She ignored the question. “What about the other women? Is everyone accounted for?”
Heidi made an exasperated sound. “Yes, we’re all here. Where is Pamela?”
Mara cringed as she tried to find the right words. “Pamela’s going to be fine.” She couldn’t afford to give her or any of the women more details than necessary. She and Harrison hadn’t called the police and no one else needed to be privy to this information anyway. A leak now could be deadly.
“Where is she? She went out early to buy groceries so she wouldn’t have to fight the crowds, but that was hours ago and she’s not answering her cell phone. I wanted to go with her, but she told me that was silly.” Heidi sounded close to tears.
“Heidi, I can’t tell you everything right now. You’re just going to have to trust me and you need to keep it together. I’m going make sure Pamela comes back safely, but you need to keep the other women calm. There will be two men from my husband’s security company coming over to keep an eye on the place. I’ve given them the code to the gate and they’ll be patrolling outside. I know what the protocol is but we’re breaking it this one time. I need to know that everyone is safe. Can you spread the word and make sure everyone knows these men are there to protect you?” Mara didn’t want any of the newer women getting scared. As they’d left the house, Harrison had asked two of the men guarding their home to head over to the shelter and she was incredibly grateful.
“I can do that.” Heidi’s voice cracked, but at least she was listening.
“Good. Their names are Travis and Vincent and they’re both former military and very trustworthy. Vincent is black with pale blue eyes, over six feet tall and movie star handsome. Travis is also over six feet tall and he’s got a Mohawk, piercings, and tattoos. These men are easily recognizable so if anyone not matching that description shows up, call the police and hide.”
“Okay. Will you call me when you know something about Pamela?”
“I promise.” Mara just hoped that Pamela was safe and unharmed. She was one of the most kind, giving women Mara had ever met and so many people depended on her. Harrison had told her not to worry, that they would get her friend back, but so many things could go wrong. Guilt churned inside her for her friend’s kidnapping. She’d assumed Perdue would target her family or friends. Not someone she worked with. And she still didn’t know how he’d found out where she worked. Even her tax information didn’t have the shelter’s address.
When she’d told Perdue she wouldn’t meet with him, he’d slapped Pamela, making her cry out. Then Pamela had told her not to listen to him and to stay far away. While she’d hated hearing her friend in distress, at least she’d gotten proof of life. She would have demanded it, but Perdue had given it to her anyway.
As she turned down the long paved road that led to one of the zoo parking lots, she fought off a shiver. Soon she’d be facing the monster she’d helped put in jail and she had no doubt he wanted retribution. Her gut instinct told her he didn’t want to just kill her. No, Neville Perdue would want her to suffer first. It was why he’d taken Pamela. He wouldn’t have bothered kidnapping someone in her life if he’d simply wanted her dead. He would have just rigged her car with a bomb, shot her on the street, or done any number of things to kill her. But she’d stolen everything from him, including the woman he’d loved—in his own sick, twisted way—and he wanted her to pay for that. He’d told her that very thing enough times during the trial.
“We’re almost there,” she murmured to Harrison even though she couldn’t see him.
A soft knock from behind her was the only response she got. She couldn’t believe he’d fit in that slim storage container, but he’d not only fit, he’d kept two of his guns strapped to his body. At least it could be opened from the inside, one of the only reasons she’d agreed to let him get into the blasted thing. It had freaked her out when she saw how small it was, but he’d assured her he’d been in it before. Which was interesting, but she hadn’t asked questions since they didn’t have time.
Palm trees and thick foliage lined the long road that eventually opened into a lot with the letter B on signs attached to light poles. Parking lot B, just like Perdue had ordered. The zoo didn’t open for another hour so she wasn’t surprised that the parking lot was mostly empty. There was a white van with no windows, a red Jeep and a blue Celica in the far right corner of the lot. She gave a quick description of what she saw out loud for Harrison’s benefit but kept her lips tight. In case Perdue was watching her with binoculars or something she didn’t want him to see her talking.
As she slowed the truck, her phone rang. It was Pamela’s number again. She pressed the button on her earpiece. “Yes?”
“Park by the middle light pole then get out and open both doors. I want to see that you’re alone.”
“Let me talk to Pamela first.” Mara needed to confirm that she was nearby. Harrison had told her Porter and Grant were on their way to help, and she was depending on their backup to help get Pamela to safety. Even though Perdue had told her to come alone, Harrison’s brothers were both military trained and could be invisible when they wanted to. And there was no way she could actually meet with Perdue alone. It would be suicide.
“Get out first.”
“No. For all I know you’ll put a bullet in my head the second I step out.”
“I could do that right now.” His tone was smug.
Not with bullet resistant glass.
Instead of doing what he said, she slowed the truck and started to turn around.
“Fine,” he growled.
A second later, Pamela’s voice filled her ears and soothed some of the raw adrenaline pumping through Mara. “Mara?”
“Pamela, I’m here and I swear you’re going to be okay soon.”
“Whatever he says, don’t do it. He’s just going to kill us both.” Her voice was watery and it was clear she’d been crying.
Perdue cursed in the background then he was back on the line. “I told you I’d let your friend go as soon as you and I are far away from here. Now open the doors or I start cutting up sweet Pamela.”
Mara had no doubt he’d do it. She’d seen the pictures of what he’d done to the girls who’d tried to escape. Torture was nothing to a monster like him. Images of women with missing eyes and ears blurred her vision for a moment and she mentally shook herself. She knew Harrison was going to be pissed because he’d wanted her to draw him out first, but she could hear the truth in Perdue’s voice. She couldn’t push any more buttons right now. Patience was the key while Harrison’s brothers got in place. If they were even here yet. She just had to hope and pray they came through for her. “Don’t hurt her, I’ll get out.”
There was a light thump from Harrison, but she ignored it. She parked where Perdue had instructed, then opened the two doors and pulled the tailgate down so he could see that no one was lying in the back. She eyed the other vehicles which were about twenty yards from her but didn’t see any movement from them. She also glanced around the surrounding area. The way the parking lots were set up, each one was separated by trees and other foliage, keeping as much nature surrounding the zoo patrons as possible. There were too many places for Perdue to be hiding, but she could guess where he was considering the spot and position he wanted her to park. He would need to have a visual on the interior of her vehicle.
“Satisfied now?” she asked after a few moments, the fear and adrenaline pumping through her overtime. Leaning against the truck bed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, she held her breath as she waited for his response.
“You might be alone here, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have backup waiting to ambush us when we leave.”
Oh, they wouldn’t be ambushing him that late. “What good would that do me? I’d still be putting myself in the line of fire. Let Pamela go and take me. That’s the deal.”
“You are such a pretty little liar. I’m going to have fun with you before I sell you.” His voice was a soft purr, smooth and calculating, but it was like fingernails on a chalkboard.
So that was his end game. Made sense. Selling her would be the ultimate revenge for him. He would want her degraded as much as possible. The thought of his or anyone else’s hands on her made her sick to her stomach. She made a move to get back in the truck when a shot rang out. A bullet pinged a few inches from her booted foot.
“Take another step and next time I won’t miss.” Now there was no charm to his voice, just deadly intent.
She’d made a move back toward the driver’s side from the rear. Which told her exactly where he’d shot from. God help her, if Harrison’s brothers were anywhere close she hoped they’d just seen what she had. “What should I do then,
sir
?” she asked mockingly, unable to keep the jagged note of anger out of her voice.
“Oh, you will call me sir and like it, you fucking whore.” For a moment, it seemed as if he lost control. His breathing was ragged and uneven, but when he spoke next, his voice was almost monotone. “Lift up your shirt first and turn around in a circle.”
Knowing what he was looking for, she grasped the hem and pulled it up to just under her breasts and made a full circle. She had a weapon tucked into the back of her pants, which he had no doubt seen in her display.
“Put your gun on the ground,” he ordered.
She did as he said, then he told her to lift both her pants legs, which revealed her boot-covered calves and nothing else. After she complied, she could practically hear the grin in his voice as he said, “Now move slowly toward the white van.”
Mara’s heart beat a staccato thump against her chest. He’d said that Pamela was in the trunk of a car rigged with explosives. But she wasn’t sure if she believed him. Getting explosives were difficult in a place like Miami without the right contacts and someone like Neville would have a hard time approaching any weapons dealers without having done former business with them. Still, Mara couldn’t take the chance he was telling the truth and get her friend killed.
She also knew there was no way in hell she was getting in any van with him.
As she started to comply, she could hear him walking. It sounded like he was moving through brush. She guessed he was moving away from his original spot back toward where the van was parked. Which meant his gaze wouldn’t be on the truck. She sent up a silent prayer that Harrison would be able to get out unseen as she moved.
If she lived through this he was going to be so angry at her. But she was out of time and had no choice.
When she was within ten feet of the back of the van, she stopped. “I’m not getting into that thing and if you want to talk to me, you’re going to do it face to face.” She ripped her earpiece out and tossed it onto the ground. Up until this point she’d been following orders, but she had to tip the balance somehow. This move forced him out into the open—if he decided not to just shoot her and get it over with.
His skin prickled in awareness that she was in the line of sight of a predator. A monster who had no compunction taking out innocent people.
As she stood there waiting, Perdue stepped out of the trees lining the parking lot right where the white van was. Wearing dark jeans and a simple T-shirt, he didn’t dress like the man she remembered. But the rest of him was the same. Still classically handsome and the sight of him made her physically ill. He was only fifteen feet from her, but it was still too damn close for her liking. Being anywhere near him made her skin crawl.
Unfortunately, he had a gun pointed right at Pamela’s head. Mara could see bruises on her friend’s face, but her expression was one of anger instead of fear. Though dozens of scenarios raced through her mind as she imagined what Perdue might have done to her friend, Mara shoved those thoughts away. If she wanted to save her friend, she had to stay focused.
Out of the corner of her right eye, she saw a figure duck behind the two-door Celica. The movement had been a blur, but she’d seen the flash of dark hair and was pretty certain it was one of Harrison’s brothers. She prayed Perdue hadn’t seen him.
“Get in the fucking van,” Perdue growled, his eyes blazing with fury. And triumph.
“So I guess you lied about having explosives.”
Keep him talking
, she ordered herself. She had to keep a conversation going long enough for Harrison to get out of his container or for his brothers to ambush Perdue from behind.
Instead of responding, Perdue lowered his gun and shot Pamela in the upper leg, right above her knee. He did it so casually, but the action was a punch to Mara’s system as she watched in horror. Her friend screamed at the impact, crumpling under the blast of the bullet and clutching her leg as she hit the ground.
Everything funneled out around Mara as she reached back to where Harrison had strapped a .38 special to the middle of her shoulder blades. She hadn’t been sure Perdue wouldn’t see it before now, but she’d been hopeful. Ripping it away from her body, she whipped it around and aimed at his head. He was lifting the gun toward her. She could hear shouting behind her, as if from a distance, but before she could pull the trigger there was an explosion of sound. Perdue’s body flew back. A crimson stain bloomed on his upper arm and there were holes in his shirt revealing a ballistic vest. At least one shot had hit him since he was bleeding.
He stumbled and fell to one knee, his gun clutched in one hand as she pulled the trigger. This would be a headshot if her aim was true. Light flashed in her eyes, so bright it momentarily blinded her before the overwhelming impact of something slammed into her body and threw her back. Screaming, she fell against the pavement as pain blasted through her.