GirlMostLikelyTo (26 page)

He walked away and Adam took his place, warning her with his
eyes to be careful what she said. He tugged her back onto the dance floor and
pressed his mouth to her ear.

“Problem?”

She repeated the conversation and Adam gripped her tighter.
“How could he know about the money without knowing who you are? We should
leave.”

“No. If we go now, it will seem as if we’re running. We need
to warn Tomas.”

She stumbled as something collided with her calves. Adam
caught her arm, steadied her, and she glanced down to see a woman on all fours
being pulled on a chain by a guy wearing black leather pants and nothing else.
His chest was a mass of tattoos.
Dragen.
She gulped. The woman’s butt
was naked, her upper body enclosed in a formfitting black corset, her shoulders
bared, but her head…

Wren gasped. Her head was entirely enclosed in a black
leather hood, with straps and buckles around her neck, laces at the back. There
were no eye holes, just one small open circle over her mouth. No way could Wren
stand that. Maybe this woman liked it. But as Dragen pulled her on, Wren saw
something that made her lurch against Adam. On the woman’s shoulders were
tattooed names she recognized.
Jovana.

“Jesus,” Adam whispered. “That doesn’t look comfortable.”

It looked like torture. She trembled in Adam’s arms. “I know
her.”

Tomas dried the same glass the whole time Marco talked to
Wren, wishing he could lip-read. They’d planned for Adam to find a way to let
him know what had been said before he took Wren home. It’d be some hours before
Tomas could follow.

As he’d served customers, his gaze kept wandering to the
dance floor, crowded now with the weird and wonderful, and the two most
precious people in his life. This was the end of his undercover work. He didn’t
want to spend months away from Adam and Wren with them worrying about him and
him worrying about them. He swallowed hard, surprised by the depth of his
feeling. Not just surprised, scared. He didn’t believe the crap about love at
first sight.
Hadn’t
believed. It had been easier to think his
overwhelming feeling for them was mere lust, but this was more than that.

He wanted to know everything about them, what they liked,
what they didn’t. He cared more about this pair than he did himself and could
see no future without them in it. And while the thought of a future with the
three of them together frightened him, it felt right. Instead of wondering when
and how it would go wrong, he wanted to focus on how to keep it going.

Wren’s collision with a woman being pulled by that bastard
Dragen made him start, but Adam steadied her on those fuck-me heels.
All-enclosing hoods like the woman wore freaked Tomas out. The idea of only
being able to breathe through a small hole made his stomach lurch. He guessed
it would be Wren’s worst nightmare.

“Corona,” Adam said and Tomas snapped back to attention.

“Where’s Wren?”

“Bathroom with strict instructions not to come out until I
go and get her.”

Tomas reached for a bottle and twisted off the cap.

Adam leaned closer. “He knows exactly how much money she had
stolen.”

Fuck.

“She persuaded him her love for you would keep her silent
about his business.”

Oh God.
He handed Adam his change.

“Wren’s upset because it’s Jovana wearing that
sensory-deprivation hood.” Adam narrowed his eyes. “I’m not happy about it
either.”

“We can’t do anything.”

“If she’s made to talk? Marco knows Wren tried to persuade
her not to go with the guy and that she gave Jovana the four hundred quid he’d
given her.”

Tomas zipped through the options. What could Jovana say that
Marco didn’t already know? Anything dangerous for Wren or him? Her policemen
brothers? If she told him she’d asked Wren about Lule Kona? Tomas hadn’t heard
the name but it wouldn’t be a shock if Marco knew her.

“How safe are we?” Adam asked.

“Fifty-fifty. Marco’s ruthless. Leave. I’ll come as soon as
I can.”

As Adam walked away, it felt like part of Tomas’ heart went
with him. Had they done enough to satisfy Marco? Even if they had, how long
could this charade continue while the safety of Wren and possibly Adam hung in
the balance? Every morning, Tomas would wonder if this was the day it would all
come crashing down. The golden rule about working undercover was not to get
involved. Wren needed to leave Leeds. Tonight. Right now. Adam could take her
to London. Tomas should have come to that conclusion earlier.

Wren lingered by the hand dryer, waiting for Adam, when the
door of the bathroom opened and Jovana stumbled in, Dragen right behind her.
Wren straightened.

“Hi,” she said. “This is the ladies’.”

“Help her take off.” Dragen nodded to Jovana, whose fingers
fumbled with the laces at the back of the hood.

Wren unfastened the buckles. Jerky gasps came through the
hole over Jovana’s mouth. Dragen moved to her side and Wren thought he was trying
to help until his hand clamped around her wrist. As she struggled to pull free,
he slammed a needle into the crook of her elbow and pressed the plunger. Wren
cried out and staggered back. The syringe fell to the floor and skittered under
a stall door.

“What…what…”

Fear and panic flooded her body. She opened her mouth to
scream but nothing came out. Jovana pulled the hood off her head with an
exhalation of relief. Her gaze moved from Dragen to Wren and as she started to
speak, the door of the washroom opened behind Dragen and a woman entered.

Wren staggered forward. “Hel…p.”

Dragen’s fist struck under the newcomer’s chin and she
crumpled.
Oh God.
Wren’s vision wavered. She couldn’t think straight.
Her legs felt wrong. Her heart pounded.
Get out. Get to Adam.
But she
didn’t move and she didn’t understand why.

“Jo…vana…help.” Wren forced the words out as she tried to
stay on her feet.

Jovana stepped toward her but when Wren saw her face, she
knew there was no help there.

“Ad…” She tried to scream for Adam but his name locked in
her throat and the floor rushed up to meet her.

She lay on her side, looking up, lights dancing and shapes
shifting. Dragen lifted her head by the hair and Jovana pulled the leather hood
over her face. Wren tried to struggle, tried to scream, but she was paralyzed,
nothing obeyed her as the world went black.

Wren had never been as frightened in her life. In
desperation, she sucked through the hole over her mouth, her breathing rapid
and shallow.
Not enough air.
She struggled against the drug racing
through her system, fighting to stay aware.
Adam will come. Adam will save
me.
Hands stripped the dress from her body, rough fingers pinched her
nipples and the pressure on her head increased as straps tightened, laces
pulled.
No, no, no, no.

“Is tight?” Dragen asked.

“Yes,” Jovana whispered.

I helped you. Oh God.

“Quick. Clothes.”

Wren was being dressed in something. She struggled to
concentrate.

“Help shift woman to cubicle.”

When no one lifted her, she realized they meant the woman
Dragen had hit. After that, nothing made sense and she stopped trying to work
things out, thought only of breathing.

Chapter Twenty-Six

When Tomas saw Adam racing in his direction, his face etched
in fear, adrenaline flooded his body. He ignored the customer talking to him
and rushed out from behind the bar.

“She’s gone,” Adam shouted above the music. “There’s an
unconscious woman slumped in a stall, a syringe on the floor, but no sign of
Wren. Christ, how could I have been so stupid?”

Tomas scanned the room and his gaze snagged on Marco sitting
in a booth with Veton, half-naked women on their laps. Almost as though Marco
sensed him looking, he turned his head and met Tomas’ glare. One step in their
direction before Adam snagged his arm.

“Think,” Adam snapped in his ear.

Tomas jerked out of his grasp and strode across the room.
“Where is she?”

“I have no idea,” Marco said.

Tomas slammed his fists on the table. “Tell me where the
fuck she is.”

Veton rose to his feet, tipping the woman off his lap and
shouldered Tomas to one side.

“Please.” Tomas moderated his tone. “Where is she? What you
want me to do?”

Marco leaned back. “I honestly don’t know where she is. You
should have taken better care of her.”

“I don’t believe you.” He wanted to strangle the truth out
of him. His entire body trembled with fury.

“Tomas.” Adam tugged at his waist.

“She here somewhere.” His heart pounded.

Marco opened his arms. “Look for her. I’ve nothing to hide.”

Tomas almost took a swing at him. There were more lies to
this guy than truth.

Adam dragged him away. “For fuck’s sake, you’re not
helping.”

His hands curled into fists. The urge to hit Adam roared
inside him. How could he let her out of his sight?
Fuck.
And yet when
they’d talked at the bar, he’d known Adam had left Wren in the bathroom. He
could have done something sooner. Adam wrapped his fingers around the leather
strap crossing Tomas’ chest and yanked until they were outside.

“I need to get back in there and find her,” Tomas said.

Adam dragged Tomas’ phone from his pocket, shoved it into
his hand and hauled him farther from the entrance. “Call your boss.”

He retreated to a doorway and called Julia. Adam walked back
to the guys on the door. Even if they’d seen Wren, they wouldn’t talk.

After he’d blurted everything, Julia put him on hold. He
began to pace and Adam pushed him back into the doorway.

“You’re attracting attention,” Adam said.

He gestured at Adam’s pants. “And you’re not? Get anything
out of the doormen?”

He shook his head.

“Shit,” Julia hissed in Tomas’ ear. “Those stupid idiots
couldn’t watch paint dry. No one saw anything and my only female in there isn’t
responding. How the hell am I going to tell the DCS his daughter is missing?”

Bile surged into Tomas’ throat.

“Has Marco figured out who you are?” she asked.

“Don’t know. Have to go.” He cut her off and looked at
Adam’s grim face.

“What are we going to do?” Adam asked.

“Got a light?” A guy spoke behind them.

“No,” Adam and Tomas snapped together.

The man kept coming and Tomas recognized him as the one
who’d disarmed Sanjay in the alley behind Cirque. Tomas put a hand on Adam’s
arm.

“Dark-haired guy dragged a drunken woman out about ten
minutes ago,” the man said quietly. “Got in a silver BMW. She was wearing some
sort of short black outfit. Sensory-deprivation hood over her head. Didn’t flag
it because—damn, sorry. Didn’t look like the woman you arrived with, though the
hood makes me wonder.”

“License plate?” Tomas asked.

He shook his head.

“Describe the guy.”

“Skinny, sharp chin, maybe five ten, one-sixty pounds.
Greasy dark hair down to his shoulders. Bare chest. Tattooed. Dark pants.”

Tomas sagged. “Dragen. The woman has to be Jovana. He was
leading her around.”

“I’ll take a look inside,” the guy said. “We have a female
cop missing too.”

“Try the ladies’,” Adam said.

Tomas stared after the man’s retreating back. “Wren could
still be in there.”

“You really think so? Marco said you could search
everywhere. Would he offer that if you might find her? He’s unlikely to do
anything to her inside the club. Why bring a firestorm down?”

Tomas’ head pounded. “Where the hell is she then? Why’s he
done this? I‘ll make him tell me.”

Adam caught his arm. “Think what you’re going to say.”

Tomas faced him. “I’m going to say and do whatever’s needed
to keep Wren safe.”

“And will telling Marco the truth make that happen?”

“We’re wasting time.” He jerked free and headed toward the
club entrance.

“Tomas.” Adam caught up with him. “Don’t make things worse.”

“How could they be fucking worse?”

A few minutes later, he had his answer. There was no sign of
Marco, Veton or the women.

Adam could feel Tomas going into meltdown. History was
repeating itself. He’d lost Wren five years ago in Venice and now it had
happened again, though this time the risk of her dying was tangible. He
followed Tomas through every room of the club searching for Wren, trying to
find out where Marco had gone, and they came up with nothing.

When they emerged back into the main room, three bouncers
surrounded them.

“Leave now,” the fattest one said. “You’ve searched the
club. Marco doesn’t want you back.”

Adam grabbed Tomas’ arm as his fist rose.

“Our coats,” Adam said as they were bustled past the
cloakroom.

“Manage without,” said one of the bouncers.

They were forcefully shoved out into the night and when
Tomas tried to go back to the door, Adam wrenched him away. “Listen. Without
proof Marco instigated this, we’re stuck. I understand your reluctance to leave
the club, but we’re doing nothing here except winding ourselves tighter. Come
on.”

Adam was almost surprised Tomas went with him. “How many
houses does Marco have?” he asked.

Tomas sagged. “I don’t even fucking know that. Four in Leeds
I’m sure about. I
know
there are more in Manchester, Liverpool and
Newcastle. Christ, what if he’s had Wren taken to another city? He might be going
use her for—oh God.”

“What would be the point in Marco taking Wren? To punish you
in some way? Because he wants to make you obedient? Because he suspects or
knows you’re a cop and he’s getting even? Big risk. Does he know Wren’s
father’s a DCS? He’s aware of the exact amount of money Wren had stolen. Maybe
figuring out how he knew that will help.”

Adam checked the surrounding area before he approached his
car and clicked the remote.

Tomas climbed in and leaned back in the passenger seat. “I
don’t know. I don’t know what to do other than drive to every house Marco owns
and search it.”

“I did the random wandering before and got nowhere. We need
to think.”

Tomas arched his hips and eased the phone out of his left
pocket just as the sound of shattering glass, his second ringtone, filled the
car. He dragged out his other phone.

“I’ll put it on speaker.”

“This is Orange—”

“Fuck off, Julia. I’m on my own. What is it?”

“The woman in the washroom is ours. She says Wren was in
there with a girl in a black teddy and a bare-chested guy in black pants. The
guy matches the description of the one seen leaving the club with a woman
wearing a full hood over her head.”

“The guy’s Dragen. The woman’s Jovana.”

“Well, the woman who left with Dragon wasn’t wearing a
teddy. Before she was knocked out, Shelia saw the girl in the washroom holding
the hood in her hands.”

Adam’s heart lurched.

“The syringe?” Tomas asked.

“Sheila doesn’t appear to have been drugged. It might belong
to someone else. Or it might have been used on Wren. Could take hours to find
out what’s in it. We’re looking for all Marco’s vehicles. The DCS is out for
blood.”

“I quit,” Tomas said.

“That’s not going to save you. I’ve sent officers to watch
Marco’s properties. Have you tried calling any of his girls?”

“No, I‘ll do that.”

“Keep in touch.”

Tomas switched off his phone.

“Call Jovana,” Adam said.

When Tomas tried the phone Marco had given him, it was dead.
“Shit.” He pressed buttons and threw the cell down. “He’s blocked voice, text
and data.”

Adam started the car and drove out of the car park.

“Where are we going?” Tomas asked.

“Back to the apartment. We need to change. We’re too
conspicuous like this. Then we find Marco or Jovana. Maybe we should take a few
of his women off the street.”

Tomas clipped his seat belt into place. “Wren would hate
having her face covered. That damn hood. She’ll be scared.”

“Yeah,” Adam muttered. He’d been trying not to think about
it. “What drug do you think they gave her?”

“I have no idea, but I’m going to kill that bastard Dragen.”

I’ll die if I panic.
Wren concentrated on drawing air
through the small hole.
Slow. Calm.
Dragen might be going to kill her
anyway but she was determined not to do the job for him. She lay on her back on
the rear seat of a vehicle. Dragen and another guy were talking but their
voices were muffled. Her head swam as if she were drunk, lights flashed behind
her eyes in the darkness and her stomach churned, but the worst thing was she
couldn’t move. Not arms or legs. Her phone was in her purse, but she didn’t
know where her purse was and even if it had been lying next to her hand, she
couldn’t reach for it. Tears sprang into her eyes and Wren gulped.
Mustn’t
cry. Mustn’t throw up. Mustn’t panic.

Think.
But not about Jovana’s treachery. It was hard
to keep her thoughts straight. She didn’t know whether that was because of the
drug they’d given her or the raw terror pulsing through her veins. How much did
Marco know? Better to assume he knew everything—that his business had been
compromised, Tomas was a cop and she was a cop’s daughter. Was Marco getting
even? Punishing her to punish Tomas?

Wren had never been as scared as this. Not even when she’d
been little and deserted by her mother. This
thing
over her head was
worse than the fear of what was to come. She’d do and say anything if they’d
take it off.

Panic surged, her heart pounded and she desperately sucked
air in short, fast gulps.
No, no, no. Slow, steady.
Her hands clenched
into fists and the sudden realization she’d been able to do that steadied her
pulse.

The vehicle stopped. A car door opened and then closed. It
felt like someone sat beside her and then something pressed against the hole,
blocking her air, and Wren’s heart lurched.
A finger?
It went away and
she gasped. She could die. That was all they had to do. Cover that hole and
she’d suffocate. No one knew where she was. No one was coming to save her.

Her throat thickened and she clenched her teeth.
Stop it.
She wasn’t tied up. If she could get her arms and legs to work, she had a
chance. There was always a chance.

“He should have said yes,” said the man sitting beside her.
His hand squeezed her breast and she struggled not to react.
What am I
wearing? Not that dress.
There were straps on her shoulders and material
between her legs. But whatever it was, it was flimsy.

“I think you’ll persuade him to say yes.” He laughed.

The car door opened. “Done. Got the remote for the parking,
codes and the key.”

She recognized Dragen’s voice. The car moved again for a few
minutes and then the engine stopped. She was lifted and carried, and stayed
limp. No point trying to do anything with this hood over her head.

Cold air on her skin, a door opening then closing, warm air
following. Going up in an elevator? But not far. Was this Tomas’ apartment? Or
wishful thinking? She was put on the floor and felt boards under her hands.
Tomas’ place had a wooden floor. She kept trying to move her arms and legs and
knew they were slowly responding. She didn’t want to give away that she was
coming out of the haze so she kept still and concentrated on breathing.

A hand on her breast made her jerk and gasp. Something metal
pressed against her mouth, blocking her air, and Wren let out a muffled
whimper, fought not to flail.

“Should we tie her?” Dragen asked.

The metal went away and she inhaled.
A gun?

“Don’t think she’s going anywhere, do you?” said the other
guy.

“I want her to suck my cock.”

There was a loud laugh. “Stick your dick through that hole.”

“Ha ha.”

“You listening to us, bitch?”

Wren gasped as something smashed into her ribs.

“Your boyfriend made a mistake,” the same man said. “I heard
him speak without his accent. Careless. He should have kept a better watch over
you.”

“I really want her to suck my dick,” Dragen whined. “I’ll
put the hood on again afterward.”

“For fuck’s sake.”

Her head was twisted to one side and she could feel him
fumbling. If he put his cock in her mouth, she’d bite it off.

Adam squeezed Tomas’ shoulder as they went up in the
elevator inside the apartment block. “Come round when you’ve changed and we’ll
figure out the next move.”

Tomas nodded. Adam refused to believe anything bad had
happened to Wren. He couldn’t allow himself to go down that path because if
anything had or did happen, it was his fault. He left Tomas fumbling with his
keys and let himself into his own apartment. Adam closed the door, leaned back
against it and a choked moan slipped from his throat.

They should have never gone to Cirque. Why had he let that
happen? His guys would be here tomorrow. He should have waited—
fuck it.
As he walked into his bedroom, he heard a loud thump from next door and
suspected Tomas had tried to put his fist through something. That wouldn’t
bring Wren back.