by Dawn Ryder
The only thing it might result in was her getting strangled to hide the evidence.
She forced herself to cast him another long look over her shoulder while she washed her breasts.
He started breathing hard.
She was nothing but live-action porn to him. But it beat being the skeleton in the shallow grave. When she was free, she could throw up as much as she wanted.
When she was free …
Jaelyn latched on to that thought and realized it was the most important goal she’d ever set for herself.
* * *
“I call my team in, Magnus.”
Kagan, the Shadow Operations teams’ section leader never raised his voice. He kept his tempo even and unhurried. In short, the man was confidence incarnate.
Bram kept his jaw shut because he knew the section leader wasn’t finished yet.
There was a soft grunt from Kagan that barely came across the phone connection. “At least you’re not stupid enough to argue about whether or not you’re on my team.”
“I picked up the phone,” Bram answered. “Even if I don’t officially have a badge.”
“And yet, you didn’t contact me before pulling in two of my agents.”
“This is about me and my involvement with Saxon’s team,” Bram explained, recalling just why he liked working with Kagan and his Shadow Operations teams. “Dare understands what happens to me, bleeds in his direction. It’s why Saxon Hale assigned him to watch my back a few months ago. I’m the dumb ass who came out here alone the second I got leave.”
Kagan only worked with the elite and that meant knowing his men’s soft spots.
Bram needed the best to find Jaelyn.
“So Servant was a little too happy to tell me,” Kagan retorted. “He thinks you need backup.”
“Can’t blame him too much,” Bram answered. “He isn’t the one who got married. Saxon Hale was. Dare isn’t ready to play house with the other members of the team who have settled down.”
“So you decided to throw him a bone?”
“I might have encouraged him to slip his leash,” Bram admitted. “To keep his skills sharp.”
Kagan grunted and the fact that it was a phone conversation allowed Bram to let his lips part in a grin.
Maybe it was more of a smirk but no one was looking.
“The local PD wasn’t going to move on this. It’s serious and might be linked to Tyler Martin or the Raven.” Bram got back to the case. “I stepped into the open. Drew them here.”
“You did,” Kagan agreed.
“Whoever is behind this went after the woman I was with,” Bram said. “The car was a test to see if I showed up.”
There was a moment of silence as Kagan weighed the information. The section leader had a lot of experience when it came to deciding if intel was worth anything or not.
“You might be reaching with that conclusion,” Kagan informed him. “They could have grabbed the girl in the open. Even if you’re involved with the sister, you’d still be invested, and it still might be linked to the cheerleader. Those sorts of women attract stalkers. Not that I disagree on the point of Tyler Martin being a possible suspect. He’d use her to draw you into a kill zone, remember that. I will be very upset with you if you get killed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kagan made a sound on the other end of the line. “Try to keep a low profile. If it isn’t Martin, no need to attract his attention.”
“Understood.”
“And the badge is the seal of approval,” Kagan said, surprising him. “You’re doing your probation period.”
The line disconnected. Kagan wasn’t one for chitchat. Bram was left feeling a surge of self-achievement. Guilt was right on its heels though because Jaelyn was likely paying the price for his actions with the Shadow Ops teams.
That’s what his gut told him.
Dare and Thais both took that moment to appear in separate doorways. What gained Bram’s attentions was the fact that Mr. Sondors was only a couple of paces behind Dare.
“Boss man says to keep it quiet,” Bram shared. “Doesn’t want us attracting attention to this operation.”
Dare cocked his head to one side in a no-shit posture.
Thais offered him a delicate shrug of her shoulders. From her, it might have been agreement or a declaration of just how much she was looking forward to Kagan trying to rein her in.
All that mattered was that he had resources. They were the best.
Bram just hoped it was good enough.
Jaelyn’s life depended on their performance.
* * *
“Done already?” Sullivan asked.
Gideon didn’t answer, just stalked to the bar and started tossing ice into a glass.
Dumb shit.
Sullivan lifted his glass to hide his smirk.
“There’s no hurry,” Gideon groused when he turned around, showing off a boner through his jeans.
Sullivan shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy, man.”
Gideon was a long way from happy, though. He chugged the drink, sucking in a harsh breath when it stung his mouth and throat.
“Well, there isn’t,” Gideon declared. “Because she can’t escape and you made sure there’s no link to us by using that dude’s car. So … I’m going to enjoy breaking her.”
Tough talk.
Sullivan fought the urge to snicker at the guy.
Pathetic.
Gideon would shit himself if he had any idea Bram Magnus was linked up with a Shadow Ops team.
“I’m out of here.” Sullivan dropped his glass on an end table and stood up.
Gideon fixed him with a look that betrayed how unstable his mental state was. “What do you mean?”
The guy was starting to reach across the bar to where he had a nine millimeter stashed.
One of many.
“I mean, I helped you with the bitch because I wanted to tap her pussy,” Ricky elaborated.
“She’s mine,” Gideon said.
“No shit, I’ve got eyes in my head,” Ricky said as he shrugged into his leather jacket. “So I’m leaving before you and I have hard feelings. I never let a cunt come between me and a friend. Going to go get some.”
“Oh.” Gideon stopped reaching and watched him with a grudging gratitude.
“I just need a fuck,” Ricky offered. “No reason for that to cause friction between us. See ya.”
“But you’ll be back?”
Ricky stopped at the door. “Want me to watch you bone her?” He let out a snicker. “How about cum on her face? That would be hot.”
Gideon’s eyes were glowing but the edge of insanity was still there. “I want her to fuck me…”
Ricky grunted. “Yeah, well, I’ll be back … later. Much later, dude, because that is going to take some time.” He stopped halfway through the front door. “But like you said, time is on your side. Make her eat from your hand, like a damned cat.”
Sullivan enjoyed the look that crossed Gideon’s face before he left.
Sick fuck.
Gideon had some serious issues. Not that it mattered to Ricky. Nope. Not at all.
What mattered was Ricky had everything he needed to draw Bram and Saxon Hale’s team into a trap. On his own, Bram wouldn’t be able to find the clue Ricky had left him.
Naw, hospitals had super-tight security.
But a Shadow Ops agent would walk through that red tape.
Sullivan didn’t get in the elevator. Instead, he headed down just two flights of stairs to one of the newly finished condos. He opened the door and took a moment to inspect his screens. Gideon’s penthouse was displayed across ten different high-definition monitors. He took a moment to enjoy the sight of their bait.
He’d have liked to tap her.
But nothing was going to be sweeter than using her to lure in members of Saxon Hale’s team.
Sure, Saxon might not come. Not at first anyway.
But this was just phase one. Sullivan wanted Tyler Mart
in, too.
And he was going to get his pound of flesh.
In spades.
It was the Sullivan way.
CHAPTER FOUR
She’d never seen this side of Bram.
Although, LeAnn sort of decided that calling him Magnus fit better.
He was all business. The hard body was now sporting a chest harness and a very lethal-looking handgun.
The weapon wasn’t what made her leery of him.
It was his expression.
There was a sharpness to his features that went all the way into his eyes. In short, she realized she was looking at a man who could kill if it were necessary.
And it was for her sister.
The surprising thing was, LeAnn was happy for Jaelyn. She deserved a guy like Bram.
Maybe someday, LeAnn might find one herself.
“LeAnn, wait in your room,” Bram said.
She started to balk but Jaelyn’s face flashed through her mind.
It was important to prioritize.
* * *
She pushed away from the doorway but indulged in a last look at the way Bram and his team were getting down to work.
He knew what he was doing.
LeAnn made it back to her bedroom and realized just how little she knew him.
Really knew him.
Christ, the guy knew special agents and was clearly one of their brethren.
Was she a fool for jumping him and wasting the opportunity to have a deeper relationship with him?
Fact was, he wasn’t around a lot of the time.
And now LeAnn understood why.
At least, a little more of the reason.
It hurt.
Doubly so when she realized she’d shared very little of herself with him. Somewhere along her road toward her personal goals, she’d built a hard shell around herself, forgetting what her grandparents had taught her about what was truly important in life.
The people who loved you.
Like Jaelyn.
LeAnn closed her door with a solid motion. She’d sit in her room all day if that’s what it took to get her sister back.
That was all that mattered.
* * *
Psychology class was replaying across her brain again.
Personal connections make you human …
That was one reason people were so willing to spend money and effort on their pets. The personal connection.
She needed to establish it with her captor.
The thought made her skin crawl.
She clamped her discipline down on the sensation. He was not going to get into her head. She refused to allow him to control her beyond what he might do physically.
And she would do whatever it took to gain her freedom.
She shuddered because the sex toys lined up on the top of the dresser made it clear what her captor had in mind.
Well, she’d deal with things as they came.
And if he was stupid enough to get his dick near her face, well, that would be his mistake.
He was cooking for her at the moment. Jaelyn caught the scent of eggs and ham. She drew in a deep breath, gathering her composure and her courage.
She would prevail.
He was crossing the penthouse now. She quelled the nausea trying to twist her insides. She needed to engage him.
“I don’t know your name,” she said when he appeared in the bedroom doorway.
Creepy was distracted by her remark. Jaelyn watched the way he both liked and was frustrated by it.
“You’ve brought me to your world,” she said, digging deep for enough control to keep her voice smooth and sweet. “Seems I should know who you are.”
“I am the master.” He growled as his expression became guarded.
The tray he was holding shook, making the fine china dishes rattle. She was starving but still too nauseated by the insanity in his eyes to actually consider eating.
“And you,” he snapped, “are going to eat from my hand because you’re my pet.”
There was another rattle as he dropped the tray on the padded bench that was sitting at the foot of the bed.
“Or starve.” He finished up before he knocked off one of the silver domes covering one of the plates so he could grab a piece of toast.
The scent of the food wafted to her and made her belly heave. The dishes rattled as she make a frantic exit from the bed, slipping on the floor and hitting her knee before she made it into the bathroom to dry heave. Jaelyn caught the muffled cussing from the bedroom. She’d have liked to say she didn’t give a rat’s ass about how Creepy felt but that wouldn’t be very wise.
She had to do better!
Had to be stronger than her reactions!
She’d heard the second man’s voice. Between the two of them, killing her and disposing of her body wouldn’t prove too hard.
The tile floor was cold. Chilling her as she contemplated how hopeless her situation was.
No, she wasn’t a quitter.
Right on the heels of that thought though came the very certain knowledge that there was no way Creepy was going to let her live once he was finished with her. Who knew how many other “pets” he’d had. She finished brushing her teeth and went to the doorway of the bedroom.
Creepy was gone and so was the food.
She was so hungry, it hurt. But what worried her the most was how weak she felt. She had a chill that felt bone-deep and her muscles were quivering.
She needed to eat in order to survive.
Or at least so she’d have the strength to try and escape. Jaelyn turned around and considered the bathroom. Creepy was stomping around the penthouse. She let the sound of his tirade help her find the courage to search the bathroom. Every cabinet and drawer. She crawled onto the floor, taking care to keep the chain from making too much noise.
But all she found was makeup and towels.
She stood up and contemplated her options. The spotless mirrors showed her how bedraggled she looked.
Well, no one picked up the stray cat.
As much as she detested the idea of preening for Creepy’s benefit, playing his game was the only way to help herself stay alive.
Jaelyn opened the drawers again and pulled out a curling iron and brush. She knew how to preen. There had been years when she and LeAnn enjoyed doing makeovers together. She was going to make herself adorable.
And it wasn’t for Creepy. No, it was for her. She was going to survive by making her captor want to tame her or at least let him think she’d decided to bend to his will.
She didn’t really care how it sounded to anyone, only that she got results.
She had a hell of a lot of living left to do.
* * *
Fried chicken wasn’t on her grandfather’s diet.
LeAnn didn’t care. The look he gave her as he claimed two fresh-from-the-skillet pieces was worth the transgression and it was one of the few things she remembered how to cook.
It was a good memory, one that included time spent in the kitchen with her grandmother, mother, and Jaelyn. It had been a long time ago, though, and there was a stack of pieces that were singed.
But her grandfather smiled like a boy on Christmas morning.
“It’s oatmeal tomorrow morning,” she warned him.
He offered her a two-finger salute before carrying off his steaming plate toward the dining room table.
She moved the skillet to a cold section of the range and made sure the gas was off.
“I pissed you off.”
Bram spoke from the doorway behind her that connected the kitchen with the dining room.
“Being sent to my room is hardly a problem,” she told him firmly.
One dark eyebrow rose. “You denying it got under your skin?”
She propped her hands onto her hips and sent him her best solid stare. “Sure am. I let it roll off my back because I could see you and your team were working the problem.”
“I’m a member,” he offered. “Not the tea
m leader.”
“He’s the new kid.” Dare Servant spoke from behind her.
“I can handle this,” Bram shot back.
LeAnn ended up leaning against the sink as she took in the battle of wills going on.
One side of Dare’s mouth rose into a smirk. He was wearing a chest harness as well but there was also a badge clipped onto his belt.
Dare chuckled, pulling her attention back to his face. He winked at her before reaching past her to pluck a piece of chicken off the plate she’d been piling it on.
“Nice observation skills,” Dare muttered as he snagged a plate and used it for the chicken.
“Are you in charge?”
“He’s lucky I called him,” Bram answered her. “I saved him from being bored to death.”
“No argument,” Dare said as he scooped up a huge helping of smashed potatoes. “Besides, I never argue with the cook.”
Another wink and Dare was shooting Bram a smirk on his way through the doorway into the dining room.
The oven timer dinged. LeAnn opened the door and pulled a pan from the top rack.
“For Thais and me,” she said in response to Bram’s questioning look. “With her figure, she doesn’t eat fried food.”
“You don’t have to cater to us.”
LeAnn finished plating the food before casting Bram a look. “They’re here to help my family. Sitting in my room isn’t my idea of helping. I will do anything to see Jaelyn home. Know something? They bring in security experts to tell the cheerleader squad what sort of things happen to girls who don’t watch what they’re doing. It’s all part of making sure the owners of the team aren’t liable if we get kidnapped or assaulted. I know the odds of recovering Jaelyn alive.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond but carried the plate into the dining room. His friends had taken over the living room, turning it into a command center of some sort. There was a large white board up with a time line on it and surveillance pictures of Jaelyn as she left her office, the market, the gym. There were various shots of her car as she crossed town from traffic cameras and a listing of every call she’d taken on her cell in the last month.
Thais Sinclair was looking between two different monitors as she used a mouse. That didn’t mean the female member of the team missed LeAnn coming toward her.
