Strategic Vulnerability

by Mandy M. Roth

  “Ike is special.”

  “Clearly.” Wilson’s gaze seemed to look straight through her. “He’s not the only one.”

  “You know,” she said, deciding to steer the conversation in a different direction. “I think he’ll like you. What do you say when we get out of here, you come over and meet Ike?”

  “I think I’d like that very much.” He closed his eyes and Kim could almost feel how tired he was.

  Kim snuggled against him, watching him sleep, knowing it was the first time in a long time he’d allowed himself much-needed rest. She wanted to hate the fact they were thrown together like this, but knew deep inside that she’d have never met Wilson if it weren’t for the events playing out as they had.

  She lay quietly for a while, wondering about him and what it was he truly did for a living. His vague answers hadn’t surprised her. She gave enough of those herself to know how the game was played.

  Chapter Nine

  Kim came awake to find Wilson crouched before her, snarling at the guards who were on the other side of the cell bars, taunting him. She blinked a few times. Slightly groggy and stunned she’d slept as sound as she had, considering where she was and what was happening. But she’d fallen into one of the deepest sleeps of her life.

  Because he made me feel safe.

  Reaching out, she let her fingers skim Wilson’s shoulder, letting him know she was awake. He didn’t face her. Instead, he kept his body positioned in front of hers in a protective manner.

  One of the guards laughed. “Loverboy is trying to play the hero.”

  “Shoot him,” the other said.

  Mendel pressed closer to the bars, grinning as he held a weapon in his hand. “My pleasure.

  Kim pushed off the gurney and put her body before Wilson’s. “No!”

  Wilson roared and lifted her high in the air before depositing her behind him. He stood tall in front of her. “You won’t touch her.”

  Confused, Kim merely stood behind him, trying to figure out what had set him off to this degree. As Mendel sneered and glanced to the guard nearest him, she got a pretty good idea they’d done something to provoke Wilson.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Wilson’s head tipped to the side, his shoulders wide and his arms out as if he planned to rip the guards to shreds with his bare hands. It was Mendel who answered as he licked his lower lip. “We were just talking about how we were going to watch your next exam that Krauss gives you. We’re hoping you’re naked for it.”

  “Stay the fuck away from her,” Wilson said, his voice deeper than normal.

  “What are you gonna do, Rat?” Mendel questioned, his lips curving into a sinister smile. “She won’t want you after she’s had a taste of me.”

  Tugging on Wilson, she tried and failed to get him to calm down. He was playing into the guards’ hands, giving them what they wanted in the way of a reaction. She looked past Wilson at Mendel. “I will never want you. I’m Wilson’s. Not yours.”

  I’m Wilson’s?

  Why had she felt the need to say that?

  Whatever had prompted it wasn’t important because Wilson stopped focusing on the guards and twisted, his attention on her. “Kim?”

  As he was partially facing her, Mendel lifted a weapon, pointed and fired at him, not once but twice. Kim screamed, thinking Wilson had been shot with bullets once more. When she grabbed for him and found two darts in his upper shoulder, her eyes widened.

  Wilson clutched her, keeping her out of the line of fire of the guards. He took another two darts to the back and began to sway, his eyes closing a moment before snapping open again. His pupils dilated rapidly, and he staggered, stepping back, shaking his head.

  Mendel cackled from the safety of the other side of the cell bars. “How do you like the feel of that, Rat? We increased your daily meds.”

  Horror showed in Wilson’s gaze as he locked gazes with her. “No!”

  Kim tried to go to him but he backed up fast, pressing his back to the cell bars. As he did, another of the guards shot him with a taser. Wilson shook and then fell to the floor. Mendel opened the cell door and went right for Wilson, kicking him hard.

  “Stop it!” yelled Kim as she tried to go to Wilson but found herself being held back by one of the guards.

  The guard lifted her off her feet, and she kicked wildly, trying to break free to check on Wilson. The guard jerked hard around her waist, and she cried out from the pain. Wilson came up and off the floor as if he were on strings. Additional guards poured into the cells, some going for him, some coming for her. One of them pulled a weapon and aimed at her head.

  “Give me a reason, asshole,” the guard said, his gaze on Wilson.

  The minute Wilson spotted the weapon trained on her, he put his hands up signaling surrender. “Don’t hurt her.”

  Mendel laughed. “Paquin, take her to the cell next to this one.”

  Wilson’s eyes widened. “No. I’ll behave. Don’t take her away from me. Please.”

  “I like hearing you beg, Rat,” Mendel said, still sneering.

  Kim knew Wilson would do something stupid if she didn’t calm herself. Taking a deep breath, she tried to temper her breathing and stop panicking. It didn’t exactly work, especially when Paquin decided to grab her by the hair and yank her in the direction of the cell door. She lost her footing and fell to one knee. Another of the guards pulled her the rest of the way by her elbow while Paquin dragged her by her hair. The pain caused her eyes to water as she cried out, hitting at the man’s hand, trying to get him to let go.

  He didn’t.

  Wilson went nuts. She wasn’t sure what was happening in the cell she’d just come from, but it sounded like a war zone. Once she was within the next cell, Paquin released his hold on her hair and shoved her hard. She hit the floor with a thud and gasped.

  Paquin backed out of the cell and shut the door, locking it behind him. Kim rushed to the bars between her cell and the one she’d just been in with Wilson. He had a guard lifted off the floor by the throat. Mendel was there with a different weapon. He took aim.

  “No! Don’t! Wilson, stop!”

  He cocked his head, his gaze coming to her. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. Let the man go. They’ll kill you,” she said, fear pulsing through her.

  “Listen to her, asshole,” Mendel offered. “I’d love nothing more than to end you.”

  Wilson released the guard and stepped back. He gave the guard he’d nearly killed a hard look and the man scrambled away, rushing out of the cell, rubbing his throat. The others followed, locking Wilson in the cell all alone. The guards laughed as they headed off in the other direction.

  Wilson came to stand close to her. He put his hand through the bars. “Hon, are you okay?”

  She put her cheek to his palm and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the bars. “I’m fine. Please don’t give them a reason to kill you.”

  “They hurt you,” he said as if that totally explained his behavior.

  “Wil,” she said, opening her eyes and locking gazes with him. “I can’t watch you die. Do you understand that?”

  He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “And I can’t watch them hurt you, hon.”

  She sighed.

  He hissed and then backed away from the bars, clawing at the shirt he was in. He ripped it off and bent his head, a sheen of sweat breaking out all over him. It was then Kim realized that whatever they’d had in the darts was causing Wilson issues. He clawed at his chest, making long welts that began to bleed.

  “Wil, stop!” she yelled.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he said more to himself than her. “I can’t hurt you. Have to protect you.”

  She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Wilson had worked himself into a frenzy, pacing the cell, mumbling to himself as he shook his head. It broke her heart to see him that way. She wanted to ease his pain, but couldn’t.

  Paquin returned with additional guards and entered he
r cell. Wilson was so far gone mentally that he didn’t seem to notice them at first. The men grabbed Kim and held her as they laughed at the state Wilson was in.

  “Loverboy looks to be having problems with the serum,” Paquin said snidely as he held her in the cell adjacent to Wilson’s.

  Krauss appeared in the hall with a tall, slender, redheaded woman who wore nothing more than a bra and panties. Guards held weapons on Kim and whistled, catching Wilson’s attention. He roared and charged the bars between the cells.

  “Don’t touch her!” he shouted, spittle flying.

  “Be a good little boy when they open that cell door, or we’ll blow her pretty fucking head off.”

  Kim jerked against them, unconcerned for herself. All she wanted to do was get to Wilson and assure he was all right. Seeing him struggle against whatever they’d given him was its own form of torture for her. All he’d done since she’d arrived was try to protect her, and she’d not acted quickly enough to do the same for him. She glanced around, surveying their situation, wondering if she could draw upon her natural-born gifts and put an end to this farce. There was a very real chance everything would go wrong and in the end Wilson could be the one hurt unintentionally by her. That was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

  The redhead was led into Wilson’s cell and the door was closed behind her. She didn’t appear to be the least bit nervous. In fact, she looked downright happy to be locked in with Wilson in his current state. For a split second, Kim entertained blasting her with power just to wipe the twisted look of glee from the woman’s face.

  The redhead undid the front of her bra but it remained closed over her breasts still. “Mmm, come and get me. I’m all yours. They tell me she didn’t give it up to you. I will. And you can take me as hard as you need to. I won’t break.”

  Jealousy flared through Kim. She glared past Wilson at the redhead. “Don’t you dare touch him.”

  The guards holding her laughed. Paquin yanked harder. “Feeling left out? Don’t. Doc is having a man brought in for you shortly.”

  Wilson went ape-shit against the bars, totally ignoring the female locked in with him. He struck the bars, growling, his words inaudible for the time being, his temper flaring. The guards teased and taunted him, laughing as they did, until one stepped too close to the bars and Wilson caught hold of him, yanking him hard. The other guards fought to free their friend from Wilson’s grip. The men holding Kim lifted her slightly, jerking her hard, making her gasp as pain went through her at their rough handling.

  Wilson released the guard, turning his head in a slow, calculated manner, his gaze on the men holding Kim. “Release her.”

  The redhead shook her upper body, her breasts bouncing wildly. Wilson never stopped looking at the men holding Kim. It was as if the other woman wasn’t even in the cell with him. She didn’t take kindly to being dismissed. She grabbed his shirt from the floor and rubbed it over her upper neck, growling, sounding more animal-like than human.

  “There,” she said, tossing the shirt at Wilson. “I wear your scent. Not her. I can give you what she won’t. You know you want it. You know your dick is hard enough to jackhammer through the floor. Use me. Fuck me.”

  Wilson turned his head slowly, his gaze going to Krauss. “Get your whore out of my cell or I will return her to you in pieces. Don’t think I can’t smell the corruption on her. She’s one of you, and while I don’t normally condone hurting women, for her I’ll make an exception.” He exhaled long and slow. “Return Kim to me or I will bring this place to its knees.”

  Paquin laughed, tugging harder on Kim. “Because you’ve been able to do it thus far?”

  Wilson didn’t bother sparing him a glance. “Before, you had no motivation for me other than my own life. Now, you have Kim. Take her from me and it ends.”

  Krauss’s curiosity seemed to pique. “Are you saying you’ll obey like a good little rat if I permit Kimberly to return to you?”

  “Yes,” Wilson said with conviction.

  “Wil, no,” Kim protested. Krauss was crazy and if he knew he had Wilson by using Kim, he’d force the man to do unthinkable things. “Don’t give in to them. Don’t let them use me to make you mind. Do what you have to do to be free of here.”

  The redhead approached Wilson, seemingly fearless. She opened the front of her bra, exposing her breasts to him.

  Kim’s powers tickled her stomach, demanding to be freed. That meant whatever they’d originally given her was wearing off. She narrowed her gaze on the redhead, permitting the slightest bit of her magik to run free. To unleash it fully would mean she’d be forced to act quickly and manage an escape that included both her and Wilson. She wasn’t prepared for that. She needed a plan. She needed him on board with it all.

  Mostly, she needed to break the truth of what she was to him.

  Fae.

  The redhead began to choke on nothing but air. She cleared her throat at first, her hand going to her throat. When that didn’t work, panic began to show on her face. She coughed more before no sound came from her. She pounded on her chest, racing toward the cell door. The guards there opened it for her and she fell out and onto her knees.

  Kim pulled back on her powers, even though she secretly wanted to suffocate the bitch for daring to flaunt herself at Wilson.

  The woman gasped, hiccupping in big breaths of air.

  Krauss bent near her. “Lividita?”

  She panted, fear still in her eyes, giving Kim a sick bit of satisfaction even if short-lived. “I don’t know what happened. I think I might be allergic to those new drugs you gave me a little bit ago. I don’t feel right. I need to lie down.”

  Motioning to the guard nearest him, Krauss swept his gaze over the redhead. “If you’re allergic to the fertility drugs, you are of no use to me since a successful mating is nearly impossible to obtain without them.” He snapped his fingers, no emotion showing on his face. “Kill her.”

  Lividita shook her head, her breasts bouncing freely about. “No! It’s passed. I’m fine. I can do it. I can get him to fuck me. I can.”

  Krauss laughed mockingly. “For all your assets,” he reached out, pinching her nipple, “he paid you no notice. You couldn’t entice him even if we had him chained down for you. No. His interests lie more toward the Kimberly persuasion.”

  Kim licked her lower lip, her mouth suddenly dry. She glanced at Wilson to find him staring hungrily at her.

  “Now, let us see if Kimberly has the same willpower as our good Wilson here,” Krauss said, snapping his fingers.

  The guards dragged a kicking and screaming Lividita off, and when they returned they had a drugged-looking Vic with them. His hands were bound in front of him with handcuffs that looked to be burning his skin. The same as had been the case with Wilson.

  “Vic!” yelled Kim, concern for her friend hitting her hard.

  As they unlocked her cell, Wilson went nuts, slamming against the bars. She didn’t want Vic hurt by anyone. Not even Wilson.

  Without thought, she opened her mouth and blurted, “Wilson! I want him to be the man with me. Please.”

  Krauss lifted a hand, halting the progress around him. “Kimberly, are you saying you openly accept the fact I want to study the mating habits between yourself and another man?”

  “No,” she corrected. “I’m saying I openly accept it if that man is Wilson. No other.”

  “But he controls himself with you,” Krauss said slyly.

  She met his gaze without fear. “If you’re even going to attempt to compare how he is with me versus how he was with Ms. Redhead, I’m going to be sick. I think we both are smart enough to flat out say it. He’s not repulsed by me. He may not want to fuck me through the floor but…”

  Wilson snarled, and when she glanced at him, she saw all too well that he was willing to do just that.

  Krauss mulled it over for what felt like eternity before motioning to his guards. “Leave her.”

  “Should we return her to his cell?” one asked
as another two men carried Vic back down the hall.

  “No. For now they can be in separate ones. I need to think on what I’ve seen and learned today.”

  Soon, they were gone, leaving Kim alone in her cell and Wilson in his. She went toward him, pressing herself against the bars, wanting to feel his touch. Wilson reacted instantly, his fingers sliding over hers and his forehead coming to the bars.

  Nervous, tension-filled tears burst free of her. She trembled, holding on to the bars, his hands over hers.

  Chapter Ten

  Wilson’s chest tightened with each falling tear on Kim’s face. The medications they’d injected into him were still pumping fiercely through his system. Even with her fragile state of mind, he wanted to fuck her into oblivion. He hated himself for that.

  Focus. She needs you to comfort her, not think about fucking her.

  The tiniest of giggles emerged from her. “Actually, I think I might be willing to accept either at the moment. The fucking or the comforting.”

  Wilson even managed a smile at that one. He bent slightly, lining his lips up with hers. They could only skim because of the bars, but it was enough to help him feel connected to her. “I’m going to get you out of here, hon. I promise.”

  She fell silent but remained in place. “Do you think they’re listening to us?”

  “You mean, is the room bugged?”

  She nodded.

  “No,” he replied. “They’re jamming any type of communication device. Keeps others from hearing them and also screws them out of being able to monitor electronically within their own walls.”

  “So, if I told you something, they wouldn’t hear it or know?”

  Wilson let his senses ride high, assuring the guards were far from hearing range before he responded. “Correct.”