She says nothing, just keeps on staring at the computer screen. Fine. Be that way. I vow to wait her out, all the while knowing I won’t. I’m only patient with two things: young children and the disabled. The rest of humanity makes me crazy.
“Did you hear me?” I don’t even try to keep the annoyance from my voice.
She doesn’t look up from the screen. “I heard you. I’m just not sure what makes you think you can order me around. And I don’t like being accused of something I didn’t do.”
I’m shocked Rayne has lived this long with that attitude on her. Yet more than a grudging admiration grows in my belly. I don’t know whether I want to slap her or kiss her. Where the hell did that come from? I haven’t kissed anyone, nor wanted to kiss anyone, since Savannah. I sigh and roll my head around my shoulders. We don’t have time for this.
“I apologize. I have a lead on Viper. He’ll be at my buddy’s sex club tonight. Seems he’s looking for fresh meat and thinks the Masquerade Club is fertile ground.”
She looks up, eyes alight. “He mentioned that club. He’s dying to go there.”
“That wasn’t on your list. When did you hear all this stuff, anyway?”
“I know. I forgot until you mentioned it, but he definitely talked about it. I overheard him at one of his dinner parties.”
“He threw dinner parties?”
“Male Buddy Bonding dinner parties. Viper loves to eat, and he loves to get together with his friends and show off his power with the slaves. I had to serve their food and let them do things like suck my tits and finger my clit.”
She says this as if it means nothing, but I know better. I hold my breath and stomp on my rage. Now is not the time to undermine her defiance and expose the truth that must be tearing her apart.
10
Rayne
Move out, you’ve got to get yourself inoculated …
I look up at Jaden as he stands over me. If I see even one shred of pity in his eyes, I’m done. Pity I don’t need. He, however, looks at me with a kind of fascinated horror. He’s silent with the appearance of great calm. But below the surface, he’s wound up like a well-coiled spring. I’m getting used to his intensity, but I don’t have a fucking clue what he’s thinking. I don’t like this disadvantage. Have I pushed him too far? What is he thinking?
I shut my eyes and focus, trying to get a read on his emotions. It’s one of the weird things about me—I feel what the people around me are feeling. Not all of the time, but often. Kind of like an empath. A nut bar more like. With Jaden, I rarely feel anything but a huge gray void. But occasionally a crack opens in the wall, and his emotions burst through with the blinding crystal glare of a diamond reflecting off a glacier.
Instead, he barks out a harsh laugh. “Male Buddy Bonding dinner parties?”
That does it. I’m pissed. If there’s one thing that pulls my trigger, it’s being called a liar. My eyes grow huge. I hope the shards of ice I throw drop from my imagination into his brain. I stand up and put my hands on my hips, elbows pointing toward each wall. It’s one of those moments when I wish I could morph from five feet three inches to match his magnificent six feet plus. I ignore the fact that if he wanted, his two hundred or so pounds could crush a little runt like me.
“Yeah? And what the fuck would you know about it, eh? How many men do you know who were kidnapped and forced to work as sex slaves? How many times have you been kicked and punched when you refused to kneel and lick some guy’s piss off the floor. How many times—”
“Whoa, whoa. Rayne, I’m sorry. The idea isn’t funny at all. It’s absurd. Incongruous. That’s what I was reacting to.”
I huff as the wind leaves my sails.
Jaden drops a hand on my shoulder. I leap up like he’s applying a hot branding iron. My fists clench reflexively. I pant hard as adrenaline floods through me. I take a few deep breaths and try to put a harness on my panic.
“Shit. Sorry. You okay?” Jaden looks like he’s about to swallow a live rodent.
“I’m fine.” Don’t hit me.
He reaches out and takes a step toward me. I flinch. Here it comes.
“Then why are you hunched over like that?”
What? He’s right—I’m crouched and ready to spring if he takes one step closer to me. With a great deal of effort, I uncoil and sit back in the chair.
“Sorry. I’m just a little on edge.” No way am I going to tell him more.
“That’s an understatement. What did you think I was going to do to you?”
I thought you were going to hit me. “Nothing. I don’t know what got into me.”
His golden eyes lose their spark and go dead. He keeps his gaze locked on mine.
“Rayne, I told you I only have one rule. Don’t lie to me. Ever. Tell me you don’t want to answer. Tell me it’s none of my business. But don’t lie to me.”
Yikes. The ice in his voice chills me right to my bone marrow. I feel terrible. Like I’ve kicked a cute little puppy when I was mad at Viper. At the world. One fucking day and a half, and I’m mooning after this guy like I have a major crush on him. I so do not.
“I thought you were going to hit me. It was a knee-jerk reaction.”
“I’ll take that as an apology. You have my word. I will never intentionally hurt you. I repeat—you have my word. Now, I need to take a look at that shoulder.” He walks off in the direction of the infirmary.
Can I believe him? How can he possibly know that he won’t hurt me? What if he loses his temper? I’ve already had a glimpse of what he does to a punching bag. I reluctantly follow.
When I step into the infirmary, Jaden’s placing a metal tray with gauze, tape, and scissors on another tray attached to a swinging metal arm with a magnified light. I stand at the end of the bed. He doesn’t look at me. He finishes fiddling around and leans against the gurney. He still doesn’t look at me. Just stands there with his arms crossed, gaze glued to the floor.
I sit on the gurney and slide the strap of my tank top over the wad of bandages on my left shoulder. He unfolds himself and starts lifting the tape holding the gauze in place.
“This will hurt a bit, but nothing like when I took it out.”
I wince but don’t move as pain shoots through my shoulder. Jaden lifts the bandaging and busies himself cleaning the wound and trying to move my arm around. He’s gentle, but it still hurts like hell. I say nothing. He says nothing. I can’t stand the silence one more minute.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay. It’s just that every time a guy touches me, he hurts me.” Actually the more I think about it, the more righteous I get.
“I’d think you’d understand that with your background. I know you haven’t hurt me yet, but I barely know you. You can’t fault me for a reflex reaction.”
“What background is that?”
Whoa, chilly. This guy really can make the blood turn to slush in my veins. “You said you’re a doctor. Don’t you get trained on how to recognize abuse? They certainly asked me about it at the ER.”
He perks up a bit at that and finally looks at me. “When were you at the ER?”
“You mean when was the last time I was at the ER? A week or so ago.”
“What were you in for?”
“A concussion. That was when Viper beat my head against a wall. When I came to, I was in the ER with one of Viper’s goons. The nurse made him leave and asked me if I was afraid of anyone or experiencing any physical violence.”
When Jaden finishes with his medical machinations, he rebandages the cut and starts cleaning up.
“So why didn’t you tell them you were?”
“Because the goon reminded me about my little sister, Summer. They would have hurt her if I hadn’t cooperated. That’s why I stayed.” That and I couldn’t get away.
“We’ll get your sister as soon as we find out where she is. Not much we can do until then.” Jaden puts the scissors and twongs—he calls them Kelly clamps—into the sterilizer. All neat and tidy, just like a doctor.
<
br /> I know he’s right, but my heart tells a different story. I don’t want to think about Summer right now. I don’t want to feel my heart tearing apart. Once, Whippo left the door unlocked and I tried to get her to run with me, but she was too scared.
“I know.” My voice is barely a whisper. I can’t take her until it’s safe for her. Viper probably wouldn’t do anything worse than usual to her since she’s cooperating—unlucky thing.
Jaden turns and gives me another one of those intense looks.
“Okay, then let’s focus on getting the bad guys and finding Summer. I expect the rest of Viper’s men will clear out shortly. To be on the safe side, we’ll stay down here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll go and meet Sasha so we can follow up on the leads you helped uncover.”
I grin. “Really? I helped?” I’m not looking for flattery. Much. Someone is actually giving me credit for something, and I can’t believe it.
Jaden grunts. “Yeah, you helped, and you bloody well know it. You earned yourself a cool one hundred thousand dollars.”
One hundred thousand dollars. I was rich! If I weren’t hurting so much, I’d do a major happy dance. Now, I can leave. Now, he doesn’t own me. He told you he didn’t anyway.
“When can I have it?”
“Anytime you want. Here’s your bank card.” He takes an RBC card from his pocket. “It’s a numbered account in the name of one of my corporations so Viper can’t trace it. I’ll switch it to your name when you’re out of danger.”
A sticky note on the back of the card says Password: N0morePa1n. Cute.
“And you said I can leave, right?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.
He says nothing for a beat. “If you like. I won’t stand in your way.” He starts toward the door. “But I suggest you wait until the coast is clear before you go.” He takes a few more steps and hesitates. “If you decide to stay, I have more work for you. Now, I’m going to get something to eat and watch a movie or something. Join me if you wish.” He crosses the room in a couple of strides and is gone.
After I finish gawking at the contours of that tight ass, I try to bring order to my churning thoughts. I’m free. I can go … Where? What would I do? Where would I get a job without experience? I could go back to school, but the thought doesn’t excite me. First, Summer. The problem is, I have no idea how to find the men who bought us on my own.
So, if I leave, where will I go? No idea. I don’t even have a fucking clue where I am. Thanks to Jaden, I have enough money but no idea what to do with it. Okay, yes, I could and would buy some new clothes, but that was about the extent of my wishlist at the moment. The thought of striking out on my own in a world where I have no one makes my head spin. I can’t go back to ES—I wouldn’t even dignify his place with the label “home.” I can’t contact anyone who might let him know where to find me. No doubt, Viper’s already gotten to him. If I stay with Jaden, I have a job and time to make some plans. Maybe even cop a feel of that gorgeous body.
What’s the worst that could happen, right?
11
Jaden
I stumble forward, but I keep looking back …
Goddamn, this woman is difficult. And now she can’t wait to get away from me. Not that I blame her. From her perspective, I’m probably only a hair’s breadth better than the scum she’s escaped.
She joins me in the kitchenette, making a salad while I throw together a pizza. We play musical questions that she takes great pains to avoid answering. I’m just about to drill down on what happened with her mother when the alarm light flashes on one of the monitors. I quickly move closer to the bank of monitors lining the wall and watch the offending screen. Rayne comes up beside me. One of Viper’s men searches Rayne’s room. Shit. He finds her pile of rags in the corner of the dressing room. Double shit.
Rayne laughs and prances, turning a tight circle.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Happy dancing. What does it look like?”
“Viper’s goons just found proof positive that you’re here. Your mortal danger quotient just increased tenfold, and you’re happy?”
“Oh don’t be such a grouch. They knew I was here anyway. And I’m always happy when I’m right.”
“About what?”
“You bugged my room. I knew it.” She pumps her small fists in the air.
“I put security cameras all over my house as a precaution against times like this.”
“What do your bimbos think when they find out you’re watching their every move?”
I want to object to her categorizing the women I’ve known in the biblical sense as bimbos—except she’s right. Most were …
“I don’t bring women here, so I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea.” I turn my attention back to the monitors. A second man joins the first in the guest room and looks over Rayne’s torn clothes.
“That’s Rambo. Now, they’re going to call Viper,” Rayne says.
The larger man pulls out a cell phone and punches it on.
I zoom in on the screen until the numbers show clear as day. Rayne grabs a pen and paper. She writes the numbers as I call them aloud. For the second time, she impresses me with her insight.
“They were here.” Rambo listens for a beat. “No idea how they got by us.” More listening as he moves the phone away from his ear. I turn up the volume and hear a male voice scream, “Put me on speaker.” Rambo punches a button and holds the phone out.
“You fucking idiots. You had them right under your nose, and you lost them? I can’t fucking believe it.” A decidedly angry and very loud voice issues out of the small cell.
“It’s not our fault, Vipe man. This guy’s got some serious surveillance equipment here.”
“Don’t Vipe man me. The name’s Viper. Misuse it again, and you’ll lose your tongue. Find them. She’ll surface at some point. The tracker just picked her up on her way to Toronto. The other two have gone after her. Get moving. We’ll troll the Net for her.”
“Toronto? Shit. We’ll never find her there.”
“I’ve plastered her face all over the Net. Offered fifty K. She can run, but she can’t hide.”
“We’ll get them, dead or alive.”
“I want them both, unharmed. Not even a hair. I want them nice and ready for the shitload of hurt I have planned for them. I’ll flay the skin off Rayne while that bastard Blade watches. Or maybe I’ll take turns letting them both watch.”
“Leave some fun for us, boss,” the man says.
“Oh, you’ll have plenty of fun. Don’t you worry. When you catch that bastard Blade, tell him I’ve got his little trans dyke. Tell him I’ll trade the dyke for the little bitch. Then bring them both to me.”
The cell screen goes dead. The men pick up Rayne’s rags and head out the door.
Handing me the pad, Rayne sits at the small table in the kitchen area and puts her head in her hands. I come up behind her, unsure of what to do next. She looks so small and forlorn. I reach out to touch her, then pull my hand back from the hot flame when I realize what I’m doing. My body clearly disconnected from my brain for a moment. I cross my arms over my chest to keep them from misbehaving. I have no fucking idea what to say to her.
“You okay?” Brilliant, Jaden.
She rubs her temples but otherwise doesn’t move. “Who’s the trans dyke?”
“All in good time.”
She shoots me a look of pure disdain before resuming her head massage. “But it’s someone you care about, right?”
I hesitate a beat. Just what should I tell her? “Yes, I care for her very much.”
Rayne slowly nods her head. “Thank you.” In a blink, she’s up and throwing her arms around me. “She’ll be okay. He won’t hurt her as long as she obeys, but he will play with her. He wants me.” She shudders and lets go. She stands there as if she has no idea what to do next. She sits back down.
She’s scared to death. There’s no getting away from the hurt Viper wants to put on her. Or me, for
that matter. I’d like nothing better than to go one-on-one with the cocksucker. Even better, I’ll make him take a turn in the ring with Sasha. She deserves to take him down. I hope like hell they aren’t hurting her too badly while he “plays” with her. She is still healing from her latest surgery.
I sit beside Rayne and place my hands palm down on the table, close to her arm. Close enough I can feel her heat. Close enough that the mild floral scent mixed with her faint essence almost sends my cock into convulsions. A scent so distinctively hers it has already woven its way around and through every one of my sensory receptors. A fragrance I will not respond to. Too late. This woman is claiming the hidden recesses of my soul. I clear my throat.
“You okay?”
She clasps her hands on the table, very close to mine, and those deep brown eyes lock on mine. “Yes. Sorry. I had a pity party for a minute. Now, back to work.” She starts to get up. I cover her hands with mine.
“Just a minute. Let’s talk about this. We’ve—”
She jerks her hands from under mine. “There’s nothing to talk about, and every minute we’re talking, we could be finding Viper’s lair. Let’s run that phone number.” She bolts toward the computers.
I follow at a slower pace. She isn’t going to talk, and I ’m not inclined to force her. I can cope with the cold shoulder. Silence and I are old friends.
I navigate through the series of online gates needed to access my hacker forum. Time to solicit help from Joker and Treadmill.
Blade d00dz: Cell trace 437-998-9999
Joker d00dz: Goal?
Blade d00dz: MitM attack
Joker d00dz: Kewl
Blade d00dz: Fire
Joker d00dz: Hook up at 2am
Blade d00dz: Done
We work in silence through the afternoon. I check on the other traces. Nothing. I try not to worry about Sasha, but that’s easier said than done. I hide it well, or at least I try. Ever since I lost Savannah, I haven’t gotten involved with anyone that holds even a glimmer of emotional attachment. Thoughts of what Viper might be doing to Sasha keep skipping through my head. I resist the urge to punch something.
Rage (A Jaden Rayne Adventure Book 1) Page 7
