Revealing Silver (15 page)

When she felt a different sort of pain below the waist, Olivia decided she’d had quite enough of lying around like a Thanksgiving turkey.

“Hey? Can anybody hear me?”

“What are you doing?” Nathan rasped.

“Look, I have to pee. Can we at least have a rest stop?”

Olivia hadn’t expected an answer at all. She certainly didn’t expect an answer from right the fuck behind her, or in the familiar, slightly accented voice.

“Yes, but I’ll be joining you in the bathroom.”

Olivia stiffened. “Gabriel?”

“Who else would it be?”

“But you’re…how did you escape?”

“Oh, that’s a boring story.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

“Nothing exciting happened. It’s always the same. Pay off the right people, blackmail the rest. Did you think I hadn’t planned for this sort of thing? I’m not going to prison.”

“I don’t care if you go in the bathroom with me. My bladder’s going to explode.”

Olivia heard the high-pitched tweet followed by rapid Spanish. He snapped the phone closed and then said, “If you can hold it for ten minutes, the driver knows of a place to stop.”

“I think I probably can.”

“How’s your head?” Gabriel almost sounded like he was concerned about her skull.

“It hurts. I don’t suppose you have any painkillers.”

“I might be able to find a few. What about you, Mr. Pierce? How are you feeling? I’m afraid the accommodations aren’t as nice as the last time you were my guest.”

“Fine.”

“Are you sure? You wouldn’t like anything?”

“I’d like you to fuck off and die,” Nathan bit out.

Gabriel laughed good-naturedly. “I know you would. How disappointed you’ll be when you realize I’m never going to die.”

Olivia sent a questioning glance at Nathan. Had Gabriel finally gone crazy? Or was he referring to something else? Did he think the coins would grant him immortality? Was that the motivation behind his obsession? God, she hoped the coins didn’t do that. She liked her life and had no intention of dying in the near future, but who would want to live forever?

“I see you still have delusions of grandeur,” Nathan said.

“I see you still have no idea the power you’re sitting on.”

“Where are we going?” She might as well take advantage of Gabriel’s chatty mood.

“Somewhere safe.”

“Safe from what?”

“Safe from your idiot boyfriend. I wouldn’t count on him riding in to your rescue. No doubt he’ll try, being the gallant gentleman he is, but it won’t do any good. So put that thought out of your head right now. It’ll save you from suffering later disappointment.”

“I’m touched you care.”

“I care about you very much, Detective Wright.”

Olivia couldn’t suppress her shudder at the words. If they’d been obviously sarcastic or insincere, she probably would have been capable of thinking of a smart comeback. But they hadn’t been sarcastic at all.

“Then untie me.”

“Oh, I can’t do that.”

“Where am I going to go? We’re in the back of a truck.”

“You aren’t going to go anywhere.”

Olivia sighed. It was worth a shot. Maybe Gabriel would give her some sort of opening when they stopped? He wouldn’t insist on going into the bathroom with her, would he? She couldn’t say, but for now it seemed best to assume he absolutely would go into the bathroom with her. If he was smart enough to escape from the L.A. county jail, he was smart enough to make sure Olivia didn’t have the chance to make a break for it or try to attract help.

“How did you know we’d be at the warehouse?” Olivia asked.

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t? It was one of those happy accidents the poets call fate.”

“We don’t have a fate,” Olivia said. “Or a destiny. Or anything else.”

“It looks like you’re wrong about that. We’re all tied to the Silver Maiden. Even McGuire.”

“Why?”

“Because she is going to return. At least she was before my cousin ruined everything. But there still might be a chance to fix it. With you and the coins, I think we can.”

“Your cousin? Marisol? How did she ruin everything?” When Gabriel didn’t answer, Olivia pressed on. “Did she kill Sophe? Is that how she ruined everything?”

“Shut up.”

The words were quiet, but somehow more startling in the confined space than if he’d roared them at her. Olivia decided to follow his order, biting her tongue to keep another question from bursting out. She would probably have plenty of time for questions later, unless he knocked her out again or killed her. But she doubted they were in danger of dying. They had a destiny, after all.

If it really was only ten minutes before the driver stopped, it was the longest ten minutes of Olivia’s life. With Gabriel sitting behind them, she didn’t dare work on the rope binding her wrists or try to wiggle her ankles free of the knots. She also didn’t try to communicate with Nathan. His eyes were hard as steel, the blue depths glittering dangerously as he tried to get his bearings. She knew all about what Nathan had suffered at the hands of Gabriel before. She’d seen him without his shirt and some of the welts and cuts were still pink, waiting to scar over. If anybody had reason to be anxious, it was him. Olivia was glad he wasn’t wasting time or energy with panicking. If they worked together, they should be able to overpower Gabriel. Or at least outrun him.

The truck came to a sudden stop, knocking her head into a wall. She sucked her breath in sharply, swallowing her cry as the world blurred around her. She hoped all of these blows to her skull didn’t cause any permanent damage.

“Are you okay?” Nathan murmured.

“Yeah. Fine.”

She heard the lock disengage on the door and then the soft swish of the door moving up its rollers. Sunlight spilled into the truck, but she could tell from the angle and the quality that it was much later in the day than she’d assumed. It would be dark in an hour, maybe ninety minutes. Fingers closed around her ankle. She didn’t have the time to voice a protest before she was dragged down the length of the trailer and none too kindly dumped on the ground. She tried to turn her body to brace for the impact, but it didn’t do any good, and a shock wave of pain pushed through her, starting at her tailbone and moving up to the nape of her neck. Seconds later, Nathan joined her on the hot asphalt, his stony face not giving their captors the satisfaction of a wince or a grunt at his mistreatment.

Gabriel ripped the rope around her ankles away, took her by the forearm, and hauled her to her feet. She swayed a little as the blood redistributed itself through her limbs, her tight muscles tingling. He barely gave her a chance to steady herself before he was dragging her towards a low, squat building made of stone. It had probably been a rest stop once, but Olivia wouldn’t have gone there of her own accord. Not even while armed. There was no evidence the building was anything but abandoned, but the possibilities of what lurked inside wasn’t limited to transients or unsavory types. Gabriel, however, wasn’t concerned. He dragged her inside without comment.

“Can you untie my hands?”

“No.”

“I need my hands free to do my business,” Olivia pointed out, narrowing her eyes to see through the narrow patch of light from the window above her head. There were a few lightbulbs above the toilet stalls, but Olivia didn’t have much hope they still worked. There were three toilets—well, there were two toilets and the remains of another one. The doors were off all the stalls, not that she expected Gabriel to give her any sense of privacy. He didn’t trust her, and he didn’t have any reason to.

“No, you don’t.”

He pushed her across the room, her shoes splashing through disquieting pools of water. He wedged both their bodies into the nearest stall, pushing her against the cold wall until she didn’t dare take a breath. His face was only an outline, and she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes, but she felt her gorge start to rise. Suddenly, she wished she’d pissed herself and lived with the discomfort and indignity of it. It would have been better than being caught in a decrepit, abandoned rest stop, unarmed, and cornered like an injured animal. Even if she was successful in fighting Gabriel off—with both hands tied behind her back—where would she run? He had at least one accomplice and a truck. He would catch her in the end.

“I’ll help you.”

“You could just untie one wrist. Or you can tie my left hand to yours so I don’t escape.”

“You’re very clever, but messing with the ropes isn’t necessary right now.”

He rested his left hand against her throat, the weight of his fingers discouraging her from even moving her head. His right hand went to her fly, ripping away the buttons without a second thought. She heard one of them hit the toilet. His grin was visible in the dim light, his straight white teeth reflecting the weak light. Olivia refused to squirm as her stomach clenched and genuine fear crawled through her. Nathan would hear her screaming—she’d make sure everybody within ten miles heard her screaming—but he would be just as helpless to do anything about it as she was. With the buttons gone, there was nothing to stop him from pushing his hand down her pants and between her legs.

“What are you doing?” Olivia demanded, though she knew. She wanted to do something, to
say
something that might distract him. Or make him think twice.

“You’re close to the Silver Maiden.”

Olivia swallowed. “No, I’m not.”

“You are. She gives you visions.”

“No. No, I don’t know what…”

Gabriel cupped his hand over her mound and squeezed, cutting off her protest. “You used the visions to stop us from sending Stacy back. You’re a Keeper. I know you are.”

“Okay. Okay, yes, I am. But I don’t know anything about it. I don’t understand the coins or how to use them,” Olivia said, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

“I know you don’t. That’s not important right now.”

“What’s important right now?”

Gabriel dipped his head, like he intended to kiss her. Olivia craned her head away, pulse hammering beneath his palm, trying to avoid the hot, sour rush of his breath over her face. He was more excited now. She knew from the way his breath came in sharp rasps and how he pressed against her. She shifted her hips as subtly as she could, trying to get a better angle without rubbing against him. The placement of his hand made sure she couldn’t kick him, made sure she wouldn’t even try, but if driving her knee into his groin was her only option, she’d do it.

“I was wrong to trust Marisol. I thought she and I had the same goal, but she never wanted to bring the Silver Maiden back.”

“What did she want to do?”

Gabriel growled, and Olivia immediately regretted asking. “She’s a two-faced bitch. She’s a cunt, Detective Wright.” His fingers tightened. “And do you know what I do with those? Well, you’ll find out sooner or later.”

“Do you want me to tell you about my visions? I can…I’ll tell you everything I know. Whatever you want.”

Gabriel huffed his breath, and Olivia stiffened, something clawing at the base of her throat. She was going to be sick. The bile stung her chest, her stomach churned. Maybe she could use that to her favor. The surprise of getting a faceful of vomit might prompt him into letting her go. Or he might roar with anger and slam her against the wall until he finally bashed her head in. Olivia wasn’t sure if she was willing to risk it just yet, so she tried to swallow around the weight on her throat.

“You’re going to do more than that. You’re going to do whatever I want, because I’ve got you tied up and cornered. But in case you aren’t worried about your own safety, I’ve also got both coins and Nathan. It’s not a matter of who will I hurt if you resist me, it’s a question of who won’t I hurt. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes…what?”

“Sir?”

“I like the sound of that coming from you. Do you want me to let you go?”

“Yes…please…sir.”

“Let me get a taste first,” Gabriel said, his face moving toward hers again.

She automatically flinched away, but he didn’t let that deter him. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, wiggling it around like a snake. Olivia wanted to resist, but he held her head in place, resting his full weight against her slighter frame, giving her no choice but to submit to the assault. She felt him chuckle as the tension drained from her, his mouth working over hers with renewed enthusiasm. But that wasn’t nearly as alarming as the way he rolled his hips, grinding against her. She couldn’t help herself—the next time that tongue wiggled through her mouth, she bit down, driving her teeth into the tender flesh until he slapped her face and pushed away from her.

“You bith!”

“I told you I had to pee.”

He ripped her pants down, leaving her effectively hobbled, and shoved her down onto the cold, broken, filthy toilet. He stood above her, glaring with narrowed-eye anger. Olivia looked back defiantly as she released her bladder, her mouth still tasting of his blood and spit. She knew that wasn’t going to be the end of the confrontation. Was there any chance at all Isaac knew where to find them? Or were they completely at the mercy of Gabriel and his insanity? She couldn’t count on Isaac tracking them down—or anybody else for that matter. She and Nathan were on their own.

Gabriel dragged her out of the rest stop once she was done, not bothering to pull her pants back up. Nathan lifted his head as they emerged, and she realized the situation looked much worse than it actually was. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bindings around his ankles, and lunged himself at Gabriel. The driver was standing close enough to stop him, and he calmly stuck a foot out, tripping Nathan to the ground.

“What did you do to her?” Nathan demanded.

“Shut the fuck up.” Gabriel planted his boot in Nathan’s ribs. “It’s none of your fucking business.”

“I’m fine, Nathan.” Olivia even tried to smile to prove it, though it was as well Nathan wasn’t looking at her. She had the feeling the smile was more grotesque than reassuring.

“Get him back in the truck,” Gabriel ordered.

The driver picked Nathan up like a puppy, by the back of his neck, and half-pushed, half-threw Nathan back into the semitrailer. Gabriel wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her with ease, pausing long enough to rip her trousers off her feet, leaving her in a shirt and panties, before pushing her into the cold space. He crawled in behind her, pulling the door shut, cutting out the last of the sunlight.