Disgrace (42 page)

I prise my eyes open at the first rumble of the vibration of my phone on the bedside table. My hand automatically reaches for it and flips it open even if I can’t focus on the screen to recognise who’s calling me in the middle of the night. It might be her.

“Sam?” I croak, my voice thick from sleep and exhaustion.

“Um, no Jason, it’s Patrick. You said to call if I had anything new. I have something new.” I sit up and drag my hand down my face to try and wake up. I look up to see Leon stagger against the doorframe. I furrow my brows.

“Light sleeper. I heard the vibration.” He shuffles into the room, and I nod for him the sit on the bed. He wraps his arms around his waist feeling the early morning chill in the room because I sleep with the window wide open.

“Okay Patrick, I’m awake what have you got?” Leon motions for me to share and I flip to speakerphone.

“Your code was activated by deletion. It wasn’t sent by the standard route, but we got it. We tried to bounce a signal straight back, but whatever sent it must have been destroyed because there was nothing to receive what we sent.” The line goes quiet while I take this in. It’s not good. It’s good that Sam has tried to contact me, that means she’s alive at least, but if we couldn’t keep a signal, I don’t know what that means.

“Destroyed, what does that mean exactly? Can we trace where the code was sent from or not?” I hear Leon suck in a breath while we both wait for Patrick’s response.

“We did but it’s moving and we can’t get a lock on it. Which means at the speed it is travelling it will be out of our range in thirty minutes.”

“Fuck, where is it now?”

“Off the cost of Florida but in International waters.”

“Send me all you have now.” I cut the call and dial my brother.

Fifteen minutes later, I am packed and impatiently waiting on Leon to get his shit together.

“I’m leaving in one minute with or without you!” I shout back into the apartment as I hold the front door open. Not caring if I wake the whole damn building. I’m going to get my girl.

“I have to check everything’s switched off. Sam will cut my bollocks off is she comes back and her precious pension is burned to the ground because her boyfriend left the coffee machine on.” He pulls the door shut and deadlocks it. I swing my bag over my shoulder, and we both race to the waiting taxi.

“Your brother didn’t actually say he could help though, did he?” Leon challenges once we are on our way through the thankfully deserted streets of London.

“He will, he was just being selective. He doesn’t actually work for the CIA so he’s not going to promise what he can’t personally deliver, but I know my brother, and he will help.” Leon nods, but his expression is sceptical. “This isn’t news to him, and his flat mates said they have been after Richard for some time. I’ve just given him enough information for them to go after him. Kidnapping is a felony, and this would be Richard’s third strike.” My tone is impassive because I happen to think life in prison is too good for that lowlife.

“The signal, Jason?” Leon looks at his watch, our thirty minutes are almost up, and that is the one thing burning the lining of my stomach. Will they act fast enough on the information I gave to pick up the GPS location before we lose it altogether?

“I know Leon, fuck…I know!” I drag my hand through my hair and catch the worried glare from the driver in the rear view mirror. I let out a steady breath. “Look, I have to hope they can trace the signal, block the signal, whatever, but if they don’t, we will at least be in the right part of the world. And if I have to hire every boat on the East Coast of the States to search the coastline for that piece of shit I will. It’s not like we are looking for a row boat. This type of yacht blocks out the fucking horizon. We will find her.”

The plane isn’t ready when we reach Heathrow but I can’t sit still in the lounge; it’s bad enough I am going to be stuck on a plane for nine hours. I decide to buy some things for Sam. I didn’t think to pack anything for her. I just wanted to be on my way but now I think I should’ve spared a few minutes. She’s going to want her own clothes, her own smells, she going to want things that are familiar. Fuck, I’m such an idiot. I turn to Leon who is about to stretch out flat on one of the long sofas in the executive lounge.

“Leon, will you help me pick out some stuff for Sam? I didn’t pack her anything and I want—” Fuck, my voice catches, and I turn away, closing my eyes at the sudden sting. I feel Leon’s hand on my shoulder.

“Sure, man, that I can do.” He nods for me to lead the way. One of the Customer Service managers is happy to open whatever shop we want; most are still closed, but it is a perk of flying under the Stone Enterprise flag. Nothing is too much trouble. Leon has helped me pick out perfumes, body lotions, makeup and something comfy to snuggle in if she doesn’t want to get dressed. I have also bought jeans, jumpers, t-shirts, sunglasses and some Converse trainers but I hesitate outside the Louboutin store. Leon comes to stand beside me.

“What are you thinking?” He follows my gaze. The ankle boot is easily six inches and studded with hundreds of tiny silver spikes; very sexy, very BDSM, very Sam.

“I don’t know. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate, but she uses this armour, and the last thing I want is for her to feel she needs her shields up.” I rub my jaw and hate that I feel uncertain.

“Good point. Besides you don’t know what she’s been made to wear, so she might not like the association however well intended.”

I cringe and my stomach turns. I hadn’t thought of that.

“You can guarantee she hasn’t been dressed up in fluffy pjs, so I’m sure you’re safe with what you’ve bought her. I think this other stuff, you’ll have to wait and see. Let her take the lead on this one, Jason.” He pats my shoulder.

I look at him, and he offers a tight smile filled with concern and understanding. “This isn’t the first time she’s survived him.”

“It will be the fucking last though.”

Nine hours later, Leon and I make our way through the ice-chilled air-conditioned Miami International airport. Will is waiting at arrivals. With the flight and time difference, Leon and I are still on afternoon UK time, but for Will, it’s first thing in the morning, and he looks like he has also been up all night.

“Well?” I ask before I even say hi. He grabs my bag and reaches to shake Leon’s hand. They exchange greetings but I huff out and fix him with a glare that freezes the air around us to something sub-zero.

“Okay, well, there’s good news and bad news.”

I
t hurts to breathe now. Everything hurts, but when I take anything more than a shallow inhale, it feels like is have an ice pick jabbing into my lungs. I think he cracked a rib with that last kick. I haven’t seen Lolli since I woke up, but then I haven’t seen anything. I have a blindfold on and I am tied spread eagled on a bed. The sheet below me is either rubber or plastic. Every time I move I tear my skin from the hot, slick surface. The room is warm, but I feel like I am burning up from the inside, too. I pull at my restraints, and I can feel the heavy duty cuffs and know I won’t be breaking free anytime soon. I freeze when I hear movement. The door opens and there are footsteps. My stomach turns and my skin prickles with an icy chill despite the tropical humidity that swept in with my visitor.

The bright light pierces my lids that are screwed shut when the blindfold is ripped from my face. Richard’s sardonic smile would make me heave, but I don’t have the moisture to waste or the energy to expend. I flinch away from his touch, though. I hate that he gets to touch me.

“Why are you doing this, Richard? Why me?” I try in vain to keep my emotions out of my voice, but it catches and just makes his smile that much more cruel. I bite my cheek and dig my nails into my palms to give me a distraction, a pain I control and can focus on. That is the last weakness he will see from me. If my gaze could kill, I would happily die tied to this bed if it meant he died with me. His hand comes out of nowhere and strikes my cheek with the full force of a six foot, two hundred pound psychopathic male. My eye feels like it is going to explode and I swear I could feel it move in the socket. Gross, but I fix him again with my sweetest smile.

“That all you got,
Dick
?” I practically spit his name, but again, no moisture. “No wonder you cowered away from me in the club,” I taunt.

“Oh, Sweetheart, that is
exactly
why you are here. By the time I am finished with you, everyone will know I’m the Master,” he sneers.

“Really? Your ego is that fragile it can be wrecked because of our little interaction in front of what…thirty people? Narcissistic much?” I blurt out a bitter laugh and reel from the instant physical retaliation. My head is pulsing with pain, but I force myself to smile. He seems to really hate that, and it’s all I have.

“It’s a small community, and I have a reputation to uphold. My business depends on my image as the one true Master. I won’t have
you
affecting that
.
Everyone will see you kneel before me.” He announces to the room like he is orating in front of a grand audience.

“Wow, you give me way too much credit. If this is a willy waving contest, you’ve won. I don’t have one so even your pathetic excuse for a dick will get you first place,” I quip with more bravado than sense.

“Hmm.” He strokes his finger down the side of my face, resting his middle finger on my lip. “I have such big plans for this mouth.” He drops his hand and roughly grabs between my legs. “And this pussy.” He snarls, his perfect white teeth flash when his lips pull back in an ugly grimace.

“It won’t be the first time you’ve raped me, Richard, but after the first hundred times the threat loses some of its potency.” I blink my eyes to hide the truth. I might be numb to him now, but the pain of his treatment is as raw and vivid as the very first time. He stands back and sneers down at me.

“I don’t fuck whores.” He spits in my face, hitting my cheek with warm saliva that drips slowly down my face.

“No, you just fuck children, you sick bastard. You’re a fucking monster.” The anger I feel courses through me, and I can’t keep the emotion in my voice level. I would kill him with my bare hands if I were only free to do so.