Darkest Ecstasy (26 page)

He looked at the man next to him.

They smiled.

“Isn't that convenient?” the first man said, his voice a frightening, low growl.

Stars glittered in Michelle's vision, and the air thinned. She gagged as a wave of nausea blasted through her. They gave her one last look, then slammed the door, locking her inside the cargo area.

Oh God, what were they going to do to her?

P
ain. Throbbing.

Sharp, shooting.

His head. Chest. Leg. Face.

Talen eased onto his back. Light seeped through his closed eyelids. Bright light.

Where the fuck was he?

Hospital?

Prison?

That fucking light was so intense.

He lifted one hand to shade his face. The fingers of his other one moved. They scratched into something soft, gritty.

That wasn't cotton beneath him. It was earth.

Where the hell?

Ever so carefully, he inhaled. It smelled like outside. Like wildlife. Dirt and sunshine and plants.

He fought to think, to remember. What happened? A flashback shot through his mind. A truck. He'd been in a truck. Then . . . nothing.

Had they dumped him out? Why?

Keeping his hand over his eyes, he slowly opened his eyelids.

Blue sky. White clouds. Treetops.

He rocked his head to the side. There was the road. And roughly thirty feet from the road was the truck. It had veered off, rolled down an embankment, but it hadn't flipped over. The doors were all open.

Stretching his neck, he looked around. He saw nobody. No men.

What the hell?

Moving carefully, he pushed upright. His head pounded. His stomach turned. He swallowed hard. His throat was dry, and his mouth. He ached. Muscles. Bones.

Damn. He wanted to lie back down. Close his eyes. For just a minute. One minute.

No.

Going against everything his body demanded, he climbed onto hands and knees. It hurt like hell to move. He continued, pushing up onto his feet. He staggered a couple of steps forward, a couple more. His sight narrowed. Blackness obscured his peripheral vision. He focused on the vehicle and took another step, then another. When he made it, he collapsed into the empty driver's seat.

Nobody was in the truck.

What happened?

He checked the vehicle. The key was in the ignition. He turned it, and the engine started up.

He had transportation. Where would he go?

He pulled the door shut, but left the window open for fresh air.

Where would he go?

Michelle. He had to check on her first.

Phone.

His pocket.

It wasn't there.
Damn.

He leaned back in the seat, closed his eyes. He needed to rest for a minute, and to think. His head was so fucking muddy.

“Hey, buddy. You okay?”

It was a voice. Male. Someone was speaking to him.

With difficulty he opened his eyes.

There was man, a stranger, standing next to his door, peering through the open window. White hair. Pale blue eyes. Face that had seen a lot of weather. “Are you hurt?”

“I think I'm all right.”

The old man's eyes narrowed. “You don't look all right. Maybe I should call nine-one-one.”

“No, that's okay. I just had . . . an upset stomach. I'll be fine. Thanks.”

The man's forehead furrowed, lines deepening. “Are you sure?” He raised his phone. “I have a phone right here.”

“You know what... can I borrow that?”

“Sure.” The man handed him the phone.

He dialed Michelle's number. Voice mail. He dialed Drako's number. Voice mail. He dialed Malek's number. Voice mail. Didn't anyone answer their fucking phone? Shaking his head, he handed it back to the man. “No answer. Thanks anyway.”

“You're welcome.” The man gave him a once-over. “Listen, I live right over the hill. Would you like a cup of coffee or something?”

“No, thanks. I should be going.”

The man stepped back, and Talen hit the gas. The vehicle's tires dug into the soft earth for several seconds. Finally, they caught hold and the truck lurched forward, toward the road. He pressed on the accelerator to get it up the embankment. When it was finally on the road, he eased up. He had no idea where he was or which direction he should go.

Hoping there would be a town somewhere close by, he followed the winding road through the thick forest. He'd driven no more than a couple of miles when he heard his phone's ringtone.

Heart thumping, he steered off the road, jumped out of the driver's seat, and opened the back door. It was on the floor. He scooped it up and checked the screen.

Michelle. She'd called. She was safe. Safe! But for how long?

He hit the button to call her back. It rang twice. Three times. Four. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a
click
.

“Talen.”

“Michelle. I'm okay. Don't know where I am.” Memories flooded his mind. “Are you still at your mother's place?”

“No. I'm not. I'm . . . I've been . . . they want to talk to you.”

His blood turned to ice.

“You know why we've let you go,” a voice said. It wasn't Angela's voice. It wasn't even a female.

He didn't respond. There was no need.

“We know about her
delicate condition
. Congratulations,” the prick on the phone said.

Talen's heart stopped.

“Give us what we want, or they'll both die.”

 

It took almost thirty minutes before Talen found any sign of life. He pulled into the somewhat dilapidated gas station-slash-coffee shop, killed the engine, and dialed his brother's number again.

This time Drako answered, “Talen. Tell me it hasn't gone bad.”

“It's gone bad. The pricks found out I'd come back for her.”

“Damn. Sorry.”

“Yeah.” Talen let his head fall forward. His forehead rested against the steering wheel.

“You know what we've been taught to do.”

Talen closed his eyes. “I know.” An image of Michelle's face flashed in his memory. His blood burned with rage.

“You can't do it, can you?” his brother asked.

“No. I can't. Could you?”

“No. Want some help?”

“No.” Talen's heart thumped hard. He knew what he had to do. “I want you to go on without me, as if I were . . . dead. If I don't know where you are, and I can't reach you, they won't be able to torture or drug me into helping them find you.”

“ 'Kay. If that's what you want.” Drako went silent.

Talen's hand shook as he pressed the phone tighter against his ear. Would this truly be the last time he spoke to his brothers ? Would he never see them again alive? “I love you, bro. And Malek. And Rin and Lei. You'll tell them, won't you?”

“I will.” Drako's voice wavered slightly.

“Thanks.”

“You're sure about this?”

“I owe Michelle this much. She's carrying my child. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go after her.”

“We'll be thinking about you. Especially Lei.”

Lei. His insides twisted. He would never see her again. It hurt, a lot, to realize she wouldn't be a part of his life anymore.

But it hurt even more imagining life without Michelle.

Yes, he was doing the right thing. He was sure of it.

“Love you,” he said to his oldest brother. Drako would be okay without him. He would do just fine.

“Love you, too.”

The call ended.

Talen took a moment to compose himself. It was hard to breathe, difficult to think. He needed a little time. Once he was sure he could concentrate, he dialed Michelle's number.

The bastard he'd talked to earlier answered on the first ring, “I knew you would make the right decision.”

 

“We're not letting him do this alone,” Drako announced as he slammed his phone down. “No fucking way.” They were at a diner in some godforsaken town in the middle of nowhere. Exactly where they didn't need to be.

Malek leaned forward, looked left, right. “I didn't think you'd go for that,” he whispered. “What's the plan?”

Drako glanced over his shoulder. The girls were in the bathroom, getting cleaned up. They would be back any minute. “I don't have a plan yet. We need to find out where they're holding Michelle. If Talen genuinely loves her, which I have no doubt, he'll discover his gift. Whatever it is, hopefully it, along with ours, will be enough to get us all out of danger.”

Malek sighed. He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I'm so tired of this shit.”

“Me too.” That was no understatement. After what they'd been through this past year, he would do anything to live a normal life. And to give his wife a better life.

Their waitress came over to take their order. Drako ordered a burger and fries for himself, a salad for his wife. Malek ordered for himself and his wife.

When the waitress left to get their drinks, Malek said, “Too bad your plan to go on the offensive and knock them all out for good didn't work.”

“There's too many of them.” Drako checked for the girls again. Still no sign of them. Telling Rin what they were up to was going to be tough. He wanted to wait until they were alone. In private. “We're just going to have to be smarter. Move farther.”

“Or . . .” Malek's eyes met his. “We could destroy it.”

“No. We can't.” Didn't he wish it could be that simple?

“Why not?” Malek challenged. “What the hell are we keeping the goddamn thing for anyway? If it'll cause the total destruction of our culture, our economy, our government, why not get rid of it? We won't be forced to live like this anymore.”

Drako leaned closer and lowered his voice even more. “For one thing, they won't believe it's actually destroyed.”

“What if we do it in front of them?” Malek suggested.

“They still would probably think it's a replica.”

“There's got to be a way.” Malek jammed his fingers through his hair again. “I'm so fucking tired of running, hiding, living in the shadows.”

“Me too, Malek.”

“And Lei . . .” Malek blinked several times. He was trying to hide his emotions. He wasn't succeeding. “I don't want to divorce her.”

“You don't have to. No matter what.”

“If we can't save Talen and Michelle, then that leaves you and Rin to have all three Gryffons. Who's to say she'll be able to have three boys?” He stopped short when Drako jumped to his feet. “What are you doing?”

Drako poked the buttons on his phone. “Getting ready to find Talen.”

“You don't have a plan yet.”

“No, I don't. I'm hoping something will come to me on the road. Go, tell your wife good-bye. We'll leave the girls here and take your car. I'm going to grab The Secret. We're taking it with us.”

H
ow long had it been? How long had she sat in this sterile effing room? Hours. Days. Weeks?

It had been tedious. But it could have been worse. When Michelle had first been abducted, she had been terrified. She'd feared being raped, beaten up, killed. None of those things had happened. Although she was relieved, every time her door's lock disengaged, her heart would start racing again.

Most of the time it had been someone delivering a meal.

Not this time.

“You must be relieved,” Angela said as she sauntered into the room. “Talen has decided your life is worth something.”

“I never doubted him.” Standing by the window, Michelle sent her captor some serious squinty-eyes. Michelle had never despised anyone like she did this woman. Since bringing Michelle here, she'd proven to be inhumanely cruel. Sadistic.

“No, you wouldn't doubt him.” Scowling, Angela brushed some nonexistent dirt off Michelle's bed and sat, crossing her knee. “You believe in the good in people. Me, I learned a long time ago that people always think about themselves first.” She picked at her manicured fingernail. “As it turns out, Talen needs you. There's no other reason why he's coming for you. If he didn't need you, he wouldn't bother. He'd find another willing woman to carry his offspring.” Snarling, she spat, “Breeder. That's what you are. His breed mare.”

Michelle didn't bother responding to that insult. There was no point. She'd learned that by now. Angela was just being cruel for cruelty's sake. Giving her the benefit of a reaction only encouraged her.

Michelle just hoped she could continue to stay strong. Angela's words did sting, some more than others.

“Anyway, your breakfast will be here in a few minutes. Wouldn't want that little monster inside of you to die from lack of nutrition.”

Monster. She'd called her baby a monster.

Michelle placed her hand on her stomach.

Angela leaned forward, one elbow on her knee. Her gaze jumped from Michelle's stomach to her face. “You don't know, do you?”

Whatever it was, Michelle didn't want to hear it.

A tray slid through the small opening at the bottom of the door. Breakfast. Ignoring Angela's taunt, Michelle picked up her tray and went to the tiny table bolted to the opposite wall.

Angela followed her. The bitch. “Did you hear me, Michelle?”

Michelle locked her gaze on her tray. If only she could swing it at that bitch's face. If only. But what good would that do? She would still be locked in this room. Still be at the bitch's mercy. Still be forced to sit around and wait for Talen to show up and be captured and killed.

Her insides revolted. She wasn't so hungry anymore.

“You win. I've had enough,” Michelle muttered as she jerked around and scurried toward the window again. The view outside was blocked by a board. But a sliver of light cut between the outside wall and the ugly piece of wood. It was the only way she could tell what time of day it was. The light disappeared for hours when the sun went down and then it would reappear. As time crept by, the shaft's angle would change. “Just leave me alone.”

Angela sat at the table and sniffed at Michelle's food, something that resembled eggs, along with some cold, stale toast and soggy fruit. “God, this slop is awful. You poor thing. Forced to eat something my dog wouldn't touch. And having that...
thing
. . . inside you. It's all those years of exposure. It's messed up their DNA. I know you hear me.” Angela stood, swayed over to her. “You don't want to ignore what I'm telling you.”

“Why should I believe a word you say? All you've done is lie and terrorize me.”

“Oh, I suppose you're right. I have been a bit of a bitch. So sorry.” She made something of an attempt at appearing apologetic. “It's working with all the assholes in this place. A girl has to be tough around here or she's walked all over. If I hadn't learned to be a bitch, I would still be sitting in that little fucking office, working that useless, meaningless, worthless job, collecting a measly paycheck and wondering when my life would turn around.”

Michelle couldn't help it. She snapped, “Is it worth it, Angela? Where's the glory?”

“Of course it's going to be worth it. I didn't lie to you when I said I crave stability. With this job, I'll never need for anything.”

“Then I'm glad for you.”

“You're so fucking sweet. Rather, that's what you want me to think, don't you?” Smiling, Angela shook her head and plucked up a strand of Michelle's hair. Studying it, Angela ran her thumb over it. “The sweet-girl act doesn't work with me, beautiful. But that's beside the point. When we're done with this whole thing, you should get to a doctor pronto. That
thing
you're carrying isn't normal.” Her gaze dropped to Michelle's stomach again. “You will probably want to get an abortion.”

An abortion. No. Never.

“Thanks for the advice,” Michelle said, pushing past Angela. Trapped. She was so fucking trapped. Rage was pounding through her now. But she couldn't let it out. Screaming, yelling, threatening, all encouraged Angela, made things worse. She had to remain silent. Quiet and calm.

“You're welcome. See? I'm not always a bitch,” Angela said to her back.

Right.

“Well, I suppose I should get back to work.” Hips swaying, Angela strolled to the door. She didn't leave without adding, “You're skeptical. I get it. But you won't be for long. Wait until he gets here, your . . . whatever you want to call him. Fiancé. Baby's father. Lover. You'll see what I mean. Then nobody will have to drag you to the doctor. You'll be so scared, you won't be able to get that thing out of you soon enough.” She knocked, and the lock rattled. The door swung open. She stepped out and it closed with a resounding echo.

And as that reverberating sound vibrated through Michelle's body, she shuddered and silently prayed that the monster story was another lie.

 

Nicky's Family Diner. Quaint little place.

The perfect place to meet the enemy.

Talen pushed through the front door, and the bell over his head tinkled. A long counter stretched in front of him. Customers sat on every stool, consuming plates of burgers and fries and sandwiches. He checked all the patrons at the counter. No Angela. But probably several Chimera.

Inhaling the scents of grilled beef and deep fried chicken, he looked left, at the booths spaced evenly along the front wall. No Angela in sight. A ponytailed waitress wearing a T-shirt that said “Eat at Nicky's,” a pair of shorts, and a black apron scurried past him, scribbling on her order pad. Chimera? Probably not.

He looked right.

There. She was seated at the farthest table, her back to him.

His senses alert, he loped down the narrow passageway to the booth and sat across from her.

“Good afternoon.” Angela beamed. “It's been too long. You look great. How have you been?”

Humoring her, he said, “I've been better.”

She pushed a basket of fries toward him. “Care for a French fry?”

This fake friendly act was making him nauseous. “No thanks.”

She poked a fry into her mouth, chewed. “Do you have it?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes narrowed. “This is almost too easy.”

“Not to me.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You have no idea how hard it was to get it away from my brothers. But I love Michelle. I don't want to risk her life. She doesn't deserve any of this.”

Angela mirrored him, leaning closer. “Where is it? Do you have it with you?”

“I hid it nearby, in a safe place,” he lied. “I want to see Michelle first.”

Angela's faux smile broadened. “Don't trust me?”

“No.”

She ate another fry. “That's unfortunate. Because you won't see her until I have what I want.”

Of course she wasn't going to make this easy. He hadn't expected her to, though he'd hoped she might be so blinded by greed that she'd make a mistake or two. He was going to have to think his way through this and move very carefully.

She dug in her bag, sitting beside her on the bench, pulled her cell phone out, and placed it on the table, next to her basket of fries. “With just one phone call, Talen, I could either end Michelle's life or set her free.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and set his in front of him. “And with one call, I could have The Secret destroyed.”

Something flickered in Angela's eyes. “You wouldn't. Not after all of these years of protecting it. Decades. Generations.”

Wouldn't he like to?

“I know all about the Black Gryffons,” Angela said, plucking another fry from the basket. “You fools. It's all about honor and duty. But look what honor and duty has gotten you.”

She wasn't entirely wrong. In fact, he somewhat agreed with her. There were aspects of his life that sucked. Having to move all the time, always aware that they could be discovered at any moment, being pressured to marry and produce children who would end up shouldering the same burden.

If he'd been the eldest, he probably would have destroyed that damn thing. At the first opportunity. He would have set his brothers free of this shitty obligation. But that call hadn't been his to make. And he respected Drako enough to trust his judgment.

Her brow slanted. “You don't have it, do you?” She was calling his bluff.

Dammit.

The truth was, he didn't have it, his brothers did. Not only didn't he want to give it to her, he couldn't. Once he'd severed ties with Drako, he'd lost all ability to contact him. He'd hoped he would be able to convince her to let him see Michelle on the promise of delivery.

“I do. I have it,” he lied.

“Then you'll bring it to me.” She made a shooing motion. “I don't know why you bothered to show up empty-handed. I should hold it against you. But I won't.” She stood, circled the end of the table, and sat next to him. “There's some real chemistry between us. That makes it a little challenging to be too tough on you.” She dragged an index finger up the center of his chest. It stopped just below the hollow of his throat and she moved closer, closer. “Don't underestimate me, Talen. I wouldn't think twice about killing that pathetic woman. She's nothing to me. Absolutely nothing.” Laughing softly, she shifted back to study him. “Ah, don't like my threat, do you? Do something about it. Bring me what I want.”

Fuck, it was hard keeping his head straight. All he wanted to do was snap this bitch's neck in two. “How do I know you have her?”

“Really?” She laughed. The sound was hollow, her expression humorless. “You doubt me? Come. I'll prove it to you.” She poked at her phone, then lifted it toward him. “Look familiar?”

On the screen was a video of Michelle. She was lying on some kind of bed in a room with white-tiled walls. She was so still. Was she sleeping? Drugged?

“Aw, isn't that sweet. You look so worried,” Angela cooed. “Your little breeder is fine . . . for now. We've taken good care of her for you. Fed her well. Provided medical care. But my hospitality won't be so convivial if you don't cooperate.”

His blood was ice. Pure hatred lanced through him like a dagger. This was the third time he'd had to deal with the Chimera. The first couple of times he'd realized they were evil. To the core. But Angela was by far the worst. “She could be anywhere, in another state, another country. How do I know you have her under your direct care nearby? The Chimera is a large organization.”

“She's nearby. You'll just have to trust me on that. As far as whether I have her in my custody”—she made a call on speakerphone—“wake the woman. Have her face the camera.”

Seconds later, he watched a man enter the white room and shake Michelle awake. He pointed at the camera, and she lifted her face to it.

Angela made a second call. “Now tell her to speak, to plead with Talen to cooperate.”

He watched as Michelle gritted her teeth and glared at the screen. She had some fight in her. He adored that. “I won't beg. Screw that,” she snapped.

Oh, how he adored her. His heart twisted.

“How do I know you'll release her if I give you The Secret?” he asked.

Angela considered his question for a handful of seconds as she munched on another fry. “I suppose you don't know that. But you can be assured that she will die if you don't bring me what I want.”

That he was willing to believe.

He was in one hell of a spot. He didn't know where Michelle was being kept. He didn't have access to her. Nor did he have access to The Secret.

His only hope lay in the fact that hardly anyone knew what The Secret actually looked like. He would need to find something that could pass for a very old relic. Where the hell would he find that?

Angela stood, grabbed her purse. “Call me. I'll give you two hours.”

Two hours.

One hundred twenty minutes.

He had only two hours to find something that would pass for a five-thousand-year-old relic. No pressure there.