Pipe Dreams Ch. 06

"Now, we're going to make this as simple as possible. All you have to do is what you are told." He grinned nastily at her as he dialed the phone, then set it in her lap. He put it on speaker, and they listened to it ring.

"Who is this?" growled the voice that answered. Lina could barely recognize it.

"Kane!" she shouted. The man wrenched her head back with her hair and then covered her mouth with his hand, cutting off her cry of pain.

"Lina! Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Hello, Mr. Jacy." Kane stopped speaking abruptly. "Lina's here with me. We've been having a little talk about you and your little investigation."

"Who are you? I swear, if you hurt her. . . ." A low rumbling growl filled the silence of the room.

The man laughed. "You can call me Mr. In Control. I haven't hurt her. . .much. But I will if you don't call off your guys who have been hassling my men. They're just doing their jobs, and you've been responsible for a few of them not being able to do that anymore. That interferes with my plans. I will not allow that. If you want your little bitch back, you'll do exactly what I say--"

Kane's voice interrupted him. "Charlie Stalm. Your name is Charlie Stalm, and you live at 2409 Everest Court, a slightly run down house out in the suburbs. You moved to Montana from California earlier this year then you started pushing Pipe Dream in the local druggie market. You fought a few turf wars, and now control most of the drug market locally."

Lina wished she could see the man's face. He had gone so still that she couldn't even hear him breathe.

"Do I have all that right?" Kane's voice was dark and vicious. "Do you even know who you are messing with? You think you could come here, take what is MINE, and I wouldn't know everything about you faster than you could wrap that pea brain of yours around a way to figure out my phone number?

"You touch one hair on her head, if she is harmed at all. . .I will rip your throat out with my bare hands and teeth. Do you hear me, Charlie? You. Will. Die." Kane's snarl punctuated every word as he emphasized the punishment coming for the man who had taken his mate. Lina knew he meant it literally too. His vicious snarls could be heard through the phone.

"What the hell are you?" Charlie asked shakily.

Kane didn't answer that. "I'm coming for you Charlie," he said darkly.

There was a click. The hand over her mouth fell away. Lina couldn't stop the tears flowing down her face from the relief she felt. Kane was coming, that was all she could think of.

Charlie came around to face her. "What the hell is he? How did he find me so fast?" He shook Lina by her shoulders, the ropes digging into her body made her cry out again. He pulled out a knife and she screamed in fear. He leaned over her.

She was going to die. Lina closed her eyes tight and Kane's face filled her mind as she said good-bye to him in her thoughts. She regretted that she'd never gotten to make love to him, that she'd never get to run with him in wolf form as his mate. She waited for the knife to rip into her body but she felt tugging on the rope around her body as Charlie sawed at them with the knife.

She opened her eyes to gape at him. "You're letting me go?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Are you fucking nuts? Did you hear your boyfriend? He's going to kill me. The only bargaining chip I have is you. We're leaving."

He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the chair. Lina cried out as she stumbled, her legs numb at first and then burning with pins and needles. Irrationally, the thought that she must have been unconscious for longer than she had figured crossed her mind. She should be trying to think up a way to get away from Charlie, but she couldn't seem to focus. Her body was a mass of pain and she was dizzy. She hadn't noticed it as much sitting down but her head began spinning as soon as Charlie dragged her out of her chair.

"Shit!" Charlie shook her when she pulled against his arm. "Stay right there, or I will cut you. I won't kill you, but I'll make you wish I had." He put down the knife and began rifling through the desk frantically.

"I don't feel so good." Lina's hair was hanging over her face and she felt her stomach rebelling against the whirling the room was doing around her. She swallowed repeatedly as her knees went out from under her, and she fell toward the filthy floor.

"Damn it!"

Her fall pulled her arm out of Charlie's and she knelt on the carpet heaving, the burger she ate for dinner returning to haunt her. Pain exploded in her throbbing head and took her breath away as her stomach felt like it was trying to follow the food she'd eaten. Unable to stay on her knees, she slipped sideways, falling hard onto her shoulder, her eyes barely open slits as she struggled to stay conscious.

Charlie's phone rang and he answered it, cuss words pouring out of him as he ranted in panic at the person on the other end of the line.

"What the fuck did you do, Rock? They know who I am! How the hell did they find out? He quoted my god damn address to me not three minutes ago. I swear, if they find me, they're going to find you too! I'll make sure of it!"

Lina tried to focus through the waves of dizziness and pain. She was trying to remember everything he said so she could tell Kane. She had to believe Kane was coming and would get there in time before Charlie could get them out of the house.

"I'm going to the country house. It's in his name, not mine, so they shouldn't be able to trace it and find me."

"Fuck it, stop the shipment. Half our street dealers are out of commission or flat out disappeared. We don't have the men to push it, and there is no way in hell I'm sticking around to get new ones."

"I know he's going to be pissed but this is serious shit! There's something wrong with that guy. If you're smart you'll get the hell out of town too."

Another pause, longer this time.

"No, she's our insurance, she's coming with me. Call T and tell him what happened. I'm serious, there is something strange going on with the son of a bitch, and I'm keeping her until I can meet up with T. He'll know what to do." He snapped the phone shut.

"Get up, you stupid bitch. We're leaving."

Charlie bent down to grab her, and Lina went totally limp. With her arms still tied behind her back she couldn't do much to fight back, but she could hinder him in his attempts to escape before Kane could find her. She just had to give him more time, that's all, just a little more time. He had to be on his way.

Glass shattered and rained down on Lina. The way Charlie was leaning over here was the only thing that saved her face and neck from being cut to ribbons. Snarling and screams filled the room. Lina saw a gray and white wolf snapping and biting at her captor who was sprawled on the floor. The wolf kept trying to get to Charlie's throat, but the man had picked the knife back up and managed to bury it in the wolf's side. The animal whined in pain but kept attacking, using his claws to rake at the vulnerable stomach area that Charlie couldn't protect with his arm still covering his face and throat.

Lina closed her eyes. She wasn't the praying type, but she couldn't help but pour her soul into the silently spoken plea that Kane had found them and was going to save her. She didn't think it was a coincidence that a wolf was attacking the man, but it wasn't Kane's large silver wolf or any that she had seen. She didn't recognize this one at all.

She heard wood breaking and hands were on her again. These were large and hot, but gentle as she was raised to a sitting position. She was turned and then pulled into a hard chest that was covered in a soft fur. She barely felt the claws that sliced through the rope around her wrists in one angry swipe but she felt the fire that coursed through her wrists, elbows, and shoulders as the rope fell away and her arms fell dead to her sides.

She screamed at the additional pain. It was all too much, and she fainted.