Untied

by Katherine Rhodes

  Grabbing her hand before she could walk away, Killian pulled her back. “Cece. I love you. You know I want to make you my wife.”

  Running her hand through his hair, she smiled. “Of course I do. But for now, and until all of this is over, we have to be happy with.”

  “I’m ecstatic with this.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Make no bones about that.”

  “But I like making bones.” Her hand brushed over his tented cock.

  “You are asking for a flogger, mo chroí.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  Darien stood between them. “Ready? Franz and Victor have to get back to their house before the party. Let’s have some consideration. They can prep while you fuck. And then you can join everyone there.” He scooped up Killian’s elbow and pulled him away from the bar.

  Placing Killian in the center of the room, he moved him around while motioning Cece over. They stood on either side of a small pedestal table with two velvet boxes on it. Cece had just a moment to glance around, and it made her smile. Killian was really amazing; he’d managed to get most of her co-workers from Imperial there, as well as Franz and Victor. Morgan and Nick, and in fact, most of Silver Soul. Even Albright, Dunham, Paul, and Garabaldi were there. All the people who mattered. All of the subs and Doms for the house were standing in attendance, and one of Killian’s favorite sub trainees and her Dom were there. It was just…perfect. All these people, to show them that they loved and supported them in this.

  Catching her hand, Killian pulled it toward him and held it in midair, over the pedestal. Cece studied his face and saw nothing but love and joy there. And then, clearing his throat, he started. “Frances Robbe, my beautiful Dusty Rose. You have been both mistress and submissive to me. There is nothing more I need. You follow my kink and my direction. You take my direction and indulge my kink. I want those who share in the lifestyle to know that you are mine. Both Domme and sub. That you are claimed.”

  He opened the velvet box closest to him. Cece gasped lightly. The necklace there was gorgeous—it was silver and had a contoured plate that would hang in front of her throat. On the right was a small lock that had the letter K in diamonds on it, and it draped onto the silver plate. Killian lifted it and walked around, standing behind her. He draped it around her neck, the plate falling just at the base of her throat. He threaded the chain through the loop, draping just a bit of the chain down on the right. He pushed the lock through the loop and with a quiet click, secured it in place.

  It felt so right. So natural, so real. Killian watched her closely as he walked back to the other side of the table.

  Cece lifted the key out of the velvet box, a black rope necklace following it. “This is the key to my submission. I entrust it to your keeping. I trust you with my heart. And should the time come when I need to be released, I trust you to return my freedom.”

  Killian wrapped his hand around hers, taking the key. He lifted the rope up and over his head, the key falling over the perfect pecs she knew were hiding behind his shirt.

  Cece lifted the top of the other case and revealed the cuffs she had picked for him. Thin, less than an inch, they were leather with a silver band down the center and on either edge. There was a fine hinge opposite the small latch that held a small lock. The locks on each were tiny and silver; Cece had picked them out with his surgical gloves in mind. They would have to come off when he operated; so instead of having just the key, there was a small button on the bottom, next to the keyhole. He would be able to remove them with her keys.

  Lifting the first one out of the box, she ran her hand down his arm and pulled it to her, slipping the first cuff over his wrist and closing the lock with a quiet ‘snick’. “Killian McInnis, my handsome Sir, you are both master and submissive to me. I need nothing more from you. You follow my kink and my direction. You take my direction and indulge my kink. I want those who share in the lifestyle to know that you are mine. Both Dom and sub. That you are claimed.” She lifted the other cuff and closed it around his wrist.

  He lifted the keys out of the box, revealing a silver rope chain that held the keys together. “These are the keys to my submission. I entrust them to your keeping. I trust you with my heart. And should the time come when I need to be released, I trust you to return my freedom.” He pressed them into her hand, and Cece fastened the silver rope around her wrist. It was a perfect circle; he held the key to her collar around his neck, she wore the key to his cuffs around her wrist.

  Darien moved the pedestal table away, and they stepped into each other. The kiss they shared was blazing hot, lighting fires in both of them. All Cece wanted was for him to sweep her away from everyone so they could fuck in private.

  Killian’s phone went off, and Cece smirked into the kiss. “Doctor.”

  “Damn it.” He stepped back and pulled the phone out of his pocket. “Damn it. They wouldn’t page me if it wasn’t important.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be waiting for you. I’m not going anywhere.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You can fuck me stupid later.”

  “Mm. Promises.” Killian looked at the face of his phone, and his eyes went wide. “Shit. I have to go. Go to Franz and Victor’s party. I’ll catch up later.”

  He made a beeline for the door, with barely a glance her direction.

  Cece pursed her lips. She had to get used to it. She wanted to be a doctor’s wife—this was what was going to happen. She made a mental note to paddle him for it later.

  “Come on,” Franz said, appearing next to her. “Let’s get to our place and we can start the party.”

  Cece nodded and smiled.

  * * *

  Killian stopped at the car door to reread the message again.

  Dr. R - 911. Serial victim. Alive, salvageable. Get here now.

  Dr. McI- on my way. ID?

  Dr. R - Robbe

  Dr. McI - WHAT

  Dr. R - Roger Robbe

  Killian was in the car and heading down the road before he realized he had moved. He dialed Garabaldi’s number, who picked up a moment later.

  Killian cut over him before he could say more than his name. “Are you still in the house?”

  “Yes. Why? What’s going on?”

  “I had to leave because Roger Robbe is on the operating table and Doctor R. wants me there.”

  “What?” Garabaldi clearly had left the room. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Call your supervisor, please. Find out what the hell this is. Doc texted me that it was a serial victim. Do not, under any circumstances, tell Cece what I’ve just told you.”

  “Not stupid, McInnis. I’ll be out the door as soon as I can.”

  Disconnecting the connection, Killian jumped on 30 to get to Shadyside as fast as he could. He was going way beyond the speed limit and hoped that there weren’t any cops out at that moment. It only took him about fifteen minutes until he was able to pull into his spot and burst through the door of the emergency room two minutes later.

  Doctor Rajamuthry was waiting for him just outside the surgical suite, already scrubbing up. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important, Doctor.”

  “Yes, actually, you did, but I’m a doctor and she knows that.”

  “Ah, a lucky lady. Good.”

  “Assessment?”

  “Mister Robbe has one hundred and twelve stab wounds. We’ve already gotten two liters of blood into him, but he’s like a damn fountain. I’m going to be working on stitching up his brain. There are two wounds there. I want you to concentrate on the vital organs.”

  “How many were hit?”

  Rajamuthry glanced over at him. “Everything but the lungs and heart.”

  Killian paused in his scrubbing. “Intentional. They were going to try and bleed him out?”

  Rajamuthry shrugged. “Draw your own conclusions, Doctor McInnis. I only report what I see when they bring them in and I scan them.”

  Killian nodded and finished scrubbing in. He stopped and studied the X-rays and
CAT scans up on the wall on the way into the surgical suite. The stab wounds were meticulous, missing exactly his lungs and heart. It was uncanny. He could almost be convinced that someone with medical knowledge was doing this.

  The instant he walked in to help Rajamuthry, the sound of the flatline filled his ears and Killian stepped into the zone. He didn’t remember doing much of anything until Rajamuthry pulled down his mask across the table and gave him a huge grin as Roger Robbe was rolled out of the room.

  “I don’t think there’s much more I can teach you, McInnis. You are a machine in here. You got to most of his wounds in under two hours. And it was all neat and clean and well done.”

  Killian stripped off the rubber gloves. “Thank you, Doctor. That means a lot to me.”

  “I do apologize for the interruption of whatever was going on.”

  There was a bang on the door, and Garabaldi was waving through the window. Killian looked at Rajamuthry, who motioned him out. “I know that you’re involved in this investigation, so please go talk to the detective. You may be able to give him valuable information.”

  Killian yanked off his mask and headed out to Garabaldi, who was clearly agitated. “What’s going on, Detective?”

  “Is Robbe going to live?”

  “He will, but it’s going to be a long road.”

  “When will he be awake?”

  “A week or more. The slices went into his brain.”

  “Damn. The responding officers said that they though he’d seen the attacker. He was babbling a name but couldn’t figure it out.”

  Killian stared at Garabaldi. “You didn’t tell Cece. Please tell me you didn’t.”

  Garabaldi shook his head in the negative. “Franz got her out of there before my phone started blowing up. From you, from the headquarters, from the chief. We should probably let her enjoy the party before we go over there and let her know the unfortunate circumstances that will fully exonerate her.”

  “Doctor McInnis?” One of the nurses stuck her head into the room. “Hannah Robbe is awake and screaming her head off.”

  Garabaldi and Killian traded glances and then took off like a pair of bats out of hell. They tore through the building, not bothering with elevators and taking stairs three at a time.

  The orderlies were buckling straps to the edge of Hannah’s bed to keep her down. Killian knew that the sedative was next and that wasn’t a good idea.

  “Back up!” He stepped into the fray. “Everyone, back up.”

  The personnel working on her all stopped and looked at him, taking just an instant to realize he was a doctor and to follow his orders. They all backed away from the bed, and Hannah noticed them moving away, swinging her head around to find out why.

  She gasped. “Doctor McInnis! You have to find my sister! Please!” Her voice was hysterical. “Please! Don’t let him hurt her!”

  Killian grabbed her hand. “Hannah. You’ve got to calm down. I know exactly where your sister is.”

  “Get her out of the city. You have to.”

  Garabaldi was immediately next to him at the bedside. He realized at the same time Killian did, she knew everything. She knew who the murderer was. “Hannah. Your sister is out on bail. She can’t leave the city.”

  “Break it. Bust it. I don’t care. He wants to kill her. Please, get her out of here.”

  “No one is going to try anything in a public place,” Killian answered.

  “Hannah. Take a deep breath.” Garabaldi shot him a ‘stay quiet’ look. “You’re hysterical. We can get your sister to a safe place, but you have got to tell us why. What’s going on? Who took you?”

  “You didn’t catch him? Oh God, he’s going to kill her!”

  “Hannah.” Killian used his Dom tone on her, and she snapped her jaw shut. Garabaldi tipped his head, impressed. “Hannah. We don’t know anything about what happened to you. We got notes that were filled with lies about you being well cared for.”

  Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “You have to get her to a safe place. Please. It’s my brother.”

  Killian’s and Garabaldi’s mouths fell open.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Morgan, Emmy, Vanity, and Heather all studied her new collar.

  “It’s so pretty, and I’m so jealous.” Heather put a hand to her own throat. “I really thought—”

  Emmy put a hand on her arm. “You’re better out of there, Heather. Believe me. That was going to go wrong in the worst ways.”

  “I know. I can still dream.” She grinned. “I need friends with brothers. Who aren’t gay.”

  Cece laughed. She loved the weight of the collar resting there. She spent too long staring at it in the mirror each time she went past one.

  Victor and Franz’s engagement party was the event of the year. So far. She was pretty sure that Emmy and Nathaniel’s wedding in just four months was going to surpass it, but meanwhile this was it. And Victor had insisted that it was a huge formal ball, and everyone was invited.

  Including Marjorie and her awful son. Victor and Franz promised to keep them away from her, and mostly the two of them stayed at the other end of the ballroom from her. But the nasty, evil looks Chas was throwing at her were hard to miss.

  She really wished that Killian were there. While Paul was a comfort, for sure, with his tall, intimidating presence, he wasn’t quite Kay. Then again, not many people outside their circle needed to know just how deeply she and Killian were involved with each other.

  She still missed him.

  Nathaniel clinked his glass with the fork in his hand. It only took a moment for the crowd to quiet down. He and Emmy stepped forward.

  “Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for joining us tonight. We are delighted that you could attend such a wonderful and momentous occasion. The very day the landmark decision of Obergefell V. Hodges came down, we waited for the call that Franz and Victor were engaged. It took a little longer than expected because of their own celebrations.” The crowd laughed lightly. “But the call came, and it was time for us to celebrate. Not only their engagement but the reality of their love being a commitment and their relationship finally being legal. Franz is everything I could hope for in a brother-in-law, and I know that bringing him into this family will only make all of us stronger.” Nathaniel turned and smiled at Franz. “And if you do anything to hurt him, I’m sending my fiancée after you.”

  Emmy leaned over and waved at Franz.

  Cece couldn’t stop her giggle as Franz answered, “Traitor.”

  Vanity appeared next to her. “I’d love to watch the two of them. God, the mad sex those bodies must engage in. Mmm. Tie me up and torture me with that show.”

  “You just want the torture part,” Cece answered with a raised eyebrow.

  “Only a bit, that’s the fucked up part. I love watching sex, and those two? Shit on me, that’s gotta be hot.”

  “You’ll never know. Victor isn’t in the lifestyle.”

  “I’m still dreaming about it.” Vanity’s grin was wicked as she walked away.

  Cece shook her head as Emmy clinked the knife on her glass this time. She held up her glass. “I would like to make a toast. To Franz Dorn. The friend I didn’t know I needed. The mentor, the protector. And the best kind of ex a girl could hope for. I have seen how the two men have done nothing but grown together, and I want to be there to see them grow as a married couple. I am honored to be able to call both brother. To Franz!”

  “Wait, what?” Emmy’s little sister was standing next to her now. “Emmy and Franz? Were a thing?”

  “Is that champagne?” Cece raised an eyebrow.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it is. Back to my sister. She and Franz?”

  “They were a very serious thing.” Cece studied the girl. “You didn’t know?”

  “Clearly.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Franz kind of got her all the help she needed after she moved out here. They were tight. Very tight. They still are.”

  “She slept with him?�
�

  “Er…” Cece didn’t quite know how to answer that.

  Aly made a face. “Okay, ew. Yeah, don’t answer. I’m so glad I didn’t know that before this.” She twisted her lip again, then looked at Cece. “Thanks for being honest. People get all squicked when they realize I’ve overhead something about kinky sex.”

  “Kid, if you ever have questions,” Cece said, “you can always ask me. For real. Come find me.”

  Aly smiled. “Thanks! I can usually puzzle it out, but yes. Thanks.” She chugged the glass of champagne and walked away, looking for another waiter with a tray of glasses.

  Cece shook her head.

  The Westerly-Walsh household was batshit nuts. So much fun.

  So very different from her own. Which was standing, again, opposite her. Marjorie glared at her, hard. Chas had a hateful, cruel look in his eyes. The kind that sent shivers down the spine and made the careful woman walk away to safety.

  Except her safety was operating on someone to save their life.

  Cece decided to walk over closer to Franz and Victor, just to be part of that group. She didn’t want to end up caught in a corner with her ass of a brother. Because he would corner her.

  Flowing easily into the conversation that was going on, Cece sipped her champagne and enjoyed listening to her friends chatting. The only thing that was missing was Killian.

  She’d take care of him tonight. It would be her gift to him after having to work after their special ceremony. And damn, the things she had planned…

  Her phone rang in the purse she was carrying, and Cece dipped her hand in to retrieve it. She stepped away and smiled when she saw it was Killian.

  Her finger slid the phone to answer as the cold steel of a gun poked into her back.

  “Stay quiet.”

  The voice was in her ear, whispering. The tone was threatening and low, and Cece dropped the phone back into her purse without ending the call.

  “You’re going to keep walking, slut. Just walk straight ahead. The doors are unlocked and disarmed. There is a car waiting. If you try to run, I will shoot you where you stand and I will find your fuck buddy and kill him too. And he won’t die slowly.”