The Plume: The Second Anthology (35 page)

Leya nodded as she caught the keys out of the
air. “Go! I’ll be there.”

Rex took his messenger bag and ran.

He didn’t see Leya toss her lit beeswax
candles into the piled jute rope on her way out of the studio. The
flame smoldered, then slowly lit, giving her plenty of time to
evacuate the space.

Rex pulled the first blue emergency alarm
that he passed. Its siren was more of a low warning tone than the
squeal of the fire alarm, and every member of the Plume knew what
it meant. He heard scrambling and shouting in the distance but he
had work to do.

He made the office in record time. He turned
on his computer, tapping his fingers with impatience as it booted
up. He looked at the clock, trying to calculate how much time had
passed. As soon as the screen illuminated, Rex launched the worm
that would destroy all of the files on the hard drives. It had been
designed to propagate throughout the Plume’s internal network and
eliminate all data beyond retrieval in four and a half minutes.

He hoped that was enough time.

* * *

In the bar at the Plume, Tony froze at the
sound the alarm that he’d never expected to hear. “Holy shit,” he
muttered and shooed the members out of the bar. He urged them to
take different exits, then raced back to the bar.

He met Tex on the stairs, and Charlie was
coming from another corridor.

“Where are Rex and Athena?” he demanded.

“No idea,” Tex said. “Stable’s empty.”

“Dungeon, too,” Charlie said. “I just
checked.”

Amanda came running out of the offices, her
expression stricken. “They’re coming!”

“Have you seen Rex or Athena?”

“Rex is trashing files in the office,” Amanda
said.

“We can help him smash hard drives,” Tex
said.

“No,” Amanda said. “You don’t have to. He has
a data worm installed. It’ll wipe it all out.”

“Trust Rex to think of everything,” Charlie
said with admiration.

“We’ve got to help.” Tony looked around at
the place he’d worked and loved for so many years. “The bar is full
of booze. If you’re sure the cellars are empty, let’s start a
bonfire.”

“We’re on it, Amanda,” Tex said. “Get out
while you can.”

“Forget it,” she said, giving him a friendly
nudge. “They’ll only be able to shut the Plume down.”

“That’s plenty,” Charlie said, reaching for
two bottles of rum.

“We’re consenting adults,” Amanda continued.
“And I’ve got Julius’s phone number tattooed on my thigh, just for
emergencies like this. He’ll have us all out of jail in the
morning.”

“Provided we destroy any possible evidence,”
Tony said and threw a bottle of brandy against the wall. Tex struck
a match and tossed it into the alcohol, even as they heard the
first sirens on the street outside.

* * *

Joanna couldn’t believe it.

Mike and Eric left her there, alone and naked
in that apartment. It had to be against every law in existence—or
maybe there was a way out. She waited only a moment after they
left—just long enough to be sure they weren’t coming back to check
on her obedience—then ran to the door to listen.

There was silence on the other side.

She tried to open it, but there was no latch
on this side. A person needed the key to get out. She peeled off
the tape and balled it up, then flung it on the coffee table.

She checked the kitchen, not really surprised
to learn that there were no tools or utensils. The drawers were
empty, except for a package of plastic spoons and a roll of paper
towels. The freezer held some packaged entrees that could be heated
in the microwave, but otherwise, the kitchen was bare.

The bathroom had only towels and shower gel,
shampoo and conditioner. There was moisturizing lotion and a comb,
nothing else.

The main room had only bonds stored in that
coffee table. There wasn’t a piece of furniture that would let her
climb up to the high windows, but she could see even from the floor
that they were sealed. She could easily guess that someone who had
taken this much care had also put baffling in the ventilation
system to keep all sounds contained.

She was trapped.

She was at their will.

Joanna’s heart was racing in fear.

She took a deep breath to try to compose
herself. So long as she was captive at Mike’s will, she was good
with it. She trusted Mike. She knew Mike would protect her and take
care of her.

She didn’t trust Eric. Being his captive made
her think about the dangers of the situation. What if there was a
fire in the building? She didn’t trust for one minute that Erik
would ensure her safety. Joanna prowled the room, finding out as
much about it as possible but discovering little more than she’d
already seen.

When the phone rang, she pivoted to face it,
her heart in her mouth. We’ll call you, Eric had said, and give you
commands.

It rang again. What if she didn’t answer the
phone? That had to count as being bad, which had to mean staying
longer in this place.

It rang a third time and Joanna answered it
as Eric had showed her.

“Hello?”

“You took off the gag,” Mike said, using his
rough voice, the one he’d used as a thief that excited Joanna so
much. Her knees weakened in relief. Maybe he was coming back to
reward her. Maybe he’d even wear the black leather hood, and those
gloves.

“I’m sorry, Mike,” she said and meant it.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes and you’ll be
ready,” he continued.

“Yes, Mike.”

“I’m going to have to discipline you,” he
continued and her knees weakened. “Put on the ball gag and make
sure it looks good. Take out two of the biggest cable ties. Kneel
with your back to the door and bind your ankles together before I
get there. You know how to sit.”

“Yes, Mike.” Joanna couldn’t swallow the lump
in her throat. Her sex was thumping with need. Everything was going
to be all right. Mike was coming to get her—but first he’d punish
her and possess her and claim her all over again. It couldn’t be a
coincidence that he wasn’t mentioning Eric. She was going to be his
again, forever.

And she’d ensure he knew that was what she
wanted.

“Put the other cable tie beside your feet,
then put your hands on your heels.” He dropped his voice lower.
“And if you’re very good, you’ll only have to call in sick to work
tomorrow.”

Joanna felt dizzy. “Yes, Mike,” she managed
to say.

“Ten minutes. Be ready and be good or you’ll
stay there all week.”

Although Joanna loved the idea of being
Mike’s captive for that long, she didn’t want to stay in this
place, not with Eric having a key. Before she could think of a
submissive way to tell him as much, Mike broke the connection.

Joanna hurried to the coffee table. She
didn’t want to disappoint him. She went in the bathroom to fasten
the ball gag, making sure her hair looked smooth and sleek beneath
its harness and securing it tightly. She kneeled on the carpet as
instructed and locked the cable tie around her ankles, pulling it
tight before she realized there were no scissors in the
kitchen.

Her heart leapt, then she knew Mike would
plan for that and bring some.

Mike always took care of her.

In so many ways. She couldn’t even begin to
imagine how hot the rest of this day and night would be, and she
couldn’t wait for it to start. She spread her knees wide and sat
straight, her back to the door. She took a deep breath, put her
hands on her heels, and waited.

Impatiently.

* * *

Rex bolted through the building, heading for
fire exit six. He could hear the police shouting orders as they
hammered at the main door, and hear the sirens outside. Inside the
Plume, he saw no one and heard no one. There was just the drone of
the alarm.

He hoped like hell they were all out.

He reached the door, caught his breath and
opened it the narrowest bit. The bright flash of red lights blinded
him from one side, but it was the contrast of the light against the
night. The cruiser was parked across the end of the street, almost
a full block away. It was only a matter of time before they blocked
off the other end of the street.

But there was no sign of his Jeep.

Where was Leya?

He looked back, wondering if he could get to
the parking garage. What if she hadn’t found his car? What if she
were trapped there? What if he left to find her just before she
arrived here? How long should he wait?

A black limo slid out of the night toward
him. Its headlights were extinguished and it was hard to see
against the shadows.

It was moving fast, so fast that the tires
squealed as it stopped beside exit six.

To Rex’s relief, Leya flung open the door to
the back. “Get in!” she cried, just as the cop at the end of the
block turned on his siren and searchlight.

“Halt!” The command came through a megaphone
just as Rex threw himself into the car. Rafe did a tight U-turn and
accelerated, shooting down the street to the unobstructed end. Rex
hauled the door shut with an effort.

“They’re going to block it,” he warned.

“Let them try,” Rafe said and floored it.
There was a police car moving into position, its lights flaring but
Rafe swerved hard to one side. There was a bang as the limo was
struck on one side and it fishtailed slightly, but Rafe didn’t slow
down.

Rex grabbed the back of Leya’s head and
forced it down, not certain whether the police would shoot at them
or not.

“You watch too many movies,” Rafe teased.

“He’s just ready for anything,” Leya said and
put her hand on his knee. “I couldn’t get the Jeep out of there,”
she said with an apologetic shrug. “But I emptied the glove
box.”

“Forget the car. I was afraid for you,” Rex
said, and kissed her deeply.

* * *

Rex was agitated, still running through his
mental list of things to do in the event of a raid, still convinced
he must have missed something.

“Did they all get out?” he asked Rafe again.
They were driving into the night, somewhere in the city, although
Rex wasn’t sure where.

Rafe nodded. “You should have seen it. Dozens
of them, streaming into the street in all their finery. It’s going
to give the neighbors fantasies for years.”

“There are no neighbors there. That’s why I
bought it.”

“You know what I mean.”

“They started a fire,” Leya told him and Rex
looked at her in horror. “Once they knew everyone was out safely.”
She squeezed his thigh. “Everyone is safe, Rex.”

Rex exhaled and stared out the window of the
limo, dissatisfied with her answer even though he suspected it
might be true.

He shouldn’t go to his apartment, he decided,
as it would be reasonably easy for the police to find the address.
They might have it already. He was pretty sure there wasn’t
anything there that mattered or that could incriminate anyone.

He held the laptop a little more tightly,
glad that all of his images were stored on this drive. Decades of
pictures. Thousands and thousands of them. It would break his heart
to lose them.

He had been crazy to risk that show. Athena
had been right that it was too dangerous. And now, by taking the
opportunity presented, he’d destroyed the Plume.

Which had been his greater creation.

He frowned into the night.

“Who do you think told them?” Leya asked.

“What?”

“The location. It was always a secret, right?
Someone must have told the police where to find the Plume. Who
would do it?”

“I thought the police had found the Plume
somehow themselves,” Rex said. “Because of the show.” He gestured.
“Detectives.”

Rafe and Leya laughed simultaneously.

“Definitely too many movies,” Rafe said.

“You think one of us told them?” Rex was
shocked by the idea. “Why?”

Rafe shrugged. “Who knows?”

“And who else would know?” Leya folded her
arms across her chest. “You probably think I did it, because I’m
not a member, but I didn’t.”

“No. I’d never think that you would do that.”
Rex ran a hand over his head. “I can’t imagine that anyone I know
there would do that. They all love that place.”

“We all love that place,” Rafe corrected.

“Loved that place,” Leya corrected.

Rex saw Rafe watching him in the rear view
mirror, then the driver looked away. “Rafe, do you know
something?”

“I don’t
know
anything, Rex.”

“Do you suspect something?”

“I suspect a lot, Rex. It’s part of what I
like about this job.”

“I don’t understand.”

Rafe shrugged and took a turn. “I watch. I
listen. I speculate. I find it entertaining.”

Rex moved to the bench seat immediately
behind the driver’s seat. “And what do you speculate about
this?”

“I think we need to ditch the car,” Rafe
said.

He was right. Rex looked out the back window,
fully expecting to see red flashing lights closing fast. “Any
suggestions, Rafe?”

“Only one. I’ve thought about this for a
while.”

Rex thought about trust. He thought about
delegating responsibility. He met Leya’s steady gaze and, without
asking for details, gave the command. “Do it, Rafe. Do it as your
last deed for the Plume.”

Leya smiled.

Rafe accelerated.

* * *

“Excellent,” Eric said with approval. The two
friends were outside the building, where they had wasted some time
before calling Joanna. “Is this hot or what?”

“It’s not for me,” Mike said, knowing it was
true.

Eric stared at him in astonishment. “You
can’t leave her up there like that.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re planning to walk
away.”