Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

ARCHIE

I have to say that getting kidnapped, thrown into the back of a van, and hauled away from my husband and my new friends was the worst thing I’d ever experienced.

Granted, I didn't remember most of the kidnapping since they knocked me out. The last thing I recalled was feeling a sting in my neck and then waking up bound in the back of an unmoving van. It was dark from what I could see through the front windows.

And fuck, it was cold.

When we were outside of the NightShade offices, the sun was still high in the sky, and it was pretty warm. That difference alone told me it had been hours. I had no idea how far away we are from home. We could be a few blocks away or several hundred.

I tried not to freak out. It was really fucking hard though. Especially considering I had no clue what would happen.

Were they going to just leave me in this van to die? Should I expect there to be a whole bad guy speech coming? Or was it that I’d be shot the minute someone showed up?

I watched way too many cop shows and knew that the minute I saw someone's face, I was screwed. So I closed my eyes and pretended to be out just a little bit longer to see if I could get a feel for things.

Without a clock or anything to tell me how long it’d been, it felt like it took a long while for someone to come back. When I heard murmured voices, I kept as still as possible hoping that a person would believe I'm out. As soon as they were close enough, I could tell it was two men. They were arguing back and forth about how things were going to go with the boss. Apparently, they're a real hard ass and they feel disrespected.

“I’ve been at this longer than Mordecai's been alive,” one guy said.

The other choked out a laugh. “Well, yeah. You're basically the fucking crypt keeper.”

My brows furrowed at the conversation. Neither of them seemed especially scared of this Mordecai person. Both held some kind of respect, it seemed. It was hard to decipher without seeing their faces. I kept as still as I could when the door opened.

“Kid is really knocked out. We didn't even tranq him that hard.” That came from the guy who was being accused of being super old.

As I listened, his partner reached in to grab my legs. I nearly jerked at the feel of a palm wrapping around me. He yanked me down, causing my head to hit the bottom of the van.

“Whoops,” he grunted.

I groaned softly, attempting to make it sound like I was only just waking up. “There he is,” the other guy said. “The boss will be happy. They want to talk.”

I'm thrown over his shoulder and then we're moving. I took the chance to look at the surrounding area. Unfortunately, it's too dark to really tell what the hell was going on. I could see some light shining on what I’d guess was a parking lot.

Again, it doesn't tell me much. There are parking lots pretty much everywhere.

The distant sounds of heavy traffic gave me a little reprieve. Maybe we were outside the city. The dark voice inside me says, ‘ Or maybe we're outside of a different city, and you're far from home.’

I hated the thought. I wished I was back in bed with my husband curled up in him and basking in the comfort he provided. It's not that I took him for granted all this time, more that I'm realizing just how fucked up the world really is.

Sure, I had been paying attention while the NightShade crew talked about the Gilded Ones. The name Mordecai was familiar enough, but they hadn't spoken about him a lot. Ajax, sure. He was the jerk who was in the trafficking. The one who had taken those people that I initially showed up to help. I would never thank him for his evil doing, but I recognized the way fate brought me to my husband.

I wondered how he was feeling at the moment. Had he heard that I was taken? Had Damari gotten word to the others?

The last thing I remembered seeing of him was that he was running towards the building. I wasn't quick enough to make it. My reaction time was far too slow, and I paid the price.

What was strange is that I had nothing to offer these people. I didn't know any secrets, and I didn't have any skills other than the languages I could speak and read. Even if they knew that much, I wouldn't be an asset for them.

I was sailing through the air again before I knew it and landing in a chair. My spine stung with the pain of my fall. It was only the start of my discomfort. A bright light shone in my face as my wrists and legs were bound with duct tape.

There was nowhere for me to go. Nothing for me to do.

I forced my eyes open, needing to see at least where I was. The lights were so bright, I couldn't make out anything. I was alone in a chair in a room. Past that, it was anyone's guess.

I didn't dare call out, not because I was afraid of who would answer, but because I was in no hurry to speed up this process. The two men who had taken me out of the van, who were also likely my kidnappers, were probably still in the room with me watching my every move. And this Mordecai person would be showing up soon. I had no doubt.

I had always been good at the waiting game. And wait we did.

The heat of the lights burned against my skin. I felt like I was on fire. It could also have been from the tranquilizer moving through my system. I had never experienced it, but me and drugs were not the best of friends. Even over the counter stuff could make me loopy sometimes.

That's why I had never experimented much when I was younger. No reason to wind up in a hospital because I decided to take E to get through a homework assignment. I'd seen it happen a number of times to other people.

The sounds of heels on the hard floor echoed through the room. I wondered for a minute if maybe they had brought someone in to speak with me or take care of my wounds. Maybe it was someone here to explain how this would all work.

The lights dimmed slightly, which illuminated that I was surrounded by men. It wasn't just the two I thought. There had to be at least twenty.

Two of them moved to the side revealing a slim woman. Her bright red heels continued to tap as she walked forward in a matching power suit. She stayed just out of reach, her gaze assessing me.

“Archie, what a pleasure to have you here.”

I frowned, but didn't say anything. They had not taped my mouth, which either meant they weren't worried about what I would say, or they wanted to hear what I had to say. I didn't really like either option. I would be quiet and reserved. It's what would give me the answers I needed.

The woman made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Don't be shy, Archie. I am so excited to have you here. It's been a long time coming. Not you in particular, of course, but I could never resist when things line up perfectly.”

I tilted my head slightly, letting her know that I had no clue what she meant. I still didn't even know who she was.

As if she could read my mind, she pressed a hand to her chest and said, "Oh, dear, look at me. How impolite. My name is Shelley. But you might know me by a different name. I am Mordecai.”

There was no hiding my reaction then. My eyes blew wide as my jaw dropped.

This was Mordecai.

This woman who looked like I could snap her in half. I didn't even have the muscles that the guys on the NightShade team did. Ronan could sneeze this woman into oblivion. She was that thin and frail.

Yet the men around her all looked as if they were seconds away from bowing at her feet. Every word she said captivated them in a way that spoke of a cult-like existence.

She giggled. Like, actually fucking giggled.

“You're so cute. That's the reaction everyone has when they realize who I am. Though that number is kind of small. It could be smaller, but it's so fun to reveal the big secrets, you know? Especially when I won't see that person ever again.”

She didn't have to elaborate what she meant by that. Her plans did not involve keeping me around, and I doubted she went through the trouble of kidnapping me just to let me go back home.

"You're not fun when you're quiet," she said as she strolled closer.

I still felt weak from the shot they gave me, which I guess she knew from watching me. She wouldn’t get closer if she thought it would put her in danger.

Leaning down, she put her face right in my line of sight. “I can see the way your mind is working. You're just like everyone else. They see me, this slip of a woman, and assume that I hold no power. That I'm some homemaker waiting to give birth to the babies of the world. That I'll be under a man's thumb and do as he says until the day I die. But the truth here is that I will never be under anyone's thumb. I am the thumb, and I will press down on every single person who underestimates me until they are nothing but dirt in the ground. Six feet under, preferably, though I am a fan of a little mutilation.”

I must make some kind of expression because she waved her hand in my face.

“Not you, dear. I don't have the energy to do that to you. Besides, you are better suited for other purposes.”

Her hand reached up to cup my cheek, her nails trailed over my skin, almost in a loving manner, if possible.

“You're far too beautiful, Archie. From the moment I saw you appear around those NightShade assholes; I knew I had to have you as part of my collection.”

I didn't like that word — collection. As a knee-jerk reaction, I repeated it.

"Collection," I said.

She clapped her hands and stood to her full height. "Oh, goodie, you can speak. That's wonderful, considering your husband can't. He was originally my ideal prize, but then he had to go and get shot. While my clients do love those that don't talk back, they also love the ones that understand them completely. Given your gift of languages, you would be an excellent resource. If nothing else, you could work for me for a while before I find you a perfect home should you not fetch a high enough price. Then you’ll go somewhere where you are taken care of.”

I scowled. “What clients?”

Somewhere along the way, I had put the puzzle pieces together of what was going on with Mordecai. The way that she spoke and moved, the animosity she had against men. All of it painted a clear picture. And the moment she said "clients," I figured that maybe Memphis had gotten it wrong.

I would never say the words to his face because the man was very proud of his work. But there was no way this Mordecai person wasn't involved in the skin trade. Maybe they worked with Ajax or in place of them, but she did speak like someone in the gun trade.

"Have you figured out my secret yet?" she said while I remained quiet. “Most people don't. In fact, I was really disappointed when Memphis didn't. All the clues were there. I mean, sure, I had hidden everything for years, but considering he's supposed to be the next prodigy in the computer science world, and the FBI still tries to take him from Tank, I thought that he would connect the dots a lot quicker. Of course, taking you will probably ramp up things. Which is great! I love a good party.”

The woman was off-kilter, to put it kindly. I imagined a psychiatrist and a team of therapists would have a field day going through her mind. Nothing she said made sense. This entire situation was some fanatical dream she had cultivated based on her own desires. Desires that were fueled from something I couldn't understand. The more she talked, the more her deep-rooted issues became obvious.

Still, there wasn't much to work off of. And I was no caseworker.

“Well, it seems as if you're done talking for now, so I will leave you to it. I figured you could sit here for a bit while I watch those NightShade men run around in circles. They are quite hilarious to observe, especially considering they don't even know I'm watching. It's so much fun. Like my own little personal TV channel. Of course, they are only one of many. I like to keep a variety of things going, you know? Besides, it would be boring to only watch one thing all the time.”

I had a million questions to ask her. How was she watching them? And what kind of security did she have that she could bypass the protocols Memphis had in place?

If Tank didn't know about this, then surely he would soon. Nothing stayed secret to him for long from what Takeshi told me.

As much as I feared what could come out of this woman's mouth next, I knew that the team of men that I had befriended and the man that I loved would do everything they could to get me back.

It might have been quick, but I knew my feelings to be real. I loved him with every part of me.

And I knew he cared for me too. It’s why I trusted him to show up.

I'd heard the stories about what happened with Damari and with Sinclair, and even Cohen and Godric. They weren't the type to leave someone behind. Knowing that gave me the confidence to close my eyes.

The woman came closer, her heels echoing louder. I felt her body heat as she leaned forward. Her lips pressed against my forehead. “Rest now, pet. I'll see you again soon.”

I wanted to claw at the skin. Needed to forcibly remove her touch from the place where only my husband’s touch should be.

With that she left me alone. The lights returned to their brightness, drowning out the figures that surrounded me. It didn't matter if she had ten men or ten thousand. Her hold on me wouldn't last. It was only a matter of time.