Wild Fury_Fury Security

by Lindsay Cross

  That was his Tomi, all full of spirit and fire. The same girl that had told him at the age of ten she loved him and would marry him one day. Of course, he'd been thirteen and retaliated for that crazy remark by throwing mud in her hair.

  She'd picked up a handful and thrown it right back.

  Adam lifted his hand.

  Immediately, Luis shifted his gaze to the other table. “We have three, do you have $3.2?”

  The sound in the room grew to a dull roar. “Based on the reaction of the crowd, I don’t think anyone has bid this much for a slave before,” Adam said thoughtfully.

  “Does the gentleman bid $3.2?” Luis repeated once more, his thin nostrils flaring, giving away his apprehension. “Last chance for this exquisite treasure to belong to you. Does anyone bid $3.2?”

  The buzz died, the crowd going silent as they waited. Luis’s features hardened a split-second before they split into a broad smile that came nowhere close to reaching his eyes. “Sold to the gentleman in the back for $3 million.” Luis practically jerked Tomi to her feet. “This concludes our auction for tonight. You may rejoin the party next door. Thank you each for coming tonight.” He drug Tomi from the stage, forcing her to stumble after him.

  A low growl built in Cole’s chest. “Asshole is gonna die.”

  “Not till we find Tara.”

  “Not till we find Tara,” Cole repeated. A wave of understanding passed between the two men. They would do what it took to see this through.

  Adam got to his feet, grabbed his scotch, downed it, and slammed it on the table. “You got your shit together?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Cole knew what Adam was asking. His friend was going to have to treat Tomi like a slave—and Cole wasn’t going to like it. “Let’s go.”

  Cole followed Adam through the curtains and down around the stage. His brothers had better make sure they had the funds in the bank account. If not, their mission was screwed, but he had no way to confirm, not without completely blowing their cover. They’d taken an enormous risk by contacting them in the bathroom earlier.

  A guard Cole had seen earlier met them just behind the stage. “If you’ll follow me, I will take you to conclude your purchase.”

  He turned and led the way down a corridor dotted with closed doors. He stopped at the very end, grabbed the door, and held it open, gesturing for Adam and Cole to precede him inside. Adam stepped through with a quiet air of dominance worthy of a king. It was a small, sparsely furnished room with concrete floors and dark grey walls. A large, heavy black chair sat facing a metal table and matching chair opposite that. Luis stood next to the chair, Tomi kneeling at his side, her gaze latched on the floor.

  Cole focused his attention on the man, doing his damnedest to look cold and unaffected.

  “So, you are the one who purchased my little gem. I am Luis—” he extended a hand to Adam, “—and you are?”

  “Adam Devine.” Adam took Luis’s hand in a firm handshake.

  Luis released his hand and then turned to Cole. “And you are?”

  Adam interrupted, “My bodyguard. Now, let’s get this transaction over. I’m eager to sample my new toy.”

  6

  “Of course, I will go over the contract with you, process payment, and allow you to be on your way.” Luis slid into a cream-colored stuffed chair behind a seventeenth-century-style French desk. Tomi stayed right where she was—naked, trembling, and staring at the floor. Cole paid her no more attention than he would a piece of furniture in the room, no matter how much it killed him to do so.

  “Contract?” Adam said as he slid into the chair opposite Luis’s desk.

  “Yes, it’s standard. Stipulations to ensure the secrecy of all of our members, we have certain protocols.” Luis slid a piece of paper across the desk to Adam and then leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, his black eyes trained on his purchaser.

  Adam studied the paper quietly for a moment and then lifted one dark brow. “Follow-up visits?”

  “Yes, this is standard for any first-time buyer. I always want to ensure your satisfaction and make sure your new slave is being…properly maintained.”

  “For the amount I agreed to pay you, I expect to do with my new property as I wish,” Adam said, raising his brows.

  “Of course, señor, after tonight she belongs to you. However, I would like to ensure she’s being used as intended. We can’t have our slaves out running around unsupervised. And since I don’t know anything about you, I’m not willing to take undue risks. If you want to complete the transaction, the contract will be upheld.” Luis didn’t so much as twitch. His semi-pleasant expression stayed firmly fixed in place, as did his preternatural air of cunning.

  “This is a first-time buyer requirement only? I’m sure you can understand that I don’t like anyone looking over my shoulder.” Adam placed the contract back on the table.

  “Yes, and the first follow-up visit is all that is required, unless we see something suspicious that may endanger my privacy or that of my other clients.”

  “I admire your level of dedication, and I can see the reasoning behind it.” Adam scrawled his signature across the bottom of the page and nudged it back toward Luis. “Now, I’m assuming you would like your money?”

  Luis’s composure slipped, but he recovered quickly. “Yes.” He lifted a finger and gestured for one of the guards. The man crossed the room and produced a small laptop, which he opened and placed on the desk in front of Luis. “Once the funds are confirmed transferred, you’re free to leave.”

  After typing in something on the keyboard, Luis turned the computer to Adam. Without hesitation, Adam entered the bank account numbers provided by Cole’s brothers. Luis turned the computer back to him. “You made the Frenchmen very upset. He was quite excited about her.”

  Adam snorted. “I’m sure you’ll have other stock available to meet his needs.”

  “Yes, I will,” Luis said with a thread of dark finality. “Congratulations, Mr. Devine, your transaction has been completed. Sanchez, please prepare the slave for transportation.”

  The other bodyguard in the room took two steps, covering the distance between him and Tomi. Cole watched as the man swiftly withdrew a needle from his pocket and, before anyone in the room could react, injected Tomi in the neck. She slumped forward unconscious, the guard catching her in his other arm.

  “Just a mild sedative. The effects should wear off within the next three hours. I’ll have my men carry her to your vehicle.” Luis stood, rounded the desk, and extended a hand to Adam.

  “My bodyguard can carry her. Thank you, it’s been a pleasure doing business.” Adam shook the man’s hand and then nodded to Cole.

  Cole fought the urge to send a punch crashing through the guard’s skull. Instead, he crouched and lifted Tomi into his arms, carrying her in front of his chest. “We need a blanket. Her face will be exposed once we exit the mansion.”

  And he had no intention of allowing any other man to stare at her nearly naked body ever again.

  “I assure you we have the highest security protocols even past the parameters of the property,” the guard closest to him growled.

  “I don’t take risks when it comes to my employer’s identity and I don’t give a shit if it’s a blanket or a damn trash bag. I’m not stepping outside with her until her identity is completely hidden.”

  Luis chuckled. “Sanchez, fetch him a blanket. You can’t blame the man for being cautious.”

  Cole stared at Sanchez until he left to do Luis’s bidding.

  “Mr. Devine, have a drink with me. A toast to what I hope is a long-lasting relationship.” Luis crossed to a small, wooden table its scarred surface covered with crystal decanters. He retrieved two glasses from a silver tray and poured equal amounts of an amber liquid into each. “I know you prefer scotch, but the single malt whiskey is one of my personal favorites.”

  Adam took Luis’s outstretched hand and held the glass to his nose. “If you like it, I’m sure I wil
l too.”

  Adam tossed it back and then carefully replaced the glass on the sideboard.

  Luis sipped his. “We will be in touch.”

  Sanchez reentered the room carrying a gray wool blanket. Cole allowed the man to drape it over Tomi’s form and then stepped away. He didn’t want the guard’s hands anywhere near her.

  Adam and Cole followed Sanchez from the room, down a hidden hallway that led around the party room. Instead of heading to the front, however, Sanchez made a U-turn toward the back of the house. “Your driver has brought your car around back and parked beneath the awning for extra protection.”

  As Sanchez led them outside, Cole caught a glimpse of a few closed doors but nothing that would be of use to them. Cole’s brother, Clint, stood waiting with the back-door open. He didn’t break his role as the limo driver, no matter how much he likely wanted to give Cole a what the hell? Look. Cole didn’t pay him any mind either—he just ducked inside the back and laid Tomi carefully on one of the bench seats.

  “Stay with her,” Adam said, “make sure she doesn’t fall. I intend to be the only reason she has bruises on her body.”

  “Yes, sir.” Cole slid onto the seat next to Tomi and placed a hand on her side.

  “When should we expect the follow-up?” Adam asked Sanchez.

  “One to two weeks. We’ll notify you of our arrival.”

  Adam nodded and slid into the seat opposite Cole and Tomi. Clint shut the door and climbed into the front. As they pulled away from the mansion, Adam and Cole both expelled a breath at the same time. Clint pressed the automatic button to lower the back glass and said, “Is that Tara?”

  “Nope,” Cole carefully pulled the blanket off of Tomi’s face, pressed his fingers at the base of her neck and checked her pulse. It was strong and steady. Thank God. “It’s Tomi.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Clint jerked his head around to the right, staring at Cole with surprised eyes. “Were you expecting this?”

  “Hell, no, I wasn’t expecting it,” Cole bit out.

  “What the heck is she doing here then?”

  “I don’t know,” Cole said and smoothed Tomi’s hair back from her face. “But I intend to find out.”

  “You’d better.”

  Adam coughed and then reached up and loosened the tie around his neck, small beads of sweat dotting his face. “Clint, kick up that AC, I’m burning up in this damn suit.”

  “Adam, you feeling okay?” Cole asked. Adam’s pupils were unnaturally dilated.

  Clint pulled to a stop at the gate and glanced up into the rearview mirror. “Yeah man, you look white as a ghost.”

  Adam started wheezing. He yanked on his tie harder, his face turning a mottled red.

  Cole’s gut tightened with realization. The whiskey. “He’s been poisoned. Clint, get us the hell out of here. Luis had no intention of allowing us to leave with her.” Cole shoved away from his seat, catching Adam before he collapsed. He lowered his friend carefully onto the cushion and ripped open his shirt. “And warn the team.”

  Clint floored it, gunning down the rest of the private drive and then onto the highway. “Team two, team one coming in hot. Going to need an ambulance, Wise has been poisoned.”

  Adam stopped breathing. Fear ratcheted down Cole’s spine. “Hurry, Clint. We don’t have much time.”

  The car jerked left and then right, flinging Tomi from her seat. Cole shoved out an arm to keep her in place and then used the other to keep Adam from flying across his car. “Dammit! Be careful.”

  “We got a tail, two cars. What the hell did you do in there? They know something’s up!”

  Cole crossed his palms over each other and stacked them on Adam’s chest, hammering out a quick round of chest compressions. Adam got in a couple of breaths before Clint slung the car around again, leaving Cole unable to do anything but hold on.

  The car swerved in a zigzag and a split second later gunfire pinged off the back windshield.

  “We need backup now,” Clint yelled into his mic and accelerated.

  Cole shoved Adam back onto the seat and rapidly resumed the CPR. “Come on, Wise, fight it.” He pumped, hard and fast. He blew two breaths, and then two more. “You can make it.”

  “Cole, we need cover,” Clint bit out as he continued swerving, a tactical move to avoid the open gunfire coming at their vehicle.

  Cole cursed. “I can’t. Adam stopped breathing.” He hammered out more chest compressions, carefully controlling his movements as much as possible.

  “We’re all going to stop breathing if you don’t lay down some cover fire.”

  His pulse hammering in his ears, Cole shoved to his feet. A quick glance behind them revealed the two vehicles were gaining on them. Fast. Cursing again, he ripped open the hidden compartment in the limo’s back seat, pulled out one of the Berettas stashed there, and cocked it. Then he hit the window down button. Wind tore through the open window, flinging Cole’s shirt away from his neck. He shoved his head out the window, locked his arms, and fired off three quick rounds, taking out the front tire on the right SUV. The vehicle screeched, swerved, and then flipped upside down, crashing with a bang onto the dark pavement.

  One down.

  The other SUV sped up, laying down some serious heat in response, and Cole dove back inside the cab, covering Tomi and Adam as much as he possibly could with his own body.

  “Where the hell is that backup?”

  “On the way. They’re three minutes out.”

  “We don’t have three minutes,” Cole said.

  “Think you can get the driver?” Clint yelled over the roar of the air rushing in through the open window and the ongoing barrage of gunfire.

  Cole cursed and crawled back to the window. He lifted his head high enough to see that the other car had made some serious gains. “I don’t know.” Cole readied his weapon, stuck his head out, and got one round off before a bullet pinged into the metal right next to his ear. He cursed and fell back into the car, hitting the floorboards with a grunt, and slapped a hand over his now loudly ringing ear.

  “Shit, brother, you okay?” Clint yelled over his shoulder as he did his best to avoid the steady tat of gunfire. Thank God, they’d managed to get an armored limo with bullet-resistant windows.

  Cole groaned, pressing his right hand to his screaming ear, and fought off a wave of dizziness. “I’m fine,” he managed to get out.

  Clint’s worried gaze flicked to him in the rearview mirror. “You’re bleeding.”

  Cole pulled his hand away and stared at the red covering his palm. “Must’ve just nicked me.”

  “Can you fire?”

  “I’m bleeding, not dead.” Cole felt around for his pistol and made his way back to the open window. “On three, slam on your brakes.” Cole neared the window again, the roaring wind outside not nearly as loud as the roaring in his right ear. He focused on the comforting feel of the weapon in his hand, forcing his mind away from the pain in his head. Focus was key. Focus was the only thing that would get them through this. “One.”

  “You sure about this?” Clint called out.

  “Two.”

  The SUV was only ten feet behind them now.

  “Three!”

  Cole held onto the door with one hand for steadiness. Clint slammed on the brakes, sending Tomi and Adam flying. The SUV zipped past them and Cole emptied his pistol into it.

  The driver’s side glass shattered, and the SUV careened off the road and slammed into a tree, the loud screech of metal wrapping around wood blasting through the night air.

  They’d lost their tail for now, but no way Luis would stop there.

  With the wind whipping through the back seat of the limo, Cole fell toward Adam and resumed CPR, his head hammering with each compression.

  “Come on, Adam. You can’t quit on me now. You can’t leave Tara.” Cole locked out his elbows and pumped, alternating with the breaths. After what seemed like hours but was only seconds, Adam coughed.

 
Too scared to feel relief, Cole stared at his chest.

  Adam coughed again, the dam holding back Cole’s relief broke, and he dropped his elbows to the cushion beside his friend, offering up a silent thank you.

  Adam groaned and clutched his stomach, still pale and shaky but alive. “Hold on man. Just hold on.”

  7

  Tomi fought her way out of the darkness, fighting through the groggy haze of numbing fear. Where was she? What the hell had happened? Cool air covered her from head to toe, and her body felt sore, like it did the day after an intense workout.

  But she didn’t remember working out.

  She was supposed to be in Mexico with her friend, so why was her head full of horrible things. Chains and male laughter and unwanted touching and…

  The auction. The slaves.

  Cole.

  Tomi’s eyes flew open. Hot terror wrapped around her chest. She was in a bed, but it wasn’t hers or the one she’d been given in Luis’s house.

  A strip of light sliced through the bedroom. The tiny lamp at her bedside, the only beacon daring enough to brave the darkness, cast a glow across a set of shoulders she immediately recognized. It had been nearly a decade since she’d dug her nails into those same shoulders, crying out in pleasure. Cole Fury’s shoulders had changed—they’d gotten broader and fuller—and so had he. The boy she’d loved was unmistakably a man.

  She might have found those shoulders thigh-clenching sexy if she weren’t so scared of the raw power emanating from every millimeter of corded sinew.

  He sat on the edge of her bed, hunched over so that his elbows rested on his thighs. His eyes were closed. His face was drawn. He looked so…tired.

  “I’m glad you’re awake,” Cole said.

  Tomi jerked as if he’d struck her and scrambled backward to the headboard, drawing her knees up to her chest. The contact of her cold thighs against her nearly naked breasts shocked her senses, tossing a fresh wave of horror through her. “Y-you were there.”

  Cole turned then, his intense black eyes locking on hers without a hint of remorse. “I was.”