by Sophie Oak
“I knew he was trouble,” Jimbo was saying. “What’s a guy like that doing here anyway?”
“Taking a vacation,” Finn said as he stood and crossed to Tricia.
Her eyes came up, and before she could settle a mask on to her face, she was open. Finn read her like a book.
“Is he really your brother?” He asked the question gently. One thing Finn had learned to do in his years as a lawyer was to properly gauge the witness. Some required a firm hand, but many needed sympathy to get their stories.
Tears welled in her eyes. “Half-brother, but yes, we’re related.”
“He scares you.”
“Well, hell, Finn, of course he scares her if he runs around kidnapping people.” Jimbo stood right behind them. Finn thought briefly about shoving him back, but he had other fish to fry.
“I think he’s perfectly capable of doing everything he says.” She leaned in a little. “But then I’m scared of that Julian person, too.”
Finn bet she was. “And what paper did you say you worked for?”
A pause. “The Dallas Morning News.”
Her eyes had flared briefly. Finn knew he had her. It was time to make her a little afraid of him. A little lie was called for, but then a good lawyer always knew when to lie and when to tell the truth. “Really? Because that’s not what you said this morning.”
He watched as she tried really hard to think. She finally bit her lip and clutched at her phone. “No. I said it. I know I did.”
“Because he told you to say it?”
Again, a brief flaring of her wide eyes. Finn bet she couldn’t play poker to save her life. If he’d been watching her closely this morning, he would have seen this, but he’d been distracted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Finn turned to Jimbo. “Jim, I need you to contact The Dallas Morning News and ask if they employ one Patricia Walker.”
Now her hands shook. “No, don’t. I don’t work there. I work for a little suburban newspaper. I write a pet care column, but I do have press credentials because sometimes I cover dog shows. Jeremy made me call. He said it would cause chaos, and this Julian guy hates chaos. He made me say it. He took someone very precious to me. I have to get her back.”
Finn didn’t care. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He’s been in the area for days. He doesn’t tell me anything. He just calls me on this phone, and I do what he says. I don’t even know how to contact him.”
And Finn believed her. He took the phone from her trembling hands. He turned to Jimbo, who was watching avidly. “If you were going to take someone someplace very secluded, where would you go? It has to be someplace fairly close.”
One big shoulder went up and down. “Damn, Finn, there’s a ton of places outside of town. This is east Texas. We have woods and swamps. You could hide for a long time in places like that.”
Tricia sniffled. “He wouldn’t like that. He’s not an outdoorsman.” Her tears were flowing freely now.
“Yeah, but there are plenty of hunting shacks…oh, fuck, Finn, I think I know where they are.” Jimbo’s breathing became ragged. “I think he might be holed up on my land.”
“Do you know how to get there without alerting them that we’re coming?” Finn glanced around the station house. There was just the deputy left and the secretary. All in all, he would rather go in alone. He didn’t trust Andy.
“Hell, yeah, I know those woods like the back of my hand. But I’m telling you, if you get Andy or the sheriff involved, they’ll go in with guns blazing. I can be a hell of a lot quieter than either of those two.”
“I agree. I would call Leo, but I don’t have his number. I think we’re it.” Finn couldn’t wait. He had to get to them. Every second he waited something could happen to them. “But, Jim, I’m going to need a gun.”
A wide smile split Jimbo’s face. “I think I can help you out there, Finn.”
Finn ran behind Jimbo. He held the only way for Tricia to talk to her brother firmly in his hand. She wouldn’t be able to warn him even if she wanted to.
As Jimbo pulled out of the parking lot, Finn sent out a silent prayer. Keep them safe.
Whether they liked it or not, he was the only cavalry they had coming.
Chapter Eighteen
Julian saw him the minute he put the sedan in park. Jeremy stood in the doorway to a small structure, his thin frame seemingly too gaunt to cause any real damage.
How wrong he had been.
Jeremy smiled as he jogged down the steps. He looked excited, as though Julian were a welcome guest, not a victim. Everything seemed oddly normal except for the oddly shaped gun in Jeremy hand. God, was Danielle already dead? He wouldn’t accept that possibility.
“Welcome, Julian.” Jeremy stopped feet from him. Far enough that Julian would have to jump to get him. Far enough that he would have time to shoot him.
“You wanted to get me here. Well, I’m here. Now, you will let Danielle leave here unharmed, or we will have trouble.” He used his darkest voice, the one assured to get every sub in a five-mile radius on his or her knees.
And he could see the impulse written on his face. Jeremy wanted to do just that. Unfortunately, it looked like he’d tamed his impulses. Jeremy pulled the gun out, and now Julian could see it was no ordinary gun. He braced himself because he had the feeling this was going to hurt. He cursed himself for not keeping a gun in his car. If he survived this he was applying for a concealed license, and the next time someone freaked out on him, he would just shoot the bastard.
Jeremy held the gun level to Julian’s torso. “I don’t think that works for me, Sir. I think I would rather give you a dose of your own medicine and see how you like it.”
A spark flared from the end of the Taser. The darts shot out of the end of the Taser and lodged into Julian’s chest. He lost all control in an instant. He hit the ground, knees first, his chest falling after, and he shook. There was no control at all, merely the random spasm of every muscle in his body. He tasted dirt as his muscles shook violently for what seemed like forever. Julian tried everything. He commanded his body to do his bidding, but in the end he had no control. Pain screamed along his nerves until finally, blissfully, the pain ceased, and he was left quivering, all his strength sucked away.
“You’re so big, Julian. I didn’t want to get too close. These darts can get you from fifteen feet away. I had to modify the output. I upped the ampage.” Jeremy reached down, and Julian felt the pull on his dress shirt. His body flipped over at Jeremy’s command. The darts from the Taser were still in his skin. Jeremy began to pull him. “You’ll forgive me, but I didn’t think you would actually cooperate with me.”
Julian tried a snappy comeback. Tried to tell the fucker he’d never cooperate, but he couldn’t seem to make his limp noodle jaw move. He was pulled along the ground like a sack of shit, and his only vision was of the sky above him. It was blue and pure, so unlike his situation it was perverse. He should be lying out by the pool at the ranch, Danielle and Finn at his side. Again and again he tried to make his arms move. His frustration boiled. What good was he to Danielle? He’d intended to trade himself for her or at least throw his body in front of hers and take whatever came their way. He was useless like this. His eyes burned with the knowledge that he’d gotten her into this.
“Don’t bother,” Jeremy said, a malicious glee in his voice. “With the electricity you just took, it should be awhile before you get function back. By then I’ll have you nice and secure. You like bondage, Julian. I couldn’t use metal cuffs, but I think you’ll like the ones I bought for you.”
“Ffffuuuckkk offff,” Julian managed to stutter. He was finally able to clench his fists. He rotated his feet in a very deliberate manner. Yes, he was getting control back. In a moment, he would pull the Taser darts out of his flesh. He would reach out and grab the little fucker’s legs. He would pull his ass down and beat him until he was dead, and then he would get Danielle, and he was nev
er going to let her go. He would wrap her up in the tightest contract he’d ever written. He would never, never tell her how much of his heart she and Finn held. He would be their Master, their lover. He would never, ever let them go, but he couldn’t love them. He couldn’t afford to love them. To love them was to ache the way he was aching now. Why couldn’t he just let them go? He wished he could, but they were essential now. Somehow, they had wormed their way in. How could he handle it? People died. People left. They all left in the end. But if he wrapped them up, he could keep them. He could hoard them, like gold. They were precious. He’d gotten them into this position.
He looked up and saw the beginnings of the roof. He felt his head bump against something hard. Stairs. He moved his knee, flexing. Almost time. Just another minute and he would kill Jeremy. He would enjoy it. He would let the beast that lived inside him out and have his way with the prick. He would be covered in blood by the time he was done.
There was that horrible crackling sound as Jeremy struck again. His body convulsed as lightning flared through his system. Hated tears leaked out of his eyes and down his cheeks. Every muscle convulsed from the pulse sent through the darts, and he heard his own animal groan. He’d never felt so helpless, so vulnerable. It was like acid in his gut as he struggled to regain control.
Make it stop. Please. Please. Please.
The begging in his head felt toxic. He held it in. He wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction of hearing him beg. Not ever again. He’d begged his uncle. He’d gotten on his knees and begged to be allowed into his home with his aunt and cousins. He’d so wanted to be a part of a family. He’d cried that day. His uncle had sent him away.
He would never beg again.
His body sagged in exhaustion as the shock finally stopped flowing through his system.
“I can do this all day, Julian.”
Jeremy knelt beside him, Taser in hand. Julian wanted to shrink back, to crawl away like a wounded animal, but he couldn’t move again. Control was so far away. Jeremy’s hand came out and caressed his face.
“Isn’t that what you used to say while you fucked me? ‘I can do this all day, slave.’ I dream about those words at night. I longed to hear them for so long. So I want you to know that I intend to make our last day together memorable.”
His eyes were big and soft as though he was talking to a beloved lover rather than a victim. Julian hated the word, but victim was the only way to describe him. God, what had this psycho already put Danielle through? Was she even fucking alive? Please, please let her be alive and whole.
Jeremy got up and resumed his previous occupation of dragging Julian’s dead weight into the shack that would probably be the location of his death. He heard the door open and the soft sound of a woman crying. Danielle?
“Oh, god, Julian. Julian. What have you done to him? You asshole.”
That was Danielle. He’d never heard her curse. It sounded a little savage. His sweet little Danielle sounded like a warrior. His head turned as Jeremy pulled him, and he was able to see her. She was bound and still in her clothes from this morning. At least it appeared Jeremy hadn’t raped her. God, he hoped not. He tried to reach a hand out to her. He’d promised to protect her. There was no contract between them, but she’d taken him into her body, into her heart. It was contract enough, he suddenly realized. He was the one who had broken the promises their bodies had made. First he’d said words meant to hurt her, meant to make her feel small and inconsequential. Then he’d gotten her into this mess. He’d be the reason she died.
Tears streaked down her face. “Please leave him alone.”
Jeremy dragged him along. “I can’t, dear. He’s the reason we’re here.”
Julian felt his torso being dragged up against something solid. A wall perhaps. He could still see Danielle, and now he could see Lexi huddled in a corner. She was so still. Her black hair fell over her face, and she didn’t move at all. Lucas was going to be devastated. Lucas might not survive losing her no matter what their current relationship status was. Lucas loved her.
Like he loved Danielle. Like he was coming to love Finn.
Time, he needed more time. If he had just had a little more, maybe he could have made it work. His hands were brought up one by one, and he felt the hard plastic wrap around his wrists.
“I love you, Julian.” Danielle’s voice eased over him, the only soft thing in a world that seemed so full of pain.
He wanted to give those words back to her. He’d never said them aloud since that day his uncle had sent him away. He’d used them that day. He’d told his uncle he loved him in hopes of getting what he wanted. Now he wanted to say them, to shout them, but his voice was mute. His mouth was a useless thing.
“Please don’t hurt him again,” Danielle begged. Her hands were over her head attached to a hook in the ceiling. He could see where the ties were too tight. Her wrists were chaffing. She would be bruised.
If not for him, she would be safe somewhere.
A third woman cried next to Dani. Julian stared at her briefly. She had the same features as Danielle, but there was something weak about the slim woman. Her sister. She looked different without the mask of cosmetics. She didn’t matter. Danielle mattered, and Lexi mattered. He knew he was a bastard, but he would let this woman die in order to save the other two.
Jeremy sighed as he walked up to Danielle. “Poor girl. She thinks you care about her, Julian. She doesn’t understand that you would have come here for any of your slaves.” He gave Danielle a pitying glance. “You see the Master is serious about his contracts. Those contracts mean more to him than the actual slave. He doesn’t have a heart, but he does have an enormous sense of responsibility and guilt. Which is precisely why I know this is going to hurt him.”
Jeremy slapped her across the face with brutal force. Julian managed to kick his feet weakly in a show of protest. Danielle gasped, her head snapping back. There was an angry palm print across her delicate skin when she looked back. Rage churned in his gut, and the vile taste of bile was in the back of his throat.
A thin trickle of blood was on the edge of Danielle’s mouth. She spit it out and turned back to Jeremy. “Is that the best you have?”
Don’t. Don’t tempt him, little one. Cry and plead with him.
Jeremy stared at her for a moment. “Interesting. I chose her because I thought the man was a pain slut. He had that look about him. She looks so soft. I thought it would bother her. But if you like it…”
Jeremy crossed the room. There was a bag on the table, and he reached into it. Julian watched in horror as he pulled out a baton.
“Don’t.” Julian managed to push the words through his lips.
“Don’t what?” Jeremy asked with a smile on his face.
“Don’t hurt her.”
He shrugged a little. “It’s not what you think it is. I’m not going to beat her with it.”
Danielle was shivering. “I know what it is. It’s a cattle prod.”
Shit.
Jeremy knelt down to get at eye level. “I’m going to use it on your cow, Julian. I’ll warm her up a bit, and then I’m going to shove it up her ass. We’ll see how much she can take.”
He had lied to himself. He’d promised to never beg, but now he knew he’d do anything to spare her. “Please.”
Jeremy’s face lit up.
“Julian, don’t. I can handle it.”
Danielle, so sweet, so brave.
The words were bitter, but necessary. “I’ll do anything. Please.”
“Begging like the dog you are. I’m surprised. You really will do anything to keep up your end of a contract. It’s your Achilles’ heel.” Jeremy set the prod down and came back with a dog collar. Julian lay passive as it was clicked around his neck. It chafed and bit into his skin. “You’re my dog now. Good puppy. And I’m still going to hurt her.”
“Fucker.”
Just like before, it didn’t matter. Begging didn’t work. Pleading didn’t work. And still he
tried.
“Please leave her alone. I’ll come with you. I’ll do what you want. I’ll be your fucking dog.” He’d never felt so small, but watching Danielle die would be worse.
“Oh, yes, you’ll do everything I say, Julian. I’m the Master now.” Jeremy flicked on the cattle prod. The sound sizzled through the air menacingly.
It was nothing compared to the scream that came out of Danielle’s mouth.
* * * *
Finn heard the scream. It seemed to echo through the forest.
“Holy shit,” Jimbo said beside him. “That sounds like Dani.”
He started forward, but Finn stopped him. He understood the impulse. He wanted to run through the fucking forest like a barbarian and kill everything in his path, but he had to control it. He had to stop and think it through. The worst thing he could do was rush in without any knowledge of what was going on. The old Finn would have blustered his way in and probably gotten himself caught in the same web. The new Finn held his breath for a second. Julian was out of commission for all he knew. He could only count on himself. He was their best shot.
“How many windows are there in this place?”
Jimbo checked himself, too. “Two. There’s a big window on the side facing us and a smaller one in the back. If you’re thinking about sneaking in through the small one, don’t. We’re both too damn big. Though we oughta be able to shoot through it if the target is visible. But what if she’s already gone?”
Finn refused to believe it. “I don’t think so. Julian couldn’t have been there long. I think this Jeremy person wants to torture him before he kills him. The way to torture Julian is to hurt Dani. He’ll play with her for awhile.”
“Fuck.”
Fuck was right. It tore him up that Dani was being hurt. She would have to take it while he set up her rescue. After, he’d love her so much she’d heal. Dani was strong. She’d had to be.
