Chapter Eleven
Donata James couldn’t believe that she was in some shithole village in the middle of Pakistan. What had her brother, Kyle, gotten them into? Where was Ellis, his partner and best friend? Who were these men that they had planned on doing business with in New Delhi? She had a shit load of questions, and no answers. These men forced her to wear something over her head, face, and body, hiding her western attire and figure. She never would have accepted helping Kyle with this business trip if she had known where they were headed and that he was dealing with terrorists. That’s what they had to be, a bunch of damn terrorists. She was so scared, and not used to the large guns, the security, and the cold expressions the men gave her. There was hatred there and at first she thought maybe they just were distrusting of Americans, but she quickly learned it was their hatred of Americans and the civilized world she came from.
Donata hadn’t said a word or asked any questions until Kyle had been taken into a separate room and she was left alone, sitting in a single chair as three men stared at her, holding guns and looking capable of anything. The large knives on their sides, the dirty faces, and clothing told her they were soldiers of a different kind. That these men killed, and it was a common thing for them. She tried not to show intimidation or fear, but how could she not? She was a business woman, a CPA, bookkeeper, and office organizer for her brother’s company Ellis James Enterprises. She only came into the position a year ago when he lost his other accountant to some sort of car accident. It was tragic, and trying to wade through that guy’s work and poor organization skills had taken months, but she did it. The company’s books were up to par.
She could hear some yelling. An argument of some kind was going on behind that door where her brother was. She couldn’t totally hear what was being said.
“Where is Ellis? We did what you asked and what you paid for. Everything is in place in the city for when you arrive, what is this all about?”
“It isn’t setup the way we wanted and paid for. The distribution will not be successful with that asshole skimming off the top.”
“Skimming off the top? Ellis? Why would you think that?”
“The money is missing. The shipment never made it to where it was supposed to go until four days later and it was lighter, Kyle. You steal from Admere and you die. It’s pretty fucking simple.”
“I didn’t steal from Admere. If you let me talk to Ellis I can try to find out what happened. There’s no reason to be holding us here like hostages. My sister hasn’t done anything.”
“She was with you, so she is guilty, too. Ellis is being handled. You will see, so you, too, will understand the seriousness of double crossing Admere and his associates.”
She heard a grunt, then her bother yell out.
The door to the room opened. They said something in their language and she didn’t know what it was, but they were pissed off. Didn’t need a translator for that. Her throat clogged up, her heart raced and Kyle landed on the floor a few feet in front of her, all bloodied and beaten. His lip was swollen and bleeding, his eye was red and swelling up fast. He looked up at her.
“I’m sorry, Donata. I don’t know what Ellis did. I’m so sorry you’re part of this,” he said and then laid on the floor in pain. She went to move off chair to be by him, to get more information from him, but one of the guards grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up.
“Let go of me,” she demanded and he yanked her harder and toward the room her brother came from.
“No. Not my sister. No, she doesn’t know a thing. She isn’t part of this.” Kyle pushed himself up only for the other guard to kick him down and put a rifle against his head.
“No,” she screamed out.
“She’s with you, then she’s part of this,” the one guy by the door said and stared into her eyes as he licked his lips.
“Let’s get acquainted, Donata, and decide if you live or if you die.”
* * * *
“Everything is set for the meeting with Yoplai Kornocove and his people. I’m not certain what exactly he wants to negotiate, but he claims it will be of your interest the most, Cobra,” Hadeon Skolnova told him.
“Is that supposed to intrigue us?” Cobra asked and looked at his brothers as well as Paulo and Andriy. They were at the Grand Hotel, Alessa was downstairs in the banquet hall setting up her pastry table for the upscale event. She was exhausted, up all night and day baking and making their penthouse smell like a sweet shop. Cobra was proud of her, and also concerned. She wouldn’t accept their financial backing or any assistance except help with deliveries and massages. He hid his smile. She was tough, had worked hard to achieve her dream, and it was in reach. She went over her financial situation with them and she planned on sitting down with Gisella tomorrow to get an idea of buildings for rent and what everything would cost on a monthly basis. She wanted to know the risks, like any smart business person did.
“Maybe this has something to do with the new strip of buildings we purchased with Fedarro and Collin? Yoplai could want to keep the operation he’s running in the one location,” Lenox said to them.
“What operation?” Andriy asked.
“The little drug factory in a basement of the building where the bodega and pizza place is. It’s a pretty nice set up. No one has a clue it’s there,” Lenox said.
“He mentioned something about a storefront, and liking it. With that new strip we purchased, we have a few different operations and additional side income coming in if we allow those business owners to continue what they’re doing. Roman and I were thinking that Roberto knew about those businesses, as well, and saw money signs, the greedy fuck, never mind revenge,” Cobra told them.
“We don’t leave loose ends when we have a job to do,” Hadeon said to Cobra in that thick Russian accent, teasing him, as if saying he was a better enforcer than Cobra.
“Who said anything about loose ends?” Roman asked.
Hadeon chuckled.
“At least you got the girl,” Paulo added to the conversation.
Ziek chuckled and looked at his watch. “We sure did. When the hell is this guy getting here? We don’t want to be away from Alessa for long.”
“Awe, isn’t that sweet,” Hadeon said.
“Look who’s talking? I do believe that the three of you get pretty damn antsy when Fina is nowhere in sight,” Lenox said to them.
“We have security with her. How about you?” Hadeon asked.
“No need for her to have security other than what you have down there. She’s a pastry chef setting up her display in the main catering hall,” Roman said to them, and then Yoplai and his men arrived. They all shook hands in greeting and gathered inside of the meeting room.
“I just want to begin by saying I hope we can come up with some sort of agreement and deal. That we can do business together and I can keep my business going in the neighborhood. I don’t want to wind up like other people who have done you wrong in business,” Yoplai said and gave a wink.
Cobra didn’t know what he meant by that.
“What’s this all about?” Cobra asked.
“It’s about the business I’m sure you know about and knew about before purchasing the strip of buildings with Fedarro and Collin. It’s been there for years, it’s quite lucrative, I have security measures in place, and I’d like to keep it.”
“What’s your offer to us and the Fiorres?” Roman asked.
“Thirty percent.”
“Just by a glimpse, it looks like a few hundred thousand dollar operation. Plus we had some trouble with Alvarez Colon a few weeks back and him thinking that we were lenient and turning a blind eye to the activities. We weren’t, and there are things that need to get cleaned up in that neighborhood. There’s an order of power and authority, Yoplai, and we intend on enforcing it,” Cobra stated firmly.
“You won’t have any more problems with Alvarez. I can promise you that.”
“So he works for you? He’s your distributor?” Roman asked.
“Amongst other things. He knows that you all own that neighborhood now. He won’t be a problem, especially after hearing about that attorney and your woman’s ex,” Yoplai stated.
Cobra’s chest tightened. First, for the statement about his woman, it was going to take some getting used to. Then the possessive, protective feeling that washed over him, knowing that word was spreading quickly that Alessa belonged to him, his brother, and cousins. And third, the indication of the danger associated with Cobra and his team.
“What do you mean?” Cobra asked.
Yoplai leaned forward. “The so called suicides, by both lawyers who stood in your way of getting that property.”
“What suicides?” Roman asked, and Yoplai’s eyes widened and he cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry. I assumed that you had something to do with that. I apologize,” he said, looking embarrassed.
“Wait, what fucking suicides?” Cobra asked, feeling his gut clench with instant concern.
“Roger Preston and Calvin Froster. They were found dead this morning. Alone in their apartments, suicide notes asking for forgiveness for having sex with underage girls and being part of some kind of child porn thing. I don’t know all the details, but there were photos, notes, even video or something. Their families are pretty prominent ones and the scandal should hit media sources shortly.”
“Holy shit,” Roman said and looked at Cobra. He pulled out his cell phone.
“Alessa,” he said to his brother and cousins. They all got up.
Hadeon pulled out his cell.
“Corporal, where is Alessa Preston at the moment?” Hadeon asked his security, keeping his eyes glued to Cobra’s, who was already by the door.
“Find her, stay close to her, and call me back immediately,” Hadeon said.
“Roberto. Fuck, he didn’t leave the fucking state. He waited to make a fucking move,” Roman stated angrily.
“We don’t know that. Let’s not assume anything. Let’s just find Alessa,” Cobra stated and they hurriedly left the meeting room with security.
* * * *
“This looks and smells incredible, Alessa. I’m so happy for you,” Fina said to her as Alessa started working on the third tier of pastries on the display. There were two adjoining tables with additional platters and she needed to head back into the kitchen for the other things.
“Thank you so much. I can’t believe how busy I have been.”
“Busy is good. When do you think you can open your own shop?” Fina asked.
“I don’t know. I’m going to sit down with Gisella tomorrow and talk about cost of things like rent, overhead, and whatever. She has a better idea of the real estate market then I do.”
“Gisella sure does. What about this new relationship you’re in? I can’t believe it. Cobra, Roman, Lenox, and Ziek. Enforcers, Alessa, my God, who would ever think they would finally stop resisting their attraction to you and just go for it.”
“Yeah well, it wasn’t exactly romance and flowers in the beginning.”
“You mean that guy Roberto you were with? He was a good looking older man. Very wealthy from my understanding.”
“An asshole in disguise,” she said and Fina chuckled.
“We’ve met a lot of assholes over the years, Alessa. Let’s be glad we weren’t foolish enough to marry them or fall in love with them.”
“I know. When I think about it now, I was trying to make my life perfect, and have everything in order. I wanted this control and I think I wanted to see something in Roberto that wasn’t really there. My heart was always numb with him but with Ziek, Lenox, Roman, and Cobra, my God, I was a nervous wreck. I still am. I mean Roman and Cobra intimidate me big time, yet completely rock my world. Then Ziek and Lenox, who could be just as badass and intense, do these sweet little things for me and it’s so unbelievable.”
“So they’re sweethearts behind their masks of darkness and intimidation? Kind of like three men I know,” Fina said.
“Honey, you have three Russian hotties who could do some serious damage. I can see the security watching over you,” Alessa said and Fina chuckled.
“I love them so much. I don’t mind their protectiveness. You’ll probably have that, too, soon enough.”
“Security? Why?” Alessa asked.
“I think your men are transitioning into roles that entail them to be bosses. They’re moving up on the ladder of authority and power. This meeting has something to do with it. I’m not too sure.”
“I don’t really know what the meeting is about. I realized that they want to know everything about me and my business and I’m limited to knowing about theirs.”
“That’s life with made men, but at least they’re loyal to us. They won’t stray, they will move heaven and earth to protect us and keep us safe. None of that other stuff matters. Besides, they seem very supportive with your profession and desires to be a business owner of your own. That right there tells you how good of men they are,” Fina stated and Alessa smiled.
“So what else is new? I tried calling Donata twice and got no response, not even a text,” Fina said to her.
“I left three messages and got nothing. Gisella said she got her voicemail, too.”
“I’m worried.”
“Me, too, Fina, but what do we do?”
“Maybe have the guys call her brother’s company office and find out where they went. I think she was going on a business trip with him and his partner. I just don’t know where.”
“Knowing Donata, it was probably someplace exotic. She would not go on a business trip to just anywhere,” Alessa said and Fina chuckled.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to decorating everything. It looks awesome.”
“Thanks. I’m almost finished. I just forgot the sparkles I wanted to add to the table cloth.”
“Okay, I’ll catch you in a couple of hours and we’ll do lunch.”
“Yes, with all the guys I think Cobra said.”
“Great. See you later,” Fina stated and Alessa glanced up from placing a few more flowers around the display and saw the security guys leaving with Fina. She was talking to them, laughing and smiling, and Alessa wondered if her men would want her to have security, too? It made her feel nervous. She should probably ask them about their new positions and what things could change for them and for her. After all, she was moving into their penthouse and she told her landlord she was moving and gave the last month’s rent to him. Things were moving fast and it made her feel nervous for taking the chance, but she trusted Cobra, Roman, Ziek, and Lenox. In fact, she was pretty sure she loved them, but feared their reactions. They were so serious and didn’t like showing any form of weakness. She understood that. Hell, their attitudes and denial of this committed relationship had pushed her further away from them. She shook the thoughts from her head. That was in the past. Her future looked bright with her men, and they were supportive of her business venture. Now to a time line of getting it complete. She couldn’t wait to sit down and talk with Gisella, and maybe even look at some real estate options.
She realized she needed those sparkles and headed across the empty banquet room and to the little room outside of the kitchen area. As she walked inside and bent down to check in her bags, she heard the door creak open. Shocked to see Parker there, he smirked.
“Alessa, we need to go now. We don’t have much time,” he said, stalking toward her.
“What? No. Get away from me,” she stated and stepped back. He went to grab her and she yanked her arm free and went to run past him. As she opened the door, he slammed against her back. She cried out as her cheek banged hard against the door, throbbing pain making her let go of the handle and then she felt the prick to her neck. “I didn’t want to drug you, but you’ve given me no choice,” he said.
“No, oh God, no, please Parker. Please.” She was in a complete panic as she felt the instant burning sensation travel through her veins and into her system. She didn’t know how she felt it, or if it was psychosomatic, but her fears were becoming a reality. Being drugged again. Not knowing what she would say or do or what could be done to her. Parker worked for Roberto. Roberto was orchestrating this. He was taking her away from her men to seek his revenge.
“No,” she said, but couldn’t fight Parker. He guided her down the hallway and then out to the exit. A guy was standing there wearing a uniform associated with the hotel. An inside operation. Her legs slightly gave out and she had to grip onto him.
“I know it works fast. I didn’t want to do it, but you gave me no choice. The fucking Russians own this place.” He hauled her against his hip and out the door. She saw the guards face and he looked scared shitless. They got out to the SUV and Lane was driving.
“Hurry the fuck up,” Lane yelled.
She swung her arms but they felt like noodles, no strength or accuracy as they hit his arm and chest. Parker lifted her up and shoved her into the backseat before he came inside with her. She fell to the seat, her face against the leather and she reached up for the handle of the door but couldn’t reach it. The SUV sped off and she watched in slow motion as her fingertips slipped from the handle and fell lower until they hit the seat. The area spun, she moaned and rolled to her back and tried getting up but couldn’t. She felt so out of her body and then she touched herself on the chest and could hardly feel her hand. She cried.
“Easy now. You’ll be okay. It will wear off by the time we get to the house upstate. You’ll like it there, Alessa. Roberto is waiting for you.”
“No. Help me. Don’t bring me to him,” she said, her words sounding slurred to her own ears.
“Rest. Close your eyes and enjoy the ride,” he said and smiled as he leaned over her looked at her chest and cupped her breast.
“Holy fuck, you’re huge. Roberto is fucking lucky. If he’s smart he won’t kill you right away, he’ll enjoy you,” he said and she rolled away from him and nearly fell off the seat. He pulled her back over and lifted her thighs over his thighs. She could hardly feel anything but saw what he was doing and she saw that look in his eyes. His hand began to move up and down her inner calf and higher.
“Don’t. Don’t touch me,” she mumbled.
“It’s an hour ride. That’s going to be impossible,” he said and tears rolled down her face and the exhaustion increased, making her close her eyes and then try to force them open.
“Don’t fight it, Alessa. That shit is strong stuff. This will be our little secret. Our time alone in the backseat before you face your destiny and future with the boss. God damn, I’m jealous.”
“Quit it Parker, or Roberto will be pissed,” Lane said from the driver’s seat.
“You aren’t seeing or feeling what I am, Lane. Before we get to the house, you may want to come back here and feel and see for yourself what prize Roberto is getting.”
“That good, huh?” Lane asked.
“Her tits alone will make you want to fuck her.”
“Shit. We can’t do that, but maybe do a little exploring,” Lane said his voice getting deeper, and more scrambled in her head. Were they going to touch her? Rape her? No, please no, she thought as darkness overtook her.
* * * *
“Where did they take her, asshole! Where?” Cobra yelled at the guy he held in a death grip against his neck.
“Don’t kill him, Cobra, it will be too much of a fucking mess. We got the security tapes and the license plate of the SUV. We’ll find her,” Hadeon said, and Cobra roared and then lowered the guy down and slugged him in the stomach.
“How much did they pay you to open this fucking door and help them abduct our woman?” Roman yelled at him and struck the guy in the face.
He fell to the rug. “Nothing. I owed Roberto. He had shit on me.”
“What the fuck else is new. Obviously he had shit on Roger and Calvin, too. Fuck,” Ziek stated.
“We have men on it, and you do, too. Fedarro and Collin are in contact with everyone and we’ll get a location on that SUV. We’ll find her, Cobra,” Andriy said to him.
“Roberto wants revenge. He wants Alessa in his bed, and now he’ll achieve both. Those guys drugged her. You saw that and she must be so scared. She hasn’t been the same since the club incident months ago,” Ziek said to Hadeon and Andriy.
“I know. Fina told us she was struggling. You guys have been helping her. Together we’ll find out where these assholes took her and you can end this shit once and for all,” Paulo said to them.
“Roberto is going to die. That’s how we end this all,” Cobra said.
* * * *
Hours. Three fucking hours and nothing yet. Not a sign of where they took her, of where Roberto could be. Everyone was using their powers, their connections to send word that Roberto Simi abducted Alessa, their woman, and also killed Roger Preston and Calvin Froster.
They were in the meeting room at the hotel and Ziek was sick to his stomach with fear and anger. Alessa had gone through so much already, and now this. Roberto was a dead man no matter what happened. Ziek couldn’t stop his mind from thinking the worst. That Roberto would rape her, torture her, and eventually kill her. Here they were, him, Roman, Cobra, and Lenox, in love for the very first time in their lives, where they let down their guard and opened up their hearts, ultimately placing her in danger because of their enemies. It wasn’t fair. They didn’t give her a choice. Hadn’t really thought about providing her with safety like Hadeon and his brothers provided for Fina and their other friends provided for their women. Things had to change, but was it too late.
Cobra’s phone began to ring and everyone looked. They were all on edge, just waiting for some kind of clue to where Roberto took her. They weren’t at his penthouse. It was cleared out and he didn’t take his private jet anywhere, or his yacht. He must have traveled by car somewhere. But where was the question.
“Hello?” Cobra said into the phone and held Ziek’s gaze. His cheeks caved in as if he were clenching his teeth.
“The girlfriend said this? You think it’s legit? What’s the address?” he asked, and Hadeon passed him pen and paper. Cobra wrote it down and Paulo picked it up and then started typing on the laptop.
“Yoplai, if this works out, and that woman is right, we’ll meet again to negotiate terms in your favor, no problem. I’ll keep you posted.” He ended the call.
“What is it?” Lenox asked.
“I got it up here now. A private estate in the woods upstate New York. Not far from the Adirondacks,” Paulo stated.
“A woman who was dating Calvin and apparently met Alessa found out about Calvin’s suicide and that Roberto was responsible. Apparently, she knew of this place he had that no one knew of. It’s where he takes women for the weekend and screws. Supposedly he has a whole set up and is into crazy shit. We need to fucking move fast,” Cobra said.
“Crazy shit? I don’t like the fucking sound of that,” Ziek stated.
“Whatever you need, you have our resources,” Hadeon told him.
“First of all, we can’t bum rush that place. We don’t know what kind of security he might have installed, or how many guards if any. That’s going to take some time,” Roman stated.
“We can’t wait too long. She’s been there over an hour if these coordinates are accurate on here,” Cobra said and pointed to the screen.
“We can get that surveillance in quickly enough if we call Lotus,” Lenox suggested.
Ziek swallowed hard. “He still up that way?” he asked.
“He’s closer than we are and can be there in minutes to evaluate what he can with his brothers. Then we can gather what we need here and head out,” Cobra said.
“We could go by helicopter and land a few miles away making our route easier and saving a shit load of time. I can call Fedarro and get him to set it up at the heliport three blocks from here,” Lenox suggested.
“Let’s do it. Let’s get to Alessa as quickly as we can. I’ll call Lotus,” Lenox said and walked away with his phone against his ear.
Ziek looked at Roman, Cobra, and the others.
“The longer he has Alessa with him, the more damage he can do. Do you really think he has some high-tech security system in place and even guards? He’s such a pompous asshole, he more than likely thinks we would never find him,” Ziek asked.
“You may not have as quickly without that woman’s help and Yoplai’s, but eventually we would have tracked them down. No need to focus on that. Let’s get men ready to go,” Hadeon said.
“No,” Cobra said and Ziek squinted his eyes at him and everyone got quiet.
“Me, Ziek, Roman, and Lenox go in alone and we take Roberto out. This ends today. No witnesses, no noise. We do this like we’ve been trained to do,” Cobra stated and they agreed as Lenox walked back into the room.
“He can get there in fifteen minutes. He thinks he knows exactly where the place is. Very secluded and only used on the weekends here and there.”
“Holy shit. He knows the place?” Hadeon asked.
“Lotus and his brothers are special forces guys. They know that entire area and probably further out in all directions. They are not men to mess with, or underestimate. I told him what was going on. He offered to go in and do things for us. I told him to hold off, that we were on our way and we just needed him to evaluate the security and ways to infiltrate. He said they would be there to assist if there were other guards, too.”
“Sounds like you have this covered,” Paulo said to them.
“Until Alessa is in my arms, alive and safe, anything can happen. Let’s move,” Cobra ordered and they all headed out of the room ready to take back their woman and seek their own revenge, ending this danger forever.
* * * *
Alessa could hear the voices and the music, and she knew the drugs wore off. She didn’t make a sound or open her eyes, worried that Roberto could be right there watching her, waiting for her to show signs of waking and then he would pounce. She needed to try and gain her strength, but as she went to move her arms she felt the bindings, then jerked as the fingers touched her chin.
“You’re awake,” he said to her and straddled her waist. She blinked her eyes open and pretended to be dazed.
“You need to wake up, Alessa. You have some punishments coming before I claim this body as my own.”
“No,” she whispered and he gripped her jaw and lowered down close to her face.
“You will obey me and accept what I do to you. You’ll learn my touch, the sound of my commands, and you will comply willingly.”
“Fuck you,” she spat at him and he lifted up and slapped her face. She gasped, the tears immediately fell from her eyes and anger pooled in her belly. She went to strike him and her arms slammed back down. He smirked and held onto her hips, rubbing them and then cupping her breasts.
“You can’t do a damn thing. I’m in charge. I’m always in charge when I come up here. You’ll obey like the others. You’ll stay the longest,” he said to her and pinched her nipples.
“No. No, I won’t. You’re a monster.”
He lifted up and off of her. “You have no idea,” he said to her and she looked down, noticing her dress was lifted to her hips. Her top was undone and her breasts were pouring from her bra. He walked over to the closet and opened up the doors. She gasped seeing metal things, rope, chains, whips, and an assortment of things she knew nothing about. Tears stung her eyes, her belly quivered in fear and uncertainty.
“Why are you doing this, Roberto? Why?”
“You know damn well why!” he roared and she squeezed her eyes shut as he threw something at her. The object, some sort of spiked thing, hit her belly. It was heavy, sharp, and she wondered if it cut her. She coughed and he was right there next to her, snapping a belt.
“I do believe Calvin whipped you into submission that night you pissed him off,” he said so evilly she cringed.
“What? How did you know?”
“I know everything. Men talk, and when Calvin knew I wanted you he told me how you pretend to be so sweet, but you actually like it rough. He said you like being restrained, drugged, and taken from behind, treated like a whore.”
Tears spilled from her eyes and she shook her head.
“I didn’t want to believe it but then you fucked those four men, and I knew it must be true. I knew you were extra special because those four men are my enemies and I sought revenge on them.” He snapped the belt against her belly and she cried out.
“Things changed. It didn’t work out as planned, but I got the next best thing. Their weakness. You.” He slapped the belt against the bed this time making her scared, making her beg for mercy. He was purposely not striking her again. He wanted her begging, asking for forgiveness maybe.
“I’m sorry, Roberto. I didn’t know that you hated them.”
He was right next to her, undoing the buttons the rest of the way. She raised her hands but they fell back down.
“No, Roberto. Please, don’t hurt me.”
He slid his palm along her bare skin on her belly that was red and sore already. “This is going to be nice and red. Your skin is perfect and doesn’t blemish quickly because of your olive complexion.”
He slid his palm down her thigh and she tightened up. He jerked it out hard. She gasped and felt the pain. He grabbed something from the floor, still holding her leg in place and he wrapped rope around her ankles. She kicked at him and he slammed the belt against her stomach making her cry out. It wasn’t too hard of a strike in his odd position, but she couldn’t let him tie her legs down and wide open. He would touch her, rape her. Tears streamed down her face and she pulled together all her might in her right leg and as he bent to tie the rope to the corner post she kicked him with her right leg directly in the head. He stumbled back and she screamed out. He roared and yelled, came at her like some maniac, and all she had as a weapon was her foot. She kicked and kicked, hitting him in the side, causing him to pull back and then he struck her across the mouth, stunning her.
He roared and raged but didn’t attack. Instead, he started throwing things and breaking things. He lost his mind. The man was a nut case and she was going to die.
* * * *
“We knew one day you would need us,” Lotus stated as they stood in the woods adjacent to the house. It was getting dark out, and from here they could see the three guards outside the house.
“We needed eyes and ears on the place faster than we could accomplish. Our woman is in there. How does it look?” Cobra asked him and his brothers.
“We can take the right, eliminate the three guards there. Two are inside, maybe a third. You can take those and then Roberto,” Lotus said to them.
They nodded and loaded their weapons. They were dressed in black gear, prepared to do what they knew how to do best. Eliminate enemies. Lenox’s heart was pounding inside of his chest. He never got this way before. It was because of Alessa. Because she was the one in danger and she was their woman, their responsibility. As Lotus and his brothers took out the three guards, Cobra and Roman took the front entryway and Lenox and Ziek took the side. Sure enough, there were several men hanging around the stairs to the basement. He and Lenox took them out, the silencers keeping things quiet. As Roman and Cobra came toward them from the front and Lotus and his brothers secured the upstairs, they heard the screams.
“Fuck, move,” Cobra whispered and they opened the door, heading down the stairs slowly when they saw Roberto straddling Alessa, pushing up her dress, his fingers between her legs. Her screams filled the air and the shots rang out, hitting Roberto as he fell to the floor and off of her. Alessa continued to scream and cry, her voice cracking and growing hoarse.
“Alessa. We’re here, baby. We’re here,” Ziek said and Lenox blinked. Saw the damage to her face, her skin, and the cuts and scratched between her legs.
“Ziek.” She cried and sobbed uncontrollably as they undid the bindings with Lotus and the others’ help.
“What the fuck did he do to her? Fuck,” Roman roared.
“Get her out of here and get her medical attention. We’ll take care of this,” Lotus said to them.
Lenox swallowed the bile trying to make its way up his throat. The sights, the sounds of torture and pain, would haunt his dreams at night.
“We got it. Go. No one will know she was ever here. That any of us were,” Lotus told them.
As Lenox gathered her up in his arms, she moaned and cried, held him tight and shook in shock from it all. They headed out of there, knowing that Lotus and his team knew how to handle this and it would be one less thing to worry about. Their focus on Alessa and making sure she was okay.
“Call Victor. Have him on standby,” Roman said to Cobra as they headed down the path and to the SUV. They got her inside and she continued to sob and shake so profusely they were all worried.
“You’re safe now, Alessa. He can never hurt you again. No one will ever hurt you again. We promise to protect you. We promise,” Roman told her.
Lenox locked gazes with his brother and his cousins. Their expressions mimicking his own emotions and viewing of the ordeal. She could have been raped. Roberto’s hand was between her legs. She was beaten, bloody, restrained on a bed in a basement with all those tools, those sex toys, devices, whips, and chains. The welts along her belly indicated she had been struck with something. And Roberto’s face was red and battered, too, as if she got some shots in. That would haunt his dreams and he would always fear for her safety. She was too sweet, too delicate and precious to have experienced such terror. Lenox knew that they needed to protect her better. That they all had enemies, even ones they might not know were planning to attack. He looked at her, shaking and moaning, crying against his chest as Scotch drove the SUV and Maddor talked to Fedarro on the cell phone.
She was safe now. They would be by her through all of this and help her to get through the fear and the pain. She was their woman, and nothing else was as important or priority then Alessa.