He was alone this time. He shut the door behind him and leered across the room at her.
“I think it’s time for your training now. You are a virgin, aren’t you?”
Meg glared at him, refusing to answer.
Larry chuckled. “I thought so. That’s good. Because you’re mine. I’ve been watching you for a long time, Meggie girl. I’ll be the one breaking you in, teaching you how to please a man, not some punk kid who doesn’t know how to use his tallywhacker.”
Meg pulled at the handcuffs, to no avail. “You’re sick! You…you pervert! You’re not touching me!”
Larry sat down on the bed next to her. She tried to move away from him, but the handcuffs kept her from doing more than bounce up and down on the mattress. He grinned down at her. “Why do you think I took care of your parents? To pave the way to you. I’ve been watching you for a long time, Meggie girl. A long, long time. And now your mine.”
She shook her head back and forth, unable to comprehend what he was saying. She swallowed back a wave of nausea. “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes narrowed. “You saw what we do here, Meggie girl. This is a pleasure house where men pay top dollar to have sex with pretty young things like you. I’ve been in business for a long time. I intend to continue this business for years to come. And you, you’re going to help me.”
Meg reared back. “No, I won’t do it. You can’t make me. I’ll fight you every step of the way. I’ll kill you before I let you touch me.”
Larry chuckled. He shook his head back and forth. “You’re handcuffed to the bed,” he pointed out softly. “How do you intend to stop me?”
Meg glared at him. “If you hadn’t killed my parents, you’d be in jail right now. My dad would have put you away for what you’ve been doing to innocent girls. He would have made sure you paid for your crimes.”
Larry laughed. “Getting rid of your parents was all part of my plan. I made their murder/suicide look pretty convincing if I do say so myself. I always get what I want, Meggie.”
She stared at him, speechless. He really had planned this whole thing out. For how long? She thought she was going to be sick.
He leaned over and took her face roughly between his fingers, yanking her head back around. “Look at me when I’m talking to you. Pretty little Meggie...”
He trailed a finger down her throat and between her breasts. Meg squirmed and fought, trying to jerk away from him, but with her hands held tight against the bedposts, she couldn’t do more than wriggle back and forth. Tears filled her eyes. He was going to rape her. And no one would stop him.
His breath reeked of alcohol. Nausea rose up her throat again. Meg swallowed hard, trying to push it back down.
Panting from excitement, Larry paused to leer at her. “Feisty little Meggie. That turns me on when you fight.” He reached for the waistband of her jeans. “Let me see what you’ve been hiding from me all this time.”
“No!” She squirmed with renewed effort, but to no avail. He pulled the jeans down her legs while she continued to thrash and squirm beneath him. Then he yanked her shirt up, exposing her tender flesh. He easily dispensed with her bra and leaned back to inspect her.
“I hate you!” she screamed. “I hate you! You won’t get away with this!”
He laughed. “Oh yes I will. I’m Sheriff. I can do whatever I want.”
He leaned over and fondled her breasts. Meg turned her head away. She whimpered in fear, terrified of what he was about to do. He was sick. A child molester. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her.
“So beautiful, Meggie girl,” he slurred, his rancid breath making her gag. “My own little virgin to train however I want.” Gazing down at her with lust in his eyes, he whispered, “Mine all mine.”
Meg continued to squirm beneath him. She was not letting him do this to her. “I’m not a virgin,” she lied. “Evan and I already did it. And I won’t do what you want. I won’t.”
Larry narrowed his gaze on hers. Then he barked out a laugh. “You think I’m stupid enough to believe that? Of course you’re a virgin. That fag wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole!” He leaned close. “My men already took care of little Evan. Suffice it to say he’s not a virgin anymore either.”
“You’re sick!” Meg hissed.
Larry chuckled. “No boy is going to touch you, ever. No one but me. If I find out that anyone has touched you
, anyone, I’ll kill them. You’re mine, Meggie girl. Mine.” He trailed a finger down her throat. “It’s time for your first lesson.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn’t happening to her. It couldn’t be.
Something bumped her beneath the bed, jarring Meg’s brain, reminding her that Evan was down there. She opened her eye a crack just in time to see Evan rear up from the side of the bed, a look of intense hatred on his face. He leapt on Larry’s back. He tightened his arm around Larry’s throat, squeezing for all he was worth. Larry gasped and squirmed, trying to fling Evan off, but Evan, bless his heart, hung on as if his life depended on it. And it probably did. Meg stared as Evan and Larry thrashed around her on the bed until Larry’s body finally went limp and Evan released him. Larry crumpled forward onto the mattress at Meg’s feet.
Evan sat back, breathing heavily. He glared at Larry’s unmoving form. “He called me a fag.” He glanced back at Meg. “Asshole.”
Their gazes held for a long moment. “I’m so sorry he hurt you,” Meg whispered.
Evan jerked his gaze away and searched Larry for the key to the handcuffs. Finally he found it in Larry’s front pocket and freed Meg’s wrists.
“Why isn’t he awake yet?” Evan asked, concern crossing his face. “I thought if you choked someone, they only passed out until the oxygen or blood flow was restored to the brain.”
“Maybe you killed him,” Meg said hopefully.
“No, I think he might be drunk.” Evan leaned closer. He sniffed Larry’s face. “Eww! Yep, he’s wasted. He’ll probably be out for a while.”
With a grunt, Evan pulled on Larry while Meg pushed at him. Together they managed to roll Larry off the bed. His heavy body hit the floor with a thud. He didn’t move.
“You okay?” Evan asked. “If I had a gun, I swear I would’ve shot him right between the eyes.”
Meg slid off the bed. She snatched up her jeans and pulled them on, then pulled her torn shirt together. They both turned to stare at Larry’s unmoving form on the floor.
“Maybe I did kill him,” Evan murmured.
Deceived (Unlikely Heroes Book 3) Page 22