by Jaime Lewis
“According to Agent Harper and his men working this investigation, at the same time of Tenley’s disappearance, a woman matching her description was seen coming and going from Miguel’s estate in Esmeraldas.”
“Do you think Tenley knows who her dad is and has been keeping it a secret from everyone, including her mom? Could this be what she’d been hiding these past few months? Is she somehow involved in his business?” Potter fired off questions sounding both irritated and paranoid. His mind started to wander, filling his head with awful thoughts. Was she working for her father? Was she involved in criminal activity? Stitch and Frost began to throw out questions of their own, but before things got out of control, Derek continued, “No one knows for sure what Tenley’s involvement is with Miguel. Or Dante. Or whatever the fuck his name is,” He said, motioning his hand in the air. “Agent Harper said one of his men was at Miguel's estate when a woman was carried wrapped in a blanket into the house the evening she disappeared, and that when Miguel met them at the door, he seemed frantic and on edge. He also said the woman was unconscious at the time.”
“Fuck!”
“What’s the plan, commander?” Ace asked.
“First things first. Let’s all get our heads on straight and get through this mission safely. Stay focused; we don’t need to be sidetracked and letting our guard down when we go in there. These guys we’re going in after, don’t give a shit about us and will shoot to kill. Understood?”
“Once we get home, we’re gonna need to talk to Tenley as soon as possible. Agent Harper has agents back in Virginia Beach ready to pull her for questioning. However, after further discussions between him and the agency, he has decided to wait until he speaks with Miguel tomorrow morning. In the meantime, he has given us the okay to question her ourselves. Her tactics of avoiding us and not being honest are going to stop. If she is in any way involved with her father, we need to know all the details beforehand so we can do what we can to help protect her. If any of the people we are going after tonight saw her and somehow connected the dots like the FBI did, then her life could be in danger.”
He started to walk away, mumbling something under his breath about his girls being a magnet for trouble, referring to both Tenley and Alex.
Potter knew Derek considered Tenley a daughter to him, and to even think she could be involved in this mess had to be eating at him. Potter could relate, and as soon as he got home and got his hands on Tenley, he wasn’t sure if he would kiss her senseless just because he knew she was safe in his arms or if he would bend her over his knee and spank the hell out of her ass for hiding the truth.
◆◆◆
Tenley nervously walked toward the front door of Chaz’s club. She couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. If anyone knew her plans, they would be so furious right now.
Her crazy plan sounded good until about five minutes ago when she pulled her car into the parking lot of the club. She was seriously considering backing out, but then Kip, Chaz’s general manager of the club and best friend, appeared in the club’s doorway, staring directly at her. If Kip knew she was here, then Chaz was aware. He probably saw her on the camera feed from his office.
She planned to waltz into Chaz’s office and tell him to fuck off, that she wasn’t going to put her life on hold any longer, no matter what threats he made. Once she told Potter, she would have all the protection she needed.
As she approached the door bypassing the long line of patrons waiting to get in, Kip gave her the once over, probably disappointed that she wasn’t all dressed up ready to impress.
“Ms. Cortez. It’s nice to see you. We’ve missed you around here,” Kip said with a sleazy smile.
She rolled her eyes and got to the point. “I’m assuming that since you’re here, you’ll be escorting me upstairs?”
“He’s waiting for you in the office.” Of course, he was.
Kip took her elbow and guided her through the crowded club. Once they made the climb up the back stairwell to the second floor, Kip rapped on the office door twice. The door swung open, and there stood the asswipe himself. The arrogant grin on Chaz’s face should’ve served as a warning.
“There’s my girl, and perfect timing as well. We were just talking about you.”
She raised one of her eyebrows. Then she realized he said we. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
“Don’t be so shocked. You know you’re always on my mind, baby.” Taking her arm, he pulled her into the office and shut the door behind her, but not before telling Kip that they weren’t to be disturbed.
As she walked further into the room, she noticed another man standing by the sofas. He was in a dead stare with her. Her senses went on alert when she recognized him from the networking event Chaz had taken her to in Richmond last year. As the man approached, her inner persona was telling her that this plan of hers was going to turn into a disaster.
“Wow, Chaz, she is even more stunning since I saw her last summer.”
Chaz smiled like he was the proud owner of a new car as he ran his eyes up her body.
“Tenley, I’d like to introduce you to Esteban Sanchez. Esteban and I were just discussing a business venture we’re working on.”
Tenley looked the guy over. He seemed like a guy who liked to flaunt his wealth, considering all the designer clothing he wore, right down to the Italian leather shoes, and the obnoxious amount of gold rings on his fat fingers.
Being the well-mannered person she was, she reached out to shake his extended hand. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss along her knuckles. “You, my dear, are a goddess.” Esteban peered over at Chaz, who now stood behind her, blocking her only escape.
The longer she stood there, the more uneasy she became. She needed to say what she came here to say and then get the hell out of there. She pulled her hand back and turned to look at Chaz.
“May I please have a word with you privately? It won’t take long, and then you can get back to your business with Mr. Sanchez.”
He gave her a wicked grin. “Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Esteban.”
She looked over her shoulder at Esteban and then back at Chaz. “I don’t believe what I have to say is any of his business.”
Chaz laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong. You see, you are our business.”
She jerked back at his statement and almost stumbled. She turned to look at Esteban. From the way his eyes ate her up, she knew she was in deep trouble.
Esteban’s eyes took on a darkened hue.
“You are going to learn that I don’t pussyfoot around when it comes to business, sweetheart. You see, when I want something, I take it. And you are exactly what I want.” He took a sip from his brandy glass then licked his lower lip.
She swallowed hard. Shit, this wasn’t how she saw the evening turning out. She took a few steps back, only to bump into Chaz. He gripped her arms firmly from behind, holding her in place. Esteban approached slowly. Her body trembled, and her heart raced at the speed of a sprinter. God, she was so stupid for thinking this was a good idea.
Esteban closed the gap between them and nudged her chin, making her look at him. He was taller by a good half foot or so.
He ran his index finger down her cheek to her neck until he reached her collarbone. She tried to slap his hand away, but Chaz took hold of her wrists and held them securely behind her back in a bruising grip. She cried out, and Esteban smiled wickedly. He placed his other hand on her hip while he continued to trail his finger lower, hitting her chest, then ran it between her breasts, down her stomach, finally stopping at the waistband of her jeans.
He looked over her head and spoke to Chaz. “I can already tell she’ll be perfect for our arrangement. A little discipline may be in order, but she will soon learn who she belongs to.”
Even though she was scared out of mind, his comment made her angry. Who in the hell did this guy think he was? She wasn’t down for any type of arrangement between these two.
&
nbsp; She jutted her chin out. “I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate your actions or words.”
Chaz wrenched her arms back further, to the point she was afraid he’d rip them from their sockets. He placed his lips next to her cheek.
“That fucking SEAL doesn’t deserve you.”
“He is a better man than you’ll ever be. He doesn’t stray from the woman he loves.” Oh, god. She was poking the bear, and hell, she didn’t know what her and Potter were right now, but dammit she wasn’t going to lose hope that Potter loved her too.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. Your boyfriend, as you call him, hasn’t been as faithful as you think.”
She looked up over her shoulder at him and saw the evil gleam in his eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s been fucking around with some whore, Tenley.”
She squinted her eyes at him. “You’re wrong. You’re just saying that.”
Her nostrils flared. She didn’t believe Potter would cheat on her. Well, technically, they weren’t dating, but Potter told her things. He held her when he found her down in Ecuador. He made sure she was taken care of. No, there was no way in hell that he slept with someone else. Chaz was just trying to get under her skin.
“Believe what you want to, but either way, it isn’t going to matter because I warned you how things were going to be. I’m not happy with your little disappearing act for the last month, nor the idea of you using your job as an excuse to hide from me.”
Esteban stood beside her and chuckled, “I think you’re scaring her, Chaz.”
“She should be scared. She doesn’t realize how her game of hide and seek has hindered our progress. We had deadlines to meet.”
Tenley was not liking what she was hearing. She still had no clue how she played into Chaz’s business. All this about obeying and demanding wasn’t how she rolled. She definitely wasn’t keen on being a pawn in whatever sick dealings the two of them were engaged in.
Having enough of the bullshit and using the weight of her body, she hip-checked Chaz, causing him to stumble. When he released her arms to break his fall, she turned and swung her leg. She delivered a hard kick to his upper thigh. Seeing the clear path to the door, she made a run for it. Unfortunately, she didn’t get far because Esteban was waiting like a dangerous cat in the shadows, and pounced on her. He grabbed the back of her blouse, ripping it in the process. She screamed out as he swung her around, throwing her against the door. She cried out as her back made contact with the trim. Pinning her with his body, she tried to free herself, but his strength overpowered hers. He slapped her in the face, then pressed his full weight against her. His face was all contorted, and he was breathing heavily. He leaned down and ran his tongue along the top of her breasts up to her neck. One of his hands caressed her breast while his other slowly slid down her body until it rested on her hip.
“You wanna play rough, sweetheart? Roughness is my forte.” He said, grabbing her jaw, directing her eyes on his. Looking into his eyes scared her. She was crying and pleading with him to stop.
Chaz joined them. He was fuming as his nostrils flared with every breath he took.
“I’ve changed my mind, Chaz. Instead of getting rid of her after we use her to bait Miguel, I say we keep her as ours.”
The mention of Miguel’s name made her freeze in her attempt to get away. Miguel had been right about Chaz. She wondered if Esteban was the rival who Miguel spoke about. Oh, dear God, what had she gotten herself into?
She felt Chaz’s lips against the side of her neck, and she stiffened. “It will be easier if you just give in to us, baby. Don’t fight us, and maybe we’ll go a little easy on you. Although, I do owe you a punishment for the stunt you just pulled.” He bit down on her ear lobe, causing a whimper to escape.
“Bring her over to the couch,” Esteban ordered.
Once again, she found herself at the mercy of Chaz’s hands as he forced her to the other side of the room where Esteban stood, rolling up the sleeves to his dress shirt.
She watched as he picked up a flat wooden ruler lying on Chaz’s desk. Using the ruler, he pointed to the couch.
“Lay her there, on her stomach.”
She looked between the two men as she shook, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What are you going to do?” She asked, digging her heels into the rug.
Esteban appeared in front of her. “Punish you.”
Tenley’s eyes went wide, and she tried again to pull away, but this time around, Chaz had been ready. Taking a handful of her hair, he yanked her head back.
“Stop fighting. If you don’t, your punishment will only be worse. My patience is wearing thin with your recalcitrance.”
“I don’t want you to hit me. It will hurt,” She sobbed. “Please, I’ll do anything.”
Esteban placed his rough, callous palm against her cheek. “It is called a punishment for a reason. It is meant to hurt, to remind you not to act out of line. I promise, the marks I leave will only be temporary and will fade over the days ahead.” He dropped his hand and took a step back.
Chaz pushed her down onto the leather couch and straddled her legs, making her immobile. He pushed her shirt up and shimmied her jeans down just to the crack of her ass. Her entire back, from shoulder blades down to her butt, was exposed.
She buried her face in the cushion. She couldn’t stop crying as she waited for the pain to what they thought was owed to her.
The hard slap of the thin piece of wood against the skin of her back had her rearing up and screaming at the top of her lungs. She was shoved back down by one of the men, and five more whacks followed it. When the last smack landed, she waited for another one, but it never came. Instead, her shirt was pulled down, and jeans pulled up.
She was so clogged up with snot and tears from crying; she barely heard the knock on the door.
“I said no interruptions!” Chaz shouted as he climbed off her.
“Sorry, boss, but we got trouble downstairs.”
“Fuck!”
Chaz looked at Esteban, “Go see what the issue is. I’ll keep watch on our girl.”
When Chaz opened the door, Tenley turned her head and saw Kip standing there, appearing worried. Before Chaz shut the door behind him, she thought she heard Kip mention something about cops. Tenley perked up. If cops were downstairs, she could seek them out, but she needed a plan to get away from the monster holding her captive in his club.
Speaking of monster, Esteban squatted down next to her and brushed her hair away from her face. She flinched when he tried to wipe her tears away. She didn’t want him touching her at all.
“You are too beautiful to be seen crying, Tenley.” He stood and held his hand out. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up before Chaz comes back. Then we will discuss what is expected from you going forward.”
Not wanting to endure any more pain and punishments, she pushed herself up to her knees. When she tried to stand, she whimpered from the pain along her backside. The pain was so deep in her muscles that she couldn’t even stand up straight. More tears leaked from her eyes. As she walked to the bathroom, Esteban followed. She hoped he didn’t plan on joining her in the bathroom. She needed a few minutes alone to think about how she was going to get out of this predicament. Her heart beat faster when he moved to step into the bathroom, but then his phone rang. Pulling the phone from his clip on his belt, he looked at it and scrunched his forehead up, then told her he needed to answer it. When he left the room, he left the door cracked open, and she watched him as he walked toward the opposite side of the office, keeping his back to her while he spoke. When he sat down in one of the chairs, appearing to make himself comfortable, she saw that as an opportune moment to get the hell out of there.
Quietly, she slipped out the door, not taking her eye off Esteban. She only had a few feet she had to go to make it to the office door. Eyeing a small marble statue of Egyptian princess that Chaz had received as a birthday present last
year, sitting on the table by the door, she picked it up knowing she could use it as a weapon.
Whoever Esteban was talking to must have been delivering upsetting news because he started to raise his voice. She couldn’t comprehend Spanish, so she wasn’t sure what was being said, but she didn’t want to stick around either. Using his loud voice as a cover, Tenley cracked open the main door just enough to squeeze her body through. She was surprised to see that Chaz didn’t have another one of his guards standing there. She descended the stairs slowly and carefully because of the pain she was in. Once her feet hit the ground, she pushed open the emergency exit that led to the back parking lot of the club. It was only a matter of time before Esteban realized she wasn’t in the bathroom. God knows what type of punishment she would endure for this. The thought of being assaulted again made her push the pain aside until she made it to her car. Once she was safely in her car with the doors locked, she wasted no time in starting the engine and peeling out of the lot.
She kept driving, turning down odd streets while watching in her rearview mirror to make sure no one followed. After about twenty minutes, she pulled into a grocery store parking lot and retrieved her phone from her purse. The first person she wanted to dial was Potter, but since he wasn’t home, she opted for Derek. Derek was the only other person she trusted who could help her right now. She knew Alex wouldn’t think twice at helping her, but there was no way she was going to involve her. Hitting Derek’s number, she waited as it rang. After the fourth or fifth ring, it went to voicemail. She didn’t bother leaving a message. Instead, she dialed her mom. Her mom normally knew where Derek was.
“Tenley?”
“Hi, mom.”
“How are you?”
“Okay.” She lied through her teeth and, damn, she hated to do that, but she wasn’t getting her mom tied up in her mess either.
“I thought you’d be working tonight again.”
“I am, but I have the midnight shift,” Another lie. There was no way she was going to survive working in the ER with the pain she was in. “Listen, do you know where Derek might be? I need to speak with him.”
