“Including this one. Five million will pay for a very fancy bouquet.”
She made a face. “Maybe he liked her even better than I thought. It’s hard not to like Dee, and they both lived in a world I’d never want to inhabit. It could be I don’t understand the rituals.”
Kendra nodded. “You know them far better than I do.” She turned off the TV and turned toward the door. “I’ll call Kelland back while I’m on the road. Though I’m certain he’s going to tell me exactly what you did.” She shrugged. “Too bad. I thought for a moment it might be good news.”
“It could be. Maybe someone out there knows something and is just waiting for Noah to offer them five million. Or maybe one of the bad guys will be tempted to turn traitor and turn Dee over to us for that same five million.”
“But you don’t think so.”
“I wish I did.” She locked the front door behind them. “I really want Noah to just throw some money down and suddenly Dee will be safe and free. I really wish I did, Kendra.”
“I’d settle just for knowing where she is right now,” Kendra whispered. “Give me that one thing, and I’ll be willing to work to find out everything else.”
CHAPTER
6
She couldn’t swallow, Dee realized, panic-stricken!
She struggled desperately but only felt as if she was choking. She was panting, and that only made it worse.
“Open your mouth, you stupid girl. I’m trying to help you.” It was a woman’s impatient voice as a straw was pressed to Dee’s lips. “Do you think I like babying you as if you aren’t the spoiled brat we both know you are? But I won’t get the blame. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Now suck on the damn straw and drink the water.”
Straw…
Liquid…
Dee was already frantically sucking down the ice water, and it was gradually easing her dry throat. But after only a few minutes the straw was taken away. “Enough,” the woman said sourly. “You don’t need any more. I won’t have you throwing up and making me clean you. That drug they gave you caused dehydration, but the saline solution was supposed to take care of that. I might have given you a little too much. I’ll probably get blamed for that, too.”
Drug…
What drug? Who was this woman?
“Okay, my orders are to make sure that no permanent damage was done to you yet. Open your eyes and say something, Delilah.” She laughed harshly. “Whatever possessed you to choose a stage name like that? You sound like a porn star or a stripper.”
“I never liked…it, either.” Her throat was still a little sore and the words came out huskily. “But my mother did…when she named me. It’s not a stage name…”
“Then she must have been as stupid as you are. She probably had an idea what you’d become.”
Ugly. So much bitterness. Why?
“Now open your eyes and look at me. I’m going to have to give a report, and you’ll be unconscious again in another few minutes.”
Unconscious. Drug. All this ugliness…She was fighting to understand through this haze and confusion. What was happening to her?
And then it was all whirling back to her! Backstage. The crowd roaring. But something wasn’t quite right. Two security men crumpled on the floor…
Her eyes flew open and she was staring up into the woman’s face. It was a long, thin face, and the dark eyes that were looking down at her were large and fierce beneath pale white arched brows. She was vaguely aware the woman must be at least in her sixties with sleekly coifed salt-and-pepper hair. “You took me prisoner,” she whispered. “Kidnapping? You kidnapped me?”
“Yes, but I really had nothing to do with it. I wouldn’t have you if you were delivered gift-wrapped. I’m just the caretaker until we get what we need from you.”
Dee didn’t speak for a moment as she tried frantically to gather her wits about her. Jessie had always told her that if she was ever in a bad spot, she should assess her surroundings, then do anything she could to escape them—but always to wait for the right time. Assess her surroundings. She looked down at what she was wearing and found that someone had changed her out of the scarlet sequined mini-dress she’d been wearing for the finale to jeans and a loose white tunic. She glanced around her and tried to get a clue to where she might be. But it was too dim, and she could only make out a stand next to her with a plastic IV bag, along with the impression that the room was long, the walls curved. As far as escape was concerned, she seemed to be bound with metal restraints, and she couldn’t move. Besides, there was only this one very rude woman here with her, and she had little hope that she’d be of any help. Still, Dee tried to talk to her. “Look, I’m not going to cause you any trouble. My security team always told me in a situation like this I was to cooperate and just let them handle the ransom. You don’t have to drug me again.”
“You don’t tell me what to do with you.” Her lips curled. “I have my orders. Do you think because you’re this big superstar, you can control everything and everyone around you?” She was spitting out the words now as she reached over and turned on the IV. “You’re nothing. You’ll learn that soon.”
Dee wanted to strike back in any way she could, but she could already feel the drug taking hold and making her drowsy again. Now wasn’t the time to antagonize, not when she was soon going to be helpless. Just try to find out as much as possible before she slipped into unconsciousness. She could act on it later when she was able to fight off that damn narcotic. “Who…are you? You said you…don’t like my name. Is yours any better?”
“Oh, yes. It’s a fine, sensible name and I’m not afraid of your idiotic tricks to make me reveal who I am. It won’t make the slightest difference in the long run.” She bent closer. “You can call me Charlotte. It’s Charlotte who is doing this to you. It’s Charlotte who is in control of whether you live or die.”
Dee felt a chill go through her. Nothing she was saying was reaching the woman. She was brimming with venom and actually seemed to hate her. She might not be in charge, but there was no doubt she was a dangerous enemy. “For some reason you appear to be angry with me. I just wanted to assure you and your partners that whatever you want, I can give it to you.”
“Oh, can you?” She leaned forward and murmured, “But that’s not the way it’s going to work, Delilah. It’s not what you give, but what we take. You’re done with setting the rules.” She leaned even closer, her smile pure malevolence. “And though I hate to make you feel helpless, my dear, money is only a small part of the equation.”
* * *
Jessie’s House
Next Day
4:05 A.M.
“Come on, get up.” Jessie burst into the guest room and turned on the lights. “We have to get out of here and on the road, Kendra. We might have gotten the break you were talking about. I just got a call from an officer I know from LAPD who’s repaying a favor. He’s letting me know about it before all hell breaks loose and the media gets hold of it.”