âAfter itâs done?â He inquired with a hint of impatience in his voice.
âOnce the job is finished, Iâll wire over the rest of the money as promised,â Clara declared, having invested a hefty sum into this operation. âRemember, I want pictures and videos!â
âGot it.â
Raven relayed Claraâs demands to his gang, and the motley crew of ruffians could not hide their twisted delight.
âHey, boss, you were all âhands off the ladyâ a minute ago, but it looks like this dame is destined for our little shindig,â one of the goons, a guy with a greasy mop of hair, sneered with a lecherous grin.
âKeep it together in the van, boys. Weâll have our fun when weâre in a secure spot,â Raven ordered with authority.
None of them had ever been this close to a celebrity before, so just the sight of Ivy lying there was enough to get their blood racing and their excitement peaking.
Meanwhile, Ivyâs forehead creased with worry.
The motion of the car was making her nauseous. Just as she was about to open her eyes, the realization of her predicament hit her she had been kidnapped!
â
By whom?
And what did they want?
Afraid to give herself away, Ivy kept her eyes shut, feigning unconsciousness and eavesdropping on their conversation.
âTimes are tough, man. With this many mouths to feed, I dunno how long that hundred grand is gonna last us.â The goon with the greasy hair lit a cigarette, and Ivy had to suppress a cough.
âIf I had the chance, Iâd be a movie star too, prancing around on screen. I can do all that acting jazz, so why should pretty boys rake in all the dough?â
His naive words were met with laughter from his pals. âYou kidding? Ever look in a mirror, or are you too busy peeing without seeing? You think youâve got the chops for Hollywood? If you can make it, Iâm the next Leonardo,â another henchman with a buzz cut scoffed, mocking his brother-in-arms.
âJealous, thatâs what you are. Whatâs wrong with how I look? Iâm a regular Adonis!â The greasy-haired one protested, placing his hand near Ivyâs to compare, âBut seriously, how do these stars get such silky skin? I didnât have this soft touch as a kid.â
Ivy felt a strangerâs proximity, causing her skin to crawl.
The conversation revealed there were several men in the vehicle with her. What were they planning?
She was terrified and wanted to pull away from the intruding hand, but she could not risk exposing her awareness what might happen if they realized she was awake.
not knowing âHa! Itâs all in the genes, my friend. My hands are way nicer than yours. Youâve got mitts like youâve been baling hay all your life. And letâs face it, apart from chain-smoking and card games, youâre a roughneck through and through, dreaming of the silver screen,â the buzz-cut man said, dangling a cigarette from his lips.
The group bantered until they arrived at a derelict building. Ivy was stiff with fear as she was carried to a makeshift bed.
âHeh, so Boss, can we get started now? Whoâs up first? When I was carrying her, I could smell her.
Sheâs sweet these starlets really are something else,â the greasy-haired one said, rubbing his hands with barely contained eagerness.
With a cigarette hanging from his mouth, Raven did not share his urgency.
âBoss, shall we both go in after you finish that smoke?â Seeing no objection from Raven, the greasy-
haired one motioned to the buzz cut to join him.
Raven stayed silent, allowing the two to advance.
But they had not expected the woman, who had been lying lifelessly on the rickety bed only moments before, to be sitting upright now, glaring at them with a fierce, defensive look in her eyes.
The greasy-haired goon and the buzz-cut man exchanged glances before spreading out to flank Ivy.
âBoss, Boss! Sheâs awake, come quick!â