“I don’t want people watching!” I shove his hands away from me. “I want them taken down. Now! No one gets to watch me anymore. No one!” He stands from his chair and wraps his arms around me, holding me tight.
“Okay, okay.” He runs his hand over my hair. “We can shut down the feeds. I have what I need. I found her.”
My anxiety stills.
“Why did you let people—?”
“I needed to trace her, and the best way to do that was to let her keep watching. Dragonmate, too. But he hasn’t been on lately.”
I ease out of his embrace. “If you shut down the feeds, you won’t be able to see him?”
“Not on the site, but I might be able to track him down through other sites.” He rubs his forehead. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on computers like this. I mostly just play around. It would be easier if I could get into the state database, but if I use my login, the station will know. And I don’t know if they are looking for me or not.”
There’s been no mention of his disappearance or his partner’s.
“Can’t we throw them off? Go further out, say a hundred miles, then you can do your thing and we come back? If they see your login, they can trace it, right? It would trace them away from here.”
He rubs his hands over his jaw. The little stubble from before has grown into a full beard. It gives him a rugged look, like he spends his days chopping down trees.
“First, let’s visit Queenhearts. I read the logs. She and Dragonmate were responsible for the last special request. They pulled their money together.” He pauses a breath. “Fifty thousand to see you slice me.”
My heart stops.
“They wanted me to kill you?” I shake my head. “I never would have done that.”
He raises his brows. “They figured that too. If you didn’t cooperate, they would pay another twenty-five for Bossman to do it and make you watch. Then…” He clamps his mouth shut.
“Then what? What were they going to do that night?” I won’t let him keep this from me. I get to know everything he knows. It’s my right.
“Then they were going to paint you with my blood and rape you while you dangled from the ropes on the ceiling.” He’s not telling me everything, but I fill in the gaps myself. They had suspended me before, turning me into a marionette.
“And she’s the one who requested it?”
“Both of them did. I can’t tell whose idea it was, but we can ask her.” His lips curve at the edges. “We can ask her everything when we see her.”
“How do you know where she is?”
“I don’t. But I know where she’ll be.”
I frown. “You’re playing games. Just tell me.”
“She frequents another site, one where you can actually meet up with people for her idea of playtime. I put in a bid to be her plaything. If she accepts it, we’ll set a time and place to meet.” He rubs his hands together.
I sink down onto the edge of the bed. Queenhearts wanted me to kill my Ken. She wanted to see me tortured—paid to have me raped and hurt. And I’m going to be in the same room with her. A live person. Her heart will be beating, pumping when we say our hellos. By the time I leave her, it will be still and silent in my hand.
“When?”
“If she accepts the bid, I’m going to set it up for tonight. And if she can’t give us the information we need on Dragonmate, we’ll head out of town like you suggested. Once we’re in a safe spot, I can tap into the database and get what I can. We probably only have one chance to do it before we set off a search.”
“What happens when we’re done? When they’re gone—what happens to us then?”
He cups my chin, tilting my head back. “Then we start over.”
“People will look for us.”
He shakes his head. “We can worry about that later.” The computer dings, and he pulls away. “She answered.”
I hold my breath while he clicks on the computer.
“Fuck, yes,” he mumbles and starts typing. “She accepted. We’re going to meet tonight at ten o’clock.”
I bite my lip, trying not to smile so wide. It’s not polite to find joy in someone else’s misery.
But I can’t seem to stop the giddy giggle from escaping me.
“We need more tools.” I get up from the bed. “We can’t just have a gun. We need more.”
Ken laughs. “Don’t worry, we’ll get everything we need.”
My heart lightens. “We’re really going to see her tonight?” We might as well be planning a dinner with Santa, my heart beats with such joy.
“Yes, Dolly.” He squats down in front of me, pulling my hands into his. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the feeds were still up.”
No one has ever apologized to me before. Pain settles in his eyes as he stares at me. He’s hurt me, and it’s brought him pain too.
“You were doing what you had to in order to find them.” I lean forward and press my lips against his in a quick peck that tickles because of his beard. “You weren’t trying to hurt me.”
“But it’s my job to protect you. I shouldn’t do anything that hurts you.” He’s going to beat himself up if I let him.
“We protect each other,” I correct him. “Now we know where she is, and soon, we’ll know about Dragonmate.”
The sides of his lips curl up. “You’re amazing.”
“I’m just me,” I say, like I do every time he compliments me. I’m nothing special, but he’ll learn that eventually. In the meantime, it’s nice to see the softness of his smile and the light brighten his eyes.
What happened to him in that playroom…no one should ever experience it. I had come to terms with it. As horrific as every moment was, how much I wanted each breath to be my last, it wasn’t anything new to me. But Ken didn’t grow up that way. He was a hero, not a victim. And those men tried to put him in the victim mold.
“Dolly.” His fingers tighten around my hands. “Those feeds, those videos, have been on the web a long time. There’s a good chance they’re still all over the place. I’m not sure I’ll be able to track them all down.”
I search his eyes, finding a safe place to hide. It’s not a matter of if they’re still out there. There’s no possibility they haven’t been copied and uploaded to other sites.
“I know,” I whisper, my throat raw from the burn of reality. “I’m sure Daddy didn’t send his videos just to Bossman. I heard him talking to Mom a few times.” I pull my hands from his grip and cover my face. “I was so stupid. So fucking stupid. I should have run away. I had plenty of chances. Why didn’t I run away?”
“Hey! Hey.” He grabs my wrists and uncovers my face. “You survived. That’s all you had to do, and you did it.” His forehead wrinkles, and his lips thin out.
“I did,” I agree. I’m sure there’s a deeper explanation. A girl, abused since childhood, has plenty of ways to get away, but never does. Leaving was scarier than staying, I suppose. There were monsters lingering out in the shadows, and Daddy protected me from them. Because there are worse people than Daddy. Like Queenhearts.
“Now we make her pay, right?” I ask. People like her won’t ever stop the horror they spread. The only way to put an end to her actions is to end her.
He flashes me a bright smile. “Yeah.”
I grab onto that thought—of her pain, her cries as we drain her of the pathetic life she holds dear. I don’t know everything she requested with Ken, but I remember every fucking thing she wanted done to me.
“What about the others? There were so many people.” I don’t want to let any of them get away.
“It could take us a lifetime to find them all.” He’s the realistic one. It’s why I depend on him, why I love him so much. He’s the solid one while I’m the wobbly leg.
“We deserve peace.” I nod.
“I think you should get some rest. We aren’t meeting her until late tonight.”
I run my fingertips along his jaw. “You know the best way to help me t
ake a nap?”
The right side of his mouth tilts up. “I do.”
I push myself onto the bed, settling on the pillows. As soon as the bed dips beneath his weight, I pull my long t-shirt above my hips and spread my legs for him. His mouth finds the right spot without hesitation.
Will I ever get used to how easily he plays my body?
“Oh fuck,” I moan, deciding I don’t care.
Twenty-Two
KENDOLL
This motel needs an ice machine on the upper floor. We should be prepping to leave, but Dolly wants ice for her soda and I can’t seem to tell that woman no.
Stepping off the last stair with the ice bucket in my hand, I swing around the railing to head to the machine. My eyes land on a black sedan parked right outside the front office, and my heart slams into my chest.
The door to the office opens, and I jump behind the vending machine. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck
Holding my breath, I glance around the machine to see who’s walking out of the office.
My head blanks.
I nearly drop the ice bucket.
Pierce.
He stops outside the office, letting the door close behind him, and slides a pair of sunglasses on. We were so careful. He couldn’t have tracked us down here.
He pulls his phone out of his back pocket and swipes the screen. While tapping on the phone, he walks to his car. Once his back is to me, I lurch for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I rush up to the room Dolly’s waiting for me in.
“Dolly, we have to go.” I burst into the room.
She’s standing outside the bathroom, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.
“We need to go. Now.” I wave my hand for her to hurry the fuck up. She can rinse later.
Her eyes go wide.
“Dolly. A cop is downstairs. A cop I worked with. We need to go now.”
Realization hits her, and she’s in full swing.
I check the window, peeling the curtain back just enough to see out. I can’t see the car from our room, but I can see the stairs easily. So far, empty.
“What do we take?” she asks me, shoving her feet into her shoes.
“As much as we can carry. Try not to leave anything behind. We can’t make a second trip. Once we’re in the truck, we’re going.”
“Okay.” She pulls the duffel bag we filled back at the playhouse out of the closet. “Okay, Almost.” She runs around, grabbing socks and the clothes we bought, adding them to the bag while I start packing up the computer. I couldn’t give a shit if Pierce gets ahold of our underwear, but the computer has everything we need on it.
“Ready,” she announces, running to the door, the stuffed duffel bag hauled over her shoulder.
Carrying the laptop and box of drives, I meet her at the door.
“You stay behind me, understand? Do not move without my order.”
She scrunches up her lips. Although she likes my bossy side, sometimes it pisses her off. Those are the best times, but we don’t have time to delve into that.
I peek out again. Still clear.
I open the door slowly, half expecting Pierce to push his way in with guns aimed at our heads.
“There’s no one there,” Dolly says when I still don’t move.
“Okay, let’s go, but stay close to the building.” My gun is tucked into my jeans, but with my hands full, I might not be able to pull it out fast enough. We need to be fast.
“I got it.” She nudges me with her shoulder. Now she’s getting bossy. I raise my eyebrows, holding her gaze steady in mine until she sighs. “I got it, Ken. Really.” She’s starting to get back some spunk, and I like it. I don’t want her to lose it ever again, but there are times she’s going to have to follow my orders without hesitation. I can’t protect us if I have to worry about her running off on a rogue mission.
Convinced she’s on board with getting to the truck, I give her a sharp nod and we head out. Pressed against the building as best we can carrying all the crap we have, we get to the stairs. I stop her and take a look around to be sure Pierce isn’t trying to come from behind to surprise us.
I was careful. Used cash and fake names when we checked in. How the hell did he even find us? The man didn’t strike me as the sort of cop who could figure his way out of a donut shop.
“Once we get to the bottom of the stairs, we have to get to the truck. Do you remember where it’s parked?” I ask, but don’t give her time to answer. “It’s right against the building. Run and get inside.” I shift the weight of my cargo to my left arm and dig out my keys. We’re close enough for me to unlock the cabin.
“Okay, just run and get in. Got it,” she says, her eyes trained on the stairs. She’s ready to bolt.
Readjusting everything in my arms, keys at the ready, I take the first step. “Let’s go.” Making sure she’s right behind me, I charge down the stairs.
Our steps echo in my mind as we hurry down to the main level of the motel. Once at the bottom, I pause only for a breath to line up the truck in my view before hurrying toward it. Dolly cries out behind me, and I still. She slips on a puddle of oil in the parking lot. The bag she’s holding spills out, and she grabs for the clothes.
“Leave it. It’s fine,” I urge her. “We’ll get more. Don’t worry,” I say again when she seems intent on collecting it all.
Finally, she grabs the bag and rushes to the truck, passing me in the process. We throw open our doors and toss everything into the back of the cab before climbing in.
“Did he see us?” she asks, her breath coming in short bursts as she looks out the back window for him. If he didn’t see us run across the lot, he shouldn’t see the truck, but I can’t see his position from where we’re parked.
I jam the key into the ignition and start the truck.
“Let’s just get out of here.” I throw the truck into reverse and pull out of the spot, lining us up with the exit. Dolly hadn’t turned the radio off when we parked. Music fills the silent space with its heavy beats and steady rhythm.
I hit the gas, propelling us toward the main road. As I near the exit, a man steps out from between the last two cars, and I slam on the brake. Dolly’s hands hit the dashboard to protect herself from smashing into it.
I raise my gaze to the man. His eyes are wide, his mouth frozen open. Recognition sweeps through his eyes, and the shock of almost being run over morphs into confusion. His brow wrinkles, his mouth twists downward.
“That’s him?” Dolly asks, panic in her tone. “Go!” she urges me, hitting the dash with her palm.
Pierce’s gaze sweeps from me to Dolly, and the wrinkles in his forward deepen. He tilts his head to the side slightly.
He wasn’t expecting to see us.
Scenarios tumble through my mind. Who was he looking for here? Does he know anything about what was happening at the playhouse? Was he part of it? Does he know who is?
Pierce recovers from the surprise of our meeting and steps to the side of the truck, starting to make his way to my door. His hand sweeps beneath his jacket where he carries his gun.
“Ken, please.” Dolly’s voice shakes.
As Pierce comes to my window, I hit the gas and peel out of the lot. He’s left standing in the middle of the parking lot, staring at us as we drive away. I check the mirrors to be sure he’s not jumping in his car before I turn onto the main road. There’s no traffic, no other cars on the road. I don’t stop driving, not even when the motel shrinks to a speck in the rearview.
Twenty-Three
DOLLY
“Ken,” I say softly to his profile. Reaching across the center console of the truck, I touch his arm. “What do we do now?” I ask.
The streetlamp above where we’re parked fills the truck with a soft yellow glow. Ken’s gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles have gone white, but he remains silent.
After we sped away from the motel, he explained he knew the man in the parking lot. He didn’t think he’d come for us, but Ken couldn’t figure
out why he’d been there. What was he looking for if not us?
“Ken, it’s almost time to meet Queenhearts. If we don’t go, she’ll leave. We’ll miss our chance.” I can’t miss this opportunity. It’s because of her Ken’s body is littered with as many scars as it is. It’s because of her requests, I was strung from the ceiling and used as a piñata, a pin cushion, a rape dolly. Her entertainment became my nightmare.
Ken turns to look at the clock on the dash. “We have a little time still.”
“Shouldn’t we get there before her?” I push gently.
“No.” He shakes his head and reaches across the console for my hand. Bringing it up to his mouth, he kisses the backs of my fingers. “She’ll get there, and then we’ll follow her in.”
I bite down on my lip and nod. Arguing won’t help. Once he has a plan in place, there’s no changing it. And I trust him. The tightness that was making it hard to breathe loosens. I trust him completely.
“Okay.” I lean against my seat. “What’s the plan?”
He puts my hand in my lap and pats it. “The plan is to do what we said we were going to do.” He turns the key in the ignition, firing up the engine. We’ve been sitting in an empty parking lot behind a closed video store for almost an hour. The sun’s gone from view, but an orangish pink still decorates the edge of the sky. It’s what I focus on while he drives us through town.
Shops are closing down for the evening. People have already gone home to their families for supper. School’s been out for hours. Ken’s jaw stays tight as he drives. I don’t think he even sees the other cars around us. I keep my gaze on the horizon. On the pretty colors illuminating behind the buildings as the other drivers whiz by us.
“Do you remember being a little boy?” I ask him when we come to an empty playground. A swing dangles by one chain, and the merry-go-round has fallen off the center track, leaving it useless.
He stops at a red traffic light and looks out my window at the scene triggering my question.
“I do.” He lifts my hand in his and squeezes softly. “I wish you had better memories. I wish I could go back and erase the bad shit from your mind.”
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