by Sarah Bailey
“I think we need to pay Robert Bassington a fucking visit.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
I shook my head. It would never be wise to go after any man with power in this business, but I had to find out if that sick piece of shit had arrived back here. And if he had my fucking girl.
“Aiden, you can’t go battering down doors on a hunch. What if he tells Chuck you paid him a visit? He’s already suspicious of everything to do with you and Avery.”
I drummed my fingers on the desk. Doing nothing felt fucking wrong. Going around Robert Bassington’s and beating the shit out of him was also wrong. Fuck.
And there was something else fucking nagging me. I looked up at the man next to me. His willingness to talk this through with me. To work out why Avery was gone and who had taken her. Those things didn’t add up.
“Why are you helping me, John? Don’t give me any bullshit. You must know how much I hate the Daniels and what they represent if you know what happened to my mother. I don’t work for them out of fucking choice.”
He leant against the desk and folded his arms over his chest.
“I’ve been involved with this business too long. Let’s just say I’m not averse to seeing the empire crumble. It’s not something you can do cleanly. More blood will be spilt. I’m okay with that. If it means I can walk away from this shit finally, then I’m in.”
I stared at him for a long moment as if seeing the man for the first time. I couldn’t honestly say I ever expected him to want to leave this life behind.
“How do I know if I can trust what you’re saying is true?”
“You can’t, but I know things about the Daniels you don’t. Hit them where it hurts the most and the rest will fall.”
“Hit them where exactly?”
I was curious about his take on all of this. Curious if he’d come to the same conclusions as me. If he knew how to win this fucking war.
“Their relationships with each other are built on mutual trust. They know too much about each other. Plant the seed of doubt. Play on the fear of exposure, they’ll rip each other apart like a pack of wolves.”
I really did see this man in a new light. Could he really be my ally in this sorry fucking mess?
“And you’ll help me achieve this?”
I’d already started on this path by killing Mitchell, but John didn’t know that. They were already out for each other’s blood. Things within Mitchell’s inner circle hadn’t been the same since that day. I could tell from Chuck’s erratic behaviour. He was under a fuck ton of pressure and all the shit which had gone down with Avery hadn’t helped him in the slightest.
I was fucking glad of it.
“I want out. I’ll help you if it means I can leave this godforsaken island behind and not worry about looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
I wasn’t sure I trusted John, but then again, he had kept my relationship with Avery a secret.
“Okay. You have yourself a deal. Double cross me and you’ll be leaving this fucking island in a body bag. Understood?”
He smiled.
“From you, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
John had seen me rough a fair few people up. He knew what I was capable of.
“None of that matters if I can’t get Avery back.”
“Leave it to me.”
He pulled out his phone and dialled. He whacked it on speakerphone so I heard it ringing.
“John,” Chuck’s deeply irritating voice sounded through the phone.
“Boss, we have a little problem.”
“And what might that be?”
“Your niece has been taken.”
“What? Are you fucking kidding me? I told you to watch her.”
I could tell by Chuck’s agitated tone this was news to him. I didn’t know if I felt fucking relieved by that or not.
“You didn’t tell me two hulking men who looked like professionals would pluck her off the street and hustle her into a Range Rover.”
“God-fucking-damn it. Did you see the plate? Have you contacted Aiden to see if he can help track her down using it?”
John smiled at me.
“Yes and yes. You think I’d call you without all the information?”
“No. Tell me what he found.”
“They took her to a carpark in Mayfair.”
We both could hear something smash on the floor and Chuck cursing profusely.
“You think one of them took her.”
“I don’t think anything, boss.”
“None of them would have the fucking balls to think they can pluck the head of the fucking company off the streets without consequences. They all know she’s needed to keep their fucking dirty little secrets where they belong.”
“Just giving you the facts.”
“I wish Mitch was fucking here. He’d know how to deal with this shit. Fuck. That little fucking upstart is more fucking trouble than she’s worth.”
I refrained from saying Mitchell wouldn’t have allowed his daughter to be harmed under any circumstances. I might hate the man and be glad I killed him, but he did one thing right. He took care of Avery.
“I don’t think she asked to get kidnapped.”
“No, you’re right. When we get her back, you’re going to be with her at all fucking times. I don’t care what she says, she needs a fucking bodyguard.”
John smirked.
“Yes, boss.”
“I’ll be in touch when I’ve tracked down my wayward niece.”
Chuck hung up. I stared at John as he tucked his phone back in his pocket.
“Problem solved,” he said.
“That’s your plan?”
He shrugged, leaning back against the desk with his arms folded across his chest.
“No stone left unturned.”
Having Chuck hassle his clients kept me off the radar. I could hardly fault John for using a resource I hadn’t thought of. I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to find out he was back here. If Robert Bassington squealed, what the hell would I do? Storm in and demand he give me Avery back? Fuck. That was never going to end well.
I just had to fucking hope it wasn’t him. Hope she never had to deal with that sick son of a bitch. He was the worst one of all.
“Now, let’s check that footage again, see if we didn’t miss something first time around.”
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
I opened my eyes, blinking slowly. My head felt like it was full of cotton wool. My body ached. Where the fuck was I?
The room was brightly lit. The harsh light burnt into my retinas. I forced myself to keep my eyes open and take in my surroundings. In front of me was a desk with an open laptop. The screen sat unblinking. I tried to move my limbs but found my arms secured behind me and my legs tied to the chair I was sat in.
What the actual fuck?
I struggled to remember what happened. My mind felt like I was trying to drag myself through a tar pit. Men were after me. We’d stayed at James’ place. Then it hit me all at once. They got me and jabbed me with a fucking needle, rendering me unconscious for fuck knows how long. Who were these people?
“I see you’re finally awake, Miss Daniels,” came a disjointed, robotic voice from somewhere above me.
I glanced around, finding cameras in the corners of the room. Otherwise, it was bare except for me, the chair, the desk and the laptop. A bare concrete room, much like the one Aiden held me in when he’d taken me. Except the wall in front of me held what I assumed was a two-way mirror.
“No thanks to your men,” I muttered.
“Yes, it was rather unfortunate Kurt had to drug you, but no matter, you’re here now.”
Even when Aiden chained me up in the cell, he’d never restrained me like this. Those restraints only came out during sex and I liked it then. I didn’t like this at all. Not one bit.
“What do you want?”
“Yes, I’m most curious why you’d kidnap, drug me and tie me up in a room alone. Seems rather shady to me, don’t you think?”
My mouth was running away with me. Possibly not the smartest move given where I was.
The disjointed voice chuckled, making my skin crawl.
“Oh, but aren’t you a little firecracker? I see why he kept you.”
My heart hammered against my chest.
Aiden.
How did this person know about me and Aiden?
“I’m not a possession.”
“Why no darlin’, you’re not. Head of a global empire now.”
The reminder left a sour taste in my mouth. A corrupted empire I wanted nothing to do with.
“Are you going to explain why you’ve decided to kidnap said head of a global empire?”
If I was going to fucking hell, then I’d go there with my sarcastic mouth in full force. I didn’t care any longer. I should be terrified, but I was fed up. Fed up with being taken and used for other people’s purposes. Done being a pawn in a game I didn’t understand.
Aiden had already broken me down once. I knew how to survive this. My demons weren’t going to haunt me any longer. I had everything to live for.
“Merely wanting a little conversation darlin’.”
That term of endearment grated on me. He kept dropping the G. Whoever he was, he wasn’t British.
“Couldn’t we have chatted without the need to tie me up?”
“You like it when he ties you up, don’t you? I always knew he’d have a taste for kink.”
This man talked about Aiden as if he knew him. It bugged me. What concerned me further was his knowledge of our sex life.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t want to talk about your Dom and Sub relationship?”
That wasn’t what we shared with each other. I didn’t need to put labels on our relationship. We were just Aiden and Avery. Two people who loved each other in their own way.
“It’s none of your fucking business.”
“Touchy subject.”
I gritted my teeth.
“How do you know about us?” I ground out.
He chuckled again. This man was getting on my nerves. Asking me intimate questions like he was an old friend.
“I like to keep an eye on your family’s operation.”
“And that means spying on their sex lives, does it? I think you’re the one with the weird kinks here.”
He laughed. A full belly laugh which sounded wrong in that disjointed robotic voice.
“Oh darlin’, you really are a hoot. I don’t care what sick fantasies they like to act out. Our mutual acquaintance is different. I have my reasons for keeping him under surveillance.”
My skin prickled. Something about this had all my senses tingling. I should know who this is. I should be able to work it out. Who would want to keep an eye on Aiden if not Chuck and Frazier? Who else would care? He had no one except Tina and Ben.
And you. Don’t forget, he has you.
He’d have me again when I got out of here. I’d had enough of all this shit.
I wanted to shed my identity as a Daniels.
I wanted to be his weapon.
I wanted to be his.
Completely.
“I don’t want to talk about him. Tell me why you brought me here.”
“All in good time darlin’. You see, I want to talk about you and Aiden.”
I shivered hearing him refer to Aiden directly. I wasn’t exactly in a position to argue. Tied to a chair in a room with a man I didn’t know behind a two-way mirror. So I waited instead.
“No more objections? I’m disappointed. I like you talking back. Does he?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
We got into arguments when I did. Aiden made me so crazy sometimes, I couldn’t hold back. And he’d fuck me into submission afterwards, that was my punishment. I almost scoffed. Some fucking punishment when I adored his brutality in the bedroom.
“He likes to be in control. I imagine you caused him no end of trouble.”
I clamped my mouth shut. If he wanted me to talk back to him, then I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction.
“I can see the allure you hold. A pretty little young thing like you. A siren. You called out to him with your song, wound him around your little finger by giving him exactly what he needed. You think he has all the power? You’re wrong. It’s you who controls him. He’s a slave to his desire for you.”
He snorted.
“I imagine he’s tearing his hair out now, knowing you’re gone.”
This man was certifiable. Me having the control? What a fucking joke. He had no idea what it was like when Aiden got into one of his moods. He was the most unreasonable and stubborn man I’d ever met.
“I’m sure he is,” I said as calmly as I could.
I didn’t let him see how his words cut me. My heart was in pieces at my feet knowing what this must be doing to Aiden. I had no concept of time any longer. Not since they drugged me. Who knew how long it had been since they’d taken me.
“You don’t seem too concerned about that darlin’. Is he keeping you against your will still?”
“No, but you already knew that.”
He chuckled.
“Smart girl.”
I flashed him an entirely fake smile, which only afforded me another laugh. Perhaps if I answered his questions, he’d let me go. He did say he just wanted a conversation with me.
“I didn’t expect him to fall for the daughter of the man he hated.”
I stiffened. Neither of us expected this, but I stopped questioning it. What was the point when it defied explanation? Love wasn’t rational or reasonable. It was all consuming and took no prisoners. I could no more stop loving Aiden than he could stop loving me. Where we came from didn’t matter.
“How much do you know about Aiden and me?”
“I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head about it darlin’.”
Except I was worried. Did he know Aiden murdered my parents? He seemed to know Aiden had taken me against my will. I could only assume he did know, but as to why he wouldn’t have turned Aiden in, that was a question I knew he wouldn’t answer.
“Are we done talking about my relationship yet?”
“What did he tell you about his mother?”
“Why?”
“Humour me darlin’.”
I wanted to tell him to stop calling me that. It was really pissing me off.
“He told me enough to know what my family did to her was despicable.”
“Did he tell you who killed her?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t asked either. For all I knew, it could’ve been my father, but he was obsessed with her according to Aiden. Would his obsession have driven him to murder? I wasn’t quite sure it had. I might not have really known who my father truly was, but that didn’t add up in my head. It would make sense Aiden killing the man who murdered his mother, except I knew it wasn’t my dad.
“Pity. It wouldn’t matter anyway, he’s wrong in his assumption.”
Wait, what?
“Wrong?”
“Yes. He clearly didn’t tell you he was there the day she died.”
My already battered and bruised heart broke further. Had Aiden seen it? What really happened that day?
“How do you know?”
“Next time we meet, I’ll tell you who took her life. In fact, I will tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the man you love. It will be under very different circumstances. This meeting was an unfortunate necessity.”
I didn’t think this was a necessity at all. It’d left me with more questions than answers. Like who the fuck was this and why did he have a vested interest in Aiden and me? Why did he care so much?
“I want you to do something for me, Avery. Ask Aiden who killed his mothe
r. Ask him to tell you the truth about the day she died from his perspective.”
“Is that all you want me to do?”
He chuckled. I hated that laugh. To be honest, I hated everything about this situation. Being tied up and questioned wasn’t my idea of fun.
“We still have much more to discuss.”
Oh wonderful. Just what I wanted. More time with this robot voice and his weird obsession with my boyfriend.
“Aiden has only told you so much. I want you to know what truly went on behind closed doors.”
The laptop screen in front of me turned on. A picture showed up with a play button on it. Did he have remote control of it? He must do. What the hell did he want to show me? I hoped it wasn’t anything like those videos Aiden showed me because I wasn’t sure I could stomach seeing men abuse women again.
When the video played, my worst fears were confirmed. Bile rose up in my throat. Why the fuck would he show me this?
~~~
A naked woman was bent across a desk, her arms shackled to each end, stretched to her limits. Her legs were spread wide. Her eyes were grey and her brown hair splayed out across her back. Mitchell stood behind her with a crop in his hand whilst Kathleen sat in a seat opposite the desk. The two of them were fully dressed. There were various whips and floggers on the desk along with vibrators and plugs.
“What have I told you about speaking back to me, slave?” he said.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m sorry,” the shackled woman said.
He lashed out with the crop, striking her across her back. She howled in pain.
“Sorry is never good enough.”
He struck her again and again. Her back and behind were painted in red marks.
“Please, please, sir. It hurts,” she screamed.
“We’re only just getting started.”
He dropped the crop and picked up another whip. This one was a long length of plaited leather with a solid handle. He stepped back a few paces and lashed out with it. The strike across her back was a long red line. She screamed again.
The lashes came quick and fast, each one stark against her skin until her back was covered in marks. Tears streamed down her face and the howls echoed around the room.
The whole time, Kathleen sat watching, her expression impassive, almost as if the entire thing didn’t affect her in the slightest.
