by Tl Reeve
Unfortunately for him, his dick twitched, and Monique took it as her cue to begin preparing him for sex. He closed his eyes as she placed his left foot on the floor and climbed up between his legs. He didn’t want this or need it. Yet, he was stuck in a position of taking either what Raul gave him and hopefully, surviving while his team formed a plan to get him out of there, or outright denying the cartel boss and perhaps dying. It was obvious some of Raul’s people weren’t above taking a pound of flesh for a perceived infraction.
She continued to stroke him while running her finger along his taint. He thought of everything else but sex while the others were still in the room. He couldn’t risk them seeing him stop her, or worse debase himself by coming because it’d been a reaction to the stimulus. He glanced over his shoulder and found Raul standing by the door, petting Hannah’s head. The man had a tranquil expression on his face. Did he get off on watching others? The thought sent a shiver of disgust down Scotty’s spine and helped deflate his semi-hard dick.
Monique raised her head and said something in Spanish to Raul. Scotty turned his face to Hannah who’d kept her head down the whole time. When her gaze met his, her eyes were red rimmed, and tears built in the corners of her eyes. Yeah, I hate it, too. But he endured.
“Well, now that you’re both comfortable with each other,” Raul said. “We won’t intrude any longer.”
Surprised jerked Scotty, he thought for sure Raul and Hannah would stay to watch him get off on whatever the girl was about to do to him. He nodded at Hannah then gave the thumbs-up sign, as though he’d been content to continue. As soon as the door closed behind them, he faced the girl who searched through the drawer. He pulled the blanket back over his naked body.
When she was near him, Scotty touched the girl’s hand and shook his head, covering his groin with his free hand. She giggled, showing him the items she’d retrieved. Again, he tapped her hand and shook his head more forcefully. The girl blinked then frowned kneeling between his legs once more. The tips of her fingers hovered right at his sac and he held his breath, hopeful she’d pay attention.
Do you sign?
The girl inclined her chin. Yes.
ASL?
She bobbed her fist. Sex? You? Me?
Scotty cut his hands through the air. No. Sick. Tired. Sleep. Not working. He pointed to his genitals. Wait here with me? Go in twenty?
You no like me? Tears filled her eyes.
Yes. Good person. No sex. Too hurt. He pointed to the bandages. Broken.
She frowned then. Who?
One of Mr. Iniguez’s men.
She gasped. Not nice. I stay. She pulled the blanket up further on Scotty. Sleep. I lie. You horny. Good fuck. Make me orgasm. A lot. The girl giggled and picked up her robe, putting it back on.
Thank you. Scotty let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Hopefully, his team would be there soon, and he could get the hell out of there. If not, he would literally end up being screwed.
Chapter 4
R.O.O.T Base, C&C, two days ago...
Scotty was gone.
AJ—Amelia, blamed Thomas.
He couldn’t shake the idea he’d been at fault. In one night, he pushed both Scotty and Amelia past their limits. He was a bastard for doing it, too. In all of his years as a Dom, he’d never had a submissive call out their safe word. He prided himself on being the protective Dom who cared about the wellbeing of his subs. Yet, with Amelia and Scotty, he disregarded all the signs and all of his training, because he fell in love.
With both of them.
Thomas, like Scotty and Amelia, grew up in a broken home. According to his grandmother, it was all his mother’s fault. They could have left Virginia and never looked back, but his mother, her daughter, fell for a miner. From what Thomas remembered, his mom had been happy. At least she seemed happy, but when his father died, something died in her, too. She’d become an alcoholic and ended up with the wrong person at the wrong time.
When he went to live with his grandmother, he was told stories about his mother and his grandmother. They didn’t always have money. But like Thomas’ father, his grandfather had also been a miner and he’d died from black lung. When the company had been sued because of the number of workers who’d gotten black lung, his grandmother received five million dollars. His grandmother went from good old country girl to high and mighty. He believed one of the reasons his grandmother didn’t like Virginia was due to her prejudices against the mining community. Getting away from the area meant she could reinvent herself and become more than the hills of Virginia.
Nonetheless, she stayed because her daughter fell in love. His grandmother became part of Virginia’s high society which meant after Thomas came to live with her, he could either follow her lead or be sent off to live in a group home, like Scotty and AJ had been sent into foster care. The fear of losing everyone and everything in his young life, led to Thomas following all of his grandmother’s new rules. He was expected to marry within their social circle—someone who came from a prestigious family.
The woman he married also had to enter into their relationship/marriage with their own money, i.e. a trust fund—not a self-made woman. The unnecessary grooming turned Thomas’ stomach, so much so, he walked out after completing college, leaving the money and security behind. No amount of education or prestige would make up for not marrying someone who had their own thoughts and opinions or real emotions, not robotic responses programmed into their psyches from a young age.
That was when he joined the FBI. He had the education to join the Special Agent program and he hadn’t looked back once. Though he might have to retire in a few years due to the age limits, he didn’t regret his choices. Being with the FBI had been some of the best years of his life. Plus, it led him to where he was now.
However, when he thought about Amelia and Scotty, he envied them. They grew up together and formed a bond with each other that Thomas didn’t have with anyone. They sustained themselves on beef jerky and energy drinks. They probably read comic books or manga together and played video games on their downtime. They were also broken toys. He shouldn’t want them a part of his life. He should want someone who could meet him on his level. Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about them. Couldn’t get the idea of having both in his life.
They were a shakeup.
The total antithesis of what was expected of him.
Sure, both of them were analysts from Langley and worked in the state department, but, to him, they were still kids. According to what he learned about them; they were good at their jobs. Scotty was one of the top hackers employed through the CIA. He didn’t allow his disability to dictate his life. The same could be said about Amelia. Thomas wondered, in the beginning, if she learned how to hack from Scotty, however, the information he’d gleaned from her record, including a video she posted at fifteen—a video that led to the conviction of Samael Travis proved she possessed the skills needed to rival Scotty’s ability. Unfortunately or fortunately whichever way he wanted to look at it from a law enforcement perspective, she kept them hidden until she needed to use them. Instead, she’d been happy to interpret for him.
Regrettably, for cases like this one—in particular—they were green still. Running, or being a part of an outside mission, was new for them. Sure, they’d done some work for Wolf and Tex, but neither of them had actual field op experience—until recently, when they joined Noah’s team and helped tracked down Dario Breslow, Edwin Breslow’s son after he kidnapped Noah Hanover’s husband, Mateo.
The words on report he’d been reading blurred and he blinked. He glanced up and his gaze locked on AJ. Her eyes were red rimmed. Her skin was blotchy from her crying jag. She’d been a fragile piece of precious glass. If he held her too tight, she’d break. So, he did the best thing he could, he gave her space. If anything, she had to be the one to decide what they’d do next.
Of course, she hadn’t wanted to leave the hotel. She’d been convinced Scotty would return, until they saw the hote
l surveillance videos. Watching them over her shoulder as she paused, rewound the file by three frames then hit play again, taking it image by image. Whoever grabbed Scotty had been lying in wait and they were professionals. They kept their back to any of the security cameras. Wore all black. Their heads were also covered by hoods, so no one couldn’t get a glimpse of their faces.
Scotty had been a sitting duck.
The last section of footage Scotty appeared on, was near the entrance of the hotel. The timestamp showed 3:44am. He’d been headed west toward the small convenience store on the corner. The only place open at that time of the morning. He’d only made it four steps when the assailants came out of the darkened corners of the hotel and attacked. From what Thomas could make out, they injected Scotty with something and the second his body went limp, the kidnappers gathered up his body and carried him to a waiting vehicle somewhere off screen, though not before Scotty put up a fight.
Even with Scotty defending himself, it’d taken less than two minutes to incapacitate him and kidnap him.
AJ left Thomas then.
She walked out of the security office and out of his life. When Asher called for an update and to find out why AJ was at the base crying on Rae’s shoulder, Thomas didn’t have an answer. He knew how strong the connection was between them. Nothing he said would make it better. The only upside to the conversation had been finding out Amelia was safe and with people who could care for her while he tried to figure out what happened to Scotty.
When Frazier showed up, they got to work. He requested all of the footage from all of the street cameras along with the businesses lining the street, more specifically those right in front of the hotel. There had to be video of the whole incident somewhere.
“You going to tell me what happened between you three?” Duncan placed another thumb drive beside Thomas. “This is from the deli across from the hotel.”
“I went in too deep,” Thomas answered, grabbing for the small black stick.
“Shit.” He plopped down into the chair beside Thomas. “What happened?”
He glanced over at his partner. “We had sex.”
Duncan snorted. “Okay, I figured as much. But, reading the kid’s body language it’s a bit more complicated than what you’re saying.”
It was. He could admit it. “There are aspects of each of their lives none of us took into consideration before entering into contract with one another.”
Duncan shook his head. “It’s what you get when you fool around with damaged goods.”
Thomas narrowed his eyes. “Choose your words carefully from this point on.”
“It’s true,” he replied. “We both know there are those who do this for the pleasure and for the release. The escape from the daily grind of life. Hell, it’s how we met.”
He had a point and Thomas would be remiss if he didn’t agree. It’d been different, though. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have given them a second look, however since they’d been assigned to the mission, things happened. A small part of him regretted all of it. The rest of him was easily distracted because he didn’t have eyes on Amelia.
“We had the job to ground us,” Thomas murmured as he clicked on the file from the thumb drive Duncan gave him. “This is out of their wheelhouse.”
The video began to play. Thomas narrowed his eyes as he watched Scotty step out of the hotel. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket then tapped the pack on the palm of his hand, before opening them. From the corner of the video, Thomas caught a glimpse of a black on black van waiting. Whatever thoughts about their night together consumed Scotty to the point he missed the vehicle. The boy placed his smoke to his lip and lit it. Scotty had only made it three more steps before three men, all bigger than him stepped out of the darkness and subdued him—just as it had shown in the other video.
Thomas watched as the new scene played out before him. With the angle different, he could see each of the disguised men carrying the boy to the sliding door on the van. They threw him into the back and Thomas cringed. Once everyone was inside, the van peeled out. But they left one piece of evidence behind. A clear view of their license plate.
“I got something,” Thomas murmured. “Let’s run a check on this plate.”
Duncan nodded. “It might not be anything, but if it gives you starting point...”
Thomas scrubbed his face. “Yeah. I need something.”
Duncan left the room with his phone to his ear, allowing Thomas to stare at the video feed. What the fuck were you thinking, kid? After Amelia safe worded, he knew he should have pulled the boy aside and assuaged the guilt he’d probably been feeling. Hell, the guilt Thomas experienced could rival Scotty’s on any given day, however it didn’t negate his responsibilities.
It’d been both Amelia’s and Scotty’s first time in a play-type scenario and instead of having control over it, Thomas had given over to the pleasure, forgetting about his duty to both of them. In doing so, one was now missing.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Duncan said, drawing Thomas’ attention away from the computer.
“What?”
“The plates are stolen,” Duncan said. “The vehicle was found last night at the port, burned out.”
Another dead end. “Did they get any evidence off of it? Even if it’s a print, it’s better than nothing.”
“Forensics are still processing it. Preliminary cause of the fire is arson. It was set on fire with gasoline, but from the inside.”
“Where?” Thomas asked.
“In the back.” Duncan frowned. “That’s all they told me.”
Thomas’ stomach pitched and bile climbed up his throat. He was going to be sick. Shit. Get it together. He ran a trembling hand across his forehead as he broke out in a cold sweat. His heart sank. He couldn’t tell Amelia yet. It would destroy her. He had to wait for the full report then he’d say something. “Thanks.”
“For what it’s worth,” Duncan stated, “I don’t think he was in there. If they’d have found a body, it would’ve been all over the news.”
True.
Maybe.
There was also a chance the police knew who dropped the van, and they were trying to lull the suspects into a false sense of security. Then, when they were picked up, the D.A. would announce what was found inside the van. Which also meant being kept in the dark until everything went down. “This is getting more fucked up by the second.”
“Your imagination is also running away from you,” Duncan muttered.
“Probably,” Thomas agreed. “I also have to try to prepare for all logical outcomes, especially since there have been no calls for ransom. You and I both know the first seventy-two to ninety-six hours are the most critical in finding a missing person.”
“This is some fucked-up shit,” Duncan grumbled.
“You can say that again.” Thomas stood up. “I need some air.”
“I’ll go check on AJ.” Duncan patted Thomas’ shoulder.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Thomas took the elevator into the parking deck then opened the door, so he could exit the base. The cold, crisp night air had a bite to it that he needed to center himself. The whole mission was slipping between his fingers. As it stood, they should have been on the way to Mexico or already there according to their itinerary, but due to what happened to Scotty, they were still in Virginia. And, without word of where the boy could be, it looked like Asher might have to get another team together to do the job.
He placed his hands on his hips as he stared up into the clear, starry night. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something. What or how important, he didn’t know. However, the idea had been a constant companion since Scotty disappeared. He let out a breath and frowned.
The longer they were stuck there, the more time they had to find a positive outcome dwindled. He needed to get out into the field and think. Do the work. It centered him and yanked him off the emotional roller coaster he’d been on, when it ca
me to cases like Scotty’s.
As he turned to head for his car, the door opened, and Noah stuck his head outside. “Meeting in three. Double time it to C&C.”
Thomas followed Noah. As they stepped onto the elevator, the one question he wanted to ask sat on the tip of his tongue, yet he didn’t give it voice. Maybe he was a chicken shit, because if he did ask the one question he had and shit went south, the fallout would be too great. When the doors to the elevator opened, he stepped out first and strode down the hall to C&C. As he entered the room, he found Amelia standing with Asher and Schoell.
Thomas held her gaze when she glanced up at him. She lifted her chin in defiance, making his dick twitch with anticipation. There’s my strong-willed baby girl. He’d rather have her pissed off at him than wallowing while they didn’t have any answers. He closed the distance between them, keeping his gaze locked on her. The only physical indication she’d been distressed was the rounding of her shoulders and the sloppy ponytail she usually kept slicked back and perfect.
“Good, you made it,” Asher said, when he joined them. “The meeting’s in the conference room.” He hitched his thumb toward the room where they’d talked with Murray at the start of their mission.
“Thank you. Am-AJ,” he’d almost slipped and called her by her given name, “may I have a moment?”
“Nope.” She stepped around Thomas and hurried to the conference room.
Thomas frowned. “Damn it.”
“Give her some room,” Asher said, staring after Amelia.
“Trying to.” Thomas ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “This shit is for the fucking birds.” He stormed over to the conference room and took a seat near Amelia. She might be pissed off at him, but he couldn’t allow her to suffer alone.
Noah joined them a few seconds later along with Asher. Now that Thomas had a second to stare at them, both men were a bit worse for wear. They didn’t look like they’d had any sleep since the incident with Scotty. “I received a phone call from Murray requesting this meeting. I’m not sure what’s going on, but he said it would make sense when we were all together.”
