Page 62 of Deep Within Me
“From Carreon’s estate?” she prodded.
“I have no idea. The images flash by so quickly, I can’t concentrate on details.”
“Were the woman’s legs mine?”
“No.” He pulled her back into his arms, his breathing ragged with worry. “You’re not leaving here. You’re never leaving my side. I won’t allow—”
The pounding on the door stopped him.
“Zeke,” Ike called out. “Are you in there?”
“Oh shit, what now?” Jacob muttered.
“Yeah,” Zeke shouted to Ike. “Give me a minute.” He left the bed and pulled on his jeans. Jacob did the same. Once Liz was decent, Zeke opened the door.
Ike shifted from foot to foot, clearly agitated.
“What’s happened?” Zeke asked.
“We’re getting a transmission from Carreon.”
“What?” Liz blurted. “How could he send a transmission here? He doesn’t know where this place is.”
“He had someone hack into our systems,” Zeke said then spoke to Ike. “Has he breached anything else?”
“No. He can only transmit to us. The rest of our systems are secure.”
Zeke touched Liz’s arm. “Stay here while Jacob and I—”
“I want to go with you. Please. I have a right to know what’s happening.”
“Dammit, I don’t want you to.”
“I know that.” She spoke far more softly than he had. “But how can I protect myself or my father if neither of us knows what’s going on? If something happens to you or Jacob, am I supposed to simply guess what’s coming?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to any of us,” he argued. “You don’t have to protect me or Jacob. We’re supposed to do that for you.”
“Zeke, please, don’t do this to me.” She rested her fingertips on his cheek. “I need to be there. You need that too. I’m the only one who’s been with Carreon. I know what makes him tick. Whatever he says, I’ll be able to tell whether he’s lying or not.”
“She has a point,” Jacob said. “She should be there with us.”
“She has to,” Ike finally broke in. “Carreon insisted on it.”
Zeke frowned. “Why?”
Ike ran his hand over his mouth then took a deep breath before continuing, “He’s threatening to murder a woman unless you and Liz meet with him.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Zeke held back an oath. They followed Ike to the meeting room. On the table was a large monitor that hadn’t been there before. Kele and Diaz sat to the side of it, interrupted in their strategy to get Pedro. Next to them were Paul and the clan’s other young men who excelled in information technology. Their monitors showed what was on the larger screen. Both Kele and Diaz watched the transmission, their expressions troubled.
Zeke moved in front of the largest monitor and the camera that would transmit his image.
Carreon’s face filled the screen. His lobe was swollen and red from Liz having yanked off his earring, his throat and neck scored by her nails, his light eyes frosty with contempt. “Where’s Liz?”
She joined Zeke, standing next to him.
Carreon smiled.