Lincoln and I walked up and waited for the man in the black and purple pinstripe suit to look up from where he was clearly nibbling on the woman tucked against him.
When he did, Lincoln gasped again.
I slapped a hand over his mouth.
“Master Black, I presume?”
He nodded, and the women surrounding him disappeared quickly. He gestured to the seats across from him. I let go of Lincoln’s mouth. As we sat, Master Black’s eyes wandered up my body and openly ogled me. I heard Lincoln’s low growl and chuckled.
Master Black did as well. “You don’t have to piss a circle around her, Mister Foster. She’s clearly yours. I’m just appreciating what a fine specimen you have on your arm.”
“You’re very different here, Master Black,” Lincoln said. He flipped the card on to the table, face up. He tapped the face of it with Reid Sadowski’s name on it, and pointed Master Black. “I brought this, so you’d see it properly destroyed.”
Reid Sadowski was Master Black. I got that loud and clear. I picked up the business card and ripped it into tiny little bits and dropped it back on the table. Master Black nodded once in appreciation, and leaned forward.
“You’re here for Bastian.”
I nodded just once. “Is he here?”
“He is. He is safe. This is possibly the safest place for him. I’ve welcomed him because he was beyond distressed about the…situation.”
“Situation…” Lincoln said.
“I processed the scene where his life changed,” he said. “He didn’t know that was me. When he showed up here a week ago, he was distressed and on the edge of losing himself. I’ve offered him a measure of…forgetfulness. A chance to let his brain sleep, forget about everything. To let his subconscious process what has been going on, not only with his children—but with his practice.”
“We need him,” I said. “He has the key to—”
Master Black leaned forward. “He is a very fucked up man right now He needed to give his mind a rest. I will take you to him, but I am not going to make him do anything he’s not ready for. Safe, sane, and consensual. Even in this.”
I nodded my head. How bad was Bastian if he was here. “May I asked what he’s sought out?”
“Shibari,” Master Black answered.
“What the—”
I nailed Lincoln in the side to stop him from asking.
Black sat back and laughed. “I can clearly see who the dominant is in this relationship.”
Snapping my eyes over to Lincoln, I gave him my best shut up look that I could manage. He got the message and let out a breath, sitting back.
“May we see him now?”
“Are you ready for that?”
“I am,” I said, then jerked my head at Lincoln. “He’s going to be shocked.”
A devious grin appeared on Master Black’s face. “Would you like a gag for him?”
“Only if it comes with a leash.”
Black threw his head back and laughed. “I can certainly see why you have so many in your orbit, Doctor. Very well, follow me. Mister Foster, I’d appreciate it if you could manage to school your reactions while you’re here?”
“I’m doing my best,” he said. “There’s just so much…”
Standing, Master Black motioned to us to follow. He walked behind the table and met us by the door to the rear private areas. He led us into a darkened corridor and the door closed on its own behind us.
“You know the rules?” Black asked.
“I do,” I answered. “I’ll make sure Lincoln understands them. If I had known where we were going, I would have prepped him for all this.”
He tossed a look at me. “Are you in the lifestyle?”
“Played around a bit when I was younger.” I smirked. “I think you know exactly why I’m not now.”
Chuckling, Black smirked. “I do. Are you…one of Lincoln’s, um…peers?”
I felt the weight of that question as if he had filled it with lead. He wasn’t asking if I worked with Lincoln, he was asking if I was one of the supposed Sins. I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure how to answer that.” I looked at Lincoln, who had cocked his head. “How do I answer this?”
“With your nickname,” he said.
“Little bird?”
He shook his head slowly. “The other one.”
“Quilikrohz.”
Master Black gasped, spun, and went down on one knee. “Quilikrozh, my lady.”
“Get up!” I snapped. “Get up, get up!”
He stood, but I could tell it was reluctantly. He stared at me openly. “It is right and proper—”
“Quit that right now,” I said. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want anyone kneeling to me.” Stepping close, I stared him down. “No one is to hear that name in conjunction with me, Master Black. Is that understood?”
“Yes, your—Doctor.”
Shit, shit, I didn’t need that. I didn’t need any of this getting out until I was sure I knew what was going on. I mean, the claim was one thing, but the bowing and scraping—nope. Not gonna happen.
“Let’s go. We have to get to Bastian. We have a chance to really do damage to this sex trafficking Pipeline and we’re running out of time.”
“Right,” Black said, and marched smartly down the hall, fully back into his roll of Dom and Master of the club.
We walked down the corridor and all sort of haunting sexual noises filtered out, and I could see Lincoln was both curious and horrified at the same time. I slowed to let him walk next to me.
“If you want, when this is over, I can show you what I liked when I was in this lifestyle…”
He groaned, “I am shocked I didn’t just pop the buttons on my fly with how hard that made me.”
I giggled and patted his shoulder.
Master Black stopped at a door, and waited for us. “I had one of our nawashi work with him this week. What you’re going to see in here is someone who is desperate to escape his mind. That he got to this point this fast is shocking, and a demonstration of how much he needed to escape.”
After tapping sharply three times on the door, Black swung it open and entered. We followed just behind, and once the light from the corridor behind us was shut out, I let out a low, quiet gasp while Lincoln offered a sharp one.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
There, suspended by ropes connected to a frame, was Bastian. He was wrapped and knotted and suspended at an incline, head up.
The ropes were twined and spun and looped to make the whole display resemble an ancient twisted tree. Bastian was the trunk, with all the branches coming off at odd angles. His arms were tied behind him, and his chest was bound with lattice and bands of unforgiving rope. The knots grew from his shoulders, waist, hips, and knees and bloomed into branches that raced out to the frame, distributing the weight along the bars, and creating a magnificent illusion.
“Wonderful, isn’t he?” asked someone from the right. Their voice was soft and low.
A hulking monstrosity of a man stood from a wing back chair and walked toward us.
“You are the nawashi?” I asked.
He nodded once. “Yes.”
“This is amazing. I’ve only seen a few of these and never as intricate as this…”
“This is one week of training. He is in a deep meditative state, completely at peace.”
“You…took a picture of this, right?” Lincoln asked.
“Of course,” he answered. “All of my subs and subjects sign a release. Some release their whole person, some request that their faces be hidden.” Walking around the back, he motioned us to follow him. “Come, look from here as well.”
I joined him, and the back was as peaceful and delicate as the front. Bastian’s arms were bound behind him in a lattice pattern.
“He’s naked,” Lincoln whispered.
“Yes,” the nawashi said. “I prefer rope on flesh. It stays where it is put and the sub can experience the sensations of be
ing bound and suspended more completely. And in Bastian’s case, he needed that.”
“Everyone keeps saying he needed it,” Lincoln whispered. “The dude is literally tied up and hung out to dry. Why? Why would you need this?”
“He needed to get out of his own head for a while,” I said. “He lost his wife, his children, his house, and then found that he was helping a pedophile. In the space of about six weeks.”
“Get out of his head?” Lincoln asked. “Look, I’m sorry if I’m sounding like a bit of an ignoramus here, but…I work with numbers, money and economics. I don’t know why someone would purposefully get themselves tied up like this.”
“It’s not for everyone,” Master Black said. “Bastian has always been curious about sex. He’s my therapist. Do you think I would go to someone who wouldn’t understand this?”
Lincoln shook his head. “So, he’s been like this for a week?”
The nawashi chuckled lightly. “No, not at all. He’s only been in this for about three hours. His choice. The ropes’ contact on the skin help to redirect the thoughts away from things that are circling. The whole point of getting into subspace is to let go of everything bothering you. Let go of every thought in your mind and just be, just feel. The meditative state is shockingly good for the brain. And some people need a tactile reminder of meditation.”
“So, the ropes. But why so intricate? Why make it a work of art?”
“Because it’s not just meditative for him,” the nawashi answered. “I find peace in the binding and creation of this. I find peace in studying and watching over those I’ve bound.”
It all seemed to come together in Lincoln’s mind in that moment. “And this isn’t sexual?”
“Oh, no, it’s very sexual,” the man purred in Lincoln’s ear. “Very sensual, orgasmic if done right.”
I took a deep breath. “Did you…”
“We both achieved an orgasm, but from the ropes, not from each other,” he answered. “I expect that we will do the same when I unbind him in an hour or so.”
“Can we stay?”
“Wren…” Lincoln said. “That’s not a good idea.” His eyes flitted over to Bastian and back.
“I’ve always been fascinated by ropes.”
“I’ll tie you up at home,” he said, his eyes suddenly darting and nervous.
That wasn’t the Lincoln I knew. He was more than comfortable with his sexuality and nudity. I could see he was amazed by the dance floor before, but now he was freaking out over one man in ropes. Who wasn’t even really aware of us at the moment.
“I’d like to see him unbound.”
Lincoln cringed. “I’d like a really hard drink and blinders.”
“Please, you’ve seen them before,” I teased.
“I need a spiked jock,” he mumbled.
I realized exactly what was going on. “Master Black, Nawashi, could we have a moment alone, please?”
Black and the nawashi nodded and moved back around the frame toward the door. I waited until they were out of earshot and pulled Lincoln as far away from them as I could. I dropped my voice as low as it would go.
“Lincoln, do you like Bastian?”
He blinked a few times, and then looked at the suspended man in the room. “I am not in a position to deny that I’ve got an attraction to him. It’s a bad idea to let me see him naked.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Wren, I don’t want to jeopardize what we have,” he said, his words speeding out of him. “But I am attracted to men and women and I’m definitely attracted to him. Just let me go hang out at Reid’s—Master Black’s table and you can come get me when he’s done. We can talk to him when he’s dressed again. I won’t risk what we have because my libido won’t shut up.”
“That’s not why I said fuck, Lincoln,” I whispered. “Bastian has always been on my radar. We went to school together, and I won’t lie about how much I wanted to get together with him in college. But he already had Victoria.”
“Oh,” The sound hissed out of him.. “So, we’re both kind of in trouble here.”
“I’ve always wanted to see shibari art performed,” I said. “This is my chance. But it’s Bastian and…it’s sexual. We need him though, as soon as possible. We can’t leave here without at least talking to him.”
“Can’t we just get a drink at the bar or something?”
I laughed. “Yeah, you and me surrounded by continual sexual acts and innuendos while we wait at least two hours before we can talk to him? Why don’t we just go find the orgy pit now, Hedonismbot?”
“Okay, I’ll make sure it’s scraped and buttered.”
We stared at each other a long minute and finally Lincoln reached out and grabbed my arm. He dragged me around the frame to where Master Black waited. “We need a room, an office, where we can talk and wait. We also need the option to come back in here if that’s what we decide.”
Black nodded and opened the door. He led us to the end of the corridor and pushed another door open. This hall was much brighter and more business-oriented. He motioned to the door on the right.
“Empty, save for some old furniture. You can stay there. Just realize that if you walk out this door,” he tapped on the frame, “you won’t be able to get back in here. So, make sure that when you leave, you mean it. I have to go back to the dance floor. I’m sure there are details I need to attend to.”
Lincoln grabbed his forearm. “Reid. Thank you.”
“Welcome.” He nodded and let the door close after slipping out of Lincoln’s grip.
I eyeballed Lincoln as he slipped into the room. “What are we doing?”
“Figuring this out.”
“What out? What?” I looked around.
He dropped onto the couch next to me, and pulled out his phone, and hit a speed dial. A second later, the screen lit up with Fischer’s face and number.
“Did you take a fucking picture of Fischer’s O-face for your caller ID?”
Lincoln laughed. “I have to tease him about something, little bird. The man is everything you need, and sometimes I wonder why I’m there.”
“You’re there because I love you,” I said.
“You’re not too shy about how much you like his dick, either.” Fischer’s voice rose out of the speaker. “But I’m guessing that neither his dick nor mine are the reason you’re calling.”
“You’d be half correct,” Lincoln said.
“Your dick is a problem?”
“It might be.”
“You diseased bastard,” Fischer grumbled.
“It’s not his dick,” I said, “as much as a libido issue.”
I could almost see Fischer raise an eyebrow. “Wonder Bisexuality Powers activated?”
“It’s not just his libido either.”
“Oh.”
“We found Bastian,” Lincoln said. “He’s safe. So, I’m about to blow the NDA we signed when we walked in here, but this has to come out. The guy I met at the medical examiner was an ahura, a good demon, and he’s here with Bastian. Reid Sadowski calls himself Master Black and he’s had the good doctor here the whole time.”
“His mind was exhausted, Fisher,” I explained. “He came here, to Reid for reasons we don’t know yet. But Reid took him in and led him through some of the basics of being a submissive. He took the ropes and he’s currently bound up in a shibari creation. The nawashi wants him there for another hour before he releases him.”
“Another demon?” Fischer asked.
“An ahura,” Lincoln repeated.
“Which means absolutely nothing to me, Linc. I just know that you found another one.”
“Should I also mention that Wren’s demonic nickname compels them to bow?”
Fischer snorted.
“All right, I’m going to let my stupidity in this just flood out of me,” Lincoln said. “We all know now that this is absolutely nothing like normal. We know, or strongly suspect the following points.
“One, that Wren is Lucif
er’s twin sister. Two, that she’s really old—”
“Thanks!” I interjected.
“—three, that she was given her name by Lilith, Lucifer’s wife and Wren’s best friend. Four, she was personally put in charge of balancing the sins by God, Zeus, El, whoever, himself. Herself? Themselves. Fine. Five, that we are two of those sins: me, Ploutos and Fischer, Aergian.”
Fischer and I gasped, and I touched Lincoln’s arm. “You discovered names?”
“They popped into my head when I was looking at the pictures of the John Doe at the medical examiner’s office.” He quickly summed up what he had been able to see on those faces for Fischer. “And six—”
“You interrupted yourself and still remember the point you were on,” Fischer said.
“I’m a numbers freak, Fischer. Of course, I remember. So, point six was, there are seven cardinal sins, and there’s only two of us.”
I cringed and dropped my head into my hands. “Holy crap, Lincoln. Are you trying to say there are five more of you sins out there?”
“Well…” He cleared his throat. “Four, if I’m right.”
The room was dead silent. I wasn’t sure I was breathing, but a whoosh of blood raced through my ears, making it hard to stay upright.
“You think Bastian is number three?” Fischer asked. “But…how does that work? If I’m Sloth and you’re Greed, that leaves Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Lust, and Envy.”
Lincoln and I chorused, “Lust.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Lincoln laughed. “Uh, he’s a sex therapist who is currently tied into some kind of kinky rope thing in the back of a BDSM club?”
“That…would do it.” He let out a deep sigh.
“Fischer, if this is all too weird, we’ll pull back. We can come back for Bastian tomorrow. Other than our weird suspicions, there’s no reason to—”
“Ellie needs her brother back and every minute counts.” He sighed again. “Don’t leave there without him or the information. Preferably both.”
“Fischer—”
“Take me off speaker, Wren.”
I grabbed the phone, tapped the button and held it to my ear. “Fischer, if you—”
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