Julian dropped the phone and ran for the café.
He heard Finn behind him, but couldn’twouldn’tstop for anything. He had the car in gear and was off before Finn could catch up. His eyes caught Finn’s as he drove by, and the terror in Finn’s eyes haunted him. Julian was sure it mirrored his own.
Julian picked up the map and followed directions.
Chapter Seventeen
Dani came awake slowly, her head pounding and the sound of a woman crying leaking into her brain. She tugged at her hands. The feel of tight, hard plastic on her wrists was jarring, forcing her out of that fuzzy place.
She opened her eyes. The world came into focus in fits and starts. Brown walls. Wood. The scent of gun oil. Where was she? Oh, yes. She started to piece it together. She was in Jimbo’s family hunting cabin. Set back on the Smart family land, the small cabin had been his father’s retreat, and then Jimbo’s. She’d come out to this place on several occasions, mostly to pick him up when he was done “shooting deer and drinking beer,” as he put it.
It came back in little flashes like pictures in her mind. She’d done everything Jeremy had told her to do, though this time obedience had been a vile thing. She’d driven Julian’s car to her house and traded it for an old sedan. The sedan had a map, but she’d known immediately where she was going. She’d stood outside her house and wondered if she dared to run inside and call someone, but a cell phone had rung in the sedan, and she’d been told she had ten minutes to get to the cabin before he put a bullet in Val’s head. Unsure if she could make it in time, she’d flown down the highway and up the back road. When she was on the dirt road that led through the woods, she’d never felt so alone. She’d gotten out of the sedan with tears in her eyes, certain she would never see Finn again, never feel Julian moving against her again.
It had all happened very quickly. One minute she was stepping onto the rickety stairs that led to the door, and the next she felt something sink into her shoulder. The world had turned odd and soft. She’d had the barest moment to register a face looming above her before she hit the ground.
Dani pulled at the zip tie that held her wrists together. She seemed to be tied to a hook that was anchored into the ceiling. It must be new, because it wasn’t something she’d noticed before. There were only two rooms. There was a living space and a small bedroom. There wasn’t even a bathroom. Dani always remembered to go before she came out here because she was never going to use that outhouse. The small cabin, well, it was more like a shack, barely had electricity. It was run from a generator. There was very little in the way of furniture. There was only a sofa bed, an easy chair, and a scuffed table with two chairs. She managed to turn her face.
“Val?” The words felt heavy in her mouth.
She saw her sister, tied similarly on another hook from the ceiling, just four or five feet away from her. Her head came up at Dani’s words, and a manic look came over her face, her eyes bulged, her mouth opened, and she shook.
“Dani. Oh, Dani. You have to get us out of this. You have to.”
There was a whine to Val’s voice that cut through her brain like a hacksaw. Still, she had sort of been the one to get Val into this. This Jeremy person must have taken her sister in order to get her to comply.
“I will, Val. You just have to give me a minute. Is he here?” Dani forced herself to try to focus. Everything was still a little fuzzy, and her mouth felt as dry as a desert.
Val kicked out at her. “He walked outside. I think he’s waiting on someone. Maybe he’s brought someone in to kill us all. You give him whatever he wants, Dani. You just give it to him.”
“Shut up,” a husky voice said. “You’re getting exactly what you deserve, you deceitful bitch. You think I didn’t overhear your conversation with our giant ass of a kidnapper?”
“Lexi!” Dani strained to twist around. She could see Lexi huddled in a corner. Her legs were bound with rope, and her hands seemed to be tied behind her. “Oh, Lexi, are you okay? Everyone’s looking for you.”
“She’s fine,” Val whined. “She would be better if she kept that big mouth of hers closed. She’s been spitting bile ever since she got here.”
Dani could see the roll of Lexi’s deep blue eyes. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t get the pamphlet that went over the rules of how to behave when an asswipe takes you off the streets. Next time he should really hold a seminar or something. Or I could take a few lessons from you. After all, you’ve spent so much time with him, you should know his habits by now.”
Dani turned to Val, the quickness of the motion churning her stomach and making her queasy. Her shoulders ached from the weight being held on them. She forced herself to stand, though her legs felt wobbly. “Lexi, please, give her a break. She’s never handled stress well.” Some of Lexi’s words were starting to penetrate. “What do you mean she spent time with him? Val knows Jeremy?”
“No…I mean I met him in a bar. He lied to me. I thought he liked me.” Val sputtered, and her hands went still.
Lexi snorted. “Sure you did. I don’t know a female over the age of ten with a gaydar so fucked up she can’t tell Jeremy plays for the other team. Don’t try that line of bull with me. Like I said, I heard the two of you talking, though mostly it was Jeremy talking and Val crying. Seems like her conspirator turned on her. Tell me something, Val, how much did he offer you to turn over your sister?”
She wanted to look at her sister and ask her if it was true. It would be useless. Dani knew deep down that it was true. Something was wrong with Val. Anger and rage warred with guilt in Dani’s heart. Had she failed Val? She couldn’t see how. She’d done her best. She’d sacrificed and worked hard to make Val’s life the best it could be under the circumstances. She’d told her sister she loved her, and she had, though it had become harder and harder as the years went by.
“Damn it, Dani, I never meant for it to go like this,” Val tried, obviously giving up the innocent routine. “I just wanted to scare you. I just wanted you to see that leaving town was what’s best for you. I was just giving you the shove you needed to be with Finn. Can’t you see I was trying to do this for you?”
Or not. Dani felt tired in a way that had nothing to do with the drugs that had been in her system.
“Bravo, Valerie,” a new voice said. It was soft, but menacing. Dani got her first look at Jeremy Walker. He was thin and handsome in a pretty boy way. “I admire you, dear. You’re a liar right to the end.”
“Please don’t hurt me,” Val sobbed. “I helped you, damn it.”
Jeremy sighed as he looked Dani over. “God, I hope you’re better than these two. This one can’t stop crying, and Lucas’s whore over there can’t stop raging. It’s giving me a headache.”
“I’m glad, motherfucker,” Lexi spat. “If I can do anything else to screw up your day, please let me know.”
Jeremy shook his head. “I have no idea what Lucas sees in you.” His head turned Dani’s way. “Of course, I have no idea at all what Julian is doing with you, dear. Slumming, I suspect, though he jumped fast enough when I told him I was going to slit your throat. He should be here any minute. I have plans for the two of you.”
“He doesn’t really care about me. I’m just very submissive.” Dani kept her voice low and her words calm. She’d dealt with more than one anxious patient at the clinic she worked at. The key was to remain even and calm. It would also be best to get him away from talking about Julian. “Now tell me what my sister’s done.”