Chapter 19

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Cora felt like complete shit.

She hadn’t felt like this since one night in her early twenties when she’d gone to a bar, feeling sorry for herself, and drank way too much. She had no recollection of how she’d gotten home, but when she’d woken the next morning, she’d had a hangover from hell. It had taken her almost two days to recover from her night of binge drinking, and she’d sworn she’d never do that again.

And yet, here she was. Feeling just as nauseous and out of sorts as she had back then.

But she didn’t remember going out. Or drinking anything.

Then in a flash, her memory returned.

Lara. Coming to Arizona. Making love to Pipe.

The house. Creepy Guy. The locked door. Feeling dizzy and confused and then…nothing.

Cora opened her eyes and stared up at a dated popcorn ceiling. She curled her lip. Here she was in a freaking mansion, and they had old, nasty popcorn ceilings? It was ridiculous.

She slowly sat up and looked around.

To her immense relief, she saw Pipe lying to her right. Then she panicked when she couldn’t see his chest moving, only for relief to swamp her again when she finally realized he was breathing. The quick seesaw of emotions made her even dizzier.

Looking to her other side, she saw Owl lying in much the same condition. They were on a concrete floor, and she shivered as she realized how cold it was.

As her gaze went around the room, Cora decided they were likely in a basement. There were windows, but they were tiny and at the very top of the walls. The room wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t a cell either. There was a door on the wall opposite her, and a bathroom—without a door—on the far right.

Moving slowly because every muscle seemed to hurt, Cora crawled over to where Pipe was lying. She put her hand on his chest to double check that he really was breathing. When his chest rose and fell, she sighed in relief. He looked different like this, unconscious and vulnerable. Cora didn’t like it. He’d done all he could to protect her when they were locked in that room, but even her badass special forces soldier couldn’t protect her from an unseen enemy like poisonous gas.

Honestly, she was completely shocked they were alive right now. Anything could’ve happened while they were unconscious, or the gas itself could’ve killed them. In fact…why were they moved at all? If Creepy Guy was going to kill them, did it really matter where he did the deed?

Looking around the room again, she spotted something she hadn’t before, several feet away from Pipe.

A drain in the floor.

Her entire body shuddered when she considered its purpose. And it answered the question of why CG had bothered to move them.

No.They weren’t dying today.

She vowed to do whatever was necessary to protect Pipe while he was unable to help himself, even as she suspected it was probably a stupid thought. What could she do? She was a fairly short, chunky, not-very-educated chick. But then again, hadn’t people told her all her life she should probably be a drug addict or homeless by now?

She was neither of those things. She was hardworking, resourceful, stubborn.

Her resolve strengthened. She wasn’t helpless, and no way was she going to let an asshole like Ridge Michaels harm her or Pipe.

A quiet noise startled Cora so badly, she jerked, then spun so fast the room swirled for a moment. She blinked when she focused on the object behind her. A bed. Since she was on the floor, she couldn’t see who or what was on top, if anything. She wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. If Ridge thought he was going to use that bed to do anything sexual to her, he’d find out she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Moving slowly and as quietly as she could, Cora stood. Trepidation filled her as she stared at a lump under the covers. She must’ve made a sound, because the lump suddenly moved. Whoever was there turned their head, dislodging the covers, which had been pulled up over their face.

Cora blinked, not believing what she was seeing.

Then she made a strangled noise in the back of her throat and leapt toward the bed.

“Lara!” she practically yelled.

Her friend languished on the mattress. Her blonde hair was limp on the thin pillow. She had a vacant look in her eyes, but it was Lara. Alive.

Tears sprang to Cora’s eyes. They’d found her. She never would’ve admitted it out loud, but Cora was beginning to doubt that she’d ever see her best friend again. She’d never get to talk with her, laugh, enjoy dinner together. But here she was. Alive.

“Lara!” she said again, as she sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled the blanket back.

Her friend didn’t say anything. Didn’t move. Simply continued to stare blankly as if she didn’t even see Cora sitting there.

Cora heard Pipe and Owl beginning to stir on the floor, but she couldn’t take her eyes from her best friend. Tears welled up and ran unchecked down her cheeks. What was wrong with her? Why wasn’t she responding?

She put her hand on Lara’s shoulder and shook her gently, but Lara’s eyes still didn’t focus.

“Oh my God, what’d he do to you?” Cora whispered when she noticed Lara’s body for the first time. She was wearing a spaghetti-strap nightgown that Cora had never seen before. It looked odd on her friend, because Lara hated anything with lace. Found it too scratchy. She always slept in an oversized T-shirt. This nightgown had lace around the entire neckline, which was so low her boobs were on clear display.

But it was the bruises that had most of Cora’s attention.

They were everywhere. Around her neck. On her upper arms. What she could see of her chest was covered in bruises. Whatever had happened, it had been bad.

But the worst part was that the bruises were all different colors, obviously in various stages of healing. She hadn’t been abused once, but many times. Over and over again.

Cora’s heart shattered. She wanted to scream. Wanted to kill Ridge for doing this to her friend.

And just like that, the tears stopped. Sorrow disappeared, and anger took its place. Cora had never been so angry in her life. Not when she was a kid and had faced rejection after rejection. Not when she was bullied. Not when she was fired unfairly because she’d rebuffed her boss’s advances.

Lara didn’t deserve what had happened to her. No one did, but especially not Lara. She was the kind of woman who always gave people the benefit of the doubt. She gave her trust willingly. She had the kindest soul Cora had ever met. She was untainted.

Cora knew without a doubt that whatever had happened here would change her friend forever. And it filled her with absolute rage.

“Cora?”

She wiped her cheeks with her shoulder before turning to see Pipe standing next to her. Owl was sitting up, obviously trying to get his bearings.

“Are you all right?” Pipe asked.

Cora shook her head, but said, “Yeah.” She couldn’t deal with the concern and sorrow she saw in his eyes. “Something’s wrong with her,” she said, looking back at her friend.

It was Owl who said, “Scoot back, let me look at her.”

Without a thought to ask him if he had any medical training, Cora stood and stepped away from the bed, not taking her gaze from Lara. She felt Pipe’s arm go around her waist, but she suddenly felt oddly detached, as if she was floating, watching what was happening from above.

Owl leaned down and held his fingers at Lara’s throat, taking her pulse. Her eyes had closed, and he lifted each eyelid one at a time to check her pupils. He gently palpated her hands, arms, then eased the blanket down so he could get to her stomach.

Her nightgown had been rucked up, and they all saw she was completely naked beneath the flimsy garment. Owl moved quickly, pulling the nightgown down, preserving her modesty as best he could—but not before they’d all seen the bruises on her belly and inner thighs.

Not to mention the dry, crusted…stuff…on her body.

Cora’s fists clenched. Anger swept over her again so fast and hard, it was all she could do to keep breathing.

“Easy, love,” Pipe murmured.

Needing to strike out, to try to dispel the fury coursing through her veins, Cora turned on him. “Easy?” she practically shrieked. “Did you see that?” she asked, flinging an arm back to where Lara lay on the bed.

“Yes,” Pipe said, sounding too calm.

“She was violated! Someone jacked off on her! They hurt her! Those are finger marks on her thighs. On her throat! Someone beat my friend. She doesn’t deserve this!” She was yelling now, shoving Pipe in the chest to punctuate her words.

He wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her against him roughly.

Cora let out an umph as she landed on his chest. Pipe wrapped his arms around her so tightly, she could hardly breathe. But it worked. As suddenly as her anger had welled up, it disappeared. She was left feeling hollow. She buried her face in his chest as the tears flowed again. “He hurt her. Lara. She’s the kindest, gentlest person I know…and he hurt her!”

“I know. And he’s gonna pay for that. I give you my word.”

Cora pushed the tears back. She didn’t have time to cry. Not now. Later, maybe…probably…but for now, she needed to keep herself together.

“She doesn’t have any broken bones,” Owl said. Cora turned in Pipe’s embrace to face the other man. “From the way her pupils are dilated, and given she’s so out of it, I’d say she’s been drugged.”

“Will she be okay?” It was a stupid question. Owl wasn’t a doctor, even if he did seem to have some medical training.

But he answered without hesitation. “Yes.”

The word was firm and determined, and hearing it made Cora feel a hundred pounds lighter. “Okay, can I…can I clean her?” she asked.

In response, Pipe let go of her and headed for the bathroom. He returned seconds later with a wet washcloth and handed it to her without a word. Cora went to the other side of the bed and began wiping her friend gently. Owl and Pipe turned their heads when she lifted the nightgown, once again giving the almost comatose woman the respect she deserved.

Cora did the best she could and felt marginally better when there were no more traces of what someone had left behind on Lara’s skin. She couldn’t help but lean down and whisper, “Wake up, Lara. Please. It’s Cora. I’m here. I’m with some friends and we’re going to get you out of here. But you have to wake up and talk to us. Okay?”

To her surprise, Lara’s head slowly turned her way…and Cora swore she saw recognition in her eyes.

“It’s me,” she told her friend. “We always said we’d be there for each other through thick and thin, right? Well, I’m thinking this is some pretty serious thick, huh?”

Lara blinked.

“Can you talk to us?” Owl asked.

Lara’s head rolled slowly on the pillow, turning toward Owl. She stared at him without saying a word.

“That’s Owl. He’s with me. His real name is Callen, but people call him Owl because he’s got such perfect eyesight,” Cora told her.

“Stalker,” Pipe said with a small grin from behind Owl.

Cora wasn’t ashamed of the research she’d done on the men of The Refuge. Besides, it wasn’t as if the information wasn’t out there for anyone to find if they looked hard enough.

But at the sound of Pipe’s voice, Lara whimpered.

“Easy, it’s okay. That’s Pipe,” Cora told her. “He’s mine.”

Pipe made a small sound, and Cora looked up at him. He seemed surprised at her words.

She wrinkled her nose. “Too soon?” she asked sheepishly.

“No, not at all,” Pipe told her. The bed was between them, but for some reason it felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

“You’re scaring her,” Owl told Pipe. “Step back.”

Pipe immediately took a step away from the bed.

“You’re okay,” Owl told Lara. “No one’s gonna hurt you again. Do you hear me? I won’t allow it.”

To Cora’s surprise, Lara’s tongue came out and she licked her lips before croaking, “Hurt.”

“I know, and as soon as we can, we’ll do something about that. Pipe’s gonna figure out how to get us the hell out of here and we’ll get you all fixed up. Okay?”

Cora held her breath. She felt no jealousy at all that Lara had responded to Owl and not her. She was thrilled she was talking at all.

In response to Owl’s words, Lara’s arm inched across the narrow bed. She grabbed hold of his wrist. “Don’t leave. Rather die…”

Her voice was thready and weak, but they could all hear the desperation in her words.

“I’m not leaving you. Not a chance in hell. And no one is dying. Hear me? But I need you to fight, Lara.”

“Tired,” she said, closing her eyes.

But Cora noticed that she hadn’t let go of Owl’s wrist.

“I know you are,” he said gently. “Rest for now.”

Lara nodded and let out a long sigh.

Cora pressed her lips together as she lifted the blanket back up and over Lara’s body.

Lara’s head moved her way, and her eyes popped open again. She still looked out of it, and the thought of someone drugging her friend made the murderous anger return. But Cora did her best to remain calm.

“Knew you’d find me. But…you should’ve stayed away.”

Cora leaned down so she was almost nose to nose with her friend. “No way in hell. You saved me when we were fifteen. I would’ve moved heaven and earth to save you back. I love you, Lara.”

In response, Lara closed her eyes and turned her head away.

Cora wasn’t upset. She had to be confused right now. And traumatized. Nothing she said or did would surprise Cora, under the circumstances.

“You guys okay?” Pipe asked.

“Head hurts, and I feel a little off, but okay,” Owl said, not getting up from the bed because doing so would mean Lara would have to let go of him.

Cora fell a little in love with him then. Not a love like she had for Pipe, but a huge, grateful love that he understood Lara needed an anchor right now. And because he was perfectly willing to be that anchor.

“Cora?” Pipe asked.

“Same,” she told him. “What’s the plan?” she asked before she could think twice about it. It wasn’t fair to put that kind of pressure on Pipe, but she honestly had no idea what to do now. They were in a basement, with windows too small to climb out of, and with a half-dressed woman who was mostly out of it. She had a feeling their options were limited.

Pipe opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating.

“Wait—they didn’t take our phones?” Cora asked as she reached for her own in her back pocket. Sure enough, it was still there. “Do you have your gun?” she asked Pipe urgently.

He’d pulled out his phone and was scrolling down the screen, but he shook his head and said, “Nope. Gun’s gone.”

“Of course it is,” Cora said with a sigh.

Then a voice Cora recognized came from the speaker of Pipe’s phone.

Stone.

“Talk to me,” Pipe ordered.

“Fuckin’ shit! Thank God you finally answered. What’s going on in there?”

“We were locked in a room, gassed, and now we’re in the basement with a drugged Lara,” Pipe summed up quickly.

“Fuck. Right, look, they jammed the cell signals, which is why I couldn’t get in touch with you earlier,” Stone said.

“I know. We realized that when we were locked in that first room. Did they fuck up and unjam it for some reason?”

“No. You know that unknown person who helped us find Jasna and Reese?”

“Yeah?” Pipe asked suspiciously.

“He messaged me after you three had gone to the house and told me some shit. Warned me that you were all in danger and to tell you to get out.”

“Yeah, got the forty-seven messages with you saying that. And we would’ve if we could’ve. So what’s up with the jammer?” Pipe asked.

“Unknown unjammed it. Which is how we’re talking now.”

“Holy shit,” Cora whispered. She moved from around the bed toward Pipe. She put an arm around his waist as he held his phone in front of them, and they listened to Stone.

“Anyway, listen, that Grant guy? He’s wanted by the FBI. For multiple murders, among other things. He’s got aliases a mile long. He’s dangerous, Pipe,” Stone said unnecessarily. “He hurts women. Gets off on it. Then eventually kills them. You guys have to get out of there right now.”

Cora blinked in surprise. Creepy Guy really was creepy. She was kind of glad her internal radar hadn’t failed her, but the knowledge was a little too late.

“Gonna need your help, Stone,” Pipe said. “Need you to do some reconnaissance. We’re in a basement of some sort. There are windows, but they’re small. Too small for us to get out of. There’s a door to the room we’re in, but I’m guessing it’s locked and reinforced like the one upstairs. We can’t get out without some help.”

“Right. Okay, I’m gonna go over the wall and check out the property and see what I can find. Oh, shit!” There was rustling, then silence.

Cora held her breath. This was so nerve-wracking. It was easy to hear the worry in Stone’s tone.

“What? What’s wrong?” Pipe asked.

“Someone’s coming down the street,” Stone whispered. “I had to jump over the perimeter wall. I don’t think they saw me.”

“Lay low. Can you get eyes on them? Who is it?”

The seconds dragged by as they waited for Stone to speak. He was still whispering when he responded.

“It’s not Michaels. This guy is stocky. Blondish hair. Tall. He’s headed straight for the Jeep. Shit, he’s slashing the tires.”

Cora closed her eyes as she leaned against Pipe. He was her rock right then. With every minute that passed, things seemed to get worse and worse. With the car out of commission, they wouldn’t be able to get away from the house quickly.

“That’s Carter,” Pipe said.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” Stone said.

“What’s he doing now?”

“Preparing a distraction,” Stone told them. “He opened the gas tank and stuffed a rag in there.”

“He’s gonna blow it up,” Pipe said.

“Probably. Wait…huh. That’s interesting.”

“What?” Pipe asked, impatience in his tone.

“He’s making a call. Do you think…maybe he doesn’t know the jammer was disabled. If he’s out here using his phone, maybe he thought it wouldn’t work in the house.”

“It’s possible,” Pipe agreed.

Then they all heard a sound in the background that made Owl’s head jerk up from where he’d been staring down at Lara.

“What’s that?” Pipe barked.

“Chopper,” Owl and Stone said at the same time.

“That’s our way out of here,” Pipe said firmly. “You need to get to that chopper, Stone. Lara can’t walk, so extraction’s gonna be tricky.”

For the first time since the call had started, Stone sounded confident. “Ten minutes,” he said. “I’ll be waiting. Owl?”

“I’m here,” he said.

“Remember what we did when we realized help had finally arrived for us?”

Cora watched Owl sit up straighter on the bed. “Yeah.”

“That’s your way out. I wish I could be there to help, but I’ll be in the cockpit waiting for you to be my wingman. Okay?”

“Deal,” Owl said.

“Ten minutes,” Stone repeated. “Do what you have to do, Pipe, to get out of there. If you don’t…” His voice trailed off.

Cora looked up at Pipe. His lips were pressed together tightly and he nodded. “Right. Ten minutes.” Then he clicked off the phone and looked at Owl. “What’s the plan?”

As soon as Owl explained how their rescue had gone down several years ago, Cora wasn’t sure it would work. But they literally had no other choice.

“You okay with taking her?” Pipe asked as he nodded at Lara.

“Absolutely,” Owl said.

Cora watched as Owl carefully slid his hand from Lara’s and took his shirt off. Before she could ask what he was doing, Owl pulled back the blanket and carefully started to put the shirt over her friend’s head.

“Listen to me, love,” Pipe said, grabbing Cora’s shoulders and physically turning her toward him. “No matter what happens, know that the happiest I’ve been in a very long time was last night with you. Understand?”

Cora nodded.

“And if this goes right, I’m gonna give you that family you’ve always wanted. You have a problem with that?”

Did she have a problem with Pipe being her family? Hell no. She shook her head.

“Good. Let’s do this.”

Taking a deep breath, Cora walked over to the door—then started pounding on it and screaming at the top of her lungs.