Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
A warm breeze swept over Molly’s cheeks. She groaned and tried to open her eyes, but a dry, gritty feeling made her slam them shut again. Her stomach turned with the need to vomit.
Sweat collected on her brow, and she fought a moan. She took several slow, deep breaths through her nose until her belly settled. She swept her dry tongue over her cracked lips. Her throat ached for water.
Which she probably wasn’t going to get.
As her head cleared, her body screamed with pain. The side of her neck throbbed. She lifted her limp fingers and touched the spot they’d . . . what had they done? Stabbed her?
She couldn’t remember.
No open wound met her fingers, but the skin was tender. She’d passed out. The last thing she remembered was her body being pulled as tight as a guitar string and convulsing. Like the man in her bathtub. Like she’d been electrocuted.
Oh god. They’d zapped her with a stun gun.
Fear flooded her brain and urged her to open her eyes before someone noticed she was awake. Using all her strength, she lifted her eyelids.
She lay on a soft mattress in a bedroom.
A sliding door was open nearby, and a warm breeze fluttered into the room, lifting the sheer curtains.
Moonlight illuminated the marble floor and pink walls.
Different from the walls that’d encaged her before.
Nonetheless, traumatic memories swarmed in her head.
She forced them down with a shuddering breath.
Where the hell was she?
She surveyed what she could see of the room. Everything was quiet. Desperation rocketed her into a sitting position. The slider was open. She was alone. She could get out—had to.
Her head swam as she planted her feet on the floor. The furniture and walls tilted, and a low buzzing sound called her to lie down. She grabbed the nightstand for support and metal clanked. A handcuff was looped around her left wrist, securing her to the headboard.
She gasped, and her heart lodged in her throat. Her brain was fuzzy. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Of course they wouldn’t have just left her unrestrained. But god she’d hoped.
Tears stung her eyes, but she chased them away. She didn’t have time to cry—but she did have time to contemplate. She stared through the partially open door. It was still dark, which meant not too much time had passed.
By now, Atlas would surely know she was gone. He’d be looking for her. A stab of terror hit her square in the chest. She had no phone for him to trace. No way to reach him. And even if she did, she couldn’t tell him where she was.
There was no way out.
She balled her hands into fists. Damn Rex to hell. Why did he want her so badly? Just to get back at Atlas? It didn’t make sense. He’d been captured by Phantom Ops. How had he even found her? What good would harming her now do?
He’d sent someone to kill her just the other night, but now she was in this comfy bedroom with silk sheets. Why?
A headache beat steadily against her temples. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what was going on and why. She had to focus on escape. Turning her attention back to the handcuff, she tried to slide her wrist from the metal.
At least they’d secured her left hand. Her right was still healing from the restraints Atlas had freed her from days ago.
Gripping the ring, she pulled and turned her wrist left and right, trying to get the loop over her hand. Her skin smarted and she winced.
A jangle of keys sounded at the door. She dropped the handcuff and lay down as soon as the door swung open. Light spilled into the room. A large male figure crossed the bedroom toward her.
Terror pulsed against her eardrums and her mouth went dry. She balled her right hand into a tight fist, facing away from him so he couldn’t see the tension written on her features.
“I know you’re awake,” he crooned. The melodic voice was familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.
Instinct had her remain still.
These people had chained her up, tried to bomb Atlas, attempted to drown her, and smashed her car.
Who knew what horrors awaited her next.
Cold, wide fingers moved her hair from her cheek. She shuddered with revulsion.
The grip bit into her chin and swiveled her head, forcing her onto her back.
Light coming from outside the room illuminated his face. One she’d known for several months. One that’d been kind. Welcoming.
“Mr. Dunne?” she wheezed. “How— Why?”
He jerked away his hand. “You should’ve kept your nose out of my business.”
She launched into a sitting position again, fury crackling along her nerve endings. “You tried to kill me.”
Energy rushed through her veins. If it weren’t for the handcuffs, she’d have gone for his eyes.
Willy’s face darkened. “I know you gave information to Rex Younge. That’s why he let you go.”
“I-I didn’t tell him anything. I didn’t know anything. I still don’t.”
He stepped forward, looming over her. Her once-caring boss glared with menace. “I’m not stupid. I know Rex. He wouldn’t have let you out alive.”
“I was rescued, you moron,” she snapped, her temper flaring.
His lip curled, lifting his salt-and-pepper mustache. “You were poking around my shipments. Calling companies about weight overages and file investigations. Either you were working with Rex from the get-go, or he found out you were involved.”
“I wasn’t involved in anything!” she cried, her voice rising to a shriek. “I was doing my job. Making sure there weren’t discrepancies that were costing the company money.”
“That wasn’t your job. I told you to leave it.”
She swallowed. The weight of her error filtered through the angry fog circling her vision.
When she’d discovered the mis-weights from the logistics files, she’d immediately brought them to Willy’s attention. Hell, she’d even been proud of herself for catching a mistake that would’ve cost the company tens of thousands over the course of a few months.
He’d looked at the paper blankly then dropped it onto his desk before waving her off, saying, ‘Leave it be. I’ll look into it.’
Only he hadn’t looked into it. She’d continued to spot mistakes—or what she’d thought were mistakes.
She dragged her bottom lip between her teeth. “What were you hiding? Drugs?”
His smirk turned devilish. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, Rex is my biggest competitor. He’s been trying to steal my clients for years.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Willy laughed. “Did you really think I only sold produce?” His lip curled again.
“You snooped around enough to know what companies I was working with. I know you told him in an attempt to save your life. I’ve lost over a million dollars in revenue since Rex took you. Don’t try to fool me, sweetheart.”
She hiked up her shoulders. “Sorry, the job description didn’t warn you were into illegal activity.”
He whipped his hand against her cheek. Her head flew to the side, and pain seared her tender flesh.
She stared back at him through a veil of tears. She hadn’t asked for this. Hadn’t intentionally tried to expose their operation.
“If I were you, I’d watch your damn mouth.”
Hate engulfed her. “What exactly do you plan to do with me anyway?” She lifted her chained arm. “Hold me prisoner forever? You won’t get away with it. You have no idea who you’ve angered.”
Atlas would come for her. She’d seen his team’s resources and the lengths they could go to in order to find someone who didn’t want to be found. If they could locate Rex in a matter of days, they could find her here—wherever the hell here was.
Willy stuck his hands in the pockets of his linen pants and paced to the open sliding door. “You might be right,” he said wistfully, as if he knew his time was nearing an end. “I’ve had my men watching you. I know the guy you brought to the office the other day is some kind of ex-military buffoon.”
“He’s a hundred times the man you’ll ever be,” she spat. Atlas would also tear Willy to shreds if—no, when—he got his hands on him, but self-preservation made her clamp her lips shut before she uttered those words.
He chortled. “Spoken like a smitten woman. It’s too bad, really. We would’ve hit it off.” His voice took on a distant, far-off sound.
Molly bristled. “What are you talking about?”
He turned to face her and grinned. “When you started working for me, I was attracted to you. Did you know that?”
Repulsion pulled her shoulder blades together. She kept her lips tight, refusing to show her fear.
“You’re pretty. Young. Women who look like you”—he stroked his finger over her cheek—“are worth a lot of money.”
She drew back her head. “You’re sick.”
“No, I’m a businessman. I have no doubt Rex would’ve done the same thing.”
She exhaled hot air through her nose and clenched her teeth. Rex’s threat had been much the same.
I’ll die before I let you sell me.
She’d never considered self-harm, but she wouldn’t stand to be raped, sold, and drugged for the rest of her days.
“You’re a pig,” she hissed. “Atlas will find you, and when he does—”
He threw his head back and laughed. “You don’t even know where you are, do you?” he said tauntingly, as if she didn’t understand her ABCs.
He seized her arm, hauling her to her feet. His grip punctured her bicep as he brought her as close to the sliding door as the handcuffs would allow. Ripping open the curtain, he gestured out the window.
“We’re on my private island, sweetie. Twenty-five acres of lush land. We’re forty miles from the city. Only reachable by plane or boat, both of which we’ll see and hear coming. I’ve got men guarding this sanctuary. No one’s coming in our direction without being shot.” He grinned again.
A tremble shook her shoulders. She stared out of the window. The ocean lapped and crashed below them. Dread struck a chord deep in her heart.
“See, Molly? I wasn’t kidding. You’re stuck with me.” He let out a ruthless laugh.
Her knees trembled. She retreated until the backs of her legs hit the bed.
Atlas would never find her.
Atlas rushed alongside Reaper. Wraith was between them, his arms draped over their shoulders. They entered the emergency room, and a nurse spotted them and rolled a wheelchair forward.
Wraith was taken into the back. Before his friend disappeared from view, Atlas caught a final glimpse of his grayish white skin and drooping eyes.
Reaper gripped his shoulder, anchoring him. “Go. Viper’s waiting for you. You’ll find her.”
“All right. Stay here and keep me updated on Wraith’s situation.”
“Got it. But Molly’s what matters right now.”
He gave a brisk nod. Gratitude filled him, but he didn’t know how to thank his friend for his understanding. He hadn’t always been as close with Reaper as he had with Rogue and Viper, but the more time he spent with him, the more the man grew on him.
“Thanks” was all he could muster.
He stalked down the hall and exited through the automatic doors. Viper’s SUV idled near the curb. He jogged to the vehicle and hopped in the front passenger seat. After digging his phone from his pocket, he checked the screen for the twentieth time since they’d landed.
“Anything?” Viper asked.
His heart constricted. “Nothing.”
Viper accelerated through the parking lot. “All right. Rogue’s already questioned Rex. So far, he hasn’t admitted to being involved.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said with a scoff. “Who else would fucking take her?”
Take. He didn’t even know if that was the case. For all he knew, Rex had sent someone to grab her and put a bullet in her head. Her body could be lifeless somewhere while he sat here.
Helplessness washed over him. Goddammit, he’d never been helpless in his life. Not like this.
“Who did she know here?”
Atlas massaged his temple. He couldn’t waste time going down a dead-end street. Molly hadn’t been here long enough to make enemies. Hell, Rex had just tried to kill her last night. What were the odds someone else had swooped in now that he was out of the picture?
Nil.
“It was Rex. Had to be.”
Viper steered onto a busy street. The evening hour bustling with traffic. Dark windows stared down at them from skyscrapers and empty shops.
Molly should be in the hotel waiting for him. Snuggled warmly between the sheets without a worry in the damn world. Instead, she could be in pain. Scared. Cold.
Dead.
He closed his eyes as emotion strangled his next breath.
Viper talked quietly, his voice droning along with the whir of the tires and not even penetrating Atlas’s mind.
He shouldn’t have left her alone. If he’d stayed with her, none of this would’ve happened. He also couldn’t blame Viper for leaving her, or Wraith for getting injured.
But hindsight was twenty-twenty.
“Dude. You don’t look so good.”
Atlas stared out of the windshield, his elbow on the console between them and his back rigid. “If I hadn’t left her, she’d be safe right now.”
“Technically, I was the last person to leave her. So if the blame’s on anyone, it’s me.”
“No, I should’ve been the one to stay with her. Not you.”
“And Wraith still would’ve gotten hurt. How could we have done anything differently, man? He’d lost a lot of blood. If we hadn’t airlifted him, he might not have made it—still might not.”
The statement was like a punch to the gut. He couldn’t lose Wraith, too.
“I don’t know the answer. All’s I know is I should’ve been here.”
“Dwelling on that ain’t gonna do shit to get her back. We need to focus on who would’ve wanted to hurt her—”
“Rex,” he bellowed with irritation, smashing his palm against the dash. The windows rattled.
“Yeah, Rex. We know that. But if you don’t expand your mind and try to think of at least one other perp, then we might as well throw in the towel. Rex is in custody now.”
“Then we should interrogate him again about what he did with her.” God, he was using past tense.
A sickening feeling pulled at the bottom of his stomach. He pressed his lips together to stem the nausea.
“Sure. And how fast do you think that’s gonna happen?”
“How about you give some solid suggestions, ya twat.”
Viper chortled. “Least you still have your sense of humor. Look, we’re going back to the hotel—”
“No, we’re not. I’m not sitting in a goddamn room when she’s out here.” He glanced out of his window and his chest tightened.
“Our equipment’s at the hotel. I got a text from Rogue—they’ve passed off Rex and his woman. They’re half an hour from the hotel.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. Realistically, he couldn’t do anything. Had nowhere to look. They didn’t even have a starting point as to how they might use their equipment. “She mentioned something about a café. Cruise by her apartment building so we can see what’s there.”
It wasn’t much, but if he could find any clue as to where she’d been last, he had to try.