Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1) (24 page)

Alice

The piercing sound of ringing fills the air, pulling me back into consciousness. My head bursts with intense pain as I try to open my eyes but they burn and water, making me to be temporarily blind. My nose is filled with a putrid scent, like bile and skunk.

Is that me?

The ringing alarms again. I flinch and my body tenses as I attempt to shrink away from the sound, but it’s all around me. I struggle to bring my hands to my ears but can’t, my wrists are tied behind my back. I tug at the bindings and the movement causes a different kind of pain to shoot throughout my limbs. My legs are tied at the ankles and with an extra pull I discover they are anchored to my wrists, keeping me in an inverted fetal position. I want to cry out from the agony of it all but I dare not as I am gagged and thoroughly frightened.

What the hell?

The ringing shrills one last time before it is cut short. My ears perk up to a shuffling sound nearby. I try to focus on it. What I hear next chills my blood to the core.

“Hello,” a masculine voice barks. It felt familiar but I couldn’t place it, my mind was still too foggy. “Oh, hey baby...yes, I’ve just landed. I have to swing by the office first. I’ve got a loose end to tie up.”

The voice pauses and I search my brain for some semblance of recognition. Who was this person and why I was bound and gagged in their car?

“I’ll be home late, don’t wait up for me...I know sweetheart, the good news is I won’t have to take any more trips like this for a long time. Okay...I love you.”

 It goes silent but the man shuffles around, I assume he’s putting his phone away. His call allowed me the time I needed to focus. I was able to calm down, push aside the pain and try to figure out where I was. My vision clears as the burning gets flushed away with fresh tears. It is dark but every once in awhile a light flashes above my head and the hum of a car engine vibrates with each bump and dip.

I’m in a car,
my instincts scream. The back seat of a car and while I painfully shift my position on the bench seat underneath me, I catch the outline of my fellow traveler as we pass a street lamp.

My stomach drops as the dots finally connect in my mushy brain. I feel like vomiting but force myself to fight against the urge, knowing I will only choke on it because of the gag. Tears silently fall down the corners of my eyes.

Erik.

 
I suddenly remembered everything. I was at home, Hudson’s home, packing an overnight bag to stay at Missy’s. Zero insisted on heading home with me but I stopped him, told him I’d be all right. I did it again, got too comfortable, allowed myself to feel safe.

Fuck! No, no, no, no! This can’t be happening. Not now.

My mind reels. How could I have been so stupid? How?

Poor Zero!
Hudson was going to flip when he found out he let me talk him out of doing his job. The job he was adamant about doing, keeping me safe. I would probably be home right now, sound asleep in Missy’s guestroom if only I had kept my mouth shut. They were right though. I needed someone to look after me because over the last few weeks I’d stopped looking over my shoulder. I didn’t need to because they were there doing it for me. Maybe I had gotten too used to having them around or maybe I was tired of running.

I sift through my brain, trying to come with a plan. A way to get out of this predicament and it hits me. We’re in a car but he just told someone we landed...and that someone, he called baby and said ‘I love you’ to them.

None of this is making sense.

Who was he talking to? Where are we? Did we leave Oregon?

The car jerks roughly as it hit a large bump in the road, pain shoots through me like white hot fire and I groan in response. He looks over his shoulder at me. His shoulder length blonde hair hangs over his eyes.

“You’re awake,” he chuckles. “I was beginning to wonder. I gave you a higher dose than usual, wasn’t sure how you’d react at thirty-five thousand feet if you woke up. I couldn’t risk it Alleycat, not even on a private jet.”

My stomach rolls when his pet name for me leaves his lips, I don’t bother masking my physical reaction, it’s dark and his attention is on the road. At least I knew we weren’t in Oregon anymore.

I struggle against my ropes, but the car hits another bump. I groan again, the pain more intense as my body shakes the effects of my cocktail off I wasn’t sure how long I had been tied up but knowing Erik, he’d done it soon after we boarded the plane. He didn’t like taking risks. Hence the high dosage of whatever knocked me out. He throws a look over his shoulder. I can see a toothy grin covering his face as various street lights flash into the vehicle. “Feels like old times, doesn’t it?”

He turns back to the road but keeps talking.

“I must say, I’m impressed Alleycat. You had me stumped for a bit there, no trace of you after LA. Then I got word someone was investigating me, heavily,” I cringe knowing it was what brought him back to my trail. This is why I didn’t want Hudson digging. “It wasn’t just the fucking detective prick who arrested me either. Fancy my surprise to find out who was digging. It didn’t take me long to connect the dots, even though it wasn’t him directly. Your boyfriend, what was his name…Hudson Rivers. What the fuck kind of name is that? Were his parents fucking hippies?”

The car suddenly slows, turning left. He stops and puts the car into park. He fiddles with something in the front seat, the only sound filling the air is my heavy breathing. He turns, his body leaning between the seats, closer to me. One hand touches my face, caressing it. The other he holds up in the air, something in it. I squint trying to make it out. It’s another syringe. I scream behind my gag, panic flooding me. I push back into the seat, ignoring the pain, trying to move away from him but there is nowhere for me to go.

“Shh, Alleycat,” he grabs my jaw and holds me tightly, opening my neck to him. He lowers his hand, pushing the needle in my neck. My head begins to spin, my vision blurry. “I need to prepare the room for you and I can’t have you fighting me.”

His face is the last thing I see before the darkness takes me.

*****

Erik

I pull down her panties, taking the sight of her nakedness. She’s gained some weight back. Her bones are no longer prominent against her skin. I smile, knowing she’d last much longer during her punishment with a healthy body.

My cock jumps at the thought, growing hard as I study her fuller tits and hips. Fuck, if she didn’t deserve this punishment so much, I’d be balls deep in her sweet pussy. The truth of it is she had the sweetest pussy I’d ever had the pleasure of fucking. I knew after I ripped through her ripe cherry she was going to be my best little money maker.

She had been too.

My angers spikes as I think about the day I found her missing. I ripped the house apart looking for her before facing the truth, she was gone. I tore through her room, erasing any trace of her. Kind of like what I had I planned for her today.

I reach down and touch her face. She really was a looker and she had been so much fun to break. She had a high tolerance for pain and was able to meet levels none of the other girls had. It was exhilarating to watch and experience. When she finally broke, it was truly magical. I never planned to take her voice from her but in the end it worked out. Men paid extra just for her because her silence meant they could literally do whatever they wanted without complaint. I will miss her but the fact is I had another lined up to take her place. She wasn’t as spirited but she would make due while I hunted for another like Alice.

Pushing down the aching pulse of my body, I avert my eyes off her body and concentrate of the rope nearby and the tools glistening on the table behind me. I’m only able to do this because of what I have planned for her.

Today was going to be fun.

I was literally going to break her in half.

Hudson

I walk into the master bedroom, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

He took her.

Her bag is still on the bed, just the way she left it. The guys were sure to secure the scene the best they could, everything as it was when she was last here. I cross the room stopping at the end of the bed and reach towards the t-shirt hanging out of the bag. It was one of mine. My heart clenches, picturing her beautiful face against one of my pillows, her body covered only in my shirt.

How could they let this happen?

I turn, facing the door to the bathroom, dreading the trip to it. King said he left a note but it was meant for me and had nothing to do with her whereabouts. I step towards the room, pushing away the sickness churning in my stomach. I need to do this. For her. To save her.

 The door to the bathroom is cracked, the light on. This is where he took her, where he waited for her. I push the door open, take a deep breath and step inside. There are signs of struggle everywhere in this room and a syringe lies haphazardly on the ground, empty of its contents. She put up a fight until he injected her with whatever was in it.

Scrolled in red lipstick on the mirror, his note punches me in the gut. King was right though, Erik’s note was for me. It wasn’t just a note. It was a taunt. I knew what it meant and it made me sick.

Tastiest pussy? I agree.

Hope you enjoyed her.

The son of a bitch had been watching us for some awhile, just like he watched her in LA.

I turn quickly to leave the room and practically run down the hallway gasping for air. I knew what he was trying to do and I wasn’t about to let him win. There was no way he had the place bugged, I checked thoroughly before I left and the guys knew what to look for too.

My heart feels as if it might explode from my chest, a feeling I hadn’t known in some time. Looking around the room, I notice my brother’s watching me carefully. They’re concern etched deeply in their eyes.

Zero stands in the kitchen, stiff and unfeeling. King stands nearby talking him to, I’m sure trying to piece together Alice’s last moments but uncontrollable rage surges through me and I see red.

How can he stand there so calm when he is the reason she’s gone?
I think before charging him, throwing my body into his. He crumbles to the ground without a fight. I straddle him, my fists make contact. He doesn’t react, doesn’t fight back, he just lies there taking everything I give him. King and Dizzy are pull me off of him but I fight against their hold, wanting to finish the punishment he deserves.

“This is your fault,” I rage and King holds me tighter. Zero pulls himself up and hangs his head in shame. He should feel shame, he fucked up. She’d be here right now if he had followed orders and done his job. “I trusted you to keep her safe. What were you thinking?”

“Hudson,” King hisses, his concern is with Zero not me, which pisses me off even more. “He knows he fucked up man, calm down.”

“Get the fuck off of me King,” I stop struggling, my anger turning to him now. “Don’t tell me to calm down. You’re just as guilty as he is. I trusted you to make sure they did their job, to make sure she was protected. You knew he was out there, you knew…”

“Hudson,” my sister’s voice cuts me off. I turn my head to see her walk through the door. Her face is swollen and red with tears. The sight of her makes me forget my anger and I cross the room to take her in my arms. Her tear streaked face against my chest and she sobs violently against me.

“Someone please tell me we have something,” I feel tired, drained even. The fear I felt since the moment King called has taken a toll on my body and my mind. I can’t surrender to it though, not until she’s back and safe in my arms again.

“We’re working on a few leads Hudson,” Charlie’s husky voice breaks the silence as he enters through the back door. “Sneaks going over everything right now, if there’s something, he’ll find it.”

I nod, fighting down the rising fear again. She’s only been gone four hours and four hours was a big head start, especially for a man who lived like a ghost. They could be anywhere by now.

“Hudson, I hate to ask you this but the note,” King approaches me cautiously, stopping a foot away. “Will it help us?”

I place my cheek on the top of my sister’s head, closing my eyes I shake my head. “We don’t have a lot of time. Where’s Jeanette?”

“Charlie took her to Missy’s place until we get everything sorted,” Dizzy explained. “I can see where Alice gets her stubbornness, the woman did not want to leave but Bear stepped in and he can be quite convincing when he needs to be.”

“Good,” I rub Missy’s back. She’s calmed down, listening in on the conversation. I’m not sure if she should hear what I have to say about the note. “Missy, do you want one of the boys to take you to her?”

“No,” she nods, burrowing deeper into my chest. “I want to hear this, please.”

King’s eyes meet my mine and he gives a nod. No one wants to upset Missy anymore than I but I know how much she cares for Alice and hearing this is going to shock her. Not just Missy though, it was going to shock everyone.

“The note,” I begin, keeping my voice monotone and my emotions muted. “It’s a taunt meant to turn me off of her.”

“What do you mean?” King frowns.

“Alice was his cash cow,” I explain, ripping the Band-Aid away. The room is silent everyone’s eyes are on me, including Missy, who has stepped away from me. “He kept her locked away and only letting her out when…”

“Wait, wait,” Dizzy holds up his hand, stopping me. “You mean he…”

“Sold her body,” I finish taking in a deep breath. My chest burns, I’d forgotten to breathe.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Dizzy’s face is ashen, his voice filled with disbelief.

“I’m not,” I run my hand through my hair. “He held her captive for five years. She only escaped because he fucked up one night and forgot to lock her in.”

“So, the whole no speaking thing…”

“Conditioning,” I finish his sentence again. “He tortured her until she broke.”

“That’s sick,” Dizzy exclaims.

I look for my sister, she’s wrapped into King’s side but their eyes are on me.

“Why didn’t you tell us,” Zero asks, he’s no longer propped up on the floor. I look over at him. His left eye has begun to swell from the initial blow.

“She didn’t want us to know,” Missy answered for me. “She was afraid we wouldn’t look at her the same. She’s ashamed of it, even though none of it is her fault.”

My sister was perceptive but she’d also spent a lot of time with Alice, so she knew the way her mind worked. The back door opens, making everyone jump, Bear steps inside, his eyes meeting mine.

“I’ve got a lead,” his gruff voice is emotionless but I can see the churning in his eyes. “Buddy of mine reported a man fitting Erik’s description boarding a private plane two hours ago. He was carrying a sleeping woman.”

I was in motion before my brain could catch up with my body. “Where were they headed?”

“Arizona,” he steps aside, following me out of the house. I went for my truck but realized it was blocked in the driveway.

“Here, take mine,” Dizzy tosses me the keys to his bike parked on the street. I nod his direction and mount the machine. Bear mounts his own bike.

“Get on the phone King, I don’t care what you have to do, but you get me a plane,” I yell over my shoulder before turning the key on the bike. It rumbles to life beneath me. I don’t hear anything beyond the sounds of the Harley’s engine and I don’t bother looking back to see if King heard me.

I had to get to Arizona before it was too late.

*****

Erik

Three snow white lines are meticulously lined up on the spotless mirror. I wipe the black American Express with a tissue, cleaning off the powder before sliding it back into my wallet. A hundred dollar bill, rolled like a straw, neatly lays off to the side, one end sporting the white residue.

I picked up the makeshift straw and began sniffing each line, one right after the other. I’d just snorted a few lines not too long ago but I had sniffed this shit for so long, I needed obscene amounts at a time just to get the rush.

Picking up her cell phone, I dial his number.
Let the games begin...

“Alice?” his voice comes on the line, just like I was hoping it would.

Perfect.

“She’s a bit tied up right now,” I chuckle thinking about the woman hanging by her wrists in the next room. My dick stirs to life.
This is going to be fun.

“What do you want?” He asks and I can hear shuffling in the background. Good, he has his team moving, not that it matters. They’d never make it in time.

“I have what I want, Hudson,” I grin, fully amused with myself. “I forgot how beautiful she was and fuck, the fire you put in her,
fucking hot
. I’m gonna love giving it to her now, especially when she fights back. Tight pussy that one, no matter how much cock filled it, always tight. Did you enjoy your taste of it?”

“You sick son of a bitch, if you fucking touch her…”

“
Tsk, tsk
, soldier boy,” oh yes, this will be fun. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. You see, I know you’re tracing this call and I suspect you’ll have triangulated our location by now, something I’m counting on. I imagine a grave look coming over your face and that of your team when you realize we’re in another state. I bet your each racking your tiny brains trying to figure out just how fast you can get here. But as the truth finally hits you and the blood runs cold through your veins, you realize you’ll never see her again. At least not alive. I’ll make you deal though, I’ll leave just enough to positively identify her body.”

“You’re sick, do you know that?”

“I’m not sick Hudson, I’m taking care of what is mine and she is
mine
. She must be punished for her bad behavior,” I close my eyes imagining the screams I’m going to coax from her small frame. The thoughts send shivers of excitement throughout my body. “Did you enjoy making her scream Hudson, that tight little pussy? I know I will but the screams I’ll cause won’t be for her pleasure but rather my own.”

“What do you want?” He sounds desperate, I like it. I can use that when I’m teaching her the ultimate lesson. The thought of telling her he begged for her life, the life I would take from her, got me solid. I can taste the salt of her tears on my lips, tears she would shed for her lover and his broken heart.

“I already told you, I have what I want.”

“How much?”

“Pardon?”

“How much to buy her?”

“I’m afraid I’m no longer leasing her out.”

“No, permanently,” he says a growl in his voice. Oh my, this just got interesting. “Name your price.”

I take a moment to ponder his request but when comes down to it I can’t let her get away with her bad behavior. Besides I knew soldier boy’s finances, he was pretty well set up but nowhere near the price I would consider letting her go for.

“Come now,” the amusement fading from my voice. “You and I both know you can’t afford my price, she’s too expensive for your blood.”

I hear him take a deep breath. Yes, I hit a nerve.

“I’ll tell
you
what asshole, you lay one finger on her, I will hunt you down and there won’t be a phone call to anyone you love. They won’t be able to identify your body, if they ever find it.”

“You’ll have to find me first,” I laugh at his threat.

“That, Kyle Roberts, you can bet your ass on,” I freeze, the smile fades from my face and anger boils out from my chest. “That’s right
Kyle
, I know who you are. You aren’t the only one with connections. You’ve messed with the wrong mother fucker.”

My brain scrambles and a sick feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I swallow hard.
How does he know my real name?

“It’s too bad I won’t be here to see the look on your face when you find her,” I filter the words through my mouth but even I have a difficult time believing them. Breathing deeply, I focus on reigning in my control, reminding myself he’s still hours away. I’d be long gone by then and she’ll be dead.

“You don’t sound too sure Kyle,” I hear a smile in the words and a surge of anger spikes through me. He’s trying to distract me, to buy some time. I sense his desperation for just a second, tasting it on my tongue.

“I am sure,” I say, drawing the words out slowly, going in for the kill. “Do you think because you know my name, you can save her?”

“I’m keeping you on the phone aren’t I?” he asks and my rage spikes. I have been on the phone longer than planned. He’s good but I’m better.

“You won’t save her,” I state bluntly knowing the distance between us gives me the upper hand, over fourteen hundred miles of upper hand. The itch to touch her white skin, leaving my mark behind grows. “I’m growing bored now. Would you like me to give her a message for you?”

“I don’t but I have one last question for you,” his voice is steel, focused, sending thrills through me. “How’s Veronica?”