Jacked Up (Bowen Boys #4) (32 page)

“You’re wasting your time. He will not come for me. He dumped me.”

“Maybe, but as soon as he’s told you are a prisoner, he’ll agree to our terms.”

“Which are?”

“Him in exchange for you.”

“You’ll be waiting for a long time then. He will not agree.”

Oh God, she needed to find a way out. Jack would come for her; he was that kind of man, and no matter how good he was, no one could beat an army.

“You better pray he does, little girl. Things can become rather unpleasant for you otherwise, right, Nico?” he asked, turning to the blond man that had entered the room after Maldonado and had stayed guarding it, his arms crossed over his chest.

He gave Elle a cocky once-over, the icy glint in his eyes all but stopping her heart. “I can get the info from her, no problem. She has more spunk, so she’d be more fun than her supervisor was, but that won’t put us closer to Alex, or bring him here. And working her would entail quite a lot of damage. I believe he will come for her. He fought hard to protect her that day at the Diablos. My face can attest to that. I’m actually looking forward to meeting him again. I have my own score to settle with that bastard.”

Maldonado closed in on her. Everything in her screamed to back down, but she stayed in place, her chin up. “True, such a pretty girl. It would be a pity to damage her looks. She won’t make us so much money then.”

She tried to control her body and not break into shivers, not sure whether she managed it. “You won’t make any money out of me, because you’ll have to beat me to death first.”

“We’ll see. Once we have you hooked on our stuff, you’ll do anything for your next high. Anything. Anybody. As many times as we want. When your looks give out, we’ll harvest your insides. Women are like pigs; nothing goes to waste.”

“My associate is very eager,” Exxum said. “Please think of our offer and act before it expires. Work with us and we might be able to find a satisfactory resolution for everyone, one that doesn’t include your early demise. In the meanwhile make use of the facilities. Take a relaxing bath,” he said pointing at the adjoining bathroom. “Enjoy yourself. Nobody says this has to be unpleasant.”

“Not until the real unpleasantness begins anyway,” Maldonado added, a promise on his smirking face.

* * * *

“You are not making that appointment, are you?” James asked while Jack loaded guns and clips in a bag.

“I don’t have many options.” As per the instructions on the message Jack had received, he was supposed to be at a convenience store off exit 44, off I-95, alone and unarmed.

“It’s a trap,” Cole muttered, adding to the gloomy atmosphere in Jack’s apartment. “For all we know they might murder you on sight.”

“I know.” Jack would not think twice about exchanging his life for hers, but Exxum wouldn’t honor that deal. He would kill both of them, just to make a point. “We’ll just have to pray you can shadow those motherfuckers to their hideout and to Elle. Make yourself useful now that you’re here.”

If Jack had his say, the Bowens wouldn’t be there, but as always where this crowd was concerned, he’d had no option whatsoever.

“What about contacting the cops?” Max said. “Tell them Exxum is keeping her against her will.”

Jack shook his head. He knew her well enough to notice she hadn’t been herself, but she hadn’t been wrestling on the tape. Going to the police and trying to explain she hadn’t left with the bodyguards of the richer-than-God bachelor voluntarily was going to be impossible. Like claiming the Golden Boy was selling guns instead of sending humanitarian help. Exxum wasn’t a big narco police were dying to get their hands on like Maldonado had been. Exxum was untouchable.

There was another fund-raiser in two days in Boston, so Exxum would stay close by. According to Jack’s intel, he had several properties around Massachusetts, four of them isolated enough to grant the privacy to serve his purposes; what they didn’t have was the time to check all of them out. And his informants were coming up empty.

Making that appointment at the convenience store off exit 44 and beating the shit out of whoever appeared was an option too, although Cole was right and they might not know where Elle was.

Ronnie entered the room, not even flinching at all the guns on display. “So, how are you planning to get Elle back?”

Good question. He’d been racking his brain, trying to figure that out.

“You’ll find her. Let me bring you guys something to eat.”

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. “You’re a genius, baby girl. I know how to find Elle. We’ll follow the greens.”

“You mean the money?” James asked, looking confused.

“No, we follow the veggies,” Jack said, getting to his computer.

The Bowen men looked at each other as if Jack had lost his mind.

“What veggies?” Max asked carefully.

Jack couldn’t believe he’d been so dumb as to overlook the obvious. “Exxum is a strict vegan and gets fresh veggies and exotic fruits delivered every day, wherever he is.” He’d seen this firsthand in his interactions with him. Granted, they’d been always in Florida and the Caribbean, so his supplier must be different, but the man was a stickler for habit. “There aren’t so many companies that deal with such exclusive, highly perishable products in Boston. Cloudberries are a favorite of his, which only grow in the Scandinavian Arctic uplands in August, yet he gets them fresh all year around. Arctic bramble too.”

A quick Google search gave him several names, one of which rang a bell right away.

“This, Luxury Delights Inc. That’s the catering company that Exxum mentioned during the fund-raiser. We track the deliveries of exotic fruits for tomorrow, we find the bastard.”

James wasn’t convinced. “What if he has a hankering for something more normal, like an apple or a watermelon?”

“Exxum doesn’t eat normal apples.” They had to be Sekai Ichi ones. Handpicked and perfect and washed in honey. If the bastard ate watermelon, it was the exclusive Densuke variety, with only a hundred units available per year worldwide.

One look at Luxury Delights Inc.’s products and he knew they were on the right path. Gokusen bananas, Ruby Roman grapes the size of ping-pong balls. Queen strawberries. Yubari King melons, which were given “hats” to prevent sunburn. Square watermelons shipped straight from Japan.

“Ten thousand dollars for a freaking pineapple?” Max asked, all but choking.

“They come from England,” Ronnie explained, reading from the screen. “From the Lost Gardens of Heligan. They are grown under straw, manure, and horse urine.”

“Jesus Christ,” Cole mumbled. “Give me a steak any day of the week, please.”

“How are we going to track their deliveries?” James asked. “It can’t be many, with these exorbitant prices, but still.”

“We hack their e-mail or their website,” Cole suggested. “It might take some time but I’m sure Christy can do it. Or we can break into their office after hours. Maybe find one of their regular drivers and get the info out of him.”

Rolling her eyes, Ronnie grabbed the cell and punched in the number on the computer. “Hello, I’m calling from Mr. Exxum’s office. No, no, everything was great with today’s delivery,” she hurried to appease the person in the other end of the line. Bingo. Luxury Delights had delivered to Exxum’s. “I want to confirm the time and address for tomorrow’s delivery. Mr. Exxum has a very tight schedule and I would hate for him to miss…” There was a pause and then Ronnie continued, “nine o’clock, Pricklewood, twenty-five, you say? Yes, all correct. Thank you.” Ronnie terminated the call and then turned to her brother. “There. Problem solved.”

Jack released the breath he was holding and hugged her. “Love you, baby girl. You’re awesome.”

“I know. Go do your thing. Be safe. Bring Elle back,” Ronnie said while he grabbed all the info he had on the old Victorian mansion in Pricklewood and placed it on top of the pile.

“I will.” And God protect the motherfucker if Elle had been harmed in any way, because as long as Jack was alive, there would be nowhere in the world for Exxum to hide.

* * * *

“This place is a fortress,” Jack heard James mutter as he watched from their vantage point in the forest. The stronghold had already seemed unassailable enough while they were studying the blueprints and satellite surveillance pictures. Now, with a small army guarding it and cameras and motion detectors all over, it looked worse.

It was dark and they were wearing night-vision goggles, the pinpricks of lights indicating human beings sparkling around the perimeter. They could not take the compound with a full frontal attack. He would never make it to Elle on time. Sneaking in using a distraction was a better option.

Jack froze as he recognized one of the boats by the pier. The whole operation has just gotten infinitely more complicated. They would be confronting not only Exxum’s men but the Cali cartel. “That’s Maldonado’s boat.”

And that man coming off it was Joaquín Maldonado, alive and kicking.

Fuck.

“Isn’t that—” James started.

“Maldonado.” Which meant rescuing Elle was more urgent than ever. She was in even more danger than he’d thought. Exxum didn’t need her dead. Maldonado did.

Max and Cole cursed over the earpieces.

“I’m going in with you,” James said through the earpiece.

“No. We stick to the plan.” They were going to fly drones to set off motion detectors while Jack sneaked inside and got Elle out. All the guest rooms in that old Victorian house were upstairs, on the east wing. There was a basement and other bedrooms on the main floor, but Jack knew Exxum; he had an ego the size of Alaska and he considered himself a gentleman. Elle would be in the poshest bedroom, with the best view. “You are my backup. I need you out here when the shit hits the fan. Use flash grenades to cover our escape. And avoid opening fire if it can be helped. Everyone in position?”

“Just for the record,” Cole stated, “we have a Hollywood punk flying drones in the middle of the forest to set off the motion detectors and distract the guards while our best sniper sneaks in to plant explosives and save the girl, and the explosives expert stays behind covering his back with a sniper rifle. Does anyone else see a slight problem with this plan?”

Jack heard James and Max softly chuckling.

“We are about to assault the private property of one of the Forbes richest,” Cole continued. “I hope Max’s grandmother-in-law has a good lawyer.”

“You can all go back home,” Jack grunted.

Cole’s dry snort came loud and clear from the earpiece. “Don’t give us shit. What we should do is all go in with you.”

“No.”

“T-1000 wants to go in alone,” James said.

That was right. He was not risking the Bowens more than he already had. He didn’t want them in that house. Heck, he didn’t want them anywhere in the vicinity.

They were outnumbered and outgunned. About to engage in a nonsanctioned, very illegal operation against an apparently outstanding citizen. Jack couldn’t care less about the consequences he would face afterward, should he manage to live though this, but he cared about Elle and he cared about the Bowens.

Contacting the cops and waiting for them was not an option. As soon as Maldonado saw the authorities coming, he’d dispose of Elle. If the police were called once they had opened fire, the Bowens could be charged with trespassing on private property and committing God only knew how many felonies; but they hadn’t agreed to stay behind and he couldn’t get Elle out alone.

A second after the motion detectors went off, Jack breached the perimeter and disappeared into the dark. Showtime.

* * * *

Elle paced up and down in the room, from one end to the other, furiously trying to come up with a plan that would involve getting out of there alive and in one piece, preferably before irreparable emotional damage occurred. Or the involuntary donation of several of her organs, whichever came first.

She had no way to tell time, but the sun had set since Maldonado and Exxum had left several hours ago, locked her in, and posted two guards by her door. She’d heard them talk, joke even. They spoke Spanish, so she didn’t understand them. Not sure that was a good or a bad thing; she was already scared enough about what was to come.

Elle had no illusions about her chances of making it out of there alive. Giving them Jack’s identity was not an option, not that it would save her either. And no way in hell was she turning Jack over, which would lead them to Ronnie too. No, she had to get out of there. Whatever these guys had in store for her, she didn’t doubt they could break her.

She was by the bathroom wearing a groove in the floor, when an old iron on the shelf caught her attention. Maybe she’d take Exxum up on his idea to get a bath. She turned the sink faucet on full force, then leaned over the tub and did the same.

Taking on two trained guards was out of the question, but maybe she could level the field a bit. Get an edge. She had water and she had electricity; she should be able to electrocute them, right?

As the sink and the tub overflowed with water, she grabbed the appliance and broke the plastic casing, exposing the wires inside, then plugged it in and climbed onto the toilet seat, hoping the wiring at the house was old enough and that the automatic cutoff wouldn’t be triggered.

Leave it to her to get kidnapped in the most impractical outfit. Her heels were a huge liability; she could trip and fall face-first into the water and electrocute herself. The dress was restraining and too frigging long, so she reached down and, ripping at the seam, tore off a length of fabric. Then she took off the shoes, and thought twice about tossing them, opting to keep them. If the electricity didn’t do enough damage, she could stab them with the heels.

The water was already well on its way into the bedroom, soaking everything in its path. She turned on the iron and, standing on the toilet seat, waited. From up there, she couldn’t see the front door, but she could hear if it opened. That would have to suffice; she’d wait three seconds and then drop the device into the tub and hope she didn’t lose her equilibrium and fall in too. On the plus side, that would save her from the bleak future Maldonado had painted for her.