4 Bad Boys to take to Bed (4 Book Bundle Set!) (24 page)

She reluctantly shook her head, no.

“Sana would want you to call the police. She would want Charlie to go to jail so he can never hurt anyone else again.”

“Sana was my friend,” Sandra said quietly. “She helped me and held my hand at night when I was scared. Okay. I’ll tell the police what happened.”

“That’s great Sandra! I’m so proud of you. They’ll protect you and your family. They won’t let Charlie hurt you.”

I hugged her and then put the omelet on a plate for her to eat. Turning to get her a fork, I knew there was one other question I had to ask her before I let her eat her breakfast in a moment of peace.

“Sandra,” I said as I put the fork down in front of her. “Do you know the other man who was with Charlie yesterday?”

“Yes,” she said. “That’s the man who first found me in Lima. That’s the who that gave me his business card and told me to come to the United States. He’s the reason I’m here.”

My heart stopped. I knew my expression was scaring her, but I couldn’t move.

Steven was the man who had first targeted this sweet, innocent girl. If he had found Sandra, he had probably found Sana, too. When Charlie had let it slip that Steven and Sana had met, he was referring to their first meeting in Riyadh where Sana said she was from. I knew Steven had traveled there a couple of weeks ago for business. Staring at Sandra’s tear-stained face, I thought I probably was looking at the type of ‘business’ he had been doing. He had found Sana, he had told her he could make her a model, and then Charlie had killed her because he wanted her for himself.

I felt sick. I had been so blind. I didn’t know the man I’d married at all. I wondered how many other girls they’d done this with; how long it had been going on; and who were the men who were buying these beautiful women?

“Katherine, what’s wrong?” Sandra asked me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m fine.” Suddenly I didn’t want to tell her that Steven was my husband. I was too ashamed and I didn’t want to scare her. What if she thought this was all a trick and I was a part of a plan to hurt her or bring her back. Of course I had been helping her, but telling her that Steven and I were married would scare her into distrusting me; I felt sure of that.

“I’m just very sad about what happened to you and to Sana. It should never have been this way for you, I’m so sorry.”

I felt an overwhelming urge to apologize to this girl. Although I didn’t have a part in it, I wanted to apologize for being so blind. Maybe if I’d realized what Steven was doing earlier, I could have stopped him before this girl became a victim.

“You helped me,” she told me earnestly. “You saved my life.”

I just hugged her to me fiercely, not trusting myself to speak. I was overcome with guilt and responsibility for her.

“Okay, first you eat and then we’re going to fix this,” I told her with a sense of false cheer.

She ate her food greedily, and when I saw how hungry she was, I gave her my omelet to eat as well. As she enjoyed her food, I looked at my cell phone. I thought it might be time to turn it on and get the lay of the land. Now that I’d talked with Sandra and gotten some missing details, I was even more frightened. Steven was deeply involved in this and I wasn’t sure why. I was positive it had something to do with money.

Steven had always been determined to live a rich life, but I wondered if his sudden need for extra cash had anything to do with his desire to run for Congress this year. The conversation I had heard between him and Charlie yesterday certainly indicated that he needed money and he needed support from their powerful clients in order for him to get into the Congressional race. Was that enough for Steven to kill for, I wondered?

We wouldn’t be safe until the police were involved. They had to be called, and soon. But, I wanted Sandra to speak with her parents first. I knew they must be going crazy in Lima trying to find their daughter, and she was concerned that Charlie might be able to follow through on his threat to hurt them. They needed to connect with each other before anything else was done. The question was, did we have enough time to make that phone call from the comfort of this kitchen or was Steven on his way to find us?

With a sense of fear, I turned on my phone. I had five voicemail messages: three were from Cecelia asking me to call her right away and I erased those with sadness; the next message was from an acquaintance, a wife of one of the men Steven worked with at the firm, asking me if I’d like to meet her for lunch next week. I erased that wondering if everyone at the firm was involved, and if so, how much did their wives know about what they were doing? The last message was from Steven. My body tensed when I heard the familiar timbre of his voice and I had to cover my mouth I was breathing so loud in fear.

“Hi honey. This is Steven,” the message started. “I’m in New York and checking in. Work is crazy here so I might not be able to call again, but I’ll be home on Friday and can’t wait to see you. Wear that sexy French maid costume for me and be ready because I’m aching to fuck you.”

I grimaced at his message and a shudder of disgust went through me at the thought of Steven inside of me. I took a deep breath to steady my stomach and calm my pulse, and smiled. I thought we might be safe at my mother’s house for a few more hours. Of course I couldn’t be positive, after all Steven was a consummate liar; but, I hoped he didn’t suspect me yet. I prayed he didn’t know about my mother. If he hadn’t gone back to the house, we were safe for now.

Sandra was looking at me anxiously.

“Okay, let’s call your parents.”

She started to cry again, but this time I was sure she was weeping with joy as she eagerly grabbed at the phone I handed her.

I stepped out of the room to give her privacy as she spoke to her frantic parents.

Nervously I walked to the living room windows and peered up and down the street. All seemed calm. The sky was blue, birds were singing, and I could hear the distant roar of a lawnmower. Everything seemed peaceful, but I couldn’t help thinking it felt like the calm before the storm.

Sandra’s parents spoke no English so I didn’t bother trying to join the conversation.

She told me, when she’d hung up, that her parents were buying her a ticket to fly back to Lima the next morning. They had been praying for her safe return every day and were so grateful that she had called and was safe.

I couldn’t help but hope that they continued to pray for her, because although she was still alive, neither she nor I would be safe until Charlie and Steven were behind bars. We could use all the prayers we could get right now.

With the promise of a plane ticket home and the loving words of her parents ringing in her ears, Sandra seemed calmer and more enthusiastic about explaining her story to the police.

We agreed that the police should come to us. The idea of leaving the house to go to the police station seemed to make us both quivery with nerves and fear. We both felt stronger and more confident, safe even, in my mother’s home. Although I didn’t relish the idea of police cars pulling up outside, I couldn’t imagine what Mrs. Foote was going to think, but I rationalized, if they came in unmarked cars the situation might not be as bad as I thought.

Sandra stood next to me holding my hand as I picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1. The dispatcher put me through to a detective and I explained what had been happening to Sandra and Sana. I didn’t give Charlie and Steven’s names yet, I wanted to do that in person, especially since I’d have to explain my relationship to Steven, and that conversation was going to be complicated.

As I talked, I could hear his voice on the phone becoming more and more interested in my story. I wondered when the last thing something this big had fallen into his lap. Danbury is a small town and I couldn’t imagine that the detectives there were often required to deal with such a major crime. We definitely had his attention. He promised to come out and get the details and meet Sandra; all we had to do was sit tight and wait for the cavalry to arrive.

When I hung up, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made that phone call earlier. In fact, I felt so light and happy that I wanted to celebrate! Sandra and I danced around in a happy circle, both of us feeling that the worst just might be behind us. I was rooting through my mother’s pantry for a bottle of wine or champagne that we could drink a toast with when I heard a knock on the front door.

“Can you get that, Sandra?” I called over my shoulder.

I thought that if the visitor was Mrs. Foote, I could explain Sandra’s presence by telling her she was a friend from home who was visiting me for comfort after hearing about my mother’s death.
But, I thought, it was probably the police. Danbury isn’t a big town and it wouldn’t take long for an eager detective to drive here for such an important sounding case.

I heard Sandra cross the room and open the door. Barely perceptible, I could hear a man’s voice.

Good, I thought, the detective is here.

Perfect timing, I had found a bottle of wine. I thought I would put it in the refrigerator to chill for a celebration drink after he’d finished taking our statements. I straightened up with the bottle in my hand and walked back into the kitchen where Steven, Charlie, and Sandra waited for me.

In surprise and terror, I dropped the bottle and it shattered on the kitchen floor; white wine spread across the tile, soaking my shoes.

“Honey,” Steven sing-songed with a dangerous smile, “I’m home.”

Charlie just stood next to him and stared at me with dead eyes. With one hand he had a grip on Sandra’s upper arm, and he held a gun in the other. It was pointing straight at me.

“We called the police,” I said desperately. “They’re on their way here right now!”

“Well thank you for letting us know, honey,” Steven told me. “We weren’t planning on staying long anyway. We’re all taking a little trip.”

“We’re not going anywhere with you Steven” I answered him with a defiance I didn’t feel.

The truth was that Steven’s sudden appearance had scared the life out of me. Now that I knew more about his role in this horror, I felt like I was looking at a stranger when I gazed at him. For his part, he was no longer even attempting to act like a loving husband. Staring at him, I knew he was a skilled liar. I wondered if anything had been the truth, and I suspected that the only time I’d seen the real Steven was when he was acting cruel during sex. My cheeks burned as I remembered how much that same cruelty had excited me.

“Yes, Katherine. You are going somewhere with me.” Steven just kept smiling that awful smile. His voice was low and calm and I found I couldn’t look away from him. “I’m disappointed to say that you haven’t acted like a very good wife, and I know you remember what happens to girls who stick their noses where they don’t belong, right?”

I looked wildly around the room for something that would help us; a knife or something else I could use to somehow get us out of this room and away from these men. But there was nothing. We were trapped.

Roughly, Charlie started to pull Sandra toward the front door and I blindly flew at him, screaming at Sandra to run. But Steven had anticipated my movement and he moved in front of me and grabbed my arms, stopping me before I could get near Charlie.

“You’re feisty today, Katherine. I’ve never seen you like this before,” he said, a smile flirting with his lips.

In a fit of rage, I spit at him and he slapped me hard across the face.

Stunned, I fell against the counter and stayed there staring up at him.

“You hate me right now, don’t you?” Steven seemed genuinely interested in the answer to his question.

“Yes, I hate you. I want you to burn in hell for what you did to Sandra and Sana.”

“Sandra and Sana?” He seemed perplexed. “Do you really think that this is just about those two sluts?” He looked at my confused face and laughed. “Of course you did. You’re so stupid and innocent, Katherine. It’s what I’ve always loved and hated about you. This is about power, my sweet, stupid wife; power that will put me in the White House someday, and the money to get me there in style.”

“What are you talking about?” I questioned.

I wanted to keep him talking to me, anything to stop them from taking us before the detective I’d called could arrive.

As if he’d read my thoughts, Charlie shouted from the front door, “Steven let’s go!”

Steven looked at me and shook his head a little regretfully as he yanked me away from the counter and toward the door where Charlie waited.

“I never meant for you to find out, Katherine. I always pictured you as a politician’s wife. It all could have been so perfect.”

“Steven,” I pleaded. “Steven look at me. Everything can be the same again. Just let Sandra go home and I won’t tell anyone about this. I’ll be a good wife to you again. I promise.”

He just laughed and continued to drag me out the door.

I thrashed wildly, hoping that Mrs. Foote or another neighbor would notice and call the police, but the street was as calm and quiet as it had been earlier. We were alone with no one to witness our kidnapping.

We were thrown into the back of a car I didn’t recognize and Steven reached in and taped our hands and feet while Charlie kept us still with the gun pointed at our heads.

When my feet were tightly bound, Steven unbuttoned my jeans and yanked them down to my knees, roughly sticking his index finger deep inside of me.

Sandra turned her head away with a moan, but I could do nothing but sit in silence while Steven finger fucked me as Charlie watched hungrily. I knew he was doing it to humiliate me, so I bit my lip hard to stop the tears from falling and forced myself to stare straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of me.

With every painful thrust of his finger inside of me, I thought of how much I hated him. By the time he finally stopped, my vision was blurred with fury.

“She liked that,” Charlie told him, his voice rough with lust. “I could see how wet she was from here.”

“I don’t know, Charlie,” Steven answered coldly. “She’s been better. I’ll let you give her a try when we get there.”

I could hear them talking and hear the horrific words he was saying but my brain had turned off and I felt almost calm, as if this was happening to someone else and not to me. Beside me, I could feel Sandra trembling with terror beyond tears, just shaking uncontrollably. I couldn’t move to comfort her; all I could do was sit in silence, waiting with a faraway sense of dread for the car to stop.

After what felt like hours, we pulled off the road into the parking lot of a cheap motel. I’d never seen it before and I had no idea where we were. The parking lot looked empty, ours was the only car parked in front of a room near the back, far away from the tiny office. Steven went in to pay and get keys while Charlie held us in the car with the gun.

When he returned, Steven opened the motel room door and Charlie roughly pulled Sandra out of the car toward the room and locked me in the car alone.

When he disappeared into the room and shut the door, I started hammering on the car windows with my bound hands. I prayed someone from the motel office would hear me and come outside to investigate. It was a long shot, I knew that, but I was terrified of what might happen to us inside that dirty motel room if someone didn’t help us soon.

Frantically, I raised my feet and kicked wildly at the window, hoping to shatter it so I could get out or scream for help. I kicked with all my strength, but the window stayed firmly in place. No one came to help.

A few moments later, the motel room door opened and Steven came out looking grim. He was sweaty and breathing heavily and I saw blood on his shirt.

When he opened the car door and started to reach in for me I pushed myself against the far door and screamed.

He just looked at me and said, “Katherine, there’s no one around to hear you. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’m sorry, but you brought this on yourself.”

With that cold statement, he reached in and grabbed my ankle and yanked hard. He was strong and I slid toward him. Even though I knew it was useless, I instinctively held on to the door handle and tried to kick him away. There was a part of me that thought I might be saved if I could hang on long enough for someone to come by, while another part of me was just tired and scared and needed this to be over, no matter how it was going to end.

Steven saw that I was determined to put up a fight, so he came around to the other door and opened it so he could hit my knuckles hard with his fists. After that, it was no use. I let go of the handle and allowed myself to be hauled out of the backseat, determined to face whatever punishment he had waiting for me inside.

He marched me into the darkened room and the first thing I saw was a large bundle on the floor, wrapped in what looked like the comforter from the bed. Immediately, I looked around for Sandra, and when I didn’t see her, I felt my knees buckle under me. I knew it before they told me; Sandra was wrapped in the blanket, they had killed her. All my planning and bravery was for nothing; it was over, they had won.

“No, no, no Katherine. Don’t faint on me, honey. You’re not leaving us yet. We haven’t even begun to punish you,” Steven said, lifting me off the floor and onto the bed.

I curled into myself and lay where he had dropped me. I felt more broken and numb than I had ever felt. I hadn’t been able to protect Sandra. She would never see her friends or her parents again. She might still be alive if I hadn’t forced her to run away from Charlie’s house. I should have called the police in Boston. I should have realized that my perfect marriage was a perfect lie and seen Steven for the monster he was before he had a chance to hurt anyone else. I didn’t care if he killed me, too. I wanted him to. I didn’t feel like I deserved to live.

“Steven, let me give it a go, okay?” Charlie said with a sickening glint in his eye.

I just lay there, unmoving. I didn’t care what happened to me anymore. Sandra was dead. I’d failed.

“No, she’s my wife, and I want to have her one last time,” Steven told him.

“Fine, but you better hurry. Bob is going to meet us at the Garcia’s at eight.” Charlie glanced at Sandra’s body. “And we still need to deal with all of this.”

Steven just ignored him and stared down at me. I met his gaze with a blank look. Nothing he could do to me could make me feel worse than I did right now. I was a shell and he could see it as he looked closely at me.

He pushed me onto my back and, taking a knife from the nightstand, he roughly cut the tape that bound my arms and legs.

“Hey!” Charlie yelled. “What are you doing?”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Steven told him. “Can’t you see it? The fight’s left her. It’s almost not even worth playing with her.”

Still, I didn’t rise to the challenge. I knew I should fight and scream and try to run out the door. But, for what? My mother was dead. Sandra was dead. I had no proof of anything they had done to take to the police. I had no money, no friends, nowhere to go. I just wanted to die.

“Kill me,” I whispered to Steven.

“What?” he asked.

“Just kill me,” I said louder.

“You heard her, Steven,” Charlie said from his across the room. “Let’s get this over with and get back to Boston.”