Page 20 of Vengeful Lies

Essie whimpered and clung to her when she tried to straighten.

“Shh, cuddle bug, I'm still right here,” she soothed, fighting the urge to snatch the child right back up again.

“Sit beside her,” one ordered her.

That was a much easier direction to follow. Taking the other chair, she wrapped an arm around the little girl’s shoulders and tucked her in against her side.

The men all pulled on ski masks, and she noted they were all dressed in black today, including black gloves. There was nothing that would help Cade and the others to identify them.

Nothing in this room to identify where they were being held either.

In front of them, the camera switched on, and one of the men strolled in front of it. “Missing something?” he sneered as he circled around to stand behind them, running a hand down her hair and then doing the same to Essie.

“Unless you want your kid getting a real up close and personal lesson in the birds and the bees, I suggest you back off, stop looking for answers about topics that don’t concern you,” one of the other men said as he walked over to her chair and shoved her legs apart.

“Close your eyes, Essie,” Gabriella quickly whispered. She had no idea how far these men were going to take things, but she certainly didn't want Essie getting a lesson in the birds and the bees from watching her be raped. “Keep them closed, okay? Until I tell you to open them.”

The man groping her chuckled and lifted a hand to wrap around her neck, holding her still as he crushed his mouth to hers. The kiss was harsh and forceful, and with his body pressed against hers and his hand squeezing her neck just tight enough to begin impeding her ability to breathe there was nowhere for her to go.

From behind her the other man roughly grabbed her breasts, kneading them painfully. The bite mark, which had torn through her skin and left behind horrible red welts as well as dark black and blue bruises, stung horribly as his large hand squeezed her flesh.

Gabriella whimpered at the violation of his tongue forcing its way between her lips, and she was so very aware both of the little girl still tucked against her side, and the fact that this video was going to be sent to Cade.

When he saw it, he was going to lose it.

His fear for his daughter and what was going to happen to her would be off the charts, maybe even bad enough for him to agree to stop searching for answers about who hurt his mom.

That wasn't what she wanted for him or his family, they deserved to be able to clear their mom’s name after all these years, but she didn't want to die in the process. Nor did she want Essie to have to pay the ultimate price.

The facts were, there was no good outcome.

And even if Cade agreed to back off it didn't guarantee that she and Essie would be returned alive.

Hopelessness drowned her, and a single tear trailed down her cheek as she lifted her gaze to look square into the camera.

Chapter

Six

September 3rd

6:43 P.M.

“There has to be a connection,” Cade growled in frustration.

He couldn’t believe there wasn't.

And yet, after hours—days—of going through the lives of the ten men who had attacked Connor and Becca at the cabin a couple of weeks ago, they weren't able to identify anyone who was related to them in any way who might be involved in Essie and Gabriella’s abductions.

They’d gone through their lives with a fine-tooth comb.

A finer than fine-tooth comb.

They’d checked into every relative, friend, neighbor, acquaintance, and person the men had served with in any way, and still nothing.

No one had turned out to be a credible lead.

If the only survivor of the attack hadn't taken his life while he was in the hospital under police guard, he would have gone down to the hospital and done whatever it took to get answers out of him.

---