Piper
“Who do you work for?”
The man with the scarred face had asked me the same question multiple times, and I’d yet to give him an answer he believed. Each answer had been met with a slap across the face or a punch to the ribs or stomach. Blood dripped from a cut on my lip, split open again from the beating I’d undergone just a couple of nights ago. I was really getting tired of being tied up and beaten by men with something to prove.
“I told you already. I worked with the FBI. Went rogue months ago trying to find my fiancé’s killer. I was terminated recently. So, now I’m in between jobs, you could say.”
The man wasn’t Chavez, El Guapo. There was nothing handsome about this man, and I’d seen enough of pictures of Chavez to know that the rumors of his good looks were not exaggerated. No, this guy had a badly scarred face, probably from teenage acne that had been uncontrolled. His nose was too big and his eyes were too small. His greasy, black hair was slicked back from his face, and his short stature was a testament to the small man’s disease he seemed to have.
All the men I’d seen so far wore the same leather cut—a motorcycle gang, if I wasn’t mistaken. The black skull with a blood-red teardrop and the words El Sangre underneath were my second clue that this wasn’t Chavez’s men. I was suddenly regretting getting involved the other night at the bar.
My thoughts had distracted me, and I wasn’t prepared for the blow from the huge hulking man who’d taken utter delight in beating the crap out of me thus far. His fist landed against my temple as stars swam in my eyes. Then a pain like I’d never felt before exploded in my head, and I gave in to the darkness.
***
When I awoke, I was lying on a cold, bare floor. The room was sparse, only a bucket in the corner, which I assumed was where they expected me to relieve myself. I was dying of thirst.
I’d worked out hard with Cade just hours ago… I guess it was hours? It was really hard to say—time seemed to stand still. But I’d fought with him, then kissed him like a madwoman, and I hadn’t had any food or drink before then.
A small sliver of light peeked out from a boarded-up Palladian-style window, and I crawled over on my hands and knees. I didn’t trust myself to stand at this point. My vision swam as I made my way over, and the nausea threatened to overwhelm me. I couldn’t afford to toss my cookies now. I was already dehydrated, and losing any precious fluids in my stomach was a no-go. I stopped for a moment, allowing the queasiness to subside. Then, grabbing onto the window ledge, I pulled myself to an upright position and peered through the crack.
The light was from a streetlamp across the street and not from the sun as I’d hoped. That meant I’d been here almost twenty-four hours, and I knew the psychopath who’d delighted in beating me for his perceived wrong answers wouldn’t keep me around much longer.
Would Cade and the guys come for me? Or was it too risky?
I couldn’t blame them if they waited this one out. They didn’t know me. Didn’t know whether or not I’d stand up to torture. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I could withstand it. The thought of what these men might do to me made my stomach roil, and I bent over, losing what precious fluids I had left.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I slumped to the floor, pulling my knees up tight against my chest and resting my head on them. In the space of just a few days, my whole life had turned upside down. I’d been tied up and beaten by two different groups, found out the only family I had betrayed me years ago, reconnected with the love of my life whom I’d thought had left me high and dry twelve years ago, lost my job, and joined a secret government agency. Quite a lot for a foster kid from a small Georgia town.
My thoughts drifted to Cade. He’d known exactly what I’d needed the night before. An outlet for all the pent-up aggression and frustration that I hadn’t been able to release. He’d given that to me, taking blow after blow, never pushing me too hard. Then that kiss.
A moan escaped, and I hid my face with my crossed arms over my knees. That kiss had been spectacular. I’d run from him, though, which is what had gotten me into the mess I was in. I hadn’t been able to get over the guilt I’d felt for the feelings I still had for Cade. I should still be mourning Jake. It had only been two years. Two years since my life had been turned completely upside down.
And if I was honest with myself, the real guilt came from the secret that I carried—what I’d felt for Jake didn’t even scratch the surface of what I felt for Cade. And that’s where the problem was. I lost Jake, and I was able to go on. Bruised and battered, yes. But I still lived and breathed and hoped for the future.
But if I lost Cade—if he were to be killed in action or left me—I’d never recover. I’d cease to live and breathe.
I couldn’t allow myself to give in to Cade’s demands for a life together. And yet, while I sat there in that barren cell with only a bucket as my friend, I wondered if I was wrong. If I didn’t allow myself time with Cade, a relationship with Cade, was I even really living?
Footsteps sounded down the hall, and I quickly crawled back to where I’d thought they’d left me, curling up on my side and pretending to be asleep. The door squeaked as it opened, and the sounds of heavy boots walking across the floor played ominously in my ears. I heard the man grunt, then a sharp pain lanced through my side.
I cried out, curling in on myself even more, trying to protect my head and as much of my ribs as possible. Those were steel-toed boots, and I was almost positive he’d just broken a rib.
“Get up!” The man reached under my arms and yanked me from the floor, the pain so bad that my vision blurred and nausea rose up my throat.
“Don’t you dare. Boss wants to talk to you again.” He topped off his statement with a chuckle that made my skin crawl. These men delighted themselves in other people’s pain, and for the moment, specifically my pain.
He dragged me down a flight of steps into a basement-like area, the same place I’d been earlier. It looked as if we were in an old office building of some sort, with marble floors and high ceilings. But the basement was dark and dreary, and the man sat me down in a chair that was now perched over a drain in the floor.
Yeah, that wasn’t good. Fear raced up my spine, turning my stomach into knots. I wanted to pretend that this was all a dream—that any moment I’d wake up to find myself safely in my bed, or curled up in Cade’s arms.
What I’d give for another shot at curling up in his embrace and never leaving. If I got out of this mess, I promised myself that I’d stop pushing him away. I wasn’t going to promise what that future would hold, but I could at least open myself up to his friendship. It appeared my inner voice enjoyed deceiving herself. She knew Cade was interested in way more than friendship.
The Hulk, or so I’d named him, who’d beaten me senseless just hours before, zip-tied my arms to the hand rests and my feet to the legs of the chair. He stepped back, his leering gaze roving over my body. I cursed myself again for running out of the gym with only tight shorts and my sports bra on. Had I known I’d be kidnapped by sadistic creeps, I’d have made a different wardrobe choice.
The ugly man from before stepped into view, a warm smile on his face that I knew from experience meant nothing but pain for me.
“Good evening, Ms. Collins. I sure hope you’ll be more accommodating.”
“Oh, I doubt it. But if you’re into wasting your time, be my guest.”
My head jerked to the side as the Hulk’s palm connected with my cheek, cutting the inside of my mouth. I straightened my spine and spat out the blood filling my mouth. I smiled at Hulk and was rewarded by a slight look of terror on his face. I might not be able to fight back, but I wasn’t going down that easily.
“Why did you kill two of my men?”
“I didn’t. Chavez’s men killed them.”
“But you turned two of them over to the police.”
“Of course I did. They started a brawl in my bar.”
“Not your bar. It was Tino’s bar, and you’d only worked there for two nights.”
“What’s your point?”
This time I expected the blow and was able to deflate part of it, although more blood pooled in my mouth.
“I heard you came to Atlanta to find your fiancé’s killer.”
Wow, word got around really quickly. How had he known that?
“Word gets around, Ms. Collins.” His reply eerily mimicked my thoughts, sending shivers of terror along my spine. “You see, we don’t exactly get along with Chavez and his thugs, but there are some times when we share a mutual enemy. In this case, that enemy is you.”
Ah, so that’s how he found out. Chavez’s men and their big mouths. Good to know.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree. We’re not the ones responsible for his death. Julio Varga is. And last I checked, he was in Mexico.”
“How do you know that?”
“We helped him get there. Put him on a flight with one of our shipments in exchange for prime information on a DEA insider.”
So, El Sangre had connections with the DEA mole as well.
“And who would that be?”
The bossman, who’d yet to give me his name, tilted his head back in laughter. “Wouldn’t you like to know? That only confirms my suspicions that Slater and Montgomery aren’t who they say they are.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The boss moved closer, his face inches from mine as he leaned in, his mouth tilted into a Joker-like smile. “I think you do, Ms. Collins. Who do they work for?”
His face, so close to mine, was frightening as hell. I wanted to back away, to run to a safe corner and curl up and hide. Unfortunately, that wasn’t my reality. I was tied up while a psychopath plotted my demise if I didn’t give him the information he wanted. And truth be told, my demise was unavoidable. Whether I gave up the guys or not, I wasn’t walking out of this alive.
“They work for themselves. They own an MMA gym and host periodic fights.”
The boss’s eyes went dark, his anger burning hot under his disguise of civility. Then he turned on his smile again and backed away. “Wrong answer, Ms. Collins. You see, Arturo here has been chomping at the bit to get a taste of your succulent flesh. Maybe I’ll let him have you.” Bile rose in my throat at his words. “And then when he’s done, I’ll pass you around to the other guys. Once we’ve broken you in, I’ll sell you to the highest bidder.”
Terrified, I struggled to figure out what to tell him. What could I say that would buy me some time? The boss must have realized what I was trying to do. He laughed, then nodded at Arturo.
“Take her away. When you’re through with her, let the other guys have her. Then bring her back.”
Arturo, aka Hulk, licked his lips as he made his way towards me. I tried to back up in the chair, jumping and scooting backwards, but it was no use. I couldn’t use my hands or my feet. The zip ties bit painfully into my wrists and ankles, but they didn’t budge.
He flipped a switchblade open as he stalked towards me. I closed my eyes, praying for salvation I knew wouldn’t come. I felt the cold blade against my breast bone, then a quick flick of his wrist, and my sports bra fell open. Tears fell from my eyes as I trembled, wishing for a way out. Any way out.
I glanced down at the light scratch against my chest that bubbled up with blood. My exposed breasts on display for anyone who wanted to see. It wasn’t just the fear of what he planned to do to me. It was also the humiliation and utter vulnerability of my position. I had no way to defend myself. No way to get out of my situation.
The blade scratched across the binds of my wrists and ankles, and I was jerked up from my chair by Arturo. His hand groped my breast, squeezing to the point of pain. I bit my tongue to keep myself from crying out. Arturo unbuttoned his pants as the tears I’d tried to hold back morphed into sobs.
“Please. Please don’t.”
“You be a good girl, and maybe I’ll let you enjoy it a little.”
His pants hit the ground, and the lights went out.
“Damn! What happened?” Arturo’s voice called out among the darkness. An explosion rocked the building as debris fell from the ceiling. Arturo pushed me backwards, and I fell against the chair.
“Stay there!” he shouted as he tried desperately to pull up his pants and buckle his belt to keep them in place.
Shots were fired as the screams of men called out over the raucous noise.
It appeared the cavalry had arrived and just in time.