Page 22

CHAPTER 22

S ephie hammered her fists against the brute’s shoulders. He carried her effortlessly back down the hallway to her cell. She screamed again, this time kicking.

He clamped his hand down on her thighs, immobilizing her legs. One by one, the rooms she’d passed filled her vision—and 2C drew closer.

Delirium rushed through her brain, the effect as cold and paralyzing as the drug they’d put into her hours ago.

“Where the hell is Laura?” he barked, stepping into the room.

The aerosol can lay on the floor, out of reach—and insignificant against the guards.

Her captor slung her onto the cot. Her butt hit the mattress, and before she could attempt to bolt, he had her arms pinned down while the guard she’d sprayed handcuffed her wrist to the bed.

“You sick bastards!” she spat. She jerked her hand, rattling the chains .

He smirked and stood back. His eyes were puffy, red, and a little damp, as if he’d just flushed them with water.

A woman bustled into the room. She wore green scrubs, and her light-brown hair was pinned back. Gray streaks ran through the strands. “What’s the problem?” she asked. Her gaze bounced off Sephie as though she were invisible.

“This one escaped,” said the jerk who’d carried her. “Get her medicated. Boss will be here in a few hours, so make sure she’s awake by then.”

Both men turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. The woman went to a box of gloves near the sink and pulled on a pair.

Sephie’s throat burned. It was one thing for men to be part of this screwed up world, but being drugged by a woman old enough to be her mother—actually, that didn’t count because her mother would probably work here. Old enough to be Yvette. That cut her.

Laura withdrew a vial and a disposable needle from her pocket. “Just a slight pinch, dear.”

“Stop. Please.” Sephie strived for a pleading tone, but it came out demanding.

The nurse hesitated. “You’re here by your own doing.” She spoke evenly, as though she didn’t believe the words but needed to convince both of them.

“That’s not true. They kidnapped me. They’re holding me against my will. ”

She tsked and prodded Sephie’s arm.

“You can’t think this is okay. They’re hurting people.” The memory of Clay hit her like a ten-ton truck. She sniffed. Had he been held in one of these rooms? Pippa, too?

Maybe this same nurse had drugged them.

“How can you do something so inhumane?” she snapped.

The woman’s gaze lifted and locked on Sephie’s. Something flashed in her eyes. Awareness? More than that. Something bigger.

Sephie’s breath caught. She opened her mouth, but Laura ticked her head sharply to the side, her warning clear. Don’t.

She wet her lips. In her peripheral vision, she could see the camera. They were watching and listening.

Laura raised the vial and stuck the needle into the bottom. “This is just a little sleepy juice. Not strong enough to make you sleep, but you might feel a little groggy and slow-moving for the next couple of hours. Rest it off and you’ll be as good as new.”

The nurse angled her body toward her, blocking the camera’s view of Sephie’s arm. She pinched her skin between her fingers—but didn’t poke her. The liquid leaked onto the sheet.

She withdrew the syringe and patted Sephie’s arm. “All done.”

Hope made her eyes sting, but she refused to look at Laura again for fear the people watching would be tipped off.

She let her eyelids open and close, open and close. Laura tossed the needle into the biohazardous-waste bin and slipped out of the room.

Sephie turned her head to the side and slammed her eyes shut.

She’d just been given a guardian angel.

***

“This is the shit nightmares are made of,” Brick mumbled, holding up the mask from the garment bag they’d pulled out of the back of Jack’s closet.

Taschen grunted. Problem was, he couldn’t carry a gun inside the property. Jack had already mentioned the metal detector, and given the nature of the auction, the Covenant’s security would likely be tighter than usual.

He delved his hand into the pocket of the cloak and withdrew a small hexagon-shaped card. It was thicker than any business card he’d ever held. More like a damn poker chip. A C was embossed in gold on the matte black surface, and that was it.

C for Covenant.

Jack had texted him some information about the card and how to hold it at the door—in the palm of his hand, letter face up so it could be scanned. It held Jack’s information. He shoved the card back into the pocket of the cloak and returned the item to the garment bag .

“You’ll have backup and your earpiece,” Brick said. “What more do you need?”

“A gun would be nice.”

Brick stuffed the mask back into the garment bag. “I’m sure you’ll find some creative ways to take care of Raymond.”

“Already got about a dozen.”

“I’ve got a few of my own.” Brick closed the zipper then tossed the bag over his arm. They retreated through Jack’s apartment to the SUV out front. Backcountry had rented the vehicle from a bodyguard company located in LA.

Toth had assured him it was a business expense and not to worry, though Taschen knew damn well they’d paid a pretty penny for the bulletproof ride.

Rami sat behind the steering wheel, Toth rode shotgun, and August was in one of the seats in the center of the vehicle.

“Got everything?” August asked.

“Creepiest fucking thing you’ve ever seen, but yup.” Brick took the rear bench seat and Taschen sat next to August in the center.

Rami started the engine. “Did you ask Jack what time the event starts?”

Taschen lifted his hip to pull his phone from his back pocket. “I texted before we got inside. He just replied. It starts at 9:00 p.m.” As he read the words on the screen, his stomach flipped. “Jesus Christ,” he murmured .

“What?” August demanded.

He couldn’t speak the code word Jack had sent. Saying it aloud would probably make him explode. He turned the screen to August.

“Code word Brisket ? The fuck?”

“Are you fucking shitting me?” Brick roared. “Sounds like they’re selling meat.”

“I think that’s the idea.” Taschen pinched his temples together with his thumb and forefinger. The whole thing was fucked. Sadistic. But a code word that referenced smoked meat? That was goddamn diabolical.

“Well that solves it,” Rami mumbled.

“What?” Taschen asked, needing a distraction to avoid launching himself through the roof.

“I hate to take unnecessary risks, but the only proper retribution I see is shooting this whole place up. Am I right?”

“Light ’em up,” Brick echoed.

Toth grunted. “You know we run a business and not a cartel.”

Rami shrugged. “Pretty much the same thing.”

August snorted and Brick guffawed. As much as Taschen appreciated the sentiment, they needed to haul ass to get there on time. “I don’t care who y’all kill. Let’s just get there already.”

Rami punched the address into the GPS. “An hour and ten minutes. We should arrive with forty-five minutes to spare to scope out the area before the shitshow starts. Which means we’d better take back roads or we’ll be stuck in traffic.”

Toth tossed Taschen a grocery bag. They’d stopped at a gas station to fill up before hitting Jack’s house. “There’s water bottles and protein bars and some other stuff inside. I got extra for Sephie, but everyone get your fuel in. Could be a long night.”

Reluctantly, Taschen ripped open a package of dehydrated meat. The spicy teriyaki scent made his stomach churn. He opted to stick with water and busied himself with their tech equipment. They’d brought a drone, earpieces, artillery, and other gadgets.

“Plan A is simple. You secure Sephie by winning the auction and walking out with her. Piece of cake. You’ll pay using Toth’s business account. Plan B, you do whatever necessary to locate her and we’ll figure out an ideal backup route to get you out,” Brick suggested.

He liked Plan A a helluva lot better, but who knew how the chips would fall.

August removed his tablet from his backpack. “After Rami sent him the address, Ghost got some really good arial shots of the acreage.”

“Yeah? Let’s see.”

August turned the screen toward him. “We’re lacking the blueprints, which sucks. Since this place was built with hidden rooms, it’s not surprising the blueprints are under lock and key.”

“Shit.” Jack hadn’t been kidding. The property was huge. The drone images were helpful, even without knowledge of the exact layout. “How much land is there?”

August snort-whistled. “Fifty acres easy. Ghost managed to pull some specs from when the property was previously listed, about ten years ago. The house itself is four thousand square feet.”

He grunted and noted the tall fence around the house. “Looks like a wall enclosing around—Hell, I dunno, three or four acres?”

“That’s what I guessed.”

A large detached garage, which had to hold at least six vehicles, sat at the end of the circular driveway. “We won’t be able to get out through the front unless we take care of all the guards,” said Taschen. “I’ll have to drop you guys off. It’d look weird as hell for you to let me out at the gate.”

“How’s that going to work? We can’t leave our getaway vehicle parked inside the damn property.”

“Brick can stay out of sight near the front of the property. That way he can grab the vehicle in the event they don’t let you walk out with Sephie,” Rami said. “But if all goes well, once you purchase Sephie, you should be able to take her home without confrontation. We’ll need to be stationed around outside in case shit goes down. Ready to take out the guards so you and Sephie can make a clean exit.”

“I wish I knew what was underground,” Taschen said.

Brick leaned closer, peeking between Taschen’s and August’s bucket seats. “The drone has heat-seeking technology. Not sure how far that stretches beneath ground level, but I guess we’ll find out.”

“The tech penetrates pretty deep, but it’ll depend how the place was built. Who knows, they could have lead floors,” Taschen said wryly.

They hit the interstate, and Taschen watched the buildings fade into a stretch of land. Agitation chewed at his limbs, making them both weak and fired with energy. If he didn’t get out of this ride soon, he’d start fucking Flintstone-ing it.

Sephie was probably terrified. His gut wrenched at a vicious angle. She didn’t deserve this shit. She’d needed protection and instead, she’d gotten blasted with a goddamn bomb and kidnapped. His gaze slid to the garment bag at his feet.

He didn’t want to think about the heinous shit that disguise had witnessed. Didn’t want Jack’s cowardly shield on his skin, or to even pretend to be a part of this revolting cult. But it was the only way to get Sephie back.

There were five of them. Ambushing the place wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, but considering she was trapped inside a mansion, probably locked away, getting in and out would be tight. Wearing the mask with the hollowed-out eyes would give him the best opportunity to pass this off as a legitimate exchange and get her secured before anyone was the wiser. Hopefully he wasn’t flagged at the door.

For the rest of the ride, he ignored the guys’ conversation. He couldn’t fucking deal with anything that wasn’t centered around Sephie. Less than an hour later, the tension in the vehicle amped up.

August nudged him with his elbow. “Almost there.”

Taschen blew a breath through his lips. “Longest drive of my life.”

“It’s all good,” Rami said. “The house is about three miles ahead. We’ll park out of sight and run the drones.” His friend’s steady voice made his shoulders loosen a bit.

Not enough.

He wedged his fingers together as the guys continued speaking. A few minutes later, they pulled over on a dirt road hidden from the main highway.

Without a word, Taschen hopped out and went to the trunk with the costume bag in hand. He retrieved the drone case, pulled the spiderlike robot from its cushion, set it on the ground, and activated it using the tablet.

“Send her north,” Toth instructed, then rattled off the coordinates.

“Got it.” Taschen directed the machine up fifty feet. The motor was damn quiet even on the ground, so at this height, no one would hear it .

He watched the screen. Trees, land, and roads blipped beneath the metallic bird. Finally, it reached the mansion. Cars flowed down the long, winding driveway. “People are showing up.” Nausea swelled against his abdomen. Sick fuckers. If Sephie weren’t in there, he’d drop a goddamn bomb right now.

“How many guards?” Brick demanded.

Taschen flicked up his gaze to see him and the others pull bulletproof vests over their heads. He moved the drone around the perimeter. “Two at the entrance, two at the rear...” He continued to scan the area. “That’s it for the exterior. I’m sure there’s at least four inside.”

Toth grunted.

Rami passed around the AR-15s. He skipped Taschen but locked his gaze on him. “Bring ’er back.”

Taschen put on a bulletproof vest as well then lowered his gaze to the costume. He’d rather wear a clown suit than this scuzzy thing. Fuck it. He wasn’t going to waste another second. He draped the cloak around his shoulders then pulled up the zipper.

The thick black material covered him from knees to throat, and the sleeves hung down to cover his knuckles. Probably a good thing. His tattoos could give him away.

“Jesus, you look like you’re going to a fucking séance,” August said, curling his lip .

“Pretty sure that’s exactly what this is, Einstein,” Rami quipped. “Did you think it was black tie?”

Taschen didn’t have the capacity to respond. He needed to save every ounce of energy to retain control while he walked among real-life demons. As far as he was concerned, every person behind those godforsaken walls wasn’t human.

He picked up the mask, and disgust made him want to hurl the damn thing. The dark screens that would shield his eyes brought home how sick this whole thing really was. He wouldn’t put it on until he drove up.

Brick’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Ready to bring home your girl?”

He didn’t deny his involvement with Sephie. Hell, these guys weren’t stupid. Nor did the question spark annoyance because the lazy confidence of Brick’s tone removed some of the pinpricks of doubt seeded in his mind. “Yeah.”

“All right,” Rami called out. “Everyone put in your earbud.” He passed around the tiny mics and, one by one, they tested them.

“Brick,” August barked. “You find a spot close to the front entrance. Get a good range on the guards.”

“Done.”

Rami stepped forward and slapped the keys into Taschen’s palm. “Don’t forget to put those under the seat so Brick can get the vehicle out.” His mouth was set for battle, and the ink over his eye crinkled as he scowled. “We’re not leaving without her. Give the word if you need backup. We’ll come in.”

Emotion tightened his throat. He couldn’t respond. Didn’t even try. He saluted then made his way to the driver’s seat.

Rami’s words echoed with truth.

He wasn’t leaving without Sephie. And if he didn’t make it out alive, so be it.