Owned by the Dom: Part Two (The Owners)

by Sam Crescent

  “Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? I watched you shoot Jermaine and probably kill him.” Prue pushed her hair off her face. Tears welled in her eyes as the gravity of her situation suddenly swamped her.

  “Jermaine had a choice. You don’t have a choice, and for that I’m sorry. I’m following orders, and you were the only way I saw them being filled.” He opened the door then turned back to her. Daren watched her then closed the door. The lock clicked in place, making her flinch.

  A chill settled in the room. Turning away from the door she stared out at the water. Her thoughts returned to James. What was he doing? Did he miss her?

  Settling down on the bed, Prue closed her eyes wishing that she was still at home in the comfort of her bed. The swaying of the boat made her feel sick, but not half as sick as the knowing there was no chance of her surviving this ordeal the longer she was away from him.

  Please, James. Come and get me.

  Chapter Three

  James ignored the ringing of his bell. He opened the safe inside the office at his father’s old home. The house had been in his family for several generations, and he needed to find what Daren wanted. He no longer saw the other man as Leo, the guy who had worked for him. His life would be a lot easier if he only saw the enemy and not the friend he’d thought he was. He swigged down the strong whiskey he’d bought from the liquor store. The numbing quality of the alcohol was very much welcome.

  The door continued to ring as he threw jewels and other pieces of meaningless paper over his head. None of the stuff in the safe would get him back his woman. He thought about emptying out all of his bank accounts and demanding they give her back with the millions of dollars he had. Money was no matter.

  Daren, or more accurately, Daren’s boss wanted some fucking piece of paper that he didn’t have the first clue in finding. A piece of paper or a file that would implicate the boss man himself instead of him living a merry life away from all the shit.

  Veronica had been fucking useless. She’d been ordered by a guy she didn’t know and wouldn’t recognise to give him the envelope. What was inside the envelope had been a mystery. When James showed her the pictures inside, she’d been clueless. To Veronica, Leo had been an employee and nothing else.

  Swigging from the bottle, James moved onto the desk. His father was well known for loving secret compartments. Moving out of the room, James grabbed a hammer from the store cupboard that kept the cleaning supplies.

  When he returned to the desk, he threw the computer along with the stationery to the floor. Next, he upended the table, then set about throwing the hammer onto the hard wood. The sounds he made echoed throughout the house. Pain unlike anything he’d ever felt consumed every part of him. He couldn’t breathe past the suffocation he was feeling about losing Prudence. Nothing else existed for him other than his love for one woman.

  “I’m going to find her.” Reaching for the bottle of whisky, he took another large gulp before returning back to hammering the table.

  The sound of splintering wood and crashing filled the air. James ignored the sound and continued his brutal assault on the wood.

  “James, what are you doing?” Stephen asked.

  Turning to the sound of his name, he saw Stephen standing with Lucas and Sean. Dane was nowhere in sight, nor was Cadeon.

  “What are you three doing here?” Half a bottle of strong whisky and his speech wasn’t even slurred.“We handled the cops, and Dane is with the women. Cadeon has taken Violet away. His woman is in too delicate a condition to be part of this.” Stephen’s words made sense.

  “I understand why Cadeon has run. They took Prudence. Why not take Violet?”

  He raised the hammer above his head then smashed it against the desk. When the hammer wouldn’t do what he wanted fast enough, James lowered the hammer and began using his strength to tear the desk apart.

  “James, stop this,” Lucas said. The other man approached the desk with his hands raised. “What are you doing?”

  “Leo, fuck, Daren, needs a file. I need to give him that file, and then I get Prudence back. It’s pretty fucking easy.”

  The three men looked between themselves then stared at him. Shrugging his shoulders, James went back to rummaging through the desk. The old wood was nothing but broken chunks and splinters by the time he was through with it.

  “I’ve got more shit to tear apart,” he said.

  Brushing past the men he moved toward the pictures surrounding the walls. He’d never moved the other pictures. His father had shown him the one he’d torn apart with the jewels and a few property files inside.

  “There is nothing here. I promised Prudence that I’d protect her. I can’t even find a fucking file.” He slammed the half empty bottle into the hearth then grabbed the nearest painting with two hands. James threw the painting to the floor. The expense of the art was lost on him with his anger at losing the only thing precious to him.

  “James, you need to stop,” Sean said.

  “Why? You turned to the drink when your woman was gone. Fuck me, you turned to the bottle when she fucking turned back up.” James went to the next picture.

  “We need to stop him,” Stephen said.

  When he moved to destroy the third picture in the far corner of the room, James paused as he saw a safe imbedded in the wall.

  “Are you seeing this?” he asked. Lifting his left hand in the air, he gestured for the three other men to move closer. Turning the picture around in his hands he saw the key on the other side. His father had never told him about this safe.

  As he tried to grab the key his vision suddenly became blurred. “What … the … fuck …?”

  He turned to see Stephen holding a syringe.

  “We shouldn’t have used that crap,” Lucas said, catching him in his arms.

  “What did you want to do? Watch him lose sight of everything. He’s losing his mind. Prudence is not here, and he’s dying inside. I’ve never seen this happen before.”

  Lucas caught him before he hit the ground. James wanted to rant and rave at the three men. They had drugged him. He didn’t know what with, but from the feel it was some kind of tranquiliser.

  He heard what they were saying even though none of it made sense. Across his vision he saw Prudence with her beautiful dyed black hair with red lights underneath.

  His Prudence.

  His woman.

  His very reason for existence.

  James’s eyes closed against his will.

  Prudence!

  ****

  Sun shone through the window. James opened one eye feeling the effects of the whisky he’d consumed the night before. He lay on the sofa inside his office. His head pounded against his skull. The pain felt like a bunch of small hammers were hitting against his head.

  “I see you’ve decided to wake up,” Stephen said.

  James turned to the sound of his friend, who stood in the doorway nursing two cups of coffee. “What happened?”

  Glancing around the room he saw the chaos around him.

  “Lucas, Sean, and I have been monitoring you throughout the night.”

  “You stuck some drug in me.” He touched the back of his neck feeling the tense muscles give against his touch. “Why?”

  “You were out of control. You’ve completely torn apart your father’s old desk. We didn’t know how much the room could survive if you decided to attack anything that moved.” Stephen moved closer into the room. He handed a cup to James then stood staring down at him.

  “Do I need to be monitored like some virus under a microscope?” James asked, taking the coffee. He turned to see the safe imbedded in the wall. His father had never showed him that safe.

  “We left everything the way it was before you passed out. You were merely given a sedative. James, you needed to sleep. What you were doing was out of control.”

  He listened to Stephen talk as the pain struck him once again. Prudence was gone, and he needed to get her back.

  James opene
d his mouth ready to speak when the sound of his cell phone ringing interrupted him. Sean came charging through the room.

  “It’s him,” he said, handing the cell phone to him. James stared down at the anonymous number. His hands shook as he accepted the call. Lucas stood at the door with his arms folded.

  “Hello,” James said.

  “James, how are you doing, boss?” Daren laughed at his joke down the line.

  “What do you want?” James tightened his fist around the cup of coffee. The handle snapped off, and hot coffee spilt everywhere. He cursed, standing.

  “What’s that I hear? If you’re thinking of sweet talking me with those words then I’m very disappointed in you.”

  “I spilt coffee, all right.” The chance of hearing Prudence’s voice changed his attitude instantly. “Is Prudence there? Is she all right?”

  A sigh came over the line. He wanted to slam his phone against the wall but held off the desire. Hearing Prudence’s voice meant more to him than cutting this bastard off.

  “She’s sleeping right now. She looks so peaceful. I see why you love her. She looks ripe enough to pluck.”

  “Don’t you fucking touch her,” James said. The image of her perfect naked body entered his head. He understood what Daren was saying. No man could resist those curves, at least he couldn’t.

  “You’re in no position to order me, James. I’ll do whatever the fuck I like to her.” Some commotion came over the line. The sound of Daren cursing then more movement followed. “I was only calling to see if you’d found what I need. I’m not too far from being in England. Prue will love England. Well, she’ll love what she gets to see.”

  “You promised,” James said. “I’m looking for what you need. Keep Prudence safe and out of harm’s way.”

  “I’m doing all I can. Hurry the fuck up. Otherwise you’re going to wish you’d never met me.” The line went dead.

  “I already wish I never fucking met you.” James glared down at his phone. He wanted to throw it, break it, or at the least do something to take out his aggression. The phone beeped letting him know he had a message.

  He opened the message, and an image of Prudence asleep on a bed flashed on screen.

  “You want her to live? Do as you’re told!” The print along the bottom came into view.

  James fisted his hands, turned towards the wall, and started hitting the brick wall with all of his might. He didn’t stop even as his knuckles turned red from the wounds. Sean wrapped his arms around him halting the progress of his pain.

  “Stop this. Killing yourself slowly is never going to win her back. You’ve got a chance to get Prudence back. You need to start focusing,” Sean said.

  Once he was back on the sofa again, James stared at the three men. Shame filled every pore of his being. Losing control was not on the list of things to do. His knuckles ached from hitting the wall.

  Shaking his head, James tried to remember everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  “So, Cadeon has gone and taken his woman. Where is Dane?” James asked.

  “He’s at Possession with the two agents assigned to his case,” Stephen said

  James nodded. “What?”

  “The two agents, Josiah Dewitt and Hubert Long, they’re at Possession, and they need you there,” Lucas said. “Dane is there with Isabella and Rebecca. Tate and Kevin are also keeping an eye on everything. They’re checking through records of Leo, I mean, Daren Robinson.”

  “Let me guess, it doesn’t look good?” James asked. He tore some of his shirt and pressed the fabric against his bruised knuckles. Hitting the wall no longer felt like a good idea. He was losing his mind the more he was away from Prudence.

  “From what Kevin and Tate have been able to make out since his real identity has come to light, he’s the right-hand man. The person the boss man turns to when he needs something done,” Lucas said.

  “Is Prudence safe? I mean, will he hurt her?” James pushed the tears down. Thinking of his woman alone with that animal tore him apart. No matter what he thought, Daren was a monster and would do whatever the hell he wanted to do.

  Lucas turned to look at the other two men.

  “We don’t know,” Sean said. “We don’t know enough about this guy. Dominic Green was where it all started for us. This with Daren and whoever the boss is, goes back a lot longer than we anticipated.”

  James turned to look at the safe. “I’m wondering if Daddy knew a lot more than he let on.”

  Chapter Four

  James placed his cup on the floor then stood up. He moved toward the safe wanting to know what secrets lay beneath the strong metal container. The picture against the wall stared up at him, mocking him. His father had never liked that artwork, but he’d been determined to keep it. Why?

  Lifting the artwork in his hands, James turned it over to see a key taped to the top right hand corner.

  “Secrets from within,” he said. The words were written underneath the key.

  “What do you think it means?” Stephen asked, standing beside him.

  James grabbed the key then placed the image on the floor. “I’ve no idea, but I want to know what my father knew and was afraid to tell me.” His father had shared everything with him. He placed the key into the lock, and the door sprang open revealing another metal box and several files. Frowning, James grabbed the small metal box that was in fact a small money safe. He handed the box to Stephen then pulled out the files.

  James placed the files on top of the coffee table. Lucas and Sean had taken a seat on the sofa.

  “What do you think this is?” Lucas asked.

  “I’ve no idea. I’ve been through everything else he left me. I didn’t even know he had a second safe.”

  “How could you not have known?” The question came from Sean.

  “I didn’t redesign this part of the house. I loved coming here and sitting with my father as he worked.” James flipped open the file. An image of Lloyd Black filled the page. Flicking through the file he caught the odd word relating Lloyd back to prostitution among other things. One name kept popping up. “Have any of you heard of a Henry Warren?”

  He looked up to see confusion on the other men’s faces.

  “We need to take this back to Possession,” Stephen said. He lifted the box then started closing the files.

  “You’re going to trust two agents who are probably working for Daren?” James asked.

  “Are you paranoid as well? They’re here to make sure Dane does his part of the deal. I don’t know about you, but I want this finished. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder. Between Dominic Green, Lloyd and Eugene Black, and now Daren Robinson, I’ve had enough. Ursula is soon to be my wife, and yet I can’t offer her the protection she deserves with these men threatening to take everything away from me,” Stephen said. “I’m pretty fucking desperate, and these men know what they’re talking about.”

  James stared at his longest friend before turning to see Sean and Lucas nodding in agreement. Both men had served their country in the forces. They had military training, knowledge, and the means of helping him.

  “Do you trust these two agents?” he asked.

  “I wouldn’t trust anyone else. They were after Dominic like I was, James. I wouldn’t let anything happen to your woman,” Lucas said.

  Nodding, James followed the three men out of the house. He locked the door even though he wasn’t scared of anyone breaking in. The files were locked in his arms. He wasn’t letting them go. They were his lifeline to getting Prudence back. Time was fading fast, and he didn’t know how much longer Prudence had left.

  She would be in England, and when he had everything he needed, he’d make the trade.

  Stephen’s car pulled out of the driveway. After his own driver, Arthur, saw him home the night before, James ordered the man to stay away. Whatever mess he was in, he didn’t want anyone else getting hurt.

  “What happened with Jermaine?” he asked. He’d abandoned his
friends to go to Veronica.

  “His body was taken to the local morgue. He’s being released to his family, and then a date will be set for burial,” Lucas said.

  “We were all taken away for questioning. Josiah and Hubert dealt with the cops and got us released. They promised to keep an eye on us as long as we give them the details of what’s happening,” Stephen said.

  “I want money sent to Jermaine’s family. He didn’t deserve to die like that. His family will be provided for and his burial paid.” James stared out of the window. His reflection shocked him. There were several greys hairs mixed with his black. Running his fingers through it, he saw the wrinkles around his eyes. From the image staring back at him it looked like he’d aged overnight.

  “I’ll sort something out with Jermaine,” Stephen said.

  Turning away from his reflection, James stared over Sean’s shoulder. Possession came into view. The sunlight made everything look beautiful even though he knew the club would be empty. There was no press surrounding the grounds. Lucas pressed in the security code that opened the gates.

  “No press?” James asked.

  “They disappeared. I’m hoping to never see them again. They were irritating as fuck.” James chuckled. The sound seemed forced even to his ears. Staring up at the house where Possession was located filled James with deep regret. He’d been here when he should have been protecting Prudence.

  Lucas and Sean left the car. Stephen remained. “I know this place is hard for you.”

  “You’ve no idea. I was in that fucking place when I should have been helping her. She’s gone because of me.”

  “And she’ll survive because of you. You need to come inside. All of us need to end this once and for all.”

  Stephen opened the door taking the metal tin with him. James felt a lump in his throat as he climbed out. He didn’t know how he was going to survive standing in that place.

  What about Ravage? That was where she was taken.

  He cut off the thought.