Chapter Ten
“You’re torturing me on purpose now,” Mandy said.
She stood in the middle of the apartment dressed in some weird ensemble that had feathers peeking out of the back. It was horrible. The fabric irritated her skin.
Blake and Jamie were both laughing as they took pictures.
“I’m not wearing this.”
“We know you’re not, but it was so funny to see if we could get you into it. I totally win, by the way,” Blake said.
She watched as Jamie handed him over twenty dollars. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How could you bet on something like this?”
“Quite easily. Don’t worry, darling. You don’t have to wear that. I told Jamie we’d get you into it, but he said that we’d not be able to do that. I win.”
She rolled her eyes and moved behind the partition they had built for her to have some privacy. She removed the garment, and then an arm appeared around the frame. They were both so sweet. She took the dress from him and began to work it over her body. This was a shade of deep blue. It was a dark and eerie color. The fabric molded to her size sixteen curves, which she was ever so impressed with. She no longer had to earn the right to eat.
The dress dipped at the back, and was modest at the front. She loved it so much.
Stepping around the partition, she smiled at the two men. “What do you think?”
She nibbled her lip, really liking this one and hoping they felt the same.
“That is beautiful,” Jamie said. “You look stunning.”
“That’s the dress,” Blake said, agreeing.
They snapped a couple of pictures, and seconds later they both smiled. “Lewis agrees.”
“You’ve been giving him a little view of the dresses?”
“It’s his right to look,” Jamie said.
“I’ll package these up.” Blake began to fold the dresses that had been sent to them.
Moving back behind the partition, she removed the dress, placing it carefully on the back of a chair as she changed back into a sweatshirt and joggers.
“So, erm, do you think this will work?” she asked, grabbing the dress. She found the hanger for it, and was careful as she placed it back, using the partition to keep it crease-free as it hung.
“We’re hoping it will draw him out, or get him to make mistakes.”
“Have you been getting people to check out the local docks or abandoned warehouses?” she asked, taking a seat.
“We’ve had everything triple-checked.” Jamie leaned back. “Lewis purchased all the available warehouses. There’s nothing in the surrounding city.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to him. No matter what. He has to be taken care of.” Mandy stared down at the ring he’d given her. At the island, he’d not had a ring on him. The first day they were back, before he’d even gone to work, he’d placed the engagement ring on her finger, and asked her to promise never to remove it.
“I want to be serious for a moment,” Blake said, taking a seat in front of her. “There’s a reason we want all of this to be public.”
She tucked her professionally dyed hair behind her ears and waited.
“All of this could be done without the need for publicity. Lewis has dodged the press for years. We all have in our own way. Our names are always linked to some model or something. It’s all rumor. No actual facts.”
“Okay, why are you doing this?”
“You get seen in public. Your face becomes recognized. We’re trying to do this for your added protection. You’re just a woman who is marrying the love of her life. No one needs to be any the wiser.”
“The case was a huge one, Blake. We can’t hide that forever.”
“It’s the case of a lifetime as well. Girl next door goes missing, and the guy of her dreams can’t give up. It can be spun any way we want. It’s the value of having a lot of money. We can do what we want. I’m already all over the press,” Blake said.
“He owns one of the newspapers. It’s why we can get certain things public and not others,” Jamie said.
She’d figured that out. There was a lot over the last few years that they were able to keep under wraps. It was kind of shocking how much, but she didn’t judge.
During her life, she had learned that all it took was enough money, fear, and violence, and anyone would do whatever the hell you wanted, no questions asked.
“What is the end game in all of this? Elijah and the men don’t walk in our circle.”
“But they might. There’s a reason this is an expensive business. We have reason to believe that they could be people we do business with.” Blake leaned forward, his hands pressed together. “We want two things from this. One, for you to be seen. In our minds that makes you well known. Public property, and not someone who is easily taken. Two, it will expose them. We’ll get to see who we’re up against.”
“Do you think they will come to the party?”
“We know that our contact is going to be there, and so is Robert. There’s a risk with this gala. So many big names, they’ve got no choice but to up the law enforcement there in case anything goes wrong.”
She took a deep breath. “Does Lewis know everything that you’re doing?”
“He knows some of it. He doesn’t know that Robert Jones is going to be there. Lewis isn’t the best actor when he knows what is expected of him. The element of surprise will help us,” Jamie said.
“So all I’ve got to do is be seen and play nice.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard now.”
“Of course not. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
She was terrified.
What if Elijah risked it to see her?
Could she handle seeing him?
Whatever happened, she needed this to end once and for all.
****
“You’re shaking,” Lewis said, taking hold of her hands. He’d never known her to be so afraid. Mandy was a strong woman. She’d been through so much that she rarely showed any kind of fear.
“It’s all new, you know. The press. The lifestyle. It’s all a little overwhelming at times.”
She stared out the window. All he wanted to do was protect her, to keep her demons away, but no matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t stop it.
“I thought we had gotten rid of the men who had kept you trapped.”
“Do you really want to talk about this now?”
Their driver was in the front, and they had privacy. “It could help to relax you. Talk to me, Mandy.”
She released a sigh. “There’s always men trained to do certain things. Mostly they’re like soldiers. They just keep an eye on the girls, and keep everything in order. There’s always so many of them. They’re more like guard dogs, to be honest. There to snap and bite if one of the women got away or had a little too much mouth on her. They keep the women in line. Then you have the men who train them. Some women are just sold. They work locally in brothels, or sent on the street. If you don’t get there, you’re sent to be trained. When you’re trained this means you’re put up for auction, and men all over the world can buy you. That’s not all. They sometimes are sent lists from buyers of the kinds of women they like. A shopping list, if you will. All of this is dealt with by one man. The one who runs everything, who pays the money to the guard dogs. That was Elijah. He was the one who owned me. Elijah took me, trained me, owned every single part of me. I wasn’t allowed to … be myself. I couldn’t have anything or do anything.” She released a breath, and he knew she was shaking inside. “He was the one who gave me the final beating. But he wasn’t the one who threw me in the cage.”
“He’s the monster you’re afraid of?” he asked.
“He took everything, and then he made me do things I’m not proud of, Lewis. I’ve never wanted to kill a man so much as I want to kill him. I know he’s here. I know he’s watching, and he’s waiting. I can feel it. Robert’s here, and he was always so loyal to him. I think it’s why I don’t hold much stock in the law or cops. They’re easily swayed. Throw them some cash, and they’ll look the other way.”
“They’re not all like that, sweetheart. Some of them are good.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve only ever known the shitty ones.” She rubbed her temple and leaned back. “I’m sorry. I thought being free would help me. That I’d feel different. Right now, I feel more trapped than ever before. Even now when he’s not near. He’s controlling.”
The car came to a slow stop.
“Feel any better?” he asked.
“The truth? Not really. Not at all.”
The press was outside, and they didn’t have time to keep on talking.
“Let’s go and show them we can do this together.” He climbed out of the car, trying not to glare at the photographers making him blind with the bright, flashing lights. Taking hold of Mandy’s hand, he helped her from the car, and the smile she gave him was utterly dazzling. Her hand was shaking, and together they were not exactly fit to be in front of the camera, but he played it.
Much to his embarrassment, Jamie had paid a visit to his office and told him exactly where he was going wrong, and what he could do to change everything. Being told how to stand, smile, and charm was not a course he wanted to be taking anytime soon.
“Make sure you keep your arm around her.”
“Every chance you get, smile at her.”
“Let the world see that you’re totally in love with her.”
“If you love her, and she loves you, the world will fall in love with you both.”
Cameron had giggled as she watched him, telling him to relax. That he was way too stiff to showcase his love for Mandy.
His love for Mandy was not a ploy or a tactic to get people to want him. He wanted to marry her, and was already looking at houses away from the city.
There was a life nearly within his grasp. He just had to fight a little harder to take it.
Entering the gala, they were surrounded by fellow businessmen, women, models, actresses, and anyone who was anyone.
It was a huge celebrity event, and this was the first time he’d come through the door. Mandy held his arm in a death grip as the rest of society smiled and whispered. Some were blatant in their pointing and stares.
Malcolm, one of the club men, was the first to come over. He shook Lewis’s hand and then kissed Mandy’s cheek, showing everyone that she was known. She was accepted, and no one was going to push her aside, or make her feel differently.
“We can do this,” Mandy said.
Leading her into the main room, they stayed together. Malcolm moved away, and then Jamie came close.
“You look dazzling, darling,” he said.
Mandy giggled. “You’re crazy and insane.”
The dress really was stunning. Lewis had been totally blown away when she came downstairs and asked him what he’d thought. He didn’t know how to respond, and now seeing some of the male stares, he wanted to wrap her up so that she was for his gaze only. He was a selfish bastard and didn’t want to share her.
“I think the feather dress would have been wonderful,” Lewis said, earning himself a little tap.
“Don’t be silly.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “You’d have never gotten me out of the apartment in that monstrosity.”
“I don’t know. You’d have been the talk of the night.”
“For all the wrong reasons,” Jamie said. “Make sure you come to me for advice on what’s worth wearing and what’s not.”
“Already noted. I don’t think I could handle his kind of fashion.”
Lewis smiled and found himself relaxing. He could do this. It was just another event. He had to put everything else out of his mind and just focus on Mandy.
The night wore on, and donations were made for priceless jewelry, art, and then of course the dinner. He found that with Mandy at his side, he could handle anything. After dinner, there was a small party, a dance with a band, and more donations.
It was there that Lewis began to lose his patience.
By Robert Jones.
Mandy tensed at his side, and she squeezed his arm a little tighter.
“Hello, Mr. Cox. We’ve not been properly introduced. I’ve got a few questions I’d like to ask you,” Robert said.
“I know of you, and I take great offense at having my private life invaded. This is a charity gala, and right now I don’t need to be talking about such matters.”
“It matters a great deal. It’s about her, Mandy.”
Lewis wasn’t impressed. One look toward Jackson, another club brother, and he was there. “I need to deal with this … person. Would you entertain Mandy for me?”
“Certainly.”
Lewis didn’t want her near one of the men who’d hurt her.
Turning his attention back to Robert, he stared at the man who had allowed women to be hurt. This was not a man he wanted in his presence, or that of his future wife.
“Are you a member of a club called the Billionaire Bikers MC?”
“What a ridiculous thing to say. You know, I’m curious if your boss is aware of your interference and general lack of social grace. We are at a charity gala, and I believe my office is private. All things that require a warrant, which you do not have.”
“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Robert said. “You know who I am, and I know who you are. You’re not just some rich businessman doing this for kicks. You’re the guy that went looking for her. The one that wouldn’t give up no matter what warnings you were given.”
Lewis recalled the first time that he was getting close, long before he made his first million. Even Mandy didn’t know about the beating he’d gotten for looking for her. Broken ribs, bruises, and a concussion were what he got for not going away.
He stepped forward. “You’re not dealing with a teenage boy completely filled with guilt. You’re dealing with a man who knows what he’s about.”
“You’re not going to win. That bitch belongs to my boss. He will have her.”
Lewis smiled. They were in a public place, and he knew that Robert was trying to get him to make the first move and hurt his reputation. Attacking a police officer was a criminal offense. His face would be all over the newspapers, and he’d get arrested.
He wasn’t without control.
“Why don’t you tell your boss to bring it on?” Lewis asked. “Let’s see how he can handle a man rather than a defenseless woman. Tell him to stop being a coward and face me himself.” He smiled. “Good talking with you.”
One day soon, he was going to kill Robert, and as he did, he was going to smile.
A billionaire he may be, but deep down, he was a ruthless fucking bastard who wanted to hurt everyone responsible for Mandy’s pain.
****
Mandy hated leaving Jackson, but she couldn’t hold in the need for the toilet. She’d not been able to stop anyone, and she knew she was stupid for rushing off, but she had to go.
Sitting down, she relieved herself and closed her eyes.
Not long to go and she and Lewis could be going home.
Finishing her business, she flushed the toilet and left the stall. There was no one around, and she didn’t like how uneasy she was becoming. Washing her hands, she saw him out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t jerk back or flinch. She finished washing her hands and used a paper towel to dry them.
“You look fantastic,” Elijah said, pointing to the dress. “I was never able to mark that pretty back of yours. That was something I didn’t think was necessary.”
She tossed the paper towel into the trash and then gave him her full attention. “I should have known you’d show up.”
“How could I not?” he asked, running his hand down his jacket. He looked like one of the toilet attending staff. They didn’t have to have anything other than a standard pass to get through. They kept the toilets clean, and men along with women were known to be available. Elijah was hiding in plain sight, just like always. If she screamed right now, it wouldn’t do her any good. Glancing up, she saw security cameras trained where they were standing. Elijah didn’t cover his face, but to anyone watching they were just having a discussion. He always was a slimy bastard when the need arose. “I thought you were dead, and now I hear that you’re engaged to be married to a very wealthy man.” He tutted. “I clearly didn’t train you well enough.”
She didn’t say anything else, just stared at the man who was her monster. He’d done everything to her, made her nothing more than a lapdog.
He chuckled and stared at her. “You know, one of the trainers we have, he took one look at you and said you weren’t trained at all. That I had failed and there was a fire that wouldn’t go until you died. I told him that he was wrong. That I could have you do anything I wanted, and I showed him, right? You remember?”
Again, she didn’t say anything. That was one of the nights he’d given her to the trainer, and she’d had to fight all of her instincts to keep subservient even as she was used as nothing more than a toy.
Her silence was starting to irritate him.
He didn’t like it when she had nothing to say to him, when she treated him like nothing, as if he didn’t deserve her words.
“You will be mine once again,” he said. “Do you think for a second that those men out there can keep you from me? That they won’t screw up, and then the opportunity arises, you won’t be exactly where you need to be. At my feet, serving me. Once I’ve done having my fun, I’ll be sure to send Lewis your pretty head, with no body of course.”
This time, Mandy did smile. He was grasping.
All of her life she had looked at this man as a monster. He was her jailer, and she had feared him. He made those around him fear him. At the moment, he didn’t have any other power than the kind that she let him have. Right now, he was slowly walking toward her, trying to make the room that little bit smaller.
She was tired of feeling like she was the one trapped in a cage.
They were on equal footing right now.
Pulling out of her frozen state, she stepped right up close to him, shocking him with her sudden advance.
“Let’s get one thing straight. You and I end up in that situation again, you will be the one on the floor licking your own blood. That trainer was right. Every single second of every single day I was with you, I thought of all the ways I could kill you. Go ahead, Elijah, kill me. Hit me. Do your worst. There’s a roomful of witnesses outside. They’re closing in on you and on Robert. Your days of being king are numbered. If you were smart, you’d get out and leave. But you and I both know you’re not smart. You’re stupid, and I was a fucking idiot to think that you were anything more than a pathetic excuse for a man.” She held her hand up, showing off her engagement ring. “Lewis is a man. He’s one hundred percent perfect. You, you’re a coward who gets power out of beating women. That doesn’t make strong. You’re weak. You’ve always been weak. You could never break me because I am strong, and you’re not!”
When he made to grab her, she shook her head, tutting. “Don’t forget, Elijah, someone might see.”
She had him. He’d wanted to come tonight to scare her, but all he did was show that with the Billionaire Bikers MC on his case, any power he had was slowly being stolen away. Slowly, he was dropping to nothing more than a kidnapper. A pathetic excuse for a man, and one she had no intention of being afraid of ever again.
The door opened, and there were some giggles.
Mandy didn’t wait around. She left the bathroom without a backward glance. Any hold that Elijah once had, crumbled. She held her head high, and moved toward Lewis, kissing him as the camera flashed in her face.
The game had changed. She was no longer the mouse, but the cat.
Elijah would come again, and so would Robert, but with Lewis and the Billionaire Bikers at her side, there was no chance of their enemies succeeding.
It was time to start hunting again.