CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CLOVER
The monster in the rabbit mask did the driving. He took the corners extra hard, sending us flying around in the back. We crashed into one another, bouncing off the interior walls of the SUV. Having the tape over my mouth made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. It took great effort not to completely dissolve into a panic attack.
At one point, Raina rolled against me. With her bound hands, she tried her best to touch my hand with hers. We awkwardly lay back to back, which gave Raina the idea to try to loosen my bonds. Despite her efforts, the angle was too awkward, and her hands were tied too tight for her fingers to move much.
My shoulders slumped, my hope fading. Somehow, I needed to get it together mentally. To take whatever they did and not let it break me. My Angels would come.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed before the vehicle came to a stop. I had no idea where we were until the men took us out of the back. We were at a large house, almost a mini mansion really. It stood tall against the night sky. Several windows were lit up with lights. A large brick circle drive allowed them to park in front of the door.
They carried us like we were nothing more than cargo. They hauled us along like we were less than human. This time Raina didn’t fight so hard. The threat of being drugged had subdued her.
I didn’t fight either. I knew that it would get me nowhere. Pissing these guys off further didn’t seem like a great idea. They knew what the Angels and I had done. This was revenge.
Part of me had expected them to take us back to Paradise. Of course they wouldn’t do that. That location had been compromised. They would take us somewhere they never expected to be found. They would be found though. It was only a matter of time. I just hoped they didn’t hurt us too badly by then.
The front door opened into a large foyer. The ceilings stretched high. On one side, the foyer opened into a living room. A spiral staircase wound up to a second floor on the other side. Two more armed men stood in the foyer, watching dispassionately as we were carried inside. They took us in neither direction.
Instead, they dragged us along to a closed door underneath the staircase. Another set of stairs took us down to the basement. It didn’t look like a typical basement. Lavish carpet lined the way. Framed pictures adorned the walls. At the bottom of the stairs, a large bar stacked with bottles overlooked a large entertainment area filled with pool tables and old arcade games. Someone with a lot of money definitely lived here.
They brought us through the rec room into an adjoining room. That’s where they dumped us on the hard floor. This room was almost empty. Finished walls and nice tile had been paired with ropes and shackles hanging from the walls. Panic swallowed me whole when I saw the laptops and cameras set up on a desk in one corner.
Without another word to us, each man took up position on either side of the door. They each pulled off their masks and tossed them aside. The man who had been wearing the beaver mask stared straight ahead, no longer acknowledging us. However, Rabbit Mask scowled in our direction, a hateful glare etched on his grizzled face.
Were one of these men JD? No, the man in charge would not do this kind of grunt work himself. I had a feeling we were about to meet the man behind everything. Unless he was too good to get his hands dirty with this kind of business.
A few minutes later, the door opened again, and a dark haired man dressed in a black suit entered. He held a glass of wine in one hand and a gun nonchalantly in the other. At first glance, he could have been mistaken for handsome. Upon closer inspection, there was no denying the ugliness in his eyes. Pure evil filled this man.
His dark gaze landed on us right away. A serpentine smile danced about his lips. “Hello, ladies. Pleasure to meet you both. Well, it will be for me anyway. My name is JD. Would either of you care to explain to me why you’re trying to ruin my business?”
He stalked over to me first, casually ripping the tape from my mouth. The sudden sharp sting was startling.
“Speak,” he commanded.
I gaped at him, fighting to make the words come out. I didn’t know how to answer that question.
“Someone has to stop a monster like you,” I heard myself say.
It wasn’t like me to be so confrontational when my very life was on the line. Although I’d never faced death as many times as I had since falling in love with the Angels. I may be a victim, but I didn’t have to act like one.
JD chuckled. “And you think that will be you? That’s adorable.” Turning to the two men who’d brought us here, he barked, “Strip them down to their underwear. Get them strung up on the wall.”
He stepped back to sip his wine and watch while the two men came for me. They untied my feet first so they could tear my pants off my flailing body. Once my wrists were free, one man held me down while the other literally ripped off my shirt. In only my bra and panties, I fought uselessly while they shackled me to the wall.
The metal shackles dug into my skin, biting deep. I wondered how many people had hung here before me. Another set of shackles were locked around each ankle, spreading my legs uncomfortably wide. Thankfully, nobody looked twice at the thin metal circling my ankle.
A few minutes later, Raina was secured to the wall several feet away. They’d removed her tape only to have her go on a tirade of curses and obscenities. JD was intrigued to learn that her father was Desmond Monroe, although it didn’t change his mind. If anything, it made him more interested in Raina.
He set his wine down on the desk and gravitated closer to her, grabbing her chin in his hand after stuffing his gun in the waistband of his pants. “A mobster’s daughter, huh? Your video is going to make me a fortune.”
“My video is going to bury you,” she hissed. “This will be the last mistake you ever make, asshole.”
JD suddenly slapped Raina across the face. Then he gripped her throat hard enough to make her face turn red. “You know, I’d planned to let these two have all the fun with you both, but I think I’d like to do the honors myself. And I like to do things slowly. Feel free to scream. In fact, I encourage it. Nobody will hear you.”
Releasing Raina, he moved to the desk with the computer and camera set up. He produced a wolf mask and slid it on before nodding to the two men waiting for instruction. “Start recording. We’re going to make the best content yet.”
My stomach climbed into my throat. I half expected to throw up all over JD as soon as he came towards me. When he flipped open a wooden box on the floor near the desk and pulled out a whip, that feeling grew. This was no sexy, gentle whip made for fun. This was the kind of whip that would cut you open with one lash.
He went to Raina first, pausing to confirm the cameras were rolling. Dragging the tip of the whip along her body, he paused to examine the scars marking her torso. Scars left behind by the man I’d fallen in love with.
“Tell me what happened here,” he demanded. “Looks like some nasty being already got a taste of you.”
His remark had me cringing. I could barely look at Raina’s scars without hating myself and Daire. Even though they’d found a precarious peace, it still made me recoil at the thought of him doing that to her.
Raina held her head high, staring him right in the eye. As much as she could with him wearing that stupid mask anyway. “I’m not telling you a goddamn thing, motherfucker. Do whatever you’re going to do, but don’t expect me to play my part. Your days of doing this shit are over. You won’t see tomorrow.”
I held my breath, nervous that he would catch on to the fact that we were wearing tracking devices. Thankfully, he seemed too intrigued by Raina’s wild spirit. Unfortunately, that only made him long to break it.
JD gently touched her face. He turned it from one side to the other, examining her closely. Then he stepped back and swung the whip. It cracked hard across Raina’s stomach, immediately drawing blood from a long gash.
“Stop it,” I screamed, unable to watch him hurt my best friend.
When JD turned to me, I felt the evil grin under his mask. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to go first? Maybe take turns? I wouldn’t want to leave you out, darling.”
He moved so fast. The sharp sting of the whip slashing through my skin stole my breath. I sagged against the shackles holding me. Blood welled up from a cut across my middle, running down to stain my underwear.
“Please, don’t do this,” I whispered softly.
“Don’t do what?” JD responded by whipping me across my upper thighs. “Don’t punish two young women who’ve made it their mission to destroy me? You practically begged for this when you got involved in my business.”
“Is that what you tell yourself?” Raina asked, unwilling to go down without a fight. “That the people you do this to asked for it?”
JD’s malicious laugh came from under the mask. “Of course not. It’s much more enjoyable when they don’t. However, neither of you would be here if you hadn’t come to my business and stuck your noses where they don’t belong.”
I couldn’t argue that. He was right. None of this would be happening if we had stayed away from Paradise. Although it was much too late now, I wished we would have simply incurred the wrath of the Sinners instead. A hacked bank account felt a lot less threatening.
“Typical fucking pathetic manchild,” Raina spat, unable or unwilling to keep quiet. “Doing whatever it takes to make you feel like a tough guy. Raping and abusing innocent victims to stroke your ego. Looks like someone’s mommy didn’t love him enough.”
I wasn’t sure who was more surprised by her nasty remark. My jaw dropped. This girl was fearless, even in the face of certain hell. I wished I could siphon some of that bravery for myself.
Without seeing JD’s face, I knew he was enraged. His entire stature changed, growing stiffer. He turned back to her, swinging the whip several times. The sound of it striking Raina’s flesh echoed in my ears, bringing tears to my eyes.
Despite the obvious pain he inflicted, Raina wouldn’t be silenced. “Looks like I struck a nerve. Tell us about your mommy issues, JD. Did you not get enough hugs as a child?”
Blood dripped from several wounds on Raina’s body. She seemed oblivious to it as she stared hard at our captor. I understood that she was putting up a tough front, refusing to let him break her. I just didn’t understand how she managed to pull it off. I was on the verge of tears and ready to beg for mercy. The only thing stopping me was knowing that’s what he wanted.
Pulling the gun from his waistband, JD shoved the barrel in Raina’s mouth. Adrenaline swallowed me as he placed a finger over the trigger.
“That’s an awfully snarky mouth you’ve got there, girl. You sure know how to push a man’s buttons. Still want to push me? I’m not ready to blow your brains out yet, but I’m starting to lose my patience with you.” JD pressed the gun deeper into her mouth. Only when she vigorously shook her head did he slowly remove it. He patted her face. “Good. Now let’s have some more fun, shall we?”