PAYBACK (A Bad Boy Romance) (27 page)

M
y head ached
like a mother and my mouth tasted of copper. I wiggled my hands and found them tied tightly behind my back. The hard, wooden chair I was sitting in, made my butt numb. How long had I been unconscious?

My vision cleared and I saw the interior of a dingy warehouse, the watery light from the ratty fluorescents hanging from the ceiling the only complement to the milky sunlight filtering in from the filthy windows.

Where was I? What’d happened?

I remember crying myself to sleep on the sofa. I remember waking up to the horrific sound of my door being kicked open.

Men wearing ski masks rushed into my house and grabbed me. I fought against them but there were too many and they were too strong.

I kicked and my foot connected with the lamp.

Then a heavy fist plowed into my face and I was gone.

One hit.

TKO.

And here I was.

Tied. Lost. Afraid.

Possibly with a mild concussion.

And no one knew where I’d gone.

I winced as my tongue sought out the sore spot on my lip, finding the source of the blood taste in my mouth. My lip had been split open.

Jesus, I’d had my fill of getting my ass kicked.

If I lived through this I was going to take self-defense classes.

The main point of that statement:
if.

Because if I was a betting woman, I’d say my odds were slim.

A man with an entourage walked toward me. He was dressed in a way that revealed his vanity. I recognized him right away.

This was the man I’d been looking for at the club who hadn’t shown.

Now I figured out, he must’ve been tipped off that I was a plant and stayed away.

Did I play dumb? Start crying and begging to be let go? Could I pull it off?

But before I could start, Terano started talking first.

“You are very beautiful,” he stated as if he were assessing my worth. He gestured to his henchmen. “Let me see what she has to offer.”

I didn’t have time to wonder what he meant.

Two men wrenched me out of the chair and ripped my shirt from my chest, shredding the thin material as if it were made of gossamer.

I gasped in horror as I stood there in the remains of my sleep shirt and my pajama bottoms, my breasts on display.

Terano walked to me, his cold dark eyes nothing like those of Jameson’s, and tested the weight of my breasts with his palms. “Nice. Natural. You will fetch a good price.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I managed to bite out, shooting a glare at the men propping me up. “You’re in a lot of trouble. When my friend finds me…”

“You’ll be long gone,” Terano cut in with a small smile. “Jameson Reed…I almost feel sorry for him. Constantly chasing the crumbs I leave behind, starving for the win he’ll never get. You see, I have important friends who see to it that their investments are well-protected. Jameson Reed is destined to lose and always was. You’d think he would’ve figured that out by now.”

If Terano had known about me…that meant he knew about Frankie, too.

I tried to hide the shudder of fear. Jameson would find me. He had to.

Be brave, Ivy.

“Are you a virgin?” he asked.

“That’s none of your business,” I spat at the hateful man. “Go fuck yourself.”

Terano graced me with a thin smile that made my blood run cold.

He jerked my pajama pants down and shoved his finger inside m, scraping tender flesh and violating me without once losing his smile.

OHMYGOD!

Tears burned under my lids but I held them back. I wouldn’t cry in front of this pig.

He withdrew his finger and slid it under his nose. “Tight. And clean. You may not be a virgin but you haven’t been fucked so much that you’re loose. You are in luck. I have someone who loves girls like you. Will pay a very high price for his dolls. If only he didn’t break his toys so easily.”

I lifted my chin. “It shouldn’t surprise me that you traffic in human beings as well as deal drugs,” I said coldly. “You’re a disgusting human being and someday karma will kick your ass.”

Terano chuckled then gestured to the men holding me. “Take her, get her cleaned up. I have calls to make.”

Terano walked away and I was dragged out of the main room, down a flight of stairs where I was flung to the floor, scraping my palms as I went down.

“Get her ready,” the one man grunted to seemingly no one until I saw a small Chinese woman appear from the shadows. She bowed and they walked off, locking us in together.

“I’ve been kidnapped,” I started to tell her but the woman slapped me so hard across the face that I saw stars.

“You will learn to curb your American tongue. Real men do not like a woman who speaks so freely. Come. You smell of sex and filth.”

My cheeks burned but I dragged myself off the floor and followed the little woman with a vicious backhand down a dark hallway until we emerged in another room where other girls were huddled on thin cots, their eyes big and scared.

What the hell had I stumbled into?

“Get in the shower, scrub yourself clean. Use the scented soap after you’ve done a thorough cleanse.”

“I’m not dirty,” I shot back with a scowl and the Chinese woman raised her hand as if to slap me again. I held my ground. “Go ahead and try little woman. I’ve had meaner people than you try to do worse.”

At that the Chinese woman just cackled as if the joke were on me somehow and walked away.

I climbed into the dingy shower and quickly showered, gritting my teeth against the freezing water and stepped out where I wrapped myself in the clothing left behind.

I lifted the thin, see-through shift and balked. It was too fucking cold to wear that piece of tissue but all I had were my pajama bottoms.

My shirt was in shreds.

I quickly donned the shift and then jerked my pajama bottoms back on.

At least I was partially covered, unlike the other girls shivering down in this hole.

The little Chinese woman was gone. I went to the door and tried to open it but found it locked tight.

I had to try.

“Did you think they’d just leave the door open?” a caustic female voice at my back said. I turned and saw one of the women looking at me. “And besides, even if you did manage to get out, you’d never get past the guards at the top of the stairs.”

“Well, I don’t plan to be sold off like a prize cow or something. There has to be another way out of here.”

“Don’t get us in trouble,” another girl said fearfully, curling into a ball on her bed. “Bad things happen to the girls who make a fuss.”

“Sounds to me bad things happen to girls who
don’t
make a fuss,” I countered, glancing around the room, looking for some way to get out. I returned to the belligerent one. “What’s your name?”

“What difference does it make? Our identities will no longer be ours by the time we leave this room.”

“What is your name?” I persisted. I wasn’t letting go of who I was and I wasn’t going to let them either.

“Darian,” she answered after a short pause. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Ivy and we are getting out of here. My friend is an undercover detective and he’s been chasing after this Terano guy for two years. He’ll figure out what happened and come for me.”

“Ain’t no one gonna come for you sweetheart,” Darian disagreed. “Terano is big time. Why you think he hasn’t been busted yet? You think we’re the first shipment of girls he’s ever sent out? Hell no. He’s the king for a reason. He provides services no one else can get. And he’s got powerful friends.”

“So I hear,” I grumbled, not willing to lose hope. I knew Jameson would do whatever it took to find me. He might not want to admit it but he felt something for me and I was going to cling to that belief because that’s all I had to get me through this moment. “How long have you been down here?”

“A week.”

“A week?” I shuddered. “That’s horrible.”

It was cold, dank, and smelled of mildew. I could only imagine this was what it felt like to be buried alive. “So Terano is not only a drug dealer but a human trafficker, too? Good. Then at least when he gets busted, he’s guaranteed to go down for a long time.”

Darian shook her head. “You don’t get it. He’s got friends who keep him safe. He lines their pockets and they do whatever it takes to keep him in business.”

“Who is protecting him?” I asked.

“Like I know names,” Darian scoffed. “All I know is that what Terano wants, he gets. And he must’ve wanted you for whatever reasons because you ain’t leaving this box unless you’ve been sold to the highest bidder.”

“Or unless she’s carried out in a bag,” the scared girl provided. “That happened to Molly.”

“What happened to Molly?” I asked, almost afraid to find out.

“She died.”

“How?”

Darian shrugged. “She just wasn’t strong.”

I wasn’t leaving in a bag. And I wasn’t being sold.

I climbed onto the rickety cot that wasn’t taken and curled up, huddling for warmth. “My friend will come,” I said, needing to believe it. “And he’ll save all of us. We just have to stay alive until he does.”

Darian snorted as if I were blowing smoke and the scared girl just huddled more tightly in a tiny ball as if trying to disappear.

A week ago I was living a relatively normal life.

And now?

I was about to die or be sold.

I’m not sure which option was worse.

But I was about to find out.

F
rankie wasn’t
at his place.

And he wasn’t answering his cell.

A bad feeling joined with my other bad feeling and they were dancing a salsa together in my gut.

We didn’t have a choice, we had to call in the situation.

I let Hank take care of those details.

My brain wasn’t cooperating. All I could think about was Ivy and how much danger she was in.

But I needed to focus.

I decided to go to the one place I knew Terano felt most comfortable, his most arrogant.

“I’m going to Chester’s,” I told Hank but Hank stopped me with a frown.

“It’s not open. You’re going to waste time heading over to the place when it’s not even open. They don’t open until six tonight.”

“Exactly. That’s where he thinks he’s most secure. I guarantee someone is there. And when I find that someone, I’m going to squeeze the information out of them until they puke up what I want to hear.”

But Hank wasn’t having it. “Look, I’m not going to let you run off half-cocked and get yourself shot in the ass for your stupidity. Let’s go return to the precinct and go over the case notes from the past two years and see if there’s something we missed.”

“Fuck that. You do that if you want. I’m going to Chester’s.”

Hank swore under his breath but finally relented. “Like hell. You ain’t going alone and you know it. I’ll ride with you.”

But I didn’t want Hank riding with me. “We’ll take separate cars.”

And I left it at that. I didn’t trust anyone at this point.

Not even Hank.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hank said, irritated. “Are you losing your damn mind? We’re partners.”

“We’re wasting time. Meet you at Chester’s.” I wasn’t going to argue the merit of my decision when I was already committed to the course. I had to find out the weak link and I wasn’t going to do that arguing with Hank.

Besides, if by some unlucky chance, Hank was the mole…I needed some distance so I could put a bullet in the fucker’s head — or at the very least Tase the shit out of him.

I drove to Chester’s and parked. True to my hunch, a lone car in the parking lot told me someone was inside.

I pulled my weapon and went around the back. I caught the sound of muffled voices and odd thumping.

Then, a groan.

Someone was getting the shit kicked out of them.

I radioed my location to the dispatch and then quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

I followed the sounds and voices and ducked back behind the corner wall.

Frankie, tied to a chair backstage, was bleeding from his nose and mouth. His eye was swollen and bloody drool slipped from his damaged mouth. He was breathing heavily through his mouth, which told me his nose was likely broken.

No telling how long they’d been working Frankie over.

A man I’d never seen before was wiping his knuckles on a white handkerchief. “Frankie…why you messing with a good thing? I thought we were solid. But then you had to go and get friendly with the cops and suddenly I didn’t feel so safe anymore. Can you explain why you’d go and do such a thing?”

“I swear, I’m not—“

Frankie’s earnest denial was cut short when the man buried his fist in his gut. Frankie gasped like a fish out of water.

“Frankie, lies do not become us,” the man tsked. “I just want to know why you turned on your family? We were your boys. We looked out for you, kept you out of trouble, and then you repay our generosity but getting in bed with cops? Bad form, Frankie-boy. Bad-fucking-form.”

Frankie tried to shake his head but it seemed more of a rattle than a definitive shake. He was close to blacking out.

A quick look revealed three men in addition to the man doling out the beating. I needed Hank for back-up.

I sent a hasty text to Hank.

Four men total. Frankie getting beat.

Hank knew better than to text back. But when the little indicator showed that Hank had read the message, I refocused on my plan.

I could take out two of the men. As long as Hank provided a distraction. But until then, I was going to listen. Maybe someone would say something that would lead me to Ivy.

“You see Frankie, you didn't have big enough dreams. You’re small time. And that's why you'll always be on the bottom. You think it's all about the drugs. The drugs are a very small part of what makes this operation run. But I will say, I was happily surprised to see how hot your sister was. I never saw that coming. Where have you been hiding that little girl?" He chuckled as if they were just a couple of guys shooting the shit.

I didn't like anyone talking about Ivy that way. But I had to hold my anger in check. I had to think smart not emotionally.

“Here's how I see it. Your little sister Ivy will get a fair price for that pretty face and smoking body. And you will end up in a ditch somewhere. All problems solved. I only need one thing answered. When did Jameson Reed figure out that he been made? Another day and we would’ve been free of that problem as well.”

All Frankie could do was moan. The man patted Frankie on his matted head. “I understand, Frankie. It's been a rough day for you. But you can go to your grave knowing that your sister will never have to worry her pretty little head about such mundane things as bills and working a 9-to-5 job. All she needs to focus on is pleasuring her new Master. And if she's good at it she might even earn herself some nice perks.”

Frankie whimpered. I was willing to bet that was all he could manage. I tightened the grip on my gun. I was going to enjoy killing that motherfucker.

Just when I thought I couldn't wait any longer, Hank kicked in the front door and two men went running to investigate. That left me with the talker and one of his goons.

I took advantage of the moment and quickly took a shot at the guard and then managed to shoot the man talking to Frankie.

I did a quick perimeter search and then returned, crouching next to the guy who was staring up at me with a maniacal, bloody grin. “Fucking cop,” he gurgled, blood spurting from his mouth.

I grabbed him by the collar of the shirt just as Hank returned. “Where the fuck is Ivy?”

The man just laughed. “Someone got a soft spot for the good girl?” He taunted, his eyes turning glassy. “By the time you figure it out, it'll be too late. A girl like her sells easy.”

The man began to jerk as he suffocated on his own blood. I dropped him like trash.

I returned to Frankie and untied him. He was in bad shape. But I had to see if he knew anything. “Frankie, I need you to tell me if you know where they took Ivy.”

Frankie tried to open his eyes but they were nearly swollen shut. He made desperate gargle noises and I worried that he might be choking on his own blood as well.

“This man needs a hospital,” Hank said, worried. “They really worked him over.

“That's nothing compared to what I'll do to him if Ivy dies.”

If I were thinking rationally, I would've realize that it wasn't Frankie's fault that Ivy was in danger but the fact that she was had obliterated all sense of reason.

I gripped Frankie's lapel. “Do you hear me? Where is Ivy?”

Frankie’s voice was a mere whisper as he struggled to make the words. ”McDougall warehouse."

I looked to Hank. McDougall…“That's in the industrial area. Call it in. We're going to need back-up.”

“Are you sure about this? You're taking the word of a POS like Frankie Callan? If we're wrong, it’s our asses in a sling. The McDougall warehouse has been abandoned for decades.”

“But if we’re right…we might save an innocent life.”

I was going to say something about finally closing the case and finding justice but, fuck all that shit, I just wanted Ivy safe.

Too his credit, if Hank felt differently, he kept it to himself.

After the ambulance came and bundled Frankie away, I couldn't wait a moment longer.

“Let’s go,” I said to Hank tersely. I would leave with him or without him and Hank knew it. I was operating on a one-track mind and there was no deviating from the track once started.

A single directive kept me moving.

Find Ivy.

Find Ivy
NOW
!