Finally on more level ground, he stayed low and chased shadows as he headed toward the main road. At the side of one building, he stooped and peered around the corner. Everything looked exactly as Honor had described it. Lights lined the street, but they were dimmed. The buildings were dark. Since the time was well past midnight, Seth saw no one. He had a feeling that wasn’t an unusual occurrence at any time. These people might have believed they’d achieved tranquillity, but it was pretty damn clear that their lifestyle didn’t include downtime for enjoyment. Alden Pike seemed to be the only one who had that luxury.
Even though there were no people milling about, he had no way of knowing whether the armed guards at the walls were the only lookouts. Trying to determine his best course of action to get to the next street, he went to the back of a building and ran through the darkness. Once he got to the end of the street he’d veer right to go toward the building where Honor was most likely being held.
A sound in his ear caught him in mid-stride. Seth stopped abruptly and listened.
Pike’s slimy voice said, “Time for the next phase, my dear.”
Seth heard heavy panting, as if Honor was scrambling, trying to get away. Then a small, gasping cry.
“Now, now … don’t fight it. Everything will be much easier once this is all over.”
Seth took off running again. No way in hell was he waiting until the bastard did something else to her.
In the midst of his flat-out dash, he heard the most chilling sound of all: Honor’s scream of agony.
To hell with stealth. Seth shifted direction and darted between two buildings. Running as fast as he could, determination and fear giving him speed, he zoomed out onto the main street and raced through the middle of town. Honor’s scream echoed in his head, a chilling reminder of another woman he’d failed to save.
Not this time. And not Honor. Dammit, this time he would not be too late.
thirty
Helpless in the grip of horrendous pain, Honor felt her muscles spasm out of control and then lock. The bastard had held out his hand to her and she, acting like the brainless twit he wanted her to be, had thought he was helping her up from the floor. Instead, he’d stunned her with that fucking Taser again.
Breathlessly, she glared up at him through eyes glazed with tears. Hiding the pain would get her nowhere. Working to recover, she didn’t have to fake the quiver in her voice. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“For purification purposes, of course.” That slimy smile came back as he held out his hand again. “Come. No zapping, I promise.”
She had some choices … all of them sucked. If she ignored his hand, he’d see it as defiance and might keep her locked up even longer. If she tried to fight him now, as tired as she was, she stood a good chance of losing. Her last option sucked the most, but it was the one she had to take. Releasing a long, silent breath, Honor took the giant hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
Embarrassment because of her nudity never occurred to her. The slime of his smile extended to his eyes as, like a lascivious lecher, he allowed his gaze to roam over her. Let the bastard look his fill, maybe he’d drop the damn Taser. She’d be more than happy to show him how it felt.
“I hoped you would have freckles all over your body.” He reached toward her breast and Honor jumped back, out of his way.
His laughter sounded the way it should—evil and filthy. “You’re shy. I like that. I had planned on allowing you a shower and some water, but that spark of defiance needs some quick taming.”
When she stared mutely up at him, he gave her another sick, twisted smile. “And though you don’t deserve it, I have a special gift for you. Several other girls will be joining you for training. You’ll finally have some friends.”
Other girls? Now, that was music to her ears. Offering him a trembling smile, Honor took a half step. Once more, agony zoomed. Screaming, her body jerking uncontrollably, she fell forward. Strong arms caught her. A burlap sack was shoved over her head and then tightened around her neck. With effortless ease, Pike picked her up and threw her over his shoulder like a bag of flour.
Dammit, she should have tried fighting him before. Struggling, she pounded on his back, screaming. He stopped in mid-stride and dropped her to her feet. Though blinded with the bag over her head, Honor tried for a quick punch and kick. The punch hit what felt like a shoulder and the kick made a nice thudding noise as it slammed into a fleshly part of his leg.
Pike grunted and then pain slammed into her jaw. Stunned, her ears ringing, she was once more picked up and slung over his shoulder, where she hung limply. Seconds, minutes later, he released her … and her back was slammed down onto something hard and long. She felt her hands and feet being tied to it. The sack kept her from seeing anything, and the blow to her face had frozen her into an almost numbing submission. Just what the bastard wanted.
“I’ll be right back.”
Honor pushed past her anger at allowing herself to get caught like this. Analyzing her stupidity in believing she had control of the situation would have to be dealt with at another time. For now, she had to figure out how to get out of this mess.
After hearing her screams, Seth wouldn’t wait any longer. He and the others would be here soon. Had they heard Pike’s comment about the other girls? She needed to make sure. Turning her face toward her arm, she whispered harshly, “He’s bringing the other girls out. I have a sack over my head and can’t see.” And then, because she knew Seth would be worried sick, she added, “And I’m okay. Honest.”
How long would it take them to get to this building? Would they encounter more resistance than the men at the towers? She couldn’t say. Right now, her priorities were to stay healthy and delay whatever kind of group torture Pike had planned.
Squinting with all her might, Honor tried to make out, through the thin fabric, what kind of room she was in and what was going on. She saw movement to her left and two blurred images.
His voice filled with approval, Pike said, “Very good, my dear. Lie down, just like that.”
The blurred movements stopped momentarily, and then he said, “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she heard him retreat, Honor whispered, “Who’s there?”
A trembling female voice said, “My name is Anna.”
Gratitude flooded her.
Thank you, God
. “Anna, do you know if there are others?”
“Two more, I think.”
“Do you have a bag over your head, too?”
“No, I can see.”
“Can you describe what you see?”
Honor heard the young woman swallow and then she started giving a litany of terrifying descriptions. “We’re tied to long boards that kind of look like seesaws. There are four of them. Each board has a bucket of water, one in front and one behind.” Anna paused for a breath and then continued: “There are hooks and tethers hanging all over the room. I see several kinds of machines behind you … I don’t know what they’re for …” She swallowed hard and added, “They look hideous.”
“Okay, what about doors or windows? Any kind of exit?”
Seconds later, Anna said, “From where I am, I see only one door. It’s the one he brought me through. I don’t see any windows.”
“You’re doing great, Anna. What about—” Honor broke off and then said, “Shh, he’s coming back.”
Silently, Honor listened as Pike returned and apparently tied another girl to a board. Saying the same words—“I’ll be right back”—he left the room again.
“Who’s there?” Honor asked.
“Who … who are you?” The voice sounded young and female, and it quivered with terror.
Concerned that Pike could hear, she maintained her role and answered, “My name is Maggie. What’s yours?”
“Kelli … Kelli Cavanaugh.”
Emotions soared so high inside her, she almost started crying. Knowing that Seth could hear his niece’s voice made up for every pain and indignity she’d suffered. Soon … very soon, he and LCR would arrive, giving Alden Pike exactly what he deserved.
Footsteps grew closer, letting her know Pike was returning, hopefully this time with Missy. She lay still and listened as he tied the third girl down.
Seconds passed without movement in the room. Other than the sniffling and soft crying of the girls, Honor heard nothing. And then a new sound hit her ears: Pike’s breathing. Not normal breaths either—heavy, excited, rough rasps of air. The sounds grew harsher, escalating in speed. Grating grunts echoed around the room, followed by rapid pants like those of a gasping, wild animal. The perverted freak was getting turned on.
Fury beat down the bile surging up her throat. Determined to ruin the sadistic bastard’s good time, Honor said, “Hey, mister, are you some kind of a pervert or something?”
The silence was deafening, and then the bag was ripped from her head. Ignoring Pike’s furious face in front of her, Honor took a quick glance around. Just as Anna had said, she was in a semicircle with three other boards, a girl tied to each board—Kelli, Missy, and Anna.
A thrill of happiness surged through her, followed by a scream of agony as Pike zapped her with the Taser again. Her body twitching in pain, he put his nose against hers and snarled, “You’ll pay dearly for that insult.”
Seth stood at a closed door at the back of the building. The description Honor had given was right on target. Honor, Kelli, and the other girls were inside. He’d heard her reassurance that she was fine, and he’d heard Kelli’s sweet voice. His adrenaline surged, urging him to go inside.
He spoke into the mic on his shoulder: “I’m at the building. Things are heating up … I can’t wait much longer. Anyone close?”
“Livingston and I are headed your way. Thorne ran into a problem … he’s a couple of minutes behind us.”
“Hey, mister, are you some kind of a pervert or something?”
Seth almost smiled at Honor’s cutting question. Seconds later, she screamed in pain. Fuck waiting. Whispering harshly, “I’m going in,” Seth pushed open the door.
One of the men issued a soft curse, but no one protested. Seth paused inside a small, dark hallway, his ears alert for sounds … muffled voices came from the other end of the hallway. Gun at the ready, he ran toward a closed door. Turning the knob, he eased it open a slight crack. He peered in, his breath suspended as he took in what could only be called a modern-day torture chamber.
The room was a giant cavernous space. Hooks, ropes, chains, and leather halters hung from the ceiling. Narrow tables that resembled doctor’s examining tables were interspersed with some of the oddest and most horrific-looking equipment and machinery Seth had ever seen. He recognized one contraption that resembled a pillory; in a corner, he spotted what looked like a modified electric chair.
A soft sob drew his attention to the left, near the far corner of the room. Bent low, Seth crept inside and then crouched behind a table.
Four slanted boards were arranged in a semicircle. Each board resembled a child’s seesaw. Four nude women, including Honor, were tied to the boards. A bucket of water had been placed under each of their bare feet. Pike lowered a board holding a woman … Seth peered closer. Anna, he thought. When her feet dipped into the water, he tilted the board again until she was out of the water. Taking several steps back, he pointed something toward her feet. What the hell …?
“Pike, you bastard. Don’t you fucking dare!” Honor shouted.
Pike turned to stare at Honor. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
“You’re a monster and a sadistic pervert. I’ll talk to you any damn way I please.”
“You’ve been faking.” He sounded like a bewildered child.
“Your kidnapping and torturing days are over.”
“This is my kingdom, my rules. I can do what I please. No one can stop me.”
“Think again, asshole,” Seth snarled.
Pike whirled around. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the man who’s going to shoot your head off if you don’t drop that Taser and back away from the women.”
Alden shook his head slowly, disbelief and fury culminating in a mass of volcanic emotions. No, this couldn’t happen. This was his home—his paradise. He had safeguards set up for protection. His people were supposed to die before they let anyone get to him.
Who was responsible for allowing an infiltrator inside his kingdom? The realization came quickly. He whirled around and stared at the traitorous female. The woman who should have been honored to be his chosen mate had betrayed him in the worst way possible. “You,” he whispered hoarsely. “You brought him here.”
With the look of innocence and fear now gone, her face showed a maturity that stunned him. Where was his lovely, submissive female? For the first time ever, Alden felt a blow to his heart, almost as if she’d ripped it from his chest and squeezed it with her fist. She was to have been his queen.
“I’m not telling you again, Pike,” the man behind him growled.
Barely hearing the threat, Alden shook his head, almost dazed with hurt. “I was going to make you my queen. You would have had everything any woman could want.”
“You’re a pervert and a freak, Pike,” the woman said. “And you’re going to prison for a very long time.”
The bitch hadn’t deserved him. His broken heart now fully healed, his mind grappled with a plan. Indecision battled with supreme confidence. This was his world … his rules. No one told him what to do. He turned to look at the man holding the gun. “This is my home. What I say goes here.”
As if he hadn’t heard him, the man motioned with his gun. “Walk toward me, slow and easy.”
No, he’d worked too long and too hard to create this world. He would damn well not allow anyone to destroy it. Staring intently at the man for several more seconds, Alden huffed out a long breath and slumped his shoulders as if accepting defeat. He dropped the Taser onto the floor and began walking in front of the women.
“I said ‘toward me,’ asshole,” the man growled.
The man wouldn’t shoot … not if it meant endangering the four females. Alden continued walking slowly. Then he darted sideways, running between two women.
“Dammit!” the man shouted.
Withdrawing a knife from his pocket, he held it to the betraying bitch’s throat. “Drop your gun or I’ll slice her head clean off.”
“And the instant you do, you’re dead.”
The man’s hard voice and icy expression gave Alden pause for only a second. If the girl was his partner, he wouldn’t risk her life. Smug with his superior knowledge of human behavior, Alden pulled hard on the bitch’s hair, stretching her neck. With the knife firmly against her throat, Alden smiled and said, “Drop your gun and slide it over to me. If you don’t, she’s dead. Your choice.”
His face twisted with indecision and then frustrated defeat, the man lowered his gun to the floor and slid it several feet forward.
Triumphant, Alden eased the knife back slightly. Even though he had every intention of killing the man, Alden couldn’t resist offering him instructions on what he had done wrong. “You made several errors in judgment. Your first was daring to infiltrate my kingdom. And your second was caring what happened to the bitch.” Tightening his grip on the knife, he whispered in her ear. “Say goodbye to—”
A noise sounded behind Alden.
Tabitha?
Good. She could help him do away with the intruder. Alden lowered the knife and turned. Searing pain shot through his hip; an instant later he heard a sharp blast. Stunned, he turned back to see that the man was down on the floor, holding another gun. The gun he’d slid across the floor was still there. How had that happened?
Knife still in his hand, Alden jabbed down toward the woman. Another shot blasted through the air—this time, from the other side of the room. Alden glanced down to see blood staining his shirt, and then pain exploded in his chest. His legs went out from under him and he fell forward. Men were shouting. Where had all of these people come from? How had this happened?
Fury dimmed the pain. Alden lifted his hand and, with the last of his reserves, threw the knife at the bitch who’d caused his kingdom to fall. In his last moment on earth, he heard a man’s tortured voice shout, “Honor!” And then he knew nothing more.