Make Me, Sir

He flipped the phone open. One message. He almost listened, then forced himself to return to the others before punching Play.

“Z.” Gabrielle’s voice. Hoarse. Strained.

“Silence!” he snapped at the others. He set it on speaker and turned the volume up.

“He got us-me and Jessica. Taser and drugs. We’re in a big van-cargo-sized. A boat is picking us up at the Clearwater Docks, downtown, in about two hours.” Zachary heard a whisper. Jessica’s voice saying something about tattoos. His heart thumped hard enough to hurt. She was alive.

Gabi’s message continued, “Two men. They call each other Cesar and Jang. Jang has gang tattoos covering his arms. Don’t call this number back. It’s their phone.”

Silence.

Galen was already on the phone, barking orders. Vance had his cell out but paused to look at Marcus and Z. “Most women would be in hysterics. Those two are keeping it together. Thinking. Give me a brat any day.” He handed Zachary a slip of paper with a number scrawled on it. “Forward the message to this number for a sound analysis. I doubt we’ll get anything useful, but we’ll try.”

Zachary nodded.

Marcus tapped his fingers on the table for a second. Then he glanced at Zachary and lowered his voice. “I’m not waiting for them to say I can’t help. I’m leaving now.”

Zachary checked the agents, occupied with their planning. “I’ll drive.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Chuffing mufflers, whining motors, the screech of brakes. A car horn. Gabi knew they’d reached the city. The van slowed, sped up, slowed, jarring the cuffs on her wrists, making them burn. More blood trickled down her arm.

Jang stepped into the cargo section, leaving the door open. Holding a rag and a roll of duct tape, he walked over to her.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. They were in the city, people around. Probably going too fast for anyone to hear them. Still… Don’t miss a chance. We’ll die anyway. She screamed as loud as she could, and Jessica joined her a second later.

He backhanded Gabi. Her head snapped back, her cheek flaring with pain.

Then he kicked Jessica in the stomach. Her groan made him laugh before he turned back to Gabi.

“Watch the merchandise, asshole,” Cesar yelled.

Her face on fire with pain, Gabi struggled, jamming her shoulder against him, trying to knock him away. Jang seized her jaw and forced her mouth open. He stuffed a filthy rag in. Despite her attempts to head butt him, he got several strips of duct tape across her face, muffling her completely. When he stood up, she managed to twist far and fast enough to kick his knee. He shouted and staggered back.

With a filthy curse, he evaded her feet and slapped her hard to the floor. Her head struck, a hammer blow reverberating in her brain.

His boot caught her in the ribs. A firebomb of pain burst through her. She retched and choked, unable to inhale.

“If you puke with a gag on, you’ll die, bitch.” He watched for a second, grinning, then cuffed her hands behind her back.

Too dizzy to sit up, Gabi lay on her side, lungs heaving for air. Don’t throw up. She could only breathe though her nose. I’m suffocating… Stars filled her vision. Slow breath. Slow breath. More stars wheeled in the black sky. Helpless.

Jang had moved to Jessica, but Gabi couldn’t help. She heard a thud and a high cry of pain, then footsteps. Gabi lay still, heart rate easing as she drew air in. Carefully. Don’t panic.

A few minutes later, the van pulled to a halt, and the engine stopped.

“The boat here?” Jang asked.

“They haven’t called yet. The storm probably slowed them down. At least the rain will cut down the number of people on the docks.”

We’re at the docks. Once on a boat, there’d be no escape. God. Gabi’s fear rose until she strangled with it, but she pushed it away. If she panicked, she’d die. Think, stupid. Could she get to her feet?

“Box the redhead first,” Cesar said.

“No fucking ankle cuffs, remember?”

“Hell.” Cesar narrowed his eyes and stared a second. “Use duct tape and the chain. Hogtie them.”

“Got it.” Jang turned to Gabi. Too nauseated to fight back, she lay still as he did a couple of turns of duct tape around her ankles. He used the chain to secure her feet close to the handcuffs. “Done.”

She tried to wiggle, tried to move, and had to force panic down again. Jessica met her gaze, and she gave Gabi a sharp nod. Not giving up yet. Neither would Gabi.

“One little trip left, chickies, and then you can scream yourselves blue,” Cesar said from the driver’s seat.

You bastard.

“We gonna have some time before the boat shows?” Jang asked.

“You think your dick’s going to work by then?” Cesar gave a nasty laugh.

Jang touched his crotch gingerly and growled something foul.

Please let his cock stay limp. She stared at his crotch. As long as she was wishing, let it rot and fall off too. Please.

Cesar stepped into the cargo area, sliding a pistol into one overall pocket. He pulled the washing machine labels off the sides of the box, leaving only THIS SIDE UP markings. “Let’s get her loaded.”

He grabbed Gabi under the shoulders, Jang grabbed under her thighs, and they hefted her up. They lowered her most of the way into the box, then dropped her the last couple of feet, knocking the air out of her. Lights danced in her vision until she managed a breath.

“Tape it shut?” Jang asked, leering down at her, lips pulled back to show yellowing teeth.

I’m so glad I kicked your balls into your throat.

“Slap on a couple of strips to keep the top closed. I don’t want to fuck around with peeling tape off between loads.”

The flaps shut, leaving her in darkness. Her heart hammered, and blood pounded in her veins so loudly she barely heard Jang apply the tape to the top.

“Fucking shitheads, if they got delayed, they should have called.” Cesar’s voice came faintly through the box.

Take your time, boat. Gabi arched backward until her spine felt as if it would snap, and managed to touch the duct tape wrapped around her ankles. She inched a finger along the tape, swearing silently. The chain holding her wrists to her ankles had rolled much of the tape over, rendering it untearable. Dammit. I only need an inch or two-and a little time.

A cell phone rang. “Yeah.” Cesar’s voice. “Got it. Be right there.”

“They’re here?”

“Tying up now,” Cesar said, satisfaction thick in his voice.

Boots thumped into the cargo area, and Gabi heard the rattle as the back of the van slid up.

“Get the ramp. I’ll take her and tell them I got an extra,” Cesar said. “Have Blondie ready to go for when I get back.”

Dammit. Gabi wanted to groan-she’d just found an uncurled area of the duct tape. She ripped at it.

The box tilted, dislodging her grip. They’d put it onto the hand trolley, Gabi realized. She frantically tried again as things scraped on the box-straps securing it. The floor of the box came up, sliding her sideways, as the trolly thumped down the ramp. She heard a metallic rattle as someone pulled the van door down.