Beyond Ransom (The Ransom Series) Read online

  I quickly scan the room around me. It doesn’t take long for me to figure out what this place is. It’s an actual prison cell. Cement walls surround us outlining the square space that can’t be more than fifteen feet across. There’s a single metal door to the room on the wall opposite from us with a small barred window at the top of it. I imagine similar cells line the walls outside that door. This must be some kind of abandoned prison.

  Any residual hope I had for escape leaves me. My hands begin to tremble. My breathing quickens. My heart rate increases to a racing speed.

  This is only the beginning.

  My body jumps as Leo’s arm winds around my waist. I try to scoot away from him, but he only pulls me in tighter. I still don’t know what to make of his actions, and I’m not strong enough to overpower his muscles.

  When my body stops fighting him, he releases me only to let his hand connect with my back, running his fingers up and down my spine. How someone with such muscular arms can have such a gentle and soothing touch is beyond me.

  Something must be wrong with me, because I’m letting this stranger touch me like this when I know I should be kicking and screaming instead. His intentions don’t seem malicious, though. His touch is comforting, and that’s what I need right now.

  A long moment of silence passes between us as he continues to calm the soaring panic that rose within me just minutes before. The pounding in my head begins to lessen to a dull, subdued pain.

  When Leo withdraws his hand from me, I immediately miss his touch. He leans his elbows forward onto his knees and clasps his hands together.

  “He’s going to expect me to be rough with you,” he says almost reluctantly. “I’ll do what I can to mitigate what he’s going to do to you, but I won’t be able to stop him completely. If he orders me to do something, I’ll have to comply.”

  I nod, accepting my fate. I know I should be grateful for what Leo’s already done for me and for what he just offered to do for me, but the truth remains I’m still in as shitty of a position as I was before Leo’s promise. He may be able to slow the rate at which Mark breaks me down, but he won’t be able to stop him completely.

  “Thank you,” I say with a sigh. It’s all I can offer, the only thing I can do. I have nothing else to give.

  Leo smiles briefly before leaning down to grab something from the floor. My eyes light up when I realize it’s a plastic water bottle filled with the clear liquid that my dehydrated body desperately needs.

  A small laugh escapes him as he hands me the bottle. “You should drink some of this.” I take the bottle from his hand and unsteadily unscrew the top before downing a third of the bottle in just a few gulps. “It’s all I can really give you at this point without arousing suspicion. If Mark wants you to eat and drink, he’ll send something for you.”

  I couldn’t care less about food at this moment. All that matters to me in the entire world is finishing off this bottle of water.

  When the last few drops of liquid leave the bottle and land on my tongue, I screw the top back on and hand the empty bottle to Leo. “Thanks. God, I needed that.”

  “It’ll help you recover. You need rest, too. You should sleep.” Leo tucks the bottle under his arm and grabs the ice pack. He stands up and moves to the door in front of us, opening it and about to step outside.

  “Wait!” I yell after him. He pauses, cautiously awaiting what I’m going to say. “Why are you really helping me?”

  I seem to have caught Leo off-guard with my question. He grabs the edge of the thick door with his free hand and looks at his feet. The unwavering aura of confidence around him with his broad chest and shoulders and tattooed arms seems to lift. In these few moments he seems down to my level, almost vulnerable.

  He sighs deeply before looking back up at me. “I know you have no reason to believe a word I’m saying, but I was in your shoes once. I know what you’re going through, and I’d never want to go back there. I’d never wish that upon anyone, not even my worst enemy.”

  It’s way more honesty and emotion than I was expecting to get out of him when I asked the question, and it only makes me more curious about him and his intentions. I want him to stay. I want to talk more with him, but I know our time is up. What I don’t know is what our status will be the next time we meet.

  “Get some rest,” he suggests again. “You’re going to need it.”

  He disappears into the hallway and closes the door behind him. The lock clicks in place.

  I lie down and turn the other direction, opting to face the wall instead of the locked door and the rest of the cell and prison where I’m being kept against my will. My heart begins to race with the panic that’s rising up inside me again as the reality of my situation truly sinks in.

  The fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins makes me doubt I’ll ever fall asleep, but exhaustion proves to be the stronger influence on my body. It’s not long before I’m taken into the darkness of unconsciousness.

  4

  Awakening

  Sleep is such a beautiful state. It’s peaceful, unknowing, unaware.

  The moment I realize I’ve been pulled from sleep, my heart drops. The jingling of keys and clicking sound of the lock turning on the other side of my cell are stark reminders of where I am. My eyes squeeze shut and my body stills completely as footsteps approach me. The quiet hours in which I have been safe alone in this enclosed box are coming to an end.

  A strong arm grabs me around the waist and rolls me roughly off the cot and onto the cement floor. I land flat on my back, and even though it’s only a two-foot drop, it’s enough to knock the wind out of me momentarily.

  I lie here coughing and gasping, trying desperately to catch my breath as a heavy boot connects with my side. Instinctively my body begins to curl up into a ball to protect itself, but I’m not fast enough. The boot finds my stomach this time. Over and over it kicks me until I manage to flatten myself out and get my limbs in a position to make an attempt to crawl away.

  I can see my hands shaking in front of me as my arms make slow and pathetic movements to crawl forward. My breathing is ragged and uneven. My stomach and sides burn fiercely, the pain only exacerbated by the fact that I’ve put all my weight down on my belly in this feeble attempt to put space between me and whoever gave me this rude awakening.

  Though I know I’ve only gone a few feet away and am still trapped by the walls that surround me, the boot doesn’t find me again. My coughs and painful attempts at breathing are the only sounds that fill the air as I reach the door that is left open just a crack. My unsteady fingers grasp the cool metal of the door and I pull it toward me.

  Multiple men are standing there staring at me, almost amused at the show they’ve been given through the small window and crack in the door. I hate being under their gazes like this. I feel like an animal trapped in this cage, some abused and mistreated beast whose sole purpose is to entertain. I feel like their plaything that they can do with as they wish, and I fear what will become of that and what will become of me.

  Some small part of me wishes Leo was among the men enjoying the show, but he’s not here. If he was, maybe he would have stopped the man who seemed so intent on breaking my ribs and robbing my body of oxygen.

  “You have some fight in you, girl. Quite the show of endurance.”

  The voice comes from behind me, and I immediately know that Mark is the man behind the boot. I shouldn’t have expected anyone else.

  Though I’ve just woken up, I already feel exhausted. The amount of effort I’ve just put into trying to protect my body and crawl a few feet away from Mark has taken a lot out of me. I don’t feel the fight in me anymore, but I can’t let him know this. My forehead drops to the cold cement. “You can thank my dad for that. He taught me well.”

  “Ah, yes, the daughter of a police detective. It’s too bad you were stupid enough to ignore everything else he’s ever taught you.”

  I hate that he’s right. It was careless for me to leave the house
against my dad’s wishes. I should have known better than to be anywhere near that black car with tinted windows that was clearly not the cab I called for. I should have run and screamed and fought harder against the men who surrounded me on the sidewalk.

  It doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done. I just have to find a way to survive this long enough for Dad to find me or pay the ransom to this lunatic.

  Hands forcefully grab me by the shoulders and flip me up and around so that my back is against the wall next to the door. The new position intensifies the stabbing pains in my torso, causing me to take in a sharp breath.

  Mark kneels down in front of me, inspecting my face while my ragged breathing continues. He touches the gauze on my forehead with his thumb, pressing in on it enough to make me wince before drifting his fingers over the butterfly bandages and down my cheek. It’s that sensual touch again that makes me want to shed my skin and run for it.

  “Leo fixed you up,” he observes. I remain still, avoiding any reaction at his mention of Leo’s name. He moves in closer to whisper in my ear. “It won’t be the last time.”

  I try not to let the fear show openly in my face, but I’m sure he can see a hint of it in my eyes as he pulls away from me.

  In the same movement of Mark’s return to standing, he pulls me up by the arm like a rag doll. I unsteadily find my footing and am able to remain standing when he loosens his grip of me.

  “You will get five minutes in the bathroom,” Mark says as he tosses me out into the hallway. I barely find my balance to avoid crashing back down to the floor. “Hutchinson will escort you.” He nods to a gruff-looking, short man next to me.

  As Hutchinson’s smile widens, I can feel the color draining from my face. I’m really going to be alone with this man and his wicked intentions for five minutes? I’d almost rather be at the mercy of Mark’s beatings and punishments under the spotlight in the main room.

  Hutchinson grabs me by the arm and tugs me toward him until I’m pressed up against his chest. Mark and the other men turn away from us, walking down the hallway.

  “Mark,” I call out after him. I’m ready to beg. I’ll do anything to not have to spend the next five minutes alone with this man. “Mark!” I scream, but to no avail. He keeps walking, completely unaffected.

  Hutchinson’s arms wrap themselves around my waist. “You really do smell good.”

  He’s rubbing his head into my hair now, the stubble on his cheek easily felt through our contact, and his hands are roaming. With his arms and body all around me, I can smell the potent and disgusting body odor emanating from him.

  I try to wiggle away, but with his tight grasp around my waist, any movement I make to slip out of his arms away from him only aggravates the pain in my stomach and sides. I double over, gasping for breath again when my struggle twists something just the wrong way in the injuries inside me.

  When Hutchinson recognizes the fight has left me, he drags me along behind him down the hallway, my feet barely able to keep up and remain steady enough to prevent me from collapsing to my knees.

  He pulls me through an open doorway, the missing door apparently ripped off its hinges and nowhere in sight. The bathroom is filthy, dust and dirt covering most surfaces of the pale yellow tiled space. There are a few stalls on one side of the small room a few metal sinks on the other side.

  I’m pulled over to one of the stalls and practically thrown inside. I pause for a moment as Hutchinson stands there watching me. Any second now he should be shutting the door to let me do my business.

  “I’m not closing this door, darling,” he says in a playful tone.

  I really have no intention of pissing in front of this man. “Please,” I ask. “Just give me this one minute. One fucking minute.”

  Hutchinson shakes his head before nodding at the toilet behind me. “Get on with it.”

  He’s not backing down, and I don’t know that this is a battle I can win. I fear that if I don’t do this he’s going to start ripping at my clothes to force me to do this, and that will only make things worse for me.

  I reluctantly lower my shorts and underwear and sit on the toilet to piss. It’s the first time here that I’ve felt truly violated, that it seems like all rights have been stripped from me and I’m left exposed, vulnerable, and at the mercy of the men holding me captive in this building.

  The toilet paper is the thinnest, dingiest kind I’ve ever seen, but I couldn’t be happier to see it. Once I’m finished, I pull up my clothes in a quick movement as I stand up, hoping to God that the man watching me didn’t get a peek where he wasn’t meant to see.

  I flush the toilet and am almost afraid to turn around and look at Hutchinson. When I do, my worst fears are confirmed. His eyes are hungry. The slight upturn of his lips tells me he’s enjoying every second of this. The bulge in his jeans informs me he’s ready for more. His violation of my privacy and personal space is far from over.

  He pulls me out from the stall by my arm and pushes me across the room until my back is pressed up against the cold tiled wall. His hand instantly moves under my shirt and bra, grasping and squeezing my breast. His other hand is at my waist, working its way into my shorts.

  I struggle to push him away, my arms flailing against him and making some progress until the hand at my shorts pulls my shoulder off the wall and crashes my head back against it. The force of the hit in the same swollen area where my head hit the cement yesterday instantly makes me dizzy. The fight in my limbs subsides against my will, and I’m left helpless as he successfully slips his hand into my shorts this time and runs his slobbery lips across my face and neck.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” a voice calls from the other side of the room. It takes a moment for my disoriented brain to place the voice, but when it does, my heart just about jumps out of my chest.

  “I’m enjoying,” Hutchinson replies between sloppy kisses.

  He’s working his way down my chest and approaching the top of my breast, and then suddenly he’s not. Leo is on top of him, pulling him off me and throwing him into the middle of the bathroom.

  Leo places himself between me and Hutchinson. “Mark said hands off, remember?”

  “Fuck that, man. Look at her.” Hutchinson looks frustrated, about ready to plow right through Leo to get back to me. “How can we pass that up? God, I need a good fuck so bad right now.”

  Leo narrows his eyes at him. “Go somewhere else and deal with it. I’ll take care of this.”

  Hutchinson remains silent for a moment, standing his ground. He groans in frustration before turning around and fuming his way out of the bathroom, slamming his fist against the wall on the way out.

  When he’s gone from my sight, the breath I’ve been holding in for too long finally escapes me. I feel strange relief at being handled by Leo instead of the sick bastard who was with me moments before.

  Leo turns to face me. “You okay?”

  I nod, still trying to calm the adrenaline shooting throughout my body. “Thank you for stopping him,” I whisper.

  Leo grasps my trembling arms and holds me there for a moment. His touch is different from Hutchinson’s or Mark’s. It’s gentle and soothing, not representative at all of someone trying to hurt me or take advantage of me.

  “When I saw the group come back without you and Hutchinson, I knew something was going on. It wasn’t hard to find you.”

  I take a deep breath. “You’re not always going to be able to stop them.” My own words crush me as I say them. “You can’t always be there. One of these times I won’t be so lucky.”

  He stops to think for a moment. “Are you a virgin?”

  I’m stunned by his sudden personal question but nod cautiously. He looks at me skeptically until I roll my eyes at him and reinforce my answer with words. “I’m only eighteen. I wasn’t one of those girls who slept around in high school.”

  A smile curves up his lips, and it’s slightly intoxicating. He looks away from me for a moment, and by the time his eyes
meet mine again, the smile is gone. “If anyone tries this on you again, you tell them you’re a virgin. They won’t want to risk taking that away from you and having Mark find out.”

  This is such a strange conversation to be having with this man, but I nod my understanding. “Okay.”

  “You need to be prepared,” he says reluctantly. “I don’t know exactly what Mark’s plan is here, but I know him well. This is about revenge, and having his enemy’s daughter within his grasp will give him endless ways to seek that revenge. He’s going to take full advantage of this.”

  My hand automatically moves to my side. My midsection knows exactly how much Mark likes to get his revenge.

  A look of concern flashes over Leo’s face as he notices my hand, and before I can drop it away from my side he grabs it gently. “What did he do?”

  I shake my head at him. I don’t want Leo to see it. Hell, I don’t even want to see it.

  He slowly lifts the bottom of my shirt a few inches, and his eyes widen. “Jesus Christ.” His gaze meets mine, his mouth agape. “From this morning?”

  Tears I didn’t know I was crying move silently down my cheek as I nod.

  When Leo seems to push past the shock of this discovery, a look a fury overtakes his face. He’s absolutely pissed. I wonder if he’s going to punch a hole in the wall behind me.

  Instead of a fuming outburst, his expression softens and he takes a deep breath before speaking to me again. “Can I make sure you’re okay?” he asks hesitantly. “I’ll need to touch you, though.”

  Shivers run through my body at just the thought of Leo’s hands on my bare skin, but I give him permission with a nod anyway.

  He rolls up my shirt just enough to expose my stomach. I catch one glimpse of the black and blue color that seems to have overtaken my skin, and that’s all I need to see. My eyes squeeze shut and my senses are consumed with the ache in my head, the silence around us, and the soft touch of Leo’s hands against my skin.