Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Chicago

S he’d been here three days and still knew nothing. The man responsible for her abduction had been a no-show since that first day. Meals had been delivered by a silent, older woman who refused to look directly at Jazz. When she asked questions, the woman ignored her. If she were feeling stronger, she was sure she could have overpowered the woman and escaped. But today was the first day she’d woken clearheaded. Between the severe headache and bouts of nausea, she had been useless. When she hadn’t been moaning in pain or vomiting, she had slept like the dead. The concussion, along with whatever drug they’d used, had totally incapacitated her.

She had finally been able to eat a substantial meal for the first time since her arrival. Though she had worried the food or drink could be drugged, she knew she had to take the chance. She needed nourishment if she was going to get out of here. Besides, if they had wanted to do anything to her, she would have been an easy mark. She wouldn’t have been able to fight them, so drugging her wouldn’t have been necessary.

Now, however, she was ready to deal with these people and get the hell out of here.

Her luggage from her Seattle motel room had been delivered to her the first day. Unless they’d been able to open the safe in the motel room, she’d had nothing that revealed her identity. If they’d looked inside the safe, she was sure they would be having a different conversation. As it stood now, they knew nothing. Sure, they had her real name, but they knew nothing more than that.

Having felt well enough to shower and wash her hair, she was pleased to be able to put on her own clothes. That went a long way to making her better prepared to handle whatever was coming her way.

As she exited the bathroom, the bedroom door clicked and swung open. Since it wasn’t time for a meal, she knew whatever was coming her way had arrived. She had briefly wondered if there were hidden cameras in the bedroom and became even more suspicious.

Refusing to wait for whatever they had planned, Jazz strode determinedly to the middle of the room. The older man from the first day entered. The anger she had felt at being beaten, drugged, and abducted was now back in full force. Today, she was going to get answers, and then she was going to leave. There was no other option.

“So good to see you’re feeling better, Jasmine. I’ve been worried about you.”

“Who are you?” Jazz snapped. “Why am I here?”

A delighted smile spread across his face. “So you can speak. Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“You didn’t answer my questions.”

“And that’s the way it will remain until you answer some of mine. If you hadn’t noticed, you’re in my territory, and I have the advantage.”

“Fine,” she bit out. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, first, I want to know how you’re feeling. How are the headache and nausea?”

“Better. Now, tell me who you are.”

“Again, it’s my show.” The smile was still in place, but she could tell it was teetering on disappearing. “Let’s start with something simple. Why are you going by an alias? Are you in hiding?”

“Why would I need to be in hiding?”

“Answering my questions with questions of your own will not get you anywhere.”

“Very well. No, I am not in hiding. My name is Joy Monroe. I’m twenty-three years old. I live in Seattle, where I am a receptionist at a doctor’s office. Is that enough for you?”

The man shook his head slowly and sighed. “I’m deeply disappointed in you, Jasmine. None of the things you’ve told me are correct, and I am not a man of patience. So here’s what we’re going to do. For every lie you tell me from here on out, it will be a strike. Three strikes will result in a severe penalty.”

She’d had enough. Fury fueling her steps, she stalked up to the man and stared him down. “Listen here, you freak, you had me beaten, drugged, and abducted. I will not stand for this. I want out, and I want out now!”

The punch to her face came faster than she’d anticipated. Thankfully, her reflexes were excellent, and she managed to dodge a direct hit, with only a slice of pain across her jaw. If she weren’t so infuriated, she was sure it would have hurt worse. Not giving him time for another hit, she returned the jab with a punch to his jaw, making an excellent connection. Just as she was about to deliver a roundhouse kick to his gut, she halted in midstrike as he pressed a gun to her forehead.

“I don’t believe I will give you a chance for those three strikes after all. It’s clear there’s some humbling that needs to take place.” Though he kept his tone low, his voice shook with fury.

“Go ahead, asshole. Shoot me. I dare you,” she sneered. Yes, she was poking a rabid bear, but she knew enough to realize that this man had gone to too much trouble to just kill her off. He wanted her alive. A bullet to her head was not part of his plan.

Taking two steps back, he yelled, “Gentlemen!”

The two men who’d helped abduct her walked into the room.

“Please take Jasmine to her new location.”

No way in hell was she going anywhere with them. Being small and fast were two qualities that had gotten her out of many sticky situations. She feigned going left and then went right instead. All three men went to grab her, and she scooted around them and ran out the door.

Two long hallways, one on each side of the door, were her choices. Having no idea which way was the best, she took a right and zoomed down the hallway like her life depended upon it, knowing that it did.

Spotting a stairway, she put on the speed and raced to it. Halfway there, a bolt of electricity seared through her body, and she crashed to the floor. Her body spasming with agony from a taser, she glared up at the three men who stood over her. The one in the middle, the bastard responsible for all of this, was grinning down at her like a self-satisfied loon.

Before she could recover a semblance of control over her body, the other two men went to work on restraining her. One of them grabbed her wrists and zip-tied them together. She didn’t protest too much. She knew how to break zip ties. The other man did the same to her ankles. That was no cause for alarm either. She’d learned early how to get out of these kinds of bonds.

“You have your instructions.”

“Yes, sir,” one of the men said.

The bastard responsible for her current misery smiled down at her. “Now, Jasmine, when you are ready to admit who you are, we will have a more enlightening conversation. Until then, enjoy your new accommodations.”

Before she could respond, another bolt of lightning struck her, and all coherent thought disappeared beneath the scorching, electrified agony. Unable to maintain consciousness, Jazz had no choice but to let the darkness take her.

Hearing a familiar moaning, Jazz willed her eyes open. Memory came quicker this time, as did coherency. She moved slightly and was relieved to find that not only were her legs and hands free, she was also still wearing her clothes. That might seem insignificant, considering she was still a hostage, but she would take all the wins she could get.

Gingerly, she sat up, looked around, and released a shaky sigh. She was indeed in new accommodations, and they weren’t nearly as nice as the others had been. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she would say she was in a prison cell. But this small enclosure wasn’t as clean or as comfortable as what a prisoner might be given.

Getting to her knees, she was pleased that though her entire body was sore and weak, she had no nausea or headache. Another win. Yes, she knew she was stretching the optimism.

Standing, she looked around at the new location. The room was concrete, about eight by ten. In one corner, she spotted a bucket, which she assumed was to be her toilet. In the other corner was a blanket and small pillow. And on top of that pillow was a clear plastic bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. How nice that dental hygiene was important to the bastard.

Other than those things, the room was empty. However, she also noted a long, narrow drain on the other side of the room. She didn’t need to wonder what it was for. She looked up and saw stars and a midnight-dark sky through the open bars above.

Several years ago, before she’d met Kate and had her life turned around, she had worked at a dog kennel. Few legit businesses wanted to pay cash under the table, but she’d been a hard worker and agreed to less than minimum wage. The kennel’s owner hadn’t minded taking advantage of her circumstances, but that had been okay with her. The money had not only bought her food and the occasional cheap motel room, she’d been able to spend as much time as she wanted with the dogs and cats being housed there.

She’d never had a pet. Just before her parents were killed, they’d mentioned the possibility of a kitten or puppy as an early birthday present. She’d always been grateful they hadn’t had the opportunity to get her one, as that would have been one more loss and would have broken her heart even further.

Her job at the kennel had lasted only about four months, but it was one of the more pleasant experiences of her teenage years. Which was why she knew without a doubt that she was in a dog kennel run. Not the kennel itself, as she would have a roof over her head. This type of enclosure allowed dogs to get fresh air while still being penned.

There were no noises. No barking, no sounds whatsoever. And no animal smells, which told her this place was no longer in business. So, she was locked in an abandoned kennel, and as she shook the cage door, she knew without a doubt there was no way out.

Refusing to panic, she walked every inch of the small enclosure, looking for a weakness. She came to the gritty conclusion that the only way out was through the locked cage door. Even though bars made up the top of the cage, revealing the open sky, she didn’t have a way to climb up there. Even if she could, the bars were too close together to fit her body through them.

She was here until someone showed up to let her out.