The Fiddler's Heart Read online

  “My sister nearly died that night.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t want her to leave him. I begged her not to leave me.” She pointed to her chest. “Zane was furious and Clifton was just as obsessed with Angelina as Zane was obsessed with me. She should have known they would be waiting for her, that Clifton had her followed. I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t even know about that party. I just heard that they were running a gambling night that was going to bring in big profit.”

  “They had illegal small casinos, ya know, a few poker tables, some set up machines and things in a back warehouse in Freemont. They were both working with Boger Slay, but they couldn’t be proven at the time which is why Boger Slay is walking free,” Track told her.

  “He won’t be walking free for long, and especially if he can be connected to these parties and these women popping up dead,” Century added.

  “There are other cases, women who couldn’t remember what happened but showed physical signs of rape. Their minds so lost from drugs in their system that they couldn’t even remember what they were doing a week before, or that they were even at a party or who was with them, who invited them, nothing,” Gordon said.

  “Bliss,” she whispered and ran her hand to her throat and felt the ache to her stomach.

  “Francesca?” Sodo said her name just as Century repeated the word “Bliss?” in question.

  She stepped back, closed her eyes, and flashbacks of Zane smiling at her as he told her to drink glass of champagne. That they were celebrating and he wanted to see firsthand how Guthry’s product worked. She felt Sodo grip her hips, and she squeezed her eyes tight and tried to remember what happened. She couldn’t.

  “Francesca, you’re not there. You aren’t with him, you’re with us, and you’re safe and protected,” Sodo said and hugged her to him. She gripped onto his shirt, fisted it in her hands. “He drugged me. He tried it on me. I don’t remember what happened, I only remember his expression, that smirk, and the pain. Oh God the pain.” She sobbed.

  “Fuck. I don’t fucking believe this. We talked about this and it forced a memory, a nightmare on her. Just fucking stop asking her questions and making her talk,” Gordon said and they started to argue. She pulled back, held onto Sodo, finding strength in the way he kept his hands on her hips, and she looked up at him.

  “Guthry. The last thing I remember was Zane telling me to drink the champagne, and that he wanted to see firsthand how Guthry’s idea worked.” Tears fell and she wiped them away and looked at him.

  “I want to help. I want to stop them from doing this to other women, from making money and having those parties. I don’t want women to become victims like Angelina and I. I can help. I know I can if you ask the right questions. Jog my memory, there could be something there.”

  “Not if you’re going to hurt and feel pain, even emotional pain,” Sodo said and cupped her cheek.

  “I have to do this. These men need to be stopped.”

  “Merdoff and Cole are here, Vander and Niko too,” Century told him as he put down his phone.

  “Francesca, it’s up to you.”

  “We can figure this out together. I obviously know more than I even think I know.” He lowered down and kissed her lips softly then hugged her to him. “Let them come in. Merdoff and them are deeper involved with the case so maybe this Guthry guy will mean something to them.”

  * * * *

  “Guthry Lopez, a fucking chemist and multimillionaire living in New York. He is as clean as a whistle on paper, but lives on over a hundred acres of land in upstate New York,” Cole told them as he typed on the computer.

  “This is huge. This guy created this drug, Bliss, as Francesca called it, and perhaps worked out a deal for distribution with Boger Slay and Zane. It would explain the multitude of locations for these parties, the big money they make from distributing product. I bet they fucking charge a shit load of money a hit of this stuff and asshole guys pay so they can fuck whomever they want to. Sick bastards,” Merdoff said to them.

  “Where else does he have property, or vacation homes, anything else?” Sodo asked.

  “Jesus, look at this shit. Right under our noses. In Budapest he has a place, Las Vegas, and California. We can get everything we need on these locations, even satellite images, pull it all together, and I bet this is the guy the feds are after but they don’t know it yet,” Cole told them.

  Sodo looked at Francesca who sat on Gordon’s lap, her head on his shoulder. She was utterly exhausted after all their questions and putting things together, but she solved this. She found the main developer of this drug that obviously was about to be distributed wider and at a huge profit.

  “You helped to solve this, Francesca. You’re saving innocent women’s lives, preventing them from becoming victims. I love you,” Sodo said to her right there in front of everyone.

  “I love you too. Go get them,” she said to him.

  Chapter 5

  “Boger Slay was picked up by federal agents. I have some unfamiliar faces in the vicinity of all of my homes. What the fuck is going on, Zane?” Adrian Colomos asked him over the phone.

  “The fuck if I know.”

  “Well I do know. I’ve had people out there protecting my interests. They say the feds are onto your chemist. He’s going to get caught and locked up, so there goes future profits. Boger is a pussy and will be singing like a canary in no time, especially with his hatred toward you.”

  “You have the other stuff and it was all delivered to the warehouses in Las Vegas and New York. I don’t know how this happened. No one even knew about the chemist, or where I got the drugs from.”

  “They know now and I’m backing off on distribution until this clears. You may want to send someone to Warriorville. My sources say that blonde girlfriend of yours—who’s fucking four men by the way—is giving up information.”

  “Francesca? No fucking way. She wouldn’t know shit. She was never—”

  He paused and it hit him.

  “You’re not the first man to go under because of the loins of a beautiful women, but I’ll be damned if I’m going under because of that stupid bitch. You take her out, or I will. They can’t have a solid case without a witness to confirm the information and where it was obtained. Without her it’s hearsay, and I’ve covered my tracks. Have you covered yours?”

  Zane slammed his hand down on the desk.

  “What’s wrong?” Carlos asked him.

  “Fucking Francesca. Obviously the bitch is smarter than I gave her credit for and that drug didn’t wipe out her memory. She gave the feds and the investigators information that led them to arrest Boger Slay and go after Guthry. Adrian Colomos is pissed and concerned that he will be connected and arrested. He just ordered me to kill Francesca.”

  Zane rubbed his jaw. He wanted her back in his life, in his bed. The feds didn’t know where he was, that he was safely living it up in the Bahamas. He was contemplating what to do. He could still keep her. Make her disappear, and what had Adrian said about her fucking four men? He was angry, disgusted, and he looked at Carlos.

  “Get Myers and Flint to grab her and bring her here. Make sure they aren’t followed.”

  “Wait, bring her here to kill her?”

  “No, not kill her. At least not until I’ve had my fill.”

  * * * *

  Francesca was smiling as she noticed the way the Murphy men, Bronco, Franco, Cole, and Merdoff were watching Cassy as a couple of guys were hitting on her. Cassy was beautiful, with long brown hair, bright sage and chocolate glowing eyes, and a sassy personality. She worked for her family’s insurance and brokerage company and bartended at Ciao Bella’s and even Mulligan’s on the weekends when needed. That was what she was doing tonight, and these three guys, nonlocals, were completely hitting on her as she worked behind the bar.

  Track slid his arm around her waist and pressed up against Francesca’s back. She closed her eyes a moment, absorbing the feel of his warm, thick forearm and how safe and secur
e she felt like this. She opened her eyes and leaned back into him, felt his thick cock against her ass, and she wanted to leave, to go home right now and make love to them. It was their favorite thing to do and none of them seemed to ever get enough of making love. She had felt a bit uneasy explaining to them about the things Zane had done to her when they were together. The way he restrained her, hurt her while he tied her up, forced her to pleasure him while security was right here, how degrading he made her feel and how abusive he truly was. She was surprised by their compassion and also about how talking to them made her feel better and like she was releasing this inner turmoil inside of her. It all led to more training, to them really wanting her to feel empowered, and she did as she slid her palm back against Track’s side that faced the bar and hid her move and she rubbed his outer thigh. He suckled against her neck and whispered into her ear, “Whenever you’re ready to go I’m ready.” He gave a little thrust and she chuckled, turned in his arms, and pressed her palms up his chest to his shoulders. “We’ve only been here an hour.”

  He looked her over in the slim-fitting green, sleeveless dress that accentuated her breasts and her curves. He ran his palm over her ass and licked his lips. “This dress is way too sexy. I want you home with us in our bed where you belong.”

  “We can’t not socialize. As is we’ve been getting teased about not hanging out.”

  “I don’t give a shit,” he said to her and she knew he didn’t. None of them did, they were older, set in their ways, and when they wanted something they took it, went after it. She loved them so much.

  “Just a little longer okay?” she asked.

  “Fine,” he said, almost pouting, and she hid her smile. To see such a macho soldier whine a little because he wanted to leave to make love to her and not hang out. She felt sexy, loved, and she leaned up and kissed his chin. He lowered so she could reach his lips and she kissed him until Sodo placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at him.

  “Giving out kisses?” he asked and pressed his lips to hers. He slowly released her lips. “Whenever you’re ready, sexy, we all are,” he said and looked her over and squeezed her hip. She was sandwiched between them.

  “I just want to hear some more music.”

  “Okay,” he said and then her sister walked over.

  A good hour later she excused herself to walk to the ladies’ room. She walked through the crowded bar, knowing a lot of people now and especially working at Ciao Bella’s. She glanced over her shoulder to see her men watching her and standing up straighter as some guy said hello to her. She knew him from the restaurant. She said hello and then continued walking. She got to the hallway and out of sight and headed into the ladies’ room. She took care of business and then looked at herself in the mirror, ran her hands down her hips, seeing how healthier she looked, a few pounds of muscle heavier and in the right places as Angelina would say, and she smiled. She loved how it felt to held by her men, made love to by them. She missed them right now. Couldn’t wait to make love to them tonight and she decided that she would make an excuse to leave with them now. That would make them happy and, hell yeah, her happy too. She chuckled to herself. She was so in love with them.

  As she headed out to the hallway she noticed a couple of guys standing by the doorway leading to the bar. She made her way toward them when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She turned and struck them in the face, an instant response to being grabbed, thanks to her training. She hadn’t expected the harder hit to her shoulders, sending her to the floor and then the prick of the needle into her neck. She screamed but his hand went over her mouth and her body went weak. He tossed her over his shoulder, and then out the back door they left. She saw one of the men look over his shoulder, and she prayed that he saw and would alert someone. Then she saw it was Myers, one of Zane’s guys. He gave the other guy a nudge and they walked forward, not toward them, and she knew she was in trouble. She tried to move, to fight, but it was like her entire body was numb and weak. They drugged her. They were taking her back to Zane. Oh my God but her men and other police, soldiers were right there in the bar. He tossed her into the back seat of a car with tinted windows and another man was there. He grabbed her and began to tie her up. “We’re fucking late. We miss that ride and we’re fucked. There isn’t another boat for a few days.”

  “We won’t miss it,” the guy said and they slowly drove out of there. The drugs brought her deeper and deeper into a comatose state, and finally darkness overtook her vision.

  

  “Right out from under our noses. Holy fucking shit, she must be so scared. How the fuck could we let this happen? We never should have let her out of our sights.” Century carried on as they looked at the surveillance video. They were twenty minutes behind the scene, twenty minutes trying to figure out where she was and why she was taking so long in the bathroom. It was Angelina who went to look in the bathroom to make sure that her sister wasn’t sick. When she came out Century saw the concern and then they went into panic mode and got Octo to look at the surveillance video in the hallway and out the back door.

  “They fucking drugged her too. What if they gave her that Bliss shit? What the fuck will those men do?” Gordon asked.

  “We need to get organized and get everyone on this. We got a make of that vehicle and partial license plate. We have to assume that those men are bringing her to wherever Zane is,” Sodo said.

  “Or taking her to kill her because they figured out she is the one who got the information to us and the feds. She figured out about the chemist and Boger Slay,” Track said.

  “No, they aren’t going to kill her. If they were then they would have done that. They’re taking her to Zane and we need to find out where that is. Come on, we need to call in some of our friends,” Merdoff said and they headed out of there to start hunting.

  * * * *

  Francesca could feel her body moving, the smell of fish and diesel invaded her nostrils, and she realized she was on some kind of boat. It was dark out. A single light that hurt her eyes shone ahead of them. She was so tied, and her body ached. Her arms were sore, her head too, and her shoulder, probably from the strike she took back at Mulligan’s. Tears filled her eyes and she started to shake. She wanted her men. Wanted Sodo, Track, Gordon, and Century. They promised to protect her and yet this happened. Zane must have found out about her telling the men what she knew. About the chemist, about Boger Slay. He was going to kill her, but why would he bring her to him? Why not do it in Texas, just a shot to the head, or whatever? The men could have done that. She tried moving, to see if she had the strength to fight. Maybe if she could get free, once they made land, then she could run. As she went to move she couldn’t do it. She had no strength, no ability. She was numb but the fear of what could happen to her, of how she couldn’t defend herself began to destroy her hope of survival. Zane won. She was going to die.

  As the boat finally came to a stop she realized that there was some kind of resort or activity to the right of the area where the boat docked. She could hear some music and hope filled her heart. They docked the boat and then one of the men lifted her up to carry her. She went to scream out, but he covered her mouth and then one of the guys placed tape over it. She could hardly breathe and the tears stung her eyes and she shook with fear as he brought her along the beach and then up through a pathway. The jeep came into view, there were two of them, and they got her inside and headed through sandy roads and then through heavy jungle. They were someplace tropical but where? When they finally pulled between hedges of landscaped property and a long driveway, she realized it was a private estate on the beach. They got her inside and there stood Zane in khaki pants, his white button-down shirt undone, a cigar in his hand and smirk on his face.

  “Bring her upstairs,” he said and more tears fell. They set her down on a very large bed decked out in a fluffy tan comforter. To the right were a set of sliding glass doors that appeared to lead out to a patio. She could hear the ocean in the dist
ance and knew that the patio probably looked right out at it.

  “Leave us,” he said and the men walked from the room.

  “You look good, Francesca, like you’ve been working out,” he said and trailed his palm along her thigh, lifting her dress higher to her waist. She tried moving away and lifting her leg and could hardly raise it. She growled against the tape over her mouth and he smirked.

  “Another little sample of an item I’m developing. A nice drug to render someone helpless. Makes it easier to control them.” He brushed his thumb over her panties. She lifted her head and her arm went up slightly. He chuckled. “We are going to need to work on that temper. You see, if I were you, I would be a bit more grateful to me, considering I was ordered to kill you.” She widened her eyes.

  “Yes, it’s true,” he said to her and then looked at her.

  “I should have really, considering your indiscretions.” He looked at her body. “Four fucking men? I didn’t know you had that in you. You like it so much, I’m sure when I’ve had my fill I can get a few locals to pleasure you the way you like it. I know eight or ten guys who are into that.” He cupped her breast and pinched the nipple. More tears fell. She was scared and she was helpless. She wouldn’t be able to fight anyone. She shook her head and cried.

  “No? You don’t want to get fucked by multiple men anymore? You want it to be just me?” he asked and pulled the tape roughly from her mouth. She cried out and was sobbing.

  He gripped her chin and cheek. “I hold your life in my hands. Mine. Not some dick soldier detectives, not that fucked up sister of yours or her men she’s fucking. No, I hold the control. Do you want to live or do you want to die?” he asked her and she stared at him, not wanting to give in but knowing she would have no choice. Apparently, her lack of verbal response pissed him off. He shoved her face away from him, and he got off the bed, opened the dresser drawer by the bed, and pulled out some kind of thin rope. He grabbed her one arm and wrapped the very rough rope around her wrists. She could already feel it cutting into her skin. He pulled that arm up and tied it tight to the bed post. He climbed up on top of her and she tried once again to move her legs with no avail. She couldn’t. She was stuck in place. He yanked her other arm up and tied that one. Her armpits burned, her torso tightened in pain, and then he scooted lower.