When the door opened, Dani leapt from the bed. There hadn’t been a knock, no hesitation. The door just opened. She rocketed to her feet, training coming to the fore, and moved behind the door until she established that the target was benign.
Or at least not likely to kill her immediately.
She’d even managed to grab the ballpoint pen.
“There you are,” Benny said, as though he were playing a game. Maybe he was. “I was thinking about it, and maybe it’s not fair to have you cooped up all alone in here. I can see where a young woman would need to have someone to talk to, a way to pass the time.”
Dani eased into the room, pocketing the pen, though right now they were alone. Who was to say he didn’t need a decoration for his carotid artery? Still, she said nothing. Benny had all the cards and he knew it. It was his game, and nothing she could do or say at this point would or could change that. There seemed to be little point in killing him, less even than in playing along. But she didn’t need to get herself killed, which would surely happen before his body even hit the floor.
Not that she was going to trust him anytime soon.
Maybe he’s going to let me stay with Luke. She almost laughed, the idea was so ridiculous. Yet, for whatever reason, her heart had soared with just the thought of it. Oh, I have it bad. Focus, girl. Focus. You have evil incarnate in your bedroom and you’re worrying about your supposed fiancé?
Benny didn’t seem to notice she hadn’t been paying attention. He walked around the room, picking up and putting down books and knick-knacks. “However, it’s quite evident that you and your boyfriend cannot be trusted. It’s considered to be bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, and must be doubly so if she’s naked, wouldn’t you say?” He paused, a figurine of a ballerina in his hand, so delicate that he could crush it should he just close his hand.
Dani held her breath, hating that he should handle a treasure given by her mother so casually, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off his face. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, using the pain to keep her focused. It’s only a cheap figurine. It means nothing. He cannot hurt me.
“So, instead, we’ve extended an invitation on your behalf. Your maid of honor is going to pass the time with you. This room should be enough to allow for a little privacy.” He indicated the sitting room with his hand. “But you’ll have to share the bathroom, I’m afraid.”
He set the figurine down. Dani started breathing again.
“Wait... maid of honor?” Dani asked, surprised at how hoarse and dry her voice sounded. She hadn’t been asked about who was in, or coming to, the wedding. The trip to the vendors yesterday had been a travesty, a way for Benny to publicize their wedding to draw her father in. For the first time, it occurred to her that other people might be involved. A wedding party. Guests.
Benny stepped out of the way of the door; one of his men thrust a suitcase into the room, and another shoved a young woman into the room so roughly she nearly tripped over the baggage.
“Katie?”
“What the hell is going on here, Dani?” Katie clutched herself tightly, pulling at her white sweater as though using it to shield the outside world. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, glistening bright with unshed tears. The girl was terrified, and kept looking from one thug to the next as though expecting to be hurt at any minute.
What had they done to her?
Mentally, Dani took note of the thugs in question. Adding their deaths to Benny’s. So be it.
She took a deep breath, remembering the way Luke had shoved down the anger. How he hadn’t let a reaction create a situation there was no coming back from. “Are you crazy?” She snapped out the words, each one sharp and biting, and full of contempt. “Kidnapping people like this?”
Benny spread his hands and smiled. “In for a penny. I’ve already taken your boyfriend away from his ‘friends.’ Which, by the way, we need discuss. I would dearly love to know just what kind of stag party they’re planning. It wouldn’t do for things to... get out of hand.”
“Bastard.” She spat out the word without thinking. There was too much innuendo in this conversation and now she wasn’t sure of anything. The reference to ‘friends’ could mean anything. It might well be they’d figured out he was a cop after all. Dani felt the blood leave her face.
“I was at that.” Benny took a half-bow. “And while we’re on the topic, maybe you can explain your young man’s fascination with sticks.”
She wasn’t about to answer. She’d die before she’d give him so much as the time of day.
He stared at her for moment, his eyes hard. Assessing. “No? Well, take some time, think about it.” He put a hand on Katie’s shoulder and squeezed. The girl gasped under the pressure. “I’m sure the two of you have a lot to talk about.” He released Katie so abruptly that she dropped to her knees. Dani lunged forward to catch her as he turned and walked out, his boys trailing after him.
Katie flung herself into Dani’s arms. She began weeping uncontrollably. “I didn’t know what they wanted, I was so scared, they said that they were taking me here, but I didn’t know what they meant. They came into the house and my folks were gone and I need to get back to school, but they came in and took me and went into my room and ransacked all my things, grabbing clothes...” Katie was scared to death and near hysterics, but something felt off. Dani held her, feeling much older than the five years that separated them.
What am I missing?
Maybe it was because Dani had seen too much, been involved in too much for something like this to unnerve her. Would it piss her off? Definitely. But for her, fear was an indication that she needed to face something. Or attack something. She’d been afraid for Luke earlier, at breakfast, but that had made her sharper, more than ready to act if the situation called for it.
Perhaps Katie’s reaction only underscored how far removed she was from the real world. This was a normal reaction. This was what fear was supposed to look like. She took a moment to wonder at the differences between them, and couldn’t help but think about how she’d gotten to where she was. What would her life had looked like, what could it have been without the training, the violence, the fights and flights she’d been through?
She tried to comfort the girl as best she could, but Dani wasn’t very experienced with that sort of thing. She righted the wrongs, but let someone else deal with the clean-up afterwards. Now she had a friend, a girl who had looked up to her all through school, needing her to be strong and brave and compassionate. Dani could manage the first two, but compassion didn’t exactly come second nature.
What can I do? What does she need? Shock victims need to sit down... okay, start there...