Her Very Strict Captain by Carpenter, Maggie (best book club books of all time TXT) 📗

“Danny it is. I normally wouldn’t debrief you in my home, but the circumstances aren’t exactly normal.”

“And I wish I could have reached out to you a different way instead of through Elizabeth, but I had to speak with her first.”

“Fortunately it worked out and you’re here now, so let’s get started. I take it you know about Operation Justice.”

“As much as Elizabeth told me, and it sounded fairly detailed. You’ll be going after Sonny Conchello at his house tonight.”

“Correct,” Scott said, keeping his voice even. “You said you have important information and that’s my priority, but when this is over and the dust has settled, I’ll need a detailed account of your association with Conchello and everything that entailed.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Danny replied.

“Okay, what is it you need to tell me?”

“Except for the two guards at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the mezzanine, Conchello’s soldiers won’t be standing around looking ominous. They blend in with the crowd—but they’ll all be wearing a ring with a large, opaque stone. They have earpieces too, but the rings are easy to spot. The stones are cameras.”

“Ah, got it,” Scott said gratefully. “What can you tell me about Conchello’s private quarters? I’ve seen the layout, and I know there are four rooms leading into a circular area. Elizabeth told me there’s a dungeon, a dining room, and what he calls his pharmacy, but she didn’t know much about the fourth room, the Chamber of Conscience.”

Danny had been leaning across the table, but as a pained expression crossed his face, he leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m not surprised he’s replicated his private quarters,” Danny remarked. “It was where he conducted business as well as entertained, but the Chamber of Conscience… I don’t know where to start.”

“I take it you’ve been in there,” Scott said solemnly, seeing the stuff of nightmares reflected in Danny’s dark green eyes. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Conchello says it’s where he inspires loyalty. It’s such bullshit,” Danny said, his voice suddenly hoarse.

“Talk to me as though you’re simply reporting facts,” Scott suggested.

“I’ll try,” Dan mumbled, pouring himself more coffee. “He doesn’t have any of his wild boys in there—that’s my term for his soldiers. They’re mostly young and crazy. Anyway, they’re not allowed in his private quarters. What I’m about to tell you is saved for the higher-ups.”

Scott waited patiently as Danny took a breath and drank more coffee.

“Sorry,” Danny said quietly. “It’s hard to talk about this. Okay, here I go. Several people are tied to desk chairs, the kind with wheels. It’s usually a mix of people he needs to terrify, and those who are there to die. Conchello starts with a speech about how well you’re rewarded if you’re loyal to him. On the floor in the center of the room is a large trap door. Next to it is a handle about three feet high. When the handle is pulled, the trap door falls away, and the person drops three stories into a concrete basement. The lucky ones die on impact. The others are left to suffer until Conchello decides to shoot them. After his speech, he rolls one of the guilty people over it and says ‘this is what happens if you betray me.’”

Scott caught his breath.

He could picture the diabolical scene.

“You actually saw this?” Scott asked quietly. “You watched him pull that lever?”

“No, yes, I mean, I was in there and tied to a chair, but he’s not the one who sends people down the chute,” Danny replied grimly. “He has a housekeeper, Rosemary, except she’s not just his housekeeper. She’s just as twisted and evil as he is. She’s the one who pulls the handle. Tell your people not to believe her sweet smile and warm personality. She’s colder than a glacier in Alaska. They have a bizarre relationship. It’s not sexual, he only sleeps with prostitutes, so I don’t get it, but Scott, if Conchello has an Achilles heel, it’s her.”

“I assume Conchello gave you that Rolex Submariner.”

Recounting the agonizing scene, Dan felt sick to his stomach, but Scott’s unexpected question was distracting.

“Yeah, and I’m planning to sell it,” Dan replied, grateful for the change in subject. “I’d rather give it to charity but I need funding to start over.” Then taking a breath, he added. “Every notch up the ladder in Conchello’s organization comes with a reward, but…”

“But there’s a price to pay?”

Danny nodded his head.

“This watch came with a beating. If I didn’t ask the pummeling to stop, I’d get the promotion and the watch. There are other scenes I’ve heard about but never witnessed, like being locked in a room with a lion. Don’t ask to be let out, you might get a Porsche. Stand against a wall for a sword thrower, you could end up with a bag of cash. Sonny loves to play games and watch people sweat.”

“So it appears,” Scott mumbled, shaking this head. “What else do I need to know about what I might face tonight?”

Danny paused. “I realize you don’t have a lot of time, but I must fill you in about the monastery. It’s important, very important.”

“A monastery?” Scott repeated. “Okay, go ahead.”

“It supposed to house a religious order, but it’s a high-end brothel. He uses it as another way to control his men. He threatens to send their wives or sisters there. Getting information about it was difficult, but I do know it’s frequented by politicians, judges, multinational CEOs, the men with more money and power than any human being should have. It’s Rosemary’s domain. She disappears for a few days every month, and I was told that’s where she goes. Apparently it’s in Santa Barbara. Scott, you have to take her alive. We have to find out where it is and liberate those women.”

As he’d relayed the information, Danny saw the fury reflected in Scott’s eyes.

“Consider it done,” Scott promised solemnly. “Tell me more about this shaft and