Xavier: (Indestructible) (17 page)

Cassandra struggled with all her might, but Dylan was soon
joined by a Chinese man. She pulled the trigger just as they put a substance to
her nose. She fought even as she started to lose the use of her limbs, and then
it was too late. She soon knew nothing.

Xavier heard the gunshot as he signed the manual credit card
slip Raymond would process once the telephone lines became operational. He dropped
the pen and sprinted back to the hotel room. When he got there, the door was
ajar. He palmed his gun and cautiously pushed the door wider. The covers on the
bed were rumpled, the chair and lamp overturned, and the clothes Cassandra had
been packing were scattered about the room. These were obvious signs of a
violent struggle, including the Chinese man spread out on the carpet with a
bullet wound to his head.

“Good for you, baby. You got one of the bastards,” Xavier murmured.

“That’s not very nice.”

Xavier looked up to see Qin’s second-in-command staring at him
calmly. He had a gun leveled directly at Xavier’s chest. Xavier took in the
stillness of Sai’s demeanor and knew that the other man’s sole focus would be
to ensure he wasn’t able to follow the men who had taken Cassandra.

“How did you get here so fast?”

Sai smiled. “Her brothers are very resourceful. They had a
speedboat, not as fast as a plane, but we got here.”

Xavier braced himself for the hit, knowing that, no matter
what, this fucker wasn’t going to be of any further use to Qin. Pissed and
wanting to get to Cassandra, Xavier advanced on Sai, pulling the trigger of his
gun and putting three consecutive bullets into Sai’s big body. Sai had been
able to pull the trigger of his gun only once, hitting Xavier in the chest.

Sai hit the floor hard.

Xavier, his blood immediately saturating his shirt, remained
standing. He walked toward the other man and looked down at him.

“Why does your boss want Cass so much?” Xavier asked Sai as he
lay in the middle of the floor gasping through the pain.

Sai smiled and tried to lift his gun again.

Xavier shot him in the middle of his forehead; the sadistic smile
remained frozen on Sai’s face.

When he turned to leave the room, Raymond and a few local men
stood in the doorway with stunned looks on their faces.

“They tried to kill me,” Xavier said by way of explanation.

“I called the police when you ran out of the office after the
first gunshot. They should be here shortly,” Raymond said, still staring at him
in astonishment. “You are bleeding. Were you shot?”

“It’s nothing. Did you see anyone leave here with Cassandra?”
Xavier asked the older man.

“Yeah, she was a car headed toward Nicholls Town. But she
looked like she was sleeping. I thought you were with them until I heard the
shooting!”

“Do you have a car I can borrow?”

“It won’t do you any good. They have too much of a lead on you.
I know that young man who was driving them. I overheard them say that they were
heading out in his speedboat. They’d probably get to the boat long before you
can catch up with them.”

Xavier pulled out his phone.

Neo answered on the first ring.

Neo: “Hey man, what’s up? The cavalry arrived yet?”

Xavier: “They got her, man. Qin’s men, they got Cass!”

Neo: “What the fuck? When?”

Xavier: “Just now. I need that copter now!”

Neo: “I’ll get on it. Keep your phone on.”

Xavier: “Don’t let that bastard touch her!”

Neo: “We’re heading over to his place now. Get your ass here
fast.”

Even before Xavier disconnected the phone, he heard the
helicopter coming in the distance.  Fear of what Qin could do to Cassandra
clogged his throat. He barely greeted the three Marines when he climbed into
the aircraft.

“Neo said your girl was kidnapped,” one of the Marines shouted
to be heard above the noise of the propeller.

“Yeah, they are travelling on a speedboat out of Nicholls Town.
Can we intercept them?” Xavier asked.

“Hell yeah!” The pilot lifted the aircraft into the air.

“Let’s just hope they don’t stop on one of those cays between
here and Nassau,” another Marine muttered. “With nightfall descending, we may
not be able to find them tonight.”

“That’s not a fucking option!”

“We’re just telling you to be prepared for the worst,” another
Marine piped in.

“Not a mudderfuckin’ option,” Xavier said through clenched
teeth.

Cassandra slowly became aware of things going on around her. The
scent of the fresh salt water and the feel of the cool air on her skin told her
immediately that she was near seawater. The hard surface at her back and the
rocking motion beneath told her without opening her eyes that she was on a
boat.

She almost panicked when she tried to lift her eyelids without
success, and her limbs felt especially heavy and impossible to move. Forcing
herself to calm down, she started breathing slowly in and out, pushing the
sense of terror back.

The conversation around her seemed garbled at first as if she were
under water, and then the words slowly started making sense to her foggy brain.
She immediately stopped trying to open her eyes or move her body.

“What the fuck did you idiots give her? She should not be out
that long.”

Oh yes, that dumbass, Dylan. He helped those men restrain me
in the hotel room.

“She will be awake soon enough,” a man with a thick Chinese
accent told him.

That must be one of Qin’s men.

“Why did we stop in Chub Cay anyway? I thought Qin just wanted
to get her away from the big American and maybe take her on a date. There’s not
a damn thing here on this stupid cay to do or anywhere to go!”

I’d shake my head right now if I could. Can my brother be
any dumber? So dumbass helped kidnap me for a power-hungry ass like Qin and
thought Qin only wanted a date? Mom must have dropped him on his head when he
was a baby.

“Master Qin will take the girl, and you can head back to
Nassau.”

“What do you mean take the girl? That woman is my sister, bey!”

The Chinese didn’t answer.

Cassandra could only imagine the silent glares going on between
the two men, but then she felt a pair of hands lifting her high. It was so unexpected
she had no time to brace herself. It was probably fortunate then that she still
had no cognitive control of her body. It was as if she was paralyzed and having
an out-of-body experience. She was dangerously without purchase for a brief
moment before being pulled against a large male body.
Oh God, he smells like
raw fish and onions!
Now she wished she could react or at least move away
from the offensive odor. Her stomach recoiled, and bile rose in her mouth, but
her body refused to give her the relief of vomiting. From a far distance, she
heard the motor of the boat starting again and her brother cursing at being
taken back out to sea. The man carried her for at least two minutes, and his
hot, rancid breath felt as if it would melt her face.
I need to win a Medal
of Honor for enduring this torture.

“Put her in here,” the man with the Chinese accent said.

Bastard dumped me on another damn hard surface.
This
time the surface was smooth porcelain against her skin.
Feels as though I’m
in a bathtub.
She almost sighed in relief at the sudden presence of clean
air.
Thank God!
Her smelly carrier had left the room, but the sound of
someone breathing in the room alerted her that she wasn’t alone. Cassandra
continued pretending to be unconscious, at least not trying to open her eyes.
She was pretty sure her limbs were still useless.

Several voices speaking rapid Mandarin filled the room. From
the different tones, she judged that there had to be at least five people in
the room, including one male.  They seemed to be having an argument, but she
couldn’t understand a thing they were saying. The voices just kept getting
louder in agitation until the male voice rose with some finality, a door
slammed, and then everything went quiet.

Cassandra was almost afraid to breathe. She waited, trying to
hear if there was anyone in the room with her. Suddenly numerous hands
descended on her, pulling at her clothes and shoes. It took everything in her
to not react, to not panic or fight back.
There’s no way I can overpower
them anyway. There are too many hands. Female hands though, thank God! I don’t
know what I would do if those damn hands were male. Well, I wouldn’t be laying
here quiet, that’s for damn sure. Think, Cass, be strong, be brave, and, for
God’s sake, be patient. I’m going to play possum with the dedication of a
thespian!

The next hour was the longest hour of her life. The women bathed,
waxed, and oiled her body. Her hair was washed and blow-dried. They even gave
her a manicure and pedicure.
You would think these women are out having
Sunday afternoon brunch and not bathing another woman. They’re laughing and
talking in Mandarin as though they’re having the time of their lives. I shudder
to think what about my body they find most amusing. Bitches are pinching and
patting my ass, laughing out loud at some points. What the hell? I want to say
to hell with it and smack someone, and then I have a reality check. I’m damn
naked in a room with about four other women. You let them know you’re awake,
you lose the element of surprise and perhaps your only chance of getting out of
here unharmed. I don’t know what the hell is going on anyway; so I need to calm
my ass down and chill.

For a brief moment, the women’s chatter ceased as they heard
what sounded like a helicopter nearby. They went back to work with a little more
vigor when nothing monumental came of it. Cassandra couldn’t make sense of what
was going on.
Why did that douche, Qin, bring me here?

Qin stared steadily at Joel, the head of his security team here
on the Cay. “What is going on out there? Who is the visitor on the helicopter?”
Qin asked.

“We’ve sent a few men out to find out. The locals say that the
US Marines based on Andros Island working with the US DEA sometimes stopover
looking for drug drops using helicopters. This could be one of those
exercises,” Joel said calmly. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned about.”

Qin looked at the numerous monitors he had set around the
property and nodded with satisfaction at seeing the number of armed guards
seemingly fully alert throughout the grounds and at each entry point. “Take
nothing for granted. Until I hear from Sai that that bastard X is dead, I want
no one getting near this house. Maintain the security of the perimeter and kill
anyone who tries to cross it.”

“Yes, Master,” Joel agreed.

“Try to contact Sai again. He should have checked in by now.”

“Yes, Master.” Joel bowed his head and left the room.

Qin downed the last of the scotch he was drinking. He had been
celebrating the capture of Cassandra for the past hour, perhaps drinking more
than he normally did at this hour of the evening. It was early still. The
slight buzz from the alcohol made him act a little more reckless in his
dealings with Cassandra. This time he didn’t want this particular woman
restrained. He wanted a fight. He wanted her fire. Let her try to get away from
him. Although the drug would significantly lower her inhibitions and she
wouldn’t be able to control the sexual demands of her body, she would still
feel the need to fight. He wanted to tease her, make her feel as though she could
win. It would make his victory all the sweeter. He strode from the room, going
to prepare his body for tonight’s pleasure. The drug he would take now would
ensure his cock stayed hard throughout the night.
She won’t sleep, and
neither will I.
He smiled in anticipation.

Finally, the ordeal seems to be over. This is the cleanest
I’ve ever felt in my life. Those women waxed my entire body! The only hair on
me is the hair on my damn head and eyes. I can’t wait until X sees this. He’s
going to have a damn coronary. The man acts starved over shaved pussy. He’s
going to be completely insatiable now!

The women wrapped her in a large towel and lifted her out of
the room. Doors opened and closed as they exited a room, walked down a hall,
and entered another room. They placed her onto a soft mattress, and a silk gown
was pulled over her head to cover her naked body.

Cassandra almost gave away her wakeful state when they stuck a
needle in her arm. Feeling suddenly warm, a tingling in her body and her limbs making
her feel even more lethargic, she started to worry then that she had waited too
long to act and now they had drugged her again. As soon as she heard the women
leave the room, she opened her eyes and slowly looked around.

It was a large room and seemed like a scene right out of the
Arabian
Nights
. The bed was a king-sized four-poster bed featuring a canopy and
sheer ivory drapes tied to each wooden post. The floor had a beige carpet that
looked thick and soft. There was elegant dark wood furniture throughout the
room. The walls were warm beige with sheer ivory drapes covering the French
doors and triple-sized windows. She was on a ground floor, so the French doors
led directly to the lawn outside. Cassandra was happy to see that it was still
light outside, but the sun was already low. It had to be after seven in the
evening. In consideration of the hot summers, she could now understand why they
had such large windows allowing the cool ocean breeze into the room.
Wait,
those same large windows and French doors are my ticket out of this room. What
the hell am I doing admiring the damn décor? I need to get out of here!
A
jolt of red-hot desire blazed through her pelvis.
What’s happening to me?
It’s as if I’m coming down with a fever. My nipples are so damn sensitive, and
my clit is pulsing like a mudder! What the hell did those bitches give me?

Qin came through the bedroom door before she could move a limb
or close her eyes and pretend to be still unconscious.