Page 78 of August

Marko, Bandana Guy, stormed in behind his friend and motioned for her to turn around. She did, offering the view of her hands, then returned to her position against the wall.

Alec grunted and walked farther into the room, stopping inches from her feet. He dropped to kneel in front of her and ripped off a strip of duct tape.

Shit. If he wanted to see her hands again, from this close he’d surely notice she wasn’t properly bound. His light-brown eyes studied her face. She lifted her chin an inch despite wanting to shrivel up beneath his scrutiny. Men like Alec liked the smell of fear.

His gaze dipped to her breasts then moved its way down her legs and slowly back up. His eyes connected with hers again, and he slipped his tongue over his bottom lip. Lust sparked in his eyes.

A shudder touched the base of her spine. She pressed her shoulder blades hard against the wall, praying the drywall would swallow her up. It didn’t.

“You comin’ or what?” Marko asked.

Alec broke eye contact and glanced behind him. “She’s pretty. It’s too bad what Alvarez wants to do to her.”

Bile singed the lining of Gigi’s stomach. Her pulse quickened and her lungs squeezed. She glanced at Marko, looking for some sign of reassurance, but his features turned stoney. He balled his fists at his sides. “Let’s go already.”

Alec snickered and leaned forward, pressing the sticky strip to her lips. The rank smell of cigarette smoke that permeated his fingers mixed with the stringent scent of alcohol on his breath. “Alvarez wants your tongue first. To send to your lover. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get to use it before it’s gone.”

Gigi’s stomach dropped low in her abdomen and icy cold horror spiraled around her heart. She fought the suffocating fear that threatened to steal her consciousness.

Alec patted the tape over her lips and stood. He grinned, winking at her, then sailed past his friend and went into the hallway. Gigi’s gaze bounced to Marko. His expression softened with pity and his hands jostled awkwardly at his sides.

She met his gaze and shook her head. Call it disbelief, call it desperation, but she needed even a little bit of hope.

The pit bull padded into the room with a bone, climbed on the bed, and went to town as if Gigi’s life weren’t in the balance.

No, not even her life. They hadn’t mentioned killing her. Instead, they wanted to torture her in the most grotesque way. Tears sprang from her eyelids. Marko turned to the door then glanced over his shoulder. “Stay quiet and you might buy yourself some time.” He looked at the dog. “Micha can stay here. She hates Alec.” The last statement was whispered.

The door shut.

Then the lock on it clicked, the sound like a bullet to her chest.

CHAPTER 24

August glared at Todd, who was sitting on the chair pushed against the wall in Rami’s house. Toth had insisted on handcuffing him, which was probably smart since the slimy sonofabitch had a tendency to run and hide.

The anxiety mounting in August’s chest was enough to give him heart palpitations. Alvarez hadn’t called back and they were running out of valuable time. He turned back to the computer in front of him. He’d been reading up on Val Alvarez. The man was wanted in three countries for rape, murder, and drug and human trafficking.

Suspecting the man’s crimes was one thing. Reading about his victims and cruel forms of torture was another. Bile had practically disintegrated August’s esophagus, and every swallow spread heat through his diaphragm.

But he needed to know everything there was to know about Alvarez. The man had nine children from five different women. And as much as hurting innocent children went against everything August believed in, he wasn’t beyond making the threat. He’d say anything, anything, to get Alvarez’s attention. He had to choose his words wisely, though.

Toth was in Rami’s office using the facial-recognition software to trace the men who’d taken Gigi from the apartment building. It was a damn good thing they had surveillance footage, but following the intruders’ vehicle using street cameras was tedious and time-consuming.

“Don’t worry,” Rami said, cutting into August’s thick cloud of worry. His friend sat across the table, his laptop in front of him. Ghost had taken off after explaining he had some business to take care of. He’d asked the guys to let him know when they found something. “Toth’s good. He’ll find her in an hour, tops.”

August leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “We don’t have an hour.”

“If we had Dana, this would be faster,” Rami mused.

“Have you spoken to her?” It took every effort for August to find genuine concern for Taschen. Which made him feel like a piece of shit. The guy had been shot in the head and chest trying to protect Gigi and might die.

At least Taschen was in the safety of the hospital getting help. Gigi could be already dead—or being tortured—while he fucking sat here.

“Yeah, she’s a mess. One of us should be at the hospital, but—”

“Go if you need to.” August’s voice came out rough and gravelly, but he meant it. The last thing he wanted to do was hold back his friends when one of them was fighting for their lives.

Having manpower to get Gigi out was important, but if he had to do it on his own, he fucking would. He’d gone through worse, and he’d walk over fire to get to her.

---