by Sam Crescent
Violet smiled. “Yeah, my mother was a whore, but she fucking fooled you, didn’t she?”
He lashed out, the slap turning into a punch. The pain became welcome. The more he hurt her, the more determined she became. Every hit was like a thousand times she could avenge her mother. It was payback time.
“Is that all you got? You don’t look threatening to me. You’re beating up on a woman tied to a chair.” She saw his anger. He raised his fist, but his second-in-command stopped him, whispering something into his ear.
He laughed and crouched down. His hands ran up her exposed legs. She bit down on her teeth to keep herself from crying out. “Do you think I’ll break you? I can hit you until you can’t get up. No. I think I’ve got a more fitting punishment for you.”
Slapping her face, he went to walk away.
“She even fooled you at the end,” she said. No matter how many times he threatened her, Violet was determined to fight to the bitter end.
“What the fuck are you saying?”
Smiling, Violet stared him in the eye. Her face ached. “You didn’t get the chance to destroy her. She took her own life when she was ready to. You’re nothing, Dominic Green, and you’ll rot in hell.”
“What makes you think I’ll rot in hell?”
“Cadeon Ashwood doesn’t give up. He’ll find me, and when he does, you better enjoy your cock and balls while you can because he’ll rip them off and feed them to the dogs.”
He walked back to her, taking a fistful of her hair, pulling her head back.
“And what makes you think he cares for a two-bit whore’s daughter?”
“Because I’m his,” she spat at him.
Dominic grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. “Not for much longer. When I get back I’m going to see how much he’s broken that pussy in. I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t remember anyone elses name.” He pinched her breast which made her cry out, tears falling from her eyes. “I’m going to leave you wishing you were dead,” he whispered before pulling away.
“I’ve got some business to attend too. I’ll be back in a few hours. Keep her tied up but don’t fucking touch her. I’m going to be the first to have apiece of her ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sean watched the men fighting in the centre of the room. Blood covered the walls and floor as it was the fight to the death. Women aligned each wall as several men, touched them up before handing over a wad of bills to the men guarding them. He felt sick to his stomach in what he was witnessing.
This was the life most women and young girls ended up in if they ran from home. Running a hand over his face, he tried to clear his head. If Dominic was here then they had a small window of opportunity before he took Violet forever.
“Well, well, well. Sean, isn’t it?” Dominic said from behind him. Sean had been too busy trying to hold his revulsion in, he hadn’t heard the other man approach.
“What are you doing in the states, Green?” he asked as he turned to observe the other man.
“Old times sake and so many memories. I’ve got to ask, did you find little Isabella?”
There was the name of his sin. The girl he’d failed to protect.
“Don’t you fucking utter her name you piece of shit,” Sean said but was held back by one of his bodyguards.
Dominic started laughing. “Always too heavy handed. Last time I checked her new little owner loved her young body. How old was she again? Twenty? Twenty-one?”
“She was eighteen you sick fuck.”
“Five years in this business certainly changes a woman. Especially was as young as her. She’s as beautiful as I remember.”
His heart stopped. “You’ve seen her?”
“I don’t know. That would be telling.”
The desire to lash out and destroy Dominic was strong. The bastard would fucking die one of these days and Sean wanted to be there when it happened.
Pulling out of the guards hold, Sean stared at the other man. “You’re going down, Green.”
“May be but not by you.”
Dominic walked away. After several moments Sean waited until he was out of sight before he reached for his phone.
“Dominic is on the move. I’m keeping a tab and I’ll be there soon.”
****
Cadeon knew she was in there. Would she still want him after what had happened? If that bastard had touched her, he’d fucking butcher the bastard. No one touched his woman. Staring at the men around him, he knew they were in good hands. They all had a fund on who would off Green. As far as he was concerned there was no way that bastard would leave that room in anything other than a body bag.
They’d called the police as they left. Tate would pull up the rear with the cops. He was to stay back and until they gave him a clear shot to grab Violet. The location had surprised him. He thought an abandoned warehouse would be the type of building Dominic would go for. Instead, they were waiting outside a deserted club. The place had a sign for refurbishment. Sean pulled up about ten minutes after Dominic. He’d parked as far away as possible to try and not alert the men that they had visitors.
“Are you alright?” Cadeon asked.
“Yes. I just want to catch this fucker for the last time.”
Sean waited by his side. “Why would he come here?”
“This is one of his hot spots. Lots of girls have been taken from here. We’re trying to keep the place closed down, but Dominic has a lot of cash.”
Cadeon had more money. He’d make sure after all this was over he’d be funding someone to help girls in a similar or the same situation as Violet.
“This is it,” Sean said as one of the men gave a signal.
What happened next Cadeon wouldn’t ever recall. Shouting and shots from the gun sounded out followed by the smoke. Sean pulled him along but made sure he stayed behind him. He heard the sound of the approaching police alarms. The sound made him feel relief as he knew it would be over.
“You can go and get her now,” Sean said.
“Is it over?” he asked.
“Only for her.”
Cadeon didn’t question him further. He knew there would be more men like Dominic. They were all over the world. The moment he saw her, tied to a chair and with blood covering her face and shirt, Cadeon lost it. He ran past the men not caring what they said. Violet needed him. She looked so lost and broken. Running in the room, he went to his knees in front of her.
“Violet? Baby? Look at me.” He tilted her head up and gasped. Her face was bruised as well as bloodied.
She turned to face him. “Cadeon?”
“I’m here, baby.” Sean moved behind her and cut through the rope with his knife.
“You came for me?”
“I wasn’t going to let you go.”
She sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I hoped you’d come.”
“Wherever you go, I’ll follow. You’re not getting rid of me that bloody easy. I love you, Violet. You’ve got me to the end. ‘Til death do us part.”
He picked her up walking out of the room. Whatever happened to Dominic, he didn’t care. He had his girl, and he knew the other men would make sure the bastard was punished for his crimes. There were a couple of ambulances outside. He carried her over to one that held mostly women.
They cleaned up her face while waiting for the go-ahead to leave the scene.
“I bet you never thought you’d end up with me,” she said when the woman cleaned her forehead. She had a huge cut at the top of her brow. He guessed the cut would have come from the pavement.
“I’ve never been happier. Let us get you to the hospital to get checked out before we go home.”
****
Kevin, Tate, Stephen and Sean stood watching as Cadeon held Violet in his arms. The love he felt for the girl could clearly be seen by all four men.
“She’s lucky,” Tate said.
“Most girls would have been gone. The only luck on our sides was his greed. If he hadn’t
been doing business in the other side of town then he would have taken her back to the UK, and we’d have had no chance to find her. She’d have been gone, and Cadeon would have been hunting a ghost,” Sean said. He thought about the girl he’d been hunting. The girl he’d been unable to save. She was still out there somewhere. Alone, frightened. He wouldn’t rest until he found her.
He turned away and stared at Lucas. The other man was smoking a cigarette as the police pulled Dominic Green and his sidekicks out in body bags. Everyone had secrets, and he owed this man a huge debt.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A week later
Violet sat on the couch as Cadeon worked on his computer. He refused to take his eyes off her. She’d got the all clear at the hospital. Besides a few cuts and bruises any other trauma would be inside her head. For some reason she didn’t feel anything but calm and happy. Cadeon, the man she loved, had rescued her. So had a couple of other men, but the only person she cared about was Cadeon.
Anne bought her another pillow with a tray for her lunch.
“You know I’m fine,” she said.
“It’s about time you got some pampering, honey. The Lord knows you didn’t get it as a child.”
Violet felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Anne knew about her past. He’d shown her the file before he placed it on the fire. She’d watched her past burn.
“She deserves every second of the pampering,” Cadeon said. He closed his laptop and walked round. He took the seat in front of her chair.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You’d tell me if anything felt odd or strange?”
“Of course. I love you, Cadeon. I know I should be freaking out, but I’m not. I’m happy you got me when you did.”
“If I hadn’t come when I did he could have taken you from me.” His hands reached out and took hers. Smiling, she stared down at his much larger hands.
“I had something to fight for. I had you and us. I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. My whole life had been about hiding. I don’t want to hide anymore.”
He kissed her on the hand, the small contact making her body flutter with arousal.
“Marry me,” he said.
Violet was shocked. She loved him with her whole heart. She never expected anything from him.
“Please don’t sit there silently.”
“Why would you want to marry me?” she asked.
“I love you, and I want the world to know that you’re mine,” he said.
Biting her lip she glanced back at Anne. She stood nodding her head.
“I love you, too.”
“Then marry me, Violet. I want to make you mine forever.”
She nodded her head, placed the napkin on the seat beside her and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Yes. I want to marry you. I love you, Cadeon.”
She went on tiptoe to kiss his lips, laughing and smiling as he pulled her closer. Anne pulled out the champagne bottle, and Violet laughed.
Cadeon took her hand and placed a small diamond ring on her finger. “I love this. Knowing you’ll be mine.”
“Is this another token of your ownership?” she asked, recalling the conversation about owning her.
“For the rest of our lives. I’ll make you happy, Violet.”
“And in return?”
“All I want is your love, honesty, trust.” He kissed her with each word he spoke. “And your submission,” he whispered for only her to hear.
She gasped and stared up at him. Being taken by a mad-man had been frightening, but the thought of losing Cadeon was far worse.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, celebrating with Anne.
After some time he escorted her up to the bedroom for a nap. He made sure she got rest. The bruises on her face were fading, but he insisted on her getting the rest.
“Will you stay with me?” she asked.
“Not now. Later I will. I’ve got to help a friend get his girl.” He kissed her on the head and left her.
Violet stared at the ring on her finger. The happiness inside her threatened to burst out of her. She rolled over and closed her eyes.
The bad guy from her world was gone. Cadeon was going to be her husband. Her life would never be like it had been. She took a deep breath, and for the first time in her life she fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
****
Cadeon left Anne to care for Violet while he went back to the club. Tate and Kevin were expecting him, and he’d put them off for long enough. His hands were shaking as he drove away. Violet didn’t appear to have any long lasting problems. For a short time he’d been concerned in case she ended up like Rebecca, scared to leave her home.
He drove the short distance to the club, went through the security procedures until he’d parked his car and made his way to the bar room.
Stephen sat in his usual place staring at the singer on stage. Tate and Kevin were at the bar, talking. Pulling out his wallet, Cadeon paid the barman before ordering his drink. Once he handed the drink over, he joined them at the far end of the bar.
He raised his glass to Stephen and then turned back to the other two men.
“What’s the matter, Cadeon? Why did you want us to meet here?” Tate asked.
“We had a deal. You’d find the information I need on Violet, and in return I’d give Rebecca to you.”
Tate shook his head. “I wish I could take full responsibility for the information. Sean found most of it. I tagged along for the ride. Forget about it. We’ll meet Rebecca on our own terms.”
Cadeon ran his fingers through his hair. He had to tell them, even though she’d asked him to never repeat a word about her condition.
“I want to make an agreement with you, that what I tell you must never go any further than between us three,” he said.
“Sure,” Tate and Kevin said.
He took a swallow of his drink. “Rebecca won’t be easy to court.”
“We know that, which is why we want to take her on a few dates and get her used to being around us.”
“No. You don’t understand me, Tate. What happened with her husband has left her scarred.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ever since I bought her from the hospital she’s been suffering from something the doctors call agoraphobia.” Cadeon waited for the news to sink in. “She has a fear of going outside.”
Tate and Kevin looked shocked and devastated.
“The reason I’m telling you this is because I think she can be cured, but you’ve got to be willing to put in the extra care she needs. No pushing or bickering. I want you to be there for her. Especially seeing as I’m going to be married soon.”
They congratulated him, but he saw they weren’t really taking notice.
“I want to kill that son of a bitch,” Kevin said. His hands fisting the glass he held.
“That son of a bitch is rotting in jail. Rebecca doesn’t need superheroes. She needs men who’ll love her for who she is. Now, I’m asking you if you’re prepared to fight for the woman you both want?”
He waited for their answer. The two men stared at each other before shaking his hand. They agreed they’d wait a few months before visiting her a first time. Cadeon finished his drink and drove home.
Dominic Green was gone. Rebecca would be cared for, and in his bed lay the woman who owned his heart. Anne was cooking in the kitchen. She handed him the travel tickets he’d requested.
He made his way upstairs. Violet looked peaceful. He pulled his shirt over his head and snuggled up against her.
Minutes passed before she opened her eyes.
“Hello,” she said, her hand coming to rest on his chest.
“Hello. Did you sleep well?”
“I had pleasant dreams.”
“Do you feel up to travelling?” he asked.
She looked up at him.
“Because I’ve got two plane tickets, first class, to Las Vegas. I want to get marri
ed to you tonight. What do you say?”
He waited for her answer, more nervous than he’d ever been before in his life.
“Do I have time to pack?”
Epilogue
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” she said. Cadeon took her hand and kissed her knuckles. The gold band on her finger delighted him. He’d taken her to Vegas to seal the deal. Violet Ashwood was his wife, to be his woman for the rest of her life.
“The fact you’re coming with me is a pleasure. If at any time you want to leave, we’ll leave. The fact you’re making a point of trying to understand means more to me than anything else.” He parked the car in his own reserved spot near the club. The security at the front door let him straight in. He noticed the looks his wife got, the men practically drooling to get more of his wife’s attention. Smiling, he pulled her in front, wrapping his arm around her waist. Since Dominic Green had taken his wife and his friends had saved her, Violet trained with Tate and Sean once a week.
He would be taking Tate and Kevin to visit Rebecca soon. The visit unnerved him as he knew how skittish she could be.
“I’m excited,” she said.
Cadeon smiled as they moved farther into Ravage. She’d agreed to give his BDSM club a try. They’d been through so much, and the fact she was willing to see another side of his life pleased him.
There were other club members present for the main dance floor. He steered her past them, through a corridor and down to the main part of the club. At the front it was for the people who played a little bit. Deeper into the club you went the stronger you were in the lifestyle. He’d warned the other Masters before he arrived about Violet and her lack of knowledge. They’d agreed to allow her entrance with the understanding that the next time she came, she came as his sub prepared to do a scene for them all.
Tonight, she would see what it meant to be a submissive. Tonight, he would get his answer.
A woman wearing nothing but a collar seated them in his booth. The main room was held for particular scenes. This scene would be played by one of the leading Doms. James was a master when it came to the lifestyle. Cadeon had full respect for the man. The woman who claimed his heart would be in for a lifetime of love and devotion.
