Breaking Her Rules(23)

Throat tight, all Wyatt could do was nod and stride from the room and away from the prying ears of strangers. Vincent stayed close as they brushed past the others and hurried back toward the elevators. “No police,” Wyatt murmured. That wasn’t even a question for him, but he wanted to make sure Vincent knew where he stood clearly.

Next to him Vincent snorted. “No shit. I’m bringing Harrison in on this though. We’re bringing our girl home alive, man.”

Iris was his, but he’d never been so thankful for her job and the people she worked with. If anyone could help him, it was the people from Red Stone. Time wasn’t on their side and he wouldn’t waste one precious second. He wasn’t stupid enough to go alone, but he knew he had to be careful if he wanted to see Iris alive again.

And he would save her. When he did, whoever had taken her would wish they’d never been born.





Chapter 14



Iris tried to force her eyes open, struggling to force off the sandbags weighing them down. She was disoriented and…fuzzy. Where the hell was she? At Wyatt’s? A memory danced at the edges of her brain, but she couldn’t grasp it. She’d been in the cafeteria trying to scrounge up food for her and the guys while waiting for Wyatt. But it had been empty so she’d found a vending machine. There had been an old man asking for help. He’d needed change or something. Then… she couldn’t remember anything after that. Why was everything a giant blank?

Inhaling, she scented mustiness in the air. It was tinged with salt so maybe she was near the ocean. And that dripping sound seemed over-pronounced, as if it was echoing. Like water falling on concrete. She managed to force her eyes open to slits and that’s when it registered that her feet were cold. In fact, she was completely chilled to the bone. Struggling to blink away the sluggishness that had overtaken her, she saw that her shirt had been removed—but she still wore a bra. An iciness that had nothing to do with the temperature settled over her as she instinctively went to cover up.

That’s when she saw the flex-cuffs securing her wrists tightly to an uncomfortable metal chair. She couldn’t see her legs, but as she attempted to move them, there was no give. Adrenaline punched through her like a bolt of lightning but the bindings were unforgiving. As more of her surroundings came into focus she glanced around the matchbox-sized room, trying to find a weakness. A tiny, barred window in the far corner showed a peek at a midnight sky, but the walls were thick slab. No plaster or fiberboard, which would have given her an out if her hands and feet weren’t bound.

At the sound of keys jangling and the lock twisting, her gut clenched. Her hands balled into fists as she prepared for the worst. There was no reason to take a woman’s clothes other than the horrible scenarios that played over and over in her mind like a bad horror movie. The only thing she could do was try to send her mind somewhere else if she couldn’t fight back. In SERE school she’d been taught a hell of a lot, including ways to maim or kill someone trying to attack her from this position. Yeah, whoever had taken her might assault her, but if they got close enough she’d rip out their jugular with her teeth if she could manage. Hands and feet weren’t the only weapon.

Fuck that, no matter what happened she would survive. She could survive anything if it brought her back to Wyatt.

Oh God, where was Wyatt? She prayed he hadn’t been hurt too. If she could just remember what had happened to her.

A masked man walked in carrying her long-sleeved T-shirt. He reached into his pocket and she instinctively flinched, but didn’t turn away. Maybe he was just going to kill her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the man muttered. “But if you try to escape, I’ll put a bullet in your head and I won’t lose any sleep.”

Iris recognized that voice. She tried to figure out from where, but her thoughts were so muddled.

“Where…am I?” Though it was difficult to force words out, she slurred them worse than she felt, hoping to play up the effect of whatever drugs this guy had given her.

“Doesn’t matter.”

He moved around behind her, his feet shuffling against the floor. When she felt his hand on her left arm, her head snapped around. Under normal circumstances she would have sensed him about to touch her, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Before she could guess what he intended, he quickly and expertly cut the restraints on her wrists and ankles.

“You can put this back on.” He dropped her shirt into her lap and crossed his arms over his chest.

With the mask, it was difficult to tell much about him, but she knew he was Caucasian, had familiar blue eyes, and likely had dark hair, if his eyebrows were any indication. And that damn voice…God, why wouldn’t her brain work?

“Get dressed,” he ground out when she didn’t move.

Her fingers fumbled as she tugged the long-sleeved T-shirt over her head, the cold and the drugs making her clumsy. “Are you planning to rape me?” The question was automatic and while he could lie to her, she was pretty sure she could read his expression. Monsters like that got a gleeful look in their eyes when excited.

His blue eyes widened in disgust before he cleared his throat. “No. None of this is about you.”

Then why had she been restrained only God knew where and why had someone taken her shirt? And where was Wyatt? “What is it about then?” As she spoke, she felt a bit more normal, if tired. Her words weren’t as slurred and her surroundings seemed clearer.

“Money.”

In her experience, nothing was ever that simple, but she kept her mouth shut. Mainly because she didn’t trust her voice. Just talking had taken enough effort.

He grabbed her elbow in an unforgiving grip and yanked her to her feet. “Come on.”

Despite what he’d said, panic settled deep in her core as different scenarios ran through her head. He’d said he wasn’t going to rape her, but what if there were others with him? She still had no clue what was going on or why she’d been taken. Though she could guess it had something to do with Wyatt. Maybe the guy was serious about money being a motivation. But then why try to kill Wyatt multiple times? No…there had to be more. “Where…are you taking…me?” She intentionally stumbled over her words.

“Somewhere more comfortable.” His voice was monotone, but she got a flash of some seriously white teeth. Like the guy was on a toothpaste commercial. Maybe he had veneers or… It was Zac Thorton. She recognized those freakishly white teeth from the night they’d had Sato arrested.

Iris’s heart pounded out of control, but she couldn’t afford to let him know that she knew who he was. He was wearing a mask after all, which might mean he didn’t intend to kill her.

Even though all her instincts told her to lash out and attack, it was hard enough to walk. And she knew he had at least two weapons on him. He still held the knife and she could see the outline of a gun under his shirt. It was tucked into his pants. He hadn’t been bluffing about shooting her.

She’d end up shot or stabbed if she tried to fight now. No, better to wait and strike when the time was right. She was silent as they entered a drab, concrete hallway. She tried to get a feel for where they might be, but there were no windows.

The concrete floor beneath her bare feet was dirty, making her cringe as they walked. After turning down another hallway, Thorton abruptly stopped in front of the first door. “In here.”

When he opened the door, she stared in surprise. The room was almost bare, with a simple mattress in the corner, but it wasn’t the dungeon-like conditions she’d expected. Not that it eased her anxiety much. She still had no idea what to expect from him and she hated that she didn’t know where Wyatt was—or how she’d ended up here.

“I told you I’m not hurting you. Once your husband pays, you’ll be free to go.”

Husband? So Thorton knew that she and Wyatt were married. It wasn’t exactly a secret, but still…he would definitely use this against Wyatt. She didn’t respond and he continued.

“Someone will be standing guard at all times. If you need to use the restroom, there’s one right through there.” He pointed to a door on the opposite side of the small room.

He shut the door before she could respond, but she didn’t buy that ‘someone’ would be guarding her other than Thorton himself. Why hadn’t she seen anyone else so far? If he had a strong force of men backing him, he’d be showing it off to her for the pure fear factor.

Trying not to be too obvious, she drank in her surroundings, searching for a camera. Considering there was only a mattress in the room, any electronic devices would have stood out. The tiny, dingy bathroom with no mirror was more of the same. God, what the hell was this place? Probably an abandoned…something. Warehouse or apartment building? She couldn’t figure it out.

Her mind began working overtime. She turned the faucet handle of the small white sink and splashed cold water on her face. The sensation was wonderful, the iciness a slap to her face. Just what she needed right now. Oh so slowly, a plan began to form. It wasn’t a great plan, but if this * wasn’t going to bind her hands, she was going to take advantage.