Closing her eyes, she concentrated as hard as she could. Please hear me, Delacroix. It’s my only chance.
“Abandoned marina,” Delacroix murmured.
Brayden and Josh both looked at him.
“What?” Brayden asked.
Delacroix gave a half smile. “She did it. Abandoned marina just popped into my head.”
“How is she?” Brayden asked. “Is she okay?”
Delacroix nodded as he sat up. “Whatever he gave her is beginning to wear off, but I get the sense that we’re running out of time. Marina,” he murmured. “There was a development not far from here. A marina was planned for it, but when the housing crisis happened, the developer lost it all. It’s been tied up in foreclosure ever since and the whole thing is still in limbo.”
“Could she be talking about that marina?” Brayden asked, anxious to get out there. “Where is it?”
“If he’s taking her to a boat, it’s possible he won’t stay at that marina,” Josh said.
“Agreed,” Delacroix replied with a sigh. “Let’s get a chopper out there. Give us a bird’s eye view. It’s the development about fifteen, maybe twenty, miles down this road. Rarity Bay, I believe is what it’s called. Tell them to stay back, but let us know if there are any boats and if that boat leaves the marina. We don’t want the chopper to scare him off, but I want it close enough that if they leave, they can let us know.”
Josh nodded as he pulled his phone out to make the call.
Chapter Thirty-One
Karina groaned as he dropped her unexpectedly onto a wide table. Her bones already ached from her fall down the laundry chute. This would only add to the bruises she was sure had already begun to form. Bruises were better than stab wounds or…God help her, whip slashes.
She let herself go limp and watched carefully as Gary walked to the cabinets and began gathering supplies: floggers, a crowbar, a jagged knife. Karina swallowed at the menacing images that came to mind. Did he plan to use all that on her? Of course he did. That and probably a whole lot more.
While his back was turned, she glanced around the small boat. There had to be something she could grab for a weapon. Along the far wall was a metal pipe leaning against the cheap wood paneling. That would work perfectly, but would she be fast enough to get to it?
She adjusted her position and the room spun precariously. Nausea rolled through her stomach, and she winced. Now would not be the best time to throw up.
“What do you want with me?” she murmured, desperate to buy some time.
“I want to finish what we started, Karina.”
“But why? What did I ever do to you?” she asked.
“You pissed me off,” he replied, nonchalantly. He spoke as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “You’re a submissive.”
She adjusted her position again, slowly rolling to her side. He glanced at her over his shoulder and frowned. “Gary is the submissive. I’m not Gary.”
She froze. “Then who are you?”
He put his back to her again and began to wipe down a long, serrated knife. “Who I am is of no consequence to you.”
Karina slowly sat up. “Don’t you think I deserve to know?”
He spun around so fast Karina barely had time to brace herself before he slapped his hand across her face. Lights flashed behind her eyes and she blinked, forcing the pain to the back of her mind. Memories of the last time he had her came flooding back, making her gasp. Blood oozed from her lip, and the metallic taste filled her mouth, making her want to gag. She used the pad of her thumb to wipe it away as she glared at Gary through her lashes.
“You don’t deserve anything, you stupid cunt,” he snarled. “You’re no better than any of the others. If anything, you’re worse.”
He turned his back to her again, and Karina frowned. Why hadn’t he tied her up? Did he believe she was still weak and unable to defend herself? She let her feet slowly drop to the floor. The cold hardwood made her shiver. Apparently, he’d removed her shoes back at the club.
She edged slowly to the side, fighting a wave of dizziness that threatened to send her face first to the floor. She had to get to that pipe. She took two steps away from the table before a sharp pain sliced into her thigh. She screamed and dropped to the floor on her hands. Glancing down, she stared in shock at the knife protruding from the side of her leg. Blood gushed from the wound, as a burning pain throbbed throughout her entire right side.
“Where do you think you’re going, bitch?” he snapped.
Delacroix dropped to the floor and grunted in pain. “Son of a bitch,” he snarled.
Brayden reached down to offer a hand, but Delacroix shook his head. “I need a minute.”
“What happened?” Brayden asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think he hurt Karina in the leg.”
Brayden cursed and stood straight. With his hands on his hips, he glared toward the ceiling in helpless frustration. What was this guy doing to Karina? Would she survive or would their unsub kill her before they got there?
He glared at Josh. “We need to get going. Now.”
Josh nodded and grabbed Delacroix’s keys off the desk. “We’re taking your Escalade.”
“Whatever,” Delacroix murmured, as he reached for the edge of the desk and pulled himself up.
With a hiss, he limped behind Josh as he headed out the office door. Brayden walked up and grabbed Delacroix’s hand. With a sympathetic look, Brayden wrapped Delacroix’s arm around his shoulder and helped him down the hall.
“Can you block this?” Brayden asked, but truthfully wasn’t sure he wanted Delacroix to.
They all needed to know what was going on with Karina, and Delacroix was their only link. Unfortunately, if things got bad for her, they would for Delacroix as well.
“I can, but I’m not sure I should.”
“How often do you have these kinds of connections?” Brayden asked.
“To this extreme, not very often. It’s strange how they come about.”
“They’re random,” Brayden said.
Delacroix gave him a concerned look. “Yes. And they can end as quickly as they arise.”
Brayden gave a nod of understanding. Delacroix was as concerned about suddenly losing the connection as Brayden was.
Karina had to do something. Now. She couldn’t wait any longer. The more he hurt her, the harder it would be for her to fight back. She already struggled with dizziness and nausea, and now the stab wound to her leg and her throbbing lip.
She backed up slightly as Gary stomped forward and grasped the handle of the knife. He tugged it roughly, tearing her flesh as he removed the blade from her leg.
She tried not to cry out, but the pain was too much. Fresh blood poured from the wound and she placed a shaky hand over the opening to try and staunch the flow. The only good thing about it was the flow was too slow for the knife to have hit the artery.
He pointed the tip of the blade at her nose and snarled, “Move again. I beg you.”
Karina froze and watched Gary warily. The man was insane. She could see it in his eyes. What happened to him? What made him this way? Why submissives?
He tilted his head as he backed up slowly and returned to his work at the table.
“Why submissives?” she asked.
“Why not submissives?” he countered, not looking at her.
Karina frowned. She would probably never get a straight answer from him. Should she try? She wanted to. She needed to know why.
The whir of a helicopter could be heard in the distance and her stomach flipped with excitement. Was it a fluke or had Delacroix gotten her message?
Gary apparently heard it too. He tilted his head to the side, listening. He glanced through the window toward the sky, but seemed to be satisfied with what he either did or didn’t see, as he returned to his task at hand—preparing her ties.
Karina tested her leg by trying to shift it. Just the inch or so of
movement sent stabbing pain up her leg and she winced. She had to force herself to fight through it. Otherwise, what was her alternative?
Brayden sat in the back with Delacroix, as Josh sped down the road toward the abandoned marina. Delacroix gripped the back of the seat and focused his eyes on the dark leather.
“What?” Brayden asked. “More pain?”
“She’s trying to move.”
“Nathan, you need to break that bond,” Josh commanded as he watched him periodically through the rearview mirror. “The pilot saw a car at the marina as well as a small houseboat. It’s likely them. You don’t need to keep this connection.”
“What if it’s not?” he asked. “I need to stay with her if we ever hope to find her. If I break it, I don’t know that I can get it back.”
“Damn it. You’re going to feel everything she does!”
Delacroix shook his head. “I can handle it.”
“What happens if she dies while you’re connected?” Brayden asked.
“I don’t know,” Delacroix murmured, but kept his gaze on the seat.
Karina glanced toward the pipe. Six feet. That’s all she needed to move. She also knew that with the pain in her leg, six feet would feel like a mile. Gritting her teeth, she took one last look at Gary and silently climbed to her feet, using mostly her good leg. She braced the toe of her injured leg against the floor and held her breath, as burning pain tore up her calf and thigh.
If her Navy SEAL uncle could get himself to the evacuation site when he’d been shot in the leg while on a mission in Iran, then she could get six freakin’ feet.
But her uncle had pain meds and comrades to help him. She only had herself.
With her whole body shaking, she reached the pipe only to be shoved against the wall by the sudden, almost debilitating pain of a knife slicing into her back.
Karina screamed and braced herself against the cold paneling. Her fingers trembled badly as she tried to reach behind her to grab the handle. It was too far down, just below and to the left of her shoulder blade.
Giving up on the handle, she dropped her hand and leaned her cheek against the wall. Every breath hurt, and every beat of her heart sent a current of pain through her torso.
“What did I tell you, you stupid bitch?” he screamed from just a few feet away. “I should’ve tied your sorry ass up when we got here. Now you’re going to make me kill you before we’ve even had a chance to play.”
The edge of her fingers brushed against the jagged edge of the metal pipe. She glanced down at it, noticing the dried blood. He’d used that thing on other women. Now it was time he got a little taste of his own medicine.
She wrapped her fingers around it, steeling her resolve. This would be her only shot. She had only enough energy for this one try.
He started moving toward her and she braced herself for the pain. With a growl, she lifted the pipe and swung as hard as she could, catching Gary across the face. Blood sprayed over her cheek and she turned her head to avoid getting it in her eyes.
Gary screamed and covered his cheek with his hand. Cursing, he bent forward, and then reared back up with a roar. It wasn’t enough. He recovered too quickly and hit her face with the back of his hand, sending her to her knees. With her fingers still wrapped around the pipe, she stared up at him. Anger flashed in his eyes and she could swear she saw death. Her death.
A deep gash ran from the corner of his swelling eye to his jaw, making Karina flinch. He would kill her now, she had no doubt. It was written all over his face.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Brayden heard Delacroix gasp and his breathing turn shallow. It was killing him knowing that Karina was being hurt and not being able to do anything about it.
He’d finally found her, finally gotten the woman he’d admired from afar for years. To lose her now would just be wrong.
“Brayden,” Delacroix said softly. “She’s going to need a medical air evac. A chopper. Tell Josh to have them ready to move. She’ll be critical.”
Brayden stomach dropped. “How bad is it?”
Delacroix swallowed as the Escalade made a sharp turn to the right, forcing both of them to brace. “It’s bad.”
Brayden relayed the information to Josh as they sped down the dark road that led to the marina. The streetlights in the abandoned lakefront development were out, but there was enough of a moon to light the way and allow them to see the parking lot and the small boat tied to the dock in the distance.
Fear tightened Brayden’s chest. What if they were too late?
She had one chance left, but she wasn’t sure she had the energy to pull it off. Weakness was taking hold way too fast. She’d lost too much blood, not to mention the knife was still in her back, and every time she moved, the blade cut a little more at her insides.
She had to do this, though. She wanted to see Brayden again. Not just see him. She wanted to submit to him. It was unfathomable that, after everything she’d been through, she’d want him to continue to dominate her. But everything he’d done felt right. She wasn’t ready to give that up yet. She wasn’t ready to die without telling him she was in love with him.
Keeping Brayden in her mind, she used every ounce of strength she had left and forced the jagged end of the pipe into Gary’s lower stomach. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the metal pierced through his denim jeans and tight skin. Blood slid down the pipe and coated her hands as she continued to press upward, pushing the pipe through his chest.
Gary sputtered and gasped for air. His eyes went wide, and his mouth opened and closed as the color drained from his face and the light in his eyes dimmed. She’d never watched anyone die like that and felt a moment of revulsion over what she’d done.
Gary began to fall forward, but Karina didn’t have the strength to keep his body weight back. She lost her hold on the pipe and fell sideways as Gary fell forward across her legs. She cried out as his weight landed on her injured thigh before he rolled to his side and stared lifelessly right at her.
His mouth moved, and Karina held her breath. It appeared as though he wanted to say something, but he froze with his mouth half open, his eyes locked on hers.
She let out the breath she’d been holding. She choked on a sob, then cried in earnest as the adrenaline wore off and the pain became too much. Closing her tear-filled eyes, she willingly fell into the darkness that embraced her.
Brayden rushed headlong through the sliding glass door of the houseboat. With both hands raised, he held the flashlight straight out, hoping to temporarily blind anyone waiting to attack. Josh and Delacroix were right behind him.
He spotted Karina and the unsub both on the floor, lying facing each other, but at opposite ends. Both of them were covered in blood. The smell of urine and feces was heavy in the air. A knife remained embedded in Karina’s back. His heart stopped at how still she looked, how pale.
“Karina,” he shouted, as he rushed forward.
He kicked at the back of the unsub. He was obviously dead. Not giving him a second glance, he knelt down by Karina.
“Is she all right?” Delacroix asked, as he rolled the dead body of the unsub to his back. The connection had been lost the second Karina lost consciousness.
“I’m not sure, yet. She’s still breathing, though.”
“Holly shit,” Delacroix murmured.
“What?” Josh asked as he walked around, searching the rest of the boat.
Outside, the helicopter blades began to rattle the windows as it lowered onto the parking lot.
“It’s Gary,” Delacroix replied.
Brayden ignored them and concentrated on trying to get Karina to wake up. “Hey, Karina,” he said, giving her a slight shake.
He moved his gaze downward, quickly examining the wound in her thigh. Fresh blood oozed out and he placed the flat of his palm against it to stop the flow. When she didn’t move, his stomach dropped.
“Karina, please,” he whispered. “Open your eyes and look at me, kitten.”
&
nbsp; “Brayden,” Delacroix said in his usual commanding tone. “Move, so the paramedics can get to her.”
He shook his head, at first not wanting to leave her side. “Karina,” he said again.
Someone touched his shoulder and he looked up to see a paramedic anxious for him to move. “Sir, we need you to move.”
Brayden stood and stepped aside, watching with gut-wrenching fear as they examined the knife in her back and determined the best way to lay her on the gurney. They didn’t want to remove it without knowing how big the blade was and what damage it had done to her insides.
“We’ll get vitals in the air,” one of them said, as they rushed her out the door and down the dock.
Brayden ran after them, but Delacroix grabbed his arm and held him back. “You won’t fit, Brayden. We’ve got another chopper coming. They’ll take us to the hospital. It will be faster than trying to get there in the car.”
“Do you know where they’re going?” he asked.
Delacroix nodded.
Two days later.
Karina winced at the pain in her back as she tried to adjust her position in the hospital bed. She was ready to get out of here. Supposedly, that would happen later today… If she was lucky.
Delacroix rushed forward and grabbed a pillow off the bed next to her.
“Here,” he said. “Try putting this at the small of your back. Maybe it will keep your upper back from hitting the mattress.”
She leaned forward, allowing him to add the pillow, and then sat back. With a sigh, she nodded and smiled. “Thank you. That helped.”
She stared at him as he moved to take a seat on the other bed. “Are we still…”
“Connected?” he finished for her after a brief pause.
She grinned. “Yeah.”
“No. Once you lost consciousness on the boat, it was gone.” He shrugged. “That’s how it happens sometimes.”
“I can’t believe you actually heard me.”
“It wasn’t heard, exactly. It was more like… Do you know when you’re trying to think of a word, but can’t, and then suddenly it pops into your head?”
Topping the Domme (Crime and Punishment) Page 20