by Jamie Craig
“Are you okay?” Nathan murmured.
“Yeah. Fine.”
She heard the lock disengage on the door and then the soft swish of the door moving up its rollers. Sunlight spilled into the truck, but she could tell from the angle and the quality that it was much later in the day than she’d assumed. It would be dark in an hour, maybe ninety minutes. Fingers closed around her ankle. She didn’t have the time to voice a protest before she was dragged down the length of the trailer and none too kindly dumped on the ground. She tried to turn her body to brace for the impact, but it didn’t do any good, and a shock wave of pain pushed through her, starting at her tailbone and moving up to the nape of her neck. Seconds later, Nathan joined her on the hot asphalt, his stony face not giving their captors the satisfaction of a wince or a grunt at his mistreatment.
Gabriel ripped the rope around her ankles away, took her by the forearm, and hauled her to her feet. She swayed a little as the blood redistributed itself through her limbs, her tight muscles tingling. He barely gave her a chance to steady herself before he was dragging her towards a low, squat building made of stone. It had probably been a rest stop once, but Olivia wouldn’t have gone there of her own accord. Not even while armed. There was no evidence the building was anything but abandoned, but the possibilities of what lurked inside wasn’t limited to transients or unsavory types. Gabriel, however, wasn’t concerned. He dragged her inside without comment.
“Can you untie my hands?”
“No.”
“I need my hands free to do my business,” Olivia pointed out, narrowing her eyes to see through the narrow patch of light from the window above her head. There were a few lightbulbs above the toilet stalls, but Olivia didn’t have much hope they still worked. There were three toilets—well, there were two toilets and the remains of another one. The doors were off all the stalls, not that she expected Gabriel to give her any sense of privacy. He didn’t trust her, and he didn’t have any reason to.
“No, you don’t.”
He pushed her across the room, her shoes splashing through disquieting pools of water. He wedged both their bodies into the nearest stall, pushing her against the cold wall until she didn’t dare take a breath. His face was only an outline, and she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes, but she felt her gorge start to rise. Suddenly, she wished she’d pissed herself and lived with the discomfort and indignity of it. It would have been better than being caught in a decrepit, abandoned rest stop, unarmed, and cornered like an injured animal. Even if she was successful in fighting Gabriel off—with both hands tied behind her back—where would she run? He had at least one accomplice and a truck. He would catch her in the end.
“I’ll help you.”
“You could just untie one wrist. Or you can tie my left hand to yours so I don’t escape.”
“You’re very clever, but messing with the ropes isn’t necessary right now.”
He rested his left hand against her throat, the weight of his fingers discouraging her from even moving her head. His right hand went to her fly, ripping away the buttons without a second thought. She heard one of them hit the toilet. His grin was visible in the dim light, his straight white teeth reflecting the weak light. Olivia refused to squirm as her stomach clenched and genuine fear crawled through her. Nathan would hear her screaming—she’d make sure everybody within ten miles heard her screaming—but he would be just as helpless to do anything about it as she was. With the buttons gone, there was nothing to stop him from pushing his hand down her pants and between her legs.
“What are you doing?” Olivia demanded, though she knew. She wanted to do something, to say something that might distract him. Or make him think twice.
“You’re close to the Silver Maiden.”
Olivia swallowed. “No, I’m not.”
“You are. She gives you visions.”
“No. No, I don’t know what…”
Gabriel cupped his hand over her mound and squeezed, cutting off her protest. “You used the visions to stop us from sending Stacy back. You’re a Keeper. I know you are.”
“Okay. Okay, yes, I am. But I don’t know anything about it. I don’t understand the coins or how to use them,” Olivia said, keeping her voice as calm as possible.
“I know you don’t. That’s not important right now.”
“What’s important right now?”
Gabriel dipped his head, like he intended to kiss her. Olivia craned her head away, pulse hammering beneath his palm, trying to avoid the hot, sour rush of his breath over her face. He was more excited now. She knew from the way his breath came in sharp rasps and how he pressed against her. She shifted her hips as subtly as she could, trying to get a better angle without rubbing against him. The placement of his hand made sure she couldn’t kick him, made sure she wouldn’t even try, but if driving her knee into his groin was her only option, she’d do it.
“I was wrong to trust Marisol. I thought she and I had the same goal, but she never wanted to bring the Silver Maiden back.”
“What did she want to do?”
Gabriel growled, and Olivia immediately regretted asking. “She’s a two-faced bitch. She’s a cunt, Detective Wright.” His fingers tightened. “And do you know what I do with those? Well, you’ll find out sooner or later.”
“Do you want me to tell you about my visions? I can…I’ll tell you everything I know. Whatever you want.”
Gabriel huffed his breath, and Olivia stiffened, something clawing at the base of her throat. She was going to be sick. The bile stung her chest, her stomach churned. Maybe she could use that to her favor. The surprise of getting a faceful of vomit might prompt him into letting her go. Or he might roar with anger and slam her against the wall until he finally bashed her head in. Olivia wasn’t sure if she was willing to risk it just yet, so she tried to swallow around the weight on her throat.
“You’re going to do more than that. You’re going to do whatever I want, because I’ve got you tied up and cornered. But in case you aren’t worried about your own safety, I’ve also got both coins and Nathan. It’s not a matter of who will I hurt if you resist me, it’s a question of who won’t I hurt. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes…what?”
“Sir?”
“I like the sound of that coming from you. Do you want me to let you go?”
“Yes…please…sir.”
“Let me get a taste first,” Gabriel said, his face moving toward hers again.
She automatically flinched away, but he didn’t let that deter him. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, wiggling it around like a snake. Olivia wanted to resist, but he held her head in place, resting his full weight against her slighter frame, giving her no choice but to submit to the assault. She felt him chuckle as the tension drained from her, his mouth working over hers with renewed enthusiasm. But that wasn’t nearly as alarming as the way he rolled his hips, grinding against her. She couldn’t help herself—the next time that tongue wiggled through her mouth, she bit down, driving her teeth into the tender flesh until he slapped her face and pushed away from her.
“You bith!”
“I told you I had to pee.”
He ripped her pants down, leaving her effectively hobbled, and shoved her down onto the cold, broken, filthy toilet. He stood above her, glaring with narrowed-eye anger. Olivia looked back defiantly as she released her bladder, her mouth still tasting of his blood and spit. She knew that wasn’t going to be the end of the confrontation. Was there any chance at all Isaac knew where to find them? Or were they completely at the mercy of Gabriel and his insanity? She couldn’t count on Isaac tracking them down—or anybody else for that matter. She and Nathan were on their own.
Gabriel dragged her out of the rest stop once she was done, not bothering to pull her pants back up. Nathan lifted his head as they emerged, and she realized the situation looked much worse than it actually was. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bindings around his ankles,
and lunged himself at Gabriel. The driver was standing close enough to stop him, and he calmly stuck a foot out, tripping Nathan to the ground.
“What did you do to her?” Nathan demanded.
“Shut the fuck up.” Gabriel planted his boot in Nathan’s ribs. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
“I’m fine, Nathan.” Olivia even tried to smile to prove it, though it was as well Nathan wasn’t looking at her. She had the feeling the smile was more grotesque than reassuring.
“Get him back in the truck,” Gabriel ordered.
The driver picked Nathan up like a puppy, by the back of his neck, and half-pushed, half-threw Nathan back into the semitrailer. Gabriel wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her with ease, pausing long enough to rip her trousers off her feet, leaving her in a shirt and panties, before pushing her into the cold space. He crawled in behind her, pulling the door shut, cutting out the last of the sunlight.
“Where are you taking us?” Olivia asked.
“Keep your fucking mouth shut, or I’ll find a way to keep it gagged.”
“You’re not going to get away with this. You know that, right? They already know you’ve escaped, and they’re probably canvassing the entire state looking for you.”
“Good thing we’re not in the States any longer.”
Olivia slowly scooted across the dirty floor, the rivets and bits of dirt scratching against the back of her thigh, and settled as closely to Nathan as she could get. Isaac would follow them. Even if he didn’t have jurisdiction or backup, he would follow them.
Chapter Fifteen
The next time Gabriel opened the trailer door, it was full dark, and Olivia couldn’t suppress the shivers shaking her frame. She found herself moving closer and closer as they traveled, until she was practically curled around his body, absorbing as much of his warmth as she could before losing it to the metal floor and the falling temperatures. At some point, maybe about an hour before they stopped for good, the driver turned off paved roads, and she spent the next sixty minutes bouncing against the wall and the floor and poor Nathan, new bruises springing up across her arms, legs, and ribs. Olivia was going to make him pray for each bruise. She wasn’t sure how yet, especially since he seemed to have the advantage in every way, but she would. She wouldn’t let Isaac or Nathan have the satisfaction.
Olivia had no choice but to let Gabriel drag her out of the back of the trailer. This time, her legs were completely numb, and she was forced to lean on him as much as she could as he dragged her into a building not much bigger than the rest stop had been. At least it didn’t look quite so disgusting or abandoned. The door and windows were intact. The driver produced a key from his pocket, fitting into the lock smoothly. Like he’d done it a million times before. This must have been one of Gabriel’s commonly used safe houses. Which probably meant nobody in Los Angeles even knew it existed. From the front door, everything looked more or less normal, like a family of two parents, a kid, and a dog lived here during the day, only sent away at night when Gabriel demanded the space for his own devious tasks.
“Nice place you got here.”
“I like a bit of comfort,” Gabriel said, shutting the door behind them. She tried not to jump when she heard the lock click. “If you’ll follow me.”
Olivia didn’t know him well enough to be able to read his moods, but the angry, violent man from their earlier encounter seemed to be gone. Of course, that anger was never gone. He’d only learned to mask it when it was convenient to him. That was a reason his reputation was so fearsome, and Olivia knew that mostly had to do with the contrast between his calm demeanor and short temper. She only needed to think of Isaac’s description of what happened when they staged their rescue attempt of Nathan to remind her of it. He could shoot her without thinking twice. He could shoot any of them without batting an eye. That knowledge made his smile—which was clearly meant to be disarming—all the more skin-crawling. Just looking at it made her feel tarnished somehow.
“Frank, I think I need some time alone with the detective. Take Pierce downstairs, will you?”
“Wait.” Olivia struggled against the grip on her arm. “I won’t cooperate if you do.”
“You’ll cooperate,” Gabriel said indifferently.
“Stop it. We have something you want. Is this the way to treat the only person who knows where the Silver Maiden is?”
“You mean the coins?” He laughed. “I have them myself, you silly girl.”
Olivia knew he’d already taken hers, but her alarmed gaze flew to Nathan’s face, silently confirming. “How?”
“Apparently you both have developed an unhealthy attachment to them. I found what I was looking for in his pocket while you were both unconscious.”
For the first time since the ordeal started, Olivia felt hope desert her. Yes, Isaac might have been on his way, but what possible reason did Gabriel have not to kill them? He had the coins now. That was all he wanted. He wouldn’t cut any deals, show any mercy, or otherwise behave rationally if they didn’t have anything to hold over his head. Nathan’s face collapsed, and she saw the same death of hope in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Olivia couldn’t respond. She didn’t even have the time to summon a “We’ll be alright” before Frank was dragging him out of the room, leaving her alone with Gabriel.
“Have a seat.” Gabriel spun her around, tugging at the rope. It dug deeply into her wrists before he finally unknotted it. He tossed the thick rope aside indifferently. “You must be exhausted.”
She rolled her shoulders, but her arms were completely stiff from being tied for hours in the same position. She wiggled her numb fingers, hoping to work some feeling back into the digits. Her back tightened as she sat, threatening to spasm at any second, but with Gabriel standing so close, she didn’t dare do anything but sit straight and still.
“I’m afraid we got off on the wrong foot. Believe it or not, Olivia, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Oh, we’re on a first-name basis now, are we?”
“I think our relationship has reached that stage, yes.” Gabriel sat down beside her, draping his arm on the couch behind her shoulders and leaning forward. He didn’t touch her. Not quite. But the message was still loud and clear. Olivia did her best impression of a frightened rabbit, remaining motionless in the underbrush, waiting for the shadow of the hawk to disappear. “I think we could have a very special relationship.”
“No, we can’t. In fact, we don’t have any relationship. I’m not sure why you decided to focus your delusions on me, but I’m not interested.”
“It wasn’t my decision.”
Olivia sighed. “Let me guess. Fate?”
“Of course. I’ve always been the one meant to resurrect the Silver Maiden, and to think, there was a Keeper in my city, under my nose, the whole time. I kept them safe for you, but you have such a strong connection to her. The priestesses are born, but you were chosen.” Gabriel slid closer, tilted his head toward her hair, and inhaled deeply. “I can smell the coins. I can smell that you’ve used them.”
“Um, well, why don’t you let me take a shower?”
“You can’t wash it away, Olivia. You can’t wash your hands of what this means.”
“What this means? What are you talking about?”
“You arrive as I find evidence my cousin has betrayed me. You’ve lived in L.A. all this time. You know Remy. You, out of all people, find the missing coin. How did you find it? I’m dying to know.”
“I…I went with Isaac on a response. There was an arson. And I just saw it.”
“Of course you did. Because it was waiting for you. Because it’s the two of us who were meant to awaken the Silver Maiden.”
“What do you mean? Gabriel, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about at all. I’ve used the coin once or twice to try to find Remy, but other than that, I don’t know anything.” Olivia pitched her voice to sound both helpless and interested.
“
From the moment I learned that my family descended from the Silver Maiden, I knew that I was the one meant to restore her to the Earth.”
“But wasn’t she a slave?”
“In one life. The goddess has visited in many incarnations. But nobody has induced her to return.”
“Why do you want her to return? Will she give you more power?”
Gabriel actually looked offended at the question. “I love her. Why else would I want her to return?”
“Is that why you took the girls? What do you need to do? Are you sacrificing them to the Silver Maiden?”
Gabriel’s face darkened. “Of course not. The Silver Maiden will only return when her coven has been fully restored to its rightful place and the priestesses once again control the coins. Both coins.”
“If that’s the case, then why did Stacy have her throat cut when we found her? Why was Sophe murdered?”
“Because that puta betrayed me. I found the freezer you were looking for.”
“In the warehouse?”
“Yes. And now you’re going to stop her before she can do any more damage. I spent ten years searching for those girls, preparing for this time. I will not have her destroy all my hard work now that everything is within my grasp.”
Olivia swallowed. “What do you need me for then? You have both of the coins. You know where you sent her. Go back and get her.”
“I can’t. I worship the Silver Maiden and would happily give her my life, but I don’t have the ability to use the coins. I’m unable to travel back in time.”
“Then why send the girls back there at all? Weren’t you worried something like this might happen?”
“Once the Silver Maiden returns, time will become meaningless.”
“But if the return of the Silver Maiden is so wonderful, why is Marisol trying to stop it?” Olivia asked.
“That’s what I intend to find out. Those girls are valuable. More valuable than you could ever imagine. I will not stand by and let her destroy them. Or destroy me. And that’s where you come in. I’m going to send you to where Marisol is with your coin. I’ll show you the rituals she used to send the girls back and how to come back again. If you return without Marisol, I’ll kill Pierce and McGuire. If you don’t return within twenty-four hours, I’ll kill Pierce and McGuire. If you don’t return at all, I’ll target your entire family. Do you understand me?”