As they waited for the elevator, Sawyer looked outside the windows.
“It won’t do you any good. They’re bullet proof and the door is controlled by security. No one gets in or out without being buzzed in.” They had their illegal system down so there wasn’t a chance of escape.
Sawyer stepped into the elevator when it opened, both men by her side. Briggs pushed the button and the elevator moved upwards. When they reached the top floor, they guided her to a private office where Briggs rapped on the door before opening it.
She recognized the man looking out the window as he turned toward the door when it opened. He had become known throughout her neighborhood and the seedier side of Queen City. His name was Digger, and most people in Queen City were afraid of him. The only one in town who had been able to keep Digger under some control was King, although he had been trying to steal King’s power the last couple of years.
“I see that you finally were able to accomplish what you set out to do.” His face was unexpectedly handsome, but there was a cruel twist to his mouth. Sawyer shivered when he looked her over as if she was less than human to him.
“Sawyer, have a seat.” Briggs pushed her toward the chair in front of Digger’s desk. Shakily, she took a seat.
“Now, you’re going to be a smart woman and listen to me before you open your mouth. You have some information I want. You can tell me what I need to know and I’ll see to it that you can walk out that front door. Don’t tell me what I want to know and they’ll carry you out the back.”
Sawyer twisted her hands together in her lap.
“Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Sawyer knew she couldn’t answer him without stuttering so she nodded her head.
“Good.” Digger took a seat behind the large desk. “How well do you know King?”
“I—I don’t,” Sawyer spoke truthfully. She could tell by the look on his face he didn’t believe her. “I s—s—s—saw him when I w—w—was a kid at my apartment building.” Sawyer sucked in deep breaths, determined to get herself back under control. Relaxing her shoulders, she waited for his next question.
“Then why, when you were kids, did he extend his protection to cover you and Vida?”
“He extended it to Callie, Vida and me.” Sawyer was proud of herself for managing to get out a sentence without stammering.
“Callie?”
“She was another girl from our complex.” Sawyer saw no reason not to tell him. Callie was the only one beyond his reach.
“Why am I just now hearing about her?”
“Probably because she’s dead,” Sawyer said sarcastically. “She died when she was eight.”
“Her mother and father?”
“Her mother died the same day and no one knew who her father was.”
“Could it have been King?”
Sawyer could see that he thought he was getting somewhere. She took perverse pleasure in bursting his bubble. “No.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Brenda was not only a whore, but a slut. You know King; what do you think?”
Everyone in town knew that King didn’t touch whores. He liked to sell their services, but he kept his pleasure away from business. When King played, he liked to pick women who were from upper society that felt they were getting a thrill by fucking someone of King’s caliber. He got exhilarated by dragging them down to his level.
“Why did King extend his protection to you and your friends then?” Digger asked, leaning back in his expensive chair.
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve thought about if off and on for years and couldn’t figure it out.” The ring of truth and confusion sounded in her voice.
“I see.” Digger motioned to Briggs who was standing behind her. His hands circled her throat, squeezing tightly. Her hands went to his, trying to break his hold as she fought, trying to get away.
When she thought she was going to pass out, she heard Digger’s voice through the buzzing in her ears. “That’s enough.”
Sawyer gasped for breath when Briggs released her, and Digger waited until she quit before he began questioning her again. “I suggest you think harder.”
“Once, several boys ganged up on us, causing Callie and Vida to almost be hit by a car. I pulled them away from the road before they were hurt. That was the only contact we had with King.”
Her hand went to her sore throat. “H—he wasn’t my f—father, and he wasn’t Vida’s, s—so maybe he was protecting the driver of the vehicle? I—I don’t know.”
“How do you know he wasn’t Vida’s father?”
“B—because Goldie kept a picture of Vida’s father on a s—shelf in her apartment. Vida showed it to me one time. He wasn’t my father because my mother didn’t even know King until I was two-years-old.”
“That’s all you know?”
“Yes.”
“It’s useless information.”
“I don’t know what else I can tell you. There isn’t a connection between King and us.”
“I am beginning to see that the problem for you is that the only reason you were useful to me was for information. Since you’re useless, I have no further benefit by keeping you.
“Take her to the basement.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sawyer lay on the bed, listening to the soft cries from the other rooms. She had lost track of the number of days she had been held in the tiny room. She was beginning to lose touch with reality. The only contact she had with the other women was being forced to listen to their misery.
So far they hadn’t drugged her; that would defeat their purpose. Digger still believed that she knew something.
She was hungry. I will never complain about eating at another buffet, she thought wryly. She wiped a tear away. At least Vida was safe for now. Whoever was protecting her, frightened Digger. She had seen the wariness in his eyes when she’d heard him telling his men to back off when they grew tired of her lack of information and wanted to go after Vida.
A loud explosion had her sitting up on her cot, with terror swamping her. Running to the door, she put her ear to it, listening to every sound she could hear. She stepped away when she heard the sound of gunfire. She instinctively hid in the darkest corner of her room, crouched down and hiding in case any of Digger’s men came for her.
She wanted to scream along with the other women, though she managed somehow to control herself, wanting more to be able to listen to what was happening in the building.
Another smaller explosion sounded closer.
Relief flooded her when she heard the FBI yell out. She started crying in relief at the sound of doors opening and women being set free. It had her running to the door, banging on it, afraid they would miss her. The sound of a key in the lock had her stepping back.
She started crying harder as the door swung open and an officer stood there with an FBI vest, who quickly ushered her up the steps with the other women. They kept reassuring them they were safe and free. As Sawyer brought up the rear with one of the officers behind her, she felt him lurch forward, causing her to fall to the ground as he landed heavily on her. She knew he had been shot when she felt his dead weight.
His body was thrown off her and she was jerked to her feet.
Digger’s man, Morgan, had her by her arm, dragging her back the way she had just ran from. Smoke filled the air as she started screaming for help.
“Make another noise, and I’ll kill you,” Morgan grunted as he ran down a hallway, dragging her with him. He went around the corner, coming to a stop at the large man blocking their path with a gun in his hand. The man didn’t hesitate. Before Morgan could even point his gun, he shot him. Morgan’s hand fell away from her as he dropped to the ground where Sawyer looked down at him. A bullet hole was right between his eyes.
“Let’s go, Sawyer.” King held his hand out to her, his eyes unremorseful.
Sawyer gave him her hand, running with him toward another doorway. He paused before the door,
and then pushed it open, keeping to the side of the building.
She glanced across the few feet where the whole parking lot was filled with police and fire trucks as a car pulled up in front of them with its lights off. King opened the backdoor and pushed her in before getting in himself. The car pulled slowly out of the lot, heading away from the burning building and police.
“That’s the most excitement I’ve had in a while.” King’s merciless appearance had not changed over the years. His large body with dark hair and eyes would make anyone hesitate to approach him. The cold-blooded way he handled his enemies sent them running. He was wearing dark jeans and a jacket, which was the most casual she had ever seen him; usually, he was wearing expensive suits.
His head turned toward her, studying her. “You’ve looked better, Sawyer.”
Sawyer gave a wry laugh. “I’ve felt better. What’s going on, King?”
“Digger was under the misguided impression that you have information about me that no one else knows.” Sawyer broke eye contact with him, going to the extremely broad shoulders of the man driving the car.
“Is Vida okay?”
“Vida is doing extremely well. Your little friend is being watched by an acquaintance of mine.”
Sawyer couldn’t decide if that was good news or bad news, considering the caliber of friends King had.