by A. K. Evans
“Are we sure we believe her story?”
“Yeah,” he began. “This woman was distraught. I was just as skeptical, but when she said that the phones were home, I knew. Teenagers rarely go anywhere willingly without their phones. Add to that the fact that we have Grant Chambers in custody and he’s apparently pissed someone off, I believe her.”
“It’s gambling debt,” I blurted.
“What?”
“He owes over four and a quarter million dollars to someone named Slick, who apparently owns this shop. My guess is that, based on the name, he’s got another operation in Colorado.”
“The guy makes really good money at his legitimate job,” Detective Baines noted. “Enough that it’d hurt, but he could have paid this debt. It makes no sense that he’d want to get involved in setting up a sex-trafficking ring and bring this kind of trouble down on himself and his family.”
“Did she know?” I asked.
“Who?”
“His wife,” I clarified. “Did she know he was locked up? Because his daughters believed he was away on business. My guess is that if they had that kind of money to part with, even if Mrs. Chambers wasn’t involved in the day-to-day finances, she’d notice more than four million dollars missing.”
Detective Baines rolled his eyes. “So, his pride got the better of him and instead of admitting he had a gambling addiction that they could have possibly worked through, he put them at risk.”
“Classic case, I’m guessing?”
Baines let out a chuckle, “Yep. Good guy thinks he can fix his mistake caused by bad decisions by simply making more really bad decisions. Deep down, he was probably a good guy trying to protect his family. Unfortunately, especially for his daughters, I don’t see him walking free any time soon.”
I sighed. It was a shame.
“Listen, if you’re good, I’ve got to make a call to Michaels to see where Levi and Lorenzo are. They were here and took off a bit ago to follow the three other suspects. I want to make sure they’re good.”
He shook his head, “They’re good. They apprehended those guys and I have units there already.”
“Not a bad day’s work,” I joked.
“Thanks, Cruz,” he returned. “You know we’ve got a small force, so we’d have been scrambling on this case and been stretched way too thin.”
I offered him a chin lift and expressed, “You know we’ll always do what we can to help overcome the bad. Besides, sometimes I need a little action like this. Real estate and insurance fraud cases can become a bit mundane.”
He laughed and instructed, “Get out of here. We’ll talk soon.”
“See you later.”
I met up with the rest of my team, talked for a few minutes with them, and got in my truck to head home. It had been a long few days and while the case wasn’t completely closed, it was certainly getting closer. At least now the WPD knew where to start looking for the ringleader of the operation. They’d have to call in other police departments in Colorado and hopefully they’d be able to collectively bring down this guy Slick.
In the meantime, I knew my team and I would stay alert. Keeping our locals, like Frank Jenkins, informed would only help to keep Windsor safe. For me personally, I’d stay extra vigilant in making sure those I loved stayed safe, especially my warrior.
As thoughts of her filled my mind, I found myself eager to get back home. It was late, much later than I had been getting home recently. Pulling my phone out, I called Lexi.
“Hey Captain,” she answered cheerfully. “Is everything ok?”
“All good, warrior. I’m on my way home now. Are we at my place or yours tonight?” I asked.
“Mine,” she answered.
“See you in about fifteen,” I returned.
“Ok, be careful. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
At that, I started my truck and drove to Lexi’s place. Fourteen minutes later, I had her in my arms.
“I think I’m going to head out early, Captain.”
“You’re going to my place, right?” he confirmed.
“Yeah,” I responded. “Does that still work for you?”
He chuckled before he answered with his own question, “Do you really think you even need to ask me that?”
I didn’t, but I still liked asking because he always laughed when I did. And lately, I found that I was craving more and more of carefree Cruz. Of course I loved his overprotective nature and the fact that he always put my needs before his own, but seeing him relaxed sometimes was nice.
“I’ll see you soon then?” I confirmed.
“I’m just finishing up a few loose ends and then I’m leaving,” he stated. “I should be there maybe forty-five minutes or so after you get there.”
“Ok,” I started. “Love you.”
“Love you, Lexi.”
Cruz and I disconnected and I immediately gathered my things and left my office. I had a plan and I didn’t have much time to prepare.
It had been four weeks since I was kidnapped and nearly tossed into a sex-trafficking ring. It was also roughly three and a half weeks since Cruz and the rest of his team managed to rescue Grant Chambers’ daughters, who may have been facing the same fate. The day the Chambers girls were rescued, Cruz learned the real reason Grant got caught up in the sex-trafficking ring. Since then, all I knew was that Grant’s wife set things up so that she and her daughters would have private, personal security to keep them safe until the man Grant owed from his gambling debt was caught.
My life over the last couple of weeks had settled down a bit. Work was steady— Elle was getting ready to go out on her mini-tour soon, Wes had contacted me about the promotion of the surfboard line he was planning to launch in the next few weeks, Leni was finally set up in her yoga studio, and I was getting referrals for new clients on a weekly basis.
I had been worried that after the situation with Grant and the fact that he’d taken women from WAAR that the center was going to be shut down. Thankfully, the owner of Glazier’s Supply refused to allow that to happen. Not only did he terminate Grant, but he also saw to it that every penny that had been donated to WAAR was, in fact, used for legitimate means. Learning that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars had been taken from those donations and used for Grant’s illegal activities, Mr. Glazier put that money back into the center out of his own personal funds. He hated what Grant did, but knew, with a little convincing from me, that WAAR was fundamental in helping so many women heal from such horrific situations.
So, to ensure the safety of the women at WAAR, Mr. Glazier hired Cunningham Security to install security and surveillance. Cruz and a few of the guys came in to get everything set up and extreme care was taken to see to it that none of the women were left alone or in a room where the guys were working. Of course, I knew that every single one of those men would have taken a bullet to protect any one of the women inside, but those women didn’t know that. We could have shouted it from the rooftops and it wouldn’t have made any difference to them since so many of them were there so soon after their sexual assault. When all was said and done, though, WAAR had twenty-four hour surveillance that was monitored back at the Cunningham Security offices.
Then there was my personal life.
For the most part, things were going extremely well. My relationship with my parents was out of the awkward stage. I knew they never intentionally tried to make it awkward, but part of that was my own insecurity about how they’d handle the news of learning their daughter had been raped. I guess it was par for the course, but treading lightly was something I could no longer do. The weekend following the kidnapping, Cruz dropped me off at my parents’ house and I had several hours to talk with both of them, but mostly my mom. It was incredibly beneficial and they were both finding a way to move quickly past the guilt.
While Luke was managing his feelings about everything I’d been through over the last few years rather well, Logan had been having a particularly difficult time. Once he
learned what Grant did, the burden of guilt Logan felt grew exponentially. I immediately got the both of us in to see Dr. Lane and we’d been visiting her regularly. I knew it would take time for him to completely let go of the blame, but we found those sessions were tremendously helpful.
And finally, there was Cruz.
Things between the two of us were great. He was, as always, charming and sweet while being protective and nurturing. Best of all, he loved me. Everything about me. He loved me when I was worried or scared. He loved me when I was playful or teasing. And he loved me as ferociously as I did him.
But there was that one thing.
One little thing that was still wedged between us.
And today I was going to do something about it.
It had been gone for me the moment I gave myself to him, but I needed it gone for him, too. Permanently.
So, I pulled up in the driveway outside his house, parked, shut off my car, dug out the key he’d given me several weeks ago, grabbed my bag filled with the items necessarily to pull off my plan, and went inside.
Then, I hightailed it to the bedroom. I dumped my bag and my purse on the bed and moved to the bathroom. Unable to waste a shred of time, I started stripping out of my clothes before I could walk across the room and turn on the shower. I quickly made it there and turned the water on. As it warmed up, I threw off the last of my clothing and took one of my makeup remover wipes to my face.
Over the last few weeks I’d been slowly leaving little things at Cruz’s place. Things like makeup wipes, lotions, extra clothes, and a few accessories. He didn’t seem to mind and, because I enjoyed being here with him more than at my own place, I took advantage of that. In fact, Cruz not only didn’t mind, but every time I saw his face when he realized I’d brought over something new, his lips would twitch and he’d fight to not break out into a full-blown grin.
With my makeup off and the temperature of the water perfect, I hopped in and got down to business. I did what I had to do as quickly as I could and got out. Once I had dried myself off, I ran out into the bedroom and looked at my phone. I had twenty minutes until Cruz was going to be home.
I darted back into the bathroom, where I dried my hair and slathered on my lotion. When I finished, I went back out into the bedroom and pulled the sexy nightie from my bag. After putting it on with three minutes to spare, I settled myself in the middle of the bed and waited.
While I waited, I did my best to control my breathing. I knew what was ahead and I only hoped it wouldn’t blow up in my face.
I’m certain it wasn’t more than two or three minutes later when I heard the garage door open, though it felt like hours had passed. It took a bit longer than I expected it would for the door to chime indicating that Cruz had finally come inside. I listened to the sound of his footsteps as he moved through the house.
“Lexi,” I heard him call from the bottom of the stairs.
Clearing my throat, I called back, “I’m in the bedroom.”
“Where are your keys?” he retorted.
Seriously?
This could not be happening right now.
When Cruz gave me a key for his place several weeks ago, he also gave me one of his garage door openers. He insisted that I pull my car into the garage, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He had a single-car garage and I didn’t think it was fair for me to take the space that was his.
Most days, he’d eventually end up going outside and moving my car in, but of course today he felt the need to do it immediately.
“They’re up here,” I answered.
Then I heard his footfalls as he climbed the stairs. With each step he took, my heart started pounding a little faster. There was such nervousness running through my body.
Cruz started talking before he made it to the room. “I keep telling you to pull your car into the garage and somehow I end up being the one…” he trailed off as he stepped inside his bedroom.
He swallowed hard as he remained frozen on the spot and took me in.
I smiled sweetly at him.
His brows pulled together and he asked, “Did I forget something?”
Letting out a little laugh, I shook my head.
“You look so pretty, Lexi,” he said softly.
Flashing a coy smile, I teased, “I think I’ve heard that once or twice from you before.”
Cruz chuckled, unstuck himself from the spot where he was standing, and walked toward me. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward putting one hand behind my head, and pulled me in for a kiss.
It was delightful.
When he pulled back, he held my eyes briefly before letting his eyes wander down my body. He did not attempt to hide the fact that he appreciated what he saw.
As his eyes met mine again, I shared, “I was hoping to do something with you today.”
Cruz gave me a disbelieving look and insisted, “You don’t need to hope for that. I’m always a willing participant.”
I shook my head and clarified, “Let me rephrase that. I was hoping to do something a little different with you today.”
His eyes narrowed a bit as his head tilted to the side. “I’m curious as to what you have in mind, but I’m guessing if you being in this is part of it, I’m not going to have a problem with it.”
“I hope that’s true,” I wished. Clearing my throat, I held out the long piece of satin fabric and rasped, “I want you to tie my wrists above my head and have your way with me, Cruz.”
“Warrior,” he whispered.
He was silent for a long time, his eyes moving from the fabric in my hands, to my eyes, back to the fabric, down to my body, and back to my face.
“Lexi, you don’t have to do this,” he reassured me.
“I want to do this,” I stated, firm and strong. “I don’t want him between us when we’re with each other this way. I let go of that the first time we were together and it’s been beautifully perfect every single time with you since then. But I know you’re holding yourself back. Sometimes, you lose control for just a few seconds and it’s magical. You are always quick to rein it back in and I truly appreciate your reasons for doing that. But I don’t want that anymore. I want you wild and uninhibited with me.”
“I’m not going to do something that will hurt you,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion.
“If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t be sitting here asking you to do this. You’ve always made me feel like a princess. I love it. I love that you’re sweet and gentle. But I also love that you see me as a warrior, as someone who is strong and completely capable of being able to conquer anything that stands to knock me down. I know I want this, but I can’t force you. That doesn’t mean I won’t give it everything I’ve got to convince you otherwise.”
He remained silent, the muscle in his jaw working.
“Overcome this last battle with me, Captain. Don’t allow this to stand between us any longer. I’ve given you all there is of me to give and you are holding on to that piece of you that I’ve only gotten a small glimpse of before now. I want all of you, Cruz. Sweet, tender, loving, wild, and most of all, uninhibited. Please bind my wrists above my head and give me that last piece of you.”
I had nothing left to say, so I waited.
After several long, agonizing moments, Cruz lifted the satin from my hands and urged, “Lie down and put your arms over your head.”
The nerves I’d been feeling left me and all that was left was pure excitement. Cruz was going to give this to us. My heart was no longer just beating fast. It was fast and loud and I loved everything about it.
I did as Cruz wished and fell to my back. Once my arms were over my head, he took the time to carefully wrap the soft fabric around my wrists and through the thin opening in the wood frame of his headboard. Every so often, his glittering eyes looked into mine, confirming I was not in any distress. There was such a look of awe and approval in face. It was easily a mix of him wondering how it was possible we were at this point knowing my past and ho
w proud he was that we were here.
“Comfortable?” he asked when he finished securing my wrists.
I nodded, feeling a few lingering nerves in my belly.
“You don’t feel any pain, right?”
I shook my head.
Leaning over the side of the bed, he removed his shoes and socks before sitting up and lifting his shirt over his head.
Cruz brought his finger to the side of my head and tapped. “And everything feels ok here, too, right?”
I hesitated.
Did it?
“Yes, I think so,” I finally breathed with a bit of caution.
“One word, Lex. You still have that,” he reassured me. “You always have that.”
“I know,” I confirmed. “Will you hold my hand a minute?”
Cruz’s hand came up and his fingers interlocked with mine. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I didn’t want to say that word and I had felt so confident going into this. Being here now had me a bit on edge and I needed a minute to collect myself.
“Princess?” he called softly.
“You’re here with me, Captain. It’s just you and me,” I said, knowing I was doing it for the both of us.
“I’m always here with you, Lexi,” he returned.
“Can you do one more thing for me before I give you complete control?” I asked.
“Anything.”
“Kiss me while you hold my hands like this,” I urged.
So he did. And that’s when those last few nerves I felt vanished.
After kissing me, Cruz pulled back and took me in.
He gave me a gentle smile.
When I returned the gesture, his gaze turned wickedly sexy. One of his hands left mine and a single finger began tracing a path down along my hairline, the side of my throat, and over my collarbone. That finger traced over the swell of my breast before his whole hand cupped and squeezed it.
I let out a ragged moan, so beyond turned on in just the few seconds he’d had one hand on my body. And once that sound escaped from the back of my throat, Cruz acted. He took teasing to a level I didn’t know was possible nor had I anticipated. Other than the one time he squeezed my breast, he didn’t touch either one again. And he never went near the spot between my legs.
