Chapter Twenty-Five
Declan came to. He couldn’t see. Something covered his face. Cloth.
He tried to move his arms but they were tightly clamped down—clamped to a hard surface at his wrists. He discovered that his ankles were secured in the same fashion.
Someone definitely doesn’t want me to move, let alone escape. They also don’t want me to see them.
He knew instinctively that if he was going to get out of this, he was going to have to remain calm, and the way to do that was to be as clinical as possible.
There was a sound—a clack of two hard objects hitting, or one being placed on another. He was not alone.
Then he smelled it. Coffee. It became clear that whoever was in the space with him had set their cup on a saucer.
“Don’t be so selfish,” Declan said. “The least you could do is share your coffee with me.”
Someone exhaled.
“Well? Are you going to be a good host and offer me some?” Declan pushed.
“But if I offered you a coffee, then I’d have to remove the hood,” a voice said. “At least enough to uncover your mouth. I’d be running the risk of revealing myself, and that would spoil the fun, don’t you think?”
“I guess it depends on how you describe ‘fun’,” Declan offered.
“True.”
The person walked around Declan. From the sound their feet made on the floor, Declan guessed the floor was concrete. Not wood, like at his office.
The voice continued. “I don’t think we’re ready for the great reveal, yet.”
Declan heard a mechanical sound. Click-click-click-click.
“I can just bet you’re playing the ‘Name That Sound’ game. Here, let me try it again.”
Click-click-click-click.
It was a familiar sound, but Declan couldn’t place it.
“Here. Let me give you another clue.”
Declan felt something jab his left forearm. He inhaled sharply. The injury wasn’t deep, just startling.
“Ah, you felt it,” the voice said.
“Utility knife?” Declan guessed.
“Very good. Now…what do you think I’m going to do with it?” the voice asked.
Declan didn’t want to let his mind go there. “I don’t suspect that you’re going to cut me free, are you?”
Declan’s captor made the sound of a ‘wrong answer’ buzzer. “Well, you did get part of it right.”
“I don’t suppose it was the word free, was it?” Declan asked.
“Wrong again.”
Declan heard the sound of the blade being extended.
Click-click-click-click.
He took a deep breath, wondering if it would be his last. Declan felt cool steel touch his stomach, then a tug on his T-shirt as he heard the sound of fabric being sliced.
One cut from navel to neck, then two others from the edge of the short-sleeved cuffs to the throat.
Then in one violent motion, the remnants of his shirt were pulled away.
“Now, isn’t that better?” the voice asked. “Well at least for me it is. What a beautiful sight. All taut skin over bulging muscle.”
Declan felt something stroking his now-bare abdomen and chest. It was probably their finger.
Whoever it was paused their finger’s journey when it came across Declan’s right nipple.
“Hard as a rock. Don’t tell me you’re not getting off on this, you kinky bastard.
Hey—are you imagining that little twink you live with doing this to you?
I’m offended. Here I go putting in all the effort to sweep you off your feet and whisk you off to this…
our own little love nest, and you fantasise about someone else.
Well, that hurts me to the quick. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to try harder.
And, speaking of hard…” the voice said, rubbing their hand across Declan’s crotch.
They undid Declan’s belt and waist button. Declan felt a change in pressure on his crotch as his fly was being pulled down.
“There. How’s that?” his captor mumbled. It sounded like his assailant was talking through his teeth, which Declan assumed were clutching onto the fly tab as they pulled it down. Declan could feel their hot breath through his underwear.
Then there was another Click-click-click-click. The blade of the utility knife sliced down one pant leg at a time. Declan’s clothes were being flayed, like a rabbit of its pelt. If he had been at The Greek in the old days this might have been fun.
Declan took a deep breath and focused.
The sound of his pants being tossed to the floor was followed by the quick removal of his shoes and socks. His captor inhaled deeply.
He’s sniffing my socks.
“Mmm, you are a clean boy. Your momma—yes—she must have been so proud. A shame she’s not around anymore. Car crash, wasn’t it? Oh, I know all about you. I’ve heard your deepest confessions.”
Declan’s mind exploded in rage. Echoes of his sessions with Michael ricocheted around his brain like a bullet. He had to keep him talking. Maybe he could narrow down who this was, but obviously it must be the same person who had broken into Michael’s office.
“Have we met before?” Declan asked in a calm voice.
There was a pause. “Oh, yes. Both before and after my…disguises. You have to admit, they were pretty good.”
“Had me fooled.” Keep it light.
Declan felt someone slowly crawling up his body. He felt hot breath penetrating his underwear, his only remaining piece of clothing. His captor shoved their face into Declan’s crotch.
“Now there’s the smell. Fear always rears its smelly head in the crotch and pits. Sweaty hair never lies.”
Declan heaved his torso as best he could to dislodge the person, who just cackled.
The sound of a closing door put an end to the fun and games. His captor rolled off. Declan heard a clattering sound then, “Sorry about this. It’s too soon to let you in on all my secrets.”
Declan felt the pressure of a cloth being pressed against his face as he drifted off.
* * * *
Jules walked into the warehouse like she owned the place.
“You’re late,” he snapped at her.
“I’m late because you don’t want anyone to know where we are. I had to get a taxi to drop me off a couple of blocks away, then pay cash and walk the rest of the way. If you’d just give me your car, this wouldn’t happen.”
“You don’t have a licence!” The Attercop said.
“And a licence is supposed to make me a better driver?”
He laughed, walked up to her and tweaked her chin. “Oh, come on. Let’s not fight. We have so much to be happy for.”
“Well, we’re not done yet. This one’s only part of the plan,” she said, pointing to Declan. “I may have gotten him out of the way for last night, but we still have to deal with Charlie.”
The Attercop smiled. “I bet you loved playing make-believe with him.”
“Well,” she said, with a devilish glint in her eyes, “it was sort of fun going dancing with Charlie, and then swiping his phone and giving him the slip. I wish I could have stuck around to see the look on his face!”
“I needed you to come to the house, though. I couldn’t have done that part without you.”
Jules laughed. “I enjoyed it. I loved seeing Declan taken down with the Taser. And I was the one who suggested that you use me to get him in position. I think he really bought it all—me tied up, all quivery and terrified looking. Maybe when this is all done, I’ll go into acting professionally.”
“Well before you accept your Academy Award, did you get the thiopental for me?” he asked. “I just used the last of the isoflurane-soaked rags.”
“Yes. I went in first thing this morning when most people weren’t there. But I just about got into a shit load of trouble,” Jules said.
“Why, what did you do?”
“The boss went into the drug cabinet for something else and discovered the isoflurane was missing.”
“And they thought you stole it?”
“Well, they knew it wasn’t one of the full-timers,” she said. “Bunch of bloody do-gooders.”
“And they accused you?” he asked.
“Not in so many words, but they did ask me if I saw anyone near the drug cupboard that shouldn’t have been there.”
“And you told them?” he asked.
She looked at him coyly. “Well, I may have said that I saw the new kid Jerome—the kid that’s just dying to go into vet college once he gets out of high school—I may have said that I saw him leaving the room when everyone was on lunch break the other day.
I might have indicated that he seemed to be hiding something in his pocket.
I might have said I was a bit suspicious—you know, you can never trust someone who’s that eager to volunteer to work with caged animals—I mean, he could be into bestiality for all we know. ”
He broke out laughing. Her imagination was boundless.
Jules continued. “So I told them I followed him as he went out the back door and saw him pass something to a tough-looking guy.”
“Well, aren’t you the clever one,” he said.
“Apparently, Jerome’s the son of the owner’s friend so they didn’t call the cops. They just told him to leave and not to come back, or they’ll let his father know what he’s been up to.”
“And Jerome didn’t question any of it?”
“No. That’s the funny thing. Maybe he was a naughty boy, after all, and didn’t want Daddy to find out.”
She started to strut around. “I guess you could call me a hero. I may have inadvertently saved them from sheltering an evil menace.”
He snickered. “Let’s just see how long it takes them to notice the missing thiopental.”
“I won’t be going back anyway,” she said. “I have to keep a low profile until this is done. Well, here’s what you asked for—enough to keep him sedated until this is all over.” She handed him a small brown paper bag.
He looked inside and discovered three small vials.
“You are brilliant,” he said giving her a hug and a kiss.
“I know.”
She walked over to Declan’s unconscious body and stroked his chest and abdomen. “Pretty thing, isn’t he? How’s he doing?”
“He’s still alive,” he said, a bit too harshly. He didn’t like her touching him.
“Good. But don’t get too attached to him. This needs to be wrapped up by tonight. We have a plane to catch. And don’t forget, you can’t take him with you. Now, I’ve gotta go get Charlie. In the meantime, enjoy your plaything.”