by Maren Smith
Running for the couch, she launched herself into his arms. “I hate the stupid corner, Daddy.”
“Well, don’t have an attitude with your daddy, and you won’t have to spend any more time there, sunshine.”
She sighed heavily, but didn’t argue. He had a hunch she didn’t hate being punished as much as she claimed. If he put his hand between her legs, he was certain he’d find her soaking wet and ready for him.
He was imagining doing exactly that when she spoke up again. “Who was on the phone?”
The question brought him crashing back to reality. “Rico’s man, Jimmy. I think your papers are ready. Meeting him tonight to pick them up.”
“Oh.” Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. “So, this is my last night as Lainey Goldberg?”
His heart broke a little at the sadness in her voice. “Maybe. We still have to figure out where we’re going and how we’re getting there, but we’ll probably only be in the city another day or so.”
Sitting up, she swung a leg over his lap. “Make love to me.”
Happy to oblige, he reached for her shirt. “Your wish is my command, sunshine.”
The shaking of her head made him pause. Her eyes burned with a need so fierce, it nearly stopped his heart. “No. Not ‘sunshine’. Not ‘Daddy’. You and me. Donovan and Lainey. I want to make love as our true selves, at least once before everything changes.”
“Okay.” Cupping the back of her head, he drew her down for a long, lingering kiss. “Lainey,” he whispered against her lips.
She straightened and reached for the hem of the oversized t-shirt she’d stolen from him earlier. Her eyes locked on his, she pulled it up and over her head, leaving her completely bare.
God, she was beautiful. Running his hands up her long torso, he cupped her breasts. Her breath hitched, but she never broke eye contact. He watched her eyes widen slightly, the pupils darkening as he ran his thumbs over her nipples.
The need for her was suddenly more than he could bear. “I want you in my bed.”
Without waiting for her to agree, he pushed off the couch and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed, spread before him like an offering.
Kneeling between her thighs, he pressed a kiss to her neck. “Lainey,” he murmured, before trailing his lips down over her collarbone, down to one already taut, pebbled nipple. “Sweet, beautiful, sexy, Lainey.” He captured her nipple between his teeth and she gasped, arching her back, inviting him to touch and taste.
“Donovan. Please.” His name was a plea on her lips. She was begging, and he’d barely gotten started.
Just the way he liked it.
He sucked and licked and nibbled, lavishing the tiny bud with pleasure until his little Lainey could do nothing but moan and whine in response. Once he was satisfied he’d done a thorough job, he moved his attention to its twin.
She writhed under him, her body making the pleas her mouth could no longer form. But still he took his time, and once he’d finished with her second breast, he moved slowly down her tummy to the patch of curls between her thighs.
The smell of her arousal nearly unmanned him. But this was important to her, so he wanted to take his time. And, if he was being honest with himself, it was important to him, too. After tonight, everything would change. Even if Rico came through, and he was able to leave with her, there was no guarantee things would be the same. Once they were safe, he’d have no reason to command her obedience the way he did now. So, he would savor this moment, savor the complete surrender she offered him, in case he never got to experience it again.
Pressing her legs open wide with his shoulders, he lowered his head and ran his tongue up along her slit to where her clit peeked out beneath its hood. Lainey’s hands tangled in his hair when he captured the sensitive bud with his mouth and sucked. Her hips bucked against his mouth as he tortured her.
“Daddy, please!”
Grinning, Donovan lifted his head and slid two fingers inside her. “Daddy?”
A low, keening sort of sound escaped her. “Daddy, Donovan, I don’t care, please just let me come!”
He didn’t answer, knowing his lack of response would drive her crazy. With slow, lazy strokes, he used his tongue and his fingers to push her as close as he could to release without pushing her over the edge.
“I love you like this, Lainey.” He pressed a kiss to the smooth, satiny skin of her inner thigh. “Aching and desperate. Whiny and needy. And mine. All mine. Aren’t you, Lainey?”
“Yes,” the word was a gasp, barely coherent and filled with need. “Yours. Please, Donovan.”
“Not yet, baby. A little longer.” Lowering his head, he tasted her again, savoring the sweet, tangy honey.
It wasn’t until she was nearly sobbing with need that he let her fly. “Come for me, Lainey. Let Daddy taste you.”
He dipped his head and sucked hard on her clit. She tensed under him, then screamed his name as she bucked and shuddered with her climax. He drew it out, licking and stroking until she went still under him.
Rolling off the bed, he stripped, and this time when he knelt between her thighs, he slid into her. Being inside her was like coming home. Lainey.
He didn’t realize he’d said her name out loud until she smiled up at him. “Yes, Daddy?”
And in that moment, buried to the hilt inside of her, looking down at that sweet, satisfied smile on her face, he tumbled right into love. Tumbled, hell. He fell face first, landing so hard it took his breath away.
Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Lainey. God.”
As much as he wanted to tell her, wanted to give her the words, he couldn’t seem to speak them. In lieu of talking, he pressed his lips to hers, pouring everything he felt but couldn’t say into the kiss. Whimpering, she wrapped her arms around him, her soft hands stroking his back.
“I know,” she whispered when they broke the kiss. “Me too.”
After another long, deep kiss, he moved inside of her. The need to conquer took a back seat to the need to give her what she’d asked of him. He made love to her, soft and slow, until they both went over that shining, trembling peak of pleasure together.
He reluctantly left a sleepy, well-loved Lainey in his bed with firm instructions not to open the door or leave the apartment. She’d agreed without a fuss, so hopefully the paddling he’d given her last time had stuck.
Rico wasn’t there when he got to the bar, but that was pretty much par for the course. Mob bosses weren’t known for waiting around on people, no matter how big of a debt they felt they owed you. Sliding into an empty booth in the back corner of the bar, he flagged down a waiter and ordered a shot of whiskey.
He was taking his first sip when Rico showed up. “I’ll never understand your attachment to this horrible place,” Rico said, wiping at the table with the handkerchief he kept in his breast pocket.
Donovan lifted his glass. “They have good whiskey. And people here know how to keep their mouths shut,” he added, taking another sip.
“Well, I do value discretion.” Once the table was as clean as it was going to get, Rico placed a portfolio between them and pushed it across the wood to Donovan.
“New driver’s licenses, social security cards, birth certificates, and work history for Andrew and Melissa Parsons.”
His hand hovered over the portfolio. “What?”
Rico smiled, as though he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on Donovan’s whole world. “Oh, a marriage certificate as well. If anyone asks, you went to Fiji for your honeymoon.”
“We’re not married.” Panic forced his voice an octave higher, and he was suddenly wishing he’d ordered a whole bottle of whiskey instead of just the one glass.
“Details, details.” Rico waved a hand as if batting away his protests. “The less paperwork you have to file after you start your new lives together, the better. This saves you a step.”
Scowling, he finally grabbed the portfolio an
d pried it open. “I never said I was going to marry her.”
Rico rolled over his protests. “I’ve also left a car for you at the park and ride near the airport. Keys are in the portfolio, along with new, clean phones. I set up a new checking account for Andrew, with some freshly laundered funds. Once you’re clear, I’ll begin the process of moving your personal wealth. There is cash in the portfolio, enough for a week at least, so you won’t leave a trail out of the city. My suggestion would be to hop around for a bit before you use the debit card in the portfolio.”
Gratitude washed away the annoyance at being forced into a fake marriage. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do all this.”
“Yes, I did.” Folding his hands on the table, Rico pinned him with a serious stare. “I also did a little digging on that church of yours.”
Barking out a laugh, Donovan tossed back the rest of his whiskey. “It’s not my church.”
“Good thing, too.”
Something in Rico’s tone had his blood running cold. “Why? What did you find?”
“The church is very well-funded. It appears to be supported by several wealthy individuals as well as a few select charities dedicated to assisting Variants. But when you peel back the layers, they’re all shells.”
“So, who’s really funding them?” And what was the point of setting up fake donors for a church?
Rico’s top lip lifted in a sneer. “Who do you think?”
It took all of five seconds for everything to click into place. Fuck. What better way to find Variants to test on, than to trick them into exposing themselves? “Rose Corp.”
“Give the man a cookie,” Rico said dryly. “Everything leads back to them. So, if I were you, I’d get your woman and get out of town. Tonight.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Grabbing the portfolio and completely disregarding the normal protocols, he slid out of the booth. Stopping beside the man he considered a friend, he dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. For everything.”
Rico nodded and patted the hand on his shoulder. Leaving his friend behind for what was likely to be the last time, he headed for the door. He was getting Lainey out of the city, tonight.
Chapter Fourteen
Lainey
Lainey woke alone, with the setting sun casting a warm glow over the bedroom. Smiling at the memory of Donovan’s hands and mouth on her, she rolled and stretched in the large, lumpy bed. God, the man was an incredible lover. If she had to start her life over, at least she had something to look forward to.
The thought brought with it a wave of grief. Starting over meant she’d never see her family again. Possibly never even speak to them again. Everyone she’d ever known and loved would just disappear from her life, and she from theirs.
Pushing the negative thoughts aside, she rolled off the bed and walked to the bathroom. A nice, hot shower was exactly what she needed to make her feel better.
The shower helped ease the twinges in her muscles from Donovan’s thorough lovemaking, but it didn’t do much for the ache in her heart. That pain was only eased when she gave in and curled up on the floor of the shower and wept for the life she was leaving behind.
By the time she was done, the water had started to run cold, so she rushed through washing her hair and body before turning the water off.
With her teeth brushed, her hair dried and put up in a high ponytail, she returned to the bedroom. She considered just getting back into her pajamas, but she wasn’t sure what the plan was for when Donovan returned. In case they had to leave quickly, she wanted to be ready. Deciding on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt, she dressed and started packing her bags.
Halfway through, a knock on the front door sent her heart racing. Lainey dropped the shirt she’d been folding and crept into the living room. She sure as shit wasn’t going to open the door and risk another round with the evil ginger root, but she could at least see who it was.
“Lainey? Open up, honey. I forgot my keys.”
Relief flooded her at the familiar voice. “Coming, Daddy!” she called, running to the door.
But when she yanked it open, it wasn’t Donovan on the other side. The man standing in front of her looked more like the men who’d attacked her in the alley.
“You’re not Daddy,” she blurted out.
The man smiled, but there was nothing warm or inviting in the gesture. “No, but I could be. Want me to be your daddy, weather girl?”
Lainey moved to slam the door in his face, but he slapped a hand against the wood and shoved it open again. The momentum sent her flying backward, and she cried out when she landed on her ass.
The thug stepped through the doorway, followed by a tall, thin man. When he spoke, it was with Donovan’s voice, and her blood ran cold. “Time to go, Lainey.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Thunder shook the building as she scrambled away from the pair.
“Oh, she’s feisty,” the tall man said with a laugh. “I like her.”
He grabbed for her, and Lainey threw up her hands to protect herself. Lightning shot from her fingertips, but missed the tall man, leaving a scorched hole in the wall behind him.
“That was impressive.” Tall man’s real voice was high and nasally, nothing like Daddy’s. “You can show us your powers later, my dear. We really must get going.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, asshole.” The heat and electricity built inside of her again, and she focused on the tall man. But before she could unleash her lightning on him, she felt a small prick in the side of her neck. She looked over at the thug who’d knocked on her door and the strange gun in his hand. It was the last thing she saw before her vision blurred and the world went black.
Donovan ran the final few blocks to the apartment and took the stairs up two at a time. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. His heart jumped into his throat when he saw the apartment door standing open.
“Lainey!” He called for her, panic clawing at him as he searched every room. There was a black, smoking hole in the wall of the living room, but no other signs of a struggle.
“Oh, God.” They had her. Those assholes had his Lainey, and he had no idea where they’d taken her. “Fuck!”
“Donny?”
Spinning around, he found Ms. Edith standing in the doorway, her face white as a sheet. “Did you see them? Did you see who took her?” he asked, the desperation he felt clear in his voice.
Her head jerked up and down. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“What? How?”
“I told some people at the church. I never thought… never imagined they would…”
It took every bit of strength he had not to grab her frail shoulders and shake her. “Where? Where did they take her?”
“I think they took her to The Farm.”
“The farm?” None of this was making any sense. “What farm? Where?”
“It’s about an hour south. I-I’ve been there a few times, to talk to some teens in the rehabilitation program. I can drive you.”
“You have a car?”
Another jerky nod.
“I’ll drive. Tell me where exactly it is.”
“I don’t remember where it is, exactly. But I’ll know it when I see it.”
He didn’t have time to argue. “Fine. You can navigate. But you stay in the car once we get there.”
Chapter Fifteen
Lainey
When Lainey woke again, she wasn’t in Daddy’s lumpy bed with the sun streaming through the windows. This time, she woke on a hard cot in a room painted solid white with no windows in sight. She lifted a trembling hand to brush the hair from her eyes and something shiny caught her eye. A thick silver bracelet circled her right wrist. She tugged at it, but it didn’t budge, and she couldn’t see a latch of any kind.
“Good morning, sleepyhead!” A cheery voice came through a speaker she couldn’t see. “We thought you were going to be out the rest of the night.”
“Where a
m I?” Looking around, she searched for a camera, but all she could see was white.
“You’re at The Farm, my dear. We’re going to do some tests. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“Let me out of here!”
“Of course,” the cheerful voice said. The wall to her left slid open soundlessly, revealing a long, white hallway.
It screamed “trap,” but what choice did she have? She took off running down the hallway. There were no doors, just walls of white. Fighting back the rising panic, she ran until she came to a dead end. The wall to her right slid open, exposing a pitch-black room. With no other options that she could see, she ducked into the dark room.
As soon as she entered, the room was flooded with light and the wall behind her closed again with a quiet snick. Whirling around, she looked desperately for another way out.
This room was much larger than the cell she’d woken in, but still solid white. Tilting her head back, she found windows circling the top of the room. Positioned behind the glass were several people in long, white coats.
“Welcome to Observation Room One,” the same cheerful voice from her room said. “In this room, we’ll be testing your reactions to various stimuli. Look to your right, please.”
Trembling, Lainey turned her head. Relief washed over her at the sight of her parents standing there, arms wide open. “Mom? Dad?”
The room grew brighter and she tilted her head again, squinting at the bright light shining from the high ceiling. It was far brighter than any light she’d ever seen. Almost as bright as the sun.
“It’s a simulation, dear,” the voice informed her, as if it could hear her thoughts. “The atmosphere in this room will react just as if you were standing outside. Continue.”
Tearing her eyes away from the fake sun, she blinked rapidly to clear the dots from her vision and looked back at her parents. Still smiling, still holding their arms open, waiting for an embrace. It’s just a simulation. With that realization, the fake sky above her clouded and a soft rain began to fall. The image of her parents blinked away, and they were replaced by a smirking Donovan.
