Criminal Instinct (24 page)

The Taser would come in handy, but the tiny hooks were attached to his stomach. She wasn’t going to pull them out. She grabbed the Suit’s gun. Large and heavy. 9mm. Silver plated—just like the ones they used on Dolini. It would have one hell of a kick.

Slowly, she regained her footing. The tingles were nearly gone. She took a step. A little shaky, a whole lot painful. But nothing would keep her in this house of torture.

Her gaze focused on what the Suit had dropped.

A handheld torch.

Now do to her what I told you
.

A shudder radiated through her body. She eyed the Taser still attached to the Suit. Maybe she should shock his ass with a few more volts. The bastard had whipped her, helped beat her, was likely going to burn off parts of her body. He deserved a hell of a lot more than another Taser shot.

No. That would make her just like them. Sick, pathological sadists. Her priority was to get out alive. On her own. Just like always.

You only have yourself to count on, Ana
. Max had told her more than once.
Always remember that
.

“Lucky me.” Gripping the gun two handed, she peered through the open sliding door. A living room area. No one was in it, but there was plenty of big fancy furniture and knickknacks.

And mirrors.

Different sizes and shapes on every wall. Weird. No, Tyler was beyond just weird. He was from another freaking dimension.

She hobbled over to the shaded windows in the patio room, slipping her hand through the blinds to the cool windows. No latch to open them, just panes of solid glass. That didn’t make sense. There had been cold air hitting her from behind the first night she awoke in the chair. She searched around the pane and found a code panel embedded in the wall beside the window.

Electronic windows.

She bit into her bottom lip. She could break them, but that would call attention to her too soon. They were likely wired with an alarm. They’d run her down. Kill her. And if she broke the glass and climbed out, she could cut herself badly.

Only one way to go. She turned toward the sliding glass door, gripping the gun in front of her.

Through the house.

It took everything in Jonas’s power to keep his body absolutely still. To not show a hint of the hatred he felt for the madman who’d summoned both Jonas and Ray to his home.

Salvador Tyler was a sadist, a drug dealer. A murderer.

And he had Ana.

They stood in an expansive living room area. Jonas, Ray, Tyler and two gunmen strapped with mini Uzis. The furniture was heavy framed and trimmed with gold, and shelves and tables were cluttered with odd knickknacks and small statues.

And the room was filled with mirrors. It was disconcerting seeing his reflection over twenty different times.

“Where is she?” Jonas demanded.

“She’ll be along soon enough,” Tyler told him. “Patience. After all, I’ve had to wait three long years for this moment. To finally have you where I want you. I’d like to stretch it out a bit. I believe I deserve it.”

“The only thing you deserve is an early grave.” Jonas eyed Tyler with disgust. The three years hadn’t been kind. They had added more lines to his face and thinned his hair while increasing extra pounds to his body.

Where the hell was Ana? His entire body felt like one giant clenched fist.

“Cut the dramatics, Tyler. Where’s Ana?”

Tyler smiled at him. Sly and evil. “But it’s so much more interesting with drama, don’t you agree, Raymond?” Tyler turned his attention to Ray.

“I don’t find anything interesting about you or this damn show you’re putting on,” Ray retorted.

“No?” Tyler gave a nod to one of his gunmen. “Tom, please inform our guest that I’d like her to join us.” The gunman left the room.

“You
will
pay if you’ve harmed one hair on her head,” Jonas said, his voice low, and deliberately deadly.

Tyler looked amused. “I wouldn’t be making threats if I were you.”

Jonas merely stared at him.

“It’s about
damn
time.”

When Jonas heard the familiar voice behind his back, his blood slowed.

He closed his eyes for a moment, willing it not to be true. It couldn’t be.

Shuttering his expression, he turned and faced the mole in his organization.

Her voice faint, Kara spoke his name.

Jonas couldn’t yet bring himself to speak.

Tyler took Kara’s hand. She tried to tug away, but Tyler simply pulled her further into the room. “I thought it would be appropriate to inform you who has decided to be on my side. Your lovely twin.”

Tyler touched her cheek in a soft caress, before she jerked back.

Jonas finally spoke. “What the hell are you doing, Kara?”

Her eyes glistened. “I’m sorry. You have to know I wouldn’t do this willingly. He said he wanted Ray out of the business. His interests weren’t in you. But if I didn’t agree to help him, meet here tonight… He threatened you. He threatened
Elliott!
”

Tyler laughed. Ray only stared at Kara as if he could see straight through her.

“I’m the one in charge,” Jonas spoke with deliberate calm. “I own the businesses. Ray is the cover. He does it for our family’s protection. Anything you told Tyler affects us all.”

Kara’s lower lip trembled. “You should have told me…”

“I was afraid of what might happen if you had the information. It was to protect you. Now you’ve played a part in Tyler’s torturing and killing three of my men. You’ve put an innocent woman in danger. Sold yourself…” God, he felt as if someone had clawed out his heart.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t told him anything.” She whirled on Tyler, her body shaking. “You’re trying to break us apart, you
bastard!”

Tyler sighed. “Darling, of course you’ve helped me. And I am forever grateful. I couldn’t pass up the golden opportunity to take down my number one enemy. The very son of an old friend of mine.” He laughed. “And to have it succeed with the help of his own flesh and blood, the one with whom he shared a womb. Too good to be true.”

“You’re lying!” Kara’s hand lashed out for a slap. But as she had during this whole fiasco, she overrated her power and position. The gunman who’d retrieved her earlier grabbed her by the arm, bringing her back hard against him, thrusting his weapon to her temple.

Jonas and Ray stepped forward, halting when the second gunman aimed his gun in their direction.

“Damn it, Tyler,” Jonas demanded.
“Let her go.”

“Jonas, the party has just begun and I’m enjoying myself immensely. Three years ago, you betrayed the wrong man. Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you who turned me in to the police for something so mundane as cocaine trafficking? Did you think I’d fail to exact my revenge?”

“Your revenge is with me. Not my family. Not my men.”

“Oh, isn’t it? Doesn’t this all lead back to your dear father?” He laughed when Jonas’s hands fisted at his sides. “Your men, I knew, would be another hit to your pride. To your pitiful morals. As much as I’d love you to believe it was only your twin who betrayed you, I must reveal all of my wonderful pawns.” His eyebrows lifted. “Diego.”

Jonas’s lead security walked into the room.

Son of a bitch.

Kara gasped. Diego wouldn’t meet Jonas’s gaze. His forehead glistened with sweat.

“Diego has been more than helpful feeding me names and information. In fact, you can thank him for the police suspecting you for the deaths of your men.”

Not Ana after all. Anger rolled through Jonas’s body. He’d trusted this man with his family. “I hope it was worth it.”

He was so intent on staring down Diego, Jonas flinched when a gunshot fired.

Diego fell dead. A hole gaped in the back of his head, blood leaking from the wound.

Kara started to cry.

Jonas felt only pity.

“There,” Tyler murmured, slipping the gun back in his jacket. “Taken care of.” He sighed. “The carpet cleaner is going to have such a fit.”

Another one of Tyler’s men entered the room. Annoyance passed across Tyler’s face as the man whispered in his ear.

How many hired guns did Tyler have crawling in this three-story building?

Tyler’s eyes narrowed to slits, his sly grin falling from his face. He grumbled something and the man went off, gun drawn.

Jonas’s pulse slammed into overdrive. “Cut the shit. Bring Ana to me
now
.”

“Don’t shout demands at me, Saven! I’m in charge here, not you! Me!” The layer of sickening civility Tyler had worn during the evening quickly deteriorated. His eyes went glossy, his lips pulled back and sweat pearled at his brow. “I’m ahead of the game now. And it feels
fantastic
.” He brought a folded handkerchief from his suit pocket and dabbed it at his damp forehead. “Let me tell you what I’ve had done to your Ana for a preview. We had a discussion. When she wasn’t forthcoming, I slapped her around. But I underestimated how much she could endure. So I decided a few lashings would do the trick, and it did for a while—”

Jonas charged him. All he saw was red. All he wanted was Tyler dead.

They went down hard and fast. Jonas swung back his fist, but all too quickly Ray gripped his arms, hauling him off of Tyler. Jonas’s chest heaved as heavily as Tyler’s.

“Not now,” Ray bit out.

Tyler made his way to his feet, his hair sticking up. His eyes wild. He took slow steps toward Jonas.

Ray’s fingers dug into Jonas’s arms.

Tyler reached out trembling fingers and stroked Jonas’s face. “Always beautiful, with so much passion,” Tyler murmured.

Jonas’s stomach turned with realization.

Tyler was attracted to him.

“Tell me, Jonas. Where has that keen control of yours gone?” His hand swung out and slapped Jonas’s face.

A trembling rage shook through Jonas. No man since his father had hit his face.

Ray shoved Jonas aside and faced Tyler himself.

Tyler blinked, lifting his eyebrows. “Ah, the ever valiant Raymond Brooks.” His lips curved. “Have you wondered why our beautiful Kara was willing to betray you? What am I saying? You know why.” He glanced at Jonas. “Have you wondered, Jonas?” He chuckled and stepped away as if to give himself the best view of everyone’s expression. “Shall we let the cat out of the bag, Kara?”

Kara, still pressed against the gunman, averted her gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jonas was sick of these games. “What the hell are you getting at?”

“Why Elliott, of course. Not only did I threaten your life and her son’s to get her to join with me, but she was also very willing in order to keep a hidden secret.”

Kara flinched, her face paling.

“He carries the beautiful Saven looks, does he not? But not that unique, cat-like gaze. Only a plain ordinary brown. Much like Raymond’s.”

Jonas stepped forward. “Whatever the hell you’re fishing at, you’re way off.”

“Tell them, Kara.”

Jonas turned to Kara. Ray did the same and Jonas tensed.

Ray hadn’t uttered one damn denial.

Kara shook her head. “You’re crazy—”

Tyler’s face contorted with fury. “Don’t lie, you conniving bitch! You know I’ve seen the medical files. Your precious son was not your husband’s!”

She shook her head, tears running down her face.

“Don’t think you can keep your son safe from me!” Tyler charged toward her.

Kara screamed, squirming closer against the gunman as if the barrel of a gun was safer than the madness shining on Tyler’s face.

“It’s true,” she cried out. “Ray is Elliott’s father!”

Tyler laughed.

Listening to Tyler’s high-pitched cackle, Ana’s heart pounded, her breaths heavy from adrenaline. Sweat coated her body as she scrunched in a darkened corner in the dining area, using a wooden hutch for cover.

She reeled from the news. Brooks was the father of Kara’s son. It had to be a shock to Jonas. He hadn’t said a word, but then Tyler still laughed it up.

He’d come for her
.

Not SIDE, who was supposed to look out for the recruits.

But Jonas.

She swallowed hard. Years of heavy heartache, of feeling alone, faded away. She hadn’t believed he would care. Not after the way they’d left each other, with Jonas believing she’d betrayed him again. But he was here.

No one had ever helped her before. No one had ever put her before their own welfare.

As Tyler resumed talking, she tightened her grip on the gun, but her palms were slick and her grip unsure. She wiped her palms one at a time on the thick carpet beneath her and then took a firm hold with her right hand. Gritting her teeth against the sting in her thighs, she crouched on her knees and slowly eased out from behind the cabinet. She crawled to the wall that separated the dining area from the living room.

Her limbs were heavy with fatigue. Her nerves were shot. She did her best to ignore the sensations. Lives were on the line. Jonas wouldn’t be in this hell house if it wasn’t for her. She wasn’t leaving without him. She’d wait for the perfect moment to crash Tyler’s little party.

A shift of movement.

She froze.

Dread squeezed her throat as she slowly turned, looking behind her.

Right into the barrel of a gun.

12:35 a.m.

Billy’s muscles ached with tension. Experience told him his current predicament wouldn’t come to any good. He rode in a van with half a dozen Black Dragon members, followed by two more vans with equivalent manpower. The van’s seats had been pulled out, so each occupant sat with his back against interior metal. Body odor and sweat filled the confined space, and the only sounds were the vibrations of the engine.

Every gang-banger was armed and ready for an all-out war.

Including him.

No one said a word. Or maybe they just didn’t like him. Not sure he was trustworthy.

They’d find out soon enough.

He’d been told they were on their way to the shipment of Ecstasy. The Garcia brothers had been tight-lipped about the drugs, but Billy knew what was up.

Garcia wasn’t the real recipient of the tainted X. He was just the one who thought he could overtake it.

Billy didn’t know their destination yet, but Sarge and DEA were tracking him a discreet distance away. When he had arrived at the warehouse to meet with the brothers, he’d been checked for weapons and hidden devices. None were found. The Black Dragons weren’t familiar with the government’s new technology.

Without drawing suspicion, he tried to describe into his wristwatch—an electronic listening device—what his backup was up against. He could only hope it was enough.

He wasn’t scared. More like anxious, and eager to know the outcome of this major heist Garcia so confidently thought he could take over.

Did Garcia know what kind of power Tyler was capable of? It had to be Tyler. Switch had been right after all.

Anger seeped through his body.

Switch had been taken out by Salvador Tyler.

“Jesus!”

Slowly making her way into the room, Ana heard Jonas shout. Two Suits were at her back. Jonas’s eyes were wide, his face pale. One of the Suits—the one she’d zapped with the Taser—shoved her forward and she fell to her knees, hands slapping the floor.

More scabs ripped. She gasped.

Jonas kneeled beside her. “Damn it,
Ana
. I’m sorry, baby.” He leaned her back in his arms and pushed her hair out of her face. One hand hovered over her swollen eye.

Was he trembling? Or was that her?

“You didn’t do this to me,” she whispered.

His jaw hardened. His eyes told her he didn’t agree.

He scanned her nearly bare body, wincing when he studied her raw thighs. “Did they…”

She curved her sore lips. “Don’t worry, you’re still the last guy I’ve been with.”

Something flashed in his eyes.

“This is turning out to be a lovely evening.” Tyler’s voice slithered into their conversation.

Jonas raised his head, his grip on her tightening. “You…
will pay for this
.”

Ana’s breath caught, anxiety sinking into her bones. She’d never heard Jonas sound as if someone else’s voice was coming out of his mouth. Someone menacing. Someone lethal.

Tyler wasn’t as affected. He laughed. “Such bravado when clearly I have the upper hand.”

A cell phone chirped. One of the Suits pulled out the phone, listened and then placed it back into his pants. “It’s here.”

“Wonderful,” Tyler murmured. “Time for us all to take a nice walk down to my private pier.”

“Let the others go,” Jonas demanded. “You have me where you want me, Tyler.”

Tyler smiled, pulling out a cigar from the inside of his jacket. “Exactly.” He nodded to the Suit who had knocked Ana down. Then, studying himself in a mirror, he patted gingerly at his wild locks. “Line them up.”

Jonas pulled off his sweater. He gazed down at Ana, his eyes so unguarded it nearly took her breath. So much pain. His attention focused on her bruised chest, a tremor radiating through his shoulders.

One of the gunmen grabbed Jonas’s arm. He seared a glance at the guy before jerking his arm away. Gently, he slipped the sweater over Ana’s head. His scent enveloped her and she graciously slipped her arms inside his warmth.

His arms cradled her and next thing she knew, she was lifted off her feet. She met his eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck. There was a lot that had to be said between them.

Later.

If there was a later for both of them.

They were led out of the house and down sandy steps. The ocean roared into the cold night. The fog stretched across the beach like murky soup. Nothing could be seen ten feet in front of them. Goosebumps formed on Ana’s skin and she pressed into Jonas’s body.

Kara and Ray were ahead of them, each of them separated by an armed guard.

Tyler wore a heavier coat. His stout figure was a shadow leading the line clumsily over uneven dunes, his cigar tip floating eerily in the night.

Jonas’s stride was smooth and determined.

Footsteps scraped over cement and grains of sand. They had made it to the pier. Were they going to meet the boat with the load of drugs? Would they all be killed off one-by-one?

Dread seeped through her aching body. She stared up at Jonas. Though it was dark, she could tell his gaze focused straight ahead. He must have sensed her stare because he looked down.

Lowering his head, he kissed her.