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Chapter Six
Alonzo Cruz foughtthe urge to throw his phone against the wall after his father abruptly disconnected their call. The old man was being ridiculously paranoid. There wasn’t a chance in hell the woman his man threw off the jet ski could have survived. She’d been bound so tightly, escape should have been impossible—even if she did somehow wiggle free, the roll she had been secured in would have sunk too deep for her to surface in time. And where did the old man think she was going to go? She’d been dumped in choppy water a good distance from shore. It would have been difficult for her to swim back to shore, even if she hadn’t been beaten and exhausted.
Sighing in frustration, Alonzo looked at his phone as if it was a viper. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone once again and dialed. He’d send a couple of guys down to the dock to ask around. Alonzo knew they’d need to be discreet, which limited the number of people he could send. His crew was loyal, even if they weren’t always tactful. After dispatching two men to the beach, Alonzo was ready to blow off some steam.
A new group of potentialmodelsarrived this morning. He hadn’t been downstairs to inspect the merchandise yet, but their stories were always remarkably similar. It always amazed him how naïve young men and women were when tempted by fame and fortune. Post a couple of flyers at local hotspots, and they flocked into the trap. This group would be on a plane in a couple of days. Once they were in the air, they could kiss their asses goodbye.
Moving to the elevator, Alonzo briefly wondered if he’d made a mistake not keeping the bitch from last night. Most of the bruises would have healed before she was turned over to their buyers, and no one would have listened to her ranting about another woman’s death. He remembered feeling a vague sense of familiarity and wondered if he’d met her before, but his mind had been so hazy, it was almost impossible to remember anything at that point. Shaking his head, Alonzo hoped his dad didn’t find out he’d been sampling the pharmaceuticals. If the old man knew he was using again, Alonzo would be shipped off to rehab…again.
While waiting to hear from the men he’d sent to the dock, Alonzo made his way down to the basement. When did he cut up the bitch on the yacht? Was that yesterday? Hell, the days were running together since he’d started using again. Shaking his head as the doors of the elevator slid open, he smiled when he heard crying and pleading from behind the steel barred doors. His father always stressed the need to maintain a public appearance of sophistication, regardless of what was happening behind closed doors. It was the one rule Alonzo had the most trouble following. When he was high, he didn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thought.
Shaking off his frustration, Alonzo smiled to himself as he approached the guard who was just starting his shift. The man had been hired by Alonzo’s dad but was young enough to still be anxious to please the boss’s son. It wouldn’t take much persuasion to convince him to keep his mouth shut if the old man started asking questions. Betting himself how long it would take to win the man over, Alonzo pasted on a broad smile.
Conning the newbie guard was easier than expected. It only took Alonzo a few minutes to make his choice of companion. The young woman he was ushering into the elevator caught his eye as soon as he’d shifted his attention from the group clamoring for his attention. She stood apart from the others… watching. She reminded him of the brunette who’d come running when she’d heard another woman crying for help. So brave and so foolish. What had her heroine routine gotten her? Beaten and dropped to the bottom of the Gulf.
The woman standing stiffly beside him looked straight ahead as the elevator doors closed, but Alonzo would bet she was keenly aware of her soundings. Turning to her, Alonzo asked, “What is your name?” She’d been standing alone at the back of the room, and he’d almost missed her. While the others crowded the front, crying out for attention, pleading with him to release them—she’d watched in silence.
“Patty. Patty Hearst.” The name meant nothing to him, but the twitch of her lips told him it was not only a lie, but it held some sort of significance. He’d research the name later… much later. Right now, he had plans for Ms. Hearst and didn’t care what her real name was. Tomorrow, she’d be little more than a pleasant memory.
*
Saraya wanted tokick herself for being so damned naïve. Fucking hell, she knew better than to fall for a scheme that promised a huge payout for a day’s work. Her desperate need for gas money to make the trip to Dallas must have starved her brain of oxygen. She’d signed up for the American Ninja Warrior event hoping to fulfill a lifetime dream. Unfortunately, she must have tossed all good sense aside when she’d decided to answer an ad for a one-day modeling job. Like several of the others, she hadn’t mentioned the audition to anyone since it was supposed to be a one-day gig. Heaven only knew how long it would be before anyone missed her.
The man standing next to her introduced himself as Alonzo Cruz. His expectant expression told her he thought she should recognize his name, but she’d never heard of him. He asked her name, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to give him her real name. Instead of playing it straight, Saraya picked the most famous kidnap victim she knew. Just because she wasn’t old enough to remember the incident didn’t mean she hadn’t heard of the famous heiress who’d made the Stockholm Syndrome a household term.
Keep remembering that, Saraya. Don’t fall for anything this pretty boy promises.
The elevator panel indicated there were only three floors in the building. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks for zoning. The most expensive houses along the beach were limited in height. If she could find a window, she’d be gone. Her training would make an escape from such a low floor a walk in the park. Her years of martial arts training would come in handy as well. She wasn’t a fool. Saraya knew what this asshat wanted. The only question was, how long he’d play nice. If she had to guess, she was going with an hour tops.
He hadn’t used a code to access the elevator, but that didn’t mean whoever was watching from behind the security camera mounted in the corner wouldn’t shut the damned thing down if she tried to use it to leave.No, you’re better off exiting through a window.Alonzo might be a pretty boy, but his constant sniffing and jittery behavior told her he spent more time partying than working out. The guards she’d seen were armed, so they wouldn’t have to chase her if they were decent marksmen. Making a mental note to stay in the shadows, she kept her fear in check by making a mental map of her surroundings.
Saraya had known the minute she stepped into the interview she’d made a mistake. The man who’d opened the door for her also locked it behind her. When Saraya protested, he backhanded her so hard, she saw stars for several seconds. Two men blindfolded her before ushering her into a van. They hadn’t driven far before she sensed they were descending. The echo of sounds when she was unloaded made her believe they were in an underground garage. The smell of the ocean reassured her they hadn’t gone far. Knowing she was being held at a beach house helped since most of them had plenty of nooks and crannies. Those architectural details would help her stay hidden until she reached safety.
Walking down a short hall, Saraya kept her head lowered to give the impression of submission but made mental notes along the way. There was only one window at the end of the hallway, but the subtle movement of the curtains told her it was open. The sound of ocean waves breaking against the beach was reassuring. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks she hadn’t been taken far, Saraya almost missed the man’s command to strip. Without thinking, she took two quick steps before leaning down and diving through the open window. She was already falling before common sense kicked in. What the hell had she been thinking.You weren’t thinking… that was the problem.Shifting her position in mid-air, Saraya got her feet under her just in time to hear a man shouting from the window. Motion detecting lights flooded the yard, blinding her for a split second before she landed hard in the grass. Rolling to her feet, Saraya scrambled over the concrete wall surrounding the property.
Sprinting down the beach, she was relieved to see the lights of a pier in the distance. The roar of an engine behind her was all the motivation she needed to dart into the shadows. Nearing the pier, Saraya was running full out and looking over her shoulder when she heard a woman’s shout of surprise. Turning too late, Saraya collided with a woman. The woman she’d run into surprised her by wrapping her arms protectively around Saraya as they both sprawled across the boardwalk.
“What the fuck?” A man standing nearby helped the other woman to her feet before turning to Saraya. The thunderous look on his face told her exactly what he thought of her carelessness.
“I’m so sorry. I just escaped—”
Before she could finish, the Jeep stopped several yards away from them. Saraya watched as the nearly deserted pier was suddenly filled with armed men running in their direction. The two men who clamored from the Jeep were met with multiple drawn weapons. They both glanced in her direction before the man who’d glared at her moments ago stepped in front of her, shielding her from their view.
“Better move along, fellas.” His voice was deep, resounding with authority despite his hippy clothing. Looking at the woman she’d knocked over, Saraya was surprised to see the woman she’d plowed into was also dressed in sixties attire. When Saraya lifted her hand to reach for the man standing in front of her, the other woman shook her head.
“Shhhh. Let him do what he is supposed to do. They get all pissy when you interfere.” Her conspiratorial whisper was softened by a wink. “Let them do their thing. Then we’ll get you somewhere safe so we can chat.”
Chat? Oh, brother.Who the hell is this woman? Why is she surrounded by an armed security team?
The men standing on each side of the Jeep looked at each other and frowned before getting back in their respective doors and driving away. As soon as they’d gone, Saraya sagged in relief.
“Let’s move.” Pointing two fingers to a pair of men standing to one side, he continued giving instructions, “Clear the boat. We’ll meet at Miami’s.”
Saraya only caught a glimpse of the man barking orders before he faded into the shadows as others sprinted down the pier.
“Hey. Wait. I need to talk to the police before those guys ship off the other women.” Her protest brought everyone nearby to an immediate halt for several heartbeats before the man standing in front of her shouted loud enough to make her flinch.
“Move out, people. Double time.”
