Pestilence’s Cure: Chapter 1

Ryan

Ryan Wood adjusted his cuffs and gave the visiting police officers a practiced smile. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but we haven’t seen the girl you described.”

“Are you sure?” Officer Ben Thompson, a man Ryan had known since the day Club Apocalypse opened, held out a picture of an unsmiling young redhead with a scarf covering her head. “Carrie Yost vanished from the Shepherds’ protest group last night and her father is frantic.”

“It’s terrible to have a child go missing,” Ryan murmured.

“Her father says she’s twenty-two, but he’s busting my…” Ben glanced at Kendra and flushed. “Sorry.”

Kendra Hall, their vice-president of operations, said, “We’ll do everything in our power to help you find Miss Yost. Please assure him we’re allowing you full access to the resort property, with the exception of thirty-four occupied suites unless you have the guests’ permission to enter. The owners and staff of Club Apocalypse are happy to answer your questions. In fact, I can call in the staff members who were here last night.”

Ben sighed and shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Knowing your security systems, you wouldn’t have missed a redhead in a burlap dress coming in here.” Replacing his hat, he shook Ryan’s hand. “Cross your fingers she’s actually managed to get out of town, and away from… anyway, call me if you see her.”

“Of course,” Ryan replied smoothly. “Do you need to see the security footage? You might find something we missed.”

“No, but thanks for the offer.”

“Will you let us know if…” Kendra brushed a finger under one eye and tried to smile. “When she’s found?”

Ben’s gaze softened and he handed Kendra a tissue from a small packet. “Yes, ma’am. We’re sorry to have bothered you.”

She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “You’re never a bother. We hope she’s reunited with her family soon.”

“Thank you. It’s always a pleasure doing business with The Horsemen.”

“With you as well,” Ryan said. “Let us know when you find her. Despite our issues with them, I’m sure her family is worried sick.”

That was an understatement. The Shepherds of the Coming Peace had been waging a protest on the resort’s property line for months, demanding they close down. They believed Club Apocalypse was a brothel, and nothing anyone said would change their minds.

“Will do.”

Ben and his partner walked out, but Ryan waited until they drove away before he spoke. “Tears, Kendra? How did you manage that?”

She lifted her chin and tossed the tissue into a wastebasket. “Please. When have I ever not acted in the best interest of Club Apocalypse and its guests and staff? If that means tears, I’ll turn on the waterworks.”

He chuckled and followed her through the lobby to the offices in the west wing. Kendra Hall was a woman who Got Things Done, but he hadn’t realized she was such a good actress.

“Where did you stash her?” he asked.

“Mark’s office.” She glanced at her watch and quickened her pace, the heels of her expensive stilettos echoing on the tile. “He’s with her. I assume Sean already altered the security footage of Carrie coming in?”

“Yes, he took care of it last night.” Ryan chose not to argue about putting such an innocent young woman in the dungeon. He didn’t like the idea, but it was one of the few places inaccessible to guests until it opened for the evening.

“Good. Thank you. I’m putting her in Mark’s room in your apartment to keep her out of sight. He’ll be moving in with me, so—”

“No.”

Kendra stopped, her heels clicking as she turned. “Excuse me?”

“She can’t stay with us. It would be… inappropriate.”

Gazing at him, she lowered her ever-present legal pad. “As inappropriate as someone spotting her in one of the common areas or outside? Can you imagine how much worse the Shepherds are going to be if they know we’re hiding Carrie from them?”

Ryan grunted and started walking again. As much as he wanted to keep Carrie as far from the Shepherds as he could get her, he couldn’t let her stay so close. She was too sweet and innocent, and those big green eyes just did something to him.

Made him want to protect her and keep her hidden away where no one could find her. Have her waiting at home with a hot meal. She’d have no other worries aside from keeping his house and raising their family, and would never have to work. He’d walk in the front door and she’d kiss his cheek, then…

No. As beautiful as imagining her as his dutiful, stay-at-home wife was, she needed freedom to find her own way. To create a future for herself and discover who and what she was truly meant to be.

“We should let Dr. Knox take her back to Massachusetts. That would get her well out of the Shepherds’ reach.”

“Dr. Knox has her own business,” she reminded him, “and we have no idea if Carrie can take care of herself without support. For better or worse, she’s our responsibility until we can find somewhere safe for her to go.”

He sighed irritably, but nodded. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“I’m always right.” She strode past the restaurant, acknowledging several guests as they enjoyed the expansive buffet breakfast Jake, their chef and one of his best friends set out, then went into the dungeon where Mark’s office was tucked out of view behind the bar. It was the safest place for them to meet to discuss what to do with Carrie.

Jake grinned at Kendra as she walked in, then held up a bite-sized quiche. “Ah, caught you before you escaped without breakfast, naughty girl.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Jake shoved the treat between her lips. She glowered at him, but chewed and swallowed. “Stop that. I already ate.”

“Coffee doesn’t count.” He held up another. “One more and you can go.”

Mark grinned and kissed her cheek. “I told on you.”

“I’m going to abjure you one of these days and make it stick.” Despite her words and the dirty look she shot at Mark, she ate the second and dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Spinach, my favorite.”

“These are actually low-carb with egg whites. You like?”

She took two more. “I like everything you make, but this is something I won’t feel guilty for eating. Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

Although Carrie’s face was still bruised and swollen, she’d gotten a shower and fresh clothing. The housekeeping uniform of khakis and a black polo made her look wan and pale, but it was a significant improvement over the shapeless brown dress she’d been wearing when she arrived.

Giving her a bright smile, Kendra sat behind Mark’s desk. “Hi Carrie. I’m Kendra Hall, and we’re going to help you, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Her shoulders went up around her ears and she stole peeks at the people surrounding her as if they were a threat.

Ryan wanted to take her from the room and hide her away, but shook off the ridiculous idea. This was necessary, and they’d both just have to deal with it.

“I’m Jake McBride,” Jake said, setting a full plate in front of her. “You can eat before we talk, okay?”

“Sir?” She glanced at the food, then back up at him. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s your breakfast, honey.”

“But—”

Jake’s eyes glittered, transforming him from a slightly goofy chef into a stern dominant. It was a look that would cow even Kendra into good behavior, all the more astonishing because he almost never went that far. “Eat your breakfast, Carrie.”

Surprisingly, her shoulders relaxed and she picked up her fork.

“Good girl,” Jake crooned. “Would you like juice, milk, or coffee?”

“Milk, please,” Carrie said after swallowing the food in her mouth. “This is very good.”

“Thanks.” Jake put a glass of milk next to her plate, then sat next to Sean and folded his hands over his stomach, watching to make sure Carrie ate everything.

Wearing a pleased smile, Kendra waited until she finished. “Okay, Carrie. You already know everyone, so we’ll get started with our meeting. We’re going to help you write a statement telling everyone you’re here of your own free will, and that you don’t want to return to the Shepherds. Is that what you want to say?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Call me Kendra, please.” She handed Carrie her notepad. “Now, by your father’s own words, you’re over eighteen, which means you can go wherever you want. That also means he can’t force you to marry against your will.”

After laying her fork next to her plate, Carrie dabbed her lips with her napkin. “This is the second time I’ve escaped,” she finally said. “The first time, I managed to stay away for almost a year before my father dragged me home.”

“How old were you?”

“Eighteen. I was working at a diner in Flagstaff when he caught me, and then he… Anyway, I came here to ask if you can help me get far enough away that he can’t find me again.”

Ryan breathed out through his nose and forced his hands to unclench. He was almost afraid to ask her what she didn’t say. Surreptitiously, he sent a text to their on-call counselor, knowing Carrie would need help if what he suspected was true.

Unfortunately, Sean didn’t have any qualms about asking her that difficult question. His golden complexion darkened with fury. “Did your father touch you inappropriately?”

“No. Never.” She thanked Jake for the glass of water he gave her, then took a sip. “He beat me, then starved me until I agreed to marry the husband he chose for me.”

“And where is your husband now?” Ryan asked, desperately trying to keep his cool. He didn’t know if her husband or her father had abused her, but he didn’t care. It was all he could do to stop himself from hunting the bastards down.

“He had a bad heart and died two weeks ago. My father wants me to marry someone else now.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Kendra murmured. Like all of them, she was probably wondering how old Carrie’s husband had been. Thankfully, Carrie didn’t see her pallor or the expression of sick horror on her face.

“Thank you. Benjamin was kind to me, but Josiah won’t be. There’s no blood relation, but he’s my father’s stepbrother.”

She twisted her hands in her lap and lowered her chin. Judging by the clenched set of her shoulders, she was scared as hell and Ryan couldn’t blame her.

“Will you help me? I think if I can get to Phoenix, he won’t go that far, but he has my birth certificate and ID locked in his office.” She laughed mirthlessly, then added, “He keeps all the women’s documents locked up now so we can’t run off as easily.”

Carrie had run and managed to stay away until she was caught, but without ID, it would be much harder for her to find a job and a place to live.

“Is there someone you do want to marry?” Jake asked softly. “You’d need your late husband’s death certificate and your documents, but if there was someone else, he couldn’t force you.”

Shuddering, Carrie shook her head violently. “No. Not ever again.”

***

Carrie

She hadn’t quite believed it, but judging by the sexually explicit art, and the massive bar she’d seen in the restaurant, Club Apocalypse was indeed a brothel. She’d even recognized a few pieces of what she thought was bondage furniture in the large room she’d passed through on her way to Mark’s office.

It didn’t bother her too much though. Valentina, her roommate and best friend in Flagstaff, had been an escort, and Carrie had never met a kinder, more generous person.

Despite her busy schedule with school and work, Valentina had taught her to read using her collection of naughty books, helped her get a GED, and then helped her find a job. She’d even gotten a driving permit and started learning to drive Valentina’s old Toyota.

In fact, Valentina was the reason she was in her current predicament.  When her father threatened to hurt her, Carrie had followed him home, meek as a kitten. He hadn’t even given her a chance to say goodbye.

Carrie swallowed back a sob, knowing she couldn’t go back to Flagstaff. That would be the first place her father would look.

“Okay, no wedding your future,” Ryan said, smiling at her. “We think we can help you with your documents though.”

“Thank you.” She let out a breath, then lifted her head to meet his eyes. “May I borrow your phone? I want to call my friend in Flagstaff. That will be the first place my father goes to find me, and he said he’d leave her alone if I went with him.”

All four men held out phones, making her blink in surprise. She chose Ryan’s and chewed on her lip as she tried to remember Valentina’s number. Finally, it came to her and she tapped the screen to connect the call. Her thumb slipped and she accidentally put the call on speaker but wasn’t sure she could turn it off without disconnecting the call.

After a few rings, Valentina picked up, sounding very sleepy. “This is Valentina from cardmember services. If you’re dumb enough to give me your credit card number, I’ll use it to buy sex toys and a Ferrari.”

“Hi, Valentina, it’s um… Carrie.”

Something crashed to the floor and she heard a screech before Valentina said, “Chica, I’ve been worried sick! You don’t call, you don’t write. It’s been three years! Where have you been?”

“I… my father came.”

“Oh.” The single word held all of Valentina’s animosity. “Let me guess. You didn’t leave a typed note on our kitchen table telling me you found a job and were moving away. I knew I should have looked for you.”

“No, I’m glad you didn’t. He said he would hurt you, and… I’m sorry.”

“What an asshole.” Valentina let out a sigh, and in a softer voice, said, “I’m just glad you’re okay. Dare I hope you’ve gotten away from the old fuckwit again?”

“I did.” She’d almost forgotten what Valentina used to call him. She’d always been taught to honor her father and it had horrified her at first, but the longer she was out of his reach, the more it seemed to fit.

Ryan reached over to squeeze her knee in encouragement, and his lips curved into a smile that made her catch her breath. Lord, that smile. If he’d been the man her father picked, maybe she wouldn’t have protested so much.

He wore a dark suit and white shirt without a tie, and had onyx cufflinks at his wrists. Gray eyes the color of desert storm clouds were filled with kindness. He even smelled good, like bay rum and soap, and she wanted to inhale the clean, masculine fragrance deep into her lungs.

“Good for you! Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”

“I’m actually calling to warn you. Our apartment is the first place he’ll look.”

“I’m not at all sorry to say he’ll be disappointed. I moved to a gated community in Pine Canyon. Now, tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”

How the heck had Valentina managed to afford a house in that neighborhood? Maybe she’d decided to escort full-time after college instead of finding a job. It wasn’t for her but if Valentina was happy, Carrie wouldn’t judge. At least Valentina wasn’t living in their apartment anymore, but that didn’t mean her father wouldn’t find her.

“I’m at a place called Club Apocalypse.”

There was another crash, and it sounded like Valentina had dropped the phone. “Valentina? Are you okay?”

“Did you say Club Apocalypse?”

“Yes. The Shepherds are protesting, and—”

Valentina squealed, making Jake snicker behind his hand. “Oh em gee! Are you like… inside?”

“Yes, I’m in—”

“You utter cow. I’ve been on their waiting list for months! Oh, my God!” Valentina squeaked again, then said, “Okay, fangirl time over. I’ll be there in about two hours to get you, but will you please ask if I can have a tour?”

Ryan held a finger to his lips, then gave her a warm smile. “Valentina, this is Ryan Wood. I’d like to personally invite you for a complimentary stay at Club Apocalypse. We’ll discuss your membership when you get here.”

“Mr. Wood… Pestilence. Can I call you Pest? Shit, I’m sorry. I promise I’m not usually such a spazz. Actually, I am, but I need to thank you for helping my friend. I don’t even care about the membership as long as she’s okay.”

“Carrie is fine.” He grinned at his friends who were all holding back laughter. “And you can call me Ryan. We’d also like to ask a favor of you.”

“Anything! I’m on it,” Valentina replied.

“Stop somewhere and buy Carrie some clothes. Enough for a couple of weeks, I think. We’ll call it your first month’s dues. How does that sound?”

“No, I’ll provide for my bestie. She deserves it. I’ll be there soon.”

The call dropped and Carrie closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. After so long, Valentina still called her bestie. As much as she’d missed Valentina, it had been worth leaving to keep her safe. Carrie wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if something happened to her.

“Thank you,” she said, once she thought she could speak without crying. “You don’t know what that means to me.”

“If your father managed to find you in Flagstaff, he can find your friend,” Kendra said. “I’d like all my lost waifs in one place where I can keep an eye on them.”

“He’ll try, and I can’t—” The tears fell and she choked on a sob. “Valentina is… she taught me to read and… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry.” Ryan stroked her hand, sending an electric surge of pleasure into he