AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. God. Fuck!’ Muscles tore in my stomach as I repeatedly tried to jerk to my side so I could squeeze out from under him. I knew moves to help defend myself while lying down, but none for being on my stomach. I felt helpless and I couldn’t stand it.
Stomping grew closer, but I was too focused to look up.
“What the hell are you doing? Get up!”
The heavy sounds grew closer and the resistance against my back eased. Cool air brushed my thighs and I sobbed at realizing how close I was to getting raped all over again. Would he continue?
“The bitch shot my arm. She deserves to pay.”
“Is that a fucking phone?” I looked up for the first time, right into a face that looked extremely familiar. My mind spun as I tried to place him.
“What?” The guy covering me shifted just as the other reached down to my side, grabbing the cell. Slade’s yells broke through for the first time, but they didn’t last. The phone was shut and the evil shining through the man’s eyes nearly took my breath away. I knew those eyes. I knew that face.
“Bind and gag her. We’re out of here.”
Chapter 15
Slade
“Fuck! No.” I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “How could we have not picked up her location, Brace? Five minutes and thirty-four seconds,” I said, shoving my phone toward him. That was damn near ten minutes ago. “How?”
“I don’t know, boss. I’ve never had problems like this before.” The sadness mixed into his features had me calming. I knew how upset Brace was at not following Lily when she left the restaurant. He’d apologized a million times.
My hand rose. “We’ll find her. We’ll just have to—”
The phone ringing had me scrambling to turn it the right way so I could accept the call. “Blake.” A deep breath left me as I hit the button, bringing it to my ear.
“I just talked to my sister. Tell me you found something while you were out.”
“Well, I have a location, if that’s what you want to know.”
Time stopped as I stared at Brace. “You know where Lily is?”
“Unfortunately, for you, when I accepted your proposal to help your sister, I also secretly stole access to all your devices. I hear and see every conversation that plays out on your cell, your wife’s, not to mention, your laptops and computers. I say unfortunately, because you probably didn’t want me overhearing your private conversations with Mary, but, the good news is, it paid off.”
Anger was there, but only a speck to the excitement I felt at the breach of my privacy. It couldn’t have happened at a better time.
“I don’t care what you heard or saw. Where’s my sister?”
“Oregon. I’m about to head out there now.”
“I’ll meet you somewhere. I’m coming.”
A soft laugh came over the line. “That’s not how it works, Mr. Roberts. I work alone when it comes to this part. I just thought I’d let you know. Besides, they’re already gone.”
My heart sank. “Gone? How do you know?”
“I know how these men work. They’ll run. The question that bothers me is why she’s still alive. If she hasn’t been sold, she’s not dead, and they’re not asking for ransom…what do they want from her?”
I got quiet, letting everything sink in. “Revenge.”
“Bingo. I think so, too. But against who, Mr. Roberts? Maybe that’s the question we should focus on. Who gains to lose the most by Lily being hurt? You? The one who loves her, Zain? Or are they hurting her because of what she did so long ago?”
I grabbed the back of the desk chair and gripped tightly. “If they were looking to hurt me, they’d have taken Mary. Or at least attempted. It has to be either her or Zain.”
“I guess we’ll see before it’s over with. What we truthfully need is more information from Zain. You might not like him, Mr. Roberts, but I think he’s a victim in all of this just as much as your sister is. I’ve gone over his information with Agent Sullivan. The world he was forced into might be a mystery, but I know that side of life. His upbringing had to have been hell, especially for a child who had no say. He was forced to become something he obviously didn’t want. I mean, he’s trying his best to get out now. That says something. Besides, if you ask me, Lily loves him.”
God, she did. What the hell was I supposed to do about that? Zain…I hated him, yet I couldn’t stop part of myself for liking him for some reason. It had been like that from the moment we met.
