Tainted Read online

  Sawyer nodded, finally becoming warm. “They sent me here because the other women were too badly hurt.” She paused before continuing, “I’ve never seen the women who are in the other room before, but I’m sure they’re like the others and have no choice. They drugged me before Rick showed up to bring me here.”

  Sawyer’s fuzzy mind finally began to connect the dots; her eyes darkened in fear as she carefully studied the two men. She leaped off the chair, knocking Alec down, trying to reach the door, however, an arm around her waist caught her, bringing her back against his hard body. Her back pressed against his chest as she struggled against his firm hold.

  “Settle down. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re trying to help you,” Kaden said, placing her back in the chair.

  “Then call the police!” Sawyer yelled at them.

  “All right.” Alec pulled out his phone, preparing to make the call, when the bedroom door slammed open and a man with wild eyes came rushing into the room.

  “There she is. She needs to go. Redman started freaking out when he didn’t see her. He’s here to pick her and the other women up. He’s pulled a gun on Ax.” Alec ran from the room, leaving the others behind.

  “Lock the door,” Kaden ordered as he followed closely behind Alec.

  Sawyer jumped up, frantically looking for a phone. Seeing one on the nightstand by the bed, she ran to it and lifted the receiver. The man who had come in warning Kaden and Alec, jerked it away, ripping the cord out of the wall.

  “You’re not calling the press. The whole reason I hired you sluts was so that they wouldn’t become involved.”

  “Are you crazy?” Sawyer screamed at him. “I was calling the police.” She saw the man pale as he pushed her toward the doorway.

  “You’re not calling anyone until I find out what’s going on here. If anyone is going to call the cops, it’s going to be me.” He dragged her struggling body down the hallway toward the large room everyone was gathered in, facing Redman. He came to an abrupt stop when he saw what was going on in the tension-filled room.

  Sawyer didn’t have to tell the man he had fucked up. It was obvious when they entered to find Rick standing with a gun to a man’s head and two other men standing in the doorway with guns pointed at the group of people standing there.

  “It’s about fucking time, Sawyer. We were waiting on you.” Rick gave her his smarmy smile, which made Sawyer’s weak stomach want to throw up the small amount of ginger ale she had drunk. “Let’s go.” He motioned for the women, who all moved toward Rick.

  “These women aren’t going anywhere with you, Redman. I’ve already told you that.”

  “You don’t have a choice, Kaden. These are my bitches to do with as I want. Now move before I lose what patience I have left, and you have to audition for a new guitarist.”

  Sawyer weakly braced her hand on the wall beside her, afraid she was going to pass out.

  “Put the guns away. You’re not going to shoot. We both know that there are cameras all over the hotel.” Kaden kept talking to Rick as if he wasn’t frightened for his friend, while Sawyer just wanted to run screaming from the evil man.

  “I’ll be long gone, and you and all your buddies will be dead.” Rick shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ll have to disappear, and it sure as shit won’t be the last.” Rick gave a grin that had her blood turning cold. He was telling them this wouldn’t be the first time he had killed, and his casual shrug left no doubt he was telling the truth.

  “There is no need to go to these extremes. We can come to an agreement that will make us both happy,” Kaden countered, immediately getting Rick’s attention.

  “Like what?”

  “You want to make money off these women? Then sell them to me,” Kaden said.

  Sawyer couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. Was he just trying to pacify Rick so that the guns would be put away or was he serious?

  Rick’s greedy eyes went over the five women trembling in terror and withdrawal from the drugs that had been pumped into them. “Four hundred thousand.”

  “Deal. We’ll transfer the money into your account first thing in the morning.” Kaden didn’t haggle over the price of the abused women.

  “I’m afraid I can’t take your word for it, Kaden.” Turning, Rick shoved the man he was holding at gunpoint to the two men standing in the doorway. They took him, disappearing. Kaden took a step toward the now empty doorway.

  “Back off. He’ll be fine for a day until I get my money in the morning. I’ll even feed him breakfast before I bring him back.” Rick’s mocking voice had Sawyer cringing.

  What had she ever seen in the man—other than his good looks—that had drawn her attention while she was waitressing in an upscale restaurant? He had charmed her into giving him her address and going out on a date after just a few meetings. She felt as if he had somehow tainted her by even having been briefly acquainted with him.

  “I don’t suppose I have to tell you that our transaction should remain private? Any of these bitches open their mouths to the cops, my boss won’t be happy.”

  “I’ll make sure no one opens their mouth,” Kaden replied to his threat.

  “You do that. That money you’ll be placing in my account will make sure I have enough to disappear on. My boss won’t be happy to move his operation, but you’ll be the one left to deal with him.” Rick pointed the gun toward Sawyer. “Let’s go.”

  Sawyer’s full bladder almost emptied on her as the gun turned toward her.

  Kaden moved to stand in front of the gun pointed at her. “She’s not going anywhere. She’s part of the deal.” Kaden’s angry voice gave Sawyer hope.

  “No. My life wouldn’t be worth shit if I come back without her. The boss has plans for her.”

  “What plans?” Kaden didn’t move, blocking Sawyer from Rick’s sight.

  “How the fuck do I know? He doesn’t exactly tell me his business. Move it, Sawyer.”

  “If she’s not for sale, how about a rental?” Kaden bargained.

  Rick’s avarice made him pause.

  “How about one hundred thousand a month until I return her?” Sawyer couldn’t believe the sum of money Kaden was discussing as if it was nothing. Even the man that had dragged her from the bedroom tried to interrupt.

  “Kaden—”

  “Shut up, R.J.,” he snapped, and surprisingly the man didn’t argue.

  “Now that might be a deal my boss could live with.” Taking a cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed a number while keeping the gun trained on the occupants of the room.

  Sawyer looked around the expensive hotel room, seeing two other men who were sitting tensely on the couch. Both seemed more angry than scared. Sawyer could only shake her head at their stupidity. They still didn’t grasp who they were dealing with, thinking that their money was going to buy them out of this situation. It would, but only temporarily. Besides, it remained to be seen if it was even going to save her butt.

  Her attention was brought back to Rick when he disconnected the call. “It’s your lucky day, Kaden. My boss is in a good mood with the money I made him today.” The gun was now pointed in Sawyer’s direction. “He said to give you a message, Sawyer.” Taking a step to the side, Rick made sure she had a clear view of him and the gun. “He said that if you had any thought about running or calling the police that Vida would be your replacement.”

  Fear struck her heart. “Don’t you dare touch Vida.” Sawyer moved toward him, but Kaden caught her by the waist, pulling her against his side.

  “Then keep your fucking mouth closed. I will personally break in that sweet thing if you don’t.” The gleam in his eyes said he was already thinking about the damage he would inflict on her friend.

  Sawyer began crying; she couldn’t hold it back any longer. The fear that her friend, who was more like a sister, could be hurt because of her mistake was more than she could handle.

  “As for you, bitches, I know you will keep your mouths closed because y
ou know what will happen if he becomes angry.” The frightened women all shook their heads. They were just as frightened as she was, Sawyer thought. Plus they had been on the drugs longer, and now it would be leaving their bodies in a state of painful withdrawals.

  “Good, I’m glad we understand each other.” Turning toward the door, he gave his parting threat. “I’ll be waiting on my money, Kaden.” He was gone several seconds before Alec rushed out the door, his cell phone in his hand.

  “It’s all right; he’s gone.” Kaden’s reassuring voice had Sawyer trying to stop her hysterical tears. When she didn’t stop, Kaden lifted her up and carried her back into the bathroom, located in the bedroom they had come from.

  Turning on the water, he wet a cloth and handed it to her. After several minutes, she managed to get herself under control. Leaning against the sink, her head lowered as she tried to think of what to do next.

  “Do you need to use the bathroom?” His husky voice drew her back to the present.

  “Yes, thanks.”

  He went out the door, closing it behind him. It was that infinitesimal action that had her finally realizing that she was safe.

  Sawyer came out of the bathroom thinking that she was never going to take that privilege for granted again. If her mother were still alive, she would point out that the danger she had been in was her own fault, and how it could have been prevented if she had been smart enough not to trust anyone.

  Her mother had always been afraid every time Sawyer had left home, whether it was to go to school or outside to play. You have to be careful, she would tell her over and over. She could just hear her saying I told you so in her mind.

  Sawyer went back into the other room, and heard one of the men talking to Kaden.

  “What in the hell are we going to do with them?”

  “Sin, give me a minute to think,” Kaden snapped.

  “This is going to blow up all over the tabloids,” the one Kaden had called R.J. said, pacing the room.

  “Shut up, R.J. This is all your fucking fault,” Alec said, taking the phone away from his mouth long enough to make the statement before turning his back to the room and continuing his conversation.

  The group of women she had been brought in with were huddled together on one of the couches, watching the men anxiously, waiting to see what the men were going to do. None of them took the incentive to save themselves. Sawyer was sure it had been beaten out of them.

  Fuck that. Sawyer knew exactly what she was going to do.

  “Give me a phone,” Sawyer said, walking further into the room.

  Everyone turned to her.

  “Who are you going to call?” Kaden and R.J. both spoke at the same time.

  “The police,” Sawyer stated, holding out her hand.

  “Did you not hear what he said?” one of the men said as he rose from the couch. “He has Ax.”

  “Sin,” Kaden warned before turning to look directly at her. “What’s your name?”

  “Sawyer,” she supplied her name reluctantly. “Sawyer Bennett.”

  “Sawyer, before we call anyone, we’re going to figure out our best options for everyone’s safety.”

  “Our only option is to call the police,” she protested.

  “Do you think your friend, Vida, would agree?” At his words, Sawyer remained silent. She needed a phone to call Vida to warn her to hide. “I need to call her to warn her.”

  Kaden pulled a phone out of his pocket. “What’s her number?”

  Sawyer’s mouth dropped open. Deciding it was better to call Vida first then argue with Kaden and the others later, she gave him the number. He let it ring several minutes before disconnecting the call.

  “She didn’t answer,” Kaden said unnecessarily.

  Sawyer’s mind went into panic mode for her friend’s safety. She started for the door only to be stopped by Kaden and Alec, who hurriedly finished his conversation.

  “Listen to me, Sawyer,” Alec started.

  “G—g—get out of m—my way!” Sawyer screamed, trying to get by the two men preventing her from leaving. When the dark haired man named Sin and the other men in the room also moved to block her path, she knew it was useless. “I can’t believe that you’re stopping me from getting help,” Sawyer said in frustration. “Your friend is in danger, too. Don’t you care?”

  “Yes. That’s why we need to decide what to do before we make a move. Rushing and calling the police might get him killed,” Kaden tried to reason with her, but it was his next words that had her actually listening.

  “It wasn’t the police who found you, Sawyer. It was me, and the fact that Alec was smart enough to realize something wasn’t right. Do you think that your disappearance was reported to the police? Did they come in rushing to save you? No. We are trying to protect them,” he pointed to the women huddled on the couch, “as well as you. We’re concerned for our friend’s safety as you are for Vida’s. We have resources that would be effective if you would just listen and give us an opportunity to get situated.”

  Kaden’s hard voice brought her to the decision that she would listen for now, then find a way to call for help later. She would let them think she was giving in if it would give her time to get away.

  “I’ve called in my security team, which would have already been here if R.J. hadn’t held them up downstairs in the lobby.”

  “They had to be checked out,” R.J. said stubbornly.

  “You dumb fuck, if you hadn’t done that, they would have been up here before Redman and his men showed up.” Alec took a deep breath. “A couple of my men were on the police force, another is a computer expert, and three of them are special ops. My team is able to deal with Redman and get Ax back, but I can’t keep getting diverted by you and the others.” He looked at Kaden.

  “Do what you have to do. I trust your judgment,” Kaden told Alec.

  “How am I not surprised?” Sawyer said sarcastically. “The p—problem is for some reason you guys are more concerned with keeping this quiet than getting p—professional help. Who are you anyway?” Sawyer studied the men in the room, not recognizing any of them. She didn’t think they were sports figures. The men in the room looked fit and muscular, but they weren’t wide or tall enough for basketball or football players.

  The man sitting on the couch, who up to this point had remained silent, looked at her as if she were an alien. “We’re Mouth2Mouth. Haven’t you heard of us?” He pointed to Kaden. “That’s Kaden Cross.”

  Sawyer searched her memory and could find no memory of the group or of Kaden’s name. That wasn’t unusual; her mother hadn’t let her listen to music while she was growing up, and even after she had finished high school, her mother had guilt tripped her into remaining home until she had been murdered one day coming home from work.

  “I’m D-mon.” He pointed to the dark haired man leaning against the wall. “That’s Sin. R.J. is our tour manager. Ax was the one Redman took.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of you. I’m not into music much.” Sawyer could tell her lack of recognition didn’t hurt their egos when they were all studying her as if she would suddenly recognize them.

  She saw Kaden’s mouth twitch in amusement at her last sentence. All the room stared at her in dismay. Even the other women looked at her in pity. She and Vida lived a quiet life; neither of them had been into partying. Vida spent all her free time studying, while her own time had been spent working to support her friend so she could finish her degree.

  The door opened, and men began pouring into the room. Sawyer took a step back before she realized that these were the extra security that Alec had been talking about. He talked with them and Kaden while she took a seat on one of the empty chairs.

  Her stomach grumbled and the women turned to stare at her. Blushing, she crossed her arms over her stomach, hoping to silence the embarrassing noise.

  Kaden was watching her, and at her revealing movement, he turned his attention to Sin.

  “Call and have so
me food and drinks sent up here.” Sin nodded, catching the cell phone that Kaden tossed toward him. The men talked for what seemed like forever to her tense nerves, but Sawyer reminded herself to be patient. She already had decided to ask who brought up the food for help.

  Her plans were derailed when one of Alec’s men went to the door, wheeling in the trolley filled with food himself, leaving the server outside in the hallway.

  As the women and men descended on the food cart, Sawyer’s stomach lurched at the aroma coming from it, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat while she was so worried about Vida and wanting to call for help.

  Finally, when the men finished talking, Alec and his security team left with grim faces.

  Sawyer watched as Kaden walked over to the food cart where he placed several sandwiches on a plate and grabbed a bottled water before walking over, handing it to her.

  “Eat,” he ordered. She started to argue with him, but her grumbling stomach refused to cooperate. Embarrassed, she reached out and took the plate from his hand.

  “So what have you and Alec decided?” Sawyer asked, before taking a bite of the thick sandwich.

  Kaden sat down on the chair facing hers.

  “Alec is going to find a safe place for the women to stay. Two of Alec’s security detail that used to be on the police force are going to get in touch with their ex-bosses and bring them in quietly so as not to alarm Redman and whoever his boss is. We’re going to hang tight until we hear back from Alec.”

  “In other words, you’re not going to do a damn thing. None of this wait-and-see attitude is going to prevent them from going after my friend.” Sawyer had to force herself to take another bite. His words making her appetite dwindle.

  “Alec is tracing the number you dialed and is going to keep trying it. If we don’t get in touch with her soon, then we’ll send one of our men to where she is to get her out of town.”

  Sawyer ate the sandwich, enjoying the taste despite herself. The thick sandwich was filled with a flavorful meat that had her reaching for another one. After she finished it and drank half her bottled water, she sat, debating her next move.