“Father?”
Nothing else. Just a trembling question while she looked forward. Shaking wracked her body and she appeared on the verge of crumbling to pieces. How in the hell did she do it? Where did she go to in her mind to get her to this troubling state?
“How are you, Mary? You okay?”
It was a ridiculous question for what Victor assumed was happening. Of course she wouldn’t have been okay. Mary was standing there with a supposedly black eye.
“I want to come home.” Her tone reminded me how she likely would have sounded as a scared little girl. All false bravery. “Please tell me you’ve found Lily.”
Victor leaned forward. “We’re going to be bringing you home real soon. Don’t you worry about that.” He nodded to the side. “Look, Jordan came to see you. He’s been really worried.”
Mary’s breathing deepened and I couldn’t tell if she was nervous or excited. The anger inside burst into an inferno right in the center of my chest. My hands itched to grab her around the throat and make her announce to all of them who owned her. Who she yearned to stay with. But the truth was, I knew she wanted to leave, and I couldn’t stand it.
“Hello, Jordan.” Her head lowered even more. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better. I was worried.”
“No big deal.” Jordan took a shuddering breath. So many emotions flickered on his face I almost couldn’t believe it. He looked down, only to look back up at her with…want? And not just sexual. Almost what appeared to be yearning? “I’m so sorry, Mary.” He blinked and looked away. After a few seconds, he turned back. “You were so brave. Still are. I can’t get the way you looked when he pulled you away out of my head. The fear.” His hands appeared to tighten and I watched, trying to read every little movement. “Mary, I wanted to come to you. To save you. I hope you understand why I couldn’t.” He paused. “God, we have a lot to talk about when you get back. I just want you to know that I’ve been really worried, and we are going to get you back. That’s a promise. I won’t stop until you’re here.”
Hearing anymore was going to make me snap. “Enough of this. We’re not here to listen to lovebirds tweet ballads out of their asses. Take her.” Mary pretended to put up a small fight as Marcio pulled her back to the stairs. I glared at her, making her squirm. When my attention came back to them, Victor’s face hardened.
“You lay one more hand on my daughter…”
“Are you threatening me? Tell me. What will you do, Victor?” My head cocked to the side. Waiting. Praying he’d say anything to set me off. I needed a valid excuse to go batshit crazy and tear shit up. I didn’t think jealousy was going to fly in Mary’s eyes and she’d want an excuse for the behavior if I started ripping this place apart.
“Show me your evidence. I’ll tell you nothing more until I see what you’ve been going on about.”
Great. So much for my excuse. I nodded to Brace who brought me one of the many folders. “Let’s see.” I opened it glancing down at the affidavits I’d collected over the months from witnesses. Behind them were photos. I pulled out the stack, flipping through them. A smile came to my face and I held up one of Victor and Julian at the Blasé. The club was exclusive and only dealt with members. The luxury hotel that was attached was perfect for them to get on their monthly kinks. But, this picture was special. A petite brunette sat on Victor’s lap while her face was buried against Julian’s neck. “Katrina Benvose. Did you know she’s only sixteen?” Any woman would have been bad enough, but a minor? That one picture alone would ruin his career.
I held up the next. And then the next. All of them with the same girl in the main level. It’d been hard as hell for me to get those shots. Being a member myself, I had no problem getting in. It was trying to get past the governor’s detail that had made the pictures almost impossible to take. But I hadn’t had a regular camera. Mine had been attached to my suit jacket.
“Son of bitch.” Victor lowered his head. “Is that it?”
“Not even close. I have folder upon folder of stuff on all of you.” My eyes cut to Jordan. “Especially the golden boy. But I’m sure Julian has already seen all of his handiwork. The world hasn’t, though.”
Jordan leaned forward, a scowl on his face. At Julian’s hand touching his shoulder, he remained quiet.
“Tell me where my sister is.”
Victor licked his lips and picked up a picture on the desk. “This was taken only this morning. She’s in Afghanistan.” A long, dark gown hung loosely from her body and her face was half covered, but I knew those eyes. Bile rose in my throat and I leaned closer, taking in all I could.
“I want her back, right now. Get her back to me, now!” Jesus…she was alive. Adrenaline hit me like a shot of speed. My whole body started shaking at the combination of rage and relief I felt.
“It’s not that simple,” Victor said, holding up his hand. “She’s been sold. We can’t just go in there and tell them we want her back. The man has been contacted and we’re trying to make him a deal. We’re not sure what he’s going to say, but we’re trying to make this possible. Before we go further, though…” Mr. Hagen glanced at Brighton. “We’re going to meet and come to an agreement. On paper.”
Warmth from the coffee brought my eyes down. I needed to calm. They couldn’t see me any more upset or else I was in their hands, and no one controlled me.
“Your sister, for your silence on everything you’ve discovered. I want the files. The pictures. We all walk away from this like nothing ever happened. “You get Lily. I get Mary. Even trade. Silence on both parts.”
My eyes went to Mary. Nothing. For the first time since we’d somewhat bonded, I couldn’t read her. The tapping of my fingers clinked against the cup as my mind raced. I wasn’t giving up Mary. I couldn’t. But I couldn’t leave my sister there either. Mary would have to go, if just temporarily. At least at the tradeoff. I knew she wasn’t going to have anything to do with her father once she got in his hands. Maybe she’d come right back, or end up telling Victor to go to hell and leave with me and Lily.
“Deal.”
A muffled sound had me turning toward Mary. Marcio was holding her back, his hand covering her mouth. Rage flared in her eyes and I didn’t understand why.
“Good. You can come sign the papers at your convenience. If all works out according to plan, you’ll have your sister within the next week or two. It works out perfectly. Mary can come back and start planning her wedding. All will be well.”
“Wait.” The coffee scorched my hand at the sudden movement. I wiped the wetness on my jeans, not taking my eyes off of the three of them. “What wedding?”
Victor looked confused. “To Jordan, of course. She’s damaged now. You carved your fucking name in her chest. Jordan’s okay with that. He’s taken a liking to her and has stepped up and agreed. It’s all for the best.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Have you seen his handiwork? You’re going to let your daughter marry into that? What about her? Does she get a choice?”
“This coming from you? You’re not any different, Mr. Roberts. You may have done yours out of spite, but you still did it. Anyway, Jordan knows not to really hurt Mary. Not that it’s any of your business. And Mary will do the right thing. She always has.”
Red. That’s all I saw when I looked at the three of them. Fuck, what was I doing? I couldn’t even think right now. I took a drink of my coffee, trying to calm. “I’ll be back in town tonight. You can meet me at a place of my choosing and we’ll take care of what we need. I’ll call.” I waved my hand and Brace disconnected.
Marcio dropped his hand and Mary flew at me like a wild animal. I barely managed to set my cup down before her hand swiped across my arm. Coffee sloshed onto the desk while she hit me across the chest. “You’re letting them get away with this? Are you fucking crazy? Is that all Lily or I mean to you? A quick fix?” She hit me on the chest again and I let her. “There are other women who need help and you’re going to walk away from that? What kind of monster
are you?” She pushed me hard and turned her back, pounding up the stairs with more anger than I thought her capable of.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “Marcio.” He didn’t wait as he rushed after her. Monster. Yes, I was that. I should have cared about the other girls, but what could I do? Go in there with a fucking pack of hired killers and blow them all away? I’d already done that. Plus, Mary and my sister were safe. I may have had a death wish before, but I sure as hell didn’t now. As for her father and the rest, I knew I wouldn’t get Lily back without signing a deal with the devil. Plus, if I threw him under the bus, he’d surely do the same to me. I had kidnapped Mary. She might not press charges, but it’d be a hell of a court battle overall. I just didn’t have the patience to deal with that right now. I wanted it over with. For Lily to be safe and Mary to be happy being my slave.
The coffee disappeared as I chugged it down. I walked up the stairs and into the kitchen. Marcio pushed the door open and Mary barged in, her fists clutched at her sides. Surprise lit my face. How did he get her to come without having to drag her back in here? I was sure I’d hear her fighting a mile away.
“You didn’t have enough before, Master?” The deep breathing told me she wasn’t anywhere near done. But this was more than her being angry about the girls. So much more.
I refilled my cup with coffee and leaned against the counter. Marcio headed downstairs with Brace. I waited until I heard the footsteps disappear before I started. “What’s really bothering you, Mary? Is it that you’ll be leaving soon? You can stay, you know. Well, not here, but with me in San Francisco.”
“It has nothing to do with me leaving. I miss my apartment. I want to go home.” Heaviness pulled my soul to the floor. Was it so easy for her to turn her back on the little time we’d had together? My name was carved in her fucking chest for crying out loud. It’s not like that shit was washing off. She walked over, pulled out a cup, and made her own coffee. “What I’m upset about is that you have my father under your thumb and you’re letting him win. He always wins! Why? It’s not fair.” A sob came from her mouth and she was suddenly slamming the cabinet closed.
Silverware went flying from the drawer she’d opened and it didn’t stop. Flour emptied across the floor, followed by sugar and the shattering of glass from the jar it was in. While she destroyed the side part of the kitchen, I watched, continuing to sip my coffee. Whatever was in her had to be unleashed and I wasn’t going to stop her from doing whatever she needed to set it free.
“One fucking thing after another!”
A spatula went flying by and I jerked my head back so it wouldn’t hit me. The state Mary was in had ahold of her like a black hole, swallowing her deeper and further away from the real world. More utensils scattered to the floor and she spun to me, hollow, devoid of anything behind her eyes. What did she see? Where was she?
“Your rape?” The question was meant to be a thought, but I’d somehow spoken the words out loud. Mary turned on me with enough hate to match what I held inside.
“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill them all! Fucking…” Another sob left her and she reached up, clutching her hair. “Why? Why me? Why anybody?” Her legs buckled and I tossed my coffee down on the counter. My arms caught her before she had a chance to collapse to the floor.
I didn’t say a word as I pulled her in my arms and nestled us against the corner of the bottom cabinets. It was as though they were hugging my shoulders while I cradled her. Why that gave me comfort, I wasn’t sure. Maybe I knew it was about to get bad and I prayed I could help her. With my track record, I wasn’t necessarily known for comforting words.
“Nothing. I got nothing from them. No comfort. No explanation. No justice. Just that same fucking excuse. Over and over. Forget about it, Mary. Just stop thinking about it, Mary. Talk about it with your therapist, Mary. Move on, Mary! That same agonizing scream left her and I held to her tiny body tighter, afraid she was breaking right in my arms. How would I fix this? Fix her?
“What kind of parents say that? I’ll tell you. Mine. Mine would rather look perfect in the public eye than spend five minutes trying to console their child. A child who needed someone. Anyone. But I got nothing. And look what happened? I turned out just like him, in a way. I was born out of his darkness. Drugs, guns, and sex slaves…No wonder I spent my youth in the back rooms of clubs, begging for the pain. I’m just as sick as he is.”
My hands weaved in the hair at the base of her neck and I pulled her deeper into my chest while I continued to rock her. “We’re all our own twisted version of sick. You’re not alone, Mary. You have me.”
“Not for long. I’m getting married. Or did you miss that part?”
Hell broke loose in my heart. My mind. My hands. I jerked her head back, my other hand clutching her chin. “You’re not marrying him. I won’t let you.”
The slap that cracked across my face only made me hold her tighter.
“What the hell do you care? You’re getting what you want. My father will avoid another scandal because of you. I’ll marry Jordan because I know we’re alike and he can deal with me, and you’ll go back to playing Bachelor of the Year.”
All I could do was shake my head. It was either that or strangle the life out of her to show her how much I cared. “You’ll marry a man who helps sell women as slaves?”
“Hypocrite.” Malice laced her words and they taunted the animal deep within. I couldn’t stand her looking down at me. But, she was right. I was using a double standard and she saw that all too clearly. “Now you care about the rest of the slaves? Don’t bother lecturing me. You’re turning just as much of a blind eye as I am. Now let go of me. Isn’t your fancy helicopter waiting to take you back to the city? I’m through looking at you.”
Dismissed? No way in hell. I stood, cradling her as I headed for the stairs. This tantrum of hers was going to end right now. I didn’t care if I had to beat it out of her. I would, in my own way. And I had just the place.
“Let me guess, you’re going to go tie me up again. Gag me, too?”
No way was I going to give her my attention. Not after her name calling and the way she was acting. It was time my slave remembered who she was.
The main stairs disappeared behind me and instead of heading straight to the bedroom, I made a right down the long hallway. I’d only been in the room long enough to get everything set up, but the time had come to break in my playground and the memories I wanted to stain the walls were all of Mary. She’d be the person I saw when I thought of this place. Only her.
“Where are we going?” A slight trace of panic edged her voice. Still, I ignored her. It wasn’t until I opened the door that she melted into my arms. The act said so much. I knew what she needed and I was all too happy to give it to her.
A multiple arrangement of tables, benches, stocks, a Saint Andrew’s cross, and a bed filled the room. From the black frames to the red leather cushions matching each one, I felt for a pull to something in particular. With no history, my playground was just as pure as Mary. Fuck. I couldn’t decide what to put her on first. I walked to the nearest one, a spanking bench that had a pad for her knees and an arch for her to lay over. It would have to do. After all, it was only the first. Of many…
Chapter 11
Mary
I’d never needed a release as bad as I did in that moment. Leather connected with my knees and my eyes closed, already feeling the overwhelming emotions pushing against my insides to get out. Pure domination emanated from Slade as he lifted the dress over my head and grabbed my wrists, pulling me forward to hold onto the handles at the ends of the arch.
He knew me. Read my tension, deciphering the turmoil I held within. My pain would be his pleasure as he extracted it from my body, and I’d give it, gladly.
The wall held multiple tools of the trade, hanging from small little hooks, while shelves sat under that with toys for penetration. Riding crops, floggers, paddles of all shapes and sizes drew my attention just as much as his. While he scanned the long row
, I couldn’t decide which one I’d prefer him to use. Not that it was my choice, but I found I actually didn’t have a preference. As long as it brought me what I needed, I’d take it.
Almost lovingly, Slade traced his finger down a whip. How would it feel to once again experience that sweet sting over my skin? It’d been a few years, but I still remembered just the way it’d felt. Crippling, then. Would it be the same with Slade in control?
He moved to the crop, only to caress the leather strands from the flogger at the end. None of those would be suitable for what he had me on. The crop or flogger, maybe, but he wouldn’t use those. Not yet.
Blindfolds; some leather, others made of what looked to be silk rested at the end of the paddles. He grabbed one at the end. There was nothing fancy or sexy about it. Just a plain black mask. Thicker than most. But, of course, this wasn’t a sexual situation. Not necessarily. What we were here for was my punishment. That was it. No foreplay. Just raw pounding of the flesh that would take away what was dying to escape.
“Your safeword is recollections. Say it so I know you’ve heard me.”
“Recollections?” My mind raced. That was an odd safe word. “Why that one?”
Slade grabbed a plain looking wooden paddle, gripping the end as he came back to me. He wouldn’t meet my stare and I didn’t like it. The blindfold drowned every last speck of light from my vision, leaving me the in the pitch black with my sins. My demons that tortured every cavernous crevice of my soul. It was time to ease that. At least for the moment.
Breath tickled my neck and ear as he finished fastening the barrier to my eyes. “You want to know why I chose recollections?”
“Yes.” Arousal took over when I hadn’t expected it too. I couldn’t help it, I was in my element. Maybe I should have been scared, but I wasn’t.
SLADE: Captive to the Dark Page 11
