was an obvious upgrade from the cheap paneling of the previous space. His fingers dug into her arm painfully just before he opened the door, shoving her inside ahead of him.
Jake Davenport stood in front of a mammoth desk, half sitting, half leaning against the surface. He looked smug, his ankles and arms were crossed leisurely.
She stopped dead in her tracks, hoping to keep as much distance as possible between them, but the clamp on her arm only got worse as she was pressed farther into the room.
Hannah's eyes dropped to the half-naked woman kneeling on the floor before Jake, her back to the door. Her arms were tied behind her back in an uncomfortable way, thick rope constricting just above the elbows, forcing her shoulders back uncomfortably. Even without seeing her face, Hannah knew it was Mia at his feet, and her anger flared hot. She lurched forward as if to run to her friend, but the brute next to her held her tight, she was unable to break free.
"Nice of you to join us, Hannah. I'm disappointed you chose to take the hard route. It didn't need to be like this," Jake said evenly.
Anger burst out. "Oh, really? And how was it supposed to be? You're a sicko, you know that? I only came here to give you back what I took and to get Mia and Lucy. Then we're leaving."
His menacing chuckle sounded like it belonged on the soundtrack of a horror movie. "Oh Hannah, my dear, you're in no position to negotiate with me. I'm the only one who calls the shots around here. You work for me. I believe I explained clearly my expectations regarding your employee performance. I'm going to enjoy delivering a very harsh corrective discipline session. As you can see, I've already started with Mia here."
"You sick fuck. There's no way I'm working for you after you raped me," Hannah snarled.
Jake's eyes darkened. "I'd be careful if I were you. You're only making this worse for yourself."
Dylan's voice in her ear pretty much said the same thing. "Stop antagonizing him, honey."
"Go to hell!" She wasn't sure if she was addressing the man in the room or the one surveilling from afar.
Jake's lips formed a lopsided smile that didn't quite make it to his eyes. "You'll find this place is going to be your own personal hell if you don't shut your mouth and start listening."
Her breath caught in her throat as the man next to her shoved her further into the room until she stood directly behind Mia. There was no way her friend could push to her feet without the use of her arms. Hannah reached out to free her, but she was yanked back.
Trying to stay calm, she glanced around the room, more to give the men on the outside a picture than out of interest. She was surprised to see Lucy hiding in the corner, an out-of-place smile on her face. As their eyes met, Lucy moved out of the shadows to stand beside Jake. Alarm bells went off in Hannah's head. How in the world could she be letting Jake hurt her own sister?
Ignoring Lucy, Hannah remembered she only had one goal she wanted to accomplish, and then they could all get the hell out of there. Reaching into her purse, she pulled the leather journal out, holding it close to her body.
"I brought your journal. We had a deal. I'm taking Mia and Lucy out of here."
Lucy laughed, turning to Jake with joy in her eyes. "See? I told you I was an excellent actress. She totally believed we were in danger. Does this mean I get the part?"
For the first time Jake took his eyes off Hannah, sliding his predatory gaze to the over-dressed young woman who was the only person in the room completely clueless about what he was capable of.
Jake reached out to cup Lucy's face, deceivingly gentle. "You are indeed quite the actress. I have just the spot for you in a show we have starting tonight."
Lucy's face lit up with a victorious smile.
He didn't take his eyes from his prey as he addressed his second-in-command. "Mohammed, take her to the vault and strip her. Have Doc check her out and prep her for the final party tonight. I have a few clients who've been requesting Asian meat. They'll be pleasantly surprised."
Lucy looked confused, but Mia groaned a protest through her gag. Quick as lightning, Jake's arm swung, backhanding Mia across the face