by Maggie Walsh
They kept Viscardi happy, making him believe that only the top guy was above him and that the man was part of Malcolm Dean’s family. Diego was given to Viscardi as a reward for all his hard work with the company and for bringing in so much money with the auctions, but that had been a ruse too. In actuality, Viscardi was the scapegoat. If anyone had ever come after them, everything would point to Viscardi, and he would take the fall. And that was exactly what had happened.
Jasper sighed as he shifted, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind him. He checked his foot and saw that although it was starting to heal, it would take longer than usual, because Diego wouldn’t allow him blood daily. No, the fucker would only let him feed every few days, so his healing ability had slowed exponentially.
A shadow passed the curtain on the outside, catching Jasper’s attention. That was odd. At this time of the morning usually everyone was asleep, himself included when not being sunburned. Jasper watched as the figure walked by the gap and he gasped.
“No. It couldn’t be.”
It must be his bloodthirst or maybe hallucinations, because Jasper could swear the man walking around out there with the purple hair was B.B. But how the hell had his brother-in-law gotten on the boat? Were his brothers here? Was he about to be rescued?
Excitement filled him as he thought of getting out of there. And what about his mate? Was Neil with them? Had his mate come for him? The thought exhilarated him at first, but then Jasper remembered what Neil had said to him, and his hopes came crashing down.
He and Neil hadn’t had much time together before he was kidnapped and when they did, the man had rejected him. Neil, or Agent Snow, as Jasper would now only refer to him, had told Jasper that they could never be, because his job was too important for him to be selfish and think of his own needs. When Jasper tried to protest and tell him that he understood and would never ask him to give up his work and how they would find a way to work it out, even if Jasper had to fit into his life, Agent Snow had then insulted him and his life.
Ne... Agent Snow had told him that it must be nice to have a job and life that didn’t mean that much to him, that Jasper could just walk away from it and be flexible with that life, but he wasn’t that lucky. Agent Snow had said his life and work were too damn important to just let his love life rule him, and because of their differences in their way of thinking about pretty much everything, he didn’t think they would make a good match. Then, he actually said, thanks, but no thanks, breaking Jasper’s heart and making him give up any hope he had of ever claiming his mate.
It was something he thought about a lot while being chained here. When Diego had first come to him to “start his training”, Jasper had fought with everything that he had and prayed his mate would come for him. But, those thoughts shattered as the days passed and he remembered the few conversations they had shared. He knew Neil would never come. His mate’s life as an FBI agent meant more and now that his assignment to find Atticus was over, Agent Snow would have moved on.
That familiar ache clenched his heart and Jasper placed a hand on his chest over the spot and rubbed, trying to force it away. It would do him no good to keep thinking about a man who didn’t want him. Sure, he could never mate anyone, but he could still find someone, someday, who would love him. Hopefully.
But, then again, who would ever want him after the things Diego and Master Kane had done to him? He was tainted now, broken. No one would ever want to be with him. Hopefully his brothers wouldn’t be disgusted by him if they found out what he had done, what he was forced to do. Maybe they would send him away.
That thought hurt his heart more than anything. His brothers meant the world to him and had been his constant companions his whole life. They might tease one another and joke around a lot, but Jasper knew Fabian, Silas, Kalen, and Saber loved him and would do anything for him, so the thought of losing their love and respect, then being sent away, was too much for him to bear.
Tears burned the backs of his eyes and Jasper bent his knees, pulled his legs against his torso and wrapped his arms around them, then he laid his head on his knees and cried.
He was so lost in his despair and the loss he was afraid lay before him if and when he went home, that Jasper didn’t hear the door click open.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Motherfucking Goonie Goo Goo, that had been a pain in the ass. B.B. had been so close to escape too. He had found the keys to the jet skis, got the bay gate open, surprised it made a whisper of sound, pushed the jet into the water as quietly as possible with just a hint of a splash, then slid into the water to try to manhandle the thing far enough away from the yacht, so he could start the engine without notifying anyone of what he was doing.
But, as B.B. struggled with the ski a few feet, suddenly the thought of Jasper hit him. They had no idea where Jasper was, but they did know he had been taken away on a boat. Video feed from the docks as well as one of the boats out in the harbor had showed Diego swimming out dragging Jasper. When he reached a small powerboat, Diego had lifted Jasper into the boat, then joined him and took off toward the harbor. With a quick search in his computer, Kalen had discovered that Diego owned a luxury yacht. How the hell the little sub owned that nobody knew, but they figured Viscardi had put it in Diego’s name in case something happened.
It was the memory of Diego taking off in that powerboat and him now coincidentally being taken to a luxury yacht, that had B.B. stopping his escape plan and turning back. If there was even a remote possibility that Jasper was on this boat, then B.B. had to find him. If he couldn’t, then maybe he could find something that would tell him Jasper’s whereabouts.
Seeing as there wasn’t a soul to be found as far as B.B. could see at this point, he was sure the occupants, whoever they were, were all vampires and that was why he hadn’t run into anyone yet. Which meant they were all hunkered down for the day, hiding from the sun. That would help in his search for sure, but if he did find Jasper, how was he going to get the cute vampire off this damn boat with the sun shining brightly?
B.B. sighed heavily as he pondered his options. He would have to figure out what to do once he found Jasper. If he found Jasper. So, B.B. had pushed the jet ski back to the boat, but tied it on and left the keys in it just in case he needed a quick escape.
As quietly as possible, he made his way up the stairs to the next deck and began his search. Keeping his head down until he was walking along the side of the ship, afraid that whoever was piloting this craft would see him, B.B. started looking in the windows where the curtains were open. After finding nothing through the windows, he knew he would have to enter the boat and continue his search there. As he stepped inside, B.B crossed his fingers and sent up a little prayer that he wouldn’t get caught.
He made it to the first room and placed his ear against the door, listening for any sounds within that would tell him if anyone was inside, but B.B. heard nothing. He carefully, slowly turned the knob and opened the door a smidge, then peeked inside. He released the breath he had been holding when he found the gorgeous suite empty.
B.B silently closed the door, then walked to the next room. Again he listened for any signs of life within. Just as he thought no one was in that room either, B.B. heard a small cry, like a sob. Again, cautiously opening the door a few inches, B.B. looked inside and his heart stopped for a moment when he saw Jasper sitting there, curled in around himself, leaning against the wall, naked and crying softly. Shit.
He slipped into the room and closed the door behind him, then locked it. Not that it would be much against a vampire on the outside wanting to get in, but it made him feel a little better, and hoped it would slow that person down a bit.
B.B. went to his soon to be brother-in-law and knelt in front of him, then reached out a hand to touch him, but stopped, afraid he would startle Jasper. But, just as he pulled his hand back and opened his mouth, Jasper’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and full of fear. As soon as Jasper saw him, that fear left and was replaced by relief,
and then confusion.
“B.B. what are you doing here? How did you get here?”
B.B. put a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound as he looked around to hear if there were any noises coming from above, or out in the hall. Once he was sure no one had heard them, he turned back and gave Jasper a smile, then whispered, “We have to stay as quiet as possible, so we don’t alert anyone.”
Jasper nodded as he smiled. “Where is everyone else? Are they going for Diego and Master Kane?”
B.B. bristled from learning the other psycho’s name. “Is that the asshole’s name? Fuckhead. No. Unfortunately it’s only me. Sorry,” he said apologetically with a shrug.
Jasper’s eyes widened again as he sat forward a little. “Only you? But how? Why didn’t anyone else come with you? Where the hell is Silas? There is no way he would have let you come alone.”
B.B. shook his head and grabbed Jasper’s hand to ease him. “No. I was taken, just like you. Those bastards drugged me and pepper sprayed me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up here on this luxury crazy den with some asshole telling me he was going to break me and be my master. Fuck that. I was able to escape and I was almost gone when I remembered that Diego had taken you away on a boat, so it was possible that you were here too. So, I came back.”
Tears filled Jasper’s eyes and he squeezed B.B.’s hand. “You came back? For me?”
B.B. gave him a watery smile as he reached out with his other hand and gently pushed a strand of hair away from Jasper’s face. “Of course I did. You’re my friend. My family. There was no way I was leaving you behind if there was a chance that you were here. We’ve all been going crazy trying to find you. Your brothers are tearing Clearnight Haven apart and anywhere else we get a lead to.”
“Thank you, B., thank you,” Jasper cried, as he threw himself into B.B.’s arms. “I can’t believe you got away, but came back for me, not even knowing if I was here. You could have been recaptured. Hell, you still could.”
B.B. pulled back from the hug and brushed Jasper’s tears away. “We’re not going to think like that, okay? First of all, I think everyone on this shit shack is a vampire so they’re all sleeping and hiding from the sun. I’m not sure about the Captain though. I stayed hidden, so if anyone was up on the bridge they wouldn’t see me. Although we are anchored, so I still don’t know if there is anyone up there or not. But now, I’m wondering if there is, then we may be up shit creek without a paddle, because I left the jet ski out attached to the stern and they can probably see it from up in that perch.”
“Crap, so what do we do?”
“First, we’re going to find you something to wear, so your bits aren’t dangling about. That would be a crime and a half if they got burned from the sun. Hell, it would be a crime if your cute little body got burned at all.”
Jasper gave him a shy smile as he blushed and B.B. thought it was the cutest thing ever. It also shocked him that vampires could blush. Who knew? But what really got him was how Jasper seemed to not believe him when B.B. said he was cute, or hot, or gorgeous. B.B. had known for some time now that he would have to help his new friend with his self-esteem issues, but now was not that time. They needed to get ghost.
“After we get you covered, we need to come up with a plan to get you out of here without turning you into crispy bacon,” B.B. said.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Jasper replied with a laugh. “But how are we going to get this chain off?”
“Crap,” B.B. said, as he eyed the metal cuff around Jasper’s ankle. He thought about the tool belt he left behind and wondered if anything he had there would work. Maybe the screwdriver and hammer like he used to get the door off the hinge? “Okay. Stay here and I’ll be right back. I left a tool belt on the deck and there was this power drill I saw in the toy room. Maybe one of those will help.”
“Where would I go?” Jasper said, giving him a smirk.
“True. Okay, I’ll be back as fast as I can,” B.B. replied, then went for the door.
Before he opened it, Jasper said, “It may be too dangerous for you to come back, B. If it is... just... just jump on the ski and get the hell out of here.”
B.B. turned and walked back over to Jasper and knelt by his side, then cupped his cheek. “Hear me and hear me good. I am not leaving you behind. End of story. Now, I’ll be back as fast as I can,” he said with conviction, then stood and walked out the door.
Leaving Jasper behind, especially after seeing for himself that the man was here, was just not an option. If he got caught, he would do whatever he had to do to keep them both safe until help arrived, or he would die trying to get them away from here. Either way, he and Jasper were in this thing together. B.B. sighed, then he quietly went back the way he had come from. Slowly going back down the steps, he retrieved the tool belt and slung it over his hips, then went into the toy room and found the drill he had seen earlier, happy that it was battery operated and he didn’t have to plug it in. Now he only hoped it didn’t make too much noise when he used it.
The trip back to Jasper was easier now that he knew where he was going, but B.B. still kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of someone moving around. Satisfied that everyone was still oblivious to his presence, he returned to the room Jasper was being held in. The look of relief in Jasper’s eyes made B.B. smile.
B.B. ran into the attached bathroom and grabbed some towels, then sat by Jasper again. B.B. wrapped one of the towels around Jasper’s leg in hopes it would help if his hand slipped with the drill. Placing the drill bit into the lock hole, B.B. took another towel and put it over the spot, hoping to muffle any sound he would make, then he began drilling into the locking mechanism.
Jasper had flinched a time or two, but gave B.B. a look to keep going. The noise coming from the drill wasn’t too loud and the towel did help some, but with these paranormals and their good hearing, B.B. was still strung tight, afraid they would be caught. It was slow going, but finally he thought he heard something snap. Pulling the towel and drill back, he placed them on the floor beside him then grabbed the cuff and tried to break it apart, but it only shifted slightly.
B.B. then took the screwdriver and jimmied it into the lock and used the hammer to hit the handle a few times. He smiled when the cuff shifted again, only this time leaving a gap. As B.B. pulled the tools away, Jasper grabbed both sides of the cuff and pulled. B.B. could see Jasper struggling, but wouldn’t stop him. He knew his friend was tired and probably weak from his ordeal, but Jasper needed to be a part of his own rescue to give him a sense of peace within himself.
Being the youngest and smallest of a family of large male vampires was probably a hit to Jasper’s ego many times, thinking he wasn’t as big and brave as his brothers, but B.B. knew better. Jasper was the strongest of them all. His determination and tenacity said a lot for the man, which was again apparent to B.B. as he watched Jasper not give up on the task at hand. He knew this moment alone wouldn’t be a fix all, but it would help Jasper with the first steps he needed in getting his life and control back.
Suddenly, the cuff gave way and Jasper slipped his foot free, then gave B.B. the most beautiful triumphant smile he had ever seen. Yes, that smile alone told him how right he had been. Now they really needed to get going before their luck ran out.
CHAPTER 11
They searched the room and found not a slip of clothing. B.B. was tempted to rip the curtains down and fashion some type of toga, but that wouldn’t protect Jasper. He pulled off the tee shirt he was wearing and handed it to Jasper. “Here, make a loincloth, or something. Maybe slip your legs through the arm holes and tie it up? Wait, but that would leave a nice hole from the neckline in the nether region and give you a hello breeze.”
Jasper chuckled as he took the garment and began wrapping it around himself like a skirt. It was a mini skirt, but at least it covered his cock and ass. Not that B.B. didn’t think Jasper was gorgeous, because he was, but Jasper was more like a brother and he really didn’t want to see his pac
kage. That was just... no.
“Okay, now that steps one and two are taken care of, we need to figure out steps three to a hundred. I don’t think there’s a sunscreen that’s UVA/UVB a million, and even if there was, I don’t think it’s in this room and I sure as shit am not going searching for it. So... um... Oh, how about towels or robes? This tug boat must have a pool or hot tub on it so there would be those close by.”
A haunted look crossed over Jasper’s eyes before he lowered his head and looked down. B.B. got a really bad feeling and wondered what they had done to his friend. Not that he didn’t want to ask Jasper and talk to him about it, but now was not the time. B.B.’s gut was telling him he wouldn’t like what he heard and would want to go rip people apart, which would not help them in their escape. He knew in that moment, now more than ever, that he had to get Jasper off this boat by any means.
“It’s okay, Jasper. We’ll get out of here. I promise,” B.B. said softly, as he touched Jasper’s back. The small flinch he got didn’t go unnoticed and made him clench his jaw. Those fuckers would pay for what they had done to Jasper. He might be a lowly human, but he would find a way.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Okay, if we can get back down to the toy room, there was diving gear there. We can get into some wetsuits which would help both of us out on the water. There are also some gloves and boat shoes, so hopefully that will be enough to cover most of you. We’ll only have to worry about your head. We’ll have to find something for that. How’s your foot?” B.B. asked in a whisper as they stood in the main salon and wrapped white terry robes around themselves.
Jasper kept the shirt, but put it on correctly and B.B. still had his pants and shoes, but the robes would give them some protection.
