In fact, no one came. There was a tiny bathroom, so we had access to water, but I doubted we’d be given food any time soon. Still, I’d take lack of food over trying to fend off rape any day.
I was worried about Resa though. Her breathing had a nasty raspy sound, and she’d barely been conscious all night. I’d told her she didn’t need to talk, but she’d wanted to tell me that she was sorry for telling Fernando that I’d lost my retail job. She’d gone to DDD to see if she could get a job waitressing and had mentioned my name. After she’d let my job situation slip, he’d referred her to Seleste for a ‘job.’ All she’d wanted was to be safe, and he’d taken advantage of that.
I kept telling her that I wasn’t angry, and I wasn’t. It hadn’t been intentional on her part, and she’d only wanted the same thing for her life that I had for mine and Austin’s. I might not be able to protect her from Fernando, but I could reassure her that she and I were okay.
Being able to do that, however, didn’t make me feel any less helpless about my own situation. I couldn’t stay that way though. Slade would never give in to Fernando’s demands, and Fernando would know that as soon as Slade’s friend told him that the case hadn’t been sidelined. Fernando wouldn’t only be coming after me then. He’d come after Austin and Slade.
I needed to rescue myself, and then rescue them.
The dim, gray light of pre-dawn crept in through the window, and I eased myself off the bed. Resa muttered something in her sleep and rolled over. I waited a moment to see if she’d wake up, and when she didn’t, I made my way over to the window. She was too hurt to come with me, but I needed to do something to make sure she wasn’t blamed for my escape.
The window didn’t have bars, but it had been painted shut then nailed for good measure. Problematic, but not impossible. Being on the second floor shouldn’t have been an issue, except this window didn’t overlook a lawn I could use to break my fall. Two stories down there was a concrete driveway. No matter how I landed, I’d probably break something. That meant jumping was out of the question.
I needed to find a safer way down, and that most likely meant a slower way. Since the only window in the room faced the street, I couldn’t sneak out through the backyard which was probably less guarded. No matter how carefully I planned it, I’d be seen.
I turned away from the window. Unless I could find a rope and an invisibility cloak, I couldn’t go out that way.
I checked the bathroom for any possible escape routes, but I couldn’t find anything. The bedroom door was locked. The ceiling didn’t have tiles or an attic access.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Resa’s words were slurred, and I wondered if it was from how swollen her face was, or if they’d given her something for the pain.
“Just trying to figure out a way to escape,” I said. No point in keeping things a secret, especially since there wasn’t anything I could do.
“No way out,” she said. “This is the room for the troublemakers.”
Something about the way she said it made a question pop into my mind. “What about the other rooms? Are those girls locked in?”
“No. Windows are all screwed shut, but doors aren’t all locked. Most of us want to be here. Don’t have anywhere else to go. First rule is, if you leave, you don’t get to come back. It’s easier to make them want to stay than it is to keep ‘em here by force.”
I turned her words over in my head. If what she was saying was true, then if I got out of the room, I could find a way outside. I looked over at her. Maybe I didn’t need to sneak out. Maybe I could simply walk out.
I walked over to the small recessed closet. Half a dozen outfits hung there. Resa was a couple inches taller than me, but I could make something work. I pulled out what looked like a 1920’s flapper dress.
“Wig.”
I turned. “What?”
She pointed toward the corner of the closet. “There’s a wig that goes with it.”
I leaned down and found one of those hairdresser mannequin things with a cheap black wig on its head. Perfect. I’d been wondering how I’d hide my hair. I quickly changed into the dress and pulled on the wig, stuffing my hair under it until nothing blonde or pink could be seen.
The bobby pin in the wig was easy enough to straighten out. It had been a while since I’d needed to pick a lock, but I didn’t doubt I could still do it. Like riding a biker, to quote one of my favorite TV shows.
Before I started, though, I needed to talk to Resa about what would happen next.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I can’t go with you. It’s okay.”
An idea came to me, and I hurried back over to the closet and pulled out a couple scarves. “I’m going to tie you up and gag you. It’s going to suck, but when Seleste realizes I’m gone, she’ll see that you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
It was a long shot, I knew, but it was better than nothing.
I made quick work of it, doing my best to make sure everything was tight, but not too tight. I kissed her cheek. “Be sure to tell them that you tried to stop me.” She nodded and closed her eyes.
Once I had her all secured, I picked up the bobby pin and went back to the door. I inhaled slowly, held it for a couple seconds, then exhaled. I needed a steady hand to do this right, and I was running out of time. Dawn was coming, and I didn’t doubt someone would be checking in soon before everyone bedded down to sleep through the morning after a long night of work.
It took me several long, frustrating minutes, but I finally heard the lock click, and the doorknob turned. I glanced back at Resa, but her eyes were still closed. I made a silent promise to get her out of here and then I stepped out into the hallway.
It was empty, but I didn’t race to the stairs. I had to convince people that I was a prostitute on my way to a client’s house. If someone stopped me and sent for Seleste, I’d be in serious trouble. The other girls might not recognize me like this, and I might be able to fool Keith too, but I doubted my disguise would work on Seleste, especially if she got a good look at me.
I kept my head down, and my shoulders slumped, not making eye contact with any of the girls I passed. My heart was in my throat, and my hands were shaking, but I didn’t hesitate as I reached the door.
“Where’re you going?”
I turned to see a redhead I’d never seen before. “Making a house call.”
She raised an eyebrow. “On who?”
My mind raced as I tried to figure out what the best answer would be. “He says his name’s John Smith.” I rolled my eyes. “But he’s some VIP so when he says he wants a girl, there I go.”
The young woman smiled at me, the gesture making her look years younger than I’d originally estimated. “Have fun.”
“Always.”
I practically held my breath the entire way down the short driveway to the sidewalk, and I didn’t start breathing normally until the house disappeared behind me.
I didn’t have any money for the bus or a taxi, but that didn’t matter. I’d walk the whole way even if my feet were killing me. Nothing mattered but getting home.
I’d gone a few blocks before I realized that I couldn’t go home. Fernando knew my address. One call from Seleste and he’d head straight there. I didn’t doubt for a moment he’d take me and Austin, and we’d be lucky if we ever saw freedom again.
I needed to go somewhere I’d be safe, and where I could tell the right people about Resa. No matter how pissed or hurt I was, I knew of only one place that fit both of those criteria.
By the time I reached Slade’s door, my feet were in agony, and the rest of me was chilled to the bone and half-numb, but I was here, and I was safe. Slade would help me, even if it was only because it was his job.
“Cheyenne!”
Slade opened the door only a minute or so after I knocked, and I had a few seconds to register the dark circles under his eyes, and the way his hair was standing up all over the place, and then I was in his arms.
<
br /> “Are you okay? Did that bastard hurt you? Where were you?”
“Can we close the door?” My teeth were chattering so hard I could barely speak.
“Shit! I’m sorry.” He pulled me farther inside and shut the door behind us. He led me over to the couch, grabbed a blanket from the back, and wrapped it around me. He sat next to me, his hands moving up and down my arms to create friction.
After a couple of minutes, I began to feel warm again.
“Fernando has a…brothel.” I was still shivering, but at least I could talk now. “He’s had me delivering packages there to pay off my mom’s debt.”
“Drugs.”
I nodded, unable to look at him. “I never looked inside the bags, but yeah, I’d be shocked if it was anything but drugs.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” He put a hand on my cheek, turning my head until I faced him.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, still not making eye contact. “The other night, when I called you to come over, I’d just left there. One of the guys there kept after me until my friend Resa got involved. Yesterday, I’d gone there to talk to her, but when I got to the house, I was locked in a room with Resa, who’d had the shit beaten out of her.”
His expression went dark. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Probably not the best idea,” I said, pulling the blanket closer. “But you do need to get Resa out of there. And you need to do it outside of the agency.”
“Why’s that?”
I sighed. “Because you have a mole at the DEA.” He went still, and I finally met his gaze. He needed to see that I was telling the truth. “The guy who was with you at the club that first night. I saw him at the house with Seleste, the madam, or whatever they’re called. He basically said he gets what he wants because he keeps the DEA off their backs.”
Slade sat back, a look of stunned disbelief on his face. “Neely’s working for Fernando?”
I nodded, then steeled myself. It was time to head back out into the cold. With arm and legs that still felt numb, I stood up.
“Do you need something?” Slade leaped to his feet beside me. “Sit down, I’ll get whatever it is.”
I shook my head. “I need to get home. I’ll write down the address of the brothel for you. Please make sure Resa’s okay.”
“Wait,” he said, reaching for my arm. “You need to rest. Let me call Estrada and tell her you’re okay.”
“You don’t understand,” I snapped, jerking my arm away from him. “As soon as Fernando sees that I’m gone, he’ll go after Austin.”
“I already arranged for Estrada to take Austin to a hotel,” Slade said. “As soon as Fernando told me he had you, I knew I had to make sure they were safe until I could find you. Once we get you taken care of, I’ll have Estrada bring Austin here. But we can’t have him seeing you shaken up like this.”
“I can take care of my brother,” I said, glaring at him. I shouldn’t have been annoyed that he’d done something so kind and generous. He’d made sure Austin was safe. But now that I’d told him what I needed to, my annoyance at him was returning. “I don’t know why I’m still here.”
Slade came over to me and put his hand on my cheek. I moved so he wasn’t touching me anymore.
He frowned, his hand dropping to his side. “I don’t understand. Are you angry with me?”
“Give the man a prize,” I muttered and forced myself to look at him. “I’m not an idiot, Slade. You don’t have to pretend that we had anything more than what it was. You deserve to be with someone who doesn’t have all this baggage.”
“Where is this coming from?”
I didn’t have the patience for this right now. “I saw you yesterday.”
He looked confused, but I wasn’t about to let that particularly adorable expression sidetrack me.
“You were having lunch with a pretty brunette. It’s okay. We didn’t make any sort of promises to each other–”
He laughed, his relief so obvious that I found myself waiting to hear him out. “Her name’s Lizann, and she’s been my friend since we were kids. We dated in high school but broke up when I was in boot camp. We stayed friends but fell out of touch.”
I gave him a skeptical look. “That’s a cute little bedtime story.”
He took a step toward me, his expression serious. “It’s the truth.” He dug into his pocket and handed me his phone. “I sent you a text about meeting her for lunch and another one when we were done. I swear, Chey, I’m not hiding anything from you.”
I took his phone and opened his messaging program. He hadn’t only texted me about the lunch. He’d been worried about me yesterday.
“Cheyenne, I swear to you, you’re the only person I want.”
I swallowed hard. “Slade, I–”
“I love you.”
He hadn’t said that. He couldn’t have said that. It wasn’t…I wasn’t…
“It’s all right,” he said with a smile. Not a cocky one, but an understanding one. “I don’t want you to say it back if you don’t mean it. All I ask is that you let me help you because, unless you tell me that you don’t want me, I’m not going anywhere. And even then, I’ll have your back.”
I turned my head away, rubbing my eyes to keep them from tearing up. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. I mean it, Chey. I love you.”
I didn’t doubt that he meant it. In fact, that’s what scared the shit out of me. Slade was in love with me, and I was pretty sure I was on my way there too.
Thirty-One
Slade
It was surprisingly easy to say the words, and the second time was even easier. She’d say it back one day. I was confident of that. I’d wait for her to be ready, but I planned on taking care of her either way.
“Do you want to call Estrada while I get you something to eat?”
She set my phone down on the end table. “I’m sure they’re still sleeping. Thank you for making sure they were safe when I wasn’t around.”
I nodded. I should have just let things go from there, had her sit down and rest while I took care of her, but I had to know something first.
“You believe me about Lizann, right? I don’t want you to think I’m the sort of guy who’d–”
She cut me off by grabbing the front of my shirt and pulling me down for a kiss. Her lips were still cold, but they warmed quickly as I picked her up and carried her back to my bedroom. The covers were still thrown back from when I’d gotten up a few minutes ago, and the sheets still held some of my body heat.
I set her down, stretching out over her until my body covered hers. The moment she asked me to move, I’d be up and off, but until then, I planned on warming her up in a much more personal way.
I kissed the corner of her mouth, then moved down to her jaw, her throat. Her hands slid under my shirt, and the shiver that ran through me had more to do with her touch than it did with temperature. It was like electricity dancing across my skin, something that was almost painful in its intensity.
“What do you want, Chey?” I whispered as I kissed my way across her collarbone, and then across the soft swell of her breast. Her nipple hardened under the thin fabric of that crazy dress and I lightly bit down on it, making her moan.
“You,” she said, flexing her fingers and scratching my skin. “I want you, Slade.”
I slid lower, pushing the dress up enough for me to settle between her legs. I pulled off her panties and tossed them over my shoulder. She squirmed as I licked her soft skin, smiling at the whimpers and nonsense noises that only got louder the more my tongue worked over her, twisting around her clit and inside her pussy.
She cried out my name as she came, and I pushed myself up to my knees, running my hands up and down her legs as she came down. As hard as I was, I had no plans to do anything but leave her to sleep. I hadn’t really gotten much sleep myself last night, but I had work to do. Calls to make. Former friends
to beat the shit out of.
“Now please.”
I looked down at her. “What’s that?”
She sat up, pulling the dress over her head. “I said that I wanted you, Slade. Your mouth,” she flushed, “is amazing. But I want all of you.”
“You need to sleep.”
Why in the hell was I arguing with a naked woman who wanted me to fuck her?
Right, because I loved her, and I wanted what was best for her, regardless of how much my cock was aching for her right now.
“I need you inside me,” she said, holding out a hand.
“I don’t think so.” I got off the bed and went over to my dresser. I pulled out one of my t-shirts and then turned back around to offer it to Cheyenne.
And promptly dropped it on the floor.
She was on her hands and knees, that perfect, tight ass pointed at me. Her hair hung over her shoulder, allowing me to see her whole, beautiful tattoo. Then she looked back at me.
“I guess I’ll take care of things myself then.”
I saw her reach underneath herself, fingers slipping over the pink, glistening skin–
“Hell. No.”
I crossed to the bed in two steps and gave her ass a firm crack. I would’ve felt bad about it, except she now had an expression of pure bliss on her face.
“You only get to touch yourself if I say you can.” I smacked the other side, leaving a pair of matching handprints.
“Mmm…more please.”
I spanked her again. Then again…again…again…
Her ass was red, and my palms were stinging, but she hadn’t said her safe word. In fact, she was dripping wet, and it was just too inviting to pass up.
“Fuck!” she yelped as I slapped between her legs half as hard as I had her ass, but I knew it was still enough to hurt.
“Is that what you want?” I asked as I shoved two fingers into her pussy.
She swore again, her head dropping down even as she pushed back against my hand. I twisted my fingers, working them in and out without a hint of gentleness, and leaned over her, burying my free hand in her hair. I yanked her head up, using her hair as leverage to keep still as I used my fingers to push her toward climax.