4 Bad Boys to take to Bed (4 Book Bundle Set!) (21 page)

“What does that MEAN Charlie?” Steven asked again.

“Sana’s gone. I’ll work it out with the buyer, but she’s gone. Maybe Sandra will be a good replacement.” Charlie tried to sound confident, but even I could hear the shaking in his voice.

“Sandra is going somewhere else, you know that. Sana was special. How could you do this, Charlie? This is not good for us. This is not good for me. You know what that deal would have meant for me. You know I’m planning on running for Congress this year and the senator’s support is crucial!” Steven sounded as if he’d lost all control. He wasn’t trying to be respectful to his boss, he was shouting in frustration.

I wasn’t surprised to hear Steven talk about running for Congress. He’d had political aspirations since I’d first met him, and when he was in law school we used to lie in bed and talk about the day he would be President and I the First Lady. I used to love imagining our future as the new John and Jackie Kennedy. It had been a long time since Steven had brought up his desire to get into politics, but I should have known that Steven would never abandon his goals.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Steven. You forget, I’m your boss and I’m the only reason you have this opportunity. Without me, you’d still be a junior lawyer trying to figure out how to get into the game,” Charlie warned him.

Steven didn’t answer. I could hear him pacing around and I could picture him scowling, his mind racing as he tried to think of a response.

I heard the sound of a bottle opening and glasses clinking. After a short while, Steven sounded calmer. “Charlie. I’m sorry to blow up at you. You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I just know how close we are to taking this thing where we need it and I’m just concerned about blowing it now.”

“Steven…I know. It was a bad decision to take Sana to dinner last night. I see that now. I thought I had better control over her—and myself. I was wrong and it won’t happen again. Let’s just concentrate on damage control right now. Can you call Katherine and find out how much she knows?”

At his suggestion, my heart stopped. If Steven called the house and I didn’t answer he would call my cell phone. My cell phone, which was in my purse somewhere nearby. I prayed Sandra had hidden it after she’d pushed me into the basement, but what if she hadn’t seen it? And, if she did have it safely hidden, was it close enough for the men to be able to hear the ringing of my phone?

“No, I don’t want to call her yet,” Steven answered. “I told her I was out of town for a couple of days and it would be suspicious to call her now. I’m telling you; she doesn’t know anything, and if she did, who cares, she’s loyal to me. I have her under control, don’t worry.”

Steven’s words made my blood boil. How could he think so little of me to suggest that I wouldn’t care if a woman was being beaten by his boss or held captive against her will? Is that who I’d been since I met him? A woman who would blindly stand by her man even when he was involved in some horrible crime. I was ashamed to admit that the answer was yes, that was exactly how I’d acted since getting involved with him.

“Alright,” Charlie agreed. “Then let’s deal with the senator first. I think a Skype call would be fine, we don’t need to go there. I’ll do the talking. It’s my mess, I’ll clean it up.”

“Fine,” Steven said, a little too quickly.

“Get Sandra,” Charlie ordered him. “I want him to see her in case he’s interested. I’d rather deal with
Al Zahrani than the senator. You were right, we need him happy right now.”

“Where is she? Still in the basement?”

I froze against the wall. If Steven opened that door I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t hurt me.

“No, she’s probably upstairs,” Charlie answered him.

Thank you God, I prayed silently. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I heard their footsteps retreating and the heavy thud of Steven on the stairs and the sound of a door on the far side of the house slamming. Even though the kitchen was obviously empty, I didn’t know what to do. If I left the relative safety of the basement I could be caught, but I couldn’t stay crouched on the basement stairs forever. I had to make a decision: stay or go?

Holding my breath I slowly turned the knob, cringing in anticipation of an angry hand swinging the door open. Nothing happened and the only sounds were coming from the other side of the house. Was I safe? I stepped out into the bright kitchen, the sudden light hurt my eyes and I squinted, trying to get my bearings. There had to be a back door, please God let it be off the kitchen.

To the right was the entrance to the hallway and the east wing of the house, which was where I had followed Sandra into the kitchen. To my left was the entrance into the dining room and more doors beyond that. I couldn’t see the back door. Was I trapped in this room? Then I saw it, what looked like a mud room, between the kitchen pantry and the entrance to the hallway. I must have walked past it when I’d come in but hadn’t noticed it because the door had been closed. Now the door was open and I could just glimpse daylight spilling from the room onto the kitchen floor. I prayed it was from a door and not just a window. From overhead, I could hear the sounds of footsteps, probably Steven coming downstairs to join Charlie. I had no choice, I had to run for it.

I sprinted into the kitchen and into the mudroom. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it pounding in my head like the beat of a drum. I was right, there was a door leading out of the mudroom into the backyard—I felt like screaming with relief. Frantically, I opened the door and forced myself to slow down and close it quietly. It would do me no good for Steven or Charlie to hear the door slamming. They were already suspicious of me and would probably guess in a second that I had been there. I ran out into the backyard trying to crouch below the windows and run at the same time. It was a miracle that I had my car keys in my hand. I’d been clutching them when I knocked on the door and I’d never had the chance to put them in my purse, everything with Sandra had happened so quickly. I’d been gripping them so hard that my hands were red with key marks.

I ran out of the gate and down the street toward my Rover as fast as I could. For the moment, all I could think about was escaping and it wasn’t until I was safely in the car with the door locked that I remembered Sandra. How could I help her? I couldn’t leave her there. This wasn’t about just Sana. Steven and Charlie were in the middle of something that sounded bigger than hitting a girl. The way they were talking sounded like they were actually supplying girls to men. Could Steven really be involved in human trafficking?

The moment I thought the words I felt a mental stop sign go up. It could not be possible. Despite the fact that I’d just overheard their conversation and actually seen how afraid two of the girls were around Charlie, I couldn’t make myself believe it. This was my husband, the man who I had been in love with and living every day with for the last eight years. He said he knew me better than I knew myself? Well, I felt the same way about him. It had been in my best interest to know Steven better than anyone. I lived to make him happy and dreaded spending time with him when his mood was dark. I knew he could be harsh and rough, but the way he was in the bedroom was just sex play, right? It couldn’t mean that he was a horrible person—I hadn’t married a monster, had I?

Still shaking, I drove toward home. I didn’t know if it was safe to go back there, but Steven had told Charlie that he couldn’t call me because he’d told me he was out of town. I assumed that meant he probably wouldn’t take a chance on coming home before he thought I expected him back either. I felt like I might be safe for today and tomorrow at least. Besides, I didn’t have any place else to go.

I tried to think about my options. If Steven really was a part of human trafficking, actually selling girls to men, I couldn’t stay with him. I would never be able to look at him again, much less let him touch me. The thought of his hands on me made my skin crawl. If it was true, I could go to my mother’s. But didn’t I owe it to him to talk to him about it? To make him try and tell me what was going on. After all, he was convinced of my loyalty. Let him tell me then, and if it was true I could tell him to his face that I wanted no part of it. I wasn’t afraid of what he would do to me necessarily. I knew he had a temper and he could be cold to me, which I hated almost as much as if he hit me, but the only time he was rough with me was in the bedroom and that was the only type of sex I’ve ever known—it excited me.

Pulling into our driveway I was relieved to see that the house was still empty. Rationally, I knew it would be. After all, when I ran out of Charlie’s house Steven was still inside; but my fear was guiding my thoughts and I had visions of Steven waiting for me at the front door.

I threw the car into park, turned off the engine, and leaped out of the driver’s seat. I was so charged with adrenaline that I couldn’t think straight. All I could see was Sandra’s tear-stained face clutching that knife and staring at me in fear. I couldn’t leave her with Charlie and Steven, she had heard Charlie do something to Sana. I didn’t know what he had done, but I didn’t like him telling Steven that Sana was ‘gone.’ Even though I was almost positive they were involved with selling women to men, I couldn’t bring myself to think that Charlie could have committed murder.

Once inside the cool interior of the house, my pulse started to resume a slower pace. I had a few obvious problems. Number one: Steven and Charlie knew I’d been at the agency today. They’d also known I had used a fake name to try to get information about Sana; that was going to be hard to explain away. Number two: My purse was still with Sandra—hopefully—at Charlie’s house. If they found it on her, they would know I’d also been there. And number three: Steven had my wallet, which meant I had no ID, no credit cards, and no way to withdraw any money—nothing. I was as trapped as Sandra.

My options were limited. I could call the police and point them toward Charlie in an effort to help Sandra; but then Steven might be implicated and I didn’t want to involve him until I knew exactly what his role in this was. Or, I could try and return to Charlie’s and stage a dramatic
break-out for Sandra by myself; not a very tempting scenario. Or, I could let this progress and wait for Steven to come home.

The truth was that all of my options were bad. I wasn’t going to be able to do anything by myself; I had no money and no place to go. But it felt wrong to just sit and do nothing and wait for Steven. That option felt like the kind of choice the old Katherine would make—the woman Steven thought he knew. For the first time, I was determined to regain some independence and clarity.

I couldn’t just stand in my kitchen and go around and around the situation. I had to act; to do something, anything. As my hand brushed against the soft cotton of my dress, I knew the first thing to do—change clothes. I had a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that I wore for gardening and working outside. Steven hated pants on a woman, and especially jeans, but right now those jeans were exactly what I needed to put on. It was a small act, but it felt good to defy him for once.

As I slipped the jeans up over my thighs I decided that I wouldn’t let Steven dictate my dress code any longer. If we made it through this, and I wondered if that would be possible, I would wear whatever I wanted. Steven and his likes and dislikes could go to hell.

Finally comfortable in my broken-in jeans, I went back to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, starving. I hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning, and I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to eat again. A plan was formulating in my brain, but I needed food to keep my strength up and let me think clearly.

I made a sandwich and ate it standing over the counter. Of course I couldn’t go tearing off to Charlie’s and burst into the house for Sandra as if I were an action hero; but I could go back and wait for Steven and Charlie to come out. When they were gone it might be possible for Sandra and me to get her things, including my purse, and escape. Sure, I didn’t have any money, but I did have a full tank of gas and my mother who lived not far away in Danbury, Connecticut. We could go to her house and she would know what to do.

Bolstered by the food and my new plan of action, I went back out to the Rover and headed for Charlie’s house. I was glad I hadn’t been able to predict the way this day would go when I’d left the house this morning. I would never have had the courage to step out the door. As it was, I was proud of myself for doing something about the situation. I knew Steven wasn’t wrong when he said he had me under control. I’d been his puppet for a long time and I knew exactly how he thought I would behave. That’s why I was dead set on doing the opposite of what he expected.

Before I knew it, I was pulling up outside Charlie’s house again. As before, I passed the house and parked up the street. If I turned in my seat I could see them if they left the house, but since I was sheltered between two other cars, it would be harder for them to see me. Even if they drove past me I doubted Steven would notice. He would never expect me to be here, and his apparent fear and frustration over this situation would blind him to his surroundings. I knew him, I knew
he had tunnel vision when he was dealing with a problem. I could probably stand on the side of the road naked and he would blindly drive past me.

I felt reasonably confident of my position, but I didn’t want to push it. I scrunched down into the seat. The movement made me think about the sex we’d had in the car last night and I could feel myself getting wet when I remembered how Steven’s fingers had entered me during our drive home. I still felt like I could taste him in my mouth and my body involuntarily ached at the thought of his rock hard cock thrusting into me. I pushed the thoughts away and reminded myself that he might be part of a human trafficking ring. He could be a kidnapper, or worse. I hated the thought that I’d been sleeping with this man for so long without knowing what he was capable of. I knew it was true, but it was still so hard to believe.

An hour passed before I finally saw movement at Charlie’s house. The garage door was going up and I could see Charlie’s car backing down the driveway. Although I didn’t think Steven would notice me or my car, I still breathed a sigh of relief when the car turned the opposite direction and disappeared down the road. I could only hope that Sandra hadn’t been in the back seat. If they had taken her with them my plan was lost and I knew I had no hope of saving her.

I ran up the sidewalk toward Charlie’s door, all the time eyeing the direction they had gone in case they turned around and came back. Pounding on the door I prayed for Sandra to open it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the drapes move and Sandra’s face appeared at the window.

“Open the door Sandra, I’m here to help you,” I told her through the door.

“I can’t.” Her heavily accented voice was barely understandable through the thick door.

“What do you mean?” I was starting to feel frantic. “Open the door, I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Please, I can’t. He has a deadbolt on it and I need a key to open it. He locked me in.” Sandra sounded frantic too, and her voice was filling with tears.

Oh God, what now? Is it not enough that I mustered up the courage to come and save her, only to be stopped by this evil man and a lock? There had to be another way. Then I remembered the mud room. I’d known it was an exit because I had seen the sun coming through the door. I could break the glass and pull Sandra through. She was so small, I knew she would fit. She had to.

“Sandra,” I told her. “Go to the back door, I’m going to pull you out.”

I ran around the side of the house into the backyard to the mud room door. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few hours since I had burst out of it in a panic. I had hoped to never return to this house, but of course I couldn’t let anything happen to Sandra.

Using a nearby rock as a weapon, I pounded on the glass above the handle. I was surprised it didn’t break at once, but I had to smash the rock against the glass at least three times before it
finally started to break. He must have had extra-strength glass installed so it couldn’t be broken. Once I saw it crack, my energy was renewed. I pounded against the window with the rock over and over again until glass started to shatter and fall to my feet.

I could see Sandra standing away from the door, closer to the kitchen, clutching a small bag and thank God she had my purse in her other hand.

“Sandra,” I shouted. “Grab some kitchen towels and put them over this glass. You have to climb out. Is there a stool or a chair you can stand on?”

I watched as she scurried into the kitchen and started grabbing towels. Running back to the door, she threw them toward me and ran off again to get something to stand on. I busied myself arranging the towels over the broken glass on the window frame. I tried to pad the worst spots as much as possible so she wouldn’t get cut as she climbed out. With an eye on my watch, I mentally urged her to hurry back with a chair.

After what seemed like endless minutes, she appeared carrying a stool. She tossed her bag and my purse through the opening to me and climbed up on the stool to get herself out the window. Shaking, she stood uncertainly at the opening.

“How do I do it?” she asked.

I looked at the situation. She could either try to bend down and come out head first, trusting me to be able to lift her out, or she could try to step through and into my waiting arms to support her. Neither method would be comfortable.

“Just try and come through head first,” I told her. “I’m going to try and lift you out from this side while you push through from that side, okay?”

She looked doubtful, but dutifully she bent over and started propelling her body through the window.

Breathless, I grabbed her and tried to pull her through the opening. She was small, but I wasn’t strong. My exercise routine focused on fat burning, not muscle building. Steven had always liked me to be thin and lanky. He didn’t approve of women with big muscles and I’d never been interested in weight lifting. Now I regretted that decision.

Grunting, I kept pulling until, with a final push, her whole weight fell into me and took us both down to the ground. I lay there for a moment trying to get my breath back while she jumped to her feet and grabbed her things along with my purse.

“Please get up,” she said. “They are coming back soon. They only went to pick up food. Please hurry.”

Oh God, I thought. Please let us get out of here before Charlie and Steven return. The thought of being caught in Charlie’s backyard propelled me into action and I unsteadily got to my feet.

“Ok, I’m okay,” I assured her. “Let’s go! My car is on the street.”

Together we ran around the side of the house to the street. I could see my Range Rover half a block away, but a quick glance in the other direction revealed Charlie’s car heading toward us. They were still far enough away that I didn’t think they could see us, especially with the glare of the setting sun in their eyes, but it was clear that we were in danger and we needed to run faster than we ever had in our lives.

Grabbing Sandra’s hand I pulled her across the street and dropped to a hunched run, yanking her hand for her to do the same. I hoped the parked cars would shield us from them and buy us time to get to the safety of the Rover.

I didn’t look back I just kept going forward. Sandra, to her credit, was as focused as I was. She never hesitated, she just ran with me as fast as she could in the awkward position. Behind us I could hear the roar of Charlie’s engine and I held my breath waiting for it to overtake us and angry voices to betray our position, but thankfully it turned into his driveway without incident and by the time the garage door was fully closed we were in the Rover.

When we pulled away from the curb and were driving away from Charlie’s house I could feel Sandra relax beside me. I reached over and gripped her hand and she held tightly to me. Her grateful smile glowed in the dashboard lights and I smiled back, but inside I had a dreadful feeling that we were not yet out of danger and the worst was still in front of us.