Unexpected Consequences (23 page)

Bart had told her the wiring in the building still had bugs, despite having been upgraded during construction. Occasionally, and for no apparent reason, the breakers would trip. She’d got used to it in the weeks since she’d moved in and had made mental notes to have it inspected, but, as busy as she’d been, it hadn’t been a priority. Until now, it had been a minor annoyance, but in her current state of mind, it caused her frustration to rise to a monumental level.

The overcast skies completely hid the moon, leaving the bedroom in total darkness. She slid one foot in front of the other, making her way around the bed and towards the closet door. Normally she was a tidy person, but today she hadn’t worried about where she had dropped things. Now her mind wrestled with the memories of what may lie in her path. She was fairly sure she’d tossed her dirty clothes in the basket in the corner, but she wasn’t going to take the chance of tripping over something and ending up with a broken bone. That would put a period on the end of a perfect day.

With every step Kelsey took, a strange feeling of unease grew. She stopped and listened.
What was that?
When she again began walking, she turned her head when she thought she heard something behind her. “Who’s there?”

Her only response was dead silence. She shook her head. “Great. Now I’m imagining things.” Not wanting to take a chance, she quickened her journey to the closet, anxious to get the lights back on.

She was grabbed from behind and immediately overpowered. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other clamped over her mouth, taking away both her chance to escape as well as the power to scream.

In one swift motion, she was thrown face down on the bed and pinned by his body. She managed a quick, muffled scream while the attacker pulled his hands away, but between the bunched-up blankets and the constriction of her chest from his weight, there was no way anyone, including the officer assigned to watch her door, was going to hear anything. Having no idea of his intentions, she struggled frantically when she heard him fumbling behind her.

“Please… No… Don’t do this… Please…”

Just as the last word had escaped her lips, she recognised the pungent scent. She gave one last attempt to break free before a damp cotton cloth was applied firmly to her mouth and nose. Her muffled screams lasted only seconds before she was forced to inhale the bitter-smelling fragrance and the room began to fade.

The next thing Kelsey knew she was being pulled from the bed and thrown over someone’s shoulder. Unable to move a muscle in her body, and only vaguely aware of what was happening around her, she knew the path he was taking as he exited the room through the rooftop doorway, shutting it firmly behind him.

With the absence of moonlight, the darkness gave him complete privacy. All he’d have to do was take her down the fire escape and into the back alley behind her building. There were no lights, there were no security cameras, and without her ability to scream, there’d likely be no witnesses.

As she heard the tap of his feet against the metal of the fire escape, she knew all hope for a rescue was lost. It was the last thought in her mind when the drug took its full effect, forcing her to close her eyes and quietly lose consciousness while being carried by her silent attacker towards her unknown fate.

She’d thought her nightmare was over. Unfortunately, it seemed to have only just begun.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Ronald, come on. You’re really not going to let me talk to him?”

“He’s in solitary, Faith. I can’t give him any special privileges. It may make things worse for him.”

“Oh, get off it, Ronald. The only reason he’s in solitary is because he’s a cop. They’d kill him if you didn’t isolate him.”

“If you want to talk to him, go to the visitors’ centre. You can meet with him there.”

Faith shook her head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not going to visit my detective husband in a row full of glass stalls. I want you to have him brought to an interrogation room so we can speak privately.” She approached him and laid her hand on his arm. “Ronald, he’s not just my husband, he’s your brother. Please?”

He sighed and nodded as he grabbed the phone. “Yeah, it’s me. Can you have Detective Kapman brought up to interrogation room three right away? Thanks.”

“Thank you, Ronald,” Faith said in relief. “We both appreciate this.”

“I’ll give you thirty minutes. A guard will be outside the door.”

Faith smiled at him as he exited, despite his stand-offish demeanour. Good or bad, that was Ronald—all business, especially when it came to police work. Regardless, the fact that his brother had been accused of something that went against everything he believed in certainly didn’t help his attitude.

A few minutes later, a distraught and exhausted Bart entered the room, straight into the embrace of his loving wife. “Are you okay?” she asked softly in his ear.

“Yeah. I just want out of here.”

“What happened, Bart? I get a call last night that you were arrested for tampering with evidence and that you’re being held in solitary. What’s this all about?”

“Sit down, honey. I’ve got a story to tell you.”

* * * *

Thirty minutes later, their meeting was over. Following her handcuffed husband, a dumbfounded Faith left the room. She gave him one last kiss before he was escorted back to his small cell. His words had stunned her, and, even though she trusted her husband, his story was hard to believe. When she’d got the phone call alerting her to his arrest, she’d never imagined he was actually guilty. Now that she knew what had happened, he would need damn good representation. Her new job was to find the best attorney possible.

Just as she pulled her phone from her purse, Faith looked up to see Ronald turning the corner, heading back to his office. She now saw what she hadn’t earlier. He was troubled and worried, but, in his position, he had to keep it together. That was the best way he knew how to help his brother.

“Thank you, Ronald,” she said softly. He nodded, his face softening slightly and a small smile breaking through.

“Captain!”

Ronald and Faith turned to see a uniformed officer rushing to find him. “Yes?”

“They’re trying to reach you, sir. It seems… It seems there’s trouble with your sister.”

“Kelsey? What trouble?”

“The officer assigned to her door last night went to check on her and…”

“And what?” Faith asked, not entirely wanting the answer.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. She’s missing.”

* * * *

Gianelli was sitting behind his desk when he heard the commotion in the hallway. There were a few shouts, a sudden crash, and the obvious indication of a struggle taking place. Just as he was about to pick up his phone to enquire, his office doors slammed open and the livid man stormed into the room.

“Nick. So nice to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked with his normal calm demeanour. Without breaking his gaze, Vincent waved off the two bodyguards who’d rushed in, ready to remove any threat to their boss.

“Where is she?” Nick said with a heaving breath.

“I’m sorry?”

“Cut the crap, Vincent! Where is she?”

“Who are you talking about?” Gianelli asked with a bit more force than usual.

“Kelsey Braden! Where is she! Where’d you take her this time?”

Gianelli shook his head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Don’t give me that shit! She’s missing again, and I know you have her! Now where is she?”

Vincent sat back in his seat, his elbows on the arms of the chair and his fingertips tapping together. “Believe what you want, Jensen. You’ve been given an assignment. If you are unable to complete it, even with added incentive, I’ll find someone who will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m quite busy.”

“This isn’t over, Gianelli. Kelsey had better be found unharmed, or I’m coming after you. And I’ll personally make sure you don’t hurt anyone else again.”

“Is that a threat, Jensen?”

“It’s a promise, you son of a bitch.” With one final death stare, Nick gritted his teeth and left in a huff before Gianelli’s henchman had a chance to throw him out.

When he heard the front door slam, Vincent pressed the intercom button on his phone. “Send Anthony in, TJ.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Anthony’s not here.”

Vincent looked at his clock. “Where is he?”

“I haven’t seen him today, sir.”

“Very well.” He released the button and picked up his phone. When the call went straight to voicemail, Vincent became irritated. “Anthony, get your ass back here. I told you to take care of the woman, not fuck around.”

He hung up angrier than he had been when he’d dialled. Something about this didn’t sit right. If Anthony had completed his assignment, he would’ve pranced into his office like a peacock. Since giving Nick the ultimatum, he couldn’t count on him, either. Vincent’s two best men were now unavailable, both because of the same woman. He pressed the intercom button again.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Yes, TJ. I’d like you to locate Kelsey Braden for me. It seems she’s missing.”

“Isn’t that the woman…?”

“Yes, it is.” Gianelli paused. “I want you to find her.”

“You got it, boss. I’m on it.”

“Thank you, TJ,” Gianelli said as he disconnected the call. Sitting back in his heavy leather chair, his thoughts went to the missing girl. She was his insurance policy, and he wouldn’t be happy if he’d lost that vital link.

* * * *

Kelsey slowly woke, but had trouble focusing. She was groggy and tired, and felt as if she needed several more hours of sleep before morning arrived. When it finally occurred to her that it must be morning because the room was bright and sunny, she rose from the bed with great difficulty, needing to get ready for work.

Why is my body so heavy? Why didn’t my alarm go off? Why does my bed feel so strange? Why am I wearing sweats instead of my nightgown?

That’s when the memories started flooding back. She remembered being attacked while walking in the dark to fix the circuit breaker. She never saw who threw her down, and had no idea where she was, other than it wasn’t the same place she’d been held captive before. Slowly coming around, she began to survey her surroundings.

The room was well lit. The tiny excuse of a window provided a remarkable amount of natural light for its size. Judging by the height of the window, and the hint of grass she could see beside it, she had to be below ground. She thought briefly about trying to climb up and out, but, even as petite as she was, there was no way she’d fit through such a narrow opening.

White paint concealed panelling on three of the walls and the fourth was covered with mirrors from floor to ceiling. The furniture consisted of a full-sized bed, a card table with two chairs, a small bookcase filled with a generous selection of books, a small dresser, and a treadmill in the corner. On the floor was a short-piled carpet that was firm but cosy against her bare feet, and cushioned the hard floor underneath. She walked around the bed and saw rows of indentations by the wall. Putting together the combination of the mirrors, the treadmill and the marks on the rug, which she figured had been made by free weights, she deduced she was now being held in the home gym of an unknown person.

There were two doors in the room, one in the middle of the wall opposite the mirrors, the other in the corner. Desperate to get free, she ran to the door in the middle, pulling frantically on the knob. Nothing. The solid steel door was locked tight.

Defeated, she tried the other. There was a small glimmer of hope when it opened easily, replaced by frustration when it led into a small bathroom. She dug around the medicine chest then the vanity for anything that might help her—a razor, a hairpin, something—not that she knew how to pick a lock. She found various soaps and toiletries, but nothing that could help her escape her new prison.

Resigned to her fate, Kelsey returned to the bed, at least comforted by the fact that this place was nicer than the last place she’d been taken to. She assumed it was the same people. Who else could it be? At least the creepy man who’d attempted to rape her was no longer a threat.

She stood from the bed when she heard an unusual beeping coming from the door. A few seconds later it opened, and an ominous, dark figure entered. He was covered from head to toe—pants, turtleneck, gloves, ski mask and large sunglasses—all solid black. With the exception of height and weight, he concealed all the features that would assist in future identification. He was intimidating, and her pulse quickened when he entered.

Once he’d passed, she caught a brief glimpse of the environment outside her room, and she noted that the beeping noise had come from a high-tech combination lock attached to the doorknob. As she looked outward, she caught a glimpse of a rec room, two sofas and chairs and a full bar along one wall. On the far end of the basement, over fifty feet away, stood the staircase, and her only chance at freedom. Her hopes for an escape diminished greatly.

She took a few steps back when the man brought in a tray holding a variety of foods. He walked it to the card table and set it down, never turning his head far from where she stood. A brief thought travelled through her mind of making a dash for the door, but not only was she twice as far away as he, but she hadn’t yet fully recovered from her drug-induced stupor. A struggle would be pointless.

Without a second glance, the man left as abruptly as he’d entered, leaving the food behind. She didn’t want to eat, but, not knowing when the next meal would be offered, she walked to the table and nibbled tentatively. After the first few bites, she began eating in earnest, comforted by the solitude she was given by her mystery abductor.

When she picked up the bottle of water lying on the side, she was surprised to find a blank white envelope hidden underneath. She sat on one of the chairs and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

Please make yourself comfortable, there’s no telling how long you’ll be here. No one knows where you are and there’s no chance of escape. There are a few changes of clothes in the dresser and the bathroom is stocked with everything you should need. You have reading material available and if you require anything else, I will decide if I will provide it. Behave yourself, and you will be treated well. Cross me, and you will regret it.