Nic cringed at his touch. Bastard!
“Lina, leave us,” Linden said. “Go to your quarters and pack. You’ll be leaving the island in less than an hour.”
They were on an island. She knew it. That was the reason she had been transported from the airplane to a boat. Apparently there wasn’t a landing strip on the island.
Lina hurried from the room without a word of protest or a backward glance at either Linden or Nic. Once the door closed behind the servant girl, Linden turned to Nic again. The way he ogled her made her uneasy.
Mr. Auburn Hair grunted, kicked back the covers to reveal his naked body, and cursed loudly as he tried to sit up.
Linden lifted the small package from under his left arm and handed it to Nic. “Fresh clothes. Shower now while you can and get dressed.” He glanced at the grumbling man who struggled to get out of bed. “I’ll take care of our guest.”
Nic didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the package and ran into the bathroom. If only there was a lock on the door. But there wasn’t. Either man could easily barge in on her. But Linden had said for her to take a shower while she could. Did that mean it could be a while before she got the chance again?
After removing the robe, she hung it on the back of the door, and then turned on the shower and stepped under the lukewarm spray. Working quickly, she washed her hair before she soaped, scrubbed, and rinsed her body. In less than five minutes, she had bathed, towel-dried her hair, brushed her teeth, applied deodorant, and dressed in the skintight jeans and cotton T-shirt Linden had provided. No bra. No panties. Not a good sign.
She stood in front of the wall of mirrors above the double-sink vanity and inspected the bruises on her neck. Mr. Auburn Hair had choked her when he’d wrapped his hands around her neck as he kissed her.
Last night, she’d gotten lucky, thanks to Lina. But Linden said they were transferring the young woman off the island today. Did he suspect what she’d done to Mr. Auburn Hair? Or were her services simply required elsewhere? When Lina went away, Nic would lose her only ally on the island.
She walked over to the closed door and listened, wondering what was happening in the bedroom. If Mr. Auburn Hair had caused a ruckus, she hadn’t heard it while she was in the shower. She cracked the bathroom door just enough to peek into the bedroom. It appeared to be empty. There was no sign of either man. She eased the door open and walked out of the bathroom.
Alone in her gilded cage, Nic slumped down on the chaise longue, a sense of hopelessness weighing down on her. She was on an island, probably somewhere in the Caribbean, but she had no idea exactly where. Could she reasonably expect Griff to find her? Yes, damn it, if it were humanly possible to locate her, Griff would do it. At this very moment he was using every resource available to the Powell Agency to search the world over for her. She simply had to stay alive, to do whatever was necessary to keep herself and her baby safe until Griff came for them.
But between now and then, what was going to happen to her? If not for Lina, Mr. Auburn Hair would have raped her last night, probably more than once. Was he only the first of many men she would be expected to service? Last night, she had been nothing more than part of the hunter’s package deal—winner take all, and that included a woman for the night. How many more would there be? And how would she deal with them without Lina’s help?
Nic closed her eyes. “Please, God,” she whispered, “help me stay strong. Help me survive. Keep my baby safe.”
Malcolm York looked out from the wall of windows in his penthouse suite in Mayfair. The lovely view of Hyde Park had been one of the reasons he had leased the two apartments that covered approximately ten thousand square feet, which was quite enormous for this area of London. A local real estate magazine had boasted that these duplex penthouses could well be the most impressive penthouses in London, possibly in the entire world.
Malcolm liked owning impressive things. This penthouse was only one of his many possessions, including his garage of automobiles, his yacht, his stable of Thoroughbreds, the castle in Scotland, a ranch in the U.S. and a number of private islands around the world. Although his international business concerns required that he occasionally travel, he preferred spending most of his time here. But quite soon, a matter of the utmost urgency would require him to leave for a rather extensive period of time. He had finally managed to obtain the means by which to even an old score, to at long last exact overdue revenge against his most grievous enemy.
Despite his eagerness, he knew that he must be patient.
All good things come to those who wait.
In due time, he would introduce himself to Nicole Baxter Powell, but until then, Linden would take very good care of her. The man had his instructions. Malcolm wanted Griffin Powell’s wife to be introduced to every aspect of the businesses that had made him a billionaire and learn firsthand how her husband’s vast wealth had been accumulated. Money that Powell and Sanders and Yvette Meng had stolen. They were all three murderers and thieves. However, he knew that Yvette and Sanders were now, as they had been on Amara, nothing more than Griffin Powell’s accomplices.
Malcolm smiled at the thought of his archenemy moving heaven and earth trying to find his beloved wife. Nicole was the carrot he would dangle in front of Powell, giving him hope that he could find her and save her.
False hope.
But in the days and weeks—perhaps even months—ahead, he would enjoy himself immensely as he brought Griffin Powell to his knees and made him beg.
As laughter bubbled inside him, Malcolm checked the time. His personal assistant had been sent to pick up his guest and bring him here for a visit. As if on cue, Yves Bouchard stepped from the private elevator entrance into Malcolm’s luxurious apartment. Having delivered her employer’s guest, Martine took the elevator back down to the ground floor.
With open arms, Malcolm met Bouchard and encompassed his compatriot in a welcoming hug. As they broke apart, Malcolm said, “I am so pleased that you accepted my invitation.”
“Surely you do not think I would come to London and leave without seeing you.”
Bouchard could be charming when he chose to be, but Malcolm knew, perhaps better than anyone, what a ruthless bastard his old friend really was. But who among his friends did not have a few flaws?
“Will you be here in London for long?”
“A few more days,” Bouchard said as he followed Malcolm into the massive dining/living room area that spanned the length of the building. “I dined with Harlan last night. He mentioned that you were planning a hunt sometime soon. I don’t hunt as much as I once did, but if you will be personally hosting the event, I would like to be included.”
“Of course, of course. Without question, your name always heads the list when I host a hunt. And you are always welcome to bring a guest with you.”
Malcolm indicated for Bouchard to sit beside him when he stretched out comfortably on the thickly padded leather sofa. “I am working on the details to make this hunt one my guests will never forget. It has been years in the making, so be patient, my friend.”
“Perhaps you will give me a
petite
hint.” Bouchard indicated a miniscule measurement by bringing his thumb and forefinger almost together. “What will make this hunt unforgettable?”
“The grand prize and the prey will be one and the same,” Malcolm said. “The winner may do with her as he wishes. He may kill her or keep her alive for his own pleasure until he tires of her.”
Bouchard’s brow furrowed. “What could possibly make this woman so valuable? She is only a woman.”
“But she is not just any woman. She is Griffin Powell’s wife.”
Chapter 8
Within an hour of Sanders’s initial report, Griff had assembled his team—the men who would go with him to Belize. In a closed meeting, which included Derek and Maleah, Griff laid out the plan and opened the floor for discussion. The Powell jet was at that very moment being prepared for their trip, two of the four pilots on the agency’s payroll en route to Griff’s private airstrip, which was closer to Griffin’s Rest than McGhee Tyson. In another hour, they would be headed south, but in the meantime, info was being gathered in Belize and an advance team of two men had been sent to Shelter Island. Their orders were to scope out the setup and report in, all the while remaining invisible to the island’s inhabitants. The Powell jet would land at Phillip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City where a rental car would be waiting to whisk them off to Belize City Harbor. Arrangements had been made for two boats to be readied for their arrival.
“We will be in constant contact with Derek and Maleah,” Griff said. “They will be in charge while we’re away. All info they receive from our Knoxville headquarters will be combined with the updates coming in directly to Griffin’s Rest. We will be exchanging info with them throughout this mission.”
“By the time we land in Belize City, our independent operatives who have been sent to Shelter Island should have a preliminary report, including photos,” Sanders said. “They should be able to advise where the safest point of entry to the island will be and what precautionary measures we need to take.”
“We will split into two units, each a three-man team,” Griff told them. “Luke and Shaughnessy, you’ll be with me. And Rett, you and Holt will be with Sanders.”
Luke and Rett were former Special Forces. Shaughnessy and Holt were expert snipers. Griff was a graduate of the Malcolm York hunting school. Sanders, a former Gurkha, had taught Griff how to outsmart his opponent, how to fight and kill without reservation, how to survive despite the high odds against him being able to stay alive on Amara for more than a month or two at best.
If Nic was on Shelter Island, Griff and his team would bring her home.
“Gentlemen, we will leave Griffin’s Rest in”—Griff checked his wristwatch—“fifty-three minutes. The flight to Belize City will take approximately five-and-a-half hours, which will put us there by midafternoon and on Shelter Island by late afternoon. For now, take care of any business you need to attend to. Any other questions or concerns can be addressed during the flight.”
One by one the agents exited the office suite, leaving Griff alone with Sanders, Derek, and Maleah.
“Perhaps you and I should go over what the day-to-day duties of being in charge here entails,” Sanders said to Derek.
“And I’d like to speak to you privately,” Griff told Maleah.
While Derek went with Sanders over to his desk, Griff indicated for Maleah to join him at the conference table. He pulled out a chair for her.
“I need for you to personally take care of several things for me,” Griff said.
“All right. What do you want me to do?”
“First, I’d like for you to send someone to meet Charles David’s flight and when he arrives here, I want you to personally bring him up-to-date on the situation. Answer his questions truthfully. And if those answers put me in a bad light, so be it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t have time to deal with Yvette and her desire to go to London as soon as possible. I want you to convince her not to go, to stay here at Griffin’s Rest where she will be safe. However, if it becomes necessary, post bodyguards with her twenty-four-seven. Do whatever you need to do, but don’t let her leave here.”
“I don’t like the idea of playing Dr. Meng’s jailor, but I will.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything else?”
“Arrange for a medical team to be on standby in Belize and another in Miami. If Nic needs medical attention before we arrive back here, I don’t want any delays.”
“I’ll see to it immediately.” Maleah pushed back her chair and stood.
Griff reached out and grasped her wrist. “If I could go back and change things, I would.” When she tugged on her wrist, he released her.
“Look, I know it’s not all your fault,” she told him. “And I know you love Nic. But—”
“But I drove her away from Griffin’s Rest by not being completely honest with her.”
“Go to Shelter Island, find her, and bring her home safe and sound and you and I are good. Got it? But if anything happens to her, if ... if she doesn’t come out of this in one piece, then consider me your worst enemy.”
Griff sat and watched her walk out of the office. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong. She could never be his worst enemy. After he’d killed Malcolm York sixteen years ago, Griff had become his own worst enemy.
Nic had spent the entire morning in her gilded cage, alone except for when an old woman, probably at least seventy or older, had brought in a bowl of fresh fruit and a bottle of water. When Nic tried to talk to the woman, the woman had looked at Nic with sad eyes and shook her head. After hurriedly stripping the bed down to the mattress, the woman had gathered up the bed linens and left.
For the past hour, Nic had heard a great deal of noise, some coming from inside the mansion, but most of it from outside. She had wondered if the hunters were leaving the island or if the man who oversaw the day-to-day running of the estate was bringing in a fresh batch of slaves. And that’s exactly what they were—slaves. The men confined in the pavilion on the hill and used as prey in the hunts and the women brought here to provide sex for the guests.
And that’s what you are now, too.
Unless Griff found her soon, or if by some miracle she managed to escape, her life would soon become a living nightmare. She couldn’t count on Lina or someone like Lina to save her a second time.
Nic opened the windows that overlooked the patio below and heard the rumble of vehicles combined with the sound of men shouting orders. Something was happening. She just didn’t know what. The patio and pool were empty. Not a soul in sight.
Suddenly, she heard the
rat-a-tat-tat
of repeated gunfire, as if someone was using a semiautomatic rifle off in the distance. Was the island being invaded? Had Griff found her and was coming to rescue her? Or had there been another hunt scheduled for today? Had one of the brave hunters just killed another defenseless man?
At the thought of another captive being hunted down and killed, Nic remembered the man in the cage she had seen last night. The tall, somewhat muscular man with the hate-filled brown eyes who, despite his predicament, had exuded pure raw rage and a determination to live. Although there was no physical resemblance, there had been something about him that reminded her of Griff. Perhaps it was nothing more than Nic sensing that the man and Griff were kindred spirits, men who fought with every ounce of strength within them until the bitter end.
Where are you, Griff?
I need you.
She laid her hand over her flat belly.
We need you.
I’m going to fight for my life and the life of our unborn child. I’m going to try to be as brave as that dark-eyed man in the cage up on the hill, as brave as you were on Amara.
I know that you will find me, that you will never give up. Knowing you’re fighting for me at this very minute, doing everything possible to locate me, is what will keep me from giving up hope.
Nic closed the windows, walked across the room, and slumped down on the chaise longue. After leaning back, she closed her eyes and said one more prayer.
Please hear me, God. Please.
When Griff’s image appeared in her mind, she almost cried. Keeping her eyes shut, hoping to hang on to the image as long as possible, Nic concentrated very hard. If only she possessed mental telepathy, she would send Griff a message. She would tell him she loved him. And then she would do her best to tell him where she was. But as far as psychic gifts went, Nic had none. Zero. Zip. Nada. Did any of Yvette’s protégés possess such a gift? Nic had no idea. Maybe Meredith Sinclair did. Hadn’t Griff mentioned something about the girl being exceptionally gifted?
How about sending me a message, Meredith? Let me know what’s going on back at Griffin’s Rest.
Yeah, sure, what were the odds of that happening? But despite admitting the absurdity of Meredith being able to send her a telepathic message, Nic managed to smile. She smiled because thoughts of home comforted her.
But was Griffin’s Rest really home? Had it ever been? Hadn’t she always felt like a visitor, someone passing through on her way somewhere else?
Loud voices outside her bedroom jerked Nic back to the reality of the moment. The door flew open and Anthony Linden burst into her room. She rose to her feet and faced him.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” When he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door, she demanded, “Tell me where you’re taking me.”
“Damn it, woman. Just do as you’re told. Come with me now!”
Rafe sat alone, his laptop balanced on his thighs, in his apartment at Catherine Place, adjacent to the Rubens Hotel in London. Renting this type of luxury apartment instead of staying in a hotel room suited his needs. It afforded him more privacy and yet allowed him to take advantage of all the hotel amenities. He never remained in one place long enough to make buying a house or an apartment practical. Once or twice during the past sixteen years, he had considered purchasing a house in some out-of-the-way, back-of-the-beyond area, but what would have been the point? He could never put down roots, could never live a normal life. Living like a gypsy, always on the move, was part of the price he paid to achieve the goals he had set for himself when he had walked out of the hospital, here in London. On that day, he had left behind every semblance of the boy he had been before Malcolm York took him to Amara.
Standing, he stretched his arms over his head and brought his hands together, linking them as he slid them downward to cradle his neck. He had spent most of the afternoon and early evening concocting plans and making arrangements for the upcoming weeks. Through various phone calls and a number of e-mail exchanges, he had acquired updated public knowledge and private information about Harlan Benecroft and Yves Bouchard. Gathering info on Benecroft had been relatively easy. Since Sir Harlan was no longer directly involved in the major illegal businesses and had never been a major player, he managed to present himself to the general public as nothing more than a wealthy, slightly eccentric old man. In certain circles, his deviant behavior was considered the norm and no one thought less of him because he indulged in his perverse appetites. Yves Bouchard was most definitely a horse of a different color. Bouchard had been and still was a major player in drug and human trafficking. He had been on Interpol’s Most Wanted list for a number of years, but had eluded capture by keeping a low profile. It would require the utmost cunning and finesse to trap a man who had outsmarted law enforcement around the world. And it would take patience. But now that Rafe had seen the man face-to-face again, had spoken to him, had been given a personal introduction, it was only a matter of time before Rafe would weave the web that would ensnare the famous and elusive
Le Ravisseur.
Discontinuing his neck massage, Rafe made his way across the room to the bar-table set up by the staircase, picked up a bottle of water, and removed the twist-off cap. Although a variety of liquors adorned the top of the ornamental serving tray, he chose simple H2O. He seldom drank, opting to do so only in very select circumstances. Whenever someone noticed his near-teetotalism, which surprisingly wasn’t all that often, he simply implied that he was an alcoholic. He wasn’t, of course, but it was a convenient lie that no one questioned. Rafe did not often drink or smoke or do drugs and not because he lived by some strict moral code. His body was a machine, part of his arsenal of weapons that assisted him in his life’s mission. In order to fine-tune his body, to keep it in prime condition, he generally abstained, just as he maintained a healthy diet, exercised his body and his mind on a regular basis, and got eight hours of sleep whenever possible.
His all-night adventure with Cassie Wilder was far from the norm for him. The three-way he had shared with Cassie and the bosomy redhead had relieved a great deal of sexual tension, but more importantly, it had convinced Cassie, and any “friends” who might inquire, that he was a sexual venturer, a man interested in far more than the ordinary. He had hinted to Cassie that he would like to explore more places like Body Parts, other clubs for a very select clientele.
Rafe sipped on the water as he climbed the stairs to the second-floor bedroom. He had learned from past experience that if he tried to rush things, impatience often resulted in failure. He would eventually get around to taking care of Sir Harlan, a mere piss-ant among giant cockroaches, but Bouchard was the last name on his list. Of course, there was no written list. The record of offenders was entirely mental, locked away securely inside Rafe’s head. The list was nothing more than memorized names and faces of the men who had frequented Amara on a regular basis, the men who had been Malcolm York’s intimate friends and colleagues. All six men had at one time or another participated in the hunt, Rafe often one of the captives used as prey. And two of the six had always requested Rafe be made available for their sexual pleasure. He had killed the four—Tanaka, Di Santis, Klausner, and Sternberg—in the order in which he had located them. But he had deliberately put Ciro Mayorga and Yves Bouchard at the end of his list, singling them out for special deaths.