Masters of the Castle: Witness Protection Program

by Maren Smith

  “And here I thought the FBI ran on the cheap.” He gave her a heated look. “I also thought the FBI was comprised of male geeks, trying to lengthen their dicks. Then there is you. Mmm…”

  The way he was undressing her with his eyes was far too intimate, yet the electricity crackled between them, desire raging strong.

  “You are also slipping in your techniques, your calling card far too noticeable. You’ve pissed off a good number of people.”

  “I’m certain I have, and I couldn’t care less.” He looked away, his expression pensive. “If you’d like to know the truth, Agent Wright, I’ve grown weary of the profession. I’m ready to find another career.” He laughed again.

  “How did you find out who I was?”

  “Oh, come now. The men in my organization are considered criminals to the rest of the world, but I assure you, our techniques are sophisticated. All I had to do was search the internet. Well, that isn’t completely accurate. We have various sources, lists of agents. You are actually quite well known within our ranks.”

  Another chill oozed down her spine. “Why are you trying to kill Carmen Massino?”

  He continued to appear amused. “Because the man has become reckless. Certain entities have grown tired of his antics. He is no longer of use.”

  She leaned over the table, plastering a smile on her face. “But this is much more personal. Isn’t it? You have a past with this man and he has something on you.” When his look of amusement failed, she pressed further. “You have no issue seeing him dead, although whatever he has hanging over your head could end your career in the posh ranks of the criminal world.” Seeing the bead of sweat on his brow was enough to make her giddy.

  Slice exhaled and placed open fingers from both hands together, his eyes narrowing. “You have keen observation skills. However, I would consider where you are and how vulnerable your position is, sweet kitten. I wouldn’t want to consider you baggage.”

  “And I wouldn’t want to have to shoot you.”

  “Fair enough. Now that we have our cards on the table, what are we going to do about this situation?”

  He asked the question as if there was a decent answer. “If you turn yourself into me, then I’ll make certain you receive a fair trial.”

  “Nice try, but you and I both know that will never happen. I’ll simply disappear, never to be seen again by the ranks of the FBI.”

  Cassandra knew this was very much the truth. He had ways of disappearing and had before. “Then what are we going to do?”

  Slice looked away, his brow furrowed. When he turned back in her direction, the almost joy had returned in his eyes. “We work together.”

  “Meaning?”

  “You need to take down a criminal and I need to have Carmen eradicated. I couldn’t care less whether he rots in prison or dies by my hand. Either way, I’ll get exactly what I want and what I’m required to do.”

  She was actually contemplating the idea, the suggestion perhaps the only one that made any sense. “What would that mean?”

  He leaned forward, taking her hand into his, his thumb rubbing back and forth, the touch gentle but utterly commanding.

  While she wanted to pull back, to rid herself of the insane attraction, she simply was unable to do so. Everything about him had captured her very soul.

  “That would mean your complete submission to me for the remainder of this weekend while we establish what Mr. Massino is planning. Appearances are everything and Carmen will be watching. You have to know how dangerous this man truly is. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Not a single witness has ever testified against him or his organization. He has never been arrested. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  She swallowed before answering. “He’s no more dangerous than you are.”

  He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “Trust me. I’m far more treacherous, sweet and beautiful kitten.”

  “You already know what this man is planning. Don’t you?” Tingles popped along the back of her neck, heat cresting between her breasts. Her mouth was dry, and she envisioned the time they’d spent together, the intensity of their connection. No. Stop this. Willing her inner mind to break the passionate electricity was useless.

  “Tsk, tsk, bad kitty. You were eavesdropping.” His hand wrapped around hers, squeezing.

  “Enough to know that he needs… No, he requires your help in order for this debt to be paid.”

  Slice cocked his head. “That is true. You do your job very well. However, what Carmen doesn’t know is that I’m never going to become his flunky. The hold he has will be broken, but my way. He is planning on killing a witness and, as of yet, I haven’t seen her. I assume you know who she is.”

  “In a manner of speaking. I have no doubt she is very protected. However, I still don’t understand what you are willing to do and why I should bother helping you in any manner.”

  “A subterfuge, my pet. I’ll pretend to go along with his request. He is no doubt working with someone in the Castle, an employee who has working knowledge of every guest, every room.”

  She held her breath. “Then we have to stop him. If you help in this investigation, I’m certain you will be given a lighter sentence.” As if he would allow himself to be arrested.

  He pulled her across the table until their lips were touching. “Don’t be a fool, Cassandra. I will never be taken alive.” Pressing his lips against hers, he darted his tongue inside, tasting, taking.

  Every cell in her body was on fire, so alive and laced with energy. And all from a single kiss. She was hopelessly lost to his control, his domination and God help her, but she would submit in every manner. When he broke the kiss, she licked her lips, the taste of him remaining in her mouth.

  Inhaling, he smiled, his whisper husky. “Do we have a deal?”

  “Tell me your name.”

  “Mmm…” He wrinkled his brow.

  “You know my name. Only fair that I know yours.”

  “Ah, but you’ll try and find me.”

  She gave him a half smile as she shrugged. “Trust.”

  He snickered, pulling away a few inches. “Very well, kitten, although you’ll have to earn anything more than my first name, which is Sebastian. Now, I ask you again. Do. We. Have. A. Deal? You need to answer the question in order for me to protect you.”

  The threat was subtle, but in his eyes, there was no conviction. However, he had the upper hand. Her heart racing, she knew the answer that she should give, the one that was expected of her, but at this point, she belonged to him, to Master Sebastian. “Yes. But I’ll need my gun back.”

  Her gun. Sebastian had been amused at Cassandra’s attitude, brash and bold, just like the redhead he’d come to… Maybe his concept regarding love had been more an act of extreme lust. His primal instincts were on overload, his need to keep her safe and protected more like a mother hen than anything else. By all rights, he should have taken her life, ending the possibility of any leaks. She could certainly betray him, enlisting the help of the half dozen law enforcement officers pretending to be something they had a difficult time faking.

  But she’d pointed out every one of them they passed in the corridors, providing an agent’s inside view on their capabilities. Then again, she could be lying. She had her gun in her possession, tucked away in a much more elaborate kitten costume. He allowed images to float into his mind, keeping her in this very outfit as he locked her away in his house, perhaps even the basement. Yes, he could see a special cage in his bedroom on the occurrences when she disobeyed his command. The vision was enough to force his cock to half attention.

  Sebastian kept his hand firmly wrapped around Cassandra’s leash as they entered the dining room. He had thought of nothing for the last two hours but his ‘deal’ with Cassandra. Finding out she was an agent hadn’t been any surprise, but the confirmation had been necessary. At least they were no longer hiding behind lies. He almost rolled his eyes. Everyone in the Castle was lying to some
degree. “Are you hungry, my pet?”

  “Famished, sir,” Cassandra mewed as she slunk closer to him.

  “Then we will feast, especially since you’ve been such a good little kitty.” The words were said just loud enough that several of the guests overheard, giving their nod of approval. If anyone asked, they would seem like a happy couple. He wasn’t necessarily concerned about Carmen at this point, but if the man had someone working with him, the employee would be ordered to do the dirty work. And he would indeed kill any man or woman who attempted to lay a hand on Cassandra.

  A plan. Yes, the lovely agent was correct in that they needed to formulate a plan. Playing along with Carmen’s wishes wasn’t his style, and little did she know what he really had in store for The Butcher. What she didn’t know could allow him to keep her safe, if only she continued to play her part. They moved toward a table, a position that would allow him to notice if Carmen entered the room. He would do nothing in the daylight, but tonight he would attempt to carry out his personal plan, well after Cassandra was asleep.

  “Do you see him anywhere?” Cassandra asked, keeping her voice low.

  “No, but I doubt he’s going to make an appearance for breakfast.”

  “Then what are we doing here?”

  He almost laughed as he rubbed his hand down her neck. “Having breakfast, my kitten. I kept you from having any food yesterday and for that, I apologize.”

  She blushed as she was seated, the leash removed and coiled on top of the table. “True enough, my Master.”

  “You play the part very well.” He’d struggled with whether or not to allow Carmen to complete his assignment. There was no sense in having innocent people killed. That wasn’t his method of operation. He’d never assassinated anyone who hadn’t already given themselves over to one devil or another. And violence against women he abhorred. The fact Carmen had sunk this low was enough of a reason to cut and gut the man.

  “I have an excellent teacher.”

  Seeing Master Eric out of the corner of his eye, he decided what had to be done. “If I leave you here, you will not wander off. You will abide by my rules just as we discussed. Correct?”

  This time, she didn’t hesitate. “I will obey your rules, sir.”

  The defiant inflection had returned, giving him a smile. “I’ll be right back.” He followed Master Eric until he was out of the dining room, heading for the stairs leading to the second floor. “Eric. May I have a word?”

  Master Eric seemed caught by surprise. “Are you enjoying your stay and the lovely submissive we secured for you?”

  “Very much so. Can we talk in private?”

  “With this crowd?” Master Eric laughed then gave a single nod. “All right. There’s a semi-private patio just off the kitchen.”

  As they passed through the crowded area and toward the back door, he could tell the various staff members were more than curious as to what they were doing. Once outside, he waited until the door was closed. “Eric, you and I only know certain aspects about each other.”

  “True enough. What’s wrong?”

  Sebastian wasn’t the kind of man who trusted anyone, especially those who didn’t run in his tight circle, but at this point, he was determined to keep tragedy from happening. “You can’t ask me any questions, but I am aware of a hitman who is here to hunt and kill a young woman, a witness to a murder.”

  “Excuse me?” Master Eric narrowed his eyes, a look of surprise on his face.

  “You may not have been told, but she has been brought here for security reasons, only the bastard who will stop at nothing to end her life is here too. I’ve seen him.”

  “And how do you know this, Sebastian? How are you involved?”

  “As I said, you can’t ask me any questions. I don’t know anyone else in the Castle. Trust is important to me, so giving you this information could place my life on the line.”

  “Now you’re scaring me.”

  He wasn’t certain the man was taking him seriously. “Please convey the information to Master Marshall. I believe before the weekend is out, an attempt will be made on her life.”

  “Jesus, buddy. What you’re telling me is far-fetched. The security here is very tight. If there is any attempt at something like what you describe, the security personnel will be all over it.” Master Eric took a step back.

  “Not if you have an employee working with him.”

  “Wow. That’s a serious accusation.”

  “And one I hope I’m wrong about,” Sebastian stated as he glanced from side to side. He was taking a huge risk telling anyone.

  “In order for me to believe you, you’re going to have to provide additional information, details.” Master Eric’s expression was contrite, as if having difficulty keeping the charade.

  “I can’t do that. Not at this time, but please heed my warning. I’m not joking, and neither is this monster. He will not hesitate to eliminate anyone who gets in his way.”

  Blinking several times, he rubbed his jaw. “All right. I’ll mention it to Master Marshall, but he’s not going to take kindly not knowing who this came from.”

  “I understand.”

  Master Eric exhaled. “Why are you really here?”

  The question was a difficult one to answer. “I have my reasons.” As he walked toward the door, he realized everything about his decisions had changed.

  Second guessing could cost Cassandra her life.

  Chapter 6

  Fretting. Cassandra’s mind had formulated far too many scenarios, but there were no concrete answers. The time spent at breakfast hadn’t provided any information, not that she’d expected Sebastian to be totally honest with her. She wasn’t going to be played for a fool, no matter her attraction to the man. He’d gone off twice, leaving her alone, his only comment that he’d warned someone in the upper echelon about the planned witness kill. She had no way of knowing if he’d told her the truth.

  Trust.

  There was that word again. Hell, she couldn’t even trust herself at this point. She paced her assigned Castle room, glancing several times toward the clock. Almost 1:30 in the afternoon. Where in the hell had he gone? To talk to Carmen? Maybe he’d just left the premises, especially given his cover had been blown. “Ugh!” She clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than to tear off the costume.

  Frustrated as hell, she couldn’t stand being cooped up, not able to perform her job. She grabbed her hotel key, made certain her Glock was in position, and stormed toward the door, throwing it open.

  “Going somewhere?” Sebastian stood on the other side of the threshold, his air of domination cutting through their normal connection.

  “To find you. Where did you go?”

  He pushed her inside, closing the door. “I told you exactly what I was going to do, have a conversation with Carmen. Only the bastard didn’t show.”

  “Why does that not surprise me?” As he crowded her space, walking her backward until she was against the wall, she blushed, pushing her hands against his chest.

  He palmed the wall beside her head. “Why were you given this assignment?”

  “Why?”

  “Yes, out of all the agents who could have been tasked from New York, why you?”

  She opened her mouth to issue a smart retort but knew anything that rolled out of her throat would sound like a blatant lie. “Because I’m exceptional at my job and because I’ve tracked you for two years.”

  “Two years. I didn’t realize you cared that much,” he said as he lifted a single eyebrow. “And it would have nothing to do with the fact that you frequent BDSM clubs, searching for someone, anyone who will see through your terminal bullshit?”

  God, how she wanted to slap him. “Bastard.”

  “I’ve been called worse, Cassandra. But I read people very well. Everything I said about you last night is the truth. Isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Playing coy is beneath you. Since we’re laying all th
e cards on the table, why not trust me enough to state the truth?”

  Cassandra huffed. “As if you ever speak the truth.” She thought for certain he was going to strike her or worse, but instead, he took her by the hand.

  “This location, the Castle is all about fantasy, but for those who’ve accepted their proclivities and desires, no matter how dark or scandalous to others. You haven’t reached that point as of yet.”

  “I am happy with who I am.”

  “And you called me a liar. Why don’t I go down the list? See how well I do. You’ve had several boyfriends in your life, even at least one fiancé. You were the one to break off the relationships because there hasn’t been a single man who has ever understood your needs, let alone had the balls to discipline you. You work long hours, fixating on whatever criminal activity is shoved in front of you, dogging it until you arrest the man or woman. You find little joy in anything outside of work because you refuse to allow anything to be out of order. But what you crave you dream about every night. My guess is that you have a drawer full of sex toys, vibrators and dildos, even nipple clamps and all the while you search for aspects of BDSM on the computer. In the privacy of your own tiny home.”

  The truth was difficult to hear, leaving her full of anxiety, sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

  “How am I doing?” he asked, blowing a swath of hot air across her face.

  She swallowed twice, controlling her nerves before replying. “And you’re the kind of man who’s only gotten close once. When you did, you were hurt to the point you refused to lay your trust down ever again, finding women in kink clubs to fulfill your needs. You want nothing more than to enjoy a relationship, but you are a broken man inside, incapable of loving anyone, including yourself. That’s why you murder people in cold blood. The only way you can be scintillated is through killing.”

  The way he blinked, his pupils almost dilating, meant a direct hit. Then it dawned on her.

  “That’s what Carmen has over you.”