by Julia Sykes
“Just behave the way we’ve practiced. We’ll be in high protocol the whole time. Don’t speak without permission, and don’t look any of them in the eye. Unless I’m taking you somewhere, you’ll kneel beside me in the position I taught you.”
“What do you mean? Where would we go?”
“There’s a shed in the back where they’re keeping the chemical weapon. I need to gain access to it again so I can photograph it to send back to headquarters for analysis. I’ll need your help to do that.”
“How can I help?”
I smothered a grimace. “Your presence will give me the excuse I need to go out there. There’s rope in the shed. I’ll tell the men I’m going to get it so I can show them how to bind you.”
She stiffened again.
“Don’t worry,” I said quickly. “I won’t allow them to touch you, and you’ll be fully clothed. I’m just going to show them some simple ties. I need to get to that warhead, and taking you into the shed is the only reason I can think of to go out there.”
“So I’ll be with you the whole time?”
“Yes, pet. I won’t leave you alone with them for one second.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger, turning her face up to mine. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know you’ll protect me.”
Her trust in me still stunned me, but I was coming to realize it was simply her nature. She was kind, compassionate. Good to the core. I couldn’t allow anything to damage that innocence. I would die before I let those bastards harm her in any way.
* * * * *
“What’s that?” Lissa asked, her eyes widening as she took in the thin length of chain I pulled from my pocket.
I clipped one end to the ring at the front of her collar and secured the loop of leather at the opposite end around my fist.
“A leash,” I answered calmly. “Don’t question me,” I added before she could protest. “We’re beginning high protocol now.”
She scowled at me, crossing her arms over her chest. I grasped her wrists and directed them back down.
“Keep your arms at your sides, or I’ll cuff them behind you. You can’t make any shows of hostility once we go inside.” I spoke softly, not wanting my voice to carry through Terry’s front door.
She still looked mutinous. I tugged on the leash. She gasped as she was forced to take a step closer to me.
“This is for your own protection,” I told her. “It’ll ensure that they can’t separate us.”
I fisted my hand in her silken hair, loving the feel of it wrapped around my fingers. “You’re going to be my good girl, aren’t you, pet?” My voice deepened with desire. I couldn’t help wanting her when she stared up at me with that alluring expression, somewhere between shock and lust.
“Yes, Master,” she whispered, pressing her body up against mine.
The door opened, and I snaked my arm around her waist, holding her close. I wanted to establish from the beginning that she belonged to me, and I wanted to reassure her with my nearness.
“Isaac,” Ernest grinned. “I thought I heard you out here. Why didn’t you ring the doorbell?”
“I just needed to have a few words with my slave,” I said coolly.
His eyes riveted to her, roving slowly down her body. I resisted the urge to gouge them out.
“I’m really glad you brought her,” he said with undisguised eagerness, still staring at her. “Is that a collar? She lets you do that to her? Wow.”
I glanced over at Lissa and was relieved to find that her face was carefully blank, her gaze averted.
“Can I come in?” I prompted. “We can talk more inside.”
Ernest took a hasty step back, making room for us. “Of course. Oh man, this is so cool. Will you take me to that club soon? I want one.”
“Sure,” I answered genially as my stomach tightened. He was like a kid asking me if I would buy him some candy, talking about women as though they weren’t even human.
“Awesome.”
The other men’s voices echoed up the basement stairs. I removed my arm from Lissa’s waist and walked in front of her, wrapping the leash around my hand so she couldn’t put more than two feet of space between us.
Not that she wanted to. She was so close I could feel the warmth of her breath on the back of my neck as we descended to join the anarchists.
As soon as we reached the foot of the stairs, five pairs of hungry eyes fixed on Lissa. I fought back the impulse to stand in front of her and shield her from their lascivious gazes. Instead, I stepped aside so they could get a good view of her.
“Hello, brother,” Terry grasped my hand in greeting, but he didn’t stop looking at Lissa. “It’s good to have you both here at last.”
My fist tightened, and the chain bit into my palm. “It’s good to be here.”
Terry’s usual pleasant smile was firmly in place, but his eyes cut into Lissa. “I’m told you do whatever Isaac asks of you,” he directed at her.
She didn’t answer, and she didn’t look up at him.
Good girl.
“She’s not allowed to speak without my permission,” I told Terry. I pulled the leash downward, directing Lissa to kneel. “Show them how you present yourself to your Master,” I commanded.
She gracefully sank to her knees, getting into the position I’d taught her with practiced ease. Her fingers shook slightly where they rested on her thighs. I touched the top of her head to comfort her.
“Are you petting her?” Burt asked, more judgmental than intrigued.
“Yes.” I fixed him with a level stare and deliberately ran my fingers through her hair. “She’s scared. It calms her down.”
Burt sneered. “And why do you care if she’s scared? Her feelings shouldn’t matter.”
“A cornered dog will bite you,” I replied, my voice heavy with condescension. “A pampered pet is loyal. I see no reason to terrorize her when a little tenderness gets better results. In case you didn’t notice, I didn’t have to force her to get on her knees. She wants to serve me, to worship me. I own her.”
“I can think of a few things she could do on her knees,” Leonard chimed in. “Show us.”
I did my best to smother the burst of fury that exploded in my chest. Somehow, I managed to keep my expression neutral when I responded. “I don’t want to fuck her in front of you. She’d do it if I ordered her to, but I’m not much of an exhibitionist.”
“Then what else does she do?” Robby asked, his caveman brow drawing downward to hood his dark eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. “Other than let me use her body whenever and however I want?”
His pupils dilated, and he looked back to Lissa. I could imagine the depraved fantasies that were running through his mind.
Fuck. I had to get her out of here, or I was going to beat the shit out of all of them. Hell, I’d remove her leash and let her help out. It would be immensely satisfying to watch her kick their asses.
To my relief, she didn’t betray any such signs of aggression. She remained in position, seemingly docile save for the tension she carried in her shoulders.
I had to get the intel I needed and get her out.
Sensing an opening, I decided to answer Robby’s question. “She likes me to tie her down when I fuck her.” I edged the conversation in the direction that suited me.
“Is that the Shibari stuff I’ve been reading about?”
I couldn’t quite conceal my surprise at Terry’s casual words.
“I’ve been reading up on the lifestyle.” He shrugged, but his eyes were sharp, assessing my reaction. “Like you told me to.”
“Good,” I managed. I’d hoped to get away with a simple wrist tie, but Terry might demand more.
It doesn’t matter. I had to press on. Thousands of lives depended on us. Lissa would understand. She was brave; she could handle it.
“I think I saw some rope in the shed last time
I was out there,” I said nonchalantly. “Mind if I go get it? I can show you a few ties.”
“Sure,” Terry gave his permission. “I’d like to see what you can do.”
I tugged on Lissa’s leash. “Come.”
Keeping her eyes downcast, she stood and followed me back up the stairs. I didn’t speak to her until we were out the back door.
“You’re doing great,” I praised in a low voice.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m okay,” she said gently. I could hardly believe she was soothing me.
“This will all be over soon.”
I slid the shed door open and pulled the cord to turn on the light. The coil of rope still lay atop the crate. I picked it up and handed it to Lissa.
“Hold this for me.”
She silently did as I asked, and I was grateful that she didn’t pepper me with questions. She’d proven curious about the op in the past, but now certainly wasn’t the time to give her a play-by-play of what I was doing.
I lifted the lid off the crate and carefully set it down on the ground. I had no idea how stable the warhead was, and jarring movements might set it off. Sweat beaded on my brow at the prospect of a chemical weapon going off only feet from where Lissa was standing.
I swiped it away and pulled my phone out of my pocket, accessing the special app Hassan had designed for me. I pointed the camera at the warhead, and a black and silver x-ray image appeared on my screen. It didn’t mean much to me, but the geeks would know how to interpret it.
“Is that Russian?” she whispered. “I thought you said the anarchists were working with terrorists.”
“I didn’t know at that point. I’m still not sure what’s going on.” I ground my teeth. “I’m not talking to you about this. You’re too involved as it is.”
I snapped as many shots as I could in thirty seconds. I didn’t dare take any more time than that.
Carefully, I laid the lid back down on the crate and slipped my phone into my pocket. Hassan should be receiving all the images now that I’d closed the app.
“Is that it?” Lissa asked. “You’re just putting it back?”
“Yes,” I said in an undertone as I took the rope from her trembling hands. “It’s going to be okay. Now we can figure out what exactly is in there and I’ll be able to neutralize it. Salvation won’t be able to hurt anyone.”
“Okay,” she said shakily. “Do we have to go back down there?”
I ran my hands down her arms, smoothing away the nerves that pebbled her skin. “Yes. I’m going to show them a wrist tie. Nothing else. Then we can leave. I just need you to be brave for a little while longer.”
Her jaw firmed. “I can do that.”
“Good girl.” I pressed my lips to hers in a brief, reassuring kiss.
She blinked up at me, equally as stunned as I was by what I’d done.
I moved past it. I could internally rail against myself for my actions later. Right now, I had to focus on getting her out safely.
“They’re waiting,” I reminded myself as much as her.
She pursed her lips and tore her eyes from mine, demonstrating that she was ready to drop back into our M/s roles. I marveled at her composure. She could easily qualify for training at Quantico.
Shit, she was handling herself better than I was.
Remembering my purpose, I smoothed my expression back to an unconcerned mask and turned away from her, allowing her to follow behind me as we returned to the house.
“There he is,” Robby said jovially when we reached the basement. “I want to see what you can do to her with that rope.” After being dumped and bankrupted by his wife, the man was obviously hungry to wield absolute power over a woman.
I made a show of inspecting the coil in my fist. “It’s not the best quality for this,” I said truthfully. “You want to use nylon, at the very least. I prefer hemp or jute. It’s less likely to slip.”
“What does that matter?” Ernest asked, staring at Lissa with open eagerness.
“If the knots don’t hold properly, the rope might burn her when it slips.”
“Why do you care if it burns her?” Burt still wasn’t getting it.
It took everything in me to remain calm. “I don’t like unintentional marks. Proper rope will leave a pretty braided pattern on her skin.”
“I think you’re a perverted freak,” he announced.
Tense silence gripped the room. Everyone looked to Terry.
After a long moment, he laid a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be rude to our new brother, Burt. We could learn a lot from him.” His casual drawl didn’t fool me; something bad was coming. “Show us a karada.”
Fuck. The man really had done his research.
No way was I putting Lissa in a rope harness in front of them. Even if she kept her clothes on, it would accentuate her body in ways I didn’t want them to see.
Keeping the rage from my face, I hefted the rope for Terry’s inspection. “As I said, this isn’t the right rope for that. See how slippery it is? Polypropylene will leave burn marks if it goes wrong. I’d be happy to show you a basic wrist tie.”
Terry frowned. “All right, then. But next time bring what you need. Jute, right? I want to see it done properly.”
My gut twisted. He was all but commanding me to bring Lissa with me again. I prayed Hassan was getting what we needed from the images I’d just sent him.
“Of course,” I agreed easily. I gestured with the rope. “May I?”
I waited for Terry to incline his head in permission before I proceeded. I could feel all their eyes on me as I directed Lissa’s wrists in front of her, keeping them a few inches apart.
“You want to keep the insides of your slave’s wrists facing each other,” I instructed. “That keeps there from being problems with blood flow or trapped nerves.”
Burt snorted.
I glared at him, not bothering to hide my disdain. “If you damage your slaves, they don’t last long. Or they go to the cops. Do you want to end up in jail?”
“I’m not going to prison again because of some mouthy bitch,” Leonard growled. “Keep your opinions to yourself, Burt. I want to hear what he has to say.”
I gave him a grateful half-smile. Leonard hadn’t really connected with me so far, so it was good to know that something positive was coming of this clusterfuck I’d put Lissa in.
“Find the center of the length of rope like this,” I continued with my lesson, grasping the two ends of the rope and working my way through until I found the center of the coil. “Then create a lark’s head.” I looped it over Lissa’s wrists, trying to ignore the way her fingers trembled. “Wrap it around her wrists, as many times as you want. The fewer times you do this, the more it will bite into her skin when she struggles.” I intentionally only made two passes. Robby grunted his approval.
“Then pull it through like this.” I altered the way I twisted the rope, looping it between her wrists until it all drew tight. Satisfied, I tugged at the length that remained in my hand. She was forced to take a step toward me. “And now you can do what you want with her.”
“Wow,” Ernest said with reverence. “Can you show me again?”
“Sure,” I answered evenly, quickly unraveling my work. All the men—even Burt—moved in to watch more closely the second time.
“Can I try?” Ernest asked.
“If you want to practice on Robby, you can,” I forced a laugh. “Only I touch my slave.”
Burt blew out a hard breath, but other than that kept his opinions to himself. Terry had clearly indicated how the group was supposed to treat me, and Burt wouldn’t challenge him again.
Robby surprised me by chuckling. “Don’t fucking try it, boy,” he warned Ernest.
To my immense relief, Terry barked out a laugh as well. As though they’d all been ordered to follow suit, the rest of the men joined in. I hadn’t realized just how tightly Terry controlled the group until that moment. For all my manipulation of Ernest, I never would have
been trusted by the brotherhood until Terry accepted me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Lissa’s help.
I chanced a glance over at her. She remained calm, collected: the perfect image of a well-behaved slave.
I could only hope I was playing my role half as well as she was.
Chapter 9
Lissa
“You did so well.” Ian wrapped me in a tight embrace as soon as he closed the motel room door behind us.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” I admitted. I felt dirty, as though their eyes had left trails of grime on my skin everywhere they had looked at me.
His fingers ran through my hair in a familiar, soothing rhythm. “You’re safe now.”
I tucked my face against his neck. “I know. I’m with you.”
He pulled back slightly, putting space between us so he could study me. “I don’t understand how you can feel that way after everything I’ve put you through.”
“I trust you.”
“Why?” He seemed truly perplexed. “I haven’t done anything to earn it.”
“You didn’t have to earn it. You deserve it.”
He looked away. “I don’t,” he muttered.
I touched his cheek, redirecting his gaze back to mine. “You’re a good person, Ian. I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true. I’ve seen it.”
Pain tightened his features. “If you knew what I’ve done, you wouldn’t say that.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but it doesn’t change the Ian I know. He’s a good man.”
His eyes widened with something akin to wonder. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. You deserve to be loved, Ian.”
Loved. Yes, I was falling in love with him. He needed to be loved. Desperately.
I gently pressed my fingers to his lips. “You don’t have to say anything. I can wait.”
“I can’t. Not anymore.”
He grasped my fingers and pulled them away from his mouth. His other hand closed around the back of my head, holding me in place as he leaned into me. He touched his lips to mine. The kiss was tentative, hesitant. I waited patiently, allowing him the time he needed to give himself permission to take me.
