The knowledge gave her a heady, uplifting feeling of triumph.
Beyond spent, her mind and body completely tapped out, she saved the document, pushed her keyboard aside, and laid her head on the cool surface of her desk. She really did need food, a shower, and sleep, and she told herself she’d get up in just a minute…
The ringing of her cell phone jolted Nicole upright. Her head felt heavy, her mind unfocused. It took her a moment to realize that more than a minute had passed. As she blinked to clear the slumberous haze from her vision, a squinty-eyed glance at the clock on her desk told her she’d been asleep for nearly three hours.
Her phone rang again. She cleared her throat before flipping it open and answering the call. “Hello?”
“It’s… it’s Holly.”
Getting an unexpected call from Holly was enough to snap Nicole to immediate attention. “Are you okay?”
“No. I need you.”
Nicole’s heart leapt into her throat. Holly sounded scared, and an uneasy sensation filled Nicole. “Where are you? Where is your mother?”
“I left the casino and I came back to The Sanctuary to be with Preston.”
Nicole heard a gruff, angry voice in the background, then what sounded like a slap.
Holly started to cry. “He’s going to kill me if you don’t come. He wants you.”
The line disconnected.
Oh, God . Nicole had no idea what Sloane knew about her and Nathan, but the man was obviously obsessed with her and wanted her back. And she had no doubts that if she didn’t arrive quickly, Holly would pay the price. And if that happened, Nicole would never, ever forgive herself.
With adrenaline rushing through her veins, and her stomach in knots, she slipped into her flip-flops. She grabbed her purse and keys as she passed through the living room and out the door. In less than a minute she was in her car, heading toward Summerlin.
Panic made her heart race as she sped to the outskirts of the city. Knowing she couldn’t save Holly by herself, she called Nathan’s cell phone number, and cursed when she was sent directly to voice mail.
She knew he was most likely meeting with the feds, and prayed he’d get her message quickly. “It’s Nicole. Holly just called me and she’s back at Sloane’s. He threatened to kill her if I don’t come. I’m on my way there now.”
Minutes later, she arrived at the closed iron gates. The guard was obviously expecting her because he opened the gate and let her through. Her car came to a screeching halt in front of the house, and she jumped out and ran toward the entrance, her only thought to get to Holly before something horrible happened to the girl.
As soon as she stepped into the entryway, Gwen was there to greet her, a gun pointed directly at Nicole’s chest. As always, she looked the polished, professional assistant, and more beautiful than such an evil woman should.
A bitter smile curved the other woman’s red lips and hatred gleamed in her eyes. “So nice of you to join us.”
The gun scared Nicole. Especially when it was in the hands of someone so obviously unstable. “Where is she?” Nicole demanded.
Gwen ignored her question. “I don’t know why Preston thinks you’re so special,” she sneered, her voice dripping with jealousy. “But he’ll get tired of you soon enough. You’re just a passing fancy, as are all the other girls he’s fucked. And then he’ll either kill you, or send you off to Russia like all those others, where you’ll spend the rest of your life lying flat on your back for other men to screw.”
A deranged light flickered in Gwen’s eyes. “I’m the only one who truly loves Preston, and you bitches have always gotten in the way of what I’ve wanted!” She waved the gun wildly between them. “He’ll come back to me because I’m the only one who stayed and protected him. I’ve watched him go through all those girls while I’ve been the perfect executive assistant, handling his business affairs and cleaning up all the messes you girls have made. He can’t live without me. One day, Preston will get too old for all this shit. The girls will no longer want him, and he’ll turn to me and finally be all mine.”
Nicole realized that at one time, in her youth, Gwen had been one of Sloane’s “it” girls. But unlike so many of the girls who were cast aside, Gwen had found a way to make herself indispensible to Sloane, with the hope that he’d one day want her, and only her.
The woman was delusional and dangerous. It was a frightening sight to behold.
Gwen circled her and pressed the barrel of the gun against her spine, urging her up the spiral staircase. Nicole slowly started climbing.
“Preston is going to get what he wants, and then we’ll just dispose of you both,” Gwen continued matter-of-factly. “And then there’s the little matter of Alex, your protector. He stole from Preston. We have plans for him, too. He reneged on a deal, and no one breaks a deal with Preston. Alex is going to pay for betraying his trust. He’s going to die, just as you and Holly are.”
Nicole swallowed hard as Gwen directed her down a hallway. Despite her outward courage, Nicole was terrified inside. If Nathan didn’t get her message soon, she feared that she and Holly would end up dead.
Reaching the end of the corridor, Gwen shoved Nicole into a large, spacious master bedroom. The first thing Nicole saw was Holly sitting on the huge bed, the dress she was wearing ripped and torn. She was sobbing, her cheek red where she’d been slapped, probably more than once.
“I’m so sorry,” Holly whispered in a quivering voice, and Nicole believed that the girl regretted her decision to return.
“Come on in and join the party,” Sloane said, drawing Nicole’s attention to where he stood off to the side by a large dresser. He was casually holding a gun, seemingly relaxed and in complete control of the situation.
With Gwen’s prompting, Nicole moved farther into the room, watching Sloane warily as he strolled closer, his eyes raking over her. She was still wearing the T-shirt and drawstring shorts that Caleb had given her, her hair a tangled mess, but he didn’t appear put off by her unkempt appearance.
He had revenge on his mind, and she was it.
“You can leave now,” Sloane said, dismissing Gwen as if she were nothing more than a servant.
The woman hesitated, but a sharp look from Sloane had her walking out of the bedroom and closing the heavy double doors behind her. Sloane pressed a button on the wall, and Nicole heard the unnerving sound of metal bolts securing the doors.
She swallowed hard. She and Holly were well and truly locked inside, with no escape.
Nicole kept an eye on Sloane, and knew the only way to save herself and the young girl was to keep the man talking, to distract him until help arrived.
“You want me, ” Nicole said, trying to bargain with Sloane, anything to keep Holly out of harm’s way. “Let the girl go and you can have me.”
“I don’t think so.” Sloane stroked the cold steel barrel of his gun along Nicole’s cheek. “Holly can send me to prison, and that’s not going to happen.”
He was going to prison anyway, but Nicole wasn’t about to enlighten him. She casually stepped back to create space between them. “She won’t say anything,” Nicole said, keeping her voice calm, while inside she was trembling with terror. “I swear.”
He laughed, the sound maniacal and evil. “Neither of you will have the chance to say anything to anyone.”
A spark of rage burned inside Nicole, making her lash out. “You’re pathetic.”
He shrugged, her words having no impact on him. Instead, he kept the gun on her and decided to get down to business. “Take off your clothes,” he ordered.
She lifted her chin defiantly. No way was she making any of this easy on him, even as she knew that defying him could result in horrible consequences. It was a chance she was willing to take. “No.”