by Vonna Harper
Caleb wouldn’t feel that way if he was the one who had to listen to some slimy defense attorney paint Ethan as an innocent victim of law enforcement’s vendetta, but Joe didn’t want to bring that up now. He had to stay on course.
Not let the time he’d spent with his subject get in the way.
Hell, he reminded himself. It had been sex. A momentary lapse on his part.
“I think I get what you’re talking about,” he said. “If Ethan gets an inkling that the law’s onto him, he simply won’t have another gathering. He’d tell everyone that it was a one and done. On the other hand, shutting down street races that have been going on for years will have a lot of gamblers pissed at him.”
Caleb chuckled, if you could call it that. “I’d like nothing better than to watch the gamblers take Ethan apart.” He sobered. “Except for your brother, there haven’t been any real victims when it comes to the races. They’re all about greed.”
“I can’t argue that.”
“On the other hand, men going after women who can’t defend themselves means there’s going to be victims. That’s what keeps me awake.”
Joe resisted the urge to squeeze Caleb’s shoulder. He’d been nothing but tough and determined when he’d come to San Diego. No way would he let go of his grip on that determination—even now that Lainey had gotten under his skin.
“This is more than just a job for you,” he said. “You’re personally involved.”
“I’m not going to be there if that’s what you’re getting at. The mafia knows who I am.”
“I figured they did. What I want to pick your brain about is what you think’s going to happen. You know how mafia leadership deals with women. I need to be ready for anything.”
“I wish I could give you a decent answer.” Caleb upended his bottle and took several long swallows. “I really wish I could, but I never saw her again so…”
Joe stared, but Caleb didn’t acknowledge him until Joe gave the table a shake.
“I’m sorry,” Caleb muttered. “I’m going back. It might not matter.”
“What might not?”
“Look, I don’t mean to throw you off balance. This doesn’t have anything to do with the mafia, but it made a lasting impression on me.”
“I can tell it did.”
Caleb sighed. “That transparent, am I? All right. I was new on the force. Looked like a kid. The sergeant set things up so I could attend high school as a student. I was supposed to focus on bullying behavior. There was some. There always is. I made friends with a girl, a quiet, shy thing her teachers were concerned about.”
Speaking in a monotone, Caleb explained that he’d gone out of his way to make friends with a nineteen year old senior who was being teased because she was mentally slow. She couldn’t talk to her parents and wanted to drop out. Caleb had encouraged her to keep going, but sensed he wasn’t getting through to her.
“She told me about some guy she’d met online, how excited she was because she was going to actually meet him in person in a few days. Of course, I tried to warn her not to take chances.”
“One day she didn’t show up at school. She wasn’t there the next day. Her parents didn’t know where she was, accused her of running away.” He slammed his fist against a walnut, shattering it. “No one ever saw or heard from her again. I’m scared she’s dead—or has been taken underground.”
“You think a slavery ring might have her?”
“Yeah, I do. She was naïve. Unsure and lonely. She sometimes went walking at night when she couldn’t sleep.”
“You aren’t responsible for what happened to her.”
“Aren’t I? She’d be fine if I’d—I get sick thinking about what could be ahead for some of the women you’ll see Friday night.” He snagged another nut and tried to smash it between thumb and forefinger. “Promise me you’ll stop anything bad from happening.”
“Bad?”
“Everything and anything. Hell, you know what I’m talking about.”
Instead of admitting he did, Joe worked his way through a handful of nuts. “Unfortunately, I do. I’ve been focused on nailing Ethan and wondering if involving Lainey is the right direction to go. It isn’t as if I have many options. I have to make the big picture my agenda. Ethan’s a small fish while—”
“He’s pretty big when it comes to forced submission.”
“In other words, if he’s stopped, a lot of bad shit ends.”
Caleb held up his empty bottle in a salute. “Throw away his key. I’ll get the rest of those bastards.”
“You?”
“Maybe not on my own, but I know what I’m like when I sink my teeth into something. I don’t give up. So, do you think she’ll play along?”
“I’m not sure. She’s pretty complex. She doesn’t want to admit it, but I think she’s afraid of Ethan. She gets off from being spanked.”
And you’re thinking you can use that to your advantage?”
“Maybe if I need to.”
Caleb scooped up the smashed walnut. “That could be dangerous territory.”
“I know.”
“I hope you’ve read her right. Knowing how far to go when it comes to getting someone to fulfill a particular role changes depending on the situation. You have to factor in her complicated relationship with her stepfather.”
“Yeah.” He propped his elbows on the table so he could lean closer to Caleb. “I have to have enough solid evidence that the bastard can’t wiggle free. The kind that has his lawyers throwing in the towel.”
“I wish you the best. I really do.”
Staring at the backs of Joe and Korbin’s heads, Lainey didn’t understand how her heart could beat so fast. From where she sat, she couldn’t see Ethan’s place with the elaborate pillars. Thanks to the long driveway with close-growing palm trees on both sides, most people didn’t know there was a house tucked away so close to the ocean. She could smell it, the scent forcefully reminding her of where she was.
And why.
She’d known Joe would bring her here. What she hadn’t known until they’d first gone to Korbin’s mansion to pick him up was that the billionaire intended to be part of whatever this was. Now as Joe slid into one of the parking areas in Ethan’s large circular driveway, she mentally relived what little the two men had told her.
Her role was simple—try to work a conversation with Ethan around to what had killed Joe’s brother. Ideally, she’d get Ethan to admit he’d ordered the horrific accident.
She fingered her collar where a tiny recording device had been added. According to Korbin, the recorder was state of the art. It could pick up a conversation within twenty feet of it while blocking out background noise. Those conversations would go straight to whoever was listening. She didn’t have to worry about clarity. The sound quality was the best technology had developed. Korbin was proud of the lightweight device. Although she hadn’t wanted to admit it, she’d been impressed when Korbin demonstrated that it was voice activated. Joe, who’d barely spoken to her today, had approved.
“You’re under my control tonight,” Korbin said once Joe had shut off the purring engine. “You belong to Joe and me. We brought you here to show off. Just do everything we command you to.”
She nodded to indicate she remembered everything the two men had spelled out while the three of them were at Korbin’s place. Her role still seemed unreal but what choice did she have? She could refuse to play along, but Joe would keep her caged as her training continued. Only by agreeing to help him did she stand a chance of regaining her freedom. She certainly couldn’t ask Ethan or his guests to help her.
“I’m not entirely sure what we’re going to see,” Korbin continued. “I have a fair idea and that’s hard to accept. We have to focus on the end result, not this godawful—hell, I don’t know what to call it.”
Surprised by the anger in his voice, she didn’t try to respond. Outside lighting cast his dignified features in grey tones, making him look even more formidable. He was
a good match for Joe, another determined man.
“What about you?” she asked Joe. “How do you think you’ll react?”
“I won’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have to ask?” He swung around. The same shadows gave him a sinister appearance. Still, she couldn’t stop staring. She’d never seen anyone so committed.
“No,” she said, “I guess I don’t.” I don’t want to be doing this. I don’t want any of it happening.
Korbin gripped Joe’s shoulder. “Relax. Concentrate on how you want to present yourself. You’ve been looking forward to connecting with others who believe the way you do. A man should be in control. Women exist to obey. Especially if they’ve been flaunting their so-called independence and sexuality to emasculate men. They need to be punished because that’s the only way they’ll learn their place.”
What Korbin had spouted sounded crazy, but there were men who believed that nonsense. Some were there tonight.
“J&J,” Joe said. “Beneath it all, that’s who we are.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Judge and Jury,” Korbin supplied. “Joe believes Ethan was responsible for his brother’s violent death. J&J will make sure the bastard gets charged and is found guilty. Legally or otherwise.”
Joe returned Korbin’s stare. “J&J is you.”
“So it is. I’m damn proud of what I’ve created. Makes all the shit I have to put up with worth it.”
Did Korbin think of managing billions of dollars as shit? A chore? As impossible as that seemed, she wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how the man saw things.
All except for his determination to carry out his brand of justice. Considering what she believed she’d observe tonight, she hoped he’d succeed. Joe had a different take on it. Only avenging his brother’s death mattered. The method was immaterial. She was nothing but a means to an end.
“Let’s do this.” Joe opened the driver’s door and stepped out.
Mindful of the distinct possibility that they were being watched, she followed suit. She’d been supplied with a red low-cut top that nearly exposed her nipples, hugged every part of her upper body, and left her midriff bare She wore no bra or panties, a red skirt that started at her navel and ended a couple of inches below her crotch, and high heels that kept her off balance.
Korbin had taken off her collar so he could insert the recorder, but it was back in place. Joe had added a leather leash that hung nearly to her knees. Now he took hold of it and pulled her behind him. Despite her nervousness, she acknowledged that they made an eye-catching trio with her attire befitting an escort while the men looked as if they’d dressed for a business meeting. They weren’t wearing ties, but their white dress shirts were sharply pressed, their black slacks expensive. They’d recently shaved, and their haircuts were conservative. If she didn’t know better, she’d never take him for a cop.
Korbin rang the doorbell, and it immediately opened. A tall, solid man she recognized from all the times she’d seen him with Ethan stared at them. Buck’s hard expression morphed into a smile as he focused on her.
“What the hell.” He chuckled. “This is going to be good.”
“Are you going to let us in?” Korbin demand. “I don’t play games.”
“You’re right about one thing,” Buck said. “This ain’t no game. I didn’t expect to see her.” He jabbed a meaty finger at Lainey.
Korbin shrugged. “Goes to show you don’t know everything. Where’s Ethan?”
“Follow me.” Buck’s attention stayed on her.
Despite her still-pounding heart, she managed not to react to Ethan’s bodyguard’s shocked expression. She’d never liked Buck. In her opinion, he threw his weight around making sure everyone saw him as Ethan’s right hand man. He couldn’t keep still. His hands were in constant motion. She figured drugs were responsible for his nervous energy. If she were Ethan, Buck would be the last person she’d choose to protect herself. Granted, Buck weighed around two hundred and fifty pounds, but those pounds were loose.
She wasn’t surprised when Buck led them to stairs that took them to the expansive basement. She’d only been there a couple of times when some kind of remodeling was going on. As torn up as things were then, she hadn’t been able to determine what the end result would look like. There was a large central area surrounded by several unlit cubbyholes. The walls had been painted deep red. Dark gray carpet covered the floor. Music with an overabundance of base tones blasted. The air smelled of marijuana, heavy perfume, and other things she didn’t recognize.
The lighting in what Ethan called his man cave consisted of several low wattage red light bulbs which made it difficult to determine how many people were in there. She guessed well over twenty. There was an almost equal mix of men and women. Most of the men were decked out in what she considered costumes, thanks to sleeveless leather shirts and chains draped over thick necks and protruding bellies. Several carried whips. More leather strained to cover tell-tale bulges. A couple of them made no effort to hide their swollen cocks. Appraising stares traveled over her, making her stomach lurch.
The women were nearly or totally naked. Without exception they were young and attractive. Numbers had been inked on some of their stomachs. None acknowledged her or spoke to each other. Even though she hadn’t gotten close to the ones sporting numbers, she understood their shared expression. They weren’t just reluctant to be displayed like they were. They were scared.
Why were they there?
Some of Ethan’s furniture, like the oversized recliner that had sat in front of a massive TV had been replaced by a solid straight back chair with straps attached to the arms and legs. A small cage was in a dark corner near an object the uninitiated might think was a sawhorse. Thin padding on the horizontal bar made its real purpose obvious. A prominently displayed nearly seven-foot-high wooden T was obviously designed for restraint. She could say the same of the assortment of cuffs and chains that had been drilled into the walls. Obviously, this room’s days as a place for Ethan and his friends to watch sporting events had come to an end.
What would her mother think if she saw what had been done to the space. She was sure her mother wouldn’t say anything, not as long as Ethan paid her bills and indulged her whims. How far Megara had come from the stubborn woman who’d been determined to make it in the acting world.
“Hell. Are you fucking kidding me?”
Alarmed by Ethan’s harsh words, she looked in the direction the question had come from. Ethan stood scant feet from Korbin. The two men were nearly the same height and Ethan was only slightly younger. Still she had no doubt which of them held the upper hand—the one with the most money.
“Good to see you,” Korbin said. “You’re looking surprised to see us here.”
“I am.” Ethan shot her a glance before going back to staring at Korbin and Joe. “I never thought—sure, I invited you, but I didn’t think…”
“You didn’t think I’d be interested in attending this gathering? Maybe you thought I wouldn’t take it seriously.” Korbin stuck out his hand and waited until Ethan shook it. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I, ah—what about him?” He pointed at Joe.
“Why don’t you ask him?”
Instead of doing so, Ethan’s attention locked on Joe’s hold on her leash. “You?” he demanded of Lainey. “No way. This is—no way.”
Korbin laughed. “Look at his expression,” he said to Joe. “I told you he’d be surprised.”
“Surprised?” Ethan echoed.
He gave a sharp shake of his head. When his eyes narrowed, she was put in mind of a predator sizing up its prey. He’d been shocked at first, but he was recovering.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded. She half expected him to grab and shake her. “Korbin, if this is your idea of a joke—”
“I’m serious.” Korbin looked around the room, settling his attention on a naked-from-the-waist-up woman
with weighted nipple clamps hanging from her small breasts. Her head down, she stood behind an older man who was dressed like the others. “I’m always serious when it comes to matters of ownership.”
“I understand your determination to own as many successful businesses as possible,” Ethan said. “I feel the same way. But this?” He pointed at the woman.
“Why not? Human possessions are easier to deal with than boards of directors. More pleasurable. Granted, there’s considerable risk involved, but what is life without excitement? Power is addictive. Controlling the opposite sex even more so. Look, I knew my showing up would surprise you. That’s precisely why I’m here, but I don’t intend to waste my time discussing our separate and similar motives. You invited me—and any guests I might choose to bring. I chose Daniel Johnson.”
Lainey tried to remember how long ago she’d heard Joe called by that name. It seemed as if it had happened in another lifetime.
“Indeed you did.” Ethan sounded distracted. “But her?”
“I love it!” Korbin snorted. “See, Daniel. I told you that us showing up with her as our companion is the last thing he’d expect.”
“Companion?” Ethan echoed. “No way. Shit, no way. What are you trying to pull?”
Looking pissed, Korbin pressed manicured fingers to his forehead. “My disappointment in you is growing by the moment. If you want to impress a certain class of people—” He made a sweeping gesture taking in the red-tinted room and its barely detectable occupants. “you must show some class yourself. Right now you’re acting like an adolescent who has snuck into the girls’ bathroom. I should set up my own event. Take everyone here with me.”
“No, wait a minute. Hey, you can’t be serious.”
“Why can’t I?”
“You—do you have any idea what it takes to get your hands on merchandise of this caliber?”
“I’m a fast learner. Besides, I’m sure I can convince these ladies, to explain why they’ve allowed themselves to be compromised. Hmm. Maybe the operant word is how.”
