Hell on the Heart (2 page)

“Hey!” Cain whirled from his position by the fence and paced toward the bathroom. As he crossed under the light she struggled not to gasp at the ugliness in his flawless features now distorted in anger. “Quiet! We don’t want locals coming to see what’s going on.”

“Just checking the bathrooms,” a gruff voice almost underneath her replied.

“Use your brain, numb nuts.” Cain lowered his voice. If she hadn’t been directly above them, the words wouldn’t have reached her. “No windows. Padlocked from the outside. How the hell do you expect her to be inside? Kicking the hinges off the door leaves a trail.”

Cezi’s lungs seized. What had been merely fear escalated into panic. She rested her weight against the thickest branch and strove to get a full breath as she dug in her pocket for her inhaler.

Sweat dampened the hair on her neck and around her face. Breathing took precedence over everything else. If they heard the gust of the inhaler, it didn’t matter. Without air in her lungs, she’d pass out and fall to her death anyway.

Her hands and arms stung, chaffed and scratched from handling the rough bark and twigs. She struggled to calm her thoughts and waited for the medication to take effect. The men hadn’t been drawn to her position, but the one consistent thought she couldn’t seem to vanquish was that of a large, flashing neon bulls-eye on her back.

Gradually the oxygen permeated her lungs, allowing the laborious climb to continue. Each handhold required weaving through the leaves and twigs, while every inch she gained in height was paid for with scratches and jabs from sharp protrusions. 

Reaching the highest place with enough cover to offer protection, she snuggled into the crotch of two sturdy limbs. Pressed against the trunk so tight she became one with the branch as she attempted to make herself as small as possible. Two things had always held true for her – her family and luck. Tonight she needed both. Luck the searchers might mistake any heat source as animal rather than human this high in the tree and her family to rescue her.

The bark bit into her skin, but she forced her back flat. Dismissing any thought of pain, she shielded the light from her phone with the fabric from her skirt and texted Uncle Luca about her predicament.

That done. Nothing else remained but to wait for the Cavalry. Her tangled hair caught on a branch and pulled when she turned her head. To pass the time, she combed out the trapped twigs and leaves and braided two long plaits.

Chapter Two

Cain checked and rechecked every inch of the fence line. Without an underground hole someplace, she couldn’t have left the area. His pilots, Peter and Paul climbed to the bathroom roof and scanned the area. Cain clenched his teeth, knowing the other three men were probably winking and nudging each other, delighting in his problems. In five years Cain had never called for help. His decisions in the field had never been questioned. His team. His call. His actions. These bastards wouldn’t even have jobs if it weren’t for him.

His stolen watch added to his exasperation. His ten thousand dollar Cartier watch. The watch represented the new life he’d chosen. No longer was he the one dumped by some whore who’d traded up for a better meal ticket.

At least a dozen times he’d bit his tongue to keep from lashing out in anger. When was the last time, some little bimbo had given him this much trouble?

He would have his revenge. Once they had her.  If Eli hadn’t gotten the other girl drunk, they’d be out of here by now. But Cain had been pushed to give Eli a chance. Eli screwed up big-time, which forced them to dump the blonde.

The petite brunette wasn’t his first choice, or even his second, but his evening was ruined and now the dumb bitch would learn there was a price to be paid.

Unlike the other girls he’d taken back to Mexico, he planned to keep her all to himself. He might even take a couple of weeks off, so she could see what happened when she dared to defy him. The mere thought of her screams made him harder than he’d been in months. Turning toward the fence, he readjusted his pants, easing the pressure of the zipper.

Once he bored of her, he’d give her to the others. This girl wouldn’t be protected from damage. When Herod finished with her, there wouldn’t be enough left to sell.

A smile crept to his face before he sobered and reminded himself to stay in character, but silently he promised over and over. She would be his - whether the little slut wanted it or not.

He breathed deeply, pushing a calmness he didn’t feel into his voice. “Little thief, you’re starting to wear out my patience. Come out now or things will be much worse for you.”

“Honey, you need to come down. Now.” Peter scrambled across the limb to the trunk. The branch dipped precariously with the man’s weight. “Get me a flashlight.”

What was with these guys and the sexy crooning? Even the new, armed guy sounded like he enjoyed this game. In fact, she was probably the only one not anticipating the outcome.

Uncle Luca, where are you?

She needed another backup plan, but damned if she knew what it was. Terror gripped her mind and twisted her stomach.

Climbing down, she took her time, doing more shifting and futzing than actual descending. “Do I need to come get you?” The charm left his voice.

He didn’t bother to reply. Instead he called to his companions, “Here, catch.” The shoes and purse she’d tucked into crook of a lower branch landed on the bathroom roof with a thud.

She did. Tucked between her breasts at an awkward angle. Her broken strap, thanks to Cain’s ruthless manhandling, left one breast exposed unless her hand held it. “If I throw you the rest of his stuff, will you go away and leave me alone?” she asked the man in the tree.

He guffawed in disbelief. “You’re way too late for that. Cain already has a special plan for you.”

Cezi suspected as much. “That’s no incentive to come down.”

“This isn’t a negotiation, girl. Either you come down or I’m coming up. And if I have to jerk you out of the tree, it won’t bother me, even if you drop, say twenty or thirty feet.”

“I’m not. This is harder than it looks.” But even with every delaying tactic she could employ, eventually she reached the point where he could get a hard grip on her.

Once his thick arm was wrapped around her, he pushed her toward the branch that crossed to the roof. “You first.” Waiting for her on the other side was another man whose response was an eerie grin distorted by the neon vapors of the streetlight. Of all the men he was the least attractive with two missing teeth and a nose spread across most of face.

“C’mon, baby, I’ll catch you.”

The thought that she’d crossed to the tree in heels indicated how stressed she’d been. In bare feet it was a serious balancing act. As soon as she reached the flat roof, the man snatched the protruding wallet and the cell phone from her chest. “Anything else in there?”

The guard from the tree grabbed her arm. With a hard jerk, he tugged her toward the edge where the other man stood. “You’ve been enough trouble already.”

The men captured her hands and lowered her over the side. Her bodice gapped open, exposing her left breast. Everybody snickered, but Cezi.

Cain glared at her. His dark brown eyes glittered with a red tint. She clenched her flaying knees together as the men above lowered her to the ground. Fetid swamp water, sweat and expensive cologne assaulted her nose. Evil has a smell of its own. Her mother’s words swirled in her brain.

“That’s far enough.” He lifted her stiff petticoat and peered underneath. “The way you’ve pushed my buttons tonight, I’m surprised your panties aren’t white.”

He twisted her exposed nipple, making her bite her lip to keep from crying out. “Too late for a show of bravery. By the time I’m through, you’ll be begging for mercy.”

Do not wheeze. Any weakness will be exploited.

Cain gestured to the men holding her hands to lower her further. Once her feet touched the ground, he yanked her hands behind her and bound them together with what Cezi suspected was one of her stockings. She fisted her hands in an attempt to bulk up her wrists as much as possible, hoping he would tie her loosely, giving her room to wiggle out. No such luck. The binding continued to chafe when she relaxed her muscles.

The heavy hand he placed on her shoulder pushed downward until she knelt in front of him. The tree’s shadow had covered her, but now her face was illuminated. She blinked her eyes to adjust to the light. 

Kneeling at their feet, insulted her. Insulted her gypsy heritage, but her legs had been ready to buckle. She wasn’t sure standing under her own power was possible.

Fear mingled with nausea had her stomach doing aerobics. Her teeth clenched until her jaw ached, muscles bunched in knots, eyes glared until dry. His jeering response convinced her she looked about as tough as the grinning Kool Aid pitcher.

“Do you have something you want to say to me?” He circled her in what appeared to be a slow victory lap.

Cezi hesitated. Yeah, she had a lot she wanted to say, but every word would further inflame the situation. She swallowed her pride and attempted humble. “I’m sorry.”

He laughed, a loud abrasive sound. “That’s real nice, but those aren’t the words I want to hear.”

They weren’t? She shifted. Small stones dug into her knees. Out of the corner of her eye the men from the roof sauntered around the edge of the building, each sporting wide grins.

Cain grabbed her chin and yanked it up so she stared into his smiling face. Of all the things for her to notice, his teeth were very white and straight.

All the better to eat you with. The terror Little Red Riding Hood felt had certainly been glossed over.

“Don’t know what I want? Let’s start with a little action.” He jerked open his belt buckle. On her knees it was impossible not to know what was coming next.  

“What’s with the braids?” He wrapped them around his fist and twisted. Her head followed the direction he pulled. “A handle? Something for me to hold on to?” Tears stung her eyes and she tried to focus on something besides the pain. The noise that came from him wasn’t humorous, although she suspected he meant it to be. “How old are you?” He unzipped his slacks with his free hand.

Cezi sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes tight, waiting. Her brain froze, unable to form a coherent thought let alone a plan of escape.

Words of salvation cut through the quiet night. “She’ll be eighteen on her next birthday.”

Her lungs dumped their load in one loud, wheezing gasp.  The voice of the happiest man she knew, Uncle Luca, held an unsuspected menace that sent a shiver running down her back.

“If I were you, buddy, I’d be real careful what you pull out of your pants. Messing with an underage girl in this state is a felony.”

Cain released her hair as he straightened to face his opponent.

Cezi leaned forward to see if Luca was alone. Oh, hell, he’d brought every male in the family. At least fifteen guys stood together. And each prominently displayed a gun and an attitude.

The weighty hand returned to her shoulder. “Friends of yours?” She bobbed her head, not trusting herself to speak. “Well, aren’t you the lucky-”

Hysterical laughter bubbled up inside her. Did he think it would offend her family to claim she was a pickpocket? These were the ones who taught her.

“I returned everything.” The words sounded less defiant than she meant them.

Uncle Luca shrugged. “Well, there you go. Unless you want to press charges, I’d say we’re done here. Untie her and help her up.”

While the younger man eased the knots, the roof man produced her shoes from his pockets and dropped them to the ground, followed by her purse. Cezi didn’t bother to put them on; she scooped them up and made a beeline for safety behind the front line of her defense.

What would her family do? Would they kick Cain’s ass? Her cousins tussled all the time, but she never seen them fight for real. She twisted her neck trying to see between the barrier of males standing between her and Cain’s group.

Rolf, Luca’s middle son, dropped back to quiz her, “you okay?”

“Fine.” She managed through gritted teeth.