by M. S. Parker
I took a step forward, then froze as one of the guards started to turn towards me. Shit. I flattened myself against the wall as close as I could and prayed it would be enough. After several terrifying seconds, the guard turned again and I heard them talking. I heard Nami's name, but couldn't understand anything else. It didn't matter though. As long as they weren't talking about a plan to free the princesses, I didn't care. And considering they weren't getting on their radios and panicking, I felt pretty safe in assuming they didn't know I was there.
Once I was sure they weren't going to look at me, I went around the corner and down the short hallway to where the servant's door was tucked away. My hand was shaking as I took the key out of my pocket and I realized that I was scared. Not of being caught, not of being arrested again. No, I was terrified to see Nami again and have her think that I'd failed her. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes and see that she was disappointed with me for not being able to save her before, knowing that every pain she'd endured since I'd been arrested was my fault.
I took a slow breath and my hand steadied. As I put the key in the lock, I heard a thud from inside. I frowned. Had Nami dropped something? It hadn't really sounded like that though. Not a sharp sound. More dull. Almost like...
My heart leaped into my throat and adrenaline dumped into my veins. Another thump, this one accompanied by a sound of pain.
Nami.
I didn't even think about the guards or my own safety. I shoved the door open and stepped inside.
Tanek held Nami against the wall, gripping her arm with one hand, fingers buried in her flesh. The other hand was in the air, ready to hit her again. She had a red handprint on her cheek, but I could see bruises from where I stood. She was covered with them. The thin nightgown she was wearing did nothing to cover them. Not the ones on her arms. Not the welts on her shoulders that I knew had come from a belt.
I was going to kill him.
Chapter 14
Nami
I'd thought I'd get a reprieve from Tanek tonight. With my parents gone, he could raid the best of my father's alcohol without the risk of being caught. He had done that, but had apparently decided that he preferred coming to me rather than passing out wherever he'd sat down to drink.
Evenings at the end of June were warm and I'd finally turned on the air conditioning just enough to take the edge off. I'd chosen a fairly thin cotton nightgown, believing that I would be alone. I hadn't looked in the mirror though. I'd made the mistake of doing that yesterday morning when I'd gotten out of the shower. The memory was enough to make me cringe and I'd never been so glad not to have inherited my mother's fairer skin.
Tanek had staggered into the room just a few minutes ago, his face flushed. I'd considered running since he didn't look sober enough to come after me, but I'd known that would end just as badly because the guards would catch me, even if Tanek couldn't. The thought had flickered through my mind then that this was the time to fight back. I wasn't sure if I could do it though, and I knew that if I was going to kill Tanek, I had to be sure. I couldn't go halfway or I'd be the one dead.
Despite him being drunk, Tanek was still taller than me and outweighed me by enough to make a difference. I couldn't do it now. It had to be planned, not impulsive, or it would never work.
“Surprised to see me?”
I didn't say anything. It didn't matter how I answered him, he'd take it as an insult or find some fault in it. Nothing I said would stop him if he wanted to hit me, and he always wanted to hit me. Sometimes, I was actually glad that he wasn't one of those men who acted sorry afterwards and apologized. If he continued to abuse me, I preferred he just be a bastard all the time.
“Who are you wearing that for?” Tanek sneered. He grabbed my arm and gave me a shake. “I know it can't be for Reed. He left this morning.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from asking the question I knew he wanted me to ask.
He answered anyway, still too drunk to manage English, “I offered to let him go if he confessed. Didn't even take him long to decide.”
My stomach fell. I should've been happy, I knew. Reed was free. He was on his way back to America where he would be safe. I couldn't help but feel a pang of betrayal that he'd been so easily swayed.
He smiled. “I've got the written confession right here. Handwritten and the only copy, of course. We don't need anything out there for nosy reporters to see...unless I want them to.” He patted the pocket of his pants. “Do you want me to read it to you?” He thought for a moment. “No, better that I act it out first so you can be surprised. I'll read it to you after so you can relive the whole thing.”
I glared at him but didn't say a word as he spun me around, shoving me against the wall with a dull thud. The welts on my back throbbed painfully as I hit the wall, but I kept quiet. I couldn't, however, stop the small sound of pain when he slapped me, his fingers landing on a place that had been bruised by his belt the night before.
He raised his hand to hit me again and I clenched my teeth, determined that he wouldn't get another sound out of me. He didn't get the chance to bring his hand down as the servants' door at the back of the room suddenly swung open.
For one long second Reed stood in the doorway, fury burning on his face like nothing I'd ever seen before.
He hadn't left me. He'd come back. Again. After all I'd put him through, he'd still come for me. I could see the bruising on his face, the exhaustion in every limb.
The relief rushing through my body came with something else. Anger. No, nothing so tame as anger. This was rage. Not only for what Tanek had done to me, but for what he'd done to Halea, what he'd done to Reed.
I was so done with his shit.
Remembering something I'd learned years ago in a self-defense class I'd insisted on taking before going to college, I jabbed my free hand at Tanek's throat, keeping my fingers stiff as they came in contact. Even as I did it, I brought my knee up as well. I heard the seams of my nightgown tear, but I didn't care. Shocked by the sudden blow to the throat – and not helped by the alcohol he'd consumed – Tanek couldn't think fast enough to protect his crotch. I felt a vindictive stab of satisfaction as my knee made direct contact.
Tanek dropped, his hand unable to hold my arm as he fell to his knees. He curled up, hacking and gasping, unable to make any noise loud enough to let the guards outside know that it wasn't me who was in pain.
I didn't even spare him a look as I ran straight into Reed's arms. His mouth came down on mine more gently than I wanted and I pressed myself against him, not caring that the kiss hurt my bruised lips. I buried my hands in his hair, twisting my fingers until Reed made a noise in the back of his throat and his arms finally tightened around me the way I wanted. My injuries throbbed painfully, but they were nothing compared to the joy I felt at being where I belonged. Heat flooded me, pushing aside all of the pain until all I could feel was him.
I wanted to stay there in his arms, forget everything else, but I could hear Tanek wheezing on the floor and I knew we didn't have time. I broke the kiss, allowing myself a moment to close my eyes, to feel safe for the first time since I'd fallen asleep in his arms. Then I stepped back.
“Oh, baby.” Reed's voice was soft.
I looked up into those dark eyes and my heart did a little skipping beat at the emotion I saw there. Anger. Desire. Compassion. He brushed his fingers down the side of my face, light enough that it didn't hurt.
“I could say the same.” I placed a gentle hand on his injured cheek. “But I'm okay.”
He raised an eyebrow as he reached up and took my hand. “This is far from okay.”
“You're here,” I said.
“I am.” He glanced at Tanek. “And that fucking bastard will never touch you again.”
“Halea...” My heart constricted.
“Safe,” he said. He lowered his voice so that Tanek couldn't hear him. “Kai and Tomas are getting her.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“This has to b
e your choice, Nami.” He squeezed my hand. “I want you to come with me. You and Halea. Come to the States, where I can protect you.”
“Go...back?” I don't know why that came as a surprise. It made sense. Quite a bit, actually. Reed had connections that could keep us safe until we figured out what to do. Then I realized he was still waiting for an answer. “Yes. Of course, yes.”
He smiled. “Let's go.”
“Bitch.” Tanek's voice was little more than a croak.
I stopped mid-step. Reed gave me a concerned look. “I can't leave in this.” I gestured as I pulled my hand away from his. “Will you get me something to wear?”
As he moved to do as I asked, I walked back over to where Tanek was laying. He was trying to get back up, his mouth working as he was trying to get sounds out. I knew the chances of him calling the guards was about fifty-fifty at the moment. He wanted to hurt me, beat me, maybe to death. And he didn't want anyone to know that a woman had put him down. But, I knew if he thought Reed and I were going to get away, he'd risk it, probably lie to the guards and tell them that Reed had done it.
I wasn't going to risk it.
I looked down at Tanek as he started to push himself up against the wall. All of the rage I'd pushed down, the humiliation, the pain, I let it come up. My hand curled into a fist. I was done. Done being beaten.
“Fuck you!” I put all of my weight behind the swing. Pain flared up my knuckles and my arm, jarring and bright, but it was worth it to see Tanek's head spin around, hear his strangled cry.
His eyes were dazed as he looked up at me, but he couldn't keep himself upright. As he slumped down on the floor, I drew back my foot and kicked him in the stomach, ignoring the sharp pain in my toes. He retched and I pulled back again.
“Nami.” Reed grabbed my arm and I looked up at him. His eyes were hard. “You shouldn't do that without shoes.” He held up a pair of slip-on tennis shoes. “You could hurt yourself.”
I pulled on the shoes and then reached for the dress he'd pulled from my closet. I didn't look down at Tanek who was still coughing and whimpering. I pulled the nightgown over my head, stiffening as I heard Reed swear under his breath, but I didn't look at him either. I pulled the sundress over my head, thankful that Reed had picked something that wasn't too rough against my bruises.
“I'm going to kill him.” Reed's eyes were as dark as I'd ever seen them. Pitch black and full of something I'd never seen before. Hate. Not just anger, but pure hate.
“No.” I grabbed Reed's arm. “We're not going to kill him.” I didn't mention the fact that I'd been thinking of doing just that. Now that Reed was here, I didn't need to do that. Besides...I looked down at Tanek. “Death's too good for him.”
I let go of Reed's arm and kicked Tanek again, this time without hurting my toes. He retched again, this time vomiting up whatever he'd been drinking. I made a face but reached down anyway and grabbed him by the hair.
“I will make sure you spend every moment of the rest of your life regretting you ever thought you were good enough to marry me.” I hesitated for only a moment before I slammed his head against the floor. His eyes rolled up, body going limp. I dug into his pants and pulled out the envelope before I straightened and turned towards Reed. “Let's go.”
Reed's eyes were wide as he stared at me. I waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn't. Instead, I watched two different emotions play across his face. Shock at what I'd done. And admiration. He held out his hand.
“We need to get to the garage. The one where your family's cars are.”
I nodded. We'd lost time that I was sure we needed. Tanek's guards wouldn't worry if they didn't hear anything or if Tanek didn't come out soon, but when he did wake up, we'd want to be as far away as possible.
We went back out the servants' door, but instead of going back towards the main hallway, I led Reed the other way. It looked like a dead end, but I knew it wasn't. Most of the big rooms had servants' entrances, which were common knowledge. The new guards Tanek had hired didn't know yet, but other members of the security team did. No one but family knew where we were going. And Tanek wasn't family enough for this.
Saja was a peaceful country, but when my great-great-great-grandfather had built the new palace, World War II had been enough of a reality for him to worry about his family. He'd had hidden passages built throughout the house. Even generations later, we'd kept the secret, and now I was glad we had.
I found the panel easily and pressed my fingers into the release. I heard a small sound of surprise but didn't look back. I felt along the wall and found the flashlight we kept inside. The beam was fairly weak, but it was enough. I listened hard as we walked, waiting for any sound that would indicate Tanek had woken up.
I slowed as we passed another panel that should lead to the hallway just outside the kitchen, which meant that the next one would be the garage. I had an idea of what the plan was. If Kai and Tomas were getting Halea, that meant they were probably planning to take us all out in one of my family's cars. How we were going to manage that without being seen by the outside guards, I didn't know, but I trusted Reed and the guys. They would get us out of here.
I pushed the release and the panel slid aside. Reed stepped in front of me before I could walk out, bending his arm so that he pulled me close to his back, shielding me with his body. A surge of love went through me, so strong that it brought tears to my eyes. Tanek had used and abused my body for his own pleasure, and even though the last time had cost him his freedom, Reed continued to put himself between me and any threat.
“Nami!”
Reed let go of my hand and moved out of the way so that Halea could run into my arms. I clutched her tightly, looking over her head at Reed. “Thank you.” I wanted to keep looking at him, but there were two others I needed to thank as well. I slid my eyes over to Kai and Tomas and repeated the same words to them. They nodded.
“What did he do to you?” Halea's words were muffled and I reluctantly released her. Her eyes were wide and concerned, though I could see the anger underneath it.
“Don't worry about it.” I started to tuck her hair behind her ear but stopped when she scowled at me. Shit. She was angry at me.
“Why didn't you tell me it was this bad,” she demanded. “Nami...” Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes. “Why didn't you...” Her voice trailed off and I watched things click. “Me. You stayed because of me.” She looked at the guys and then back at me. “That's why I had to go with you last time. Not because you were just afraid he was violent in general. Tanek threatened me, didn't he?”
“Nami.” Reed's voice was soft. “You may have knocked the bastard out, but we still need to go.”
“You did what?” Halea was startled into English.
I lifted my chin. “I gave him back a little of what he gave me.”
“Good,” Halea said. The anger in her voice surprised me.
“Princesses,” Tomas spoke, an urgent tone in his voice. “We need to go.”
“Right.” I turned towards my former bodyguards. “How are we doing this?”
Tomas opened the trunk to one of the town cars. “I am sorry.”
If I hadn't seen the look of chagrin on Tomas's face, I wouldn't have believed it.
“We told the other guards we are taking Halea shopping for your father's birthday,” Kai said.
“Which means she can sit in the car,” I realized. “But I can't.” I looked at Reed. “And neither can you.”
He shrugged, his expression blank but his eyes dancing. “It'll be a snug fit, but I think we can manage.”
I was surprised at the sudden flare of arousal that went through me. Even with all that had happened, the thought of being crammed into a tight space with Reed...I wanted him. It may have been crazy, but I couldn't help it.
My throat tightened when I saw the same desire shining in Reed's eyes.
“It'll make more sense if I get in first.”
I wasn't sure if anyone el
se noticed the rough edge to Reed's voice, but my body certainly recognized it. I watched as Reed climbed into the trunk and then climbed in after him. As Tomas closed the lid, I settled back against him.
“Is it okay if I put my arms around you?” Despite the desire I could feel radiating off him, Reed sounded almost hesitant.
“Please.” I leaned my head back so that it was resting on his shoulder. I sighed as his arms went around my waist.
Neither of us spoke again until we knew we'd passed through the front gate and were on our way to the airport. When Reed did break the silence, what he said wasn't what I'd expected.
“What's in the envelope?”
I'd completely forgotten about the envelope until now, and was almost surprised that I still had it. “Oh, that.” I couldn't turn to look at him, but I held it over my shoulder so he could take it. “It's your...confession.” I put as much derision into the word as I could.”
“Really?”
“That piece of shit got this from the police so he could show it to me. It is the only copy.”
Reed chuckled, surprising me again. He kissed the top of my head. “You are the most amazing woman, Namisa Carrmoni.” His arms tightened briefly around me. “I love you.”
Four words didn't seem adequate to express everything I was feeling, but they were all I had at the moment. “I love you too.”
Chapter 15
Reed
I grimaced as my vertebrate made loud popping sounds. I stretched my arms above my head and twisted my waist. Being crammed into a trunk two times in a short period of time wasn't exactly friendly on the spine or muscles, no matter how pleasant the companionship had been the second time.
I glanced at Nami and then looked away. I was already half-hard from being pressed tight against her. Continuing to look at her was either going to give me an uncomfortable erection for the plane ride or piss me off. The bruises I'd first seen on her when I'd walked into her room had been bad enough, but then she'd taken off the dress and I'd wanted to beat Tanek to death. There wasn't an inch on her that didn't have a new or at least fading bruise. The only thing that had kept the bastard alive was that Nami had stopped me. I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to make sure Tanek spent the rest of his life as another inmate's bitch.
