6. - Corey -
Chapter six
- Corey -
T hey drove for an hour on the country road in silence. The quiet made it hard for Corey to wrangle her racing thoughts, and though the views were very nice out there, dense forest giving way to silver lakes reflecting the grey sky above, she needed some other stimulation to keep her from truly appreciating the fucked up situation she’d landed in. She could tell she was on the brink of a meltdown, and that would not help her at all.
“Can you at least put some music on?” Corey asked the guys, keeping her eyes fixed out the window.
“Tell us your name and we’ll turn the music on,” Jason said from the driver’s seat.
“Fuck you,” Corey said, rolling her eyes at her own childish behaviour, and looking to see Jason’s reaction in the rearview mirror. He stared straight ahead at the road, but his face was twisted into a snarl. She could hear Kayden laughing from the passenger seat. For some reason, she didn’t feel like he was laughing at her.
A few moments later, another metal song started playing through the speakers. She recognized the song immediately—one of her favourites, “ The Drain” by Bad Omens and Health. She had the same taste in music as these two psychos. She tried to fight the smile that was threatening to appear on her face.
She shouldn’t be surprised she had something in common with these guys, since lately, the men she’d been tangled up with had turned out to be complete shit. What was two more to add to the track record? Kayden’s hand reached out to turn the music up, and he caught her eye in the rearview mirror. He winked at her, and she had to fight harder to stop the smile from forming.
Corey pulled her hood up and leaned back into the big leather seat, closing her eyes, letting the beat of the guitar fill her veins. She dozed off a few minutes later, all the adrenaline from the morning draining from her system.
“We’re here.” A gravelly voice woke her up. She blinked her eyes open slowly, trying to hold on to the void of sleep rather than letting reality crash down on her. Her head was pounding.
Finally, Corey opened her eyes fully and took in the twins looking back at her. They both still had blood smeared across their face and dried up in their long, dark hair.
“You have blood in your hair,” she said, to neither one of them in particular. She could see the red motorcycles parked in front of the Range Rover, and she pieced together that they were the two bikers she’d seen coming and going yesterday.
“Do you always say the first thing that comes to your mind?” Kayden asked her. His eyes were just slightly lighter than his brothers, but she could only tell because the overhead lights of the car were on and the guys had put their faces so close to her. She figured it would be impossible to tell them apart in most lighting.
“Do you always kidnap girls?” she retorted .
“No,” Jason smirked. “The girls usually come home willingly. But you were the one hitching a ride in our car, so really, we just brought you back to where you came from.”
“Then I’m free to go?” she said, reaching for the door handle.
Jason grabbed the rope still tied to her neck, his eyes narrowing at her.
“That’s not what I said, dog. I’m not sure if you noticed, but you just took part in a rather illegal activity. You know we can’t let you walk out of here.”
“So you are kidnapping me.” Corey mustered up all the bravado she had left. “I guess this is your first kidnapping, because you don’t seem to be too good at it. I could start screaming right now.”
Jason’s lips turned up in a vicious smile. “Go ahead and scream. You’re the one who tried to steal our Rover, and I’m sure the cameras from last night will show that.” Jason cocked a brow.
Shit. Corey hadn’t thought about the cameras. “Besides, security knows us quite well.”
“I wasn’t trying to steal your precious Range Rover,” Corey bit out.
Kayden was still watching her from the front seat. Up until now, he’d seemingly been okay with Jason leading the charge, but he intervened with a simple question. “Why were you sleeping in our car, Little Fox?”
“I didn’t choose it because it was your car,” Corey said in exasperation.
“Then why did you choose it?”
“Range Rovers are easy to hot-wire and unlock, and all the new ones are a push-to-start.”
“Not your first car heist, then?” Kayden said, pressing his face closer to her.
“I told you. I wasn’t trying to take the car.”
“Right. Just for sleeping.”
“Right.” Corey loosed a breath and hoped they’d stop with this line of questioning. The two of them just kept staring at her with those bright eyes and blood-flecked faces .
“Fine. I didn’t have anywhere dry to sleep.” Corey threw her hands up in the air and looked away from them.
“How old are you?” Kayden asked her.
“I’m 23,” Corey replied too quickly, realizing after the words left her mouth that she’d answered honestly.
She narrowed her eyes at the guys.
Jason gave the rope to Kayden. “Your dog needs a bath, Kay. She stinks.”
“Stop calling me that,” Corey spat, infuriated and a little embarrassed. She probably did stink.
“Then tell us your name.” Jason said.
“Untie this rope and I’ll tell you my name.”
“How about this?” Kayden said. “We’ll escort you upstairs, and then we’ll untie the rope. You’ll tell us your name. Then you’ll have a shower. I’ll make you a cup of coffee, and we can sit down for a civil discussion about how to move forward.” He probably thought he was making some reasonable proposition.
“This isn’t a negotiation, Kay,” Jason said to his brother. He looked back at Corey. “You’re going to walk or I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and take you upstairs. Again, the choice is yours.”
Corey took in his bulk, straining against his blood-soaked shirt, and actually considered what it would be like for him to carry her. She didn’t think it would be that bad. Then she remembered that he was violent and likely a murderer, and had to shove down the image his words had conjured.
“I’ll walk,” Corey announced.
“Good dog,” Jason sneered, getting out of the car.
Kayden tossed her the rope for the second time that day. He threw on his jacket, covering the vest that held his weapons. Kayden opened the car door for Corey and gestured for her to get out. She hopped down on shaky legs, but she straightened her spine and tried to hide the wobble as she followed Jason, who had already stormed off to the interior door .
When they got to the entryway of the condominium complex, Jason scanned his fob and swung the door open. Corey froze just as Kayden took a step, and he knocked into her from behind. Her legs trembled and she tried to blink back tears as the reality of what going up to their home might entail crashed over her.
Had she really escaped one violent tyrant just to end up with two others?
Corey’s knees buckled.
Kayden’s hands were already bracing her under her arms, hoisting her back up before she could fall to the ground. Jason grabbed the rope around her neck and tugged. She stumbled forward into an underground atrium and towards the elevators. The jolt to her neck refueled her anger, and she shot a death glare at Jason.
“Do that again,” Corey spat out, challenge lacing her words.
Jason just smiled at her with perfect white teeth. There was no kindness in it. He pushed the up button for the elevator, still watching her, and Corey stared back bitterly.
The elevator arrived, and the three of them entered in silence. Jason scanned his fob again and then scanned his thumb on a fingerprint reader she hadn’t noticed. He hit the button for PH2. Below that was PH1, and then 54. They were going to be fifty-six stories high.
Corey had never been in a building this big, let alone at the very top. She hadn’t seen any signs of extreme wealth on the guys. The Range Rover was expensive, but nothing gaudy like she’d expected from someone rich enough to live in the penthouse of a luxury condo. Their watches were discrete, their suits were tailored, and without the gore, they might have looked expensive.
The twins also looked too young to be that rich. Whatever funded their lifestyle definitely wasn’t legal. If the events of this morning didn’t scream mobsters, she didn’t know what did .
The buttons for the floors lit up as they passed each one. Rather than an electronic reader over the doors, there was a large, high-definition TV screen showing the weather forecast.
The elevator hit floor five and stopped. The solid metal doors opened slowly to reveal a long corridor. A heavyset security guard with a white moustache walked in. He bowed his head at each of the guys before greeting them by name.
“I’ll escort you and your guest to your floor,” he said plainly, keeping his face turned away from Corey and scanning a white card on the fob reader. She caught the twins passing a glance between themselves. “We’ve been having some issues today with the direct elevators, and they’ve been stopping on other floors. I have a control key for the elevators that overrides whatever the glitch in the fobs is. The security company is aware of the issue, and they have advised me they’re working to fix it. I’ll leave you with the card so that you’re not inconvenienced with any stops on your way while they resolve the problem.”
“Thank you, Jenkins,” Jason said, softening his expression for the first time that Corey had seen. The twins shared another glance, unspoken words passing between the two of them, and Corey was not versed enough in their facial expressions to decipher it.
Corey watched the floors light up again, considering whether it would do her any good to beg this man for help. It would be an ironic turn of events if a security guard, the people she’d spent most of her life evading, were to be her knight in shining armor. But from the deference he had given the blood-spattered twins, and the way he hadn’t even blinked at the trussed-up girl accompanying them, she didn’t think he’d be of any help. Corey did make a mental note of the fact that security was likely on floor five. Maybe that would be useful to her in the future.
The elevator slowed its steady ascent, and an automated voice announced that they had reached their floor .
The doors opened and Jenkins passed the card key to Jason, holding the elevator doors open for them. Kayden patted him on the shoulder as he stepped out.
“Have a good day, Jenkins. Bring some flowers home for the missus tonight.” Jason winked at the moustached man with unexpected playfulness and pulled Corey out of the elevator. Jenkins bowed to the twins, but she caught a smile on his face just as the elevator doors closed.
Corey turned around to take in the massive penthouse. The elevator led directly into their condo, the open concept layout revealing that their unit was the entire floor. This was bigger than any house she’d been in before. Floor-to-ceiling windows spanned two stories. A long balcony looked over the sitting room in the centre of the main floor, indicating that there was a second level, the railing made of black wood and iron. The sitting room housed a grey suede, U-shaped couch that could easily seat fifteen people. Black finishes accented the deep cream walls. The entire place was clean and tidy, with nothing out of order.
They were standing in an entryway with tall closet doors on one side and a bench along the other side. In tandem, both guys threw their jackets to the floor and propped a foot up on the bench to unlace their black tactical combat boots. Corey kicked off her own shoes.
When they had their boots off, the twins looked at Corey.
“What should we do with her?” Kayden asked his brother. His tone wasn’t as cruel as the words. “I don’t know if the guest room is made up.”
“I’m sure Belinda hasn’t missed a room. It’ll have to do for now.” Jason grabbed the rope, jerking Corey forward.
Corey reared back, catching the rope now pulled taut, and yanked as hard as she could.
Jason just sneered and let it fall to the ground. “I was wondering when you were going to bite back, dog. I was sure you had some bark in you after that display on the driveway. ”
Neither of the guys made to pick the line back up, so she brought both her hands to the rope around her neck and pulled. It didn’t so much as budge, and she pulled harder, gritting her teeth, the cord digging into her nape. The guys just watched her struggle, humour dancing in their evil eyes. She was ready to spit fire.
“Get this off of me!” she screamed, her voice cracking slightly. She tore at the knot, digging her fingertips into it. Corey wrenched at the knot until the harsh cotton fibres left her fingernails jagged and her fingertips raw and burning. She wanted to cry. In frustration. In pain.
But she refused to let a single tear fall again today. Not in front of them, at least.
Finally, she dropped her hands in utter defeat. “If I tell you my name, will you untie this fucking rope?” Her voice came out stronger than she felt at that moment.
“The name was just to have something to call you, but I already found something suiting. You can keep your name for yourself, if it’s so important.” Jason gestured into the air and made to turn around.
Kayden shot his brother a look. “I’ll untie it. But you’ll have to tell us your first and last name.” Kayden stepped towards Corey, crowding her into the harsh metal doors behind her.
“It’s Corey,” she recoiled, giving him what he wanted in an attempt to create space.
“Last name?” Kayden rumbled over her.
“Smith.”
“Let’s see about that, Corey Smith.” Kayden reached into her coat pockets, finding her mini cordless rotary tool. He pursed his lips, taking it for himself and reached inside her coat, feeling the interior. There was nothing there. Then the fucker had the audacity to grope her ass with both hands. Corey shoved him away.
“Don’t fucking touch me! ”
Kayden just shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face. “A back pocket is a reasonable place for a wallet.”
“I don’t have a wallet,” she answered truthfully.
“Phone?” Corey just shook her head. She’d run from her ex’s house, which had also been her house for the last two years, with nothing but her shoes, the clothes she had been wearing, her stupid watch, and this damn trench coat.
Kayden puffed out a breath. “Okay, no phone, no wallet. Do you have anything to confirm your identity? Your name literally sounds made up.”
“It is,” Corey mumbled.
Kayden lifted a brow at her, but reached out to untie the knot anyway. His deft fingers made easy work of it. Corey rubbed her hand across the raw skin on the back of her neck and hid her wince from Kayden.
“We’ll show you to the guest room, I guess.”
Jason led them out of the entryway and down a side hallway. There were no pictures on the wall of the corridor, just a smooth, deep cream that matched the living room she’d seen. It looked staged, like no one really lived here.
The door they brought her to was a short sprint back to the elevator, and she hoped she didn’t need to scan a fingerprint to call the lift. She didn’t want to have to start cutting fingers off, but at this point, nothing was off-limits. She glanced back down the hall to take in the distance and realized too late that slip had given away her thoughts.
“Are you going to try to run, Little Fox?” Kayden asked, and he looked like that idea thrilled him.
“Don’t bother, you won’t get very far,” Jason said.
He opened the door to the guest bedroom. The room, like the hallway, had high ceilings. It had its own set of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the city skyline, and the midday sun was breaking through the clouds. Sheer curtains were pulled back, pooling lavishly on the floor. The view was breathtaking. The bed was on her left, facing towards the windows. There were multiple pillows and a luxurious duvet, and nightstands on both sides.
Her bedroom with her ex had a shitty mattress on the floor and a cardboard box as a nightstand. It had one big window, which she’d used to escape several days ago. This was the nicest bedroom Corey had ever been in, and she longed to get into that bed and sleep the day away. Silver linings , she thought to herself.
Corey pulled on the final dregs of her swagger.
“Well, it’s better than the last bedroom a guy locked me in!” she declared as she marched into the room, turned around and slammed the door in the twins’ faces.
One twin opened the door back up and they both barged in, barely restrained fury lining their features. “You’re filthy. You need to shower before you get blood and whatever dirt you’re covered in all over this room.”
Corey just lifted her lip at Jason, baring her teeth. He made to move towards her.
Kayden interrupted, pushing him back towards the door. “Jase, go get cleaned up. I’ll show her the bathroom.” Jason kept watching Corey, but finally acquiesced.
Once Jason was out of the room, Kayden sighed, seriousness entering his tone for the first time since he’d spoken to her. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but you’re not locked in this room. There’s no lock on the outside. There’s actually a lock on the inside, so you could lock us out. Although, I think we do have a key somewhere…” He trailed off, thinking about it.
“People are going to be looking for me,” Corey tried, but the lie felt heavy in her mouth. The truth was that no one would come looking for her. She’d lost the few friends she had because of her ex, and there was no way he would search for her after she’d run away. He’d replace her in a few days and that would be that. He’d probably burn her things in a bonfire and curse her name for the rest of his stupid little life.
Kayden seemed to weigh her words. She couldn’t tell whether or not he believed her. He didn’t say anything else, though, and just walked towards another door, which she supposed led to the bathroom.
“I’m not sure if there’re towels in there. You can check and let me know. I’ll bring some if there aren’t.”
Corey walked into the bathroom, taking in the white marble flooring, the long vanity with big mirrors, and the modern shower stall with a bench and four different nozzles sticking out the side. A claw-footed bathtub nestled in the corner where the two floor-to-ceiling windows met. There were towels hanging on the rack by the shower.
“I guess Belinda does a good job,” Corey called to Kayden. “There are towels.”
Kayden didn’t grace her with a response, but she heard the closing of the bedroom door echo through the room.
Corey stripped off her filthy clothes. She tried not to take stock of the pain in her cheek, which felt extremely swollen, or the burns from the rope. She knew the raw skin was going to make her first hot shower in too many days far less enjoyable than it should be. She had no other clothes, so she neatly folded hers to put on again after. Maybe she could get away with laying on the bed in a towel for a little, but being caught by the guys in just a towel would make her feel too vulnerable.
Corey turned on the shower and waited until the water steamed. Then she stepped in and let the hot water burn her. She stood under the pounding spray until the dam finally burst on her tears, and she fought not to crumple to the ground.