CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Liv barely remembered Dante leaving her bed that morning.
She’d been groggy and disoriented from a lack of sleep, and she was sore in places she hadn’t been sore in a long time.
They’d fallen asleep on the beach, lulled by the crash of waves and the soft breeze. They’d only dozed for an hour or so, and he’d lifted her in his arms and carried her back to the bungalow, both of them completely naked. By the time he’d rinsed them both off in the outdoor shower, they were both wide-awake in more ways than one.
They’d spent the entire night making love and dozing, and she woke just as the sky was starting to pinken, only to feel his erection prodding against her backside. He’d lifted her leg and slid inside, his finger pressing against her clit as he rocked them both to orgasm. It seemed like days ago instead of mere hours. And she’d been so exhausted from the night of lovemaking she’d hardly stirred when he kissed her cheek, saying something about working the breakfast shift, and left her bed.
She’d spent the afternoon in the main house with the other women, having a spa day. She’d been massaged and been given a facial and a pedicure—all the while listening to the gossip, hoping to hear something that would lead her to the location of the girls.
She’d looked for Elizabeth, but one of the other women had said she’d come down with a headache and decided to stay in her room. Liv wasn’t sure she was up to another meeting with Elizabeth so soon anyway, and almost smiled at the fact that she’d come very close to using the same excuse.
Unfortunately, Liv hadn’t gleaned any important information, though she had learned plenty of interesting bits. The women spent a great deal of time talking about sex and who was the best lover. Several of them had mentioned both Axel and Levi, saying they wouldn’t mind trying them on for size, but both men had turned down all their advances.
The conversation then turned to fashion, each of the women most looking forward to the final party Saturday night after the auction. They were excited because, unlike the evening formal events leading up to the final party, this one was a masquerade, and costumes and masks were required for attendance. Liv sorely hoped the team had gotten what they came for and left the island by then. She wasn’t sure how many more events like the one last night she could handle.
None of the women seemed to know what was being auctioned. There was speculation about art and other items, but they were clueless and didn’t seem to care all that much. Some of them would continue their relationships with the men who’d brought them, while others would never see their patrons again. They all looked at their business as being rather matter-of-fact.
Liv knew that Axel, Levi, and Deacon were once again sitting through the private auction for the next batch of girls in the boathouse. The women had finally dispersed, and she returned to the bungalow just in time to start dressing for the evening’s party. When she walked into the house, Elias and Miller were sitting at the table.
“What’s wrong?” Liv demanded, looking around to make sure there was no threat.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Miller said. “One of the girls was able to give us an idea as to where they’re being held, and we’ve been able to verify. We’ll be able to go in and release the remaining girls tonight during the party.
“There’s a bunker next to one of the grottoes. It’s completely encased in concrete and metal, so thermal scans didn’t pick anything up. There’s a metal door that leads into the ground hidden under a bunch of foliage, but it’s easy to see they’ve been going in and out on a regular basis because the plants are torn up. And no one uses that grotto because it’s a bit off the beaten track, and they’re all busy showing off to each other in more public places.”
“Why do I still feel like you’re waiting to tell me something?” Liv said.
“You are excellent at deduction,” Elaine said from the cube. “Not as good as I am, but it’s very admirable.”
“Thank you, Elaine,” Liv said.
“We heard from Axel,” Elias said. “Mittal decided to auction off a fourth girl today. The guys couldn’t continue bidding for fear Mittal would think something was off, so Gregor Heinrich ended up paying for the girl. He was by the pool earlier today. Tall and thin, midforties, looks like Jude Law.”
She could picture him now, and it made her skin crawl. “I can’t believe this,” she said, her voice hoarse. She dropped down on the couch and stared at her hands.
“We’ve got a visual on her,” Elias said, reassuring her. “Gregor didn’t want to take her right away. He’s here with a companion, and he didn’t want to stir up questions by bringing the girl back to their bungalow.
“There’s an underground holding cell near the grotto at the center of the island. It’s secluded from the other pools and any of the bungalows. The girl was placed back in the holding cell for now. We just need to keep her in there until we can extract them. We’ve already ferried the other three girls to the yacht we have docked at Tortola. They’ll be able to shower and eat a decent meal before going through the process of being reinstated with their parents.”
“Okay,” Liv said, breathing out a sigh. “At least we know their location. Four left to go.”
“Now that we know where they are, Dante can go in tonight and switch out the cases,” Elias said. “We should all be able to get off the island sometime after midnight.”
“Thank God for that,” she said.
“Next time you can take the ferry gig and I’ll lie out half-naked by the pool,” Miller said good-naturedly. “Elaine told us there was an orgy. How was that? I want to know for research purposes, of course.”
“It was kind of like a car wreck,” Liv said. “It was nearly impossible to look away.”
“I can’t imagine having sex in front of all those people,” Miller said. “Don’t they get self-conscious? What about weird noises and runny mascara? What’s the etiquette? I like to take a nap after sex. Are you allowed to leave once you orgasm, or do you have to stay until everyone has had their last hurrah?”
“I do not understand the weird noises and runny mascara comment,” Elaine said. “I’m currently doing a search on orgy etiquette, but very little is showing up in my database.”
Liv and Miller looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“I imagine so,” Liv said.
“I’ll explain the weird noises and runny mascara once we’re back on the ferry,” Miller said.
“Thank God for small favors,” Elias chimed in. “Make sure I’m out of hearing distance or have a beer in my hand before you start.”
“You’d better start getting dressed,” Miller told Liv, standing to leave. “What kind of dress are you wearing tonight?”
“It’s basically a nude body stocking with strategically placed diamonds,” Liv said.
“It sounds uncomfortable,” Miller said. “Try not to snag the tablecloth and pull all the food off when you walk away.”
“I’ll do my best,” Liv promised, deciding she’d miss Miller when she went back to London. Maybe she could convince her to visit.
As Elias and Miller were moving out the back door, a siren suddenly blared from somewhere down the beach, then a second, and almost instantly a third. From various directions came the sound of men shouting, and then there was a spray of machine-gun fire.
And then she heard Dante through the comm unit say, “Oh, shit,” and another spray of gunfire, and she felt fear like she never had before.
DANTE MANAGED TO make it through the morning breakfast rush on an hour of sleep and the distraction of his internal thoughts. He’d told her he loved her. And she hadn’t said a word. Not that he was expecting her undying love in return, but he’d thought once he finally got the words past his lips—words he hadn’t managed to utter to another woman his entire life—that there’d have been a response of some kind. It had hurt that there hadn’t been, and he realized how brave Liv had been to tell him how she felt. It wasn’t easy putting yourself out on the line like that.
He wasn’t sure what his future held, or how he’d work around it with The Gravediggers, but he knew he needed Liv in his life. He understood what it meant when Deacon talked about how his wife’s happiness made him happy. He understood, for the first time, what self-sacrificing love was. He wanted her in his life, and he wanted her happy. And he’d do whatever it took to give her that.
But first, they had to rescue the girls, steal launch codes, and get the hell off the island. Then, if he could convince Liv to take some time and come away with him, so they could start over with a clean slate, maybe they’d have a chance. He’d worry about Eve Winter later.
He had some time between breakfast and lunch, and he’d heard the call come in that a breakfast tray and hot tea were to be delivered to the Mittals’ bungalow. Apparently, Yasmin was under the weather. After hearing the conversation between her and Liv the night before, he couldn’t say he blamed her.
He loaded up the tray and then made his way up the windy path to the two large private bungalows father and son were sharing. He wanted a chance to go in during the daylight. He’d already been in twice in the dark. The guards had never seen him.
“I’m heading to the Mittals’,” he said, wondering who was online. “Delivering a breakfast tray.”
“Copy that,” Elias said. “We’re waiting on Liv. We’ve got a location for the girls. It shouldn’t be long now.”
“Good news,” he said. “Now if we can only get those fucking launch codes we can get the hell out of here.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” Elias said.
Dante figured it was a good sign his brothers were talking to him again.
It was a decent workout walking to the Mittals’, especially loaded down with a tray of food, and the sun was bright overhead in a cloudless sky. The owner’s bungalow was in a prime location. There was an infinity pool that looked out over the ocean, and there were dunes built up for easy access to the private beach. But the bungalows were also high enough in elevation that they could see down to what was happening all over the island.
It was really two bungalows attached by a common walkway, though he’d learned the night before while listening to conversations in the poker tent that Raj made himself home in both locations, which apparently hadn’t set well with Shiv. He was very protective of his wife, and it sounded like he needed to be.
There were normally two guards on duty at the front of the houses, and two more on the backside, but Dante only saw one when he approached. He waited outside while his employment credentials were cleared with the kitchen, and then the guard unlocked the front door and gestured him inside.
This bungalow was done in blues and greens, matching the ocean through the floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the beach. He saw Tess out of the corner of his eye with her cleaning supplies, heading into a bedroom off the hallway, and he gave her a quick wink.
The guard knocked on the door and waited until a man’s voice said, “Enter,” and then he opened the door and then turned and took the tray from Dante, delivering it to her himself.
Dante didn’t mind. He’d seen enough of the room. He hadn’t been able to gain access to the son’s room. This bungalow had a lot more daily traffic than the other, and Elizabeth—Yasmin—tended to stay to herself in the bungalow when she couldn’t be escorted by her husband.
The curious thing was that Yasmin hadn’t been alone in her room. She and Shiv had been standing face-to-face, and it wasn’t difficult to tell by their body language that whatever they were discussing was very intense. Shiv hadn’t looked well at all—he’d been pale and soaked with sweat. And whatever he’d been telling his wife must have been distressing because she didn’t look much better.
Dante couldn’t take the chance and stay around longer than a waiter was supposed to, so he gave Tess another wink. But when he got to the front door, it slammed opened, and he barely avoided taking it to the face. Raj Mittal wasn’t a tall man, but intimidation didn’t have a size. He’d kept himself in good shape for a man who was well into his sixties.
Dante moved out of the way quickly and let Raj pass, and then he slipped outside, ignoring the two guards Mittal had placed by the front door. His gut was screaming that something was about to go down, but he wasn’t in a position to alert the others through the comm unit—not yet—there were too many potential ears close by, and he didn’t want to blow cover until he had to.
Mittal was angry about something, and Dante made his way around the backside of the bungalow so he could hear what was being said. Yasmin had left the French doors open in the bedroom.
There was another of Raj’s guards waiting at the side of the bungalow, and he was clearly interested in whatever was being said because he didn’t even feel Dante’s presence until it was too late. Dante had his hands on the man’s head and was snapping his neck before the guard had the chance to gasp. He let him drop slowly to the ground, knowing that Raj’s guards were all mercenaries and their only goal was to kill potential threats to their employer. It was a situation of kill or be killed.
He moved into position just outside the open French doors, and pulled the pistol from beneath his shirt at the small of his back. He then reached in his pocket and pulled out a silencer, quickly screwing on an attachment. It wasn’t difficult to hear what was being said.
“Give me the launch codes,” Raj spat. “I’ll not give you another warning. You are no longer a son of mine.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Shiv said. “I’ll not give them to you. Not when I know what will come of it. Those codes in the hands of a man like Joaquin Logan would be the end of us all.”
But Dante could hear the fear in Shiv’s voice, and he knew Raj could too. And he’d exploit it.
“Logan is smarter than that,” Raj said. “I wish he were my son. We could do great things together. But all that matters is the money, and the very many causes I can fund with it.”
“Which causes?” Shiv asked. “Terrorist organizations, or the rape and torture of more little girls?”
“Let me make this very easy for you,” Raj said.
And then Dante heard a scuffle and a woman’s scream of pain.
More guards appeared from around the side of the house, weapons at the ready, responding to the sounds of struggle. There was another guard pounding at the door, demanding to be let in. Dante took the two guards rounding the corner quickly—a double tap for each—one to the chest and another to the forehead. And then he moved around the corner of the French doors in time to see Elizabeth pull the trigger and kill her father-in-law.
The bedroom door slammed open and Dante took care of the guards bursting through. Shock and panic had left Elizabeth frozen in place, the gun trembling in her hands. She watched the guards drop to the ground and then turned to stare at him, her eyes glazed and glassy, and she didn’t even notice when he disarmed her.
Shiv was unconscious on the ground, so he leaned down and placed two fingers at the crook of his neck, feeling for a pulse.
“Oh, God,” Elizabeth said, dropping to her knees beside her husband. “He hit his head when they started to fight. Raj . . . Raj struck me.” She touched the red, swollen area of her cheek. “As soon as he struck me Shiv just went crazy. I’ve only ever seen him that way once before. When we were newly married and Raj thought he could still . . . could still . . .” Elizabeth shook her head, chasing the memories away and said, “it doesn’t matter now.”
“No, it doesn’t matter now,” Dante said, compassion for the woman who shared Liv’s face rising up inside of him. He couldn’t imagine what she’d been through. Couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if it were Liv, knowing what had happened to her and wanting to do everything in his power to protect her.
“They fought terribly, but Shiv is not a fighter,” she said, smoothing her hand over her husband’s brow. “Raj tossed him like a rag doll, and he hit his head on the bedpost.” Then she stopped and really took a look at Dante. “You’re the man who was in my bedroom.”
“I’m with Liv,” he said, his mouthing quirking in a smile. “This place is about to be swarming with Raj’s guards.” He pointed to the briefcase sitting on the desk. “Take the case and find your sister. We’ve got to protect the contents. Don’t let anyone but her have it.”
“But my husband,” she said, her face pale at the thought of leaving him.
Even as she said the words, Shiv began to wake, and rubbed the knot on the back of his head.
“Protect him,” she said. “He’s the only one who can make order out of all of this. Otherwise, we’re all dead.”
“With my life,” he assured her. “Now go.”
“WE’RE TAKING THE ferry to extraction point A,” Elias said as more gunfire echoed through their comm units and all around the island. “Keep your comm unit on at all times.”
“Got it,” Liv said, already heading in the direction Dante and her sister were located. She chambered a bullet in her weapon, her finger off the trigger.
Elias and Miller took off in the opposite direction from the sirens and noise, headed toward where they’d left the ferry docked.
“What the hell is going on out there?” she said.
“No clue,” Axel said, sounding out of breath. “Whatever it is, it’s given these assholes permission to lose their damned minds. It’s a free-for-all. From what I can tell, that alarm only goes off if the safe is broken into. Everyone thinks the launch codes have been stolen. So now we’re in a guilty-until-proven-innocent scenario.”
“Or as I like to call it,” Deacon said, “shoot first and ask questions later. Tess, check in.”
“I’m fine,” Tess said calmly. “But I might need a little help. I’m inside Mittal’s bungalow, hiding. There’s a lot of gunfire.”
“I’ll get her,” Dante said. “I’m right here. It’s chaos around the compound. Raj Mittal’s dead.”
“Well, that certainly makes things interesting,” Deacon said. “Get Tess out of there fast, Dante.”
“Whatever I have to do, brother,” Dante said.
“I’m on the south side of the island,” Axel said. “There’s a couple of men down. I’ll do a sweep here and see if I can run those codes to ground.”
“Good,” Deacon said. “Levi, what’s your position?”
“I’m east,” Levi said.
“Work outside in,” Deacon told him. “We’ll all meet in the middle and extract the girls. I’ll work the north end. Liv, where are you?”
“I’m west, heading in from my bungalow,” she answered. “I’m moving toward the girls now that we have the bunker location. Elias and Miller will have the ferry at extraction point A.”
“Roger that,” they said in unison.
Liv was almost to the grotto when palm fronds started shaking ahead and she could hear the slap of shoes against the ground. Her weapon was up and ready to fire when Elizabeth came bursting through the trees.
“Christ, Eliza—Yasmin,” she corrected. “I could’ve killed you.” And then she saw the briefcase in Elizabeth’s hand.
“Holy shit, what have you done?” Liv looked at her sister, then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind a taller grouping of fronds and ferns.
“I killed him. Here,” she said, shoving the briefcase at Liv. “You were right. He’s a monster.”
“Take a deep breath and tell me what happened,” she said. “How many are following you?”
“Sit tight, Liv,” Axel said in her ear. “We’re heading in your direction.”
“No,” Liv said. “I’ll meet you at the extraction point. Don’t waste time. Just get the girls. I’ve got the codes.”
“Copy that,” Axel said. “We’ll meet you at the extraction point.”
“I started digging about the girls,” Elizabeth said, her voice catching as tears filled her eyes. “They’re here. Just like you said. Ten little girls. And he’s keeping them in a hole in the ground like animals. I couldn’t let him do that.”
Liv couldn’t help herself. She reached out and drew her sister into her arms, holding her tight. Something she thought she’d never be able to do again. They’d spent many an hour just like this, usually Liv comforting Elizabeth because of something Liv had done to get them into trouble.
As if reading her mind, Elizabeth said, “It looks like I got us into trouble this time.”
Liv chuckled. “You’re probably due. Did you confront him?”
“I went to Shiv,” she said. “I told him what Raj was doing to the girls and about the launch codes. He confessed to everything and said he knew about the codes because his father had stolen them from him. He didn’t know about the girls. But once we started talking about a plan, things spiraled from there.”
“I didn’t realize Shiv was going to get the codes so soon. We knew we needed to escape the island, but things weren’t quite in place yet. I panicked, knowing he would kill us if he discovered they were gone before we could escape. And he tried,” she said, choking back a sob.
“He was so angry. He struck me, and then Shiv went after his father like the devil himself. He hates his father, but Raj has so much power, so much control. It’s why Shiv went off on his own with his computers. He didn’t ever want to be dependent on his father, but it’s a difficult life to escape. We have emergency money and plans in case we ever need to leave. But when Raj stormed in and confronted us, we weren’t prepared. While he and Shiv fought I grabbed the gun from the nightstand. When Raj threw Shiv and he hit his head, I pulled the trigger. I killed him.”
And then her shoulders straightened and a ferocity Liv recognized came into her sister’s eyes. “And I’m not sorry either.”
“It’s okay,” Liv told her. “You’re both safe. That’s what matters. And the girls will be safe too.”
“I know,” Elizabeth said. “You had that stubborn look in your eyes last night. I knew you’d find them with or without my help. But I wanted to help.”
“Now that his father is dead, Shiv must move very quickly to consolidate his authority. Otherwise, someone else will try to move in and take over. He can do it,” she said fiercely.
“We’ll help him get things under control as fast as we can.”
“We?” she asked.
“You don’t think I’d come to this party alone, do you?”
“No, I met your friend,” Elizabeth said, looking at Liv as if she were really seeing her for the first time. “He killed the guards and told me to bring you the case.” She paused. “Do me a favor,” she said.
“What’s that?” Liv asked.
“Color your hair back as soon as possible. We’re meant to be blondes.”
Liv smiled and lowered her head to her sister’s shoulder. She was older by twelve whole minutes, but she very much felt like the baby as she let the tears fall.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now,” Liv said. “I’ve done nothing but search for you my whole life. I’ve carried the guilt of that day with me, and I felt the accusation in mother’s eyes every time she looked at me.
“I think she hated me. Nothing I ever did, no matter what I accomplished, was enough in her eyes. But I always had father. And then he was gone and I had no one. I wasn’t even surprised when I got the call about mother’s death. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d do, killing herself so she could upstage father. But I still had to deal with the headache of the details of both funerals and the estate, while I was numb with grief over father. And the whole time, all I could think was that the horrible, soul-crushing grief wouldn’t be quite so bad if you were with me. But you weren’t.”
“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said softly. “I never imagined that you’d be going through your own kind of hell. But it’s time to close those chapters of your life. It’s time for you to move on. I have.”
The truth of her sister’s words weighed heavy on her. This was it. She knew what had to be done now. She couldn’t think about the future later.
“I have to go,” Liv said. What if Shiv doesn’t retain control?”
“He will,” Elizabeth said confidently. “My place is with my husband. And he needs me to be at his side right now, not hiding in the jungle.”
“Is this the last time I’ll see you?” Liv asked.
Elizabeth looked sad as she shrugged. “I don’t know. My place is with him.”
Liv grabbed her sister in one last hug and whispered, “I’ve always loved you. I’ve never forgotten you.” And then she released her, grabbed the briefcase, and headed toward the extraction point.