Orson rips my purse from my hands so quickly, I stumble and crash into him. “You won’t need that anymore.” He shoves me at Rudy, and the shorter man grabs my arms hard enough I cry out.
“Everythin’ okay here?” The breathless, Texas twang surprises Rudy, and he shifts me behind him. “I’m talkin’ to the pretty little gal in the purple, dickface. Not you.”
“I-I’m fine,” I say. “Twisted my ankle. Rudy caught me.”
Raelynn jams one hand on her hip and marches right up to the man. “Rudy, huh?” Popping an earbud from her ear, she glares up at him. Dressed in a pair of neon pink spandex pants and a University of Utah running shirt, she looks like any other student out for a run. This time of night, she can even pass for mid-twenties. “And what about you, sugar?” She trails a finger down Orson’s chest. “Big strong men bein’ so sweet to a gal with a bad ankle are men I think I should know. Too few of y’all in this town.”
“That’s Orson,” I volunteer. “Thanks for…uh…checking on me. I’m fine. Really.”
“And we have to get her home,” Rudy says. “Now.”
“Well, if y’all are good, I still got ten miles on my run, so…” Raelynn glances down at her sneakers, then huffs. “Well, will you look at that. Laces everywhere. Excuse me for two shakes. Gotta make sure I don’t fall on my face.”
After several long moments with Rudy’s hand around my bicep and Orson crowding so close to me, all I can smell is the disgusting mix of his cologne and body odor, Raelynn pops back up. “Trainin’ for a marathon next month. Middle of the night is the best time to run.”
The men don’t say a word. She shrugs and gives me a little wave. “Breakfast is gonna taste so good in two hours. See ya’ around, sugar.”
And then she’s off.
Two hours.
She got what she needed. Or Ripper did.
Rudy shoves me into the back seat of the car. My hands skid on the leather. Before I can sit up, he’s right there, his hand on my neck. “Boss says, ‘Welcome home.’”
Thick fingers dig into the soft part of my shoulder. White hot agony consumes my entire body. I try to scream. The sound is nothing but a choked whimper. And then it stops.
Rudy jerks me upright. “Try anything, and I can make it a hundred times worse.”
Behind the wheel, Orson chuckles. “Enjoy your last car ride, bitch. You’ll be sorry for what happened to Brix, Matteo, and Tommy.”
“Don’t forget Preston,” Rudy says. His grip on my arm tightens. “He owed me two grand. Boss says I can collect when he’s done with you.”
I risk a quick glance at him and immediately regret it. I’m going to die. But not before they destroy me.
21
Hope
The outer gate lumbers open, and two armed men stand just inside. Orson pulls out his phone and taps the screen half a dozen times before the guards move out of the way.
The semi-darkness of the garage ratchets up my anxiety another thousand notches. How much faster can my heart beat before it gives out? Rex stands at the door to the courtyard, arms crossed over his chest.
He and Brix were close. Only two years apart.
Rudy drags me out of the car, then shoves me at Rex. “Make sure there’s still enough of her left for me to play with when you and the boss are done.”
“Welcome home, princess.” He twists my arm behind my back, trapping me against him. “I hope your little trip was worth what comes next.”
His free hand gropes my ass, and my stomach flips. No. I can’t let him touch me like that. I won’t.
I bring my knee up as hard as I can, right into his balls. Rex doubles over with a groan. Running away won’t do me any good. Not with Orson and Rudy right behind me. So I side-step Rex and race into the courtyard.
If I’m going to face Simon, I’m doing it on my terms. Or at least on my feet.
He’s waiting in the formal living room. Along with four armed men I don’t know. The head of the Salt Lake City brothel, Kyle, stands right behind him.
Rex is right on my heels. Before I can say a word, he kicks the back of my left knee, and I go down.
