by Heather Hart
"Yes, well, they don't always have a choice."
What an odd thing to say. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know, college debt, that sort of thing. It can hurt them pretty badly. We offer them a reasonable price, better than most."
She slipped it on her middle finger and fanned her fingers out to admire it. It was beautiful, and emeralds suited her skin tone perfectly.
"That particular piece is seven thousand, nine hundred dollars."
She winced.
"But if it's of interest, I'm sure we could work with you on the price."
She knew she had to take the ring off, but she didn't want to. That was a lot of money. Then again, she rarely indulged herself. Perhaps just this once.
"Let me think about it. I shall have a look at a few more pieces first."
She slipped the ring off her finger and returned it to the velvet sheet.
"Take your time, Miss Shannon."
While Harvey relocked the case, she heard the tinkle of the doorbell as another customer arrived in the shop. At first she didn't look back, her focus still fixed on the lovely ring as Harvey put it away. Whoever it was walked to the far end of the shop, a discreet way away.
"I'll be with you in just a moment."
"Take your time."
The man had a distinctive voice, smooth, well educated, and decidedly un-American. She turned and immediately recognized the dark man from the elevator. On seeing Kassie, he looked away, as if avoiding her direct gaze.
"Excuse me. I must see to this."
"Oh, I'm good," she said. "I think I will buy that ring, but take your time."
She wanted to listen in to their conversation, and the purchase would give her a reason to stay. As Harvey left her, Kassie noted the smile drop from Harvey's face.
"I thought you weren't coming in until later."
His tone was oddly low, not at all what she'd expect from a shopkeeper talking to a customer.
"My employer is becoming very anxious. The shipment you promised, where is it?"
Harvey dropped his tone lower still but with the display case in front of him he had to speak louder than a whisper.
"My supplier is facing some unusual delays. There's a problem with his boat, and though he thought he had the goods before, there appeared to be some confusion. He is assured the, um—" He glanced over to Kassie, who pretended to be fascinated by her ring. "The package will be secured tonight."
"Good, because my employer is becoming most impatient."
Harvey stepped from behind the display and whispered something in the shorter man's ear. She couldn't hear what was said, but in her peripheral vision she could see the stranger was looking at her a little more closely. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She was the package they referred to, and everyone in the room knew it.
The stranger had nothing more to say after that, and slipped quietly from the store, the doorbell tinkling innocently behind him. But there was nothing innocent about the store. So this was where the deals were made and the money exchanged hands. She looked at some of the newer pieces in the display cabinet, and it occurred to her they may have been pulled off the fingers of their victims. She felt sick. After all, it could be true. But she had to suppress her disgust because Harvey returned, his full-on shopkeeper’s smile re-glued to his face.
"So, where were we?"
"We were going to haggle over the price of that ring."
He beamed. "And so we were. I can guarantee you an excellent price on that one. You won't be disappointed."
"I'm sure I won't," she said. Not if you can resell it again in a couple of days. "But I am running a little low on time. So let's cut to the chase. What's your best offer?"
And while Harvey haggled, she wondered how hard it would be to trace the ring's origins. If she was right in suspecting some of the newer pieces came from the hands of the abducted, then she might just have stumbled on her first valuable clue. And that clue alone would be priceless.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lost
No signal. How annoying was that? By now Kassie must have been given the location of their date, but until Robert could read his messages, there was no way he could follow them. Fucking technology. This would never happen to James Bond. He raised his iPhone in the air, irritated as sin as he tried to get some kind of reception. Perhaps all the navigational equipment in the marina was interfering. Damn.
He had had no plans to return to the boat that evening, but in the circumstances he felt he had to. He found their dinghy moored at the dock. When he'd left earlier, she had dropped him ashore then returned with it to the boat, so she couldn't be on the Double Entendre now. Shit! That meant she could be fucking anywhere.
Ping! At last! His reception had kicked in and there were a couple of messages from her, sent thirty minutes before.
Check out Graystone and Goldman's. It's a front. Harvey is the middleman.
And then another.
Still no location. Alex says it's a surprise. Will send location ASAP.
There was nothing for it but to wait, so he jumped into the dinghy and sped over to their boat. As soon as he was on board, he dumped the ledger beside his laptop and fired things up. He might as well research this Graystone and Goldman's while he was waiting to hear from Kassie. As he expected, their Google page told him nothing. An old jewelry shop. No biggie. But then he logged into the Firm's website, which could probe much, much deeper.
In just a few minutes he knew everything there was to know about Graystone and Goldman's—their annual income, their IRS filings, the family origins, known affiliates, everything. Judging by their cash transactions, they must shift some pretty heavy items. They certainly had more than their fair share of three hundred thousand and up sales. Kassie might be onto something.
But there was little on Harvey Graystone himself. His background was squeaky clean. Too squeaky.
With no word from Kassie, all he could do for the moment was wait. He tried making a piece of toast in the galley, but found he had no appetite. Still, he might have need of his strength before the day was through, and he forced the bread down. There was a picture of Kassie by the berth. He picked it up and studied her face. It seemed an age since they had bedded, and he closed his eyes, picturing her on her knees in front of him, submissive, those playful eyes looking up at him, tempting him to do his worst. How he would love to put her over his knee and spank that perfect bottom. Or have her bound and tied up on his pool table at home, his favorite place to fuck her. Christ, it was making him hard just thinking about it.
He couldn't help himself. He pulled his cock from inside his pants and cupped the shaft. With his eyes closed he could see her lying there, all parts of her open to him. He pictured himself pushing into her, that tight pussy wrapped around his dick as he thrust in and out. God, she gave him so much pleasure; there had never been a woman like her. He pictured kissing her pert, button-like nipples as they fucked, her smiles betraying her pleasure at his touch. She would fight against her restraints, like a cat, caged, her own desire harnessed but made all the more intense for it.
As his hand quickened he snatched a quick glance at her face, and then returned to his imaginings. His breathing came hard and fast, and his focus shifted entirely to that warm bed of pleasure between her legs. There was nothing else in his head—just Kassie, her pussy, and his cock embedded deep within it. And then his balls began to tingle, and that beautiful, all-too-familiar rush shot along his shaft. His knees buckled as the come pulsed into his hand. God, she made him horny, even when she wasn't there.
Party over, he cleaned himself up quickly and looked at his phone. Still no word. Shit, what was going on? This uncertainty was killing him. He sat down at his laptop and reviewed all the facts again. Graystone and Goldman's, well, that wasn't too far away. Rather than sit here waiting like an idiot for something to happen, he decided to pay the establishment a little visit. He glanced at his watch. Seven-thirty. Maybe it would be open, maybe not. Bu
t anything was better than sitting on his ass while Kassie carried on with her mission. He had to go take a look and see.
In a few minutes he was back in the dinghy and heading to the dock. He had the name of the shop and its address, and though it wasn't very far away, he decided it was best to hail a taxi. He didn't have to wait long, and since traffic was light, they reached the store in under five minutes. He paid the driver and jumped quickly out of the back.
Shit, again! The shutters were down; the store was closed. The sign by the door said they closed at seven. Oh, well. He would make of it what he could. No damned lock or alarm was going to stand between him and his mission. Or his love. He wandered around to the back of the building and paused when he saw the door to the rear of the store was still open. He recognized Harvey from his profile picture on their web page.
"Hey, dude, are you closed? I traveled some way to find you."
"I'm sorry, yes, we are. We open at ten tomorrow, if you'd like to come back."
"Okay."
Quick as a flash Robert had him up against the wall by the scruff of the neck. The scrawny Harvey was no match for Robert, and he put up hardly any resistance at all.
"What the—"
"If you want to be alive to open up tomorrow, you'll do as I say."
A waft of urine hit his nostrils. Harvey had pissed himself.
"Are you robbing me? Is that it? The police will be here shortly. I've set the alarm and if this door doesn't close in the next few seconds, it will trigger the alarm."
Robert bashed him against the wall again. "If there is a thief among us, you can be sure it isn't me. I'm not here to burgle you."
"Well, what then?"
"The girl. Where are they taking her?"
Harvey rolled his eyes frantically. "What girl? What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Kassie. Don't play dumb with me."
"I don’t—"
Before he could finish what he was saying, Robert smashed him into the wall again and flashed the steel of a long blade in front of his eyes.
"Say you know nothing one more time and you lose an eyeball. Deny me twice, and I'll slice off your balls. Are we clear on what's required here? Are we?"
"Okay, okay. He's taking her to John John's."
"Where's that?"
"It's an upscale dinner theater in Fells Point."
"Why is he taking her there?"
"The buyer requested it. He wants a proper look at her before making payment."
"Which is how much?"
"The supplier is recommending three million, the highest paid for a woman of her kind."
"Her kind?"
"Impure."
"Fuck."
He wanted to pop out an eye out anyway after what he'd just heard. But instead he punched Harvey so hard his head bounced off the brick behind him and he slithered, unconscious, to the floor. Robert then dragged him inside the building and quickly left, beating the counting-down alarm by a matter of seconds. Fells Point. He could be there in just five minutes if he hurried. He raised his hand in the air and hailed a passing taxi. It was still fairly early, and God and traffic willing, he'd be able to get to her in time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Fells Point
Dressed to the nines, Kassie expected Alex would take her to some lavish restaurant to display his riches and power like a proud peacock. So when he pulled up outside John John's dinner theater, she laughed out loud in the back of the taxi.
"Something amuse you?"
"Just this place. What is it?"
"It's a dinner theater."
"So I see. Hardly where I thought you'd take me."
Alex paid the driver and got out to open the door for her. "Why's that?"
"Well, I dunno, I guess I thought you'd take me to some swanky restaurant. I thought dinner theaters were all but dead."
"My tastes are wide and varied, Kassandra. Of course if you don't like it, we can always go somewhere else."
The choice of venue had piqued her interest, and she shook her head. "No, no. This is perfect. I haven't been to a dinner theater in a very long time. What are they playing?"
"Cinderella."
She laughed again. "Better and better."
She felt a little self-conscious as they walked into the foyer in all her finery. After all, she had dressed to kill, and most people there were dressed in jeans and tee shirts. All eyes were upon her as they were taken to their seats. Admiring and jealous faces looked her boldly up and down, and she felt like a spectacle, part of the show.
Of course, Alex had taken the best table in the house with a great view of the stage and hardly anyone else around them. She sat down and took a moment to look around the theater while the lights were still high and everyone was finding their way to their tables. The salad starters were already on the table; they looked basic but fresh, and Kassie nibbled on a little cucumber and a cherry tomato. Alex covered his in salt, then began chewing away.
"So, no Shez? What did she say when you told her you were seeing me tonight?"
"She is my submissive. My pleasure is her pleasure."
Kassie scoffed and picked up the menu. "Submissive or slave?"
"There's a difference?"
"There is in my book."
A very handsome waiter, no doubt the lead actor, came to take their order.
"We want the best bottle of Pinot grigio in the house," said Alex. "And I'll have the chicken."
"Me, too. I'll have the same."
The waiter nodded and took their menus away.
"You're a very odd woman, Kassandra. Beautiful and intriguing at the same time."
"Intriguing?"
"Your mouth, and the words that come out of it—so very unsubmissive. But then I see you with Robert, and you're a different woman. When you're with him, I see the submissive in you. And then there was the other night. When I saw you writhing about on the bed with Shez between your legs, I confess I never wanted a woman more. And your eyes were so full of lust and heat. And then you turned cold."
"I had second thoughts."
"And yet here you are."
He put away another fork full of lettuce and sat back in his seat. While he chewed, she considered the paradox; how could a man be so beautiful and yet so corrupt and evil at the same time? His face was the face of an angel, but, like Lucifer, he had fallen so very far from grace.
"So what would you have me be? Your mistress?"
"It's a tempting proposition."
He licked his lips, and she wondered why he was so intrigued by her. After all, Shez was a very beautiful woman, and Alex could have any woman in the world he wanted. So why her?
"Alex, you could have anyone. You know I belong to another. So why play these games with me?"
"Perhaps it’s because you belong to another. I don't like being told what I can't have."
"That makes me nervous."
They were interrupted by the timely arrival of the waiter with their wine. He uncorked it and poured them both a glass, then quickly disappeared.
Alex waited until he was gone. "Nervous?"
"You're not the kind of man a woman should get involved with. Once you've had me for a while, you'd get bored, just like you have with Shez. It sounds like a very bad deal from where I'm sitting."
"Who said I was bored with Shez?"
"So what are you after, some kind of harem?"
The corner of his mouth twitched. It wasn't too hard to figure out why.
"When you and Shez were kissing, and your breasts brushed against each other, I swear I was ready to rip off my clothes and fuck you both there and then. God, if only we men had been granted two cocks so we could service two women at the same time. Christ, that would be something, wouldn't it? Wouldn't you like a life with me and Shez together, the unstoppable trio? I would reward you very well for your loyalty."
She took a sip of her wine and sat back, pretending to consider his offer. What a fucking hypocrite! Here he was, offering himself
as her lover when not too long ago he'd had her drugged and ready for sale to some stranger. He had the morals of a wasp! The only question was, what did he have in mind for her now? Did he really mean to keep her to himself, or was all this talk just a way to make her trust him? He was a devious monster. After all, who would invite her to dinner knowing full well she was about to be kidnapped? His motive had been to give himself an alibi, then, so who knew what he had in mind for her now?
"And Robert?"
"Robert? What about him?"
"The fact that I love him doesn't factor into any of this?"
"Like I said before, yet you are here."
"Maybe I'm just curious."
"Oh, I so hope that you are."
The waiter returned with the chicken, and shortly after that the lights in the theater dimmed, and the performance began. For the first time it occurred to her that she hadn't told Robert where she was, but she didn't want to text him at the table, not during the performance, anyway. She decided to wait for the interlude; there should be enough time to let him know then.
The performance itself was pretty good, and when the lights came on for the interlude, she rose from the table to excuse herself. "I need to powder my nose. I won't be long."
Alex nodded, but she noted that his attention had not been on either her or the stage, but was tuned in to the far side of the theater. She looked over to see what had grabbed his attention, but she could see nothing. She pushed her chair under the table and walked back up the aisle to the rear of the theater. There was the usual queue for the bathroom, so while she waited she sent Robert a text.
Fells Point. John John's Dinner Theater. Half time interlude. Nothing to report.
She tucked the phone back into her purse and continued to wait in line. And then she had the strangest feeling, like she was being watched. Looking around her, it was hard to find one particular face, when so many were staring at her. But her senses told her this time she was being admired for more than just her beauty. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she recalled the last time she had been snatched away, and though she knew there was every chance of it happening again, that didn't mean she had to like it. She thought about the message she had just sent and prayed to God that Robert would get here fast, so he could watch over her like the good angel he was. Until then, she would know no peace; until then, anything could happen.