Jack ignored him.

"What is it?"

Kaylie stepped forward nervously, as if she weren't sure she should be telling him something. He waited, watching her decide what to say. She swallowed and finally opened her mouth.

"It's Janet."

He said nothing, fully expecting her to tear into him for what had happened in the alley. What had almost happened. He almost laughed. He should have just taken her up against the wall. Then maybe she'd be out of his system by now.

G.o.d knows the booze hadn't blotted her from his mind.

"I don't know if there's anything going on with the two of you, or if you care about her but..."

He looked at Dev over her shoulder to see if his friend was mad at him. How was he supposed to explain this fiasco to him? To anyone?

"There isn't."

Kaylie stared at him.

"There isn't anything going on."

"Okay. I just thought maybe you wanted to help her. After what happened at the mall. I know she likes you Jack."

She did, did she? That was interesting. So they weren't there to yell at him after all.

He stared at Kaylie with one eyebrow raised. Even that movement was painful in his recently inebriated state. Kaylie let out a deep breath.

"I'm scared for her."

"What?"

He was prepared for her to tell him that Janet had gotten herself into trouble. Fine. He'd help her. He was prepared for her to tell him that Janet was angry at him and wouldn't come to the clubhouse. Even better. He was not prepared for what Kaylie said next.

Not at all.

"Her parents found out she's been hanging around the clubhouse. They-"

"They what?"

"They locked her in her room with no food or water. It's been three days at least-"

"WHAT?".

"She hasn't had any food or water in days. I don't even know if they care if she lives or dies at this point. I was going to call the police but Dev said-"

He closed his eyes and felt the deepest rage he'd ever felt in his life. Then he climbed onto his bike, and rode.

7.

Jack broke about fifty laws in the fifteen block ride to Janet's house. He was angrier than he'd ever been in his life. And that was saying something.

He was off his bike and at the front door less than five minutes after Kaylie had told him what was happening. He banged his fist on the front door until a man in his early 50's opened it. He looked terrified when he saw Jack looming in the doorway.

"Where's Janet?"

"She's gone."

A pinched face woman appeared behind him.

"You're one of the biker sc.u.m that she's been hanging around with. Get out of here before I call the police!"

A voice inside Jack screamed 'I'M NOT Sc.u.m!' with tremendous force. G.o.d, he wanted to wring their necks. How could they be so stupid?

How could they not take care of something so beautiful and precious?

And fragile.

Janet had convinced him she was tough, along with the rest of the world. But it wasn't true. She was strong in her way, that was true. She'd had to be. But there was a vulnerability about her he'd sensed and chosen to ignore. Now that he'd met her parents he had no doubt where that came from.

They'd mistreated her. Endangered her. Ignored her cries for help. He felt sick to his stomach imagining her in her room, hungry and thirsty and alone.

No. That was wrong.

He was the one who left her alone when every fiber of his being had been telling him to take care of her, nurture her, protect her.

Love her.

He did something he rarely did. Something he rarely had to do. He made himself look deliberately intimidating, leaning forward to sneer at Mr. Mahoney.

"Where is she?"

Janet's mother stepped forward. She looked like his beautiful Janet, but distorted in a fun house mirror. She must have been gorgeous once. Before bitterness twisted her features. No wonder Janet's dad was so whipped.

"She ran away. Maybe if we're lucky she'll never come back."

He pushed her out of the way and stalked into the house.

"Show me her room."

Her father eyed him warily and wisely decided to humor him. He led him down the hallway to a door with a ma.s.sive deadbolt on the outside. Jack was horrified when he saw the size of that deadbolt. Janet was a girl, not a horse or a criminal. She hadn't stood a chance.

He stepped inside the room and winced. It smelled horrible in here. He saw a bucket full of p.i.s.s and s.h.i.t in the corner. He closed his eyes. They'd left her alone with a bucket.

This was his fault. All his fault. He's the one they didn't want her hanging around with. He should have left her alone to begin with. Or taken care of her. Not this bulls.h.i.t waffling he'd been doing. Fighting himself every step of the way.

Now she was the one paying the price.

It wasn't right.

"Get out."

Her father was lifting the bucket when Jack snapped the order at him. He hesitated then awkwardly carried the offending container out of the room. Jack blew air out through his nose and looked around the room. He could hear them arguing out there. The woman wanted to call the police but the man was trying to convince her not to.

No wonder she'd created her own world in here. The room looked like a sanctuary. Posters of far away places covered the walls, all interspersed with stunning photos of dancers. Slender girls with long legs and frilly costumes. None of them held a candle to her.

A fabric scarf covered her lamp, lending the room an ethereal glow. He turned and saw her bed. It was a mess, with blankets and sheets everywhere. As if she'd tossed and turned on it. All alone.

Except for his helmet.

He moaned, realizing she'd been sleeping with it. He closed his eyes again, feeling a sharp sting of regret. He regretted everything he'd done since he met her.

Except kissing her. He could never regret that.

He stared at the window. She'd smashed it open after three and a half days trapped in this airless room with no food or water. Or comfort. While he'd been drinking himself into oblivion, she'd been in here, alone and afraid. Sharp pieces of gla.s.s stuck out in every direction. It was a miracle that she hadn't cut herself.

Maybe she had. Maybe she was bleeding to death in an alley somewhere. If she died, he'd never get to tell her he was sorry.

He'd never get to tell her he cared.

He had to find her. Now. But how? She could be anywhere. Kaylie was her best friend and even she had no idea where Janet had gone. It's not like she had anyone else.

If he'd played his cards differently, she would have come to him for help... instead she was out there, in G.o.d only knows what kind of danger. He spun in a circle, scanning the room for a sign. There was nothing. If she'd taken anything with her it couldn't have been much.

Then he saw it. On the floor next to her desk was a piece of paper. He picked it up.

It was a list of names and numbers. He frowned and then realized they were jobs she meant to apply to. He read it quickly and sucked in his breath. The third item on the list was a body work place. She'd probably thought it was a place to learn physical therapy.

But she was wrong.

It was an outpost of a ma.s.sive underground prost.i.tution ring. If they got their hands on her... they'd never let her leave. He crumpled the paper in his fist and left, fear making his heart pound furiously in his chest.

8.

Janet was curled into a ball on the floor, trying to protect her body in case they touched her again. She waited ten minutes in that position, making sure they were gone for real. They'd left her with a bowl of something to eat and some water and then shut off the light, leaving her in pitch darkness. She'd decided early that it was better to appear meek and afraid. So far it was working.

She was afraid, that part was not an act. But meek? Hardly.

She used her hands to feel along the concrete floor. There was no way in h.e.l.l she was going to eat the food they'd left but she needed the water. She was parched. She could tell she was dangerously dehydrated. Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries.

It had been the third place she went to looking for work. The first place that hadn't cared that she'd lost her ID and didn't have references. But the joke was on her. If only there were anything funny about it.

The ad she'd found for body work had been a scam. They were running a brothel here, and from what she could tell at least 75% of the girls were unwilling partic.i.p.ants in the scheme. Their accents told her they were from all over the world. Their eyes told her they were beaten and broken. Like her, they were the disenfranchised. No one would come looking for them.

When she'd walked in the place they'd taken one look at her and seen a gold mine. They'd told her to strip and put on some sleazy lingerie. She'd fought them tooth and nail but in the end they'd won, holding a cloth over her mouth until she stopped struggling. When she came to she was dressed in a black satin corset with lace panties, thigh high stockings and black heels.

Leaving her the heels was an oversight on their part. If anyone tried to touch her, she was going to stab them with those 4 inch stilettos. She would have already but she'd eaten the food they'd brought the first time. It was risky but she'd been so hungry at that point she hadn't cared.

Mistake. Big mistake.

It had been drugged, sending her into a stupor yet again. She'd spent half the day in a dream state, with images from her past and present intertwining. When she woke up her purse was missing. Not that she had anything in it. Her parents had taken her phone and her wallet.

She knew she couldn't blame them for this mess though. This was all her. Stupid and impulsive as usual. And now look at the situation she was in.

She wiped tears off her cheeks. At least they hadn't tried to turn her out yet. Soon though. She knew it was coming soon. She'd overheard them saying something about breaking her in before shipping her overseas.

She knew if that happened she'd disappear forever. She'd never see Kaylie again.

Or Jack.

Even if he didn't want her, she'd still like to see him now and then. Even if they didn't speak. Just his presence made her feel safe. Just his existence.

She conjured up an image of him. She'd been doing this for almost a week now, ever since she'd been locked in her room and then this hole. It gave her plenty of time to think... to fantasize. Mostly about Jack. As usual, he was staring at her disapprovingly. He'd be the first one to tell her she was an idiot for getting herself in this situation. Of course, he wouldn't actually say it. He'd just project it with those steely eyes of his. And then he'd smile the teeniest bit, letting her know he was glad she was okay.

Janet moved back into the corner and held a shoe in each hand.

She knew what Jack would expect her to do.

She was going to fight.

Jack didn't even bother with the first two names on the list. It was getting to be late at night already and he knew the legitimate businesses would be closed. But not the Body Work Special.

Christ, if she was in there, G.o.d knew what they'd done to her.

He would kill them if they hurt her. He'd kill them if they even touched her.

He texted Dev on the way. He told him to bring some guys in as few words as possible. He might need the backup. He didn't care if he made it out of there alive, but if anything happened to Janet, he'd loose his mind. Maybe permanently.

This was going to take some finessing. The Rub N' Tug was run by a rival gang. Nowhere as big as the SOS but twice as mean.

The Viper's Disciples.

He couldn't wait for the guys. If there was a chance he could stop them before they... he gritted his teeth, trying not to imagine Janet lying helpless underneath a paying customer.

He pushed open the gla.s.s door and walked in.