CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Hands shook my body. “You need to wake up.”
The voice sounded like someone was calling me from the other end of a tunnel. I drew air into my lungs and was hit by pain in my chest and ribs. My cheek hurt, and so did my arms. The memory of how I’d gotten hurt was fuzzy at first, but with every painful breath I took, it became clearer. I had been attacked by Liz’s boyfriend, Marco. He’d been upset that I recognized him and witnessed him going through Dane’s things. His violence was chilling. Poor Liz. She’d been in pain the last time I saw her, when I didn’t listen or insist on helping her.
Pain and remorse ate away at me. She could be hurt badly by now, or worse.
“Here’s an ice pack. I’ll be right back,” said a female voice. Someone pressed cool gel on my face. The drug haze was losing its effect, and now, without effort, I opened my eyes and glanced around. The brightness of the light pouring in through the three large windows in the room took a few seconds to get used to. When my eyes adjusted, I could see a stunning panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge and blue skies. I was in San Francisco, but where?
I went to sit up on what I now saw was a four-poster bed and winced. My shirt and jeans were gone, leaving me in my underwear. Bruises stood out on my skin, but I was relieved that nothing had been broken. The band was still on my wrist. Dane and Elliott—they’d probably returned and realized I was gone. Were they looking? They must have thought I left.
If Marco and the guards searched the room, they must’ve found my identification by now, so they know I’m the ex of the governor of Washington and a prominent business owner that was active in the community. They’ll have to let me go.
That was what I kept telling myself as I took in my surroundings. The furnishings were a mixture of imported antiques, though more custom contemporary in styling. The bed I was on was near one of the two stone and marble fireplaces in the room. Each one had custom couches, tables, and lamps surrounding them, all perfectly set. The famous paintings and sculptures with authentications displayed throughout the room led me to believe this place didn’t belong to someone who was just rich, but someone of great wealth. The closing of a door in the far left corner had me turning my attention there. An older woman in an old-fashioned black and white bibbed maid’s uniform wheeled in a portable wardrobe that was twice as big as her. Her gray hair was platted closed to her scalp, making me think of pictures from the 1930s.
“Like my hair? I’ll give yours some style too.” She sat on the bed. “Maybe cover the side of your face to hide the bruise. Honestly, you’re a bit of a mess. I don’t know what you did, but try not to do it again or you’ll attract the wrong man at the trade show.”
“I don’t understand,” I asked. “What’s a trade show?”
“You don’t even know?” she said, flabbergasted. Then she shook her head. “Of course you don’t. What were you promised? Cinderella stories?” She snickered. “You will find out there are no shortcuts in life. Everyone is paying, even those glamorous socialites you worship.”
I opened my mouth and closed it. At one time, I had been one of those socialites she criticized, and in a way, she was right. I’d paid, and I’d built a new life, one I wanted to return to.
“All I know is that I was supposed to leave,” I said after she helped to prop a pillow at my back. “I mean, I went to an Agency mixer and cruise…”
She patted my leg. “Don’t worry, I know everything. Maybe it’ll all come back to you once the sedative wears off.”
“It’s not the drug. I never got an answer on the trade show,” I replied before clearing my throat.
“You were with a man who was taking care of you,” she said. “But if you’ve been put in the pool of women they decided it didn’t work out with them for whatever reason then you’ve been sent to the trade show. You’ll still get your sweet deal, but with another sponsor of sorts.” She spoke with unconcealed repulsion.
“I never asked for a sweet deal or a sponsor,” I groused in frustration. “I’m not supposed to be here. I only went to one mixer—I’m not really a part of it. I had problems with my business and came to work on it with one of the people involved, but then I was forced into coming along. I don’t belong here. I need to get home. Will you please help me? Do you know Dane Westbrook and Elliott Carmichael—”
She held up her hand for me to stop. Her eyes shifted from side to side, and I had to strain my ears to hear her. “Stop speaking. I have no power to help you here, at least not in the way you want.” She pointed to the door and she didn’t have to speak for me to understand that guards were outside.
I mouthed, “Send a message?”
She did a slow shake of her head and I deflated.
“I’ve never heard of those men you mentioned, and you haven’t either,” she cautioned before sighing heavily. “Now, let me help you in a way I can.” She went over to the wardrobe and pulled out a high-collared, long-sleeved evening gown. The front was all lace and the flowing silk of the bottom half was long enough to cover my feet. “This will cover any bruises from what happened to your arm. The sheer material on your breasts will be attractive.”
“I don’t want to attract any of them,” I grumbled.
“I understand, but Mr. Santiago is picking you up in the next hour. You must be ready.” She pulled out a thong and silk stockings for me to wear with the heels that were set out. “You need to get dressed. It’s the only way out without getting hurt. Choose your battles.”
She helped me stand up, but I was conscious and coherent now. I went to change into the lace lingerie and the gown. She entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet.
“I have some e-comply,” she whispered, showing me a tablet in her hand. “It’ll help you to not remember all that they do to you.”
They? My insides crumbled, but I refused, comforting myself by thinking I’d find a way out without her help by getting the information she would share. “What do they do?”
“Mostly sex, maybe try out some toys, spanks, clamps, whips,” she said. “Some even more, but we’ll try to get you to someone kind.” I doubted she’d have any control over who I went to. Besides, her speech seemed practiced, something she probably told many before me to get them to behave, but I wouldn’t, nor would I get past the idea of pain.
“Are some of the men…sadists?” I asked.
“You wish,” she said sadly. “Sadists play with those that are masochists. They play by rules and have limits. Most want to keep playing, not damaging their submissive beyond repair. These men have too much money and power to play around with. They like to raise the stakes for their own enjoyment.”
I gasped and clutched my stomach. I wasn’t leaving with any of them. I will get out, I kept repeating in my head.
“Keep your head down and don’t cry. Tear streaks are an aphrodisiac for some here. Defiance is a challenge that some will work to break.” She stared down at her hands. “The more you comply, the more freedom you’ll get and the more options you’ll have. The easier some of them have it, the less they will want to keep you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I whispered, fumbling as I struggled to put the silk stockings in place.
She met my eyes. “I’m not telling you anything, understand?”
I clasped her hand. “Thank you…?”
She shook her head. “No names.”
She had said all she had for me. The second she was done styling my hair, the door opened to reveal the man I remembered was the guard who took me off the ship. My skin crawled as his gaze shifted up and down my body. I looked around for a mask, but there wasn’t one. My identity would be revealed. Once it was, with all I’d witnessed, I doubted I’d be let go.
The guard let out a whistle. I grimaced, and the woman cleared her throat, reminding me what she had warned me about. I allowed him to take my arm. For now, until I find my escape.
“You’re beautiful, baby girl,” he said. “Maybe the host will let the guards play with you before he has to turn you over.”
“She’s for the host?” the woman asked, the alarm in her voice evident.
The only host I knew was Vincent, but that didn’t surprise me. It had become personal between him and Dane during the evening we were together. What was making my pulse ramp up to a frantic pace was the news that I was to be turned over to someone else. They hadn’t removed my wristband. Could it be that they would give me back to Dane? The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Turn me over to who?” I demanded.
The guard looked straight through me. “Whoever they please.” He took my arm and my hope.
***
Outside the room was an elevator that took us down to a private underground garage where a limousine was waiting. The guard let go of my arm and opened the back door, where Marco appeared and climbed out.
“Gia Walsh,” Marco said, grinning. He used my married name—did he not know I was divorced? I didn’t seek to correct him, but it gave me an idea.
I shrugged. “If you know my name, you also know I’m the wife of Washington’s governor, Patrick Walsh Jr. You need to let me go now.”
He chuckled. “That’s the very reason you can’t go, stupid,” he said in a mocking tone. “But don’t you worry, once you adjust to your new life, you’ll be fine, just like your friend Liz. She said she knows you, told me everything about you.”
I swallowed. Of course Liz had to tell him about me if she found out I was here. I only hoped he hadn’t hurt her to get the information. “Liz is here?”
“Yes, she is,” he said, like he’d given me a gift. He gestured toward the open door of the limo. “She can’t wait to speak to you.”
I held my tongue and didn’t move away when he stroked my cheek.
“See? I’m good when you behave,” he purred, taking my silence as compliance.
I needed to stay focused until I could escape.
“You and Liz stay good and we can all have fun together.” He pressed his hand on my back and I climbed inside the vehicle then watched him go back inside the house just as the driver moved the limo.
“Gia!” Liz exclaimed as the door closed. The sight of her left me temporarily speechless.
Liz was sitting across from me. She was…radiant. She was well dressed in a strapless satin evening gown a shade darker than her red hair, which was swept to the side in stylish waves. The shawl I’d loaned her was folded neatly next to her on a plush leather seat.
“Thank God you’ve woken up,” she said. Her eyes shone. “I was shocked when they brought you inside Marco’s house. I begged them to get a doctor, but—”
My jaw tightened. “You knew about them taking me?”
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t know you were here. I was at the house of one of Marco’s friends overnight. I only arrived back at his place this morning. He and I aren’t together anymore.” She stifled a sob. “It’s all complicated…I tried to warn you to stay away from The Agency members, but here you are.”
Seeing that she was distressed, I decided not to point out how vague she’d been at the time, but I couldn’t blame it all on her. No one knows when or where danger comes. We learn after it’s done.
“Did Marco hit you too?” I asked. “That time at the gym.”
“No, that wasn’t him,” she said. “He didn’t like that I was jealous of him being with someone else. He offered to ‘make it up to me’ by giving me to his uncle for the night. He went from treating me so kindly to treating me like trash… I’m devastated that he hurt you.”
My hand clasped Liz’s. I didn’t blame her. I was grateful she had tried to help me, though the thought of hours lost from my life was disturbing. It couldn’t have been easy when they found out she knew me. The lump lodged in my throat made it hard to swallow. “He made you talk about me.”
She blinked back tears, reached into a small clutch for a handkerchief, and dabbed her eyes. “Yes. I was upset when I saw you and was told I had to tell them everything I knew about you. I told them you were a governor’s wife, but I don’t think that helped.”
I would have thought it’d give me leverage, but not with these men.
“They plan to take you to the trade show, do you know that?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“Yes,” I said as I coughed.
She reached over, took out a bottled water from a hidden drawer, and handed it to me. I drank down almost all of it.
“How did you find out about it?” she asked.
“Dane and Elliott,” I said, and a pang went through my chest. They were being told I had left. Would they believe it or do anything rash?
She sighed heavily. “I thought so, but from what I understand, this will not turn out as bad. There will be something like that orgy, but then you will be chosen by a man who will keep you. You’ll discuss what they could do for you and what they expect. In the end, everything will work out. You’ll be better off financially.
I scoffed. “What money do either one of us need?”
“Come on, Gia. Everyone knows you’ve lost your company,” she said. “My own money has been frozen for an investigation into my late husband’s assets.”
I started to say that was impossible, but then it all started to make sense. Angel, Liz, me—I now completely understood The Agency. The powerful men created situations for women who were strong and successful, women who didn’t need them, so they could play with or break them for their own amusement…but could there be more to their choices? While I worked it over in my mind, trying to figure it all out, Liz lamented.
“This is all my fault.” Liz sniffed. “The Agency, the men were too good to be true…and I found out they were. They know everyone we know, so there is no escape. I was told if I cooperate, everything will return to normal or better. He said I’d be able to get my business back on track.”
I closed my eyes. That was what Dane’s Angel must have thought. They didn’t return her to her life, and from what Marco said, I knew too much to leave. Dread swallowed me whole. I didn’t see a return. We both needed to get out of there.
“Listen to me, Dane and Elliott would help us—”
“Save your breath. They knew I was here with Marco,” Liz said, cutting me off. “They are Agency men. Where were they when you were taken?”
My throat closed. I didn’t have the answers, but I couldn’t believe Dane or Elliott would do this to me. She had to be wrong.
“You cause no trouble and you return to Seattle,” she said. “You obey, and things could get even better for you. The man I met that Marco’s trading me to is getting me a new penthouse in Seattle and a vacation house in Spain. He has a lawyer already working on my financial problems.”
The financial problems he and his friends created for you for their own sick entertainment. I scowled. I couldn’t believe Liz was getting caught up in their lies. “You tell me not to trust, but you trust they’ll hold up their end of the bargain with you?”
“We’ll just have to see,” she said, leaving out the fact that we had no other choice.
I pursed my lips. “But they are so transparent, and you really believe a man who’s making us go is actually going to help you?”
She didn’t respond, and we stopped speaking. Liz was in survival mode. I was too, but my plan was not to cooperate. I was going to get away and call the number Dane had given me for his lawyer. The second I found a way to get a call or message out, I would say where I was and hopefully get the police to come rescue me. I wanted to believe my plan was possible, but then doubt crept in. What if Liz had been right all along? Why was I willing to just think the other men were bad and not Dane and Elliott? Dane was about to do all the things Liz was claiming this new man was going to do for her. Had I been equally naïve?
The car moved onto the highway. I decided to keep a mental note of markers. AT&T park, the Embarcadero…we were going toward the pier. With all the pedestrian traffic, I was sure it would be easier to get out and escape. My hopes diminished when we exited and turned under a bypass. This wasn’t one of the bustling picturesque areas of the city; it was a construction site with boarded fences and scaffolding. No one would go there unless they were working on the building. An Agency member probably owned the site, so no one there would help us.
The limo turned down a dead-end road and drove underneath a scaffold-fronted building to an underground parking garage then out the other side to a driveway. At the end was a row of three brand new Victorian-style homes in various stages of completion. We parked at the most finished one, and an armed guard opened the door. He was surprisingly gentle when he helped us out of the car, though he stayed close behind us the rest of the way up the driveway.
Once inside, we were taken into a formal dining room with fabric and mahogany paneling and a grand chandelier as its centerpiece. Besides the beautiful handmade ornamental rugs, four floral-patterned pastel lounge chairs were the only seating in the room and were set up near one of the two fireplaces. Two of the chairs were already occupied by women dressed as formally as Liz and I were. It was quite the contrast from the boat. They were also unmasked, but I didn’t recognize them.
The guard motioned for Liz and me to take the open seats, and we sat down on one next to each other.
I was relieved to see him turn to go, but then high-pitched laughter filled the room. I looked over to find a wraithlike woman with eyes that were too big for her face sauntering over to us. Her blonde hair was curly and swept up in a chignon. She had on a silk evening gown made of shimmering fabric, and golden rings looped through her pale skin ran the length of her back. I stared at them when she spun around before us.
“If you’re scared of this, let me assure you, it will get worse,” she sang out at the end of the room.
“Now Angel, behave,” one of the guards said to her. He came forward and tried to take her arm.
Angel jerked away from him, and he let her. “No. I’m in the trade show today and I get to stay.”
“Not if you cause trouble,” he whispered.
“You don’t control me,” she hissed at him then started laughing again. He followed her around the room as she continued her spectacle, trying to stop her from knocking over vases and lamps, tilting pictures on the walls, or picking up the pillows on the back of the lounge chairs to throw on the floor. One of the women tried to help him keep the order, and that I didn’t understand. The rest of us stared at Angel in shock. I couldn’t believe this was the same woman who’d headed her own company. I elbowed Liz and gave her a hard look. Liz didn’t know Angel, but she had to see that the woman before us was where we were all headed if we didn’t do something about it.
Liz cast her eyes down, and I sighed in acceptance. Whatever I chose to do, I’d be doing it without her help.
“Mommy, Mommy.” A little girl toddled into the room in a pink party dress with little wings. She had springy blonde curls, the same color as Angel’s. She brushed her chubby little hand on our dresses as she passed by. “Pretty…pretty…pretty…”
Could she be Dane’s? When she approached my seat, I quickly put my hands on my knees. Her hand tapped my own and she paused. Her eyes—which were so like his—met my own, and my heart broke. I’d seen her before he had the chance. I didn’t think for a minute Dane would give up his daughter. Her being there proved Liz was wrong about him and Elliott.
“Angel, Melinda’s here,” the guard said, taking the little girl’s hand.
Angel didn’t turn around. She stared out the window.
“Get her out of here.” Vincent’s voice came from the archway. “Where is the nanny they brought with them?”
I recognized the woman in uniform from Marco’s home as she came rushing in and swept the child up in her arms. The guard followed her out before pulling a pocket door to close off the room.
“I see you’re all here,” Vincent said, walking over to the fireplace. He was dressed in a shirt and trousers, almost casual. Above where he stood was a painting of a younger man who resembled him. Marco had been right about taking us to his uncle’s home. “You four had to come here first because we think you need more training. Angel, come over and show the girls how to get into position.”
Angel quickly rushed over to him and dropped to her knees.
He petted her head. “How about you show the others how we want them to behave at the show?”
She lay down on her back and pulled up her dress then slid down her panties. She bowed her legs out, revealing her bare sex before him.
“Now spread your lips,” he demanded.
My stomach lurched, and I turned my head away from the display. I’d never do that, I thought, yet a seed of doubt planted in my head. What if the man that bought me drugged and hurt me?
“You’re perfect baby girl,” he cooed to her. “That’s good training. You will all learn to be just as willing to please when asked. It will be like one long green mixer at the trade shows, but the rest of the time will be mostly yours, as long as you behave. You have access to the best men in the world, and once things are settled, you won’t want to leave.”
It was a struggle to school my face. I didn’t care who they were; I’d go to the police the second I was free. It was as if Vincent plucked the plan from my mind.
“Leaving won’t help your situation,” he said. “It’ll get worse. Who but us could right your accounts, get judges to throw out any ruling against you in court? Without one of our backings, you could end up humiliated, ruined, and in jail. You’ll lose it, trust me.”
I bristled. Like I’d ever trust you.
The door pushed back and a guard stuck his head inside. “The men are all here.”
“Great,” he said. “Now Angel, I need you to wait upstairs.”
She sat up on her knees and started rocking. “I’ve been good.”
“Yes, but these ladies haven’t worked out, so I’ve got to work with them before they go to the show,” he explained in a childlike voice. He pulled the silk at her back, causing her skin to stretch into little peaks, and she moaned. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a playmate to take back with you once we’re done.”
Her eyes widened. “He said to pack everything. I’m going back?”
He snickered. “Of course you are baby girl. You wouldn’t want to leave your home. You’ve got mansions, cars, servants, and your daughter. Why would you want to leave?”
Angel leaned toward his ear like she was going to whisper a secret. He blew out his breath and cocked his ear. She came close to him and laughed loudly.
“Stop,” Vincent said, yanking harder on the fabric at her back, but Angel didn’t comply. She laughed louder and louder until the room was filled with her high-pitched shrieks.
Vincent glowered at her and yelled, “Get her out of here now.” He tried to push her forward, but she didn’t fall. The guard came in, swept her off her feet, and carried her out.
I snickered. If only she could have ruptured his eardrum.
He came over to stand in front of me. “You find that amusing? No wonder one of your lovers called me this morning to bring you here.”
I pressed my lips together. “You’re lying.”
“Oh good.” He chuckled. “I was hoping to be the one to break this news to you.” He next called the guard over. Liz was escorted out with the other women, leaving me alone with him, but not for long. My heart dropped to my feet. Coming through the door in a suit and tie was none other than Elliott Carmichael, the very man I thought was Dane’s best friend and my ally. He strolled over to Vincent and they gave each other a hug. Hatred took hold of me. I’d been completely blindsided. I hadn’t fully understood Elliott, but I couldn’t believe he’d betrayed me. I bit the inside of my cheek hard to stop myself from falling apart, but I was losing the battle. Is Dane here too?
“Miss me, baby?” Elliott said to me as he winked.
“Fuck off,” I hissed, and Vincent laughed.
“You were right.” Vincent chuckled. “Seeing her face when you came in was worth having you here.”
“You should have let me take her off the ship.” He glanced over my face. “It would have gone better than using Marco.”
Vincent cursed. “Yeah. Marco is as much a disappointment as Dane. You smoothed that over?”
“Yes, I did,” Elliott said. He took out a key I recognized as the one Dane had used to lock the band on my wrist. “He thinks she left with me and by the time he finds out, he’ll just think she wanted to put it all behind her and stay away from him.”
“You fucking asshole,” I shrieked. “How could you do that to him after all you know—”
“Shut the hell up,” Elliott said through gritted teeth. He came over and clasped the sides of my face. His eyes bore into mine. “Or will we need to drug you again?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Like I told you before: you try to escape, and I’ll turn everything upside down to find you.”
I blinked at him in confusion. What he said was close to what he’d told me before.
Did that mean he was there to help me, or was this more betrayal? I wouldn’t risk it.
I jerked away, and his head nodded before he swung back around to Vincent. “See? A pain in the ass. That’s why I want rid of her. Dane seemed to like the challenge.”
Vincent shrugged. “I’m with Dane—I like them feisty. You should see the one that came over from our European chapter. She was a spitfire when I saw her once before, a few years ago, but now she’s kind of slow.”
I swallowed. Angel.
“If she’s that messed up, why not cut her loose?” Elliott asked. The sound of sirens temporarily made it hard to hear Vincent’s answers. My heart beat harder when they came close, but then the sound faded again.
“I got a call to pick her up for the trade today,” he said as he sat down on a lounge chair next to me. “The man that had Angel kept her too long and was stupid. It happens sometimes. He’s in the hospital over here, getting surgery for something rare. We are planning to kick him out. So, we hope to find one of you to take her. He had picked out Dane, and even wanted us to do a video stream so he could see her going to him, but Dane brought Gia and was an ass about hiding her, so he’s out. I head up the trade shows. I decide who gets to play.”
I sneered at him. Vincent was full of shit as much as he was of information. He wouldn’t say his name, but what the man who’d kept Angel had against Dane was apparently personal. The Agency wasn’t just about taking women; it was also about revenge. The absolute cruelty of the man who’d kept Angel for years made me cringe. He must have known all along who she was, and Dane, possibly the real Dane…Dane Prescott. It made me sick to think he wanted to watch Dane be destroyed by seeing what he and his buddies had reduced Angel to. If that weren’t horrible enough, he’d also meet the child he never knew.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Elliott said, and they laughed together. “But you shouldn’t talk in front of her.”
Vincent shrugged. “Why not? She can’t go home. I might as well keep her…it’s a shame Angel’s keeper is sick,” Vincent said then turned to me. “He does good training. When he recovers, I might let him have Gia for a week before we kick him out.”
His calloused fingers stroked my cheek and I swiped his hand away.
He scoffed. “I’m too old for brats. When you start behaving like an angel, you will have more freedom. Could someone get her some e-comply?”
Whatever these men did had made Angel go insane. I wasn’t taking any more drugs or giving in.
I stood up, and Elliott grabbed my sore arms. “Sit down.”
I jerked out of his hold. “I’m not going to sit here and let him drug and rape me. I don’t care about money, lifestyle, or any of this shit. Just take it all and let me go.”
“Whatever you want to do, Vince,” Elliott offered, ignoring me.
Vincent held up his hand. “Someone get in here now.” He called out for a guard again, but no one came. I looked around for a way out as minutes passed.
Elliott grumbled as I twisted in his hold again. “What’s taking so long?”
“I’ll be back.” Vincent pushed the door wider and walked through the gap, yelling, “Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”
I took a step away from Elliott, and he took my arm back.
“Do you know it’s Angel upstairs? She’s lost her mind and she has Dane’s little girl. She’s here in this horrible place. How could you?” I choked.
He put his hand over my mouth. “Shut up or I’ll gag you.” He removed his hand but quickly took hold of my arms.
I stomped the heel of my stiletto into the top of his shoe. “I hate you. You will all rot in hell for this.”
He didn’t even flinch. “Good, you’ve stopped trying to find my good side.”
“You don’t have one,” Marco said, and then he laughed as he came through the door holding up a syringe. “Uncle Vincent had to go check on something. We can start the party first.”
Elliott let go of my arms and placed his hands on my shoulders, moving me flush against his body.
“Let her go,” Marco commanded. “I want her to fight me again.”
I sneered. Oh, please let him, Elliott. I’ve got fight for him.
Elliott smiled at me. “You heard him. He wants a fight.”
I didn’t hesitate. I jumped onto Marco and we fell to the floor together, hard. He shifted around to try to find the syringe he’d dropped, but I was back on him, hitting, scratching, ripping at his clothing. I was doing anything I could to stop him from getting a hold of the drug again.
“You fucking bitch.” He hissed and pushed me hard in the chest, knocking me off him.
I fell back in pain and gasped for breath.
“What the hell?” A guard came in and Elliott rushed over and knocked him over on his side. I pulled at the fabric of the dress to free it from under Marco, who was fighting to get a hold of me. He tugged hard against my grasp, tearing the material covering my waist.
I kicked out with my legs, but the long dress made it hard to connect with his body. He didn’t have the same problem. His leg kicked out and landed on my sore ribs, and I screamed in agony.
“You will pay for this, bitch,” Marco hissed.
I smirked. Guess he hadn’t expected a real fight.
Marco was quick to straddle my body and pin me down. “Don’t bother looking for Elliott. He won’t be around to help you any time soon,” he said roughly.
I reached between his legs and grabbed hold of his balls then squeezed with all I had.
Marco yelled out, “You’re dead!” Then he grabbed my neck and squeezed.
I clawed with my fingers and twisted my body under him.
Elliott came into my line of sight behind him. He had the syringe in his hand.
“Elliott, get out of here now. You know you’re done,” Marco told him as he struggled to keep a hold of me. “You interfere, and we’ll kill you both.”
Elliott plunged the syringe into Marco’s arm. “Vincent won’t be coming back. This is an FBI raid, motherfucker.”
Marco’s eyes bulged, and he tried to hit at Elliott but was too slow.
Elliott stood and kicked him over to his side. I scooted across the carpet away from him, my breath labored as I tried to understand what Elliott had said to him. “You’re…FBI?”
Elliott smiled. “I’ll explain later.”
He kicked Marco in the ribs. “That’s for hurting Gia, though it still isn’t enough.” I gaped at him as he patted Marco down until he found a gun strapped to his lower leg. He removed it from the holster and armed it.
My mouth dropped open. I hadn’t even considered that he could be armed. “He could have killed me.”
“This is not the time,” he said. “I need to go see what’s going on.”
My eyes darted from Marco to the doorway. “Don’t leave me in here,” I stammered.
He cupped my face. “Marco will be out for hours. I’ll push the guard out and block the doors. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. We will leave here together.”
“Yes. You both will be leaving.” Vincent appeared at the door with a police officer behind him. “You’re under arrest.”