His Wonder Baby: A Miracle Baby Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  “Stand where you are. Face the mirror. If you move, you will be shot. You know what will happen if you speak.” The bald man disappears from the room and shuts the door behind him.

  We stand there and we don’t move. I don’t even look away from the mirror. I stare at it, and in the very dim light, I stare back at myself.

  I look horrible. I looked tired and scared and underfed. I look like the other girls, though not as beaten and broken.

  I can hear the other girls breathing near me, but I don’t dare look at them. We’re a bunch of strangers standing in this room, mostly naked, waiting for something to happen. I’m terrified, and my heart is beating through my chest, but I’m determined. If I play by the rules, maybe they’ll let me live. Maybe I can get through this.

  I don’t know how long we’re standing there, but suddenly the lights come on. They blind me for a second but soon I blink them away. We continue standing there, unmoving, for what feels like a very long time.

  I want to scream. The waiting is the worst part of it. I need to know what they’re going to do, but standing there and waiting for it is driving me nuts. One of the girls starts crying, but I don’t look. She sobs to herself, and someone else tries to shush her, but she just keeps on crying. After a couple of minutes, the bald man comes in and takes the crying girl by the arm.

  “Come,” he says.

  “Where are you taking me?” she says through her sobs.

  “Come,” he says again.

  “No!” she screams. He bashes her in the face with his fist. I hear it hit her with a dull thud.

  I don’t look. He drags her out of the room and she never comes back.

  More time passes. I smell something horrible, like someone wet their pants, but I keep staring straight ahead. I want to sob, but I know what will happen if I do.

  Finally, the door opens again. The bald man walks in and stops in front of me.

  “Come,” he says.

  I step toward him. He nods and I walk in front of him and out of the room. He doesn’t touch me this time.

  “End of the hall,” he says, pointing.

  I glance at him then back down the hall toward the door that he’s indicating. I take a deep breath then walk toward it.

  My heart is pounding. The bald man doesn’t follow me. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me and I’m afraid, very afraid. This could be my last moment on earth. The uncertainty is driving me insane.

  I reach the door. I take the handle and slowly pull it open, then I step inside and shut the door behind me.

  The room is empty except for a chair with a bright light directly above it. I pause and step toward the light.

  “Stop,” a voice says.

  I nearly jump and scream, but I control myself. I stop moving completely.

  I watch as a man steps from the shadows and into the light. He pauses next to the chair, and I get a good look at him.

  He’s in his early thirties at most and incredibly handsome. He has scruff on his face with a square jaw and piercing blue eyes. There’s a small scar on his chin that only makes his otherwise perfect face that much more gorgeous. He’s wearing a white button-down shirt and perfectly fitting jeans. I can see tattoos on his wrists, and for a second I wonder if they cover his entire muscular body.

  He steps toward me and I take a sharp breath. I’ve never seen a man like him before. He stops in front of me and reaches out. I don’t flinch as he takes my chin and lifts my eyes to meet his.

  “Riley,” he says softly. “My name is Logan.”

  “Hello,” I manage to say.

  “Do you want to survive this?”

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “Then you’re mine now.”

  I blink at him, surprised. I don’t understand what he means by that.

  “You’re mine now,” he repeats. “Do you understand?”

  “No,” I say honestly.

  “You will.” His smile is intense and makes my skin shiver. “You’ll find out very, very soon. And you’re going to like it.”

  I take a sharp breath but I don’t look away. I can’t look away, even if I wanted to.

  4

  Logan

  The girl standing in front of me isn’t at all what I expected.

  She’s gorgeous, which I knew from the photos, but she doesn’t look afraid. In fact, she looks fierce and angry, like she’s about to attack me at any second.

  I like that. I can feel my heart beating fast as my eyes rake over her barely clothed body. I know what I’m going to have to do to her, and there’s a part of me that’s excited for it. Maybe I’m sick, maybe I’m broken, but I want to take this girl and train her to get down on her knees every time I enter the room.

  I can’t help myself. I’ve never bothered getting close to a woman before, not with my job. I travel too much, and I don’t need to settle down. I’m damn good at leaving them wanting more, begging for me, moaning for another taste. But I’ve never wanted to take a woman and keep her like I do in this moment.

  It’s strange. The other half of me hates this situation and hates all of the men involved. If I could, I’d take the girl and get her out right now. I could do it, too. These guys are all weak and soft, and all we’d need to do is get out of this building. Once we’re in Mexico, getting her out is going to be difficult.

  Saving her isn’t my main priority, though. As fucked up as that is, I can’t just take this girl and save her.

  That’s not what her father wants.

  I still remember the afternoon that I received that order from the man himself.

  Rufus Nosek sits behind a large, mahogany desk. I spent the morning poring over a dossier on his daughter, and could still feel the anger inside of me at the men who would take her. I want to kill them, slaughter them, but I’ll have to be patient.

  “Do you know why you’re here, Logan?” Rufus Nosek asks me.

  “You want me to save your daughter.”

  He smiles at me, a cruel and wicked smile. He’s a harsh man, with thinning gray hair and a traditional black suit. He’s thin and tall and his nose is hooked like a hawk’s beak. He stares at me with those animal eyes and I can’t read him at all, not one bit. He doesn’t seem upset or angry over the disappearance of his daughter, which confuses me more than anything else.

  “Not exactly,” he says finally. “Do you want your mission?”

  I nod once, unsure of what’s happening.

  “I don’t know what your superiors told you,” he continues, “but this mission isn’t to simply rescue my daughter. That’s part of it, of course, and if she dies then you will be held accountable. No, this is more about revenge.”

  “Understood,” I say, waiting to hear the rest of the mission.

  “Of course,” he says, that smile still on his face. “Your true mission, though, is to gather enough intelligence to take down their entire operation. I want you to dismantle them from the inside. The bastards killed my daughter’s best friend. Her body was found in the river yesterday morning. Nice girl named Lacey. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else, Logan. Get us names, locations, numbers, everything. Only then, once you’re ready to call in your people, will you be allowed to take my daughter from there.”

  I watch him quietly for a moment, letting that sink in. His face is still smiling but it doesn’t reach his eyes at all. I can tell that he’s a snake wearing human skin, and he’d do anything to get what he wants.

  “I may have to ...do things to keep my cover,” I say slowly, wanting him to understand what he’s asking of me.

  “Do whatever you have to do.” He smiles big. “Make sure she doesn’t die. Otherwise, follow your orders.”

  I nod and stand. I know what I have to do. I don’t like it, not one bit, but I won’t turn away from a mission. I’m not a weak man. I can do what has to be done.

  But I’ve never had a woman’s father give me permission to take his daughter however I want for the greater glory of the mission.
/>   Her father is a monster, but one that believes the means justify the ends. I can see some of him in her, or at least in the way she stares at me with that barely contained ferocity. She’s like a caged animal ready to strike, and that excites me.

  I have permission from her father and from my superiors to do whatever must be done. I can’t kill her or let her be killed, but I can hurt her if I want to. I can do even more than that.

  I won’t, not if I can avoid it. I won’t hurt her. I may need her to submit, to do things she’s not sure she’s prepared to do, but I won’t hurt her. I’ll win her trust and she’ll willingly play along.

  I know she will. It’ll feel too good for her to say no.

  “Sit down,” I say to her finally, indicating the chair.

  She hesitates then walks over to it. She sits down, hands folded in her lap, back straight. She almost looks like a perfect rich little lady, but I can already see the truth.

  Riley is mine. Her body is mine to do with whatever I want, and already I can feel the dirty thoughts pressing in at the corners of my mind. I want to take her, and can right this moment if I really want to.

  But that’s not who I am. I won’t let this situation corrupt me any more than it already has. She’ll have to ask for it, beg for it, before I’ll let her have it.

  “Do you know why you’re here?” I ask her, standing at the edge of the light.

  “No,” she says softly. “I was in a club. Someone gave me a drink. And then ...” She trails off, her eyes haunted.

  “You were taken.”

  “Yes. I was taken.” She looks at me. “What happened to my friend? Is Lacey okay?”

  I cock my head at her, filing that away for later. “Don’t worry about Lacey,” I say. “Worry about yourself.”

  “Please,” she whispers. “I need to know.”

  “Do you really need me to say it?”

  Her face sinks. “She’s dead.”

  “And you’ll end up like her if you don’t obey.” I hate doing this to her, but she needs to be broken.

  “I’ve been good,” she says, looking down at the floor. “I do what I’m told. I don’t fight back.” She looks back up at me and I get a glimpse of anger before she looks back down. “I just want to survive this.” She’s clearly holding back tears, which is admirable. I’m sure she’s going to grieve her friend, but she doesn’t want to do it in front of me.

  “Good,” I say. “Are you willing to do whatever you need to?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  I walk toward her, smiling slightly at her. “I don’t think you understand what you’re agreeing to.”

  “Maybe not,” she says. “But I’m stronger than you think.”

  “Oh, I believe you,” I say, crouching down in front of her. “But you and I, we’re in this together now, Riley. If you want to survive, you’re going to have to do whatever I ask.”

  “Who are you?” she whispers.

  “I’m the man that’s going to own you. That’s all you need to know.” I put my hand on the armrest of her chair. “Do you understand, that, Riley? Your life, your body, it’s all going to be mine.”

  “I understand.” She’s biting back tears and I hate myself for what I’m doing.

  “You’ll survive this. If you listen to me.” I pause, hesitating, but I plunge forward. “I won’t hurt you and I won’t take you against your wishes. But if you disobey me, or if you break a rule, I will punish you. Understand?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “You can hate me,” I say quietly, “but you will obey me. You’ll get through this if you do.”

  She looks away from me, fighting to keep her tears back. I stand up and walk across the room again, feeling conflicted as hell.

  How far can I push this girl before we both break? I don’t think I have an answer for that question. I’ve done things in my life, hard and awful things, but always for the greater good. What I’ll do to Riley will be for the greater good, too, but she won’t know it. Her suffering will be my fault. I can do everything in my power to make this as painless as possible for her, but in the end I’m going to have to go through the motions.

  I have to convince Anton and his people that I’m for real. I can’t just go easy on Riley if I’m going to be able to move around the Mexican compound freely. Things are only going to get more difficult from here on out, and I’ll need to use all of my skills to get through this.

  I hope Riley is stronger than she appears. Because she’s going to need every ounce of that strength.

  I leave the room and let the door shut behind me. Now, we travel south, and the real training begins.

  5

  Riley

  After Logan leaves, the bald man comes back into the room and throws another change of clothes at me. This time, it’s a pair of sweats that are comfortable but too big. Once I’m dressed, he puts a hood over my head.

  My world plunges into blackness.

  I’m led from the room, stumbling in the darkness. I walk for what feels like a long time until I’m put into a van. I can hear other girls nearby, feel them bumping against me, but we don’t talk to each other. We’re all too afraid.

  Lacey is dead. I can hardly believe it. I knew something bad happened to her . . . but this? I sob in the back of that van, trying to be quiet, but unable to stop myself. I don’t understand why she’s dead and I’m still alive. I don’t deserve it.

  She was so good. She was alive and vibrant and exciting. The only reason we were out that night was because I needed it. We both knew it. She took me out because I desperately needed some time to have fun

  And now she’s dead because of it. She’s dead because of me. I feel a deep hole in my heart and it’s filled with sand, sadness, dread.

  The van drives for a while and eventually stops. We’re unloaded from the van and our hoods are removed. I’m numb to everything. I can’t feel right now. I can’t think. Otherwise I’ll break down again.

  I blink at my surroundings. We’re standing on the tarmac of an airport, or at least that looks like it used to be an airport. Maybe just a small regional one. Either way, it’s empty except for a single plane. Men with guns stand around and I’m in a pack of maybe fifteen other girls. I recognize some from earlier, but most of them are strangers.

  The men with guns shepherd us onto the plane. We’re shoved into the back cargo area and made to lie down. We have no seatbelts or cushions and the hard steel is rough against my body.

  The plane takes off. It’s the most horrible ride of my life.

  Things only get worse when we land.

  It’s still night when we’re unloaded. The men all have guns, but it’s hot as hell and it looks like we landed somewhere in a desert. We’re herded into a few trucks and I realize that everyone is speaking Spanish.

  Another long car ride. I watch the countryside flash by outside, and I know we must be in Mexico somewhere based on the language and the buildings. After an hour of driving, I can see the ocean, and we pull into a large, walled compound.

  After that, we’re led individually into the building. I try to look around, but they move us too quickly. A man with a gun shoves me into a room, shuts the door, and locks it.

  I collapse onto the bed of my new cell and try not to let myself break down into tears.

  I’m a long way from home now. I’m even further away from my father and from rescue. If I thought I had a chance in America, I really can’t imagine that I have one now. Nobody is coming for me.

  And yet, I suddenly start thinking about Logan. He didn’t seem like every other man I’ve met so far. In fact, he seemed like he wanted to reassure me, to make me know that I’d survive this. He was even gentle and kind to me, although he did tell me that I was going to be his.

  My feelings are strangely conflicted when it comes to him. We only spoke briefly, but he was handsome, so damn handsome, better looking than any man I’d ever been around before. And he seemed like he actually cared about whether I lived or I
died.

  I don’t know how long I lie there, but eventually I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. Time passes without any dreams, and suddenly I wake up, taking a deep, gasping breath. Disoriented, I look around the room.

  And spot Logan standing in the corner, watching me.

  I stare at him, not moving, not blinking. He watches me back and doesn’t say a word. Finally, he crouches down beside the bed.

  “How was the trip?” he asks.

  “Not good,” I say, trying not to think about it. I don’t want to remember being treated like luggage.

  “It’s over now,” he says. “You’re in your new home. Welcome to Mexico.”

  I watch him for a moment. “Why are we here?” I ask.

  “A lot of reasons,” he says. “But mainly because it’s cheaper and easier to keep you here than it is to keep you in America. This place is practically a fortress.”

  I stare into his handsome face and have the strange sudden impulse to reach out and touch him. “I didn’t think you’d be here,” I blurt out instead.

  He smiles at me. “You’re mine now. Wherever you go, I go.”

  “And you don’t want to hurt me,” I say softly. “Why not let me go?”

  “I can’t do that.”

  I sit up and look around the room quickly. There’s a toilet in the corner and I’m on a bunk with a thin mattress. Other than that, it’s just like the cell I had just left, though slightly bigger. My gaze returns to Logan and he’s watching me curiously.

  “What’s going to happen to me?” I ask him.

  “I’m going to train you,” he says.

  “Train me how?”

  “I’m going to make you obedient.”

  “What am I going to have to do?” I ask, terrified of the answer but knowing it already.

  “You’re going to learn to give up your body on command,” he says softly. “You’re going to let me tease that tight pussy of yours until you scream. You’re going to suck my cock until you gag and then you’ll beg me to come down your throat.”