I turn back to Kane. "What are you planning to do with us?" I ask.
The grin I tried for earlier appears, only it's not a humored grin. "Us? It's us already? He's been here ten seconds and it's us." Kane motions to Jason and Oscar with a tilt of his head. They brusquely walk Maddox over to a seat and sit him down hard. Instead of a seatbelt, Oscar pulls out a bungee cord and secures him tightly to the chair like luggage on the top of a car.
Maddox stares down at the cord around his stomach. "Seriously? What kind of airline is this?" His smart comment causes Jason to tighten the cord more. Maddox winces as it grinds into his stomach.
"Sit down and buckle up," Kane spits his order at me. Not surprisingly his tone is dry and harsh.
I sit on the small couch directly across from the chair where Maddox is bound. I can feel Kane staring at the side of my face from his seat. But it doesn't matter. As much as he steals the energy and focus when he is in the room, I hardly notice he's here with James Maddox in the same location.
Maddox stares at me for a long moment. "I'm sorry, Ten." He doesn't need to elaborate. I know exactly why he's apologizing. As mad as I should be for him blowing this up, I'm thrilled that he worried enough to come after me.
"His apology isn't necessary," Kane says as he fills his glass for the fourth time.
The plane engines roar and the plane starts rolling to the runway. Kane is trying to tell me something in his usual nebulous way. When his hidden meaning suddenly dawns on me, it feels as if a ton of bricks has been dropped on me and then just as quickly lifted away. A weight's been lifted.
Kane sits down with his drink.
"When did you know?" I ask.
Kane takes a long drink and lowers the glass. "When you looked at me through the mirror at the warehouse. Something only a person in law enforcement could quickly figure out."
I'm stunned into silence until a laugh spills out. "Guess my undercover skills aren't quite what I thought."
"Yeah, add me to the list of flunkies," Maddox quips.
"Drink?" Kane asks him.
"Sure."
Kane walks over to the bar and gets Maddox a drink. It's all too surreal. Maddox awkwardly cups the glass between his cuffed hands and drinks.
"I'd have them take the cuffs off," Kane says, "but it's obvious you're just a big enough asshole to try something stupid."
Maddox lifts his drink in a toast. "Here's to being an easy to spot asshole." He shoots back the drink.
Kane sits back down. I'm still trying to absorb the idea that he knew all along I was undercover. It seems his mental skills are not over exaggerated. "How much have you known?" I ask.
"It was easy enough to track down information because I knew the location Rowan found you at. Detective Angie Tennyson. It fits you better than Tawny."
"Then you knew he was a detective too? You knew he was my partner?"
Kane sits back and buckles up while the plane takes off. "No, I confess I let my guard down with him. A few months ago I gave some of the more veteran club members the job of vetting applicants. It was a mistake. They missed a lot of red flags. I'd been so preoccupied—" he paused, "you had me so preoccupied, I didn't even think about the newest club member until Jason pointed out that he told the other women he had a thing for red heads."
I look pointedly at Maddox.
"What?" Maddox shrugs. "There was a whole sweet sentimental story about a teacher crush to go with it. In my defense, I didn't know they were all going to start dying their hair red." Maddox stops and shakes his head. "Shit. Shit." He looks across at Kane. "What the fuck, Freestone? Is drugging people the only thing you know how to do?" Maddox's head drops forward but he snaps it back up and props open his eyes, trying to stay conscious.
"Some people like to use guns and brute force to keep control," Kane drawls. "I find drugs are much easier and more effective."
Maddox is still awake enough for one last remark. He always has to get in the last word, even when he's about to be knocked out by a sedative. "Yeah, then what are these two big goons for?"
"They are for the occasional asshole who deserves to be knocked around." With Kane's last word Maddox's head drops back against the seat and tilts to the side. He's out cold.
"Loosen that bungee," Kane tells Jason.
"Is he all right?" I ask worried it might be more than a sedative.
"Yes, he'll sleep through the flight. Which was my goal."
The plane has leveled off. Kane gets up from his chair and sits next to me on the couch. He turns to face me as he rests his arm on the back of the couch. His fingers are close enough to my shoulder to touch it. Under normal circumstances he would have, he would have caressed my skin. I'm glad he stays clear of touching me.
"None of this makes sense." I turn to him. "Why did you bring me to the Lace Underground if you knew I was a cop? Why not just send me back to the park? I would have gone back to the precinct with very little information. You could have just let me go."
"Told myself that many times since that night. I knew it was a mistake and yet, here you sit. I saw you staring back at me through the mirror, seeing me but not really seeing me. It was the first time I looked into your eyes and you drew me in and never let go. This wasn't a cruel game I was playing. This was nothing more than me wanting you with every fiber of my being. I knew you'd be my downfall but having you became my addiction. Even knowing that the only thing that kept you tied to me was the nectar, I allowed myself to think that there was a connection between us."
"There was," I say quietly. "Is." I shake my head. "I don't know anymore. I don't know anything. The nectar has erased so much of me."
"Not true. You're still there, just muted a bit."
I look across to Maddox. His dark lashes flutter with deep sleep. "Why did you bring him along?" Icy fear suddenly grips me. "What are you planning to do with us?"
Kane sits back. "I'm going to pull back the lovesick, obsessed man for awhile and let the mad genius take over." He gets up and heads back to his seat.
"What does that mean?" I ask. "Damnit, why can't you just talk in normal fucking sentences." I slouch back against the seat, cross my arms and close my eyes. But I know I'm not going to get a wink of sleep.
35
Maddox
I open my eyes and look straight into the big face of Kane's bodyguard, Jason, I think.
"Jeez, you are not someone I want to wake up to." I straighten in my chair and crack my neck and back. It takes me a second to remember we are on a plane. My gaze shoots across to the couch, the last place I saw Ten. She's not there. I try to push to my feet but am dragged back by the bungee cord tied around my middle.
"Where is she?" I glance around. Freestone isn't in the plane either. "Where is Angie? Where did he take her?"
"You don't get to ask questions," Jason snorts. Oscar joins him. They release the bungee cord and lift me to my feet. I sway a second until the sedative clears out of my head.
The door to the plane is open and movable stairs have been pushed up to the exit. My hands are still bound and I've lost feeling in my fingertips. We reach the exit. There's a black van at the bottom.
I turn to Oscar. "I can walk down on my own. Either that, or the three of us are going to somersault down these metal steps in one big ball." Oscar motions for Jason to go first and he brings up the rear.
Warm tropical air circles around me. The airport is small, not a big city airport. The palms, surrounding blue horizon and overall island vibe tells me we are in Hawaii or possibly the Caribbean Islands.
We reach the van and a shove from behind pushes me into the backseat. No sign of Ten or Freestone. My two sidekicks climb in on either side of me. My mouth is dry and sticky from the sleeping pill.
"Any chance I can get some water?"
Oscar hits a button on a console in front of us and a small ice chest rolls out. He opens a bottle of water for me.
I cup it between my hands. "Bottoms up." I chug it back quickly and sigh with relief
. "That was just what I needed. So where to, boys? How do we get started on this vacation?"
They both stay stone faced.
"Man, you guys should lighten up. Looks like you've got it pretty damn good."
"Yeah, until some punk ass showed up to try and spoil the fun," Jason says. He takes the empty water bottle from my hand and tosses it into the ice chest.
"Not a punk ass. Just came here to find my partner. And maybe line your boss up to be fitted with a state penitentiary onesie. A nice orange one to go with his blue eyes." I stare out the tinted windows at the good-sized private plane we just left. "Seriously, this guy is rich. If he never got to market his special drug, then how did he get all the money? It can't just be from club dues, although that Lace Underground membership is pretty fucking pricey." Hoping to keep the whole gig from being a complete failure, I decide to find out what I can about the elusive Kane Freestone other than the obvious that he is a sick fuck who is obsessed with Ten.
Both men have sealed lips.
"Come on," I say. "I'll bet good money that wherever the hell we are, I'm not ever going to get off this island."
They exchange quick glances.
"See, I caught that. Yep, I'm a goner, so you might as well spill some gossip about the boss. I'll bet it's something illegal, otherwise you guys would talk." That implication is enough to open Oscar's mouth. They are both extremely loyal to Freestone that is for damn sure.
"Stock market," Oscar says quickly. "Mostly in pharmaceuticals. He knew which drugs were going to be big money makers and invested wisely."
I sit back somewhat surprised. "Huh, totally legit way to get rich. Never would have guessed it."
"Why the fuck not?" Jason asks.
"Hmm, let me see. Young homeless women disappear and turn up addicted to some crazy ass drug that makes them horny enough to sleep with saggy balled billionaires. And a couple of those billionaires end up with their heads smashed in. I'm thinking maybe you two muscle heads had something to do with that."
"Can I just shut him up?" Oscar gets his fist ready.
"No, as much as I'd like to see it, boss said to leave him alone."
I sit back just as glad not to be hit in the face or gut again. I'm already feeling like shit from the whole damn thing, including being slipped a sedative in the drink. I'm not thinking straight and have to gain my bearings more to keep one step ahead. Which, considering Freestone always seems to be two steps ahead, isn't going to help much. Even if I find an opportunity to escape or avoid what seems to be my imminent death, I won't go without Ten. I can't leave her with Freestone another day. He's a fucking drug dealer and control freak. She needs to be free of him and soon.
A trip through town makes it easy to see we are in the Caribbean Islands. Tourists and locals are going about their day, riding bicycles, tasting fruits at the market and carrying towels and surfboards to the beach. We seem be getting closer to the azure blue sea.
"Don't tell me"—I break the fun silence in the van—"We're heading to the boss's yacht."
"You're not as stupid as you look," Jason mutters.
"Just one more question." I toss it out before either can stop me. "Is she at the yacht?"
Oscar is still peering out the window as he speaks. "Mr. Freestone left with her hours ago. We got stuck waiting for you to wake up from your beauty nap."
"That's sweet of you two, really."
The van pulls into a parking lot in front of a nice yacht club. A sprawling marina filled with expensive pleasure boats stretches out into turquoise blue water. It's a piece of tropical paradise for the rich. I can't help thinking it's also the last place I'll see unless I figure a way out . . . with Ten.
I lift my cuffed hands. "Don't you think these are going to look a little out of style at a posh yacht club?"
Oscar picks up his coat from the seat next to him and drops it over my hands to hide them.
I shrug. "Simple solution. Maybe you're actually smarter than you look too."
For the first time since my captivity, Oscar pulls out a hand gun from the back of his belt.
"Well shit, big O, didn't know you were packing heat."
"Then you might not have had such a smart mouth, eh?"
I pause to consider his suggestion. "Nah, that probably wouldn't have made a difference."
Jason opens the door. "Shouldn't we tip the driver?" I ask as I scoot out behind him with Oscar's gun planted firmly in my kidney.
We walk pretty fucking conspicuously, three big guys who don't look like your typical yacht club members, along the docks. Some of the other boaters lift their expensive sunglasses and peer over their highball glasses to check us out before returning to their get togethers and suntan sessions.
Freestone's yacht is impressive, but then I was expecting it. I can see the asshole sitting on deck looking at something on his phone. He's switched out his shirt and pants for shorts and a polo shirt. I hate every damn thing about the guy, the set of his jaw, the way he talks, even the way he combs his fucking hair.
My pace slows for no other reason except I'm disappointed in not seeing Ten out on deck. What has he done with her? My lagging steps earn me a revolver barrel in my back. "Move faster. We don't want to attract any attention," Oscar mumbles.
I laugh loud enough to grab Freestone's attention from his phone. He lifts his glasses as if he needs to see clearer to know that the three, big overdressed men lumbering down the dock are his three visitors and not some other trio of out of place looking guys.
I'm led to the gangplank leading onto the deck. I search frantically around the boat as I climb on board.
"Where is she?" I say before my feet are even settled on deck. The sedative has cleared my system completely. It's being quickly replaced by adrenaline. I should have never let myself succumb to the drug. I should have never accepted his drink offer. At the time, I thought it might take off the edge. It definitely did that.
Freestone doesn't get up. "Detective, welcome aboard. Can I get you a drink?"
An angry laugh shoots from my mouth. "Yeah, not falling for that twice. Where is Angie?"
"I'm here," Ten's voice comes from behind. I can see instantly from her eyes that he's pumped her full of his damn drug again. She is wearing a skimpy sundress, a dress she never would have picked for herself. The controlling maniac is even telling her what to wear. I'm relieved to see she's not wearing the leather cuffs. As she steps into the sunlight, I can see her lips are swollen. He's been kissing her. She's been kissing him. I try and shake that idea loose. She's under his spell with that stupid drug. She never would have kissed him otherwise. It's the wrong time to be trying to make myself feel better but I can't stop. I hate that he touches her. I hate his fucking plane and his yacht. I hate his two goons. I fucking hate him.
Ten walks up to me and scowls down at the gun jammed in my back. Surprisingly, Oscar pulls it away and pushes it into his belt.
"Oscar, show him below so he can take a shower. But leave the handcuffs on," Freestone adds. "After he gets cleaned up bring him on deck for some lunch." Freestone walks over and takes hold of Ten's hand. Rage makes the breath stick in my chest as he leads her to the stern to sit down. Ten's face is averted, but she lifts her brown eyes for a brief second to lock gazes with me before Oscar drags me away for my shower. I can usually read her face, her expression, but she's dosed up with Freestone's poison.
36
Angie
The tray of sandwiches looks tempting. I take one and stand up to lean against the railing, purposefully avoiding sitting next to Kane. So much has passed between us in a short amount of time but he's even more of a stranger to me than when we first met. All this time, he knew who I was, he knew I'd come to the Lace Underground to bring him down. It explains some things, like the ominous prediction that I would cause his downfall. But I still have a million questions.
"I'm glad to see you eating again." Kane puts his phone down.
"Me too. You told me you were giving me an injection
of the appetite stimulant, but I know the feel of the nectar in my bloodstream. You snuck some in after I told you I didn't want any."
"I did it for your own good. You've had a stressful day, and the nectar was wearing off. I figured I'd save you the pain and grief. Besides, the withdrawals would counter any of the effects of the appetite drug."
"Great. So thanks to you I'm one big pharmaceutical mess."
His eyes are less cold. There is some true regret in his expression. It helps draw me across the deck to sit near him at the bow.
"Just so you know," I say. "I might have come in here on a ruse but the moments when we were—" I swallow, unable to say it without it stirring up desire. "I felt a deep connection with you. I just wanted to say that."
He sits back. "It was the nectar."
"No, it wasn't. I mean, yes, part of it. The physical part. Shit, it's potent stuff. But there were times when my head was clear and the ache between my legs would cool, and I'd still think about you walking through the bedroom door. You see yourself as someone incapable of being loved, but I think you're selling yourself short."
His blue eyes narrow. "Guess you'll say anything to keep that man in there from harm."
I sit up straighter as if slapped. "I pour out my heart and you answer snidely. Fuck you. Maybe I'm wrong then. And yes, I'll do anything to keep Maddox from harm because that's what people do for people they love."
His cement expression finally cracks. "So you do love him?"
"That's the part that sticks in your craw? Yes. I do. We've been partners for years, watching each other's backs, finishing each other's thoughts. That's what people do when they form connections to other humans. You should try it sometime." I hop up. He takes hold of my wrist before I can walk away. The perfect row of scars on his arm stands out under the bright sun.