by Julia Sykes
“I can’t leave him,” she said, her voice rough with pain.
“You don’t have to be afraid of him. I’ll protect you.”
“I’m not afraid-” She stopped herself with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you. I shouldn’t have come. This was a mistake.”
I couldn’t let her leave. “You’re a good person,” I told her. “I can see that. You don’t want those women to suffer. At least tell me how we can find them.”
“You’ll get to Dimitri if I tell you,” she said, stricken. “You’ll hurt him.”
“He deserves to hurt,” Hugh said roughly. “Do you have any idea what he’s done? What he will do? More people will suffer and die by his hand if we don’t stop him.”
“I know what he is,” she said quietly. “But I love him.”
“He’s broken you,” Finlay said darkly. “You have no choice but to love him. Well, he doesn’t love you.”
“You don’t know anything about us,” she hissed. “I’m leaving now. I’ve said what I came to tell you.” Bright blue eyes flashed at me. “Back off. He’s mine.”
“I’m afraid we can’t let you go.” Hugh’s voice was touched with sadness. “Your Master’s not here. What’s to stop us from taking you with us?”
“Me.” Dimitri stepped across the threshold. He gripped James by the arm, hauling him along in his wake. For once, the Dom didn’t appear intoxicated. He looked stone sober and terrified.
“Don’t move,” Dimitri commanded.
“P-please,” James stammered. “He’s g-going to kill me!”
“My dealer is right. He has a suicide vest strapped to his chest. You have ten minutes to diffuse the bomb, or all these people will die.”
My eyes flicked down to James’ too-bulky leather jacket.
“You’re bluffing,” Finlay asserted.
“Do you want to take that chance?” Dimitri asked silkily.
“He’s not bloody bluffing!” James cried.
“You’ll die too,” Hugh told Dimitri.
“No. Alicia and I are going to leave while you handle this situation.” He crossed to her side. His hand slid up into her hair, fisting in the blonde strands. Fear twisted her features. “Hello, myshka,” he greeted her softly. “You’ve been very naughty.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” I snarled. He had obviously corrupted her mind, but she didn’t deserve to face further torture at his hands.
His black eyes studied me, and a condescending smile curled his lips. “I like seeing you on a leash, little Dominatrix. I’ll give you a prettier collar, though.”
Alicia’s features shifted from fear to fury. Dimitri ignored her.
Hugh’s arm closed around my waist, holding me possessively. “You’ll never have her,” he growled. “And Alicia is staying with us.”
Dimitri turned a frigid stare on him. “If you ever try to take Alicia from me, I will burn down all of London to get her back. She belongs to me.” He shoved James toward us. “I believe you’re down to seven minutes now. Good luck.”
Finlay caught the Dom and unzipped his jacket. “Fuck,” he muttered. “He’s not bluffing.”
“If you keep interfering with my business, Clara will suffer for it,” Dimitri said, his gaze fixed on Hugh. “We’re leaving now.” He tugged on Alicia’s hair. “Come, myshka. We need to have a little chat about your behavior.”
She shuddered, but followed him docilely toward the stairs.
Dex already had his phone out. “Sam,” he said urgently. “I’m sending you a photo of a suicide vest. I need you to tell me how to diffuse it.” He paused. “Yes, I’m serious! We’re down to six minutes. Can you help me or not? Good.” He waited.
I barely breathed. Now that Dimitri was gone, the threat of death was very real. My heart pounded in my throat. The sense of helplessness Dimitri was so skilled at inflicting filled my gut. I wrung my hands, hating my inaction. Hugh’s fingers bit into my hip with bruising force.
No one around us seemed remotely concerned. The pulsing music drowned out our frantic conversation, and my huge friends created a wall between James and the club-goers. They continued to dance and laugh and scream, oblivious to the fact that they might all be dead in a matter of minutes. Neon green numbers counted down on a screen set into the vest.
“Four minutes,” Dex bit out. “We’re cutting it a little close here, Sam.” He studied the vest. “Which wire do I pull? Blue. Are you sure?”
“I’m going to die,” James whimpered.
“We’re about to find out,” Dex said grimly. He disconnected the blue wire.
The countdown stopped, frozen at three minutes and fifty-one seconds. The air huffed out of my chest, and I gasped in fresh oxygen. My knees shook, and I locked them so I didn’t collapse against Hugh. James dropped onto his ass and buried his face in his hands, weeping in relief.
Finlay raced for the stairs. “I’m going to catch the bastard,” he called over his shoulder. It was useless, but he had to try. I knew Dimitri would be long gone.
Hugh was on his phone. He delivered a few clipped orders and ended the call.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I put in a call to Special Branch. They’ll pick him up.” He shot a disgusted look at James.
“Special Branch?” I questioned.
“They’re like an elite division of the police,” he explained briefly. “Mostly deal with diffusing terrorist situations. They’ll keep him on ice for us.”
Dex fisted his hands in James’ jacket and hauled him to his feet. “Stop crying,” he snarled. “And for god’s sake, zip up your jacket.”
Tom’s fingers shook so violently he couldn’t comply, so Dex did it for him.
“Let’s get him out of here,” Hugh said. Then he turned a menacing glare on James. “You’re going to tell our boys everything you know about Dimitri Abramovich.”
His fearful whimper did nothing to ease the rage twisting my gut. Whatever he told us, it would be too late. I was sure Alicia was screaming in pain right now, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Chapter 14
“I hate this!” I raged as soon as the door to the safe house closed behind us. “How can Dimitri keep getting away? This is the third time I’ve been in the same room with him since I got to London, and he’s still fucking breathing. He should be dead by now.”
Hugh gripped my shoulders and stood squarely in front of me so he filled my vision. “It’s not your fault, Clara,” he said firmly.
“I didn’t say it was,” I replied sharply.
“You didn’t have to. I know you feel responsible, and you shouldn’t.”
“We could have kept Alicia from him. But I let him take her. Who knows what he’s doing to her now?”
“She made her choice,” Dex said.
“She’s not in her right mind to choose,” Finlay countered angrily. “You know he’s broken her.”
Broken. I shuddered. That’s what Dimitri wanted to do to me.
I could never be tortured into thinking I love him, I assured myself. It was too fucked up to contemplate.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it,” Hugh commanded. “He’s not going to get to you. We will take him down, and we’ll free Alicia.”
“How?” I asked wearily.
“Sam’s going to help us,” Dex supplied. “She’s been trying to track him through hacking into Britain’s CCTV network. She should have a lead now that we have a lock on him leaving the club tonight.”
“Do you want to tell us who exactly Sam is and how he knows how to diffuse a bomb?” Finlay demanded.
Hugh was still watching me. “You two go over it. Clara and I are going to talk.” He took my hand in his and led me toward his bedroom.
I followed without really thinking about it. I felt utterly drained, my body crashing now that a flood of adrenaline had run its course. He took me to the bed, and I sank down on the edge of it, burying my face in my hands.
“G
od, I hate him.” I hadn’t known it was possible to hate this fiercely. The hatred was a black beast clawing at my heart. It lived inside me, its talons digging further in every time I encountered Dimitri. “I want him dead.”
The mattress dipped beside me, and Hugh’s arm settled around my shoulders. “That’s not healthy, love.”
My eyes snapped to his, accusatory. “How can you not want him to die after everything he’s done? Knowing what more he will do?”
“I agree he should be taken out. He’s done terrible things. But I see that from an objective standpoint. You’re personally invested. I understand he hurt you, but why are you so determined to kill him yourself? You’re going to get yourself killed or worse if you can’t take a step back and look at this more rationally. We need to do this as a team making tactical decisions. You’re not on your own anymore.”
“I know I’m not,” I said softly. “Thank you for that. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about him.”
“Why do you hate him so much?”
I flinched, remembering the reason I went after him in the first place, the reason I decided to take Charlotte in on my misguided sting. This had been personal before the night he took me and tried to sell me.
“Because of what he is,” I said after a moment. “The human trafficking. It makes me sick.” That much was true, but I managed to avoid the real reason at the heart of my loathing.
“It’s more than that,” he told me sternly. “You hate the way he makes you feel. You don’t have to pretend with me, Clara. We already went over this in the dungeon. You’re scared of him. And that’s okay.”
“I’m not scared of him!” I burst out. His eyes flashed, and I reconsidered my answer. “Okay, I’m scared. But that’s not why I hate him. He makes me feel helpless. I can’t bear that.”
His features softened with understanding. “Is that why you don’t like bondage? It makes you feel helpless?”
I nodded. “I don’t like not being able to defend myself.”
“You don’t trust anyone.”
“What? Where did that come from?”
“You don’t want to be vulnerable. You never let your guard down.”
I considered that, wishing I could deny it. But even around my friends, I never truly allowed myself to relax. Ever since I fought my way free from Danny, I hadn’t trusted anyone to get too close. I had to be strong, confident Dominatrix Clara. Nothing and no one could get to me.
Which was why my encounter with Dimitri had knocked me on my ass. He got to me.
But he wasn’t the only one.
“I’m vulnerable around you,” I admitted to Hugh.
He gave me a soft smile. “Because you trust me.”
“I don’t know why,” I said honestly.
“I didn’t really give you a choice.” He chuckled. “You needed someone who wouldn’t put up with your bullshit.”
“Someone like you?” I asked wryly.
“Exactly.”
He leaned into me. I remained perfectly still, captivated by his deep blue eyes as his lips slowly neared mine. I breathed in his exhale just before he abruptly closed in on me. His mouth came down on mine, and his tongue traced the seam of my lips, demanding entry. I opened for him, willing to let him in. He gently pressed my body back toward the mattress, his arm around my shoulders guiding me down smoothly so our kiss wasn’t interrupted.
His weight settled over me, pinning me beneath him. My core heated in response, and my hips moved against his. The Ben Wa balls were still in my pussy, and they rolled against my g-spot mercilessly. In my fear and anger, I had almost forgotten about them. Now, my body became very much aware of the toy.
I felt his cock harden against my thigh, and the ache inside me intensified. I longed for him to fuck me.
“I won’t fuck you, pet. No matter how much you beg me for it.” I remembered the callous words he had spoken on the night when he agreed to help me hunt for Dimitri, the night I agreed to be his sub.
I turned my face away from his, breaking the kiss.
“What’s wrong?” he rumbled.
“You said you don’t fuck liars,” I said breathlessly. “I’d rather you didn’t tease me. Can you please take the Ben Wa balls out?”
He frowned. “I’ll take them out, but I’m going to fuck you.”
“But you said-”
He brushed a swift kiss across my lips to silence me. “I know what I said. You trust me, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
He gave me another all-too-brief kiss. “I want to see you. All of you.”
He looked down at me, waiting for my consent.
“Okay.” My fingers trembled when I reached for the hooks on the front of my corset.
He gripped my wrists gently, stilling my efforts. “Wait. I want to do that.” He guided my arms above my head and pushed them into the pillows. “Don’t move.”
Surprise pricked at me when he stood, walking away from the bed.
“What are you doing?” My voice came out higher than usual with my nervousness.
He rummaged in a duffel bag. “I brought a few items I thought might be useful.”
When he straightened, he was holding the pair of red cuffs from the dungeon. I sat bolt upright, panic spiking through me.
“I told you not to move,” he said, his eyes sharp with reprimand.
I held his stare for a few seconds, but he didn’t waver. Finally, I swallowed hard and laid back down, positioning my hands where he had put them. He began to approach me. My gaze riveted to the cuffs, and my pulse quickened.
Rattling chains. Blood. Screams.
“Look at me.” His warm hand cupped my cool cheek. I blinked up at him.
“I don’t think I want this,” I whispered.
“You don’t want to feel helpless,” he corrected me smoothly. “I’m going to help you with that.”
“How? By tying me down?”
“Yes, love. You used to enjoy bondage, didn’t you?”
I thought back to the beginning of my relationship with Danny, before the mindfucks had started. “Yes,” I admitted.
“You like it when I pin you down,” he continued.
“Yes.” I certainly couldn’t deny that. My pussy got wet for him every time he put his hands on me.
“But now you associate bondage with abuse.”
I bit my lip and said nothing, but he read the truth in my eyes.
“I want to give this back to you, Clara. It used to be something you enjoyed. You have a natural submissive streak, and you should be able to embrace that without feeling like it means you’re weak. Trust me with this now, and I’ll show you just how good it can feel to let go.”
“I trust you.” I held out my wrists for him.
One corner of his lips tugged up. “I thought I told you not to move.” He laughed and snatched my hands before I could press them back into the pillows. “I’m just teasing you, pet. We can laugh, you know. D/s doesn’t have to be so serious all the time.”
I gave him a cautious smile in return. “This is serious for me, Hugh. I’m scared,” I admitted quietly.
“Don’t be scared of me.”
“I’m not,” I said truthfully. “I’m scared I’ll get sucked back into my memory of that warehouse again.”
“I won’t let that happen. You’ll stay here with me.” His voice held the deep ring of command.
I took a breath. “Okay.”
He took my hands and lifted them to his lips, planting gentle kisses on the insides of my wrists. My pulse quickened under his tender heat, and my anxiety melted a bit.
The soft fur lining of the cuffs teased across my skin, and he very slowly pulled the leather strap through the buckle. The feel of it closing around my wrist made my heart rate speed up, but not from lust.
“Look at me,” he ordered again. “Keep your focus on me. Nothing else. Just me.”
I drew in a shuddering breath and fixed my eyes on his. His expression was so intense I almost lo
oked away again. But I couldn’t have, even without the force of his command. His eyes were magnetic, drawing me into him.
The second cuff encircled my left wrist, but this time I barely felt it. They weren’t at all uncomfortable. Hugh wouldn’t allow that to happen. He was careful with me, as though I was something precious and fragile. I liked feeling fragile with him. Because I knew he wouldn’t try to break me.
He kissed the cuffs over the top of where he had kissed my skin, and I felt the phantom brush of his lips through the leather. Then he slowly guided my arms back over my head and clipped the cuffs together around one of the metal bars on the headboard. I tested my restraints with a little tug.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
“I’m fine,” I promised. “Thank you.”
A wicked grin broke out on his face. “You can thank me more in a little while.”
“What’s happening in a little while?”
“I’m going to show you just how hard I can make you come when I don’t have to worry about holding you down.”
“I think you’ve demonstrated your skills before.”
“We’ve barely begun to cover what I want to do to your body.” He ran the pad his thumb over my fingernails. “When we have these claws sheathed, I can play with my pet without worrying about getting scratched.”
“I’m not your pet.” I tried to sound defiant, but the words came out huskily.
“No?” he questioned. Suddenly, his hand closed around my sex, his palm grinding across my clit while his fingers dipped inside me. He held my pussy in a possessive grip, making the Ben Wa balls bump against my g-spot. A strangled sound of primal need slipped through my teeth.
“I’m sure I could make you purr.”
“I’d like to see you try,” I challenged, unwilling to give in just yet.
He grinned. “Of course you would.”
His hand moved away from my sex to fist in the material of my black tutu skirt. He grabbed the elastic of my thong at the same time and tugged both garments down my legs. Heat pooled between my thighs in anticipation.
He tossed my clothes aside and set to work on my corset, expertly unhooking it and sliding it out from beneath me. His head dipped just below my breast, and his tongue traced a scorching line down one of the grooves left in my skin by the corset’s boning. It ended just above my sex, and his mouth explored no further.
