Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Resolutely, she left the house and began to follow the trail through the back streets of the small town leading toward the outskirts and the swamp. She was nothing more than a small shadow within the darkness, making no sound, giving off no scent. Maya and Wraith had perfected the art after years of practice. They’d started trying to “disappear” when Maya was a child, merging into the shadows of rooms and buildings, desperate to escape notice of the men coming to rape and torture.
Abruptly, the scent lessened considerably, nearly disappeared altogether. This was where Alicia and the two men had been sprayed with scent blocker. She was familiar with the use of it. It was odd that it had never hindered her ability to scent-track when it did for other leopards. Despite the blocker, she could still detect that trail. It was faint, but it was there.
Heat images in the form of splotches of color rose and she followed the path unerringly, jogging, not sprinting. She knew better than to waste energy. She would need it. There were two men to deal with, and no matter how depraved they were, they were young and strong and leopard. She was a huntress and fully in control. Fully determined to find and kill her prey.
The trail twisted around the edge of the swamp, looped into it for a few yards and came out near the building Theo Pappas had taken her prisoner in. She should have known. It was the perfect place to keep a prisoner. They would be able to do whatever they wanted to young Alicia and no one would hear her screams. If they brought her mother to the same torture room, they could easily dispose of her body if they killed her outright, or they could make her see and listen to her daughter’s agony. Maya wouldn’t be surprised if Braum’s son, Derk, and Raul were that cruel.
The basement appeared to have only the one entrance, which might present a problem if the two men had anyone else with them or if they were watching security cameras. The doors locked from the outside. In this case, she knew the two men wouldn’t have locked themselves in. Maya had seen this scenario dozens of times. She was certain they would be secure in the knowledge that they had the upper hand with their fifteen-year-old prisoner and wouldn’t bother to monitor the cameras.
Even though she had that alarming urgency driving her, she took the time to secure the building. She didn’t want anyone unexpected spotting her and coming up behind her. When she found the controls for the cameras, it was easy enough to disrupt the feed throughout the building.
Maya approached the door to the basement with caution. As she expected, it was unlocked. She didn’t hesitate to open it just enough to allow her slender form to slip inside. Immediately she glided into the shadows and froze, letting the sounds and scents feed her the information she needed.
Two men, Raul Escabar Alba and Derk Malcom, nearly swamped the long rows of rooms with the musty odor of their arousal and the adrenaline flooding their bodies. Alicia gave off waves of terror. Maya smelled another woman, detected a heartbeat, but she was unmoving, perhaps unconscious.
Raul seemed to be instructing Derk in how to view Alicia. “It doesn’t matter that you grew up with the bitch, Derk.” Raul reached down and casually caught Alicia by her hair, jerking her to her knees. Ignoring her sobbing, he caught her jaws between his fingers and pinched ruthlessly, forcing her mouth open. “See that? That’s all you need. That’s all she is to you. She’s nothing but that hole right there. She’s got two more for you to take your pleasure in. You want this job—training the bitches, keeping them in line and selling them to the highest bidder—you have to control them. To do that, they gotta respect you. They gotta know you mean everything you say. They obey your slightest wish. They got no rights, Derk. You own them. You want to cut them into little pieces just because it amuses you, that’s your prerogative. Why? Because you’re the fuckin’ man and she’s nothin’ but a doll for you to play with.”
How often had Maya heard that speech? Nearly word for word. It had been said far back in the Amurov lair when she was a child and Gorya’s uncle had come in with his men and their sons, training them how to treat women and little girls or boys. Hatred rose for just a moment. Rage. Deep inside, Wraith snarled. Maya breathed away the emotion. Emotion had no place here. That way could lead to mistakes. She had to stay distant, completely removed from what was happening, so she could kill these two men and free this young girl.