Beauty--Remastered Ch. 09

"She was outside, just walking because her back was hurting. I went out there less than five minutes before she was taken, and she was perfectly fine. I should have stayed with her, but she promised to come in for dinner. Danny, my partner, went out to get her, and he was shot while they got away."

"How is he?"

"He'll make it. He's already out of intensive care. Luckily the bullet didn't hit anything critical, just his shoulder, mostly. He made me come up here to speak to Alford -- I didn't want to leave him.

"Would you like to call him? I'm sure he'd love to hear from you." Ever helpful, Abner showed Joey the phone hidden in the pantry. Then he left with the food, giving Joey some privacy.

"Hi, babe." He said when Danny answered.

Danny's voice was tired, the doctors still had him on medication. "Hey. How's it going? Did you beat some sense into Alford?"

"All-but." Joey smiled sadly. "I had to tell him, about the baby. It was the only way he'd help."

"You did the right thing, babe."

"I know. God, Danny, you should see the guys he's got working for him! They're all at least twice my size. And the guns! Whew! They made a gun, Danny. It's freaking scary!"

"Should I be worried?" Danny joked, though his voice was tight.

"Stupid." Joey replied, smirking. "You sound exhausted. Maybe you should get some rest. I'll call you when something happens."

"Okay," Danny stifled a yawn. "Be careful, Joey. I want you home, safe and sound, when this is over. And don't you dare go on that manhunt. If you get hurt, Alford won't know what hit him."

"Okay, I'll stay here." It was a lie, but it must have been convincing, because Danny sighed and muttered 'good.' "I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too, Joseph."

There was no way in hell Joey was staying cooped up in Alford's house while his best friend was in danger. Besides, he had a score to settle with the big guy Bonnet had brought along. Nobody shot his partner and lived.

***

Scarlet's head ached. Between the steady succession of drugs Bonnet had kept her hazy with, and the long car ride where she'd lain bound on the floor of the car, she was bruised and exhausted. Now she was in a bed, with her eyes closed tightly. There had been a few moments where she'd been almost lucid, and they had fed her and let her relieve herself, but those seemed far between, and almost like a dream. She wasn't hungry, though, so they must have fed her, and recently.

She didn't know how long it had been since Gaston Bonnet had taken her, didn't know where she was. She tried not to worry too much about Danny, but it was impossible; she started as soon as she was conscious. She hoped and prayed he was alright. That the bullet hadn't done too much damage. That the paramedics got there quickly.

Her baby kicked at her, and she opened her eyes. The room she was in was very plain. A bare bulb hung down from the ceiling above her, illuminating the small room starkly. There was no furniture in the room, besides the small bed, and a table beside it. A pitcher and glass sat on a tray there. There were no windows, and only one steel door set in the pale gray walls.

Scarlet sat up carefully, her head spinning. Sliding over to the table, she reached for the pitcher. She could risk it being drugged; if it was, she would, hopefully, simply pass out for a few more hours. At least then, her head would stop aching. As she moved, something pulled at her throat; she lifted her hand and felt the object. A metallic collar was enclosed around her throat, with a chain lead attached to a ring in the wall behind her bed. She pulled at it, but it didn't budge. She was stuck in this tiny little room. She couldn't get to the door if she tried.

Before she could lift the cup to her parched lips, the door swung open and Bonnet sauntered into the room. He sat on the foot of her bed, and shook his head when she scooted away from him.

"How are you feeling, mon cher?"

Scarlet looked away, refusing to answer him. When he didn't say anything else, she glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye, and found him staring fixedly at her belly. She covered it with her hands, protectively.

"I was so surprised when I was told you were bearing my child, Annabelle." He said softly. "You see, my doctors had told me, long ago, probably before you were even born, that I could never have children." His hand reached for her round belly, but she shied away from him. "You do not know quite what it is like, being a papa so suddenly."

"I think I do." She spat.

"Oh, that's right. You...didn't know...did you? I had heard reports, of your accident. I have sources everywhere, chèri. Since I am...impotent, for lack of a better word, I did not care what happened to you. You were a simple dalliance. You understand? One of the best maidens I have ever had the pleasure of deflowering, do not get me wrong. But, once that debt was paid, I was fini. You meant nothing to me beyond that. And now...all my dreams have come true. I have a child."

"It's not yours -- it's mine!"

"For the time being, yes."

Something in the way he said that made her blood run cold. "What are you saying?"

"You are nearly far enough along, mon cher. My doctors will examine you today. They will determine if the bébé is developed enough to be removed."

She jerked away from him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I employ the absolute best physicians, Annabelle. They will determine if the child will survive the Caesarean section, or if we will have to keep you until the end of your pregnancy. Frankly, I am rather hoping for the former. Much faster."

"You're not taking my child away from me!"

"You do not have a choice, chèri." He stood. "They will be in within the hour. Drink your water, you are probably dehydrated. I cannot have my child unhealthy due to its mother's neglect."

She threw the glass at him as he left, hitting the doorjamb beside his head. Damn! If her hands hadn't been shaking so badly, she could have nailed him hard enough to knock him out. He simply shook his head at her again and pulled the door closed behind him. Scarlet burst into tears and slumped on her bare mattress, cradling her rapidly palpitating belly.

***

"Absolutely not!" Donovan barred the front door, where Joey was trying to get through to join the small army in the courtyard.

"Why the hell not?" Joey snapped back, pushing at Donovan and receiving a hard shove backwards that sent him to the ground. Abner rushed to help him up, but he simply shrugged him off and kept at it.

"I won't have my wife's best friend injured. Besides, you don't have any training. Have you ever even touched a gun before?"

"Yes, I have, thank you very much! I have as much right to be there as you do -- more, even! I'm not blind! And she actually likes me! I need to be there when you get her out."

Donovan stopped him again. "You are not going, Joseph, and that's final. Abner, keep him here, will you?"

Abner pulled an irate and struggling Joey away from his master. "Yes, sir." The door slammed behind Donovan. "Now, Master Joseph, come with me."

"No!"

"I can get you on a van. But you must be quiet until it's too late for him to send you back, do you understand? Lord Alford will have both our heads for this." Abner led him through the house, and to the kitchen. Joey began protesting, till Abner fixed him with a sharp glare. "Hush. Do you want to help Miss Scarlet or not? Now, come with me, and be silent."

Joey followed him meekly around the massive kitchen. They entered a long hallway and hurried down it to a small door in the side. This led them into another hallway, which in turn led them outside. Joey glanced around; they were just behind the last big, black SUV. Abner motioned for him to be silent and they sprinted to the back doors. Abner peeked around the side. The other men were standing near the lead van, going over last minute details.

"Get in. You stay down until they stop. I'm sure Lord Alford will be in the front car, so you don't have to worry about him finding you." Joey opened his mouth to argue, but Abner shushed him again. "He can do it, even though he's blind. Stop arguing, you're wasting time." Abner pulled open the door for him. "You make sure Miss Scarlet is safe for me, will you? Her and that baby."

Joey nodded once and slid into the back, ducking behind a crate. The door shut behind him, and he was alone. It didn't last long. Mere seconds later, the front doors opened and the SUV dipped when the agents climbed in. The car rumbled to life beneath him, and he bumped his head on a box when it jerked into motion.

What have I gotten myself into? Joey wondered, settling himself in for what he was sure would be a long ride.

***

Donovan shifted restlessly. They had been driving for hours. The interior of the car was silent as the men rested or reexamined their small weapons or papers. Even the driver, the man called Kevin, didn't speak. Every so often, Michael would call with updated information, or one of them other men would call in to ask a question. Those interruptions, though, were few and far between and getting worse the longer they drove.

Occasionally he almost wished he had allowed Joey to tag along. Even if the man hated him, at least he'd be entertaining.

Without even the scenery to distract him from his thoughts, he let his mind run over everything that he now knew about his trouble-magnet of a wife. She had been gambled away twice in her life. She had been raped. She had been lied to by her own mother. And now, she was missing, along with her unborn child.

Donovan had no doubts that the baby was the sole reason Annabelle had been taken; if Bonnet had wanted her before, he could have had her months ago. Now, he knew, it was just a matter of time before Bonnet figured out a way to get the baby. And when he did, Scarlet would become useless, and an expendable -- a factor Bonnet would not hesitate to eliminate. Even if Donovan succeeded in rescuing her and she didn't want to be with him, he'd be grateful that she was at least alive.

When it came to the baby, he realized, he felt differently about it, now that he knew its origin. He hated its father, loved its mother, and to him, the baby was more of its mother. He didn't love the thing, but he would try to accept it if it could bring his wife back to him.

Could he bring her back safely? He knew they could. But could he bring her home, to his home, after the things he had said and done?

The last five months had been hell. At first, he had been angry. Abner had been furious when he had destroyed the library on the second day, followed by the first room Donovan had let her stay in when she first came to stay with him. Almost every single room she'd been in suffered. Abner had gotten into the habit of locking all of the empty rooms and carrying the keys with him at all times.

After the first month, Donovan had calmed enough that the precautions weren't necessary and they could start repairing the house. That had taken another month, and he threw himself into it so he wouldn't think about her too often. Month number three had been spent mostly up in his studio, working feverishly to fill the room with likenesses of her, likenesses he couldn't see. That's also when the weight loss had begun. The fourth month had been the hardest. He'd found out that Abner had kept up contact with her when Donovan ventured into the kitchen on his own and found an envelope that smelled of her. That day, he went back into the library, and almost hadn't left it for the remainder of the time. He'd even taken to sleeping in it, curled up on the too-small couch he'd laid her on when she fell.

He could have called her a million times, asked her back, or at least talked to her. He'd picked up the phone at least half that many times. At first, his reason for not calling was he didn't know the number. But Abner made sure he knew it soon. Then he tried to convince himself that she wouldn't answer him, or Joseph would not give her the phone. It still didn't keep him from lifting the phone from its cradle several times daily.

He was a coward.

Not anymore, though. He had a new determination for his wife. The fact that he was going to get her even boosted his energy. He was raring to get started, to find her and bring her back. To apologize, and kiss her and hold her. And then make love to her hard and fast until she screamed, to make up for the time they'd lost.

***

Scarlet blinked under the harsh fluorescent lighting in the exam room. Bonnet's doctors had wheeled her in hours ago. She lost track of time, after the relentless pokes and jabs and needles, and machines beeping incessantly. Even now, a heart rate monitor beeped almost steadily and very loudly in the room. When they were done, the doctors had left her in the room without a word.

She'd been laying, bound, hand, waist and foot, to a gurney, ever since. The baby rolled in her stomach, keeping her at least somewhat calm. She glanced down at her bare body. There was only a thin paper sheet covering her breasts and another over her groin. Her pale stomach rose above the sheet over her chest. She could almost see the small movements made by the baby, the pulses and bumps where it connected with her belly. Scarlet longed to place her hands there, feel it beneath her fingers. That had always calmed her, and she couldn't reach it with her hands bound straight by her sides.

"You do look quite lovely, chèrie" Bonnet walked in with his entourage of five masked and gloved doctors and two huge body guards, . He leaned over her while the doctors busied themselves around the room, programming and adjusting the machinery. "Do you know what they decided, my love?" She didn't answer. "Your baby is perfectly healthy, it could survive the removal process. They are confident that it will also survive being premature."

"Are you insane?" She pulled at her bonds, but all that happened was the flimsy paper covering her waist slid down. Bonnet's eyes dropped low. Scarlet squirmed, trying to twist her legs at least a little to give herself some sort of cover, but her legs were too far apart. His hand settled on the top of her thigh. "Get the fuck off of me!"

"Leave us," he ignored her, and his voice was lustful. The others in the room darted outside and the door slammed behind them. "I did not tell you, mon cher," He trailed his fingers aimlessly over her skin. "My doctors have been instructed that you will not live through the operation."

"I thought you said it was safe!"

"Ah, for the bèbe, yes. Very safe. You will have no further use for me, and I would not want you causing any trouble for me and the child. It is much simpler to just be done with you afterwards."

"You're going to kill me."

"Yes, of course. But first..." He pulled the paper from her chest. "I see nothing wrong with having a little fun. It would be a shame to waste this...lovely body of yours." He climbed onto the table with her, straddling her waist, carefully avoiding resting any weight on her distended belly. She was perfectly still beneath him. "I have heard that lovemaking is safe, right up to the birth."

Scarlet closed her eyes when she heard the tell-tale zip of his slacks. He shuffled above her, his clothes rustling as he removed them. She still didn't fight him, and he caressed her hair gently.

"Open your pretty eyes, chèri." When she didn't, his hand flashed across her face and her eyes flew open with shock. "That is better." His fingers gently rubbed the sting in to her cheek. "I want you to see me."

She didn't blink when his slobbery, almost lipless mouth settled on the cool skin of her neck. Didn't bat an eyelash when his hands settled on her breasts, pinching and twisting her nipples. She stared straight ahead when he moved down into position.

But she screamed when he plunged into her dry body in several 'gentle' thrusts.

Even though he was a little less than average in the size department, Scarlet wasn't wet enough for him to do much, and he kept pulling out to drip some saliva on his shaft. He worked her clit, sucked her tender nipples, stroked all over her body, but she didn't get any more aroused. He even tried going down on her, and she squirmed uncomfortably against his tongue -- not at all pleasurable like Donovan's, it seemed -- but even that moisture was short-lived.

He was trying to be gentle, trying not to hurt the baby. She still flinched and whimpered every time he moved. Briefly, she tried to think of something, anything that would turn her on just a little bit, so it wouldn't hurt so much; but even the memories of Donovan's lovemaking couldn't fight through the pain and horror of the rape.

"Hush, Chèrie," Bonnet kissed her on the mouth, and she jerked her head away. "Relax, it will be so much easier."

"Get off, you fucking bastard--" She lost her voice when he pulled out again to remoisten her aching core. It did nothing to help, and she screamed when he reentered her, harder than before. Something tore, she could feel it, and at last, there was a small amount of lasting slickness. She was relieved, even though she knew it was her own blood that was easing the way.

He slapped her again. "Shut up!" Her head slammed against the table, hard. Between the pain below her waist and the pain in her face and head, her eyes began to water, and tears dripped down her face. He didn't notice, until a hard thrust pushed a soft sob out of her chest. "Oh, chèri, do not cry." Bonnet leaned down and licked the water away. His naked hips slid against hers, his skin clammy to the touch. "You should take pleasure in this one last intimate act between us."

She spat in his face, the only thing she could do with her hands and legs bound and his weight on top of hers. He pulled out of her suddenly, so quickly a sharp pain speared through her. She choked back a third scream. He climbed down from the table and rustled around on the tables his doctors had set up.

Her relief was short-lived. He turned back with a needle brandished at her. "You made me do this, Annabelle." The needle plunged into her arm, and she felt the effects within seconds. First, her arm went numb and it spread through the rest of her body quickly. Her eyelids began dragging when he climbed back onto her. She felt the pain of his entrance again, and her discomfort escaped in a whimper that cut off as she completely lost consciousness.

***

"Sir?" Kevin stopped the car. "We're here."

"Right," Donovan jumped out of the car and stayed where he was till Kevin came around to lead him into the hotel they'd chosen as their command post.

It was only a few minutes' drive from Bonnet's house, plus Donovan owned it. The manager had already emptied it of guests, leaving Donovan and his crew with free run of the place. Donovan settled into the manager's office while he waited for the men to unload the vans. This was going to be a quick, easy mission. He could almost smell Scarlet's skin already.

"Sir," One of the guys approached him, dragging a struggling, cursing Joey behind him. "We found him hiding in the last van."

Donovan sighed. "There's nothing I can do now. And obviously trying to keep him here at the hotel won't work. Give him a gun and keep a close eye on him." He fixed Joey under his sharp blind gaze. "I don't want any trouble from you. We're getting Scarlet back, like you asked. Now, if you're going to come, you follow orders, stay with us at all times. Bonnet's men are dangerous, and he's smart. If you get separated from your group, and he finds you, he will exploit you as a weakness -- even kill you if it's necessary. I don't want to have to worry about keeping you alive, when I'm supposed to be focusing on him. You cause any problems, and I will personally hogtie you in the van until we get out of there. Do I make myself clear?"