Captured and Kept: A Dark Reverse Harem Romance

by Piper Stone

Come back. Please, talk to me. Share everything about your life. I want to know more. I... Groaning, she rolled over.

  Oh, to hell with him. What was she supposed to do with this shit? Huffing, she pulled the covers over her head as he closed the door. She needed answers and by damn, she was going to get them.

  One way or the other.

  She remained in bed all through his shower, even though she wanted nothing more than to join him, to savor all the delicious aspects of their unbridled passion. But she also wanted to teach him a lesson. Yeah, right. She was doing a bang-up job since all she wanted to do was rebuke her resolve.

  Only when he was ready to leave did she finally sit up, grabbing the sheets and leaning against the headboard. “I wish things could be different.” She wasn’t certain why she’d even muttered the statement. He’d already made up his mind.

  Danger riffled through the dresser drawer, finding a clean pair of jeans. His shoulders heaved but he remained quiet.

  “I know you have to get back to your family.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she sensed his bristling.

  “Is that what you think? That I have a wife and kids to go back to and you’re just a fling?” Danger’s voice was gravelly, tinged with anger. He swung around, zipping his pants and shaking his head.

  “Honestly? Yes.”

  Huffing, he yanked a shirt from his closet, the level of vehemence almost jerking the metal bar from its hinges. “I’m not married, and I’ve never been. I’m not the kind of man who would leave his wife and child behind to go on some ridiculous operation then taste the flavor of the week. I do have honor.”

  “Am I just the flavor of the week?”

  He dropped onto the bed, grabbing her by the wrists. The veins in his neck stood out and his face was beet red. “Hear me right now, Dani. I don’t care how this thing started, your ridiculous idea about getting some damn story. I wouldn’t have laid a finger on you if I wasn’t interested in you, the woman inside as well as your body. I care about you. I shouldn’t for more reasons than I have time to tell you, but I do. You’ve the single woman who’s ever been in my life that I could actually lo...” He stopped his words cold, pursing his lips. His entire body was trembling as he stared into her eyes.

  “You could love me?” Dani dared to ask.

  The tension between them was palpable.

  A long exhale slipped from his mouth, the breath sound ragged and deep, as if the pent-up emotions were killing him.

  “That’s good because I already love you.” Allowing herself to admit her feelings and to share them with the man sitting in front of her was cathartic, if not completely insane. As he jerked away, half racing toward the door, she knew she’d been right. He couldn’t break free of whatever demons had forced a solid hold on his heart.

  Twisting the knob, he seemed ready to fling open the door before slamming his hand against the wall not once, but three times. “Damn it, Dani. I’m an honorable man but I’m not good enough for you. No man will ever be. When you leave here, you’ll forget about me. That’s all that matters. You’ll have a real life and a good one. Just trust me.”

  She opened her mouth, trying to figure out what to say but he was already gone, storming through the house. Folding her arms around her knees, she began to rock, her heart skipping beats. What in the hell had happened to the man?

  The looming thought regarding Angelina remained skipping through her mind. Whoever she was, the woman haunted the man Dani had fallen desperately in love with.

  She remained exactly where she was for a full ten minutes before finding the energy to crawl out of bed. “Fuck!” What the hell had she stepped on? Crouching down, she could barely see the small object. A rock? She rose to her feet, walking closer to the lamp. This was no ordinary rock. There was a shiny end, almost reminding her of a crystal. She walked into the bathroom, flicking on the brighter light and placing the substance into the palm of her hand.

  The item must have fallen out of Danger’s pocket. The pinging noise she’d heard. Turning on the water, she carefully held the piece under the stream, rubbing her fingers over the dirt and grime. In just a few seconds, she was able to see clearly that what she was holding was a gem of some kind. Using the tips of her index finger and thumb, she pulled the rock into the light. “Shit.” She was certainly no expert and had never had a single piece of fine jewelry in her life, but she could swear this was a diamond.

  The men were digging for diamonds? Was that even a remote possibility in these mountains? Well, she’d read just enough before taking on this venture to know there were caves located in certain areas, although very little had been reported about them. What if they found the motherlode? If these were real diamonds, she could only imagine their worth. That would certainly explain why they’d been so cagey, refusing to talk about their endeavors. They were sitting on a goldmine. A smile crossed her face as she studied the rock again. The more she twisted the piece, the more facets buried within the crystal she was able to see, like a crystalline shower of color.

  She clutched the piece in her palm and there was no doubt in her mind she wanted to learn more. Was she savvy enough to find their trail, locate their cave? Was it even worth trying? If she was able to, she could at least speak intelligently to Danger, try to understand why he’d left his world to chase a dream. None of this made sense. Diamonds were certainly a rare find, but for four men to give up their lives entirely, there had to be a payment that had nothing to do with money.

  She realized they’d be angry, but she was going to try, no matter the consequences. Now, where to hide the piece in the meantime.

  Fifteen minutes later she’d showered and thrown on a pair of jeans and a shirt, grabbing her boots from the closet. She’d decided to find the cave and get close, but not disturb them, if that was at all possible. The addition to her story would make an incredible ending and she had the proof. She was aware the consequences could be formidable, but this story alone would give her complete credibility.

  Dani was almost giddy as she grabbed a bottle of water and a flashlight, just in case. The weather was good, no storms that she could detect, and following their trail should be easy. Right? She headed on in the direction she’d seen them leave a half dozen times. The first four hundred yards away from the compound were easy enough, a small dirt-laden trail meandering its way through the forest. As the trees became much thicker, blocking out some of the light, she wished she’d brought some kind of markers.

  Going on instinct alone, she continued her path, determined to find them. With every few yards, she became more elated, even though she was forced to climb over several rocks. Fifteen minutes later, she stopped and turned in a full circle. “Fuck me.” She was no longer certain she was going in the right direction. Everything appeared the same, from the expansive line of trees to the craggy rocks.

  She continued walking until she realized a solid ten minutes later she’d gone in a full circle, ending up where she’d stood before.

  Or at least so she thought.

  At this point, she wasn’t entirely certain of anything. Great, Dani. You’re lost. Here we go again. Her little voice was in full force, chiding her as she forged her way on, stopping several times to secure her footing as well as determine her surroundings. Finally, she noticed what appeared to be some sort of alcove, but she’d have to climb over a series of rocks in order to get there.

  Rubbing her hands on her jeans, she took a few gulps of water before pressing on. She realized she was no rock climber, but she made headway.

  Until she heard the distinct sound of a growl.

  “Not this shit again,” she mumbled under her breath, darting a quick look over her shoulder. Every concept of why she was the biggest fool slithered into the back of her mind. She was nutso for doing this. Maybe she hadn’t heard the sound. Maybe there weren’t bears ready to eat her alive, finishing what they’d started a week before.

  Every step made with caution, she maneuvered her way down the rocks. She was
almost there when her foot slipped, and she tumbled down the rest, landing smack on her face. “Fuck.” The sound echoed into the forest. The second growl was followed by a loud crack of breaking twigs as the creature lumbered toward her. There was no time to waste. Scrambling to her feet, she took off running, not paying any attention to where she was going.

  Zigging and zagging, she headed away from the sound, jumping over fallen limbs, swearing she could hear heavy breathing behind her. You can do this. You can. Terror ripped through her as she powered on. Then she noticed what had to be an entrance to a cave. Without thinking, she ran inside and in the next few seconds found herself rolling down a slight incline.

  Coming to a stop as her body hit something hard, she braced for impact. “Oof!” Her eyes were closed, her imagination soaring and when she realized she was in one piece, she opened her eyes. The face peering down at her was astonished at first, furious seconds later. Wolf. She’d never seen him so enraged.

  “What the hell?” Wolf’s deep baritone boomed in the dense cave, sending a shower of tremors skating down her spine.

  “What is she doing here?” Cane demanded, metal clanging against metal as he pitched whatever tool was in his hand.

  Wincing, she turned over, staring at Danger. “I’m sorry. I just was taking a walk.” Her answer seemed lame, even to her.

  “Are you hurt? Is anything broken?” Danger huffed as he towered over her.

  She wiggled her arms and legs, thanking the God almighty that her limbs were intact. “There was a bear following me.” As if they were going to buy that one.

  “Another bear? What the hell is it with this girl and bears? We haven’t had any trouble until she showed up,” Bronco asked, laughing.

  Suddenly, she was jerked into a standing position, Danger’s angry expression mixing with amusement.

  “You weren’t taking a walk. Don’t lie to us. Didn’t we tell you clearly not to follow us?” Danger locked her wrists together in one hand as he rubbed the other down her arms and legs. “Jesus Christ, woman.”

  “You know what they say about curiosity killing the cat,” Cane snapped.

  She took the opportunity to look around and seeing the equipment and lights, she knew she was right about her assumptions. Wolf followed her stare as she studied the area they were working, her eyes opening wide. “You’re digging for diamonds. Aren’t you?”

  “How in the hell would you know that?” Wolf demanded.

  “It’s obvious,” she answered in a defiant manner, trying to get out of Danger’s grasp.

  The men looked from one to the other, all of them shaking their heads.

  “What the hell are we going to do about this?” Cane asked, half under his breath.

  “She was bound to figure it out when she hauled the bags to the cabin, for God’s sake.” Bronco tapped his foot.

  “Not necessarily.” Wolf continued glaring at her.

  Danger took several deep breaths. “Yeah, she was. You shouldn’t have followed us, Dani. There are aspects about this you don’t understand.”

  “Then explain them to me.” She struggled to get out of his grasp.

  They all stood silently.

  “Look, I’m going to go see if there really is another damn bear hovering around. You boys decide what you want to do with her.” Grumbling, Bronco headed away from the group.

  She watched as he grabbed a shotgun, heading toward the mouth of the cave. “I don’t care what you’re doing. I mean, not really.”

  “Bullshit. That’s why you came all the way out here, because you don’t care.” Danger released his hold, running his hand through his hair. He paced the cave floor, letting out several long breaths.

  “For her story.” Cane lifted an eyebrow.

  “I won’t write about the diamonds if that’s what you want.” She moved closer to the massive hole in the rock. The way the light was shining, a sparkle of various colors gleamed.

  “Who said anything about diamonds, sweetheart?” Cane lifted an eyebrow before walking away.

  “I...” What was she supposed to tell them? “Come on now, boys. I can tell a diamond, even in this rough form. They’re still beautiful and no doubt worth a lot of money.” The looks passed between them made her even more curious.

  “Perfect. Just fucking perfect. I told her we should have carted her ass back to Baker City. This is the last thing we need. Are you certain she wasn’t hired by this group sent to hunt us down? We’re being tracked like dogs as it is.” Wolf flanked Danger’s side, everything about his demeanor rigid.

  “Whether she is or not, we won’t be able to stop her from writing about this,” Cane hissed. “Wolf is right. This was ridiculous to allow her to stay.”

  Group hunting them? The plot was thickening, although she could easily tell they were being guarded. A quiet settled between them until Danger cleared his throat.

  “Well, she’s here now!” Danger snapped.

  “I’m not your enemy.” Dani suddenly felt suffocated.

  “I honestly don’t think Dani has anything to do with another organization tracking us. We would have known by now if she was. However, I’m going to take her back to the cabin,” Danger offered. “And I’ll lock her in if I have to until we’re finished.”

  Dani shot him a look. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I was truthful with you. I’m not some implant hell bent on destroying your find. Okay?”

  Wolf continued to shake his head, grousing.

  They really were concerned about being found out. “What am I going to do at this point? Come on. There’s nowhere I can go and no one to talk to. Yes, this is amazing, a huge find. You’re going to be rich.” She thought about what little they’d told her. “But this is an operation, which means you’re working for someone. I get it now. You all have particular skills. Right? You were hired to locate these diamonds. And you get a percentage. That’s it, isn’t it?” She realized she was risking everything they’d shared by peppering off questions, but at this point, she knew she was never going to see any of them again. The thought was gut-wrenching.

  The three remained silent yet again.

  “You’re scientists. That’s what this is. That’s why there are all those graphs in your office. They were reports on the area. You mapped out exactly where to dig.” Dani could see the looks on their faces, a mixture of awe as well as anger.

  “She’s far too eager,” Cane snapped. “We’re shutting down today and getting the hell out of here.”

  “She’s done more snooping than we thought,” Wolf hissed. “However, we’re this close. I refuse to allow us to shut this down. We lost eighteen months of our lives for this. I’m not giving up now. Fuck it.”

  “And we could all be dead instead.” Cane’s voice echoed.

  Dead? “Why is that? You were hired to do a job, one that kept you locked away from civilization. Who’s after you? Who would want you dead? Isn’t this simply a job for all of you?” She threw the questions out to Danger.

  “Unbelievable,” Cane muttered.

  “Who?” Danger asked as he crowded her space. “Let me explain this to you. We’re not good men, Dani. I told you that from day one.”

  “And I don’t believe you!” she shot back.

  He exhaled before continuing, his entire face pinched. “Well, we’re not. There are very few locations on this Earth where diamonds are easy to find, let alone the capabilities of digging them up so close to the surface. It also takes very special and expensive equipment to be able to detect this kind of find. The person we’re working for is an extremely dangerous man who wouldn’t want anyone knowing about this. We were all sworn to secrecy and the reason we were selected is because of backgrounds that would make your blood run cold, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t care,” she whispered, backing against the cave wall. They were all outcasts or outlaws. Dear God, what had she gotten herself in the middle of? Her skin crawled as the three men glared at her.

  “You don’t care? You rea
lly don’t fucking care,” Danger scoffed.

  “No. I’ve been with you. I know what all of you are made of.” Dani was losing the battle with herself.

  Laughing, Danger continued, his words echoing in the dense space. “That’s where you’re wrong. There are dozens of organizations that have been searching for this very site, one our employer is very protective of. However, what we’re standing on, this mountainside isn’t privately owned. Do you understand what I’m saying? We’re not doing this on some sanction from the Oregon government. This isn’t about giving the world beautiful trinkets. We’re stealing these diamonds for a man who enjoys killing people for a living. He’s powerful enough there’s nowhere to run and no way to hide if you cross him. Those same organizations Cane mentioned would stop at nothing, including murder to get their hands on this dig site. I assure you that anyone connected to this after the fact will be hunted down, targeted for nothing more than retaliation. We tried to keep this from you for a particular reason. Saving. Your. Life.”

  * * *

  “We’re aborting this fucking operation,” Danger stated, glaring at the other men. He took a quick glance toward the hallway leading to his room, making certain Dani wasn’t hiding in the shadows.

  “Like hell we are!” Wolf snapped. “Just because she found the dig site doesn’t mean jack shit. What the hell is she going to do, leave the mountain on foot, tell the authorities? You searched her shit. There’s no way she has to contact anyone. At least that’s what you led us all to believe.”

  “I’m not lying!” Danger spat.

  A quiet settled into the room.

  “Who’s to say she won’t when she leaves here?” Cane asked quietly.

  “And what the fuck if she does? Even if an entire police force trek all the way up here, what are they going to find? No trace of us. If she’s working for one of Mr. X’s enemies, then we’re still going to have days ahead of them to get the fuck out of Dodge. We’ll be long gone, money in the bank and no way to find us,” Bronco said, snorting before taking a long pull on his beer.

  Danger hung his head. “You may be right, Wolf, but I want to get the hell out of here. I also don’t want Dani getting caught in the middle of this. We all agree that we shouldn’t have allowed her to stay, but the fact is, she’s here. However, she doesn’t deserve to die.”