Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1) (8 page)

“Well,
technically, you purchased her. But, I got most of your money returned when
they agreed to take her back.”

“You
put her back in the hands of human traffickers? Where is she?” Dane shouted, as
he pulled Keith off the floor by his collar.

“The
lady mentioned something about a Saudi Arabian prince. Look, the girl was told
what would happen if she didn’t cooperate. She had a good thing with you and
Oma, and she blew it. Besides, she was messing with your head – not good, man.
Who knows, she might have tried to kill you next.”

That
did it – Dane swung another punch, sending Keith clear across the room. He lunged
after him, but found himself restrained.

“We’ll
take it from here, Herr Wellesley,” the officer said.

Dane
paced the floor of his Frankfurt apartment, waiting for the horde to converge
on him. Carsten, Bravanger, Oma, and whichever of the Carsten twins who had
arrived in Germany – to be exact. As soon as he had discovered what was in the
Crown Royal bag, he’d taken it to the hospital to be analyzed. The vial and
syringe both tested positive for cyanide. It had been Keith! After calling the authorities,
Dane asked them to wait in his office while he tried to get more information
out of his corporate attorney. He wanted to confront him about poisoning Oma,
but first he needed answers about Aly… Lexi… Aly. After the
Kripos
(Criminal
Police) left with Keith, Dane called Oma to inform her about finding the poison
in the attorney’s office. He wanted to wait and tell her about Aly in person.

After
deleting Aly’s picture, Dane copied the web information onto a thumb drive.
These particular criminals were American and he was sure the FBI would be
interested in the information. Human trafficking – how in the hell did they get
Lexi Alberton? It took some nerve to enslave such a public figure. Why didn’t
they just ask for a ransom? It seemed the more pieces of the puzzle he found,
the more holes he discovered. He had to concentrate on the logistics of finding
Aly, because he couldn’t allow himself to think of what she might be going
through at this moment.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

It
was evening when the car escorting Lexi pulled into a small airport, parking
near a compact private jet with a royal crest painted on its tail. With a
determined step, Cass took the lead, followed by her usual cloned lackeys
flanking Lexi. A woman in Arabian garb met them at the top of the boarding ramp,
a man in white stood sentry beside her. Two more men, waiting inside the plane,
immediately began scrutinizing Lexi’s escorts for threats. Cass, dressed in a
black pantsuit, approached the woman with her hand out in greeting. The woman
ignored the overture, more interested in inspecting Lexi.

“As
you can see, she was treated quite well by her last owner,” Cass quickly
assured her. “She obviously just needs a strong personality to bring her into
submission.”

Apparently
satisfied, the woman nodded to one of the males and turned her back on Cass,
ushering Lexi through a curtained entrance into the belly of the plane. Lexi
had been on private jets before, and although this one was smaller than most,
it made up for its size by the lavish expense of its furnishings. Plush white
carpeting and thick cushioned lounges were offset by genuine gold trim – opulence
to the tune of garish, in her opinion.

“My
name is Hana,” the woman said, speaking for the first time. She opened a door leading
into a bed suite. “You may rest in here until we land. Refreshments are on the
table.” With those few words, she left the room and locked the door behind her.

Lexi
sat down on the edge of the bed –
just lovely,
she thought sardonically.

The
shock of being abducted once again by Cass and company splintered when the
brash woman’s taunts had sunk in. She was returned merchandise! Dane had tossed
her away… why? Because he’d gotten what he wanted from her; no matter what she
had felt for him, she was no different than all of his other women. Sitting
alone on the edge of a bed headed for an uncertain destiny, Lexi’s little
insurmountable grain of hope finally gave out, and with it the tears flowed.

She
cried for the loving, nurturing mother she had lost, years before her body left
this earth; and for her father’s suffering, and the broken heart that brought
on his early demise. She cried for her pitiful need to cling to her only living
relative, naively being betrayed by him as he stole her inheritance. Her tears
fell for Oma, and the pain she will endure if she discovers her beloved
grandson’s true colors. Daney – she cried tears for the young boy, lost
forever. The warrior for justice, with a strong sense for all that was fair and
honorable – that’s how she remembered him… her protector. Lexi cried that her
heart had been shattered into a million pieces, and that Dane had crushed them
under his feet without sparing a thought to the fate he’d sent her to. Yes, for
the first time since hearing of her mother’s illness, Lexi cried. She cried
until the tears burned their way down her cheeks, and with that burning came
anger.

“We
shall be landing soon. It is time to put on
your burqa.”

Surprisingly, Lexi had fallen asleep and
was woken by Hana’s announcement. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, focusing on
the heavy black cloth the woman was holding. Her curt command to stand up fully
awakened Lexi. She complied, allowing the woman to dress her in the loose
fitting, floor length cloak. As Hana draped the veil across her face, Lexi was
slapped with the full reality of her situation. She was in the Middle East
where women have no rights and are beaten, sometimes tortured and killed, for
the smallest infraction. Lexi scrutinized the woman in front of her with new
understanding and realized that her earlier anger remained intact. With no
government aid, and no hope of rescue, Lexi discovered a renewed strength to
fight for her freedom or die trying.

“You will keep your eyes down cast,”
Hana reprimanded tersely, appearing uncomfortable with Lexi’s stare. Lexi
shrugged indifferently and acquainted herself with the unfamiliar garb. It felt
heavy and hot, the veil suffocating.
So, where are the men’s veils?

“What?” Hana snapped.

“Nothing,” Lexi replied, realizing that
she must have mumbled that last contemptuous thought out loud. How could a
woman who had lived her entire life under submission, understand?

She took the proffered seat in the
lounge and strapped herself in, noting that all of the windows had been
shuttered. Guess they were worried she’d plot out an escape route if she got a
good look at the surrounding countryside, she thought bitterly.

The blast of heat that engulfed her as
she stepped from the plane caused Lexi to hold her breath. She kept her head
down, not in subservience, but in an attempt to keep her feet from getting
caught up in the heavy unfamiliar robe. She doubted that tripping on it would
garner a smile out of her stern entourage; instead, it would more likely
encourage a kick in the shin. A quick glance at Hana showed that the woman was
unaffected by the inconvenient cloak, although her swift tread suggested an
eagerness to close the space to an awaiting vehicle.  Good God, why should the
male population feel a need for additional torture of their females when the burqa
seemed effective enough?

A short drive brought them to a
beautiful courtyard surrounded by stone walls. In its midst, situated aside an
oasis, stood a stately palace. It was a two-story dwelling spread out to take
advantage of the lush plant life flourishing from the underground springs that
feed into a small lake. When the car stopped, a man clothed in a pristine white
traditional dress with a white scarf-like head cover, stepped out of the front
entrance. He spoke briskly to Hana and turned to lead them inside.

Lexi was led to an office where a stocky
middle-aged man wearing a similar garb to the first, sat behind a desk. Her new
owner, she presumed. His attention was centered on the activities outside the
window where several scantily clad women and small children frolicked in a
shaded pool. He turned his chair in their direction, glanced quickly past Lexi
to Hana, and raised his eyebrows as if to say, “well?” Hana nodded her head and
began removing Lexi’s burqa until she stood before them in the clothing she had
been abducted in – jeans and a turquoise blouse.

“Ah, Miss Alberton,” he arrogantly proclaimed
his recognition.

“Your highness,” Lexi replied in same.
She remembered meeting him and his young son at a business function with her
father. Alex Alberton had not been impressed with the overly supercilious
Sheikh
Saleh
of Hejd.

“I
am delighted that I may present you to my eldest son, Ahmad, on the day he is
officially announced as heir to the throne of Hejd.”

“A
simple invitation would have sufficed,” she offered in a bland voice.

“I’m
afraid not; you see, you are not an invited guest. You are a gift – something
my son has coveted since the first time he laid eyes on you.”

“Surely
I’m too old,” Lexi returned, blatantly. “It’s my understanding that your males
prefer their women be fresh out of the cradle.” The Sheikh’s face turned red
with anger. He abruptly stood and stepped out from behind his desk.

“You
have much of your father in you,” he growled, his face close to hers. “He
refused my generous offer for his daughter when he was alive. Your uncle was
much more receptive, but he got greedy, decided to dangle you in front of the
highest bidder.”

“I
am not anyone’s to sell! If you return me to America I will see that you are
fully reimbursed.”

“Why
would I want to do that?” His face was upon hers, nose to nose. His hot moist
breath fanned her cheeks. “I have what I want.”

“It
is against the law. Criminal charges will be filed…” Lexi’s accusations were
drowned out by his smooth retort.

“I
shall take great pleasure in watching my son tame you into submission.” He took
a step away from her. “Strip her, I wish to make sure there are no blemishes on
my son’s gift.” Turning, he went back to watching the activities outside.

Lexi
fought, but was overpowered, and when her clothes lay shredded on the floor the
sheikh turned his attention back to her. She covered her body the best she
could with her hands, as he slowly paced around her. Hana grabbed one of her
fingers and pulled it back causing Lexi to give in before the bone broke. Her
assets now fully exposed, he gently ran his hand across her skin, as if
examining a fragile work of art.

“Yes,
Ahmad has an exquisite eye for color,” he bragged. “He once described you as a pure
opalescent gem.” He nodded his head and the same gentleman who greeted them at
the door held a robe out for Lexi. “This is the last conversation we will
have,” the sheikh said in dismissal.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Dane
slammed the phone down on its cradle.
Damn bureaucrats!
Every agency
he’d called on behalf of finding Aly told him the same spiel – “the European
Union and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their best people
working on it.” She’s been missing for almost a week now! The FBI claimed to
only have jurisdiction in the United States. He hoped Greig Carsten was as good
at cracking through online encryptions as he was at developing antiviral
software.

The
Carsten twins had arrived in Germany early yesterday morning. Greig, the
eldest, was somewhat of a computer genius. When Keith was questioned about how
he had contacted the sellers, he told them that he was given a pass code to be
used for online communications. Dane tried sending a message to them, faking an
interest in purchasing a replacement for Aly, but had so far received no reply.
Greig was trying to trace the outgoing message to its recipient. Dane had to
hand it to the guy; he appeared to have the patience of a saint.

The
reunion should have been a joyous one, the years apart seemed to melt away as
their teasing banter soon picked up where it had left off. Just as quickly, it
came to an abrupt halt as everyone remembered the reason for the reunion.
Lexi’s absence left a deep hole in their camaraderie. Still, Dane felt oddly
relieved, the burden seemed to lighten with their presence. It was evident that
they all shared an equal concern for her safety.

Although
it had been seventeen years since he’d seen the twins, Dane had no trouble recognizing
them. They’d been like siblings to him and he began to question how he’d ever allowed
the years and distance to interfere with that relationship. Inwardly Dane
kicked himself – instead he’d given Keith Ingram his fraternal trust.
Yeah,
and look where that got him…
Bravanger was still uncovering the attorney’s
unlawful activities! Dane wondered if the Carsten sibling’s identities would
have come to him as readily without the obvious “tells.”

First
up and easiest was Greig. Dane wanted to punt his behind again, recalling when
he’d first heard about the incident that had killed the twins’ mother and
permanently injured Greig. Opa had just put him in charge of the London office,
and he’d been too overwhelmed with the responsibility to find it feasible to
attend a funeral in the States. He’d sent his condolences along with flowers…
hadn’t he? He couldn’t remember. Greig’s spinal cord had been injured in the
accident, resulting in his legs being paralyzed.

Expecting
to see a wheelchair, Dane was caught off guard when Greig swung into the room on
crutches. He reached out his hand in greeting and was instead pulled into a sturdy
man-hug, including the requisite slap on the back.
The guy was strong!
As he pulled out of the clinch, Greig expertly placed one of the metal crutches
a step back to catch his balance. His dark blue eyes held a glint of humor,
pleased with himself for putting the surprised look on Dane’s face.

Dane
gifted him with a chuckle, as he drank in the sight of his childhood best
friend. Greig equaled his height, although his shoulder span was wider, a
testament to the workout his arms and deltoids received taking on the brunt of
his body weight. He wore a long-sleeved polo, accommodating the arm clamps of
his custom-made crutches. His khaki slacks disguised the framework of the leg
braces worn beneath.

Stefan
stepped up next, clasping his hand in a traditional handshake with an added
slap to the arm. The last time Dane had seen him he was only eleven years old.
He’d been a chunky kid and had grown into a stocky, muscular man. A couple of
inches shorter than his brother, he was broad without an inch of fat as far as
Dane could distinguish.

Next
he turned his attention to the two beautiful sisters. One held a no-nonsense
look, eager to take care of business; the other looked as if she was trying
hard not to cry.
Yep, that would be Stefani.
He kissed each woman on the
cheek and wiggled one eyebrow with a lecherous come-hither tease in his eyes.
Turning his head to the brothers, Dane patted his heart and feigned weak knees.
He received a couple of chuckles from the guys, and a rolling of eyes from
Gretchen.

Both
women were gorgeous. Stefani ran into his arms with a need to comfort, and be
comforted. Although average in height, she felt small in his arms. Like her
twin, she had been rounder than Gretchen and Lexi, and had often bore the brunt
of unfair nicknames from her siblings. Dane smiled remembering how Lexi would
attack the culprits in defense of her friend. Concern rose in him at Fani’s
tiny frame; had she turned anorexic from the taunts?

With
an arm still around Stefani, Dane made eye contact with Gretchen. He received a
genuine smile from her, although her blue eyes, a shade lighter than Greig’s,
didn’t quite make it to the party. It was as if she held herself back from
becoming too emotional. Even her attire kept her at arm’s length. Standing
straight and stiff with an air of authority, she wore tailored slacks and a
modest sweater over her shapely figure. Her shoulder length hair, lightened
with streaks of blonde, was pulled back into a braid.

All
of the Carsten siblings had dark brown hair, Stefan and Stefani’s with red
highlights. Where the older twins shared blue eyes, their younger siblings had
green; perhaps a testament to Irish ancestors. Also surprising to Dane, they
were all still single.

Dane
had set the family up in suites at his company-owned high-rise. Oma was staying
in his apartment for the time being. She wanted to be on hand when they brought
Lexi home; and she was determined that they would succeed. After they settled
in, everyone gathered in his apartment to share information and hatch out a
plan of attack.

“So,
English
,” Greig said, reviving the Carsten’s old nickname for him, “what
are you doing in Deutschland? Last we heard your home base was London.” Dane
made a point to look at his grandmother.

“I
moved into my grandfather’s offices to keep close tabs on Oma,” he answered.
“Somebody has to keep her out of trouble.” She gave him a playful slap on the
arm while the others chuckled.

“Maybe
you could begin by clarifying a few things,” Gretchen suggested, turning a quizzical
gaze first to Bravanger, slid it to Oma, and then finally landed it on Dane.
“Why was Lexi living with Frau Brighten? Are you two dating..?” She let an
insinuation of more hang at the end of her last sentence.

Dane
had the grace to look ashamed. That was Gretchen, all right – to the point, and
right to the heart. He opened his mouth to confess his stupidity, but Oma beat
him to the punch.

“She
and Dane are engaged,” his grandmother announced, her eyes meeting his with a
challenge for him to dispute the statement. “Keith Ingram saw her as a threat,
and arranged to have her kidnapped by human traffickers. We need to find out
where she’s been taken and bring her home.”

Dane
narrowed his eyes at his grandmother, then turned his attention to Bravanger.
Ed’s response was to remain silent; the look he returned to Dane was one that confessed
resistance to a confrontation with Oma.
Yeah, he got it…
Both men knew
that Marta Brighton never lost an argument. Gretchen opened her mouth to add
more questions, abruptly snapping her lips shut at Oma’s stubborn countenance.
The right side of Dane’s mouth involuntarily curled into a half grin.

“It
is a little bit strange, though…” Fani said, apparently oblivious to the
undercurrent in the room, “I went by her home when Dad told us of her
disappearance. Her uncle didn’t say anything about an engagement. In fact, Edith
made a point to speak with me privately to voice her concern. You remember Edith;
she’s been working for the Albertons since we were kids.” Dane remembered the
sweet woman who had spoiled them all with her scrumptious baked goods. She kept
the house in ship-shape condition and prepared the best American meals, ever.
It took a stretch of the imagination to think of her still running the Alberton
household – shoot, she seemed to be older than his grandparents, even back
then.

Fani
continued, “Richard said that Lexi was on a world cruise, hoping to ease her
grief, but Edith told me she found Lexi’s purse hidden in the back of her
closet. Her passport, cell phone, and all of her ID was still in it.” She
turned innocent eyes to Oma. “How did she get here without a passport?”

Oma
sighed, conceding to Dane.

“The
same way she left,” he admitted. “Look, I’ve been kicking myself in the ass
since she disappeared. I didn’t know who she was until your father told me, and
I certainly didn’t know what she’d gone through. She never said…” Dane could
feel the mixed emotions and unbelief emanating from the Carstens. “I know, I’m
a duffer for trusting Keith; so save your retribution for later, right now we
have to get Aly home with her honor intact.”

“
Aly
?”

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Elegantly
dressed in shades of gold, Lexi was escorted onto the dais where Sheikh
Saleh
of Hejd presided over a large, affluent (if appearances could be trusted)
audience. The leader had already offered up a grandiose speech, concluding with
the lavish presentation of several extravagant gifts to his newly appointed
crown prince.  She was the last offering to be awarded. The crowd’s previously
enthusiastic response seemed to wan slightly with her appearance. Perhaps the
sheikh’s admirers did not share in his predisposition for ownership of a human
being.

Prince
Ahmad, already flying high as the focal point of his father’s adulation, displayed
an atypical surprise upon recognizing her.

“Mine?”
he asked, actually dumbfounded. “She’s mine, Father?”

Lexi
could feel the sheikh’s heated gaze on her, though her eyes remained glued to
an intricate tapestry on the far wall.

“Yes,
Son; but be warned, her temper is as fiery as the color of her hair.”

Ahmad
smiled as he circled her, his hand playing along her hip and buttocks before
placing himself in her line of sight. Lexi ignored his attempt to lock eyes,
staring through him, instead – as if he didn’t exist.  Of course, she could
still sense his ire rising in challenge. With his back to the guests, the
prince reached up between them and gave her left breast a harsh pinch. Involuntarily,
her eyes fastened onto his, firing off a kill shot. Releasing a satisfied
laugh, Ahmad turned to the sheikh.

“Father,
this is indeed a rare and precious gem,” he said. “I shall take great enjoyment
from it.” He didn’t bother to hide the sadistic insinuation in his last words.
The sheikh slapped him on the back, clearly pleased at his son’s approval.

“I
know you will, Ahmad; I know you will,” he repeated.

Lexi
sat on a small padded stool situated inside luxurious sleeping quarters. There
was no need to guess what awaited her, especially while wearing the attire (or
lack thereof) she had been given to put on. The new crown prince must have a
preference for lingerie, judging by the simple pale pink bra and panties she wore
beneath a sheer lacy peignoir. She was surprised then, when the door opened and
two women walked in. Well, a pregnant woman and a preteen girl, to be exact.

The
scowl on the woman’s face put Lexi in remembrance of seeing her earlier, seated
at a prominent table during the prince’s reception. She had been glaring then
as well. While she assessed Lexi with open hostility, the young girl spoke.

“I
am Princess Fatiha, sister to Prince Ahmad,” the girl said in heavily accented English.
She gestured to the pregnant woman. “This is my brother’s wife; she carries his
first child.” The woman opened her mouth, spewing out words of anger. Lexi was
unfamiliar with the tongue, but understood the hatred in her tone. Fatiha
nodded assuredly to her sister-in-law.

“She
wishes for me to stress that you are not to get in your head that you are
anything more than an infidel, and you will not spawn an evil child using
Ahmad’s seed.” The woman thrust a small bottle at Lexi. “You are to drink that
after he has finished with you,” the girl continued. Lexi took the bottle and
smiled at Ahmad’s wife.

“I
promise you that I won’t be needing this,” she told them. “I
 have no intention of allowing his
princely
seed anywhere near me. If
you would like to guarantee that, I would welcome your help in leaving this
place.”

The
two women exchanged words; an unfathomable grin grew on the elder’s face. The
young princess turned to Lexi with a combination of fear and pity.

“This
is the Rub' al Khali… what you call the Empty Quarter,” she explained. “We are
surrounded by desert. There is no way through it alive without proper
transport. Please, do as my brother asks,” she pled, picking up the bottle of
liquid Lexi had set on a table. “And drink this when he sleeps.” The prince’s
wife grabbed Fatiha’s arm and nudged her out the door. Throwing a last look of
warning toward Lexi, she closed it behind them.

Within
minutes of their departure, the crown prince swept into the room and eagerly
approached her.