Worthy: The Pretty Must Die Complete Volume, page 23
She hung her head, hiding her emotions behind her veil of hair. “My apologies. Please let me choose my own clothing until I deem myself worthy to wear white.” She bit her bottom lip to keep the nausea at bay. He wouldn’t kill her, that she knew, at least not yet. But, he could make her life unbearable in his quest to break her.
“There is a meeting of my followers right after breakfast.” Draco spread his napkin in his lap. “I am excited to introduce you to them.”
“I am pleased to finally meet them.” Every single, misled, murdering one.
“With your beauty, I’m sure there is no one who has wronged you, no one you desire to be punished, but you will be there as support to me. To show the others that we are a united front.”
She knew of one who had wronged her, and he sat across from her. “Won’t they resent me because of my looks?”
Draco grinned. “They are aware that you are as beautiful inside as out.”
If he only knew the darkness that stained her heart. She leaned back as a servant placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. Her stomach rumbled. Dare she eat it? What if the cook had drugged the food? She waved the plate away. “I’ll fix my own plates from now on.”
“You are trying my patience, Cassidy,” Draco said, scowling. “But, I will indulge your fancy. One day, you will trust me.”
She doubted that. She followed the servant into the large modern kitchen and dished up her own food. The time for submissiveness was done. The avenger was here. All she needed now was a way to rid the world of a maniac.
~
Colin traced the scar on his forehead with his finger. The doctor had assured him it would fade in time. The area of his forearm where he’d been skinned would not fare as well. It would serve as a constant reminder of the man who took Cassidy.
He splashed water on his face and grabbed a nearby towel. For six weeks they’d seen neither Draco or Cassidy. Ingram, the FBI agent in charge, said there was nothing to worry about. That Cassidy was perfectly safe.
How was that possible? How could anyone be safe with a mad man?
He dressed for work and patted Rosie’s head. “Let’s go, girl.”
After Colin’s dismissal from the hospital, he’d retrieved the German Shepherd from the family Cassidy had watching her. The dog was the closest thing he had to Cassidy. And, as she had with her owner, Rosie now went everywhere with Colin.
When they entered the small Clear Springs police department, Colin headed for his office. As chief, he usually had a stack of emails. After a week in the hospital, the messages had piled up. He’d just gotten to the bottom of the things that needed his attention.
He booted up his computer and sat back as Ingram entered. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Ingram sat in the leather chair on the other side of his desk. “Still nothing on Russell Blake or Detective Monroe. But, they’re bound to show themselves eventually.”
Colin would be ready. He’d like nothing more than to watch Blake bleed out in the street in full view of his so-called followers. “I take Rosie out to the woods every evening for a run. She hasn’t sensed anything either. No bodies, no Cassidy, no killer.”
“Agents Smith and Miller have searched the web for snuff videos and come up empty there, too. Blake has gone into hiding with his prize.”
Colin nodded, knowing the man would surface. Last time, it had taken him six months. “We’ll catch him.” They would. Then, Colin would never let Cassidy leave him again. Twice was enough.
“I’ll spend the day on the web. I know of places your agents don’t.” Colin crossed his arms. “Anything else happening?”
Ingram shook his head. “Clear Springs is the quiet little town it’s supposed to be. Boring.” He grinned. “But that’s a very good thing for the citizens.” He stood. “I’ll let you know if we find anything.”
Colin nodded. They wouldn’t find a trace. Not until Blake surfaced again. Please, God, let it be soon.
Every time he saw a red-haired woman on the street, he ran to her only to find out it wasn’t Cassidy. Every dark-haired man in an expensive suit or leather jacket had him reaching for his gun. He needed to find Blake before he lost his mind.
After searching the internet for hours, he concluded that Ingram was right. There’d been no more killings. No spottings of leather jackets embroidered with a dragon. Draco and his minions had vanished.
Inactivity caused his worries to grow to the point he welcomed the call of a domestic dispute in the seedier side of town. “Come, Rosie.” He shouldered his weapon and told the receptionist he’d answer the call himself.
“Alone?” She frowned.
“I can handle it.” He held the door open, letting Rosie bound out before him.
Seconds later, he’d placed the siren on top of his car and sped toward the other side of town. Neighbors had gathered in front of a rusty mobile home. Shouts drifted through the windows.
Colin ordered Rosie to stay in the car, then loudly announced his presence. The trailer door swung open to reveal a skinny, scantily dressed woman who had clearly imbibed too much beer that early in the morning. “You called about a dispute?”
“No.” She propped the door open with her hip. “One of those nosey neighbors did. There’s nothing going on here that needs the cops.”
“Are you sure? It sounded like quite the argument going on in there.” Colin peered around her.
A large man reclined on the sofa. “We’re good. That no-good broad won’t fix me breakfast.”
The woman whirled. “Fix it yourself! I’m not your slave.”
Colin rubbed his chin. Nothing here that warranted his attention. “Try to keep it down, would you?”
“What kind of accent is that?” The woman gave him a sloppy grin. “It’s sexy.”
“Scottish.” He jumped from the small stoop and headed back to his car. Seeing that no one was going to be dragged away in handcuffs, the neighbors dispersed. Except for one elderly woman leaning on a cane.
Colin stared at her for a moment, then closed his car door and approached her. “May I help you?”
“I saw you on the news. You’re looking for that Dragon fella, right?”
Colin’s nerves tingled. “You’ve seen him?”
“No, but I seen someone wearing one of them jackets you mentioned.”
“Where?”
“That drugstore on the corner. Word is…the pharmacist there sells anything a person could want, legal or not. But you didn’t hear it from me.” She turned and shuffled away.
Grateful for a lead, even a small one, Colin called to Rosie, who leaped through the car’s open window and followed him across the street. A bell jingled as he opened the door.
“Don’t open for ten more minutes.” A young man in a white pharmacist jacket stood behind the counter.
“Police.” Colin flashed his badge. “I have a witness who said she saw a man in a jacket with a dragon on the back of it come in here a few days ago.”
“Yeah, he was here.”
“Buying what?”
“Prescription.”
“Really?” Colin raised his eyebrows. “Don’t make me arrest you for something I’m not really here for.”
“Fine.” The man sighed. “He wanted something that would make a person cooperate. He bought Scopolamine.”
“For motion sickness?”
“Unless you have a reaction to it.” The pharmacist grinned. “Then you can get hallucinations. Great stuff. It’s also called Devil’s Breath by some. Basically, they’re like a zombie, except without the face eating part. You can blow this stuff in a person’s face even and they’ll do whatever you tell them to.”
2
“The meeting isn’t here at the house?” Cassidy stared at the black Mercedes in the garage.
“Of course not.” Draco pressed a button on his car fob to open the doors. “I don’t want anyone knowing where I live. Including you. Put this on.” He handed her a black cloth bag.
That’s what she got for taking her medicine like a good girl. She got into the front passenger seat and pulled the bag over her head, digging her sharp pinkie nail into the fabric. It wasn’t much, but maybe she could pinpoint some landmarks through the tiny hole.
They drove down a road lined with thick trees. Having the bag over her head made her nauseous as the road twisted and turned on its way down. Depending on how long it took to get to Clear Springs, she reasoned they were on Chief’s Head. The closest mountain to town.
Draco turned onto another road and continued to the Highway. Yes, they were headed toward Clear Springs…the seedier side.
“I was thinking, Russell, that—”
“I’ve told you to call me Father.”
She groaned inwardly. “Father…I was thinking of how to make you more powerful.”
“I’m listening.”
“You’re primary goal is to make those who have wronged others suffer, correct? Killing them ends everything.” Oh, God, have him listen to her. “Why not hit them where it most hurts? Their finances?”
Draco sat silent for so long, Cassidy turned her head to peer at him through the tiny hole. He stared straight ahead, jaw clenched.
“I should have known killing would not be something a heart as pure as yours would rejoice in. I agree to try your way.”
Relief flooded through her so strong and sweet it brought tears to her eyes. She could watch him, pretend to be with him, and spare lives in the process.
They pulled in front of a warehouse. Several vehicles sat out front.
Draco turned off the engine and whipped the cover from Cassidy’s head. “I will introduce you and your idea this morning. You will not speak. You will only stand next to me in a unified front. Understand?”
She nodded.
He led her through a small side door and into a large room where ten people sat. Except for two very large men in black suits. Body guards? They all stood when Draco entered.
Motioning for Cassidy to stand next to him, he took up his place in front of a polished wooden podium. Gripping the sides with both hands, he grinned. “You may be seated. Today, is a special day. My daughter has agreed to join our ranks.”
“But, she’s beautiful!” One man shouted, his face darkening. “She’s the type we try to get rid of.”
“She is rare. She is beautiful. She is kind. She is my princess, and you shall address her as such.” Draco speared the man with a sharp gaze. “I have also come to the realization that there are other ways, more fitting than death, to make our enemies pay.”
“So, your daughter has made you soft.”
Cassidy wanted to tell the four hundred pound man to shut up. His pock marked face turned down in a scowl. His words caused a flush to rise up Draco’s neck.
“One more outburst, Mr. Ross, and there will be consequences. I understand you are new to our group, but we do things with decorum here.”
“She’s a cop!”
Draco sighed and motioned to one of the men in black. The man stepped forward and before Cassidy couldn’t register what was happening, slit the fat man’s throat.
“No!” She reached out as the man toppled from his chair, his hands grabbing at his throat.
“I’m sorry, dear, but I must have control and respect here.” He turned his attention to the other nine. “Any other doubters here?”
As if one body, they all shook their head.
“Wonderful! You have all been trusty servants. Today’s assignment is to write down the name of your enemy, even if you have already done so, and next to that name, you will list what would make them suffer the most. Remember…no killing.”
That was fine for him to say. Cassidy stared at the now still form of Mr. Ross.
The bodyguards took the man by his feet and dragged him away, leaving a trail of blood on their way. It had happened so fast. There’d been no way for her to stop it.
“Don’t worry, dear. I understand your feelings, but there are things I must do to keep control.”
“I cannot condone or understand killing someone in cold blood,” she hissed. “You asked me to join you because of the way I am. So respect that part of me!”
His eyes widened. “Your kindness wounds me. It points out the faults within myself.” He bowed. “Thank you.”
That simple act left her speechless. Was it possible that her presence could change him or would he tire of her pointing out his faults and kill her?
“All rise and pay homage to your Princess!” Draco raised his arms.
The followers stood and cheered.
They were all insane, and insanity was unpredictable and dangerous.
“Smile, my darling.” Draco pinched the tender underside of her arm. “These are your people. We will rule them together.”
She smiled and gave a slow nod. Now that she had an idea where Draco lived, she had to get word to Agent Ingram. While she hoped Colin wouldn’t get involved, she knew that letting the authorities know where the evil resided would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
~
Colin knew of Scopolamine, the dangers of the drug. He left the drugstore holding a napkin over his mouth and nose. If Draco wanted to waylay him on the street, Colin would have no defense.
Once in the safe confines of his truck, he locked the doors and called Ingram to tell him what he’d learned.
“You think he’s using the drug to control Detective Monroe?”
Colin started the truck’s engine. “Why else haven’t we heard from her? She infiltrated his circle so we could bring him down.”
“She infiltrated so she could save your sorry rear end.” Ingram chuckled.
“It isn’t funny.” Because of Colin’s capture and torture, Cassidy had entered the dragon’s lair. She was on her own, all because of him.
“She can handle herself,” Ingram said. “She won’t eat anything that man gives her.”
“The problem is, she doesn’t have to eat it. If he wants, he can get her to take it in other ways.”
“By threatening her with you?”
“Maybe.” Colin had to make sure that didn’t happen again. “I’m coming in.”
Before he arrived at the station, a call came in about a body found on the outskirts of town. Redirecting his way, Colin parked next to a ditch where a very shook up jogging couple waited.
“We just found him.” The woman buried her face in her male companion’s chest. “It’s awful.”
“Thank you. If you wouldn’t mind waiting by my truck, I’ll take your statements in a moment.” He squatted next to the body of a very large man. Rosie sniffed around the area. The man hadn’t been dead long.
Scratched into the dirt beside him were the words, “The disobedient must die”. What had he done to get his throat slit?
Rosie whined, her ears perking up. She glanced toward the tree line but didn’t run as she usually did. If the dead man was the result of Blake’s work, he wasn’t here watching as he once did. Of course, that was so he could watch Cassidy’s reaction to a body, and she wasn’t here.
He called Rosie to his side and went to question the joggers. Who, of course, knew nothing. A dead end, just like before. The only thing they did know was that Russell Blake was still around.
Back at the office, he booted up his computer, tossed Rosie a dog bone, and settled back in his chair. After a few seconds of going through his usual routines of checking backdoors, via the internet, he ran across a message that had him sitting up and taking notice.
“The dragon lives on Chief’s Head.”
Could it possibly be from Cassidy? Further searching revealed nothing. The mountain was huge. It would take days, weeks maybe, for a dozen men, which they didn’t have, to search the area. He placed a call to a friend of his who owned a helicopter, then leaving Rosie with the receptionist, raced his truck to a small airstrip an hour away.
Another half an hour and they were airborne and speeding back toward Chief’s Head. “Do you know how many homes, mansions, and hidden tunnels there are?” The pilot turned the craft. “You’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I know, but I can get a better feel for where the buildings are from the air. We’ll still have to search on foot.”
“Good luck, is all I have to say.” They circled the mountain a couple of times and flew back to the airport. “Let me know if you need my help again. I’m always ready to bring a psycho down.”
“Thank you.” While they’d flown, Colin had drawn a crude map of where the buildings were located on the mountain. The pilot was right. Small homes to garish mountains nestled among the trees. It was going to be quite the manhunt.
After returning to Clear Springs, he picked up cheeseburgers and fries for himself and the agents and met the three agents in the conference room. He explained about the message he’d received. “We need to come up with a plan to find Blake.”
“If he knows we’re coming he’ll likely kill Detective Monroe.” Ingram unwrapped a burger. “Possibly himself.”
“Then we have to make sure he doesn’t know we’re coming.”
“Are you sure the message is from Monroe?”
He wasn’t sure of anything. “Who else could it be?”
“Another little old lady at a trailer park.” Ingram eyed him as he bit into his cheeseburger.
“I just know.” Colin threw his wadded up wrapper at the agent.
The other two, always silent during the meetings, simply stared at Colin and Ingram as they spoke. Silent wraths, that’s what they were. Their unblinking gazes gave Colin the creeps.
“Why don’t the two of you go do something other than look at us as if we’re bugs under a glass dome?” He tossed a French fry at Smith. “I miss Wesson. At least she was eye candy.”
At Ingram’s fallen expression, Colin apologized. Since the female agent’s death at the hands of Draco, they were all careful not to speak of her.
Ingram motioned his head for the other two to leave. “They’re good agents. They spend more time working than talking, unlike you Scots.”
Colin shrugged. “At least people know what we’re thinking. I’m sorry, man, for my unthoughtful comment.”
“No worries. It’s time to move past the pain and heal.” Ingram squeezed three packets of ketchup onto his hamburger wrapper, then added mustard and mayonnaise.
