Virgin Dancer (11 page)

"Now come for me," he commanded roughly. "Let go, Jade."

With a last, hard sweep of his tongue, he skillfully drove her over the edge, and she obeyed, coming so hard that she lost all control over her body, helplessly shaking and contracting around his fingers. It took all her strength to endure this overwhelming, incredible sensation without dying from pleasure, too weak to utter a single sound. A white light exploded behind her eyes. Now all she knew was the deep, soothing tone of his voice that led her through it, and the comfort of his arms around her.

He had freed her ankles and glided up along her body, kissing every inch of naked skin along his path. She was still shuddering from the aftermath when she felt him wrap her legs around his waist and enter her deeply, with one swift movement. Her arms still shackled, he started to move, slowly at first, but then rapidly, with long, hard thrusts that drove them up the bed. Jade held tight to the headboard, her wrists still imprisoned, and felt her desire rise again, reveling in the joy of feeling him inside her. "Yes," she moaned with every move and heard his deep tones of utter pleasure. His rhythm increased, and he took her with harder strokes that pushed away any other feeling but him, only him, inside of her. Only when he felt her tremble violently and spasm around him for a second time, did he allow himself to find his own release. As he spent himself in her depths, he closed his eyes in utter rapture, pulling her close.

"Jade," he said, his breath a caress in her hair. His voice was hoarse with emotion. "I don't think I can ever let you go again. I swear, when … all of this is over, I'll find a way for us to be together."

I love you.
The unspoken words were still between them, waiting to come up to the surface, but Jade didn't say anything. More content than she'd never been before, she lay snuggled against him under the covers, her cheek resting on the hard plane of his chest as she listened to his slowing heartbeat. He had quickly freed her from the shackles, and she enjoyed touching him in the aftermath of their lovemaking, caressing his long, damp back, kneading a hardened muscle now and then. She found a long, puckered scar just beneath his shoulder, but didn't ask how he had acquired it. Maybe he'd tell her some day.

The thought of telling him about Ascobar crossed her mind, but she didn't want to spoil the perfection of this moment. All she wanted right now was to be where she was, in his arms.

She'd tell him first thing tomorrow, when they awoke.

It would be soon enough for him to hate her and send her away, once and for all.

*****

Deep in the night, Jade jerked up from sleep when she he heard a faint ringing sound. After a while she realized that it had to be a cell phone, the one Ascobar had given her. The fear was holding her heart in its icy grip while she cautiously wriggled out under Alrik's arm, anxious not to wake him up. Quickly she padded over to the table to fetch the phone from her bag. The phone kept ringing, but she only answered it when she had sneaked over to the bathroom and closed the door behind herself.

Ascobar had dropped the pleasantries by now. When he picked up, he said "I have your brother. You’d better think twice before you become too chatty with your new boyfriend." In the background, Jade could hear Caleb shouting that he wanted to go home, over and over again.

"You can't just take him to a place he doesn't know," she gasped. "He must be terrified. Please, Mr Ascobar … let him go. I’ve told you everything I found at Alrik's apartment. I really tried, believe me. And I haven't told him anything, I swear."

"I hope you're telling the truth," Ascobar hissed. "For your and your brother's sake."

"Let him go," Jade begged again. "Please, just tell me where to pick him up and I'll …"

Ascobar laughed mockingly. "That isn't how it works. Since the information you gathered wasn't very useful to me, I need an … insurance that the business arrangement Alrik and I have agreed upon will go as planned. I still do not know if I can trust him, so you will join me in my home in the meantime. You won't be any trouble, will you? I’m sure you want to be with your brother. Maybe you can get him to calm down. He is pressing his hands to his ears right now, and screaming loudly. Too loudly. If he doesn't stop soon, I'll have to quieten him."

"No! Please don't hurt him. I'll do whatever you want."

"Clever girl. What about Larsson, is he sleeping?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice broken.

"Then make sure to keep it that way. You'll leave now, at once. My driver is waiting in front of the building for you, now as we speak."

He hung up. Jade stared at the phone for a while, then she quickly splashed her face with cold water, quickly brushed through her hair and tiptoed out to dress in the dark. When she passed the marble kitchen counter, her gaze fell on a small knife that had been left beside a bowl of fruit. It was tiny, but she took it and stuffed it into the side of her bra where it couldn't cut her. Not that it was a weapon to hurt anyone seriously, but it gave her some feeling of protection, at least.

 Luckily Alrik didn't even stir. She didn't dare to look at him, but simply turned away from the bed and closed the door to the anteroom.

"Forgive me," she whispered, then stretched out a shaking hand to press the call button for the elevator.

*****

Chapter Eight

For hours, Alrik had been driving through the streets in the proximity of the apartment building Jade lived, then searching the area where the dance school was located. It had grown dark hours ago, and dark clouds hung in a starless sky. Soon, it would start to rain, and it was a cold night that held the promise of autumn.

Where are you, Jade?

He had found her phone forgotten in his apartment and used it to call her friends to ask where she was; then he had checked if she was home. Her flat was empty - it was no problem for him to get inside the locked door, an accomplishment he'd learned early in his career -, her neighbors hadn't seen or heard her all day. He had called her school - which she hadn't attended today - even all the hospitals to see if any young woman matching to her description had been taken to the E.R. recently. He'd found nothing. Although Jade had been missing less than 24 hours, he'd pulled some strings with his police contacts to issue a search warrant. But in the meantime, anything could have happened to her.

His hands clenched around the steering wheel, so hard that his knuckles looked white against his tanned skin. When he found her gone this morning, he had been alarmed, instantly knowing that something was wrong. He knew that she wouldn't leave in the middle of the night without a good reason, and he blamed himself for her disappearance. Why hadn't he been more gentle with her instead of shackling her to the bed so early in their relationship when she had just had her first experiences with sex? Obviously, she had liked it, but afterwards she must have panicked, thinking him a total pervert or even a sadist. Sure, he had his kinks like anyone else and liked a bit of harmless role playing, but he'd never humiliate or even hurt her - didn't she realize that? Most evidently not.

He should have told her what she meant to him. Last night, he'd tried, but he couldn't tell her the whole truth - yet. Not before this mission was completed and he could finally return to a normal life. He was so tired of living a lie. Maybe he'd stay in the United States and work for the FBI, but now all he wanted was a regular office job, a steady relationship with a woman, a family one day. He was sick of keeping up appearances by dating strippers or society It-girls, mingling with people he found empty-minded and boring. Not that he'd ever complained about a beautiful woman in his bed, but it didn't seem to be enough anymore. He had long ago stopped caring about anything else but his professional life, had kept his heart closed up and finally forgotten that he even owned one.

Cursing, he steered his car in the direction of the East River docks, where he was hoping to close the deal with Ascobar in half an hour. As soon as the modern slave trader accepted the money Alrik offered him and handed over the girls, the FBI would strike and arrest him and his men. It was everything Alrik had been working for during the last years, and he'd make damn sure that it happened. Only then would he be free to begin a new life - hopefully, with Jade. He just hoped she'd still want him when she learned the truth.

He loved her, and he'd tell her later, when this operation was over. He didn't know when it had happened, but it was as clear as day to him now. She moved him in a way he hadn't even assumed possible. Whenever she looked at him with those beautiful, expressive eyes, he knew he'd do everything to be with her, possess her, and protect her. She represented everything that was worthwhile and sincere in his life now. He was so tired of all the lies.

He reached his destination just in time and left his car, entering the empty warehouse Ascobar had suggested to him as a meeting place. He carried a large suitcase he'd secured to his wrist with a chain. To his surprise, he wasn't as excited about this as he’d anticipated. Naturally he'd be relieved when Ascobar was under lock and key and the victims back with their families  - or in safe, new homes, if they didn't want to return. Of course, there would always be other criminals to seize, and someone would replace Ascobar in business eventually, but it would be a heavy blow against the ring of human traffickers, and take a while until they were organized enough to operate. Alrik had passed on all he'd learned about this case to his colleagues, and he was sure that they'd continue the operation when he had retreated to the background.

He had his own life to live, after all. And he wanted it to be with Jade. When Ascobar was charged and Alrik out of the undercover mission, he'd present no more danger to her. He'd try to explain this to her later, and he hoped she would understand why he'd been forced to lie to her.

Bracing himself to act his role, he entered the cavernous, empty space of the warehouse. Ascobar was already waiting for him, standing in the middle of an empty space with several armored bodyguards who were strategically placed around the room. One of the men was watching a closed store room that probably held the imprisoned girls. 

Alrik put on his usual business face, a polite smile combined with an air of authority. Then he walked over to Ascobar, extending his hand. Ascobar smiled back, but kept his arms by his side. Turning his head, he nodded to a guard who had been standing against the far wall. When the burly man stepped aside, Alrik saw what had been concealed from him when he entered.

Jade was there, still dressed in the red dress she had been wearing yesterday evening, only  now it was dirty and torn in several places. She was barefoot, standing over a teenage boy who crouched behind her with closed eyes, his hands on his ears as he rocked back and forth, helplessly trying to calm himself. He had the same shade of auburn hair as Jade; Alrik was sure that he was her younger brother.

She looked achingly beautiful, her loose, waist-long hair a fiery mass of curls, her body tightened and her fingers clawed like a wild cat ready to jump her attackers and scratch their eyes out. His heart swelled with pride as he saw her courage, considering that she wouldn't stand a chance against about ten heavily armed men. He didn't know where the thought came from, but she reminded him of the Valkyries, the Norse warrior goddesses who chose the bravest of the fallen to accompany them to Valhalla. Both she and the boy had been severely beaten - probably because he had been screaming with fear - while she seemed to have taken most of the blows for him. Her naked arms were covered in bruises. One side of her face had turned blue and was badly swollen, a deep cut just over her cheekbone. Alrik's eyes darted to the heavy seal ring Ascobar was wearing and felt cold fury rising in him.

Somehow he managed not to move a muscle in his face and keep his breathing steady. He directed his eyes back to Ascobar, who watched him closely.

"I bet she is a damn good fuck,
Mr Larsson
… or should I better say, Alrik Bergman, age thirty-three, born and raised in Birka near Stockholm; grew up in an intact family with three younger siblings, not married, agent of the Swedish
National Bureau of Investigation
. Oh, and not to forget white knight of all the poor Russian girls who have been so cruelly kidnapped and shipped here via Sweden. Am I not right, my friend?"

Alrik's hand slowly moved down to the pocket of his suit jacket, inch by inch while he kept his eyes on his enemy.

"You’d better keep your gun where it is, or the woman will die," Ascobar said. Alrik dropped his hand to his side.

"What do you want?" he said.

"Why, the money of course, dear friend - and naturally, safe conduct for me and my men. I'll take the girl with me, you can keep the boy, if you want. He has become too meddlesome. He pulled an automatic out of his pocket and went over to where Jade stood, aiming at Caleb.

*****