The kid was about twenty-two, and his name was Carl. He was the perfect person to blend into the environment that was Quincy Market. He was a typical college student, working his way through school. Not overly attractive, just plain and blend-able. He could come and go without being noticed. Sad really; I used to be similar to that kid. Part of me felt bad for him. The other part was ready to rip him apart.
“Sit.” Devlin’s voice was curt and demanding, as he slid a chair next to the boy. Carl was nervous; his hands were trembling, and he kept rubbing them together.
“I…I…don’t…know what you want,” he said, his voice stumbling.
“We have a few questions for you. First of all, why are you hanging around Malorie’s Bakery?” Devlin had now sat down in a chair opposite Carl, straddling the back of it.
“What are you talking about?” the boy asked, as Mac handed Devlin copies of the snapshots.
“These. You have been seen hanging around the shop right before certain things happen, or around the time things have been delivered. And here you are, holding one of those packages, watching from outside of the store.” Devlin shuffled through the photos. Carl was holding the long flower box while looking into the window of the shop.
“I deliver flowers from a flower shop centered in Quincy Market. I don’t understand what you are insinuating.” Carl looked around at us. Four men, all dressed in black, surrounding him.
“We are insinuating that you were waiting for a specific moment to deliver the box; maybe a moment when no one was at the counter.” Devlin said, and we all waited for the kid to answer.
“Those were the instructions.” Carl looked at the photo and then back at Devlin. “The instructions were to deliver the box and leave it on the counter, but to make sure no one was up front.”
“Who ordered the flowers?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. There was an envelope with money and the instructions sent to the shop. I just followed through with them. I swear.” Devlin nodded.
“Then why are we seeing you in the shop and at the club, at the same time as Emma?” Devlin showed him another couple of photos.
“Listen, I like the tarts at the bakery. I’ve been going there since I started to work at the flower shop. And I was with friends the other night. Rumor is a popular club. Everyone goes there at least for an hour on Friday nights.”
“You better be talking about the pastries, and not the women that work there,” I interjected, ready to punch the kid.
“Yes, the pastries.” The kid looked like he was about to shit his pants.
I looked at Devlin and then back at Carl. “Dev, can I see you for a moment?” I nodded in the direction of the office. Devlin nodded back, and stood up. We headed to the office and shut the door. “I think he’s telling the truth. I do.”
“I agree. That means there is still someone behind the photos and threats.” Devlin looked at his phone and back at me. “Right. Back to the camera feeds.”
“Let’s go.” We went back out to the conference area of the office, which was basically the main area where Kieran and Mac had all of the computers and monitors set up on desks and walls. It looked like they could control a missile attack from that office.
“Carl, you’re free to go. But I’d stay away from Malorie’s bakery for a few days, okay?”
“Um…okay.” The kid stood and headed for the door as fast as he could.
Devlin turned to us. “Alright, back at square one. Let’s run the feeds from the clubs again.”
“Mac, I want you to focus on the guy Emma ran into at Diablo. The guy doesn’t sit well with me,” I said, as I pulled out my phone to text Emma. Checking in on you. Pick you up at 6. I looked up to see Devlin looking at me. “He’s her ex-boyfriend,” I replied to the question I knew he wanted to ask.
“Then run the image against feeds from the market. He could be a suspect,” Devlin said. We all agreed, and got back to work. I desperately wanted to find the fucker.
We spent time looking over footage. Although this Colin prick hadn’t been seen in the bakery, he had been in Quincy Market. Again, not an uncommon thing living in Boston, but a quick background check showed his address and employment in New York as current as the week before. When we ran the footage from Rumor against his mug in the facial recognition software, we had a hit on him at the club, hidden away among the patrons.
A few hours went by when my phone went off. I looked at the number not recognizing it. “Di Giamato.”
“Marcus?” The voice was not Emma’s, and it had occurred to me that I hadn’t actually heard back from her since this morning.
“Yes, can I help you?” I responded, turning my attention to Devlin as his phone went off. Something was wrong.
“It’s Nikki. Listen. Have you heard from Emma? She was due in over two hours ago, and I haven’t heard from her, and she’s not here. And she’s not answering our calls.”
“No. I left her this morning around eight thirty. She was going to the market.”
“She never came in.” There was panic in her voice, and from what I’d learned about Nikki, I knew she never panicked.
“I’ll call you back, Nikki. Do me a favor; if you hear from her, call me immediately, okay? We’ll look for her.”
“Okay. Please, Marcus. Find her.”
“I will.” Devlin and I hung up at the same time. “She’s missing,” I said.
“I know. Let’s go.” He grabbed a bag, his side arm, and the keys to the Suburban. Throwing me another side arm, we headed out the door. “Let’s find her.”
Mac texted us the address of the market that Emma had gone to. He’d been able to track the GPS in her car, and, according to said GPS, it was still there. That meant the fucker took her from the market.
“We’ll find her, Marc.” Devlin’s voice was reassuring. I knew, deep down, that we would, but I hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Devlin and I had worked a few security details together when he’d needed extra help, and I’d needed something to do. Lucas, Devlin and I had made a vow to each other years ago, one sort of similar to the Three Musketeers. We stuck together better than any family or friends that I knew of. Always looking out for each other.
“I know we will. Any word from the boys on the fucker?” Devlin had shot off commands into his ear piece about finding out more information about this asshole, Colin.
“Not yet.”
We arrived at the market and parked near her car. Her purse was in the car, as were the groceries, so we knew that he’d taken her on her way back to the bakery. I dialed Kieran. “Hack the feeds. I want to know when she checked out. We can pinpoint how long she’s been gone.” I hung up abruptly, and looked at Devlin. “It’s my fault. I left her unprotected. What the fuck was I thinking?”
“It’s not your fault, buddy. We should have had one of the guys with her. It’s my fault as much as it’s yours, if that’s how you are going to be.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s focus on finding her, and not on blaming ourselves.”
“I’ll try.” We headed back to the office to see if Mac had come up with anything.
The drive felt like an eternity, and when we got there, Mac and Kieran were on their phones, pulling up more information on the computers. “Tell me what you have,” Devlin demanded, as he slammed the bag on the table.
“A little lead we think. Sloane was able to track down some holding of his family, and we might know where he could have taken her.”
“Where?” I asked, walking around the back of the guys to look at the screen in front of them. “Didn’t take too long, did it?” I asked.
“Not when you have the right connections. Once we ran a more thorough background check, we found the restraining order Emma had on him years ago, and a few other inducements. I had Sloane run a list of property holdings for him and his family. “
“And…” Devlin was more impatient than I was.
“There’s a warehouse over on Chapel Street. It’s
listed under his grandfather’s shipping business, but nothing has been in there for years,” Mac said, pulling up a satellite image on the wall monitor.
“Let’s go.” I looked at Devlin and he nodded. Mac and Kieran grabbed their gear, and we headed to the warehouse.
Chapter 24- Emma
The room was dark and cold, and my body was shivering. I was standing, naked, chained to the ceiling, my arms bound above my head. I could smell the dampness of the dirt floor, and the iron smell coming from the blood I felt dripping down my face. I tried to open my eyes, but the pain radiating through my head caused me to immediately shut them. What the fuck? Last thing I remember I was getting into my car. Where the fuck am I?
I hung my head down; I didn’t have any energy to do much more. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Please, God, help me.
“I see you have come to.” The voice jarred my head up, and sent a different wave of coldness down my spine. Colin! I opened my eyes as best as I could.
“Why?” I asked, short of breath.
“I thought I told you that we would see each other again. Have you not liked the calls, the flowers? Oh, and the photos were my favorite touch.” His voice was cold, calculating. He held something in his hand that I couldn’t make out.
“How did you find me?” I asked, pleading internally for someone to help me.
“It took a while, but you are as transparent as I knew you would be. Naming a bakery after your dead mother was a charming notion.” He winked. I looked again at his hands as he played with the instrument in them. I still couldn’t make out the outline of the object, but knowing Colin, it wasn’t a good thing. “So, you have decided that you want to be kinky huh?”
Fear washed over me. My body was shaking from more than just the temperature. “That’s none of your business. Please, Colin, what do you want with me? Just let me go.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Do you really think I’m going to let you go? I have spent months watching you, learning your routine, where you go, who you hang around with. And you think I’m going to just let you go? I don’t think so.” The object moved in his hands, and I finally could make it out. A whip.
“Please. Please. Colin. Don’t do this. Please. Let me go. I don’t know what you want.”
“Revenge, darling. Revenge. You and your little bitch of a friend hurt my pride. You with your restraining orders and false charges, did you think that was going to stop me? Did moving to a new city, stop me from finding you?” He cracked the whip in the air and laughed. “Nope. I still found you.”
I jumped at the horrific noise. I’d been flogged, but never whipped, and it was one of my hard limits, at least with Marcus and the club. “Colin, I’m begging you, please don’t do this. Why would you go through this for revenge? I’ve tried to move on with my life, I’ve tried to leave you be. Just let me go.”
“Because I want to, Emma. You tried to ruin my life. Almost succeeded, too. So now, I’m going to ruin yours.”
The whip landed against the flesh of my back before I could register the sound of it coming through the air. The pain ripped through my body as if a thousand knives had opened me up. The coldness of the room and my body was now contrasted with the warmth of the blood that fell down my back.
Tears began falling from my eyes as I let out a scream.
“Please just stop! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just please stop!”
Another lash of the whip, hitting just below the first. Another cry of pain. Then the lashes kept coming, one after another, over the length of my back, crossing over the previous ones.
“Want the kink, Emma? Huh? How do you like the whip?” He waited, but the words never left my mouth. I was in too much pain. I could feel the blood trickling down my back and over my ass. The metallic smell heightened as the droplets mixed with the dirt. My head fell forward. I didn’t have any energy or will to fight. I was cold, bleeding, and in pain. Darkness threatened my eyes as I slipped further toward it, allowing it to overtake my senses. Overtake me.
“Emma. Emma.” The voice seemed so far away. I must be dreaming. I tried to open my eyes, the lids heavy with fatigue. I tried to move, but quickly remembered I was restrained as the chains dug into my already sore and bruised wrists. “Marcus?”
“Try again, my love.” My body went cold again.
“Colin.”
“Right answer this time.” His hands came up to my breasts. “Such beautiful little things. I think I’ll let them stay that way.” I looked at him and saw the whip still in his hands.
“How long was I out?” I said, hanging my head back down.
“An hour or so.” He said, as he started flicking the whip through the air again. An hour? Where the hell is Marcus? Please find me…MARCUS. My mind screamed what my voice couldn’t. Where was he?
“Let’s start again, my love.” The whip came down against my back again, reopening the earlier wounds. I could feel the blood spilling out again. Tears fell from my face. Please just stop. Please let me die. Another lash. And another one. I could feel myself slipping into the darkness again, dreaming again when I thought I heard his voice.
“If you want to live, I’d put the whip down.” A different voice barreled through the room. One I recognized. Devlin. But where’s Marcus?
“You think I’m afraid of you?” Colin asked back in his usual cocky manner. I could vaguely see him turn to look toward where Devlin was standing. I lifted my head, to look. Two bodies filled the doorway. Marcus was here.
Colin dropped the whip, but grabbed an object from his belt. “Gun!” I screamed as loud as I could, not knowing how loud it actually was. I heard the discharge of the gun, and watched as Colin dropped. Devlin and Marcus ran toward me, securing their guns. Devlin crouched to check Colin, and Marcus ran to me.
“Baby…I’m so sorry.” I could hear Devlin barking orders into a phone or something. “Let’s get you down and warm.” I nodded. There wasn’t anything else I could say.
Marcus and Devlin managed to remove the chains from my wrists, and cover me with a blanket that I assumed Mac had brought in, as I was now staring face to face with him. The softness of the blanket felt like sandpaper against the openings on my back. I shuddered at the pain, and looked at Marcus.
“Thank you.” Barely a whisper, before I felt the world go black again.
*****
“You’re awake.” Relief flooded through Marcus’s voice as he moved closer to me. I shook my head, attempting to clear the cloud of fog that filled it.
“Where am I?”
“The hospital. You collapsed after Devlin, me and the boys found you. You’re back is torn up and bandaged.” He rubbed his hands over the sides of my face. “I’m so happy that you are okay now.”
I tried to roll toward him as I was lying on my stomach. Pain ripped through my nerves at the slightest movement. “Need more pain meds.”
“Emma, stay still. That fucker tore you up bad. You lost a good amount of blood, and you need to rest. I’ll call the nurse for more pain medication.” Marcus hit the call button and barked his demands at the nurse that responded.
I rested my head on the pillow again, and looked at him. “Thank you. Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“What happened to him?” I closed my eyes before opening them again, adjusting my position so I was laying on my side.
“Let’s leave it at the fact that he won’t ever bother you again.”
I felt the color drain from my face. “Marcus…”
“Shh. Just don’t say anything. He drew a gun, and Devlin fired first, catching him square in the chest. We called the police after I brought you here, and everything is fine. Are you up for visitors? There are a few outside.”
“Yeah, for a little while I guess.”
Marcus walked to the door and motioned outside. Nikki, Ally, Devlin and Kieran stumbled in. “Emma! I was so worried about you.” Ally said, rushing to the bedside and pulling me into a hug, causing more pain to r
adiate through my body.
“That hurt.” I pulled away. “I’m fine now, Ally.”
“But you weren’t and…and…I was worried.” Ally started to cry, and Devlin made his way around to pull her into his massive chest. “We are glad that you are safe and okay now,” he said, as he moved Ally to the side of the room. Nikki came in to give me a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m glad the fucker is gone, Emma. I won’t lie. If they hadn’t killed him, I would have.” Nikki rubbed my arm. I knew she was upset, and grateful that I was safe.
“I’m good, Nik. Everything will be fine now.” I rubbed her arm back as I turned to look at Marcus, who had sat down on the bed next to me. I was so thrilled that I had such caring and loyal friends. Kieran was standing in the corner of the room by the door. “Hey, stranger. You can join the party you know?” I said smiling. I watched as he laughed and bounced his way over to us.
“I didn’t want to intrude.” Kieran was relatively new to the firm and to the group. He had only begun working as security for about six months, and was still considered a newbie, as most of the security detail and Devlin’s men had been with the club or with the security firm since the beginning of both. He was now standing at the foot of my bed, directly behind where Nikki was sitting. I saw her look at me, and then roll her eyes up at Kieran. I smiled and nodded. He was a decent looking man, all five foot ten of him. He was different to the other two that graced the hospital room. Quiet and reserved, yet loyal and fierce. He worked for Devlin, which, I’d learned in the small time with I’d been with them, meant integrity.
It didn’t matter if I was with Marcus, we were all family; a sentiment that I hadn’t felt in a while.
“Where are Chloe and Lucas? And Mac?” I asked, looking at Marcus.
Consume Me (Devoured Club Series) Page 18