Page 176 of Deep Cover

45

Annie

The first ride took only minutes. The black Honda sped into the desert, kicking up rocks and dust. Cranking my head around, I could see Cole was still standing. The other men had their guns drawn but there was no gunfire.

Vincent shook me and I turned back around. He was in the middle seats with me and on my other side, where I'd been thrown into the vehicle, Kie sat grinning, a truly horrifying, gory sight.

"We're going to have so much fun with you," she cooed in a voice that sent chills up my spine.

I'd gone deep cover in gangs where the slightest misstep could have seen me tortured and killed. I'd fucked Jesse for - how many months? - and he'd dislocated my jaw. I'd been in more than one firefight undercover where, if killed, I might never be found by friends and family.

I had never been afraid like I was now.

Turning so my back was as much to Kie as I could put it, I addressed Vincent. "Where the hell are you taking me?"

I expected anything. A backhand. A reprimand. A sneering cartoon villain response.

But he just looked at me coldly and said, "Wherever I feel like. You're mine now. Your idiot master, that mewling Cole St. Martin, could have honored the auction. You'd have been gone two weeks and – " he stopped and actually leered at me, as if I were going to enjoy whatever he had to say – "He'd have had you back. Provided you wanted to go back."

His insinuations made no difference. I didn't have some great loyalty to Cole St. Martin beyond his wonder drug. What I had was a desperate need to get out of where I was. "Do you know who I am?" I asked. Outing myself might be the stupidest idea ever but I was already in the vehicle. Every instant I remained there my situation became more dire.

To my left and slightly behind me, Kie snorted. "You're Mr. Boring's personal sex slave." She laughed. If it wasn't such a terrible place I found myself in I might have laughed also. They were like a pair of cartoon villains.

But I couldn't forget how Kie had hurt me. Not just the amazing, searing pain, but that she'd inflicted it with no more thought than I don't like her; this is what I want to do.

From what I'd heard, no permanent damage could be inflicted on me while I was in Vincent's care.

That was what Vincent was bound to.

I had no idea if it was the same for Kie and even if it was, I had no way of knowing if she'd honor it.

"Do you?" I repeated, ignoring her.

Vincent gave me a look of avid delight and said, "You mean the Seattle PD background and undercover work? Yes, Annie Knox, I do know." He paused, seeming to savor his words. "That's what bribes are for."

I swallowed hard. Just as likely as not he was only proceeding because nobody at PD knew where I was. Vincent was banking on whatever I had told PD about my time with Cole to keep himself safe. But what scared me was the thought that someone might - Know where I was.

And be unwilling to act because Vincent's money really was enough to keep their mouths closed. Or because underneath it all, what I thought were gains in acceptance really was just the old boy network operating as usual.

Cole had taken me to Seattle so recently, even without having seen the route before until we got into the city, the way to the airport was familiar. My heart pounded. Being put on a plane and a private one, would make it so much harder for Cole to find me.

That he was already looking, I had no doubt. But whether or not he would find me, I didn't know. It would be a battle between two men with nearly unlimited resources.

By the time Cole found me, it might be way too late.

The SUV stopped near to where we'd exit the vehicle and board the plane. There was a hold up, something going on that didn't give me any hope of rescue. This was some kind of ordinary hold up.

To pass the time, Kie and Vincent moved in close to me. Their hands stroked places I didn't want them to touch. Their breath came warm on my neck.

As if at the same time, through some kind of telepathic agreement, they began to whisper everything they were going to do to me into my ears. At the same time. A litany of pain and degradation. A promise of so much pain. A promise of so much time.

Pain. Payback.

I'd run from him. I'd run to him.

Now, with Vincent and Kie whispering obscenities to me and a plane waiting to take me somewhere unknown into maybe the worst danger I'd ever faced, I prayed for him to run to me.

Cole St. Martin was my only chance.

End of Book 2

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