Fear Us

by B. B. Reid

  “What are you going to do?”

  “What I should have done four years ago when you told me no. I’m taking you prisoner. Take a look around, my love. This is your cage.” He magically produced a set of handcuffs. “Are you going to make me use these? You could consider them your wedding ring. “

  “Keenan, this—”

  “Beg.”

  “What?”

  “If you want to be set free, the only thing I care to hear from your lips is the sound of you begging. I’m not interested in anything else.”

  “Please.”

  “That’s more like it,” he smugly replied.

  “I wasn’t finished.” I’d snapped, but I couldn’t care about the consequences. “I meant please spare me your jealous rage. You don’t seem to be much of a forward thinker. They will look for me.”

  “You haven’t been paying attention, have you?”

  “What am I supposed to be paying attention to?”

  “They’re hoping we have a chance of falling in love again and think we need some alone time.”

  He stood from the bed, pocketed the cuffs, and made his way for the door. I sat up and ran after him, but he managed to shut and lock the door. I pulled and tugged and beat on the door, hoping it would give. When my throat had finally grown hoarse from screaming, I rested against the door, too weak to move away.

  I had to get out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  KEENAN

  “NO WAY! I am not playing babysitter. Your bitch of a girlfriend hates me, remember?” The next morning, I had called Di over and had been trying to convince her to play guard.

  “Don’t call her a bitch and you won’t need to speak to her. I just need you to bring her food three times a day. The master bath is accessible to her. I may only be gone a few hours, but this is just a precaution.”

  “Oh, God. We’ve just gravitated from stalking to kidnapping.”

  “Don’t grow a conscience on me now, and I’ve never stalked anyone.

  “No? What do you call sending me back to spy on a town full of people you abandoned four years ago?”

  “I paid you so why does it matter?”

  “I didn’t need your money, which you have been well aware of since the moment we almost fucked on it.”

  “But you took it anyway. Look, I’m asking you this as a favor. You won’t be mixed up in anything.”

  “So what are you going to tell your big, bad brother when he finds out she’s missing?”

  “I’m going to tell him the truth.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea? Scratch that. Clearly, you aren’t concerned about making smart decisions. What if he tries to stop you?”

  “He won’t. He knows better than that.”

  “I kind of got the impression that Keiran isn’t afraid of much, least of all you.”

  I couldn’t tell if she meant it as a warning or insult. Knowing Di, it was the latter. “He’s not invincible.”

  “Wow.” Di shook her head and for a moment, she looked worried. “You’re really going to do it, aren’t you?”

  “Do what?”

  “You’re going to try and build a wall against everyone who cares about you. As a friend, I have to be honest and tell you that you’re going to lose.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

  “Just keeping it real.”

  “Before this gets any more real, I need another favor.”

  * * * * *

  Keith met me in the building’s garage, and I tossed him the keys to Keiran’s ride. I hopped in the car I had purchased a couple of years ago but never really used. An hour later, we were pulling up to the resort. Beach goers already littered the beach even at the early hour.

  “Wait here,” I instructed Keith.

  He absently nodded as he inspected the beach likely looking for his next groupie. The man was a bigger whore than I ever was.

  I had knocked on Keiran’s door for ten minutes before he answered the door appearing very much awake, dressed in loose sweatpants and dripping with sweat.

  “You had me standing out here for ten minutes so you could finish fucking?”

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “My kid.”

  The tension between us was palpable only when we were alone. I had the feeling Lake had something to do with that. For someone who mercilessly tormented, taunted, and belittled, he did any and everything he could to keep her happy. If she so much as broke a nail, he would be ready to murder an entire city.

  “She’s down at the beach with Q and Jesse.”

  “Are they her nursemaids? Where is Dash?”

  “She knows them—better than you even. Dash had to go back. His father demanded his presence for some business dealings.”

  “Jeez, he doesn’t let him breathe much, does he? He’s going to pay for not going to Yale or Harvard for the rest of his life.”

  “Dash is a big boy. He can handle his father.”

  “By being at his constant beck and call?”

  “Hi, Keenan,” Lake interrupted. She ducked under Keiran’s arm with only his t-shirt to cover her. He scowled down at her head and then at me when he caught me purposely ogling her legs. “Where’s Sheldon?”

  “She’s tied up at the moment.” I meant it as a secret joke, but judging by the frowns on their faces and suspicious looks, it didn’t go over their head as I had hoped.

  “Is she okay?” she asked slowly.

  “She’s fine. Don’t you trust me?”

  “No,” they said simultaneously.

  “Oh, look at you two. You’re practically finishing each other’s sentences.”

  Keiran pulled Lake inside by her waist to her annoyance and growled, “Fuck off, Keenan.”

  “I plan to, but first I wanted to return your car keys.”

  “How are you getting back?”

  “I have my own ride, a fact I made very clear when you kidnapped me a week and a half ago.”

  “Then who the fuck is driving my car?”

  “A friend.” Keiran fully stepped from the room and shut the door behind him. I could tell by the angry vein that he was pissed. “You do know that you just locked yourself out, right? Lake probably won’t let you back in since you won’t let her out to play.”

  “What friend?” he asked, ignoring my taunts.

  “A simple one.”

  “Di?”

  “Why would you think it’s Di?”

  “Do you think I’m stupid? How do you think I found you?”

  “That’s bullshit.” My mind was racing even after denying it. Had Di betrayed me?

  “She wasn’t too careful the last couple of times she came to Six Forks. On her last trip as your spy, I spotted her. She gave me your address only if I promised not to kill you.”

  That explained the hysteria when I disappeared. She wasn’t worried. She felt guilty.

  “What does it take for a little loyalty,” I mumbled.

  “You tell me.”

  We glared at each other for long moments, neither one of us willing to fold. It was the elevator opening and the sound of Kennedy’s excited chatter that forced us to end the silent duel.

  “Keenan!” She freed herself from Jesse and ran to me as fast as her short legs would let her.

  I stooped down to eagerly accept her hug. “Good morning, princess. How are you?”

  “Fine. Thank you. Where’s mama?”

  “She’s waiting for you right now to come and play. Will you come with me so I can take you to her?”

  She nodded and looked up at Keiran. “Uncle, can I go?”

  Behind her, I glared at him feeling jealous rage. My fists clenched at the smug look on his face before he answered. “Sure, kiddo. Be sure to tell your mother to call me.”

  He sent me a warning glance, which I chose to ignore. After gathering our bags from the room we never used, I put the resort in my taillights.

  My plan worked without so much as a hiccup and the only remor
se I felt was for having to lie to Kennedy. I had no intentions of letting her mother near her anytime soon.

  Not until after I punish her thoroughly.

  * * * * *

  I let Di know picking up Kennedy was successful, and after dropping off Keith, we met at a mini mansion across the city from my apartment. I was still surprised at how easy it was despite Keiran’s subtle threat. I knew they would eventually search out Sheldon, so I implemented the second part of my plan.

  “And who is this little darling,” Di cooed.

  “Hi,” Kennedy greeted shyly. She then wrapped her arms around my leg and ducked her head. I was humbled by the knowledge that she trusted me to keep her safe.

  “Are you going to be okay here?”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I’m a big girl,” Di replied flippantly.

  “Because I know what this place did to you.” I convinced her to let me use her father’s house where she lived for most of her life and where her father had pimped her out to his various business partners. It was also where we had found the safe full of money that had totaled up to about eight million. We split the money and never returned. “Can I trust you?”

  “Do you have a choice?” she joked. The smile on her lips died at my unmoving expression.

  “I’ll be back tonight and when I do, we need to talk.”

  For a few heartbeats, she stared at me with confusion and then awareness. “He told you.” I didn’t reply and didn’t give her a chance to explain because I walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  SHELDON

  THE SOUND OF the lock and the door opening alerted me to Keenan’s presence. I had given up on trying to escape and had begrudgingly thrown myself on his bed where I stayed until he returned.

  I was mourning the loss of Kennedy. I had only just gotten her back only to be taken from her in return.

  “I need to get back to her,” I said after the silence had stretched for too long.

  “She’s in good hands.”

  “She’ll be better in mine.”

  “You’ll get her back when I think you deserve her.”

  “Excuse me?” I was out of his bed and in his face faster than I could breathe my next breath. “I am her mother. She needs me.”

  “A fact you forgot when you chose to protect your boyfriend over our child.”

  “Eric had nothing to do with her abduction.”

  A cloud of hatred wafted around us. His eyes changed from impassive to furious as quickly as if someone had pushed a button. His hands were in my hair, tugging me down until I knelt at his feet, but I refused to cower before him. I glared up at him with equal hate.

  I didn’t see the knife, but I felt it at my throat. “If you say his name in my fucking presence again, I will end you.”

  “Then do it,” I challenged. “I will never give you what you want. I will never be yours.” Silence was all we had between us as I waited for the press of the knife, but it never came.

  “Maybe not here,” he whispered as he trailed the knife from the throat to my chest where my heart beat underneath. “But you will in everything else.”

  He lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the bedroom. I looked around as much as I could. Nervous anticipation built until I was shaking with it. He carried me into the kitchen and set me down gently on the tabletop. The coldness in his eyes remained so I scooted away, but his hand on my thigh stopped me. “Don’t move.”

  My clothes were shed under his hands, and while I wanted to fight him, the warning in his eyes made me hesitate.

  When I was completely naked, he nodded to the chair, and I quickly sat in it. I pushed forward and used the tabletop to shield as much of my body as I could. His smirk told me that he noticed.

  He turned his back and quickly set about making breakfast. I watched him from the corner of my eye, but he never turned to acknowledge me. When he was done, he set a plate in front of me with the order to eat and then turned back to clean the dishes.

  “Who said I was hungry?”

  “It doesn’t matter if you are or not. You do what I say and that means eating when I say.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll punish you.”

  “This isn’t punishment?”

  “You aren’t suffering… yet. So don’t try my patience.”

  The dangerous edge in his voice made the threat seem all the more real, so I silently picked up my fork and ate. I was surprised at how good it tasted.

  When did he learn to cook?

  Like me, he had barely been able to defrost a chicken without screwing it up somehow. An ugly thought formed, and I was disturbed by jealousy. “This is good. Did your girlfriend teach you how to cook?”

  His bark of laughter surprised me. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t for four years.”

  “Fine. Your slut buckets. I’m sure you have tons.”

  He turned to face me, gripping a plate in his hand. “I don’t have tons… only one.” He took a seat and regarded me with lust in his eyes. “Come here,” he ordered. He pushed his untouched food away and patted the space on the table in front of him. Ever aware of my naked state, I climbed on the table to the spot he indicated. “Spread your legs for me. Let me see what’s mine.”

  My trembling legs seemed to fall apart under his heated gaze, warming my sex in return. His hands ran the length of my thighs, but he kept this touch light.

  “I’ve always loved the feel of your skin. So soft and supple. Touch yourself. Feel what I feel.”

  My fingers hesitantly pushed through the warm lips of my sex. My body quivered in answer, and I could almost feel everything he was thinking of doing to me. Everything he would do to me.

  “I won’t need to ask if you’re ready for me. I can see the evidence dripping from your fingers.” I wanted to beg for him to touch me, but that would be surrender and I couldn’t do that. “I know what you want, but you won’t ask for it, will you?”

  I continued the light touch of my fingers and even went as far as to insert one. If he could tease then so could I. His indrawn breath was barely audible, but my senses were too in tune with his not to hear.

  “You’re going to fucking kill me,” he groaned. His mouth descended, and the moment his lips met mine, I came apart and filled the kitchen with my cries.

  I could feel my willpower weakening along with my body. I didn’t even realize that I was falling. In more ways than one. My back now rested on the tabletop, and my legs opened wider for greater access.

  “Take it all,” I whispered just before the force of my release sucked the air from my lungs along with my will.

  “I plan to,” he whispered back. Regret that he’d heard me was quickly replaced by the sudden and merciless invasion of his cock. The table rocked and the chairs collapsed under the force of his hips. I swallowed back my cries until they were nothing but whimpers. I wouldn’t give him that. “No, baby, don’t you hold yourself back.” He slid his hand between our bodies and tortured my clit. “Scream for me.”

  * * * * *

  Keenan had spent the morning taking me, and not once did I resist. He had done things to me that still made me blush. There wasn’t a part of my body that he left untouched.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked much later as I looked around the empty tattoo shop with irritation.

  “Righting a wrong.” He started setting up as if getting ready for a client.

  “Is this your shop?” I tried not to sound impressed when I asked but failed. I had always wondered what Keenan had gone on to do and if he had found someone else. He left before he could graduate due to his long stay in the hospital, and given his quiet yet desperate need for attention and affection, it was impossible to picture him without someone.

  “It’s mine.” He patted the leather chair. “Hop up and lay on your stomach.”

  “But I don’t want a tattoo.”

  “I wasn’t asking, Shelly,” he threatened without looking up.

  “You’re
being ridiculous.”

  “You can do it willingly, or I can strap you to the chair and do what I want anyway.”

  I struggled with my choices and realized I lacked an advantage or the words to convince him that what he was doing crossed too many lines.

  The foolish teenage girl in me still hoped…

  I quickly did as he ordered before he could see my tears. I rested my head against the soft leather in defeat and willed my body to keep still.

  I drowned it all out.

  The hum of the machine.

  The feel of his hand.

  The needle’s piercing vibration against my skin.

  I let it all go for the past.

  * * * * *

  SIX YEARS AGO

  “Are you afraid?”

  It took me a moment to gather myself after he’d just gotten through kissing me senseless. We were in his bedroom with romantic music playing softly in the background. I had to admit that he was pulling out all the stops. A twinge of sadness and anger flowed through me as I remembered our recent but short breakup and why. I’d forgiven him, but the urge to beat the brakes off Jessica Stanton was still strong. She had been a friend, and the two of them had done the unthinkable when they made out at a party.

  “A little. I’ve never done this before.” The cutest grin spread to his lips and eased some of my nervousness.

  “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

  “Why? Because you’re damaged goods?”

  “Ouch. That hurt.” He clutched his chest as if seriously wounded.

  “Maybe this will help,” I whispered and quickly shed my dress before I lost the courage. I was surprised at how brazen I was even though it was all an act. His eyes boldly traveled every inch of my body, and I shivered from that contact alone.

  “Are you sure you want to do this now? We can wait if you want.”

  I nodded my head even as I crossed my arms over my breasts. I had turned sixteen the month before, and I felt I was as ready as I would ever be. “What better day than Valentine’s day?” I joked.

  “Your wedding day,” he answered. His face turned down with guilt, and he backed away, but my hand shot out to stop him.