Текст книги "Blindfold Vol. 2"

Автор книги: M. S. Parker

Соавторы: Cassie Wild
сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 9 страниц)

Chapter 8

Ash

“Yes, yes. I've got it.” I closed my eyes as Melody Strum, my assistant, rattled off a few more details about the upcoming takeover.

I hadn't been to work since Isadora had been kidnapped, but it had been nearly a week and things had to be done. I had a board, but I was the CEO and I was usually the one who made all of the important decisions. Except, how was I expected to work at a time like this? My brain was feeding me every horror story I'd ever heard or read about kidnappings.

This was my worst nightmare. Only it was real.

And whenever I tried to stop thinking about Isadora and find something else to distract me, that something else was always Toni. I had a tangle inside me because of her – anger, need, frustration…amusement.

I wanted to bend her over my knee and spank her until she couldn't sit for some of the things she said, but at the same time, there was a part of me that still found her anger almost cute. She was just so tiny that seeing so much rage coming from her was shocking.

Even when she was yelling at me, I’d been torn between yelling back and kicking everybody else so I could take out my frustration in another way. Between her thighs while her nails sank into my shoulders, and I felt the hot, sweet grab of her pussy again.

“Mr. Lang?”

The sound of Melody's voice jerked me back to attention. “I'm sorry.” Rubbing at my eyes, I said, “My mind was somewhere else.”

“That's totally understandable.” Her voice was apologetic, full of concern.

She'd been with me for nearly twelve years and knew me better than most. And the one thing I knew she understood was how much I loved my sister.

“If we could've waited on this, you know I wouldn't bother you.”

I nodded, and then remembered we were on the telephone and she couldn't see me. “I know that. That's why you're paid big bucks, right?” I tried to lighten my tone for the last part.

She came back with a typical Melody response. “Well, that being the case, Mr. Lang, you do know I'm up for my annual review and raise next month?”

She managed to get a laugh out of me, and we were able to finish the rest of our business. As soon as I hung up, however, I was left to my own thoughts.

And those thoughts weren't good.

Mentally, I counted off each day since she’d disappeared. Monday evening to Friday morning. I broke those days down into hours, then minutes. So many things could be done to a helpless woman in that many minutes, hours, days. Had I even tried to make sure she knew how to take care of herself if she needed to? Or had I arrogantly assumed that my money could provide enough protection? Maybe instead of trying to protect her from the world, I should have been preparing her for it.

The kidnapper still hadn't called back.

It was my fault.

Knowing it didn’t lessen my anger at Toni any, though. I’d been losing myself in a Sub because Toni had been on my mind too much, and I’d hoped I could clear her out so I could think about my sister. Toni was a distraction, and one I couldn’t afford. Especially not now.

Pounding my fist on the arm of my chair, I stared into the gloomy corners of my shadowed office. I hadn’t turned on the lights when I'd come in during the early hours of the morning. I hadn't been able to sleep. I hadn’t showered. Or eaten breakfast. I wasn't even sure I'd eaten dinner last night either. I didn't care though. I wasn't hungry.

I sat in my office and brooded about Toni, worried about Isadora. I tried to think about work, but my thoughts kept going back to the two women, alternating between them and how I could've, should've, done things differently.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't know how long I sat in the dark. The knock at the door and the subsequent opening allowed light to spin inside, forcing me to fling up a hand to block out the glare.

Doug stood in the door, his posture rigid. He turned on the lights and I grimaced. Light and I weren’t getting along very well these days. I was pretty sure the alcohol wasn’t helping in that respect.

“I’m quite certain you're not helping Isadora by sitting here in the dark, sir.” Doug folded his hands in front of him. His face was polite, but I could hear the disapproval in his voice. It bothered me more than I liked.

Since when had Doug started to hate me? He'd taken me Christmas shopping as a child.

A lifetime ago.

“What do you want?” I demanded, wanting him to just leave me alone.

“You have a guest. A Stanley Kowalski. Are you home?”

“No.” I glared at him with one eye while I rubbed at the other. “I’m on the damn moon. What’s it look like?”

Doug’s disapproving eyebrows drew lower and tighter over his eyes. “Are you receiving visitors on the moon, sir?” He didn't even try to hide the sarcasm this time.

“Kowalski’s not a visitor.” I shoved a hand through my hair and tried to pull myself together. “He’s the investigator I hired to look for Isadora. And Doug, yank that stick out of your ass before I beat you with it.”

“You would have a hard time doing that, sitting in this room and letting guilt eat you alive. Sir.” The older man’s face softened slightly. “I'll allow you a few minutes to compose yourself before I bring Mr. Kowalski back.”

“Allow me.” Muttering under my breath, I shoved back from my desk instead up. Various kinks and stiff muscles protested movement. I hadn’t been doing much of anything but sitting in this room when I didn't have the cops and FBI here. My clothes were wrinkled and I was pretty sure I didn't smell that good. No wonder Doug looked so disgusted.

I needed to get off my ass.

Ten minutes later, Doug showed Stanley Kowalski into my office.

The investigator was a skinny man with graying hair and sharp, intelligent eyes hidden behind narrow-rimmed spectacles. When I hired him, he'd told me he had gone into private work after he'd retired from the force. He didn't look like a cop. I figured that must be a bonus as an investigator. Somebody like him showed up at the door, a person would expect some sort of sales pitch or a request for donations to a local ministry.

Definitely not law enforcement.

“Please tell me you have something,” I said as I stood.

“Afraid not.” He shook my hand and then lowered himself into the chair across from my desk. “As soon as I have anything, I'll call you immediately.”

“Yeah.” I moved to the window and stared outside. It faced out over a small, private garden. Isadora loved our garden. We had a larger one at our house in the Hamptons, but she spent a lot of time here in this one. I sometimes thought she’d live out there if she could. What if she–

“Don’t give up hope, Mr. Lang.”

I looked over at Kowalski. He had a worn, lived-in sort of face. The kind of face that made you think he’d done it all and seen it all, the kind that made you want to believe him. I wanted to. But Isadora was the optimist. Not me. Not after everything I'd been through. Everything I'd lost.

“What brings you over here then?” I asked.

He didn’t beleaguer his point.

Gesturing to my desk, he said, “May I?”

I nodded and pushed aside the clutter that had gathered there over the past few days. I watched as he pulled out a folder and began to lay out several black and whites, glossy, close-angle images of a man I didn’t know. Suddenly, I clenched my jaw, reaching out to snag one of the pictures. It was of Toni. With the guy.

They were sitting in a bar or something.

The look on their faces…it was one of familiarity. My stomach clenched at the expression on her face. She was smiling, the sort of smile someone only gave to a person to whom they were close.

I continued to go through the pictures. In a few of them, I could tell they were trying hard to keep from being overheard, their heads and bodies bent towards each other. When I came to the end, I looked up at Kowalski.

“What is this?” I asked, my gut a tight, ugly snarl.

“I assume you recognize the woman.”

“Get to the point.” Flinging the images down on the desk, I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. My heart was pounding so hard, I almost felt sick. Kowalski had better have a good explanation or I was going to be even more pissed than I already was.

“The man with her is her brother, Victor Gallagher. Are you aware of his…?” Kowalski paused and then forged ahead. “His somewhat checkered past?”

I snorted. “Yes. He’s a thug.”

“He’s a bit more than your typical thug.” Kowalski rubbed his hands together and looked away, obviously taking care with his words. “Now, please understand. I’m not making accusations, but I think it’s just worth…well, knowing. When Victor Gallagher was eighteen, he was arrested on felony drug charges, but testified against the guy he was running for. Word on the street was that the guy was trying to edge into some other family's business, and the kid was setting him up, but things went south. Kid got pinched. His lawyer made a deal, and because the guy wasn't from the neighborhood, the kid testified. He got six months and has been clean ever since. Or, at least, hasn't gotten caught. There have been rumors though.”

“I know about the drug conviction.” I trailed off when the investigator looked back at me. “What is it?”

“One of the things he's been rumored about being into since he got out? It was a kidnapping.”

Chapter 9

Toni

I tried to ignore the ringing of the telephone. It had been ringing off and on for the past twenty minutes.

Maybe longer.

My body had shut down on me, and all it knew or understood was sleep.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to pee, I probably would have blissfully ignored the phone indefinitely. I had the kind of brain that let me tune out the things I didn’t need to worry about. A benefit of having grown up in a noisy home. But once my bladder made it known I’d have to get up soon, I slowly and subtly started to drift to wakefulness, even though I ignored even my body’s urgent needs as long as I could.

A few more minutes.

I had my face under a pillow and if I could just have a few more minutes…

Another ring and I yanked the pillow off and lay there, staring up at the ceiling overhead. I wasn’t going to get a few more minutes.

Then the phone stopped and I sighed at the sudden and welcomed silence.

After a quick run to the bathroom, I all but dived into bed and hauled my blankets up. I’d been trying to do too much on too little sleep since Isadora had gone missing. I needed the rest.

Technically, I should have been over at the Lang's house. But Isadora wasn't there. Ash had made it clear that my presence wasn't welcome. I had work that I could do, yes, but I could technically do most of it from here. I didn't think I needed to stress him out more than he already was. I certainly didn't need the added stress of being around him.

My eyes drifted closed and a dreamy lassitude fell over me. I was hovering in that space between sleep and waking when the damn phone started to ring again, the shrill sound of my landline jarring me back into wakefulness.

Slowly, I pushed up onto my elbows and stared across the room at the stupid thing.

Whoever it was, they’d just keep calling and calling…

The idea didn’t help my voice sound any more pleasant when I finally grabbed it.

“This had better be important,” I snapped without bothering with a greeting.

“If it wasn't, do you really think I would've spent forty-five minutes trying to get hold of you?” Ash said his voice cool. There was no doubt it was him. “You sleep like the dead.”

“I spent two hours making up a final I missed, three hours trying to get my schedule set up for summer session, and then another two hours tutoring some punk who reminded me of you. Except he was ten years younger and a whole hell of lot stupider and he thinks he can be a doctor. At least you didn’t try to do that.” Irritation and lack of sleep tended to have a bad effect on my filter – as in, said filter didn’t work. “And it isn't like I've been sleeping well over the past week. What do you want?”

There was a pause. “When are you coming over to work?”

Closing my eyes, I sighed. Was he fucking kidding me? “I’m not. You made it more than clear I’m not wanted there.”

“You have a job to do. If you want to keep working here once Isadora comes home, I suggest you get your cute ass over here.”

The threat in his voice made me roll my eyes. “Your sister adores me and she'd have to fire me before my job disappeared and you know it.”

Wait a minute…had he just called my ass cute?

“I have news about Isadora. Just get here.” A moment later, the phone slammed so loud, I flinched in reaction.

Glaring at the handset I still held, I mumbled, “You could have just said that.”

***

I had gotten ready in record time, only bothering with the bare essentials. My hair was still wet when I left the house, and I twined it into a braid once I was on the subway. I didn’t have time to dry it, but if I let it just dry, I’d regret it. The braid was my best bet. If it made me look about sixteen, oh, well. It was better than the pigtails. Those made me look twelve.

I got to the house on Fifth Avenue in record time and burst inside without knocking. It wasn't until I'd stepped inside that I realized the door had been unlocked.

And the house was oddly silent.

None of the staff were around. I paused to look for Doug. The front door seemed kind of naked without him. I called out his name. Only silence echoed back.

“I gave them the day off,” Ash said from behind me.

I jumped, spinning around to find him standing right behind me. I’d moved farther into the silent house than I realized.

“You scared me to death.”

He lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

I frowned. The normal response to that was an apology.

He turned and strode into the large salon to the far right of the elegant foyer. I’d been in the room once or twice, but never for more than a minute. To be honest, I didn’t like it. It was informal and uncomfortable and…stiff. Cold, somehow.

Rather like Ash, I thought.

“Drink?” He looked up at me from the drink service where he was pouring something for himself.

“It’s not even two o'clock,” I pointed out.

“There’s that annoying song…it’s five o’clock somewhere…”

“You're in an odd mood.”

“I am.” He tossed back something that glittered amber in the light, and when he turned to me, I caught sight of his eyes. They were the coldest I’d ever seen them. No heat in them at all. Not even anger.

Slowly, I reached up to rub at my chest. “Please tell me that she hasn’t been…”

“Still nothing.” He gestured toward a seat. “Please.”

I didn’t want to. For some reason, all I wanted to do was get out of there. Fast. But I didn't think that was an option. Slowly, I moved over to one of the stiff-backed chairs and sat down. It was as miserable as it looked.

Ash poured himself another drink and came over to sit down in front of me. He looked like he belonged in that chair.

I held myself tense, uncertain as to what was going on. He gave me a smile that made my stomach turn. It was cold and brittle.

“Ash, what’s going–?”

“Kidnapping, huh? That's your idea of living clean?” He looked at his glass, studying the contents and then tossed it all back before slamming the empty glass down on the table. In a blink, he was in front of me. “Your brother is a fucking kidnapper.”

“No!” What the hell…who had…no. It didn’t matter, because he was wrong, the story was wrong. Victor had stopped a kidnapping. But nobody wanted to listen to him. He was a thug, a convicted dealer just a couple years out of prison, a few steps up from human trash as far as most people were concerned. He hadn't been charged with anything because there hadn't been any evidence, but the rumors had never gone away, even years later.

Ash put his hands on the arms of my chair and leaned down so that his face was only inches from mine. “What have you two been planning behind my back, Toni? How did you make it happen? Did you bribe somebody at Winter to help you get close to my sister?”

“What?” I gaped at him, my head spinning. My heart hammered in my chest; fear an acrid, ugly taste crawling up my throat. “I don't–”

“I’ve seen the fucking pictures, Toni!”

Ears ringing from the sheer ferocity of his bellow, I shoved him. He didn’t move. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned back into the seat and brought my feet up. The movement caught him off guard and he didn’t react in time. The double kick sent him stumbling back and I shoved upright. He may have towered over me by more than a foot, but at least I was on my feet now.

I pointed a finger at him and warned, “Don’t ever try to corner me, Lang.”

He rubbed at his gut. “How did you do it?” He glared at me.

“Do what?” I shouted. “I don't know what the fuck you're talking about?!”

He turned around and grabbed something. A moment later, pictures flew across the room. “Stop the innocent routine. I saw you with him. You’ve met with him more than once.”

Confused, I looked down…at pictures of Vic and me. We were in the bar in some of them. A few…son of a bitch. He’d had me followed all the way to my parents' house. And it wasn't like before. Not like the time the investigator hadn't been hiding and had just stood around outside; like he'd been confirming that I didn't have some sort of hidden routine. These were close-ups. These were private. Somebody had been looking into the windows of my family's home. I could even place where they must've been standing when the shots had been taken, and it sure as hell hadn't been on public property.

He’d had me followed. Again. And this time he'd crossed the line.

Shit. A thought hit me. Vic said he’d had cops following me, but were they cops?

Or where they Ash’s men? How many did he have?

I blew out a slow breath, tried to calm myself. He was going through something awful, something I couldn’t imagine. We'd deal with the violation of my privacy later. It didn't mean I still didn't need a moment to reign in my temper.

“Explain,” he demanded again.

My hands were shaking with anger and the quaver came through in my voice. I looked up at him. “Explain…you want me to explain?”

Selecting a photo at random, I turned it and met Ash’s icy gaze. My grasp on my control was tenuous at best.

“This is Vic and me, having a drink at his favorite bar. We do it two or three times a month.” I scowled at Ash. “I’ll tell you what, your crack-shot investigator isn't worth shit, because if he'd asked around, anyone could tell you that. And sometimes it’s all of us. Me, three of my brothers since Kory can't commute from Michigan. Deacon and Franky sometimes bring their wives. Sometimes I bring whatever guy I’m seeing. Not that any of that is your fucking business!”

My voice rose with every word, my control slipping, then snapping. I tore the picture in half and grabbed another. My heart felt bruised, shredded, as I saw the image of a Friday night dinner. He’d invaded the sanctity of my parents’ home. Not just my life, but their lives. Reaching up, I traced the edge of my mother’s face. She wasn't completely in the frame since I was the center of the shot, me and Vic, but she was still there.

“You want a fucking explanation for this? It’s called a family dinner. I’ll be going to one tonight. We do it every Friday evening. Rain or shine. Snow, sleet or hail. It's my family.” The picture fell from numb fingers and I looked at him, suddenly empty. “What else do you want from me?”

“Tell me where she is. I’ll pay whatever you want. Just tell me where she is.” His voice was so cold.

I stared at him as it hit me. He wasn’t just lashing out or grasping at straws. He was serious. He thought I had something to do with this. That my family and I…

For a second, I couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t even think.

A disgust so thick and all-consuming settled inside me, I thought it might choke me. But I didn’t know who it was directed at. Him…or me.

I’d had him inside me. Maybe I hadn't exactly been thinking clearly. But I’d liked him. Some parts of him, at least. I'd told myself that after all he'd been through, it was understandable that he'd put up some walls. I'd told myself that, deep down, he was a good guy. I'd counted on my usually accurate insight into people and it had let me down. How could I have taken a man so callow, so selfish inside me? How could I have not seen the sort of man he truly was?

“You son of a bitch,” I whispered, my voice thick. I started to shake as I stared at him. I’d let him put his hands on me. His mouth. I'd comforted him. “You monstrous, evil son of a bitch.”

“Cut the shit, Toni!” His green eyes glinted as he glowered at me. Fury practically radiated off him and that only made me angrier. He wasn't the wronged party here.

We’d hadn't exchanged deep, heartfelt words of longing, but I’d…hell. I liked sex. A lot. But I'd never been flippant about it. I’d always prided myself on my discernment when it came to choosing who would share my bed. How could I have been so wrong?

He stalked toward me and shot out a hand, grabbing my arm and jerking me close to him. I didn’t even fight. I didn't have it in me. I was still reeling from the betrayal.

His fingers dug into my arm, leaving bruises as he bit each word off, “Where. Is. She.”

“I don't know.” I stared into his eyes and it was like looking at a stranger. Sick inside, I said, “I like your sister. I would never hurt her.”

His fingers tightened, just a little and he tugged me closer until there was less than an inch between our bodies. “That’s your final answer?”

I just stared up at him. How could he think that of me? Had all of this only been an act?

“Lieutenant.” His voice, so cool and calm now, sounded out of place.

I jerked away and surprisingly, he let me go.

He let me go.

Spinning around, I half-stumbled at the sight of the cop standing there. Her name escaped me. She slid a look from me to the man at my back. There was a curious look on her face. Later, I’d remember it. Later. Much later.

“Go on.”

At first, I thought he was talking to me.

But then the cop looked at me. “Miss Gallagher, we’d like you to come into the station and answer some questions.”

“About what?” I demanded as several uniformed officers swarmed me. One of them took my elbow. I jerked away, even though I knew better. Common sense and logic were taking a backseat to all of the shit going through my head.

“Miss Gallagher,” the lieutenant said, her voice calm. “We just have some routine questions.”

“Then ask them here,” I said. “I answered questions here before.”

“Get her out of here!” Ash bellowed.

I shot him an ugly look.

When I shifted my attention back to the lieutenant, I caught sight of something in her eyes. Regret.

She looked from me to Ash and then back at me.

I knew then that I was in trouble.

Vic's words came back to me. Money doesn’t talk…it sings….

I looked around at the cops circling me, surrounding me. My chest tightened and I could barely breathe. Why was this happening? The question had a tinge of hysteria in it. Was I paying for Vic's mistakes? Again. God forgive me…I loved my brother, but I’d paid for his mistakes enough. Too many judged me by the things he had done. And what Ash had thought he knew about Vic…that wasn’t even the truth. My brother had been innocent. Was innocent. And so was I.

But it looked like that didn't matter to anyone. Who cared if I was some scapegoat because I had a brother who'd done some dumb shit years ago? Nobody, that's who. I didn't have money. My family wasn't important. These cops didn't care if they hurt the people I loved, so long as the ones with money and power got what they wanted. Ash didn't care who got hurt, as long as people did what he told them to do.

Something inside me snapped, and when the cop to my left touched my elbow, I jerked back.

His jaw tightened and he gave me a look I knew too well.

I lifted my chin.

I was done.

The entire room went quiet.

“Miss, you need to get control of yourself and come with me,” he said, his voice flat. He reached out again and I took a step back.

“Yeah? You’ve yet to give me a reason.” I curled my lip and said, “I know my damn rights. You want to take me somewhere? Tell me what the problem is. What’s the damn evidence against me?”

He went to catch my arm again and I smacked at his hand.

“Don't touch me,” I warned. “Unless you have an arrest warrant, don't fucking touch me again.”

“Toni, for fuck’s sake.” Ash’s snarl barely even registered.

“That’s it.” It came from the tired-looking brunette at my side.

When she caught my arm, I acted without thinking. I pivoted and swung, driving my fist into her nose. I heard it crunch, saw the blood spurt out…and then I was thrown to the ground.

I wished it would've been Ash. And I wished I would've done a lot worse to him than just messing up his nose.