The man laughed loudly.
He handled her casually, as if she was nothing more than an inanimate object, which made the cruelty that much harder to bear. Slowly, he untied her wrists.
She knew she only had seconds to act. She whirled around, and with all her might, threw a punch, but before it could connect, he stepped back and grabbed her arm. He twisted it violently behind her, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Tsk, tsk.” He said something else, but since it was in another language, he might as well have been speaking gibberish. She groaned, as he eased her arm back down. She’d failed. Again.
Clumsy fingers racked her back as the man tried to untie the gown while holding her in place with his other arm. The gown floated to the floor and the cool air hit her bare skin. Instinctively, she tried to cover herself, but she was pinned against him. A loud sob escaped as the man ran his free hand over her body.
Please, no. Not again!
After a few rough grabs, his hands stopped roaming. The man pulled a key out of his pocket and opened one of the cages. Her body stiffened. She couldn’t go in there. There was no way in hell she was going to let him put her in that cage. It was already overfilled with other young girls. She threw her head back, but he had anticipated the move and just titled his head to the side. She barely hit his shoulder.
Aaliyah’s shoulders sagged, defeated. She was no match for the large man. Consciously, she tried to control the panic as she stared into the young girls eyes. They all looked glassy and drugged. They didn’t even make a sound as she was thrown into the cage with them and fell on top of arms and legs.
Aaliyah pushed herself up with one of her hands. Quickly, she yanked it back she had landed on something warm and sticky.
Gross. There was nowhere to wipe her hand. She brought her fingers to her face. Her stomach heaved when she realized what the rust-colored substance was.
Blood.
After what she had been through, she shouldn’t have been surprised by the sight, but it still jarred her. She glanced around at the cowering girls. None of them would meet her eyes.
The cage was barely tall enough to stand in, but everyone was laying or sitting on the ground. The door shut with a loud clank. Seconds later, the lights went out and they were engulfed in darkness. The panic was so strong, she felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin. Aaliyah pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself, the cool skin of the others pressed against her thighs. She couldn’t help it as tears streamed down her face and her body shook.
So this was the merchandise. They were the merchandise. Of course, she’d seen occasional mention of human trafficking on the news, but she never really believed it still existed in today’s world. Not in America. Now she was living proof.
Living in the slums of Detroit, the dangers were plentiful. But never had she imagined being abducted, raped and thrown in a cage. In the confined space, she rocked back and forth.
Darrius.
CHAPTER 11
Restless, Kaitlyn kicked her foot over her ankle and stared at the wood planked ceiling. Dr. Chambers would be proud.
Another afternoon wasting away. Tomorrow would be a week they’d been waiting for word that they were cleared to move forward. During that time, they’d kept busy with training, but she was itching to get to work.
It was as if time was standing still. Kaitlyn sent Lucas an inquiring look. “What’s that saying Quess uses about a kettle and tea while waiting?”
Lucas set down his book and turned to his side, tracing his fingers up her arm and chuckled. “I think you mean a watched pot never boils?”
She shook her head, thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s the one. I thought that was a ridiculous phrase, but I finally understand what she means. Time really does seem to stand still when you are waiting for something.”
“Get over here, Kate.” He raised his arm for her to mold herself to him. Warmth moved through her. She loved to hear her name on his lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Instead of kissing her lips, he lowered his head and pressed his lips lightly to her bare shoulder. His hands cupped her hips, drawing her in tighter. Kaitlyn let herself relax into the embrace. The moment his lips touched hers, she was lost in the sensation, a heat that only he could cause radiated through her. It was always that way with them. A simple kiss from him made her forget everything. She couldn’t think beyond her need for Lucas.
“I want you, Lucas,” she whispered.
His smile turned sensual. “You got me, Kate.”
Beneath the splayed hand she pressed firmly to his chest, she felt his heartbeat kick up a notch. It drove her crazy how responsive he was to her touch. Lucas grabbed her hand and stroked his thumb across her skin before lightly kissing each of her fingertips. His lips continued to trail down her wrist and her arm. He rolled her over and lowered his mouth, kissing her so soft and sweet, taking his time about it.
Kaitlyn swiped her tongue over his full bottom lip before she drew it into her mouth and sucked, arching her body into his. Lucas let out a low groan of pleasure. She loved the taste of him. His taste was unique to him and not even her sensors could tell exactly what the mixture was. His tongue found hers and stroked it. She kissed him back with unabashed hunger. His touch was intoxicating.
His lips left hers as he trailed warm kisses along her jawline, making his way to the sensitive flesh of her earlobe. She shuddered when he lightly pulled with his teeth. She would never get enough of him.
His fingers found the hem of her tank top. Her own fingers wandered beneath his T-shirt and up his back, whose muscles rippled beneath her touch. His chest rose and fell with each breath. He pulled away to tug her tank top all the way off. Kaitlyn looked up. Lucas was gazing at her so intently, his blue eyes darker than usual.
“Jesus, you’re gorgeous.” His voice was raw and filled with need.
No matter how many times he’d seen her naked, he always looked as if it were the first time. One of his hands cupped her breast while his mouth grazed the other.
“Lucas,” she gasped. His hand slid down to the vee between her legs. She dropped her knees to the side to give him better access. The tickle of his fingers through the cotton of her pants was enough to make her wither beneath his touch. He began to trail kisses and nibbles down her body, making her squirm beneath his touch. Wanting more. She groaned, her hands tangled in his hair.
Suddenly, Kaitlyn tensed up and pushed Lucas back.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, as Kaitlyn detangled herself from the embrace.
“Erik.”
“What?” Lucas said, clearly rattled.
Lucas looked towards the closed door. Seconds later, there was a knock. Lucas groaned and fell back onto the bed.
Kaitlyn pulled on her tank top and crossed the room to open the door.
Erik looked Kaitlyn up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance. “Sorry to interrupt, but Harrington wants us all in the office.”
She absently smoothed down her hair. “We’ll be right there.”
Erik turned to leave, and she closed the door behind him. She felt a little self-conscious when she realized Erik knew what she and Lucas had been doing. But they had more important things to deal with.
Lucas was already up and straightening his clothes. She grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it over her head.
As they walked down the hall, Lucas didn’t put his hand on her lower back, or stand too close, and she appreciated his discretion, even though there was part of her that wanted him to drag her back to the bedroom to finish what they’d started. Once in a while, thoughts entered her mind that surprised her. This was one of those times. Her mind should be one hundred percent on the task ahead of them, not on Lucas’s large hands roaming her body.
Lucas held the door open for her when they reached Harrington’s office. Erik was already seated and didn’t bother to look up when they entered the room.
Harrington’s eyes were lit up and shining brightly.
Before they could even lower themselves into the seats, Harrington exclaimed, “The boat has finally left the port.”
Kaitlyn felt a surge of excitement and eagerness course through her.
“We’re going to fly out the day after tomorrow.”
“Why not now?” Kaitlyn asked, unable to mask her annoyance.
“If they are picking up the children out at sea, we need to wait for the exchange,” Harrington explained.
She couldn’t hide her irritation. Just the thought of the captives being locked in the cages for even one day was too long, as far as she was concerned. “For all we know, they could have been on the ship all this time and the exchange is actually to transfer the captives.”
Harrington held out a hand, signaling her to calm down. “You can hold on for two more days. We want them on international waters where the laws are murky at best.”
Okay, she could grasp the logic of that statement, but the waiting was driving her insane. Just two more nights. She could handle that. She just hoped the prisoners could.
They spent the next couple of hours going over the blueprints of the ship. They would be transported by helicopter and dropped into the ocean along with a rubber boat in the middle of the night approximately twelve miles away so that the target couldn’t see them. Once they got to the boat, it would be a simple hook and climb.
“Are we done here?” Kaitlyn asked.
“For now. I’ll let you know if we need to go over anything else.”
Kaitlyn sprang to her feet. “I’m going to the shooting range.” She needed to blow off steam, and going back to the room with Lucas just didn’t feel right after knowing the captives had to spend at least two more days on the boat being subjected to who knew what.
Harrington nodded, already lost in his own thoughts.
She could ask Lucas or Erik to join her, but she felt like being alone.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, as if asking if he could accompany her, but she shook her head.
On the way out the front door, she noticed Ace sitting on one of the rocking chairs. When their eyes met, he looked away. Over and over throughout the week she had bested him. His ego had been bruised. She thought about it for a moment to see if it bothered her that he didn’t like her, and it didn’t, not even slightly.
Her feet crunched on the snow as she took off in a jog across the lawn under the bare-branched oak trees. Thoughts raced through her mind, but she pushed them away. She needed to be clear and centered and let the rest of her brain sort out the random thoughts.
Once she reached the indoor ranges, she grabbed a pistol from the safe and made her way to the firing line. The weight of the gun in her hands instantly calmed her. It was very similar to the way Lucas made her feel. Totally absorbed in the moment, she could forget about everything and just focus on the targets, the kill zones. It was a strange, yet relaxing feeling, like tunnel vision. Her mind processed everything as if time stood still; the targets seemed to be waiting for her, but in reality life was moving all around her.
She hit the button and the paper targets moved towards the back of the room. She had six of them lined up with different spacing. Mechanisms were in place that randomly moved the targets back and forth or side to side at different speeds.
Lightly, she squeezed the grip handle, sucked in a breath and released. Just like her instructors had taught her. She squeezed the trigger and got lost in the moment as the targets zigzagged in front of her. At some point, she felt Ace enter the building. He didn’t speak, and she didn’t acknowledge him. She never missed a beat.
Over and over, she released the cartridge and jammed in another. She went through over two hundred rounds of ammo.
When she was finished, she hit the button, and the targets slid forward.
“How the hell are you so good?” Ace demanded. She turned towards him and noticed his darkened gaze.
Kaitlyn was taken aback by the tone of his voice. She set the gun down and started taking it apart to clean it without answering.
“I’ve worked with the best of the best. How the hell are you head and shoulders above them? You’re like some kind of freak.”
She bristled and turned away from his probing gaze. His turn of phrase struck her where it still hurt. There were times when she looked in the mirror and all she could see was a freak. How would a normal person respond? She knew if she kept quiet, it would just enrage him and make her appear even more robotic.
Her mouth opened and closed without speaking, she couldn’t find the words.
“Jealously doesn’t become you, Ace.” Erik’s voice cut through the air. She hadn’t heard him enter and that bothered her.
“Jealousy? Hell, yes, I’m jealous, but more than that, I’m baffled.” He threw his arms in the air. “Seriously, what the hell, man? This shit ain’t normal, and you know it just as well as I do.”
“Leave her alone.”
“Ooh, what are you now, Prince Charming? Coming to save the damsel in distress? I hate to break it to you, buddy, but this chick doesn’t need any saving.”
Kaitlyn took in a deep breath and let it out before speaking. “It’s fine, Erik. I don’t know what to tell you, Ace. I guess my training has been better.” She continued to wipe down the gun without looking up.
“Bullshit.” He pushed the button and the targets moved forward. “Look at this. Every single one of the hits is dead center. No variations—that’s impossible.”
“Obviously not,” Erik said and pulled down the targets, crumbling them one after another before tossing them into the bin.
Kaitlyn wished she could just tell him the truth. She was enhanced. He hit the nail on the head when he said she was some kind of freak, because she was. She wasn’t really ashamed of her body and what it could do, but the program was secret. And as far as she knew, Harrington had not pulled Ace and Nick in on the operation. They were simply hired to drive them around and keep them safe. As they said in the movies, Ace did not have a need to know.
“Something is not right here.” Ace spat the words out.
Kaitlyn couldn’t understand why he was so angry. She was better than him. So what? He needed to get over it.
“The only thing that is not right is you yelling at your client. You should be fired for showing disrespect,” Erik said, keeping his voice level.
“Whatever,” Ace muttered. “As long as I’m getting paid, I couldn’t give a shit, but I’m telling you right now, there is something off about this chick. I’d watch your back, man.”
The door slammed loudly behind him.
Kaitlyn’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. I was feeling restless so came out here to center myself.”
“What are you sorry about? He’s the one being a jackass.”
“He’s right though, isn’t he? What I do is impossible for humans?”
Erik paused. “Sometimes, but he still shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. And you shouldn’t have to downplay yourself while you’re training. It’s bad enough you have to in public.”
She’d never really thought of it as downplaying. Dr. Chambers had drilled it in as blending in. Downplaying made her feel weird. She didn’t like the idea of not living up to her full potential, but it was part of the price.
“Don’t let him get to you.”
“It doesn’t really. I mean, maybe it does a little bit.”
“He should be fired. I’m going to talk to Harrington.”
Kaitlyn was startled. “No, don’t do that. He’s your friend, and he’s right.”
“Doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have to deal with his lack of respect.”
Maybe, but having Ace fired just didn’t feel right to her. “If he does or says anything again, you can talk to Harrington, but for now, let’s just let it go. You gave him a warning. Now it’s up to him.”
Erik lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” She put the cleaning supplies away and placed the pistol back in th
e safe. “I’m anxious, Erik. This is really going to happen.”
He nodded and looked away. She wondered what he was thinking about but didn’t ask.
“We can do this, Erik.”
His gaze shifted back to her, his own face without expression. “I know we can. Truth be told, I’m looking forward to it.”
Kaitlyn was glad he’d said that, because in the back of her mind, she wasn’t sure he was completely on board with the mission. She searched his face. “Do you enjoy it?”
Erik’s lip twisted. “Enjoy it? That’s a trick question. I’m good, a natural, as they like to say, but I’ve lost friends, seen innocent people killed, and never had a long-term relationship. A lot of sacrifices are made by people in our profession.”
Kaitlyn had never given those issues much thought. She came into the profession by chance, unlike Erik, who had wanted it and went after it.
“Why haven’t you had any long-term relationships?”
Erik laughed bitterly. “Right, who wants a man that is hardly ever home and can’t share a single thing about their life to their significant other?”
Kaitlyn tilted her head. “Surely, some guys are married with families?”
“Oh, yeah, most guys I worked with have had at least three wives and several children. Finding someone isn’t the hard part. It’s staying with it and making it work that gets most of them. Occasionally, a guy will get lucky and find someone that can put up with all the bullshit.” The intensity suddenly left his face. “Like Ace, he’s got Gracie.”
“Ace is married?”
“Yep, over ten years.”
“When I asked him if he had children, he said no.”
Erik grimaced. “He doesn’t. Gracie can’t get pregnant. For years they’ve tried all the fertility routes, but no baby. Seems the way life works sometimes. People seldom get everything they wish for.”
Kaitlyn didn’t like to think about having babies. That was something that would never happen for her. So she just tried to put it out of her head. But for the first time she wondered if it bothered Lucas.