Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [311]
“Come on, Agent Alvando,” O’Dell began to argue, and Tully wanted to pull her back down into the brush. “We’re trained agents, too. It’s not like you’re here to protect us.”
She looked to Tully as if for reassurance. He wanted to disagree, but she was right. The SWAT team was here for backup, here to help with the search-and-arrest mission, not to protect them.
“We’ll go on in with you, Victor,” he reluctantly told Agent Alvando.
There was barely enough light to see inside the house. The entry included a hallway down the middle with a great room to the left and an open staircase over to the right. The second-floor landing was visible, separated only by a balcony railing. The team split up with half of them going upstairs, and the other half covering the main floor. Tully followed Agent O’Dell up the stairs. Before they got to the landing, they noticed the SWAT team members had stopped at the end of the hall. Tully could hear what sounded like a voice on the other side of the door where the three men hesitated. They motioned to each other, getting into position. Tully followed O’Dell’s lead and pressed himself against the wall. One of the men kicked the door open, and they stormed the room without a word to each other.
O’Dell looked disappointed when they got to the door and discovered the voice came from one of the half-dozen computers lined up along the wall.
“Click twice for confirmation,” the electronic voice said. “Speak into the microphone when ready.”
From another computer, an electronic voice gave different instructions. “That order has been shipped. Please check the status in twenty-four hours.”
“What the fuck is this?” one of the SWAT team asked.
O’Dell was taking a closer look while the rest of them stayed next to the door watching their backs.
“It’s a whole computer system set up to be voice activated.” She walked from one computer to the next, examining the screens without touching anything. “Looks like it reports the status of his video-game business.”
“Why would anyone want a voice-activated system?” Agent Alvando was at the door.
O’Dell looked back at Tully, and he knew what she was thinking. Why, indeed, unless that person was blind—not just partially, but totally blind.
CHAPTER 70
Tess squeezed her eyes shut. She could do this. She could pretend she was somewhere else. After all, she had done it many times before. There wasn’t much difference really. She needed to convince herself of that. What did it matter whether a paying john fucked her or some madman?
She needed to relax or it would only hurt more. She needed to stop feeling his thrusts, stop thinking about his hands fondling her breasts, stop hearing his groans. She could do this. She could survive this.
“Open your eyes,” he grunted between clenched teeth.
She squeezed them tighter.
“Open your goddamn eyes. I want you to watch.”
She refused. He hit her across the mouth, whipping her head so violently to the side that she heard her neck crack. Immediately, she tasted blood. She kept her eyes closed.
“Goddamn you, bitch. Open your fucking eyes.”
He was gasping, rocking back and forth with such force she thought he’d crack her insides open as well. She felt his hot breath on her neck and suddenly his teeth sank into her skin. His hands clamped down on her breasts, and he was hanging on to her, riding her, every part of him scraping, rubbing and thrusting at her, devouring her like a rabid dog.
She bit down on her lower lip. She forced her eyes to remain shut. Not much longer. She could do this. He would come, and then it would be over. Why the hell didn’t he come already? It wouldn’t be much longer. It couldn’t be. She twisted her head as far away as possible and kept her eyelids closed tight.
Finally, his body jerked, his teeth let go, his hands gave a final squeeze and he relaxed. He crawled off her, jamming his knee into her stomach and slamming his elbow against her head. Finally, it was over. She lay still, swallowing blood and pretending not to feel the sticky mess between her legs. Instead, she reminded herself that