Captured Obedience

by Tasha Winters

“You’re lucky I trust you man because it sounds like you’ve gone ape-shit crazy.”

  “Nope that’s Maya and now Paxton.”

  “Maya. Isn’t that the dream girl’s name?”

  “Yes. I’ll fill you in on the rest later. Just get over here as fast as you can. Now our girl wants to join Paxton.”

  “Wait, you’re sure this is the girl you’ve been talking about? The one in your dreams? You said she was gentle and worried but determined.”

  The volume and cadence jumped, making it obvious Sterling was moving as he spoke. “Yes. Now hurry.”

  “I don’t understand. You aren’t kidnapping her, are you?” The background noise changed. Sterling was on the large dining patio.

  “You and Paxton think too much alike.”

  Zander was glad they were on a cell phone that disconnected with a quiet click. Otherwise, he was sure his ear would be ringing from Sterling slamming down a landline. Zander knew the two men he had joined forces with were headstrong and well known in their respective fields. He’d worked with them several times on projects for Ambrose and they met on a social level for a few years. They had even shared a woman a couple of times in a rather round robin kind of way.

  He hadn’t realized it was possible to love a woman together and stay clear of each other on a physical level. Making women scream, as the overused phrase went, could be so hot with more than one meeting her needs. But that wasn’t why he’d joined forces and moved his operation to the compound a few weeks ago. Now, with adequate funding difficult at times, no matter how relevant their work was to the world, having all three entities in the same place boosted everyone’s outcome and potential funding went up considerably.

  Besides, Ambrose liked its members to work collaboratively if possible. They were very much behind the compound, adding an extra section for meetings when it was built. Societal business ventures even used Sterling and Paxton’s townhouse in the city for stop overs and small meetings. Any woman they brought into their world for good would have to be trustworthy.

  The men had set up the timetable on the consolidation a few months ago, before Sterling began having dreams. Zander understood the intuition thing that Sterling had. He had it with some animals. He could almost feel their distress and needs. Not in a human sense but on a subconscious level. He could read and interpret their moods and sounds. He wouldn’t discount connections in dreams at a time when you would be more receptive. However, the consequences of breaching those previously sacred lines of one’s inner self was more concerning.

  Zander stepped off the elevator into chaos. Evidently the party had moved to the bank of elevators on the intake floor. The scene before him took a moment to process. Paxton had a woman in his arms, rather worse for the wear, who was kicking up a storm. He wondered how long his friend would put up with the girl’s rocking and rolling before setting her straight. Pax was more demanding and more adventuresome in his loving when he cared about the woman. But Zander was sure he’d never had this type of woman to deal with.

  In the other corner, Sterling was having a serious discussion with two detention officers who were arguing and gesturing emphatically toward Pax and the girl. After contemplating and rejecting the idea of extricating himself from the situation, he called out to Sterling who obviously didn’t hear him. Zander was usually quiet but knew he had a presence and could make himself known if the need arose. He wasn’t as bulky as Paxton, who could appear like a Sasquatch, but he was tall and had well defined muscles that he enjoyed working on. He could easily hold his own, if needed. His dark skin, tribal tattoos, and shaved head made his neatly trimmed beard stand out.

  He called louder, piercing the pandemonium. Sterling turned with an expression full of consternation until he spied Zander. His facial muscles relaxed as did his hunched shoulders. The guard walked away from the urchin now sandwiched between his friends.

  “I’ll leave her with you for a few minutes while I set up a place for her.”

  “Yes, all right,” answered Sterling without hesitation.

  Paxton grumbled, but he always grumbled.

  “Yeah, I figured you’d say that. If we even think she might be ours, there is no way that we can leave her. We have to fight this. Should I start making calls?” He turned and indicated Zander. “What about you? Do you think we should bring her home today or after these fucking goons have had her at their mercy for a week?”

  “Don’t let me stop you from bringing her home today. I don’t know the details yet, but I want her with us. I can’t describe why I feel that way, but I never disregard that inner voice and right now, it’s telling me to take her home and keep her. I work on animal behaviors and why they act or react the way they do. I want to get them off the endangered list. Humans are animals and this one has some very distinctive behavior, I’d say. I’m intrigued with how strong my inner voice is screaming at me.”

  “Exactly. But while she was released to us, we can’t take her today. We usually have to wait. I offer to take her today, but I was denied. So far, I can’t get anyone to agree with me. Maybe we should start making calls.” Sterling gave Paxton a resigned look.

  Zander looked over at Maya. “She’s a cute little thing, isn’t she? There’s something about her. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ll be darned if I don’t feel some of her fear.”

  Paxton’s voice was gruff. “That’s because for some odd reason we’re drawn to her. It won’t matter how enticed we are if we don’t get her home today. She won’t calm down as long as she’s here. She’ll burn herself out. And the officers here have proven they don’t know how to restrain themselves. I’m not you two, but I know warrior blood when I see it. That girl won’t give up. She’ll die first.”

  “I think she’s definitely an endangered creature. I’m not settled in completely, but it can work. It’s all new to me, taking home unruly immigrants, but I trust your judgment and my voice. Do you always have this type of drama?”

  Sterling gave him an emphatic, “God, no.”

  Zander added. “She is adorable, even covered in all that dirt.”

  “So, we take a vote. Do we fight to take her home today? You know I’m in,” said Sterling.

  Paxton agreed. “About fucking time. We’ll take the little baggage home now. Let’s just walk out. You did say we could kidnap her.”

  Sterling sighed. “We won’t do it; it won’t help us in the long run. Let me go beg the commander. I’ll site irreparable mental damage if she isn’t worked with immediately.”

  “I thought you had the paperwork?” Pax pulled at some greenery tangled in the strands of her hair and kissed the top of her head. He pulled again which must have hurt because she pushed him away. He gave her a warning look and she relaxed against him. “God, she has spunk and intelligence.”

  Zander laughed. “I’ll give her that. I’ve a special affinity with Commander Cole. Let me have a chat with him.”

  “Special affinity?” asked Paxton.

  “He’s my maternal uncle.”

  “Then it’s yours, man. Good to know we’ve an inside track on the commander now. We’ll stay here.” Paxton sat down on one end of the vinyl sofa and patted the seat next to him. The young woman looked at him.

  “Here, I’ll guide her.” Sterling smiled at her and brought her to the place and helped her to understand what she was to do. She looked worried again, but there was an ever-present glimmer of strength shining through the corners of her fear. She’d be magnificent if they could break through the barrier.

  Zander returned from speaking with the facilities commander and was granted the little spitfire immediately. Unfortunately, one of the troublesome retention officers came back with him. Maya became combative again.

  “Are you guys sure you want her? She’s like a wild beast. A badger, I think. Good name for her, baby badger,” the officer yelled over her screeches.

  The next thing they heard was the sound of several loud slaps. Zander turned swiftly and saw Paxton had the gir
l slung over his left shoulder and his upraised palm was preparing to connect with her ass again. Before Zander could get to him, to help him see reason, the tornado that was the young woman stopped. She stopped yelling, screaming, kicking, and all other manner of disturbance and lay quietly over his shoulder, sniffling. Paxton murmured reassurance and rubbed her newly attacked bottom. She relaxed.

  “It must make you happy, man. I know you love giving a good spanking.”

  Paxton grinned and shrugged. “She responds to it like she’s familiar with it. Since she can’t understand my words, this communicates well enough. Sterling, can we go now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wait, Doc. There are mixed messages here. Doctor Moore can smack her to quiet her and that’s fine. We do it and we need retraining?”

  “You need retraining because you hurt her, badly. Enough that you could be charged with assault, and more. Dr. Moore got her attention and calmed her down.”

  “We got her attention.”

  “Yes, but your actions did anything but calm her down and what part of you hurt her did you miss? I’m not advocating what Dr. Moore has done, but he has at least achieved the goal without doing her any more harm. I do recommend that outcome. Expect my call later this week.” The look Sterling gave the officer left him with no doubt he had been summarily dismissed. Turning to his companions, he said, “Let’s go home gentlemen. It’s been a long day.”

  As he jabbed the down button Zander turned and looked at Paxton. “You going to carry her on your shoulder all the way down?”

  “I might. She tends to be in better control if she thinks I might paddle her ass.”

  Sterling sighed. “Pax put her down. When we get home, we’ll turn on the translation program and figure out what type of language she does speak. Darla will be able to find it.”

  “You need to communicate, among other things, when we get home.” He wiggled his nose as he held up the sling with some fruit.

  “Hey, I’m going to grow peaches and pears from those. Don’t bruise them.”

  “I don’t think I’m the one you should worry about,” Zander said drolly.

  Zander held the door open as the two men and the young lady joined him in the elevator. He was a zoologist and wildlife biologist, but he was doing research on animal behavior as it related to adaptive abilities and the extinction of species.

  As a kid, Zander had always wondered how certain animals could become extinct while others seemed to adapt and thrive. He discovered his ability to closely relate to his animals early in his life. He soon became passionate about animal treatment. Now, ensuring no other species became extinct and understanding how it could happen in the first place, outside of man’s interference, was his life’s work.

  The young woman on Paxton’s shoulder appeared to be the human version of his research subjects. Lost in an unfamiliar place, frightened and confused, she was like a baby, helpless and needing careful nurturing and yet she was strong willed and determined. She had the best chance for survival. He was strangely, ferociously drawn to her from his very core and not because she was an exotic beauty. He wanted to do whatever he could to bring a smile to her face. Zander expected it to take a while to win her trust, but he had plenty of time. Unlike his friend Paxton, he was a patient man.

  First order of business was to find a way to calm their baby badger. All was well until they tried to put her in the elevator again. She drew his attention back to her when she started to make distressed sounds again. Paxton reached up and rubbed her back, talking soothingly to her, and she quieted. Zander watched her body language and knew it was just a matter of time.

  He’d seen it in animals many times. She’d soon lose her tenuous hold on control again. Her whole demeanor screamed panic. He was impressed she was able to contain it. The elevator opened, and the foursome moved into the parking garage where all hell broke loose. Again. She kicked, scratched, and screamed.

  Zander spoke through clenched teeth as they tried to calm her down. “Have you noticed how oppressive the air is? How polluted the exhausts from the vehicles make it in this enclosed space?”

  He couldn’t even quantify how many times he had walked into a parking garage but this time it was nearly overwhelming. He wondered if it was because of the empathy he was feeling for the young girl obviously in an environment that was not just overwhelming, but terrifying. Her adaptive skills appeared nonexistent or shut down, as though she had not had to adjust before. The likelihood that the modern world was more advanced than she was used to was obvious. Every ping, ring, and ding set her off.

  “Pax was saying exactly that this morning. Have we turned into purist snobs?” Sterling looked into Maya eyes, forcing her to see him through the panic.

  “Okay, baby badger, it’s okay. We’ll keep you safe.” His soothing voice and tender touch seemed to do the trick. They entered the garage farther.

  A car horn honked and then another, followed by a revved engine and a car passing by them. These things combined to make the situation too much for Maya. Paxton grabbed her up until the cars had gone and things settled down. All except Maya, that is. Pax set her on her feet quickly and then pushed her off balance enough to wrap an arm around her middle and the cutest thing happened, she covered her ass with her hands.

  Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t yet realized Dr. Paxton Moore was a master disciplinarian. He went for the upper thighs, allowing his large fingers to wrap around her leg to her tender inner thigh. This time, however, with a car alarm going off, the swatting wasn’t enough. Zander grabbed her from the front moving her away from Paxton and pulling her into his chest. Sterling grabbed her from the back, pressing his chest against her tightly. Pax stood and stretched, popping some of the kinks out of his back and shoulders before he walked ahead to the SUV.

  “And how are we supposed to get her home?” he asked. “People are going to think we did kidnap her if we can’t gain her trust long enough to move her to the safety of the compound.”

  Sterling was talking in a low, steady tone beside her ear and she relaxed a little. “Great, it seems to be working. Now,” Zander continued, “if we don’t have any other grandstanding in the garage, we might be able to get out of here in one piece.”

  Paxton grumbled. “That’d be nice.”

  While all the men were strong, Paxton was the largest. He scooped up their baby badger and tried to get her in the vehicle.

  “Dammit she bit me!” yelled Paxton. “That’s it. I’ll get her from behind, you grab her arm Zander. Sterling, get out a tranquilizer.”

  “I don’t carry those in my daily kit.”

  “Well, shit. If you wanted to bring this hellion home, then you should have thought ahead.”

  “I didn’t even know about—”

  Zander said, “Wait. I’ve got something that will disorient and calm her down. Something to help make things manageable without harming her.”

  Paxton groused. “And yet you’re still standing here.”

  “Be right back.” Zander jogged over to his car and came back with a hypodermic and a small bottle of medication. He drew up the med. “Right, now you two have to hold her.” Paxton released a humorless laugh.

  The young woman saw the strange pointy object and renewed her fight. “She’s got to be exhausted and running on pure adrenaline. I’ll pin her to my chest from behind and pin her upper arms. Sterling, you’re going to have to bear hug her from the front.”

  “Got it.” A little more skirmish and they had her pinned. “Do it now!” yelled Sterling.

  Zander jabbed, injected, and got out as fast as he could. Within a few minutes she began to relax so Sterling backed up and let go. Paxton caught her legs from behind her knees and scooped her into his arms like a baby, cradling her. She moaned, and he pulled her closer.

  “She’s light as a feather when she isn’t fighting me. Poor thing is just a scared little rabbit under all this struggling. I could get attached pretty easily. Not sure I’m ready for that
.”

  “Not sure you can stop those feelings. It’s a little spooky how she’s slipping under our skins and into our hearts as quickly as she floated into my dreams,” said Sterling as he held the car door open for them to enter.

  “More like storming the castle,” said Zander quietly.

  As Paxton with Maya was settling in the back seat, she let out a distressed sound and promptly vomited all over herself and Paxton. “Well hell, little rabbit.”

  “What happened to baby badger?” Zander laughed.

  Sterling backed up from the mess as he tried to assess the best course of action.

  “Right now, she’s like a scared rabbit. A sick one.”

  “Yeah, I get that. I bet that’s the hardest drug she’s ever had,” said Zander. “We need to watch for further reactions, but I think it just made her nauseous on top of the rest of her day.”

  “Okay, we can wrap the blanket around her and you’re going to need to at least strip your upper clothing, Pax. At least you had a jacket on.”

  “Yeah, well, we’d better stop at the townhouse then because I don’t think I’m up for driving all the way home tonight like this.”

  “Right,” said Sterling. “We’re going to have to keep watch over her until the effects wear off, so we might as well talk business and plan her transition over dinner.”

  “Great, I could use a drink, or four,” added Paxton.

  Zander laughed. “And a shower.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Take one for the home team and I get laughed at.”

  “Sorry, man. Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

  They took a quiet twenty-minute drive from the immigration intake center to their townhouse on the outskirts of Houston. Sterling pulled into the driveway of their well-appointed city home. Money did help in some ways. Paxton and Sterling lived near town full time in the beginning. Now they only used it for their business runs, which was often enough to keep the house. Ambrose used it as well and split the cost of keeping it open year-round. Today was one of those days. Pax carried her in. While Sterling stripped their sleeping darling and put her in the bath, Pax showered then helped Zander get them all a cold drink while Sterling finished his task.