UnWanted (Unlucky Series, #2) Read online

  “Lovely,” Dani said, and folded her hands behind her head.

  “Only, of course, David wanted more. He wanted to be taken care of, to be led. He wanted me to make all the decisions.” Katie shrugged and leaned over. “One day, I found a pile of old comic books someone had thrown out. They were comics set in ancient Rome.” Katie laughed. “One of them went on and on about Romans taking prisoners from lands they conquered and making them slaves.”

  Katie paused for so long, Dani assumed she was finished. She took a breath to speak, but Katie jumped back in like she’d never paused.

  “There was one picture in there...” Her voice took on a far-off quality. “I just... I can still see it. It was a picture of a warrior, a captured one. He was stripped to a loin cloth, I suppose they couldn’t actually do naked because it was a comic book, but the way it was done you could tell, you know? He wore a collar and chains. I showed it to David.” Katie laughed. “I should have showed it to him while he was sitting down, I suppose. I saw him get hard, in his pants. He stared at it so long and got so hard, I gave him the picture. Then I asked him if he wanted to try it. Turned out, your little brother is quite the little subby-boy—”

  “Katie, stop. I don’t need to know this. I don’t want to know. You’re sitting here blaming the wrong person. All this... it was my father’s fault. Not David’s. Not mine. And certainly not Luke’s.”

  “Oh, no. No. No. You don’t understand at all.” Katie wagged her finger at Dani, the way you would scold a puppy for peeing on the floor. “See, when we went to tennis camp, I was bragging on David. He had a great body and he was anxious to please me. I was so proud of him. I snuck him out one night and paraded him through our cabin. On a leash. Naked.”

  “Katie!”

  “Oh, don’t be shocked. I was fourteen, he was sixteen. He wanted it. Dani, he loved it. To this day, I have never seen someone so turned on like that.”

  Dani closed her eyes. She really didn’t want that image. She opened them again, mildly traumatized, and vowed to never close her eyes again. “Someone else saw you,” Dani stated, focusing on the details that were easier to manage.

  Katie nodded. “Yeah. Ronald Stemple. He hates your family more than I do. See, David and I didn’t... have sex. No one in the cabin was allowed to touch him; he just liked being shown off. But Ronald had this habit of peeking through the windows in the girls’ cabins. He had a little camera he’d take with him.”

  Dani rolled her eyes. Of course, he did. She wondered if he’d been tipped off or if she were really getting that paranoid.

  “He tried to blackmail your brother, but I took care of that.”

  “Wait.” Dani turned as best she could, twisting to see Katie better. “Stemple... I know that name...”

  “There was a big charity event for them not long after,” Katie supplied, “Markland raised almost fifty- grand.”

  Dani blinked. “For what?”

  “For the expenses that the insurance company didn’t cover, silly.” Katie clucked, and waved her hand like the details didn’t matter. “There was a big deductible in their fire insurance.”

  “You burned down their house?”

  “Oh, please.” Katie’s foot nudged Dani in the sore area under her rib. “You didn’t even remember them, so don’t play like it matters to you now. Anyway, the evidence was destroyed, and Ronald managed to get out in time, so no harm done!”

  Dani groaned, and shook her head.

  “But then David had to open his mouth. He went running to your daddy just because he got scared. I would never hurt him! The rope marks on Ronald scared him, but that was different! He didn’t need to go running off like that.”

  There was another long pause before Katie spoke up again. “I didn’t go away to boarding school,” she whispered, “not at first. I spent a year in a hospital. Only it wasn’t a nice place, you know? Because of your brother, I ended up locked away! I didn’t do anything! I just gave him what he wanted; I covered for him when someone tried to hurt him, and what do I get out of it? My family locked me away and tried to forget about me!”

  I can’t even... it’s no wonder... “Katie, I’m...” Dani ended the sentence with a “humph” because Katie kicked her. Hard.

  “If you’re sorry, I don’t care. If you’re not, you should be!” she snapped. “I’m done with my life hinging on your family! I am done with your family, and if you think for one moment that David’s little meat didn’t swell when I said that he was mine to play with, you weren’t watching.”

  “That’s my brother you’re talking about!” Dani cried from the floor.

  Katie bounced to her feet and stepped over the trussed-up Dani. “Whatever.” She waved her hand, dismissing the entire topic. “I just thought you should know. Don’t you hate it when the villains in books and movies just go on forever in the middle of the battle to explain everything? It so ruins the tension of the moment. So, since you’re getting married tomorrow, I thought you should know all the details. You know. Before the end.” She smiled and stretched, her smile satisfied and somewhat... predatory? “Anyway, I should get back. Benny-ben gets all needy without me.” She smiled, and opened the door. “I suppose you have to untie her, huh?” she asked the guard. “That’s a shame. I like boys better, but she’s kinda cute.”

  Dani’s eyes opened wide in horror as that particular thought kicked in.

  No. Way. In. Hell.

  The guard knelt beside Dani. “I’ll cut you free if you promise to be nice about it. Or I can leave you tied. Your choice.”

  Dani lifted her head and looked at him. His face was swelling around his eye socket. Dani suppressed a laugh. “Yeah, I really am sorry about that.” She turned a barked laugh into a cough. “Really.”

  The man stood and walked out, leaving her trussed on the floor.

  It was an hour before someone came and finally set her free. By then, all she wanted was to rest. And that was why she was working out. Because Katie was a monster, David was... it was an image she didn’t want and couldn’t get rid of. And because Luke... no telling how Luke was right now. She’d seen the dogpile. He had to be hurting.

  The catch in her side eased up enough for her stretch again.

  That meant it was time for push-ups.

  EXCEPT FOR A FEW BRUISED ribs and the split lip, Luke was pretty sure he wasn’t doing too badly. Okay, well, that and it hurt to breathe. He studied the split on his fist where the goon’s chin had taken the punch. Or maybe it was his tooth. Luke wasn’t exactly sure. It could probably use a stitch or two. Otherwise, he was fine. Mostly.

  Of course, the dresser he landed on when they bodily threw him in the room was going to require some work. That, though, had been a foolish move on their part. They’d given him a weapon now, lots of pointy shattered boards which would hurt like blazes the next time someone came in there. Only it had been a few hours now, and he was starting to think he wasn’t loved anymore; no one had so much as come near his door since they’d bounced him.

  Still, he kept the best piece handy as he attempted for the forty-third time to circle the room. Pacing helped, even if walking was vastly overrated. Eventually he was limping too much for even that, and half crawled, half stumbled to the bed. Oh, yeah, that was better. Somewhat. He rolled over onto the mattress and tried to straighten. His ribs advised against it, so he lay in the fetal position to wait for the pain to hit.

  He was no stranger to the process. During an adrenaline rush pain was often reduced, usually suppressed for up to hours afterwards. Taking a hit while in a fight always hurt worse when the fight was over, and you had time to truly appreciate the broken nose, or black eye. In this case, they did try to leave him picture-perfect for the big day so, other than the split lip, his face had been pretty much left alone. It was the places it wouldn’t show that really hurt. In truth, the busted lip was mostly due to him hitting the floor—it was as much his fault as theirs.

  The only consolation he had was that he’d given as g
ood as he’d gotten. At least he hoped so. He damn well hoped so. He hated to think they’d gotten into that little melee for no purpose whatsoever.

  He wondered if they’d had the guts to beat on Dani after they had taken her prisoner. He hadn’t been able to see her very well as they’d said goodnight. But then they’d been hung up and tied at the time. He suspected they’d gone easier on her. At least she hadn’t seemed overtly bloodied and bruised when they’d hauled her away. He supposed it was a bit sexist of them, but here at least he would bow to old-world thinking. It killed him to think of someone hurting her. And he hoped like hell she’d done as much damage to them, if not more than what he’d been able to see before they’d rushed him out. From the look of it, she’d disported herself amazingly well. But then he’d never doubted for a minute that she had the capability. She only needed to be mad enough.

  And she’d been absolutely furious.

  He’d lain there for less than fifteen minutes when his bladder announced that it was taking over and it didn’t care where he was, or what shape he was in. He pulled himself to his feet, complaining and promising himself he would exact revenge on everyone he’d met since he’d taken this assignment, and that included Randy.

  That was when he discovered the blood in the urine.

  It wasn’t the first time. Usually it meant that he’d taken a shot that had busted something free inside. But it healed, it always did. Oddly, his crotch didn’t exactly hurt, so it wasn’t direct damage to his honeymoon.

  He was able to make it back to the mattress and collapse. This time, he was able to walk, if bent over, so that was progress. It also meant falling into bed from a much higher altitude, and he clutched the extra pillow to hold against his stomach.

  There isn’t going to be much of a honeymoon. It’ll be a miracle if Dani and I live to see the farce through. Once her father shows up it’ll all be over, the most public execution in mob history. Benny would gather together all the greats and near-greats and parade that poor fool in front of them all and BANG!

  The only real worry was Dani. Though it might have been safe to say that David was at greater risk where Katie was concerned, Luke was fast reaching the point where he just didn’t care. The man was insane. Sure, he had reasons, even sociopathic homicidal maniacs had their “reasons”, but nuts is nuts. David was nuts.

  And Luke wasn’t in love with David.

  It keeps coming down to that. Love. He tried to berate himself, to make himself stop loving her. It did no good to be in love with a woman like her. She was too wrapped up in her family to see anything else. And even if she did, she’d never trust any man with her heart. She’d never be able to give him what he needed.

  Only he was starting to revise the list of what it was he thought he needed. Maybe it wasn’t the suburban housewife with 2.3 kids and a minivan with stick figures on the back window. Maybe the kind of woman he needed in his life had a rather precise kick. Who would show you that amazing flash of leg and then put your lights out before you were even aware her foot had left the floor. And then there was the perfectly executed punch that she’d thrown. No holding back there. She’d broken that guy’s nose on the first hit, and had him down out cold in the follow-through. That was sheer poetry. He could only imagine her precision with small arms, and got hard just thinking about what she could probably do with a knife.

  Watching her was like watching a deadly ballet. She was a precise dancer who broke bones and shattered teeth in her pirouettes.

  Damn, she was beautiful. No, she’d never be a soccer mom, but as a lover she was intense. Each time they were together was as much battle as lovemaking. He remembered how she’d pinned him, how she’d fought him, and then how she’d melted in his arms. Such highly toned muscles. Such deadly precision. Making love to her was like... like that old story of riding a tiger. You’re probably safe if you don’t let go. Safer.

  The hell with whatever dreams of suburban bliss and 401Ks that he’d been entertaining ever since his friends had started to marry and settle down. There was more to life than stability. And if he ever got out of this... well, they’d find something else. Something that wasn’t budgets and scheduled dates. They could be...

  They could be dead.

  He sighed and closed his eyes, his forearm over his eyes to keep the glare from the window from killing him. His head hurt, and they’d never given him so much as an aspirin.

  Dani was... she would be all right. She’d gone down fighting, just the same as he had. They may not have taken the cheap shots on her like they did with him, being the boss’ niece and a pretty girl at that, but he wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s hand “accidently” slipped as they dragged her upstairs.

  If that were the case they would be easy to spot, for once they got through this Dani would turn around and cut those hands off.

  Strange, really. Despite everything, I still think there’s a happy ending where I get Dani and we both get away with our lives intact. I really am convinced that we will triumph, somehow. Though Randy riding to my rescue on a white charger isn’t in the works. Hell, right now, I’d be the damsel in distress, so long as it gets me and her out of this. And then we’ll see. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll have... well, something together at any rate. Whatever it turns out to be.

  They only needed to get out.

  But there were no knights riding to the rescue. And Randy certainly wasn’t coming, in a Dodge Charger or otherwise; he’d made that clear. And what in the hell was up with that fixation on the guest list? Giving the DA time to organize paperwork was bullshit. Was that why Luke hadn’t left the stick with him? Something made him feel off about that, something prevented him, but he couldn’t place his finger on it at the time.

  He remembered talking to him about it, surprised that he’d gotten word so quickly from the underground. It wasn’t unreasonable, really. A good rumor only takes a moment to cross the globe; hearing that didn’t leave an impression.

  It was something else. Something... he lay there and worried at it, trying to rerun the complete conversation. In the darkening night, he lay and tried to remember everything.

  Talking about rumors and Beyoncé... it was in there somewhere. How was he supposed to focus when he hurt like hell and Dani was so far away?

  You focus because you have to. Because if you want the girl, you have to be alive to save her. Or, knowing her, alive to be saved by her. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time.

  So think. What did Randy say?

  The room was dark before he figured it out.

  Luke bolted upright.

  “I’m deeply invested, have been for years.”

  YEARS?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Two Days Later...

  Luke stood by the preacher, in the front of a chapel. Behind him, a couple hundred wedding guests filled the pews. As he stared at the man in the black cassock, he spared a moment to wonder if it actually was a preacher or some hired thug in a black dress. Not that the ceremony would be legal regardless. He highly doubted that whatever certificates Benny had forged would hold up in court.

  If they lived that long.

  The priest stared back at him, eyes cool and disinterested. He was being paid for this job, and had little interest in doing anything but carrying out the task and then getting out. Luke wondered how much money it had taken from Benny for the man to compromise whatever principles he’d still held. How much had it cost to rent the hundred-year-old church, complete with stained-glassed windows and high, arched ceilings that seemed to go on forever?

  Luke thought about asking for help. Letting the preacher know that he was here against his will. But the obvious guns trained on him had likely already clued the man in. He would be as much help as the dust motes that he was apparently studying.

  “Well, buddy, it won’t be long now.”

  Luke’s comment had absolutely no effect on his best man. David was standing beside him, eyes glazed, jaw slack, and his focus outdid that of the prie
sts, looking for all the world like he was staring down a dust mote in a different county.

  At first, Luke was angry they’d drugged his best man. But then it slowly dawned on him that David probably hadn’t been drugged so much as allowed access to his stash. Thinking back on it, it made a whole lot of sense. David was a stoner. How he hadn’t seen it before, he had no idea. But the erratic behavior going from Mr. Cool to babbling idiot, the way he attacked Luke for that twice-be-damned USB stick—all indicated a kind of mania that was either severe mental illness or something of more chemical means.

  So Dani’s little brother is an addict. She’s going to freak when she finds out.

  Luke nearly laughed out loud. Like anything would come as a shocker now.

  At the moment David was all but drooling, so Luke left him alone. Besides, there were other, more important things to process. He’d been led in by Jimmy after the guests had been seated, as was appropriate. Now he was waiting through some interminable wheezing dirge played on the massive pipe organ that lived in the balcony. Jimmy had taken his place beside David; an armed usher determined to make this a shotgun wedding. No one seemed to mind that his presence there wasn’t exactly traditional.

  Men he recognized from his confinement in the house lined the walls of the chapel, one under each stained-glass window. They made no attempt to be anything other than what they were. Sure, they wore dark suits, but the heavy weaponry held at the ready made for an odd picture as they stood beneath the assembled saints and martyrs.

  Luke had no doubt they were posted at the exits as well.

  How exactly do they figure on Dani’s father getting into this place anyway?

  Luke shook his head, and turned to survey the crowd. That so many had showed up was beyond staggering. He recognized several faces from the FBI’s Most Wanted posters. A few he could have sworn were dead. The rest was a who’s who of the up and coming of the mafia elite. There were very few women in the audience, leaving Luke to re-assess Benny’s position. Anyone who could command a list of people like this to suddenly show up for a wedding had more power than he’d thought. That people had shown up without girlfriends and wives was telling, though. No one quite trusted Benny. More than one guest was likely armed to the teeth. In fact, it was quite likely that there was enough combined firepower in the room to take over a small country.