Denied (15 page)

Nineteen

They stepped out
of the room to find two men—one of which was the beefy guy who’d brought her to Monster, the other, a blond, she didn’t recognize—waiting for them. Both men were smartly dressed in suits, but the muscles in their biceps and thighs strained against the material. They both stood straighter as Monster walked out.

“We have a job to do,” he told them.

She assumed both men were armed, considering she’d felt the one who’d brought her here sticking a gun into her back. She wondered how much they’d heard of her and Monster inside the room. Was she too loud when she’d orgasmed? Her cheeks heated at the idea that they’d heard her.

But if they had, they didn’t give any sign of it.

The man who’d brought her to the hotel cocked an eyebrow at Monster. “We?”

“That’s right. We need to go back to where you picked up Lily. She believes women are being kept in a shipping container there, and a couple of lowlife scumbags are the ones responsible.”

The man threw a dismissive glance her way. “I assume she’s staying here.”

“
She
is Lily Drayton,” Monster said. “Lily this is Sean Hamilton, and the other gentleman is Chapman.”

“Just Chapman?” she asked.

The man, with thinning blond hair and a long straight nose, gave her a single nod. “Just Chapman, ma’am.”

“Lily is coming with us,” Monster continued.

“Is that a wise choice?” said Sean, as though she wasn’t even there.

The man had already put her back up by abducting her in the first place, even though he’d done so at Monster’s command. The way this conversation was going, she didn’t think he was going to do anything to redeem himself.

“She wants to be the one to make sure the man responsible for taking the women is dead,” Monster said. His tone grew hard. “And don’t ever question my decisions again.”

Sean lowered his line of sight to the floor. “Sorry, sir.”

“Take us to the car,” Monster ordered. “You’re both coming with us, and I’ll make some calls on the way, see if we can get some reinforcements, and have …” He hesitated and glanced toward Lily. “Have the person Ms. Drayton was with brought back to the old Marine port. I’m not expecting the traffickers to be prepared, but even so, I’d like to outnumber them at least two to one.”

Sean nodded. “I understand.”

The two security men—if that was what they were—led the way to the elevators at the end of the hall. Taking the elevator hadn’t been a luxury she’d been permitted on the way up.

The door opened and they entered, standing with the two men in front, and she and Monster behind. Chapman hit the button for the parking garage in the basement, a white light illuminating behind the letter B. The door shut in front of them and she sensed the downward motion of the car. Before they’d gone more than a couple of floors, the elevator stopped again. The doors slid open and an elderly couple waited on the other side to get in. They took one look at the men, and the male half of the elderly couple took hold of his wife’s arm and pulled her back slightly, his other hand waving to indicate they’d wait for the next one.

Lily didn’t blame him. They certainly appeared to be an intimidating group.

Chapman punched the basement button again, and the car continued its descent to the parking garage.

One of them men must have moved the car from the back of the hotel when she’d been busy in the room with Monster. She squirmed at the memory and glanced over at his strong profile. She took a moment to marvel at how faded his birthmark was now. Though still visible, it was nothing like the almost black mark she’d started work on. Her fingers itched with her desire to reach up and touch his cheek and trace his jaw line where the mark resided, but she knew he wouldn’t appreciate the affection in front of the other men.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal the dimly lit, low ceilinged garage.

Lily shivered. The memory of that fateful evening when Cigarette Hands had taken her, the woman with the doll she’d mistaken for a baby, and everything that happened in the following hours, swept over her. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to enter a parking garage again without experiencing a chill working its way right down to her bones.

The weight of the gun at her waist gave her a little confidence. She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure Monster would hold up his end of the bargain. She hoped he would, for the sake of her heart, as much as for her life. More than anything, she wanted to feel like they were equals on the same side, but so often the way he acted proved to her that they weren’t even close to being equal.

She hurried to keep up with the long, determined strides of the three large men. Strangely, even though they’d been the ones to abduct her and keep her hostage for the last few hours, she now felt protected by having them around her.

The garage was deserted other than them, but she doubted anyone would have dared to approach them even if there had been other people around—these guys looked like trouble.

They reached the car—the same black sedan she’d been brought to the hotel in. This time, Monster opened the back door for her like a gentleman and she slid onto the back seat. Sean was driving, with Chapman in the passenger seat. Monster climbed into the back to sit beside her, and though she wanted to curl up against his side, his arm around her, her head on his chest, she sensed the stoic professionalism about him and didn’t want to do anything to make him appear weak in front of his men.

Sean started the car, and they pulled out of the parking garage and onto the street. The street lamps were lit below the clear night’s sky, both the moon and the lighting creating long, thin patches of light and shadow. How long had she been kept in the hotel suite? It had felt like a few hours, but it must have been longer.

“What time is it?” she asked Monster.

“Just gone midnight.”

So they’d reach the port in the early hours of the morning. Would Cigarette Hands be there at that time? She suspected that was probably the best time to catch them—they moved the girls in the middle of the night, and would be able to come and go unseen in the dark. Her stomach flipped with nerves at the thought of coming face to face with him again. She would kill him, but it wouldn’t be easy.

She also felt sick at the idea of seeing Cameron again. He would hate her now, she was sure of it, probably cursing the day he’d ever met her. She didn’t blame him. She just hoped the men working for Monster hadn’t hurt him in any way. If they had, and it had been done at Monster’s instruction, she wasn’t sure what she would do.

As they left the city and took the I-5 south, Monster turned to her and spoke quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “I’m okay, and I definitely prefer riding in the car when my hands aren’t tied behind my back, and I can see out of the window.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Would it be wrong of me to tell you not to get used to it?”

She could tell he was joking, but that didn’t stop her stomach from turning. She smacked him in the leg with her small fist. “Yes, it would.”

He reached out and squeezed her hand, perhaps to stop her from hitting him again. “The abductions stop here. I promise.”

“I hope so.” That they even had to have this conversation was insane.

Monster took his cell from his pocket and placed a call. Lily peered out of the window at the stream of bright lights and traffic they were gradually leaving behind the farther they drove.

“It’s me,” he said, his tone commanding. “You need to meet me in two hours back at the place you took the man and woman from. Bring the man with you. I don’t want him harmed.”

A tiny part of her relaxed at hearing him saying that. Cameron was alive and safe, even if he most likely did hate her guts. It wouldn’t matter anyway. If she survived the next few hours, she’d be leaving Los Angeles and heading off for a new life somewhere she’d never been before, with a name that wasn’t her own. Doing so would mean she’d leave both Monster and Cameron behind, so Cameron could hate her all he liked.

The drive back to the Marine Corps base felt like it took a lifetime. Little conversation lightened the atmosphere, and any that took place was short and perfunctory. The more miles the car ate up, the worse her nerves got, until she felt physically sick, her stomach a churning knot. She stared out of the window to hide how she felt, watching the freeway pass by. If Monster knew how badly this was all affecting her, she was sure he’d insist on her not coming, and it wouldn’t be an argument where Monster was concerned. He’d probably just throw her out of the vehicle somewhere along the way, deal with the job at hand, and if she was lucky, he’d pick her up on the way back.

She didn’t want that to happen, so she forced herself to take long, slow breaths, and hoped he wouldn’t notice the trembling that slowly worked its way through her body.

Twenty

Eventually, they approached
the small town.

Sean pulled the car over down a side street, a couple of blocks away from both the port and the Marine base.

“We don’t want to get noticed,” he said. “We’ll walk the rest.”

Lily glanced over at Monster, and he nodded his agreement.

They each opened their respective doors and stepped out onto the street. Lily couldn’t believe she was back here again. She hadn’t thought she’d come back twice, never mind for a third time. She just hoped they’d be able to do what was needed and put an end to Cigarette Hands and his part in this barbaric trade once and for all.

The streets were quiet, a strange hum settling over the town in that portentous way inhabited areas had at night, the sound of streetlights, the distant freeway, and hundreds of people sleeping. The salty and slightly fishy tang in the air took her back to the time she’d spent in the container all those weeks ago, and her heart tripped over itself, her breath growing shallow. Would Cigarette Hands be there, waiting for them? For all she knew, they might have had security cameras watching the containers and so knew she and Cameron had been there earlier the previous day. If so, would they have cut their losses and run, taking the women with them? There were so many unknowns, and she just hoped something wouldn’t catch them out.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Monster asked her. “You can always wait in the car. Don’t feel like you have to prove anything to anyone.”

“The only person I’m doing this for is me. Well, me and the other women those bastards have taken.” At the thought of Cigarette Hands, her anger rose inside her, steadying her nerves. That was what she needed to hold on to—that anger. She needed to cling to the emotion if she was going to get through this.

“Shouldn’t we park the car closer so we can make a quick getaway?” she suggested, keeping her voice low.

“If the traffickers are there, they’ll hear the car and have a warning that we’re coming. It’s better if we take them by surprise.”

She nodded. “Okay, I’ll trust you. You are the professional, after all.”

He gave her a sideways glance. “I’m not a hit man, Flower.”

“Sure, I know that,” she said, hurriedly.

Monster’s phone buzzed and he checked it. “Mason and Evans are still an hour away. They have your friend with them. I suggest we go and scope the situation out first so we’ve got a better idea of what we’re dealing with. For all we know, the traffickers might have moved the women since yesterday, and have taken off.”

She nodded. “I thought the same thing.”

Sean and Chapman stepped forward. “We’ll take the lead,” said Sean. “Stay behind us.”

Monster gave a single nod to show his agreement. “Remember,” he told the other men, “you don’t kill the guy in charge unless you absolutely have to. Lily wants that pleasure.”

The whole of her insides did a slow roll like the contents of a washing machine, but she pressed her lips together and nodded. She needed to remember what he’d done to her, and what he’d done to countless other women. Her anger made her jaw clench and her muscles tighten. She did want to see the look in his eyes when he realized who had come to take his life.

Whatever Cigarette Hands had believed, she had come back.

They kept to the side streets, moving quickly, the men surprisingly light-footed for their size. They ran with their hands close to their hips, and she knew they all had weapons hidden there, ready to pull if needed. Her own weapon felt big and clunky in the waistband of her jeans, the barrel rubbing against her hip. The gun had made her more confident before, but now she was with professionals, she felt inexperienced and out of her depth. Would she even know how to shoot it properly when the time came?

Lily hurried to keep up, her breathing growing labored. It had been a while since she’d needed to run anywhere. Luckily, the streets were empty, and they didn’t meet anyone along the way. She imagined the small group would have caused some suspicious glances if they’d been noticed. They didn’t exactly blend in. But then she remembered they were in a town which had a Marine Corps base. Guys who looked like Sean and Chapman were probably regulars around here, though she imagined they wouldn’t be as well dressed as the other two men were. As for Monster, well, no one looked like him, though in the dark, lit only by the occasional street light on a corner, his remaining birthmark would appear only to be a shadow.

She tried desperately not to think about what would happen after all of this. The thought made her want to burst into tears and throw herself at Monster, and never let him go. She couldn’t even think about life without him, never mind life without herself. Every time her mind touched upon it, her thoughts retreated as though they’d been burned and moved on to something else.

They passed through the street, closing the distance between them and the disused port. Finally, she saw the tall, chain link fence, and the dark rectangular shapes of the shipping containers beyond. The smell of the ocean grew stronger, and she could hear the slap of waves hitting concrete walls. A powerful shiver wracked through her body and her hand instinctively reached for the gun at her waist.

Sean put out a hand to command them all to stop.

She shot a worried glance at Monster, but he continued to look forward, his profile stern and rigid, his chin lifted. More than anything, she wanted to slip her hand into his and just touch him, draw from his strength, but she didn’t want to distract him.

“We picked the lock on the gate when we were here last,” said Sean, keeping his voice low. “I didn’t bother clicking it shut again when I left. I don’t know if Mason and Evans did or not, but if it’s still open it might mean no one else has been here since we left. Of course, if it is shut, that might also mean the traffickers came back and found the lock open. Doing so might have raised their suspicions.”

“Instead of speculating,” said Monster, “let’s go and check.”

Sean led the way, moving at a light jog toward the gate. Chapman held back slightly, but he’d pulled his weapon.

He’s covering his colleague,
she realized.

Sean slipped the chain through his fingers and lifted it up for them to see. It was still unlocked.

Monster lifted a hand. “One moment.” Using his cell, he typed in a message. Within seconds, the phone buzzed in his hand and he quickly read it. “Mason says they never bothered to lock it behind them. So either the traffickers haven’t been back since, or they’ve left it open in the hope we come back.”

Sean pushed the gate so it opened a yard. “If that’s the case, it looks like they got what they hoped for.”

All three men drew their guns, and, feeling out of her depth, but not wanting to look like a helpless woman, Lily did the same. The grip felt good in her hand, as though it centered her somehow, made her more powerful. She understood how some people became addicted to owning weapons, how it made them feel more than their normal selves. Having both the gun, and Monster at her side, she could have had an army standing around her. Though she was still nervous, her heart rate slowed slightly and the world around her took on clarity. She focused on the task at hand—freeing the women, if they were still there—and finding and killing Cigarette Hands and his partner.

In the distance, out to sea, the blast of a foghorn made her jump. They were obviously still on the shipping lane, even if the port itself was now shut.

The four of them passed through the gate and into the port. There were numerous containers—at least twenty. She wasn’t one hundred percent certain which container she’d heard the cry for help come from, as she’d been distracted by her own problems at the time.

“I’m not sure I know exactly which shipping container I think the women might be in, but I can narrow it down,” she said, her voice only a fraction above a whisper.

“Let’s check the area first,” said Monster, his tone matching hers. “We’ll make sure the traffickers aren’t around, and then we’ll see about releasing the girls. Removing the threat of being shot by those men needs to be our priority.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“Sean, Chapman,” he instructed, “you go left. We’ll head right.”

Sean hesitated. “Shouldn’t one of us go with you, sir?”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t think there’s anyone here, anyway. They’d have started shooting by now, but both Lily and I are armed. We’ll yell if anything catches our attention.”

Sean nodded. “Fine. We’ll meet you around the opposite side. Move quickly and quietly, and call if you need help.”

Monster nodded. “Same to you.”

They separated, Lily sticking close to Monster’s side. Before they moved forward, she felt his hand enclose around hers, and he gave her fingers a squeeze. Her heart lifted and she glanced to him. He was studying her as though he was thinking all the same things that had been playing through her mind over the last few hours.

“Stay safe, Flower,” he said. “And stay close.”

The tug of a smile touched her face. “I will.”

And he let go of her hand.

They moved right, away from the direction of the container that potentially held the women. No other vehicles were around that drew any attention, and Lily wondered if perhaps Cigarette Hands wasn’t here. She didn’t know how she felt about that. A small part of her was relieved, but the other part knew she wouldn’t rest until she’d seen the end of the son of a bitch.

They rounded the final container and moved past it to start on the other side. Sticking close together, they ran down the far side, stopping each time to check the gaps between the containers. When they noted it was clear, they ran across the space to the next container. The ocean was behind them, waves smacking against the dock. The night felt impossibly dark, even though there was little cloud coverage and the moon was full. The only other illuminations were pinpricks of light out to sea, and a couple of neglected security lights. She could hear the drone of distant traffic, but at this time in the morning, even that was faint.

Monster’s breath came close to her ear, his body heat pressing against hers. She felt so thankful to have him here, even though he’d been the one to bring these men into her life in the first place. At least now they had a chance of stopping them. If she hadn’t been through what she had, the men would continue to traffic women, thinking no one would touch them.

Now she had a chance to stop at least one tiny part of this horrific trade.