by Julia Sykes
“No. Not until you decide what you want to do. I won’t leave you alone and vulnerable.”
“Take me home.” Her lips trembled around the command. “Take me home.”
My knuckles turned white from my tight grip on the steering wheel. “Fine,” I snapped. “I’ll take you home, but I won’t leave you alone. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you make up your mind.” I gave her a moment to digest that. She didn’t respond. “What’s your address?” I prompted.
She gave it to me, hissing the words through clenched teeth. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and locked her lips together, refusing to speak to me. I allowed her to seethe in silence. I would give her some time to make her decision.
An eternity passed before I pulled up to a modest gray house. I finally unlocked her door, and she half-fell out of the car in her haste to get away from me. She turned to glare back at me.
“Don’t follow me,” she warned.
I bit back a frustrated growl. “I fully intend to follow you. But I’ll stay out here. Go on inside. And don’t try to call the cops. One word from me, and they’ll drop the case. I really am working with the FBI.”
She studied me, clearly trying to discern my sincerity. Finally, she slammed the door and sped away from me, running across the lawn to fling open her front door. She closed it behind her, shutting me out.
I banged my fist against the dashboard. It was happening all over again.
I took a deep breath and gathered up my resolve. I wouldn’t allow another woman to die because of me.
Epilogue
Alik
“Thanks so much for coming, Dr. Borz,” Melissa Fielding said gratefully. Lissa’s mother’s face, so like her daughter’s, was creased with concern. “Something’s wrong with Lissa.” She stepped aside, welcoming me into their home.
“What happened?” I asked, worry making my stomach turn.
“I don’t know. She came home at four in the morning, and she locked herself in her room. I can hear her crying, but she won’t let me in. Please, help her.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’ll make it better.”
She drew in a shaky breath. “I know you will.”
With her declaration of trust, I confidently moved past her to climb the stairs up to Lissa’s room. I knew the way; this wasn’t the first time I’d had to come take care of her at home. Occasionally, her mind rebelled, and I needed to soothe it, to tame it.
I tried her doorknob. Locked, just as Melissa had said.
“Go away!” Lissa shrieked.
“Lissa,” I said her name with calm authority. “Let me in.”
“Alik?”
Seconds later, the lock slid back, and the door eased open. Her appearance shocked me. I’d been prepared for her red-rimmed eyes, but the dark bruise on her cheek made my heart squeeze.
If that bastard had truly hurt her…
“What happened?” I asked, fighting to keep a soothing tone.
“I… I can’t talk about it.”
I placed my hand on the door, pushing with firm insistence until she stepped back, letting me in.
“You can talk to me about anything. You know that.” I closed the door behind me, trapping her. “You’re upset. You need calm down and tell me what happened.” I reached into my pocket and removed the syringe.
She flinched at the sight of it.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
I uncapped the needle and grasped her upper arm, sliding it in before she could stop me. I pulled her close, holding her in a tight embrace so she couldn’t fight me. Only a few seconds passed before she softened against me, sucking in a slow, ragged breath. When I drew back from her, her striking eyes were glazed over.
My cock jerked. I couldn’t deny the appeal of having her vulnerable in my arms. She had grown into a gorgeous woman, and knowing she was at my mercy did something for me.
I needed to put distance between us before I did something I would regret. I wanted her conscious and willing, not drugged and unwitting. I wanted her to remember our first time together.
Not today, I told myself for the hundredth time.
I laid her down on her bed and sat beside her, grasping her hand in mine. I brushed my thumb across her palm, taking her deeper with the ingrained induction.
“Tell me what happened,” I commanded. “Who hurt you?”
“He said they were anarchists,” she said, her words slurring slightly from the drugs.
“Who said that?”
“Ian.”
“Did he tell you he’s one of them?” I pressed.
“No. He said he works with the FBI.”
A grim smile twisted my lips. I stroked her palm again. “Good. That’s good. He trusts you.”
Sending her to Dusk to lure Ian Holmes in had been a gamble. Planting Master C to accost her at just the right moment had successfully caught the agent’s attention. Her imbedded attraction to him—the attraction I had planted in her mind—had ensured that she ensnared him. What man could resist her?
“I saw a car parked outside your house,” I continued. “Is that Ian?”
“Yes. He said he’d keep an eye on me until I make a decision.”
“And what do you have to decide?”
“If I’ll pretend to be in a Master/slave relationship with him or if I’ll go into witness protection.”
My hand that wasn’t holding hers curled into a fist. I didn’t like the idea of him calling himself her Master.
This is the only way, I reminded myself. I would have my revenge, and Lissa would help me get it. She would be mine when it was all over. In the meantime, I would have to ignore the jealousy that festered in my soul.
“You will go back to Ian,” I instructed. “That will make you happy.”
“I’m scared,” she said, her voice small.
“Don’t be scared. Ian will protect you. Think of that bliss he makes you feel. Do you remember that?”
“Yes.”
“Feel it now.”
She drew in a deep breath, and her back arched slightly. I could see her nipples pebble against her thin white camisole.
I tore my eyes from their dusky pink perfection.
Not today.
“That’s good,” I praised. “Ian makes you feel this bliss. You want to be with him. Tell me.”
“I want to be with Ian.”
“You’ll go back to him. You will earn his trust. When you come to see me tomorrow, you’ll tell me what he knows about Salvation.”
I had to keep tabs on him; he was the only threat to my plan. If Lissa could keep him distracted long enough, I would be able to exact my revenge. Finally, after all these years of careful planning.
“Yes,” she acquiesced easily. She had no choice. I’d conditioned her for this.
I squeezed her hand. “Sleep now, Lissa. When you wake up, you’ll go to Ian. You won’t remember what we talked about.”
Her eyes closed. I lingered there, stroking her palm.
Not today. Soon.
The End
Lissa, Ian, and Alik will be back in Spy (Coming July 2015)!
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Also by Julia Sykes
The Impossible Series
Impossible: The Original Trilogy (Monster, Traitor, and Avenger)
Impossible: The Companion Trilogy (Sean’s POV)
Savior (An Impossible Novel)
Rogue (An Impossible Novel)
Knight (An Impossible Novel)
Mentor (An Impossible Novella)
Master (An Impossible Novel)
King (An Impossible Novel)
A Decadent Christmas (An Impossible Series Christmas Special)
Czar (An Impossible Novella)
Crusader (An Impossible Novel)
Prey (An Impossible Series Short Story)
Torn (Caught between the Billionaires) (The Complete Collection: Lucas, Jonathan, The Choice, and Co
nsequences)
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