by D W Marshall
I don’t see the person. I don’t hear anyone enter the shower. I only feel the hands around me scooping me up and wrapping me in a fluffy towel. I don’t even bother opening my eyes.
Why? What’s the point? Only one person can fix what ails me, and he’s gone. It is only when the unknown person presses my head to his chest that recognition floods me. I would know the grooves and sinews of this muscled chest above all.
“It’s gonna be okay, baby. I’m here now,” Dominic says.
My eyes fly open. I throw my arms around him. “How?” I shout in delighted confusion.
He tries to set me down so that he can explain his surprising but wonderful appearance. I don’t let him. He might just be a hallucination that my mind is making up out of desperation and sadness.
He attempts a couple more times to put me on my feet, but I refuse to touch the floor. Dominic smiles and floods my face with kisses. He backs us up to an oversized chair in the corner of the bathroom.
“I thought you left me.” I begin to cry again, sobs ripping through me. “I thought you left me here alone.”
“Never,” he says and kisses my tears.
“Where were you?” I stare into his eyes.
He returns my stare, never faltering. “Mason relieved me of my duties because I shot a lottery winner. He says that if you had been any other girl, I wouldn’t have reacted in such an extreme manner. I tried to explain, but he says when it comes to you I’m blind. So, I’m not back.”
I begin to panic. My eyes lose focus. “You’re not back? What does that mean?”
If he is here to say a proper goodbye, I can’t do this.
“Are you saying that you are here to say goodbye to me?” My voice shakes with fear. My eyes zero in on his again.
“I will never say goodbye to you, Vivian, but we don’t have much time. I’m here to take you away from this place. I won’t be able to live a day knowing that you’re in here and I’m not with you. You’re coming with me.”
I’m overcome with joy. I squeeze him tighter, the smile on my face is so wide it might just split in two. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me!” I kiss his lips as if they are the sweetest gift on earth. “Wait!” I pull back. “If this place is so impenetrable and you’re still on the outs, how did you get inside?”
“I have friends,” he says cryptically.
“Oh.” I’m so overcome with joy that I can see my life, my first dose of fresh air in almost a year. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I don’t know what I want anymore, but out of this place is at the top of that list. “I’d better put on some clothes,” I nearly squeal.
I can’t wait to see my family. I can’t wait to see Liam and Maddie. Liam. What will become of me and my first love? Dominic says he wants me any way that he can get me. What if it isn’t the one way he truly wants?
I climb off of Dominic’s lap reluctantly. I feel safe in his arms. I can remember when I felt safe with Liam. It wasn’t the same intimate way as Dominic, but safe just the same. They both love me, but which me will return home?
I creep into my room, careful not to wake my sleeping roommates. I pull out underclothes, a pair of red leggings, and red t-shirt. I dress in a nanosecond. My mother’s face flashes in front of my eyes. I can see my dad and Shane and Growl. I miss them so much. Maddie’s face pops into view, then Liam’s. The final image to freeze in my mind is Mason’s, and fear grips me, just as Dominic wraps his arms around me from behind. He nuzzles into my neck and kisses the spot just under my ear that makes me crazy. I don’t react. I am paralyzed. I can’t go with him.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“Dominic. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I turn around to face him. My finger shoots to my lips and I glance over at Sky and Sapphire. I pull him out of my room. When we are in the family room, out of earshot, I finally speak. “I can’t go with you. I have to stay here.” I can’t believe the words myself as they pour out of my mouth.
“What?” he whispers. He walks us hastily into the kitchen area, farther away from my sleeping sisters.
“Aren’t there cameras?” I look around, feeling open and vulnerable.
“Not at the moment. They will be restored once I leave.”
I can tell he’s not happy with my revelation. He surely thinks I’m nuts.
“Vivian, listen to me. You can’t stay here. Not after what happened to you. Not without me. It was bad enough, you being here at all, even under my protection. You cannot stay here without me.” With his hands on the side of my arms, he’s pleading with his eyes for me to come to my senses.
“So you’re saying that it’s safe for my sisters to be here, but not me?” I meet his stare. My mind is made up, crazy or not.
“Fair point. But I’m not in love with them, I’m in love with you. They’re not my responsibility, you are. I’m not going to stand here and discuss this any further with you. You cannot stay here.”
Wow. Stern, bossy Dominic is somehow sexier. How’s that even possible? I understand his need to protect me, but I have to make him understand.
“Listen.” I grab his muscular arms. My hands seem so small attempting to encircle his girth. “I want to leave this place more than you want me to. I was ready to run off into the darkness with you, until I remembered Mason’s threat. I have to stay. I have stayed this long! I barely have two months left! I won’t spend the rest of my life worrying about what might happen to us.”
There, he has to understand that. I drop my hands and pace the room. Dominic paces, too. We look like animals about to battle, and we’re in the stage where we sum up our adversaries.
He stops cold and slams his hands onto the granite island that now separates us.
“Then we run. Personally, I don’t think Mason will punish you, but if you are worried that he will, we run. I’ll do anything to protect you and keep you safe. That includes the people you love. New names, new identities, new lives.”
I can’t help the smile that creeps across my face, knowing what he’s willing to go through and give up for me. What he doesn’t realize is that I can’t let him. There’s no way that I will be the cause of him going into exile, and I can’t remand my loved ones to a virtual witness protection program. What would we call Growl, Fido? That would never do.
If I thought I would be subjected to this prison for the rest of my life, then drastic measures such as he’s describing would be the only way out. That is not the case here. I’m about to get my life back. All of it. “I’m sorry, but that is no life, Dominic. I want true freedom, like I had before The Chamber. If less than two months is the cost for my freedom, your freedom, and my family’s freedom, then it’s a price I’m willing to pay. I’m not leaving.”
Dominic rushes to my side. He wraps his arms around me, and I melt into his embrace. My arms fall in place around him. We stand so close, so tight, that we are nearly one.
“What if something happens to you and I’m not here to protect you?” His voice catches. “I don’t know if I can leave you.”
I can’t believe the words that form in my brain and travel to my mouth. “You have to. I’ll be fine.”
“But I won’t, Vivian.” He pulls me tighter. “I’m not strong enough to trust you in anyone else’s hands.”
“Don’t talk like that, Dominic. You are plenty strong, and knowing that you’ll be there waiting for me will give me the strength to push through.”
I lose myself in the scent of his skin.
“You know, when you found me in the shower it was the lowest point in my life. Lower than being brought here,” I say. “The worst part was thinking that you had left me behind.”
“Then—” he tries to interrupt me but I don’t let him.
I pull away from him and gaze into his eyes. I put my fingers to his lips. He kisses them and my heart stutters. I have never felt this way for any man. Dominic makes me require a crash cart to jumpstart my heart.
“Before you came tonight,
I didn’t think I had the strength. So that light thing goes both ways. You are my light, too. I was in utter darkness until you scooped me up in the shower.”
His eyes never leave mine as I continue. “Dominic, you give me the strength to believe that I can survive. I know that you’ll be there on the outside waiting for me.”
“And Liam,” he whispers.
I sigh and break free from his embrace. I walk to the other side of the kitchen. I really can’t believe that we are standing in the kitchen having this conversation.
I feel the same way he does about the choices I face when I leave here. Am I changed so severely that the man I loved, and wanted to be with before I was brought here, will not be enough for me? Or will I discover that the love I feel for Dominic is a love of circumstance for us both? Only time will tell.
“Yes, I love Liam, but I love you, too. My strength is born out of that love. I can do this because of your love, Dominic. You love me enough to break in here and bust me out, and I’m just crazy enough not to go with you, because I love you and everyone else in my life too much to sentence us to living on the run. Isn’t love fucking spectacular?” I can’t resist the sarcasm, my chin wobbles and shakes, as I fight back the tears. If I break down now, I have no doubt that he’ll carry me out of here. Life would be so much easier if we could all be more selfish and less selfless.
“Please come and kiss me before I change my mind,” I say.
I see in that moment that my words give way to something for him, in the rise of his thick, perfectly arched eyebrows.
“Don’t even get any ideas, buddy. I’m firm on my decision.”
Dominic stalks me like I’m prey. He’s analyzing. He probably thinks I’m a freaking psycho for this choice that I’m making. In the next moment, the most amazing smile crosses his face. His tongue glides across his most kissable lips. Watching him is orgasmic.
His rippled chest rises and falls. His eyes never leave mine. He is deciding. I can see it in his eyes. Does he follow his heart and give me what I want? Or does he follow his brain, throw my stubborn ass over his shoulder, and drag me out of here, just like he did on the staircase when I refused to take another step? Whatever he decides, he’d better choose in a hurry because I can’t stand here squirming and panting. I’m about to pounce.
Butterflies take off deep inside of me when he launches toward me. I leap into his waiting arms and we exchange desperate lips, tongues, gasps, and moans. I want him to bury himself inside of me right now and nothing else. I need him inside of me, liquid moisture builds between my legs. “Oh my fuck, I want you to make love to me, Dominic.” It’s a whispered prayer, a plea. “Please, I need you to fill me up inside,” I cry.
I’m nearly about to combust with the thought of him granting my ultimate desire. We moan in desperation around our kisses. His erection grows in answer as he walks us toward my room, our lips never separating. Yes. He’s going to give me what I want. Captain Thunderdick to the rescue! Hell, yes.
Dominic tosses me onto my bed. I glance over at my roommates and resist the squeal that is begging to escape my lips. I swear that I’m so amped up, the second he touches my sex, I will come undone.
He stands over me, his erection full and threatening to tear through his pants. His chest heaves rapidly. His eyes are carnal and animal with his desire for me. I stare at him through hooded eyes. I only know how to be sexy with him. With him, it comes naturally. I’m panting in want.
I crook my finger in a “come hither” gesture. He bends down and tucks me in, pulling the covers right under my chin.
What the…
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
Taking a cue from me, he speaks in a low tone just above a whisper. “I’m leaving. The next time I make love to you will be when we are free of this place.” He kisses me. “You have your choices to make. While I can’t say that I agree with your choice to stay, I can respect it. You are strong, Vivian.”
He kisses me again. Then he sits on the side of my bed and gazes down at me. Only tenderness and love flow from his eyes.
He bends back down, his mouth directly against my ear. My heart skips as he exhales, and his warm breath caresses my skin. I wonder if he knows what this is doing to me.
“I also have choices to make,” he whispers into my ear. “The next time I make love to you will be when and if you choose to be mine. Then, and only then, will The Captain get to spend the rest of our lives in his favorite place, buried inside of you.”
I cannot believe him. How rude.
For some reason, a huge smile crosses my face. Still, I smack him a few times with my pillow. He’s got some balls. He just laid down the gauntlet and let me know that I’m not the only prize to be earned or won. He is a prize, and he knows it.
“Vivian.” His tone is serious. “I have a failsafe in place. I know you’re a brave girl, but if it gets too hot in here, if you sense danger, I will come back. Then, I will not leave here without you.”
I nod. I can’t argue with that. “Wait. How will you know if I’m in danger?”
“Trust me.” He bends down and kisses me. “Is there anything you want me to do for you on the outside?”
I pull the sheets off of myself in a last attempt. “More pressing is what you can do for me on the inside,” I say too loudly. I look over in the direction of Sky and Sapphire. Nothing. I’m not surprised that they are still asleep. After a night in our Chambers, we usually sleep like the dead.
“Vivian. Behave.” He covers me up.
I immediately show my disappointment with a frown.
“Only when you are all mine. Believe me, I want nothing but you forever. If I could detach The Captain and send him around inside of you whenever we’re apart, I would. That’s how much I crave being inside of you. But you know my terms. Life is about choices, and I’m no consolation prize. I…” He floods my face with kisses. “Want…” More kisses, but this time I answer him with kisses of my own. “…you all to myself. I will never share again.”
I instantly know what he means. The Chamber.
“I know you had a life that was interrupted when you came here. I will pray daily that I am the one you believe you can’t live without, but I want it to be your choice. Now get some sleep, Madam Stubborn.”
I gasp at his nickname. “Funny. I love you, too.”
“I love you more.” He kisses me. “See you in seven weeks.” He kisses me again and stands.
Panic starts to build inside of me. I come onto my knees. I don’t want him to go. “Will you tell my friends and family that I’m okay?”
“Anything for you, love.” He kisses the top of my head. “Now get some sleep.”
Without another word, he’s gone.
“I knew you loved him,” Sapphire says into the darkness.
“Shut up, Sapphire,” I say, but not in anger. She understands how I mean it.
“Seriously, Flame,” Sapphire says. “You were brave not to go. I’m glad you didn’t. I would hate for one of my sisters to live like that…on the run.”
The tears start forming as reality hits home. “Thanks. I’m glad I didn’t go with him, too, but I wanted to. Now I’m gonna say this in the nicest way I know. Leave me alone so I can cry myself to sleep.”
Sapphire laughs softly and leaves me to my weeping. I hope I’m as strong as everyone else thinks I am. Because Dominic is right—life is about living with the consequences of the choices we make, and I just made the mother of all choices.
I survive.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liam, Sins of a Father
Waiting for my father to come back with information is killing me. He has been helping me search for Vivian for almost a whole year. He knows I’ll never give up, and in a surprising show of support, my father has not given up either. He called me to tell me that he has what he hopes is a very promising lead, and that he is coming over. That was three hours ago. I am pacing my room.
When he finally shows up at my door
step it’s just in time, because I am about to lose it. I invite him in and offer him a drink and a seat. I don’t miss that he’s checking out my place and doesn’t approve.
“Nice house,” he says. He’s trying, at least.
“Thanks. I have a couple of roommates. I’d introduce you to them but they aren’t here.” I bring my dad a beer and a glass, because he isn’t a straight-from-the-bottle kind of guy. “So, you said you have a lead?” I ask, unable to hide the hope in my eyes.
“Actually…” My dad smiles. “I have more than a lead, son. If my sources are correct, I think I found the place where she’s being held.”
“What? Oh my God, Dad. Are you serious?” A year’s worth of pent up energy rushes through me. I blow air out of my mouth. “And she’s okay? She’s alive?” My hands shake, waiting for my father to confirm what I’ve been dying to know. I busy them running them through my hair.
“I am not one hundred percent sure if she is there, or if she’s alive. What I do know is that a group of young women were taken around the same time as Vivian. If she is a part of this group of women, then yes…she is alive.”
“Dad.” My sails lose all of their wind. This isn’t news. What he’s giving me is fragile hope, at best.
What if she isn’t one of these girls?
“How can we be sure?” My dad takes a seat on my sofa. I can’t sit. I’m too worked up. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“Son, I’m waiting on further information from my source. He says the girls inside of this place aren’t using their real names. He’s trying to gain more intel, but doesn’t have direct access. He believes if she’s with this group of girls, they’re in Canada…and…”
My dad is interrupted by my doorbell. I glance over at him. I’m not expecting anyone.
I open the door and am face to face with someone I don’t know. “May I help you?” I’m six feet even and he’s at least three inches taller than me.
