Old Lady (7 page)

“No sir, it was sighted on a road but by the time someone reached there, it was gone. We’ve not been able to get a lock on it anywhere else. It’s unfortunate, really but we’re hopeful that we would get some news on it sooner or later. We’ll keep you posted on all developments.”

“Thank you,” said Nick in a dull voice. Later may be too late for Gabby. What if the man hurt her? What if he killed her?

There must be something that he can do to save her, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure what he should do. His hopes were all anchored on the police, but when they said that they didn’t have any leads, he was heartbroken. If the police couldn’t find her with all the resources that they had at their disposal, how the hell was he supposed to do it on his own?

Suddenly, the possibility that he might never see Gabby again became very real. Despondency settled in his heart. Images of her flashed in his mind: her sweet smile, her gorgeous face, her honest eyes, and her charming and caring nature. He couldn’t live with her. She was the purpose of his life – and now that she was gone, he was lost and alone.

Would his life ever take the right turn back to what he wanted?

Would he ever see Gabby again?

Nick wasn’t sure – and it was a terrible, terrible feeling.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Gabby opened her eyes in the dark. For a few moments, she feared as if she’d gone blind. The world was a black void where she couldn’t see anything nor could she hear any sound. As she tried to move her hands, she found that they were tied. Panic rose like bile inside her throat, but she pushed it down and concentrated on her breathing. Once she was sure that she was more in control of her emotions, she made another attempt to move her hands and legs.

She was tied up like a chicken, so much so that she couldn’t even turn on her side. Gabby knew the place she was in. It was the cellar in Joseph’s club. Once, he had forced her down there when she refused to service three men at the same time. This was much worse than that; at least then she had been able to move around a bit.

This was one of Joseph’s power plays. He wanted to reduce her to the state of a blubbering, crying girl who would agree to whatever the hell he wanted her to do. As always, it worked. The fear that skidded across her nerves was devastatingly crushing. She could feel her will and her mind slowly crumbling as she fought the terror that careened through her veins. If only he got her out of this mess, she would fall in line. The months of freedom that she enjoyed were far more than what she expected when she ran away. Gabby never imagined that she would be able to enjoy the normal things that other people took for granted. When she got away from Joseph, she feared that he would find her at some point and make her regret her move.

It happened exactly as she thought.

But she would forever relish the memories of the wonderful time that she had in Hell Brigade. The images that flashed through her mind were myriad; Ronald’s handsome face, Willow’s encouraging smile, Tasha’s bright eyes, but the face that haunted her the most was Nick’s. What must he be going through in her absence?

What did he do when he reached the store and found that she was gone?

He would surely blame himself. Rather than curse her for being so irresponsible, he would beat himself that he didn’t do enough. She knew him well. He loved her, and his vow to protect her was sincere. She’d betrayed him by not abiding by his advice. If only she didn’t step out with Tasha. Why did she lull herself into this feeling of false security? If she stayed in the clubhouse, she would still be there, safe and well.

Now, she was trapped in this cellar, tied like an animal that was about to be sacrificed. Joseph would do his best to break her spirit. He would unleash upon her a storm of horrible deeds that would force her to cower in front of him. If Nick saw her now, he would be ashamed of her.

The thought sent a tingle up her spine. She never wanted him to cast his gaze on her when she was so helpless and vulnerable. She’d seen the love that shone in his eyes for her, and she didn’t want to see disgust that was directed at her.

No. She wouldn’t break down.

She would be damned if he killed her, but she wouldn’t allow Joseph the satisfaction of knowing that he broke her mind. He could do his worst, and she might not smile through it, but she sure as hell would survive it for as long as she could. Nick had said that he would protect her. If she did as he’d said, she would be safe now, but she failed him – not the other way around. Gabby believed him when he said that he loved her. When she was with him, the words got stuck in her throat, and she didn’t say them often enough, but if she saw him now, she would tell him that she adored him. He was her life. Without him, she was nothing. But in order to say all those things, she needed to live.

Joseph might try his best to crush her before he killed her, but this time, she wasn’t going to comply with his rules. Maybe she couldn’t free herself, but she sure as hell could defy him. If she wanted to survive, she needed a plan. Right now, she didn’t have anything that she could use to her advantage, but Joseph wouldn’t keep her inside this place forever. He would do his best to humiliate her. In order to do so, he would let her out – and when he did so, she would grab a chance whenever she could.

Rather than cry and moan over her life, she stiffened her resolve. Gabby was going to survive this catastrophe no matter what happened.

He kept her in that cellar for at least eight or nine hours. Maybe she was wrong. Perhaps it was less or more than that, but by the time he came down, her bladder was close to bursting. She could relieve herself in that situation, but her pride didn’t allow her to do so. The light that flooded inside when he opened the door made her eyes tingle. She closed them as she heard his footsteps descend the stairs. Once, the sound would have sent a lance of fear straight through her heart, but now it only served to remind her that he was no longer her master.

She was a free woman – and that was the way she was going to die.

With a knife, he cut open her ropes in one clean swipe after another. She sat up, her muscles cramping and hurting. His gloating face floated into view. The scar on his cheek gleamed in the light. “You bitch! Did you really think I would allow you to roam around when you defied me so openly?” Wisely, she kept her mouth shut. “Get up!”

She stood. Gripping her arm, he forced her up the stairs. She climbed up with a great deal of effort. After being tied for so long, her legs were hurting too much. He shoved her inside the bathroom. Gladly, she relieved herself. Gabby looked in the mirror once she was done. Her face was streaked with dirt, and her clothes were rumpled and creased. She washed herself, cleaned her face and arms as best as she could. Even before she was done, he was pounding on the door. Gabby opened the door with dignity.

She stepped out. He grabbed her arm and forced her to sit on the couch. She was familiar with this back room. It was the place where she and the other girls waited before they went on the stage. She’d spent many years of her life in this same room. Was she a fool when she imagined that she would never get back?

Perhaps, that was true.

Or maybe she just needed to bide her time before she could leave once more.

Gabby sucked in a deep breath of air as she waited for the first punch to hit her. Joseph didn’t want too long before unleashing his anger.

Much to her surprise, he began with a question. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Maybe he wanted her to apologize or grovel, but she was determined to not give him the satisfaction.  “I deserve to live my life the way I desire to, and I don’t want to do this anymore.”

This time she earned a sharp, stinging slap. “You ungrateful bitch. How dare you tell me that you don’t want to do this now? I saved you from a worse fate. You were just a child with no place to go, and I took you in. I gave you food and shelter, paid for your clothes, and took care of you. And this is what you give me in return.” Foam formed in the corners of his lips, a sure sign of his mounting temper.

Years of abuse had taught her to keep her mouth shut in such circumstances, but now she wasn’t the same cowering girl who got frightened by everything and anything. She’d learned courage with great difficulty and didn’t want to lose it now. “What you gave me was nothing in exchange for what you took from me. You forced me to clean this place, and you shoved me into years of depraved living by serving the men you chose for me. I gave you twelve years of my life in exchange for the food you put in front of me. Now, the rest of my life is mine.”

He raised his hand. She jerked a little in anticipation. Seeing her reaction, he smiled and lowered his arm. “You may think that you’ve regained your rights but nothing has changed. I will not allow it. Once a girl comes under my protection, she remains here until I no longer have any use for her. You were one of my special girls. Clients came to see you specifically. You could have charged any price that you wanted, but instead, you threw it all away to scrub dishes and serve men in a silly biker’s club.”

“I was free there to do what I wanted.”

He laughed. “You were a fool to defy me. What did you earn in exchange for this stupid act?” He clearly didn’t expect an answer. “Do you think that pansy boy who rides on fancy bikes and lives in that pretty house is going to come looking for you? What’s his name?” He snapped his finger. “Ah, yes. Nick. Do you think he will come here like an avenging angel and rescue you? Do you really think he cares enough?”

“He will come,” she said with a certainly that she felt in the center of her being. Nick wouldn’t leave her at this mercy of this miserable man.  “And when he does, you’re going to wish that you weren’t born.”

That threat earned her three sharp slaps one after another. “You useless, spineless bitch. This is just a delusion. No one is going to risk their lives to rescue you. You’re no one. You’re nothing. No one cares about you except me, and you’ve ruined the only good thing you had going. I might have been able to forgive you for trying to run away but what you did with the police is unforgivable. For that, you’ve earned death.”

She gulped. Tears sprang to her eyes but she forced them with a vicious sniff. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d reduced her to this most pathetic state. From the moment he grabbed her, she expected this end. She’d known that he wouldn’t tolerate her presence for long. He’d said as much when he called her while she was with Nick. It was her fault that she didn’t take his threats seriously enough.

Gabby sniffed as she tried to get a grip on her feelings. Blaming herself wasn’t going to solve any problem. The only thing it did was to absolve him of all guilt, and it wasn’t fair to her own self when she did that. He enslaved her and when she ran away, he brought her back. He was the monster. He was the one who needed to be locked up for good. She was only sorry that she didn’t start the proceedings against him sooner. Had she done that, this might not have happened. Nick told her from the beginning to do it, even before they became deeply involved with each other.  She should have listened to him. If she’d done as he wanted right from the start, she wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

But the time for regrets was long gone.

It was time to take charge, and she was doing it despite the consequences.

In a defiant gesture, she lifted her chin. “Do your worst. I don’t care.”

His lips peeled back to reveal his yellow teeth. He growled, deep in his throat as his hand twitched. He ached to hurt her. She could see the need for violence coil in his eyes. Gabby prepared for the worst. No matter what she said or did, he was going to hurt her anyway. Instead of saying anything, he stared at her, a speculative gleam in his eyes.

“Death might be too easy for you.”

She licked her bottom lip with her tongue. What the hell was he talking about? Gabby didn’t mind death. If that’s what he wanted, she welcomed it. All she could hope was that it was swift and painless, but of course, he wouldn’t grant her that small mercy. The man was a vicious, brutal monster who would want to hurt her in the worst possible manner. She imagined the various ways in which he could torture her; beatings with a belt, with a chain, perhaps blows to her body with a baseball bat, and maybe a knife plunged in the heart to finish her off. She could deal with it all.

Adversity didn’t make her as strong as freedom did.

If she couldn’t have it, she didn’t want anything else. It was better to die. Perhaps in death lay her salvation.

He surely expected her to ask as to what he planned, but when she didn’t say anything, he walked over to the window that looked out in the backyard. Even from this angle, she could see the large, wooden fence that surrounded the small, unkempt yard. “I’ve made a lot of investment on you, Gabby. Your clothes, your food, and your monthly hair appointments and the makeup you wore. Even your medical bills were paid by me.”

“You paid them with my earnings.”

He turned to face her. “It’s only fair that you pay me some more.”

Fear coursed through her heart. Whenever she imagined Joseph getting his dirty hands on her, she’d thought that he would want to kill her. She never expected him to keep her alive. Death was much preferred to the fate that he appeared to have in mind for her. “No!” She breathed out the word as if it was a prayer. “I wouldn’t cooperate. Never.”

A bone-chilling smile crept over his lips. “Your cooperation is not necessary. It’s not needed. I’ve got clients who would pay a great price for you, and it wouldn’t matter to them whether you wanted the same or not.”

The tears that swam in her eyes couldn’t be forced back with an act of will. What he planned for her was beyond horrific. “You can’t do this.”