“I have money!” I say desperately.
He snickers. “We’re moving you two downstream because you’re all up in our business. And I do mean business. Tail like yours goes for high dollar.” He grins, and I squeeze my legs even more tightly shut.
Lockwood is definitely leering at me. He walks a little closer to my bed, so when Priscilla strolls through the door, I feel almost relieved.
“How’s our uppity prince and princess?” she asks.
Lockwood’s dark eyes rove over her body, clad in a skin-tight black dress, before he glances back at me. “This one’s a Curious Cassie.”
I scowl at Priscilla. “I can’t believe you help him sell women into sex slavery.”
She laughs. “You over-estimate my moral code, darlin’. Besides, sex with strangers isn’t as bad as you think.”
“It is when you’re forced to do it!”
She gives me a patronizing grin. “I guess you’ll find out.”
“I just don’t understand,” I say evenly. “What’s in this for you?”
“You should know I’m not in it for the money,” she chides. “In fact, I’m usually not involved in Michael’s extracurriculars at all. But this situation needed some tidying up.”
“I used to work for that kid’s dad,” Lockwood says, pointing at Cross. “Missy was his mistress before she started getting in the way. I had worked for him in security, and then I started talking to Priscilla. She wanted the governor and after a night of drinkin’ she and I got the idea. It was really more my idea,” he says with a little nod. “That little slut needed to be taken care of, and the governor asked me to take care of it, and, like that” —he snaps— “a whole new enterprise was born.”
“I never liked her,” Priscilla says. She rolls her eyes, like Missy was such a twat, and I realize she’s psychotic. They both are.
“But you dated!” I exclaim to Lockwood.
He shrugs. “Didn’t really, but I’m not objecting to the rumor. She was not an ugly woman. I think she had her eye on me. That made it even easier to get her across the border.”
“And after that, Governor Carlson got to be with me,” Priscilla says, as if that’s what matters.
“He didn’t stay with you,” I point out.
“Yes he did.” She grins. “He just got better at sneaking around.”
I don’t know what to do with this information. I glance at Cross, glad he’s still asleep. “His father doesn’t know about this, does he?”
Priscilla shakes her head. “But if he did, I’m not sure he’d try to stop me. I’ve got enough dirt on him to fill the Grand Canyon.”
I need time to process all of this, but time I do not have.
“Why is Hunter involved?”
She shrugs. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She knocks Lockwood with her hip, and I want to vomit. “Besides, it’s Michael’s fault, not mine. I have restraint. He doesn’t. When he heard what I did to your cocky little poker player, he made a rash decision, and then I had to cover for him. If we get charged with something, it could lead back to the governor.”
As Priscilla explains things to me, Lockwood pulls her dress aside and kisses her breasts. I stare, dumbfounded, as he starts to hump her. She steps back and swats him away, leaving him panting like a horny dog. “Do you know what time it is?” she asks him.
“We’ve still got an hour,” he says.
“Until what?” I nearly shriek.
Priscilla smiles. “Don’t you like surprises?”
Lockwood laces his fingers through hers, and together they leave the room. Cross is still asleep. My mind is racing. I can’t believe what Cross’s father did. I can’t believe Priscilla is such a monster. I can’t believe we’re trapped here. Everything about this situation is horrible.
Hunter. Where are you?
I try to wake Cross. I call his name, I try to talk to him; I even sing Nickelback songs. He hates Nickelback. I’m thrilled when, after only a few minutes, he rolls over, giving me a full view of his unbound hands. Why didn’t they tie him? His eyes flutter at the ceiling, and he grimaces like he’s in pain.
“Cross?”
He moans then rolls back on his stomach. Dammit!
I hear Priscilla’s voice nearby and then she’s back through the door, holding a bottle opener. She opens a cooler on the other side of Cross’s bed and pulls out a bottle of beer.
“What did you give him?” I ask as she opens it.
She shrugs. “A couple of tranquilizers. Not everyone has a good reaction to them.”
“What do you mean, not everyone has a good reaction?” I’ve managed to sit halfway up now. I jerk against the binds around my wrists. I want to slap her.
With another shrug, Priscilla saunters out of the room.
“Cross,” I call.
He moans.
“Cross, wake up! Please!”
But he doesn’t move. Why did I take him with me to Hunter’s house? I blow my breath out, pull in another one.