Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Jasmine

It happens so fast. One moment I’m standing outside a sushi restaurant with Sarah and Claire, waiting in line as we discuss our lunch options, and the next, an arm wraps around me like an iron band, pinning my own arms to my torso. Then a second arm wraps around my neck and starts squeezing.

He’s got me in a choke hold.

As the arm around my throat tightens, my vision darkens, and pinpricks of light burst like fireworks in the corners of my eyes. My lungs are screaming at me to breathe, but I can’t. My throbbing head feels like it’s going to explode.

No!

Liam!

And then I feel nothing.

* * *

When I come to, I’m dazed and disoriented. I’m lying on the floor of a van, being tossed around as the vehicle bounces over the road. My wrists are tied behind my back. My ankles are tied, too, and there’s a ball gag in my mouth. I try to speak, but it’s impossible.

Inside the windowless van, it’s dark.

“Stop fighting,” a man says, his voice gruff. He kicks me. “You’re wasting your time.”

I don’t recognize the voice, but I know he must be one of Tony’s men. Somehow they found me.

Oh, my god, Liam! He must be frantic. I hope Sarah and Claire told him what happened.

Eventually, the van comes to a stop and the engine is shut off. The back doors open, and two men haul me out of the van. One of them throws me over his shoulder and carries me up the steps and inside through a side door.

We enter the kitchen, where a few of the girls are sipping coffee at the table. Tony’s standing there waiting for us, his arms crossed over his chest, a dark scowl on his face. “Take her downstairs,” he orders, nodding toward the cellar door. “You know what to do.”

I thrash and struggle, but it’s useless. With the gag in my mouth, I can’t even scream for help. Not that there’s any coming. I’m in his territory now. He’s in charge here, and no one would dare go against him.

I’m carried down a set of rickety wooden steps to the cellar below, where it’s cold and musty. This is where Tony sends the girls to be punished.

We enter one of the small rooms toward the back. Two men hold me down while a third secures both of my wrists and my ankles to a metal bedframe using zip ties. Then he pulls out a switchblade, opens it, and cuts the clothes off my body.

One man pulls off my shoes and socks. Then he stuffs all of my clothing into a black trash bag and tosses the bag to another man. “Get rid of this.”

The chip! It’s in my shoe.

“We’re gonna have fun with you,” one of the men says as he removes the gag. He pinches my left nipple hard, bringing tears to my eyes.

My stomach churns, and gagging, I manage to turn my head to the side just before I wretch. Fortunately, nothing much comes out except for hot, bitter acid. It’s been hours since breakfast and my stomach is empty.

They leave me then, alone, switching off the light as they go. They close the door behind them, leaving me in near complete darkness. There’s one small window in this room, but the glass is so filthy it lets in hardly any light.

I’m shivering, and my heart is racing out of control. I try to do the breathing exercises Lia taught me—breathing slow and deep, in through my nose, out through my mouth.

Her words of advice come back to me. “You have to remain in control at all times, or you can’t help yourself or anyone else.”

I’m trying.

I’m not having much luck, though. My emotions are overwhelming, off the charts. I’m furious at myself for letting them take me. They overwhelmed me before I could even respond.

I struggle against the zip ties, but it’s pointless. I’m only rubbing my skin raw. “You fucking douchebag!” I yell. Tony thinks he can get away with anything he wants.

And I’m scared as hell, because I know what happens to the girls Tony punishes. After what Liam and I have shared together—the friendship, the bond, the trust, intimacy, our bodies—I couldn’t bear to be violated again.

Liam.

Oh, my god, he must be so worried. He must be frantic. But then I remember he put a tracking chip in the sole of my sneaker.

He can track me!

But that hope quickly disappears. My shoes are gone, along with the rest of my clothes. If they destroy my things, Liam might not be able to find me.

I hear heavy footsteps coming down the cellar steps. It could be Tony, himself, or some of his men. I slow my breathing.

Try to be calm.

Think.

Wait for your chance.

I just have to stall them long enough for Liam to come. Because he will come. I know he will. I have to believe that, or I have no hope of rescue.

The footsteps come closer, and I hear men speaking in low voices. The wooden door to this room slowly swings open, letting in light from a bulb hanging from the ceiling in the corridor.

There’s one figure standing in the open doorway. He’s backlit, so I can’t see his face, but I’d recognize that big, hulking body anywhere. It’s Tony. Behind him is one of his men, but I can’t make out who. It’s probably Donnie or Lyle. Everyone knows those two are sadists who get off on punishing girls.

“Well, if it ain’t my wayward Jasmine,” Tony says as he comes into the room. “You disappointed me, little bird. I thought I could trust you to always fly back to the roost, but apparently not.”

He walks to the foot of the cot. “Katrina told me she saw you outside Tanks, with several men no less. Have you gone into business for yourself?” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I almost didn’t believe her. But do you know how we found you?”

I clench my jaws tightly, refusing to answer him.

He continues anyway. “One of those men was wearing a T-shirt with a business logo on it—McIntyre Security. That’s how we found you. I’ve had my men watching that building just waiting for an opportunity to spot you. They did a helluva lot more than that today—they picked you up right off the street. Stupid little bird. Since I can no longer trust you, I’m going to clip your wings and lock you in a cage where you belong.”

Tony motions for the man in the corridor to come forward. “Since you’re no good to me anymore, you can at least make yourself useful by keeping my men entertained.”

Tony pulls the chain on the bulb hanging from the ceiling in this dark desolate room, and the light blinds me. I wince as I blink against the pain. Once I finally adjust enough to see, I realize it’s Lyle standing with Tony.

My stomach sinks. Lyle is the worst. He likes hurting girls.

“You have no one to blame but yourself, Jasmine,” Tony says, shaking his head in fake regret. “You broke the rules, and now you must be punished. I imagine when Lyle is done with you, you’ll wish you’d followed the rules.”

Tony looks at me one last time, then at Lyle, before he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

Lyle stares at me with a sick grin on his face. He looks haggard, as he always does. The girls call him Scarecrow. He’s tall and thin, his face wrinkled. He’s practically emaciated. His clothes hang loose on his wiry frame. And he smells like rancid onions and stale tobacco.

When he grabs his junk and starts rubbing, my stomach roils. “This is the best part of my job,” he says in his gravelly voice. “When Tony lets me do whatever I want to his girls.”

“Don’t you dare touch me,” I warn as I struggle against the ties holding me. I know I can’t break these zip ties, but I’m not going to stop trying.

“You’re not in any position to be telling me what to do, girl. I’m callin’ the shots now. Your job is to obey, and if you don’t, then I’ll cut you so bad you’ll wish you’d been a good girl when you had the chance.”

He pulls a thin, black-handled switchblade out of his pocket and dangles it in front of me. When the blade snaps out with a loud snick, I flinch, and he laughs.

I can hear Lia’s voice in my head again. “You have to remain in control at all times, or you can’t help yourself or anyone else.”

My heart thunders as he comes closer. He reaches down with his free hand and grips my bare ankle, squeezing hard. Then he runs his hand up my leg, past my knee, and up my thigh.

When my muscles tighten, he laughs. He runs the back side of the blade up my thigh, then over to my crotch, pressing it against my clit. “What do you want first?” he asks. “My knife or my dick? Because trust me, you’re getting both.”

The dank air is cold against my exposed skin, and I start to shiver uncontrollably.

“But first we’ll have a little fun,” he says. He eyes Tony’s ‘T’ brand on my left breast. “Maybe we’ll add an ‘L’ too. What’dya say?”

The idea of Lyle branding me is more than I can bear. I know what I have to do. “Not the knife, please,” I beg.

“Then you want my dick?”

I nod. “Anything but the knife.”

He smiles. “Good choice, honey.” Lyle closes the knife and sticks it in his back pocket.

If I can get hold of that knife, maybe I can use it on him instead.

Lyle pulls off his shirt, revealing his thin, wiry torso, and tosses it on the seat of a wooden chair in the corner. Then he starts unfastening his filthy tan trousers.

“Cut me loose,” I say as I tug on my restraints. “I’m no good to you if I can’t move.”

He seems to consider my suggestion. Then he grins. “All right. But if you make one wrong move, I’ll make damn sure you regret it. Is that clear?”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. Right now I’d agree to anything because I need him to release me. I can’t do anything to protect myself if my limbs are restrained.

Lyle fishes his knife out of his pocket and quickly slices through the four zip ties, freeing my arms and legs. I notice the red marks around my wrists, and fresh blood seeps from the stinging wounds. Lyle shoves his pants off and drops them on the floor. His underwear follows.

He grins at me as he grabs his erection and squeezes hard. “This is gonna feel so good.”

I force myself to remain where I am, flat on my back on the cot. My heart is pounding, and my flight response is screaming at me to run.

Remain calm.

Remain in control.

Lyle grasps my ankles and pulls my legs apart. Then he crawls between them, kneeling between my thighs as he fists his cock. When he’s within range, I do what Lia taught me. I bring my elbows in, trap one of his feet with mine, and then buck my hips up hard. Not only do I knock him off balance, but the cot is so narrow he falls onto the hard stone floor. I follow him to the floor and shove my knee hard between his legs.

As he writhes in pain, I jump to my feet, grab his discarded shirt, and pull it on as I run out the door and up the wooden stairs to the first floor.

Lyle’s furious shouts reverberate in the cellar. Soon I hear his heavy footsteps as he races up the stairs. My best bet is to get out of the house and make a run for it. I glance down at my bare legs and feet—I’ve got nothing on but Lyle’s nasty, stained shirt, but at least it covers my ass.

I glance out the side door that leads to the driveway, but I don’t see anyone out there. The angry shouting behind me grows louder. I have only seconds to make my escape before Lyle catches up to me. If he gets his hands on me now, there’s no telling what he’ll do. He might even kill me. Tony made it clear he’s had it with me so I doubt he’d even care.

Sacrificing stealth for speed, I unlock the kitchen door and step out onto the stoop. I take the three steps down to the pavement, and then I race barefoot down the long drive. The asphalt is ice cold, and bits of gravel cut into the soles of my bare feet, but I keep running. The shouts behind me grow louder and angrier, and I don’t have the luxury of caring. And it’s not just Lyle’s voice I hear now. I hear Tony’s as well, plus a few others. I’m running out of time. I have to make it to the street before they catch me. I just hope I can flag down a car, find someone who can help me.

I hear a shot fired behind me, then another. In this part of town, the sound of gunfire doesn’t attract a lot of attention. No one’s going to call the police. I hear their thudding steps as they race after me, but I don’t dare look back. Every second counts now. I can hear them gaining on me.

Shit!I should have grabbed Lyle’s knife! I have no weapon, no way to protect myself.

I’m almost at the end of the driveway when two black SUVs pull to a screeching halt in front of me. The vehicle doors fly open, and people wearing black tactical gear jump out, weapons drawn.

Someone out front yells, “Jasmine, get down!” and motions for me to drop to the ground. It takes me a second to recognize Liam’s voice.

He’s here! Oh, my god, Liam’s here!

I do as he says, dropping like a stone to the pavement. Several of the new arrivals race past me, heading up the drive to intercept Tony and his men.

A smaller figure dressed in protective gear crouches down beside me. “Are you hurt?” Lia asks as she runs her hands over my body. When I don’t immediately answer her, she shakes me. “Jasmine, are you hurt?”

“No!” I gasp as I try to catch my breath.

Lia hauls me to my feet and drags me back to the SUV, pushing me into the back seat and climbing in beside me.

“Holy shit you scared us,” Lia says, breathing hard as she surveys the area around us. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Get kidnapped.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I say, laughing shakily. I can’t believe Lia can make me laugh after what I’ve been through.

I stare down at the bloody, torn skin around my wrists. “Lia, I did it! I fought back, and I escaped.” I sound as astonished as I feel.

She smiles as she throws her arms around me. “Of course you did. You’re a warrior princess.”

A single gunshot reverberates, and I flinch. “Oh, my god, where’s Liam?” If anything happens to him, if he gets hurt, or worse, I’ll never forgive myself.

“Don’t worry,” Lia says. “He’ll be fine.”

The sound of sirens alerts us to the arrival of several police cars and a SWAT van as they converge on the house.

“It’s about time,” Lia says as she watches the cops in protective gear swarm the lane.

I look out the windshield to see Tony, Lyle, and several other men lying face down on the pavement. Liam and a number of others are holding them at gunpoint.

“Is that Mateo?” I ask. “And Miguel?”

Lia nods. “And Shane and Jake and Philip.”

“They came for me?”

Lia nudges me with her shoulder. “Of course they did. You’re one of us now. We protect our own.”

I’m still shaking when Liam returns to the SUV.

He climbs into the back seat, drags me into his arms, and holds me tightly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I say, but my voice is barely audible as my face is pressed into his vest.

He releases me and quickly scans my body. “Did they hurt you?” He runs his hands up and down my arms, then glances down at my bare legs. “Jasmine? Did they hurt you?”

“No, I’m okay. I got away before Lyle could really do anything.”

With a groan, Liam pulls me into his arms once more and kisses me hard. “This was all my fault. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“Hey,” Lia says as she punches her brother’s shoulder. “Give the girl some credit. She managed to escape.”

Liam squeezes me so tightly I can barely breathe.

“You’re shaking,” I say, shocked. I didn’t think anything could rattle Liam.

“Hell yes, I’m shaking.” He kisses my temple. “Jesus, Jasmine. I’ve never been so scared in my life. If they’d hurt you—” he stops and exhales a heavy breath. “Thank god you’re all right.”