Hot Secrets (Tall, Dark & Deadly #1)(56)

Sharon walked up the steps of the gazebo, a slim heater hanging from the ceiling and down to almost the floor, sending Lauren in pursuit a bit more eagerly. Lauren rushed to the glowing device and held her hands above it. A second later, someone grabbed her from behind and she blacked out.

***

Twenty minutes after Lauren left the table Royce was talking football with Mark when he saw Julie nearby and stopped mid-sentence. Lauren wasn’t with her.

“Give me a minute, Mark,” he said, pushing to his feet and going to Julie’s side. “Where’s Lauren?”

“I don’t know. I thought she was with you. Is something wrong?”

“She went to the bathroom and was supposed to be finding you. I need you to”

“I’m going,” she said, heading for the bathroom without another word. Royce fell into step with her, his adrenaline pumping, telling himself to stay calm. She was okay.

“Has her father arrived?”

“If he has I haven’t seen him,” she said, as they rounded the corner to the bathroom. “But maybe that’s because they are off talking. She’d been avoiding him.” She pushed the bathroom door open and went inside.

Royce’s cell phone rang and he yanked it off his belt to see Blake in the Caller ID. He answered and Blake immediately said, ”Is Lauren with you?”

“No, I can’t find her.”

“Front door,” Blake said. “Now.”

“She’s not here,” Julie said, rushing out of the bathroom.

Royce turned away from her, charging for the door, and barely keeping himself from running. He was in front of the building in a minute flat and the van was waiting.

The side door opened. “Get in,” Blake said and Royce didn’t ask questions.

Royce was inside and the van moving before the door was even shut, Luke taking off like a bat out of hell. He rotated on his heels to find the computer panel on the wall lit up with a tracking program, a dot beeping.

“That’s Lauren,” Blake said. “That chip you put in her watch wasn’t working. I found the problem. Now it’s working. Luke has the feed up front, too.”

Royce inhaled a calming breath, and letting it out. “What else do we know?”

“Not a damn thing.”

“Exiting towards the Bronx,” Luke shouted.

Royce headed to the front with Luke, willing the van to move quicker, and cursing the traffic that had them at a dead stop… afraid Lauren would be dead before he got to her.





Chapter TwentyTwo





Lauren woke to a throbbing in her head and neck, lost in a fog she couldn’t seem to escape.

“I don’t understand why I’m here,” a female said. “I’m not supposed to be involved. You said I wouldn’t have to be involved. And what’s the camera for?

“Better to see with, sweetheart.”

The voices played in her head, her mind starting to process. Sharon. The female was Sharon. She tried to move and couldn’t, panic overtaking her. Lauren jerked her head up and tugged on her arms to find her hands tied behind her back, behind the rails of a wooden chair.

Her gaze traveled frantically over a warehouse of some sort, and landed on the two people talking, their backs to her. Sharon and… Oh God. Wilkins, dressed in army fatigues with at least one gun and one knife attached to his hip. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.

“Well, look who’s awake,” he said, turning to face her. “This would be no fun if you weren’t fully present.”

“I don’t need to see this,” Sharon said. “I don’t. I need to get out of here. Take me out of here before you do it.”

“It?” Lauren said. “What is it?”

“You’re a smart person,” he said, walking to her and squatting down beside her. “I’m pretty sure you can figure it out.” He brushed his gloved fingers over her cheek and Lauren tried to pull away, pretty sure the gloves were a bad sign for her future. He laughed, as if her resistance amused him. “Pretty little thing, you are. I think Mama here hates you for that as much as she does anything else. We bonded over hating you that day I paid your father a visit. A romp in the sack later, a few bucks in my bank, and I got paid into scaring you into that plea. She’s hot in the sack, a f*cking wildcat your old fogie father can’t keep up with.”

“Shut up, Jonathan,” she growled behind him. “Just shut up.”

He flicked a look over his shoulder. “Who’s she going to tell?” His eyes fixed on Lauren. “She’s a wicked witch. I knew you wouldn’t leave the DA, and you sure as hell wouldn’t marry your stepbrother. That’s some twisted shit.” He pulled his gun and slid it to her chin.

“Please, don’t do this,” Lauren said, her voice shaking, her entire body shaking. “Please.”

“We were always going to end up right here, with you and me,” he said. “I knew that the day I visited your office.” He pushed to his feet, walked to a video camera and adjusted it.

“Do you really think my father will run for office after I’m murdered?” Lauren demanded.

“I’ll convince him he has to make the world a better place, in your honor, you little bitch,” she snapped. “And he’ll win with the sympathy vote. You will give me the White House from the grave. I’ll finally get something for putting up with you all these years.”