His Battered Submissive (Restrained Fantasies Book 3)

by Brandi Evans

  I love you, Maddox. She prayed he could hear her confession.

  She tugged him toward the bedroom. They'd joined emotionally. Now, she wanted to join physically. To feel both in the same glorious moment. To be one with him in a way she'd never been with anyone else.

  They undressed each other slowly. They moved onto the bed slowly. They rolled the condom onto his erection slowly, every move unhurried and beautiful.

  He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, her on his lap. Their hands met and caressed as they reached for his erection, as they held him still, as she tightened her legs around his waist and took him inside her."

  She rested her forehead against his, reveling in the physical sensation of their connection. She ran confident hands over his shoulders, along his upper back, over the defined muscles of his biceps, his triceps, enjoying the feel of him against her, inside of her. They fit together, and she wanted to tell him that, and she would have if he hadn't turned his head the fraction of an inch needed to take her mouth.

  She squeezed her legs around his waist, released, squeezed again, released, creating the subtlest of undulations. She could feel his growl both in his kiss and in his chest as the sound trembled into her.

  He broke their kiss and trailed his lips to her neck. Just when she thought she'd go mad, he bucked up, and suddenly, she was beneath him, his cock still buried inside her.

  Resting on his elbows, he cradled her face. "Wrap yourself around me, Kat, and don't let go. Don't let go."

  Her actions and words were instantaneous. "I'll never let go, Maddox. I promise."

  Holding tight to him as he pumped inside her, she realized something; he hadn't called her kitten, and she hadn't called him Sir. The moment had transcended both the physical and the emotional.

  They belonged to each other now.

  "You screwed up again, Mr. Harris, and you know how Mr. Smith feels about screw-ups. It brings unnecessary attention to the Group."

  Jeff kicked the desk in the piece-of-shit, hole-in-the-wall flop he'd been squatting in since he'd had to run. The dead hooker tied and gagged to the bed wouldn't be using this place anyway. Well, at least, she'd be a dead hooker as soon as he didn't have use for her anymore. Dead whores smelled worse than live ones and were no fun to fuck, and he was pretty sure this one had a couple more decent fucks left in her.

  "I had that fucking cunt in my goddamn trunk!" he said. "It wasn't my fault that huge fucker came after me. You should have warned me about him when you told me to take her there. I would have brought something with me to handle him."

  "Nonetheless, you have failed Mr. Smith twice."

  "Bullshit. Y'all wanted the family dead. The goddamn family is dead. Y'all said you'd have the perfect plan to get my bitch back. The way I see it, y'all failed me."

  "I'd shelve that ire, Mr. Harris. You do not want to bite the hand that feeds you."

  Jeff bit down the rude remark that popped to the tip of his tongue. He was tired of abiding by the Group's stupid fucking rules. He wanted his bitch wife, wanted to make her suffer, and above all, he wanted to put a fucking bullet or two into her fucking brain. That and to disappear, that was all he wanted.

  Katlyn had been such a good little bitch once. He'd trained her well, and training was such a hassle. It might be easier to take her back and beat the submission back into her. Or he could use her fuck buddy cop to break her. He could torture the fucker right in front of her, really tune him up before taking a baseball bat to his stupid head, and then, he'd bet the fight would just drain right out of her.

  He'd have to think about that.

  "Lucky for you, however, Mr. Harris, our benefactor is a generous soul and is still willing to abide by the terms of the initial agreement."

  About fucking time something went his way. "And what about making me disappear?"

  "Mr. Smith will make sure that happens; don't worry. We are sending one of our associates to Dallas to make sure things go smoothly this time."

  "I don't need no fucking babysitter."

  "The terms, Mr. Harris, are not negotiable. You will meet our associate at a designated time and location, or you will be on your own."

  Chapter 19

  Maddox and Carter worked from Carter's home the next morning, Kat and Sarge in tow. Kat had made everyone lunch before settling on the deck with Raven, helping her friend when needed. The dogs played in the water, leaving Carter and Maddox free to sit at the kitchen table and work the case in the quiet.

  Given Raven's attempted abduction, Maddox half-expected his partner to suggest backing off on their investigation into The Group, but he hadn't. Just the opposite, he was more determined than before to bring the Group down. Carter was back on the phone with the Henderson PD, talking to Valentine's former partner. The exchange, to put it mildly, was heated, and Carter had disappeared to his home office to continue talking, putting as much distance between him and Raven as possible.

  Although Carter had yet to say it aloud, Maddox knew his partner thought Kat should know about Detective Valentine, and Carter was right. Maddox knew that; he simply wanted to spare Kat another emotional sucker-punch. He'd expected her to have a relapse last night, but she hadn't. Not even a whimper. She'd been the one to comfort him.

  When she'd come to him and placed her hand over his heart, he'd nearly come undone. That simple act of concern for him when he knew she was suffering had overwhelmed him. His love for her had swamped him, and he'd almost confessed everything to her, dropped to his knees, and begged her to never leave him.

  With a loud crash and a flurry of expletives, Carter returned and slammed his fist on the table. The files they'd spread out skittered on the surface.

  Maddox set down his coffee. "I'm almost scared to ask, but what happened?"

  "Valentine's partner won't send us his files. Hell, I'd barely managed to get two damn words from the guy. He kept hanging up on me."

  Maddox didn't like the sound of this at all. "You get a vibe he's involved with The Group?"

  Carter shrugged. "It's hard to say from a phone conversation, but considering the change in attitude since I talked to him last, it's more like the Group got to him."

  "Fuck."

  They'd done a soft check on Valentine's partner. The guy was married with two young kids, and if someone wanted to pressure him into backing off an investigation, two sweet kids would be the perfect leverage. A properly placed, "You've got two good-looking kids at home; it'd be a shame if something happened to them," would be a game-changer. Men had caved for much, much less.

  Maddox glanced at Kat. She and Raven were laughing. The dogs had left the water and were racing through the yard like speed addicts with fur. The sight filled him with longing. Save for Raven's sling, this was a sweet, lazy afternoon, one he hoped was one of many. Carter, Raven, and especially Kat were as close to family as his sister and her kids. What wouldn't he do to keep them safe?

  So yeah, playing it safe so that your family didn't end up in the crosshairs wasn't exactly a hard pill for Maddox to swallow. Everyone had weak spots a scrupulous party could take advantage of.

  "So, I guess the next question," Maddox said, more thinking aloud than actually talking to Carter, "is where do we go from here?"

  "I've been thinking about this, and I know you won't like it but—"

  "If you're about to suggest we bring someone in on this, someone, perhaps, on the federal level, you can save it."

  "I know how you feel about the feds," Carter continued, "but we're out of our league here. We need federal resources, someone whose jurisdiction isn't the city of Dallas."

  Maddox straightened. "I said you could save it because I agree with you."

  "You do?"

  "Unfortunately, yeah." Maddox glanced back to Raven and Kat. "So long as you're not thinking about calling Agents Bitch and Asshole. They may already be involved with Kat's case, but I don't like them, and I don't know them. For all we know, they're both part of the Group."

  "Agreed.
I was actually thinking about, uh fuck, what was his name?" Carter snapped his fingers, closed his eyes. "I can see his face. We worked with him on that human trafficking ring three or four years ago. Agent… starts with a C or a K."

  "Kirkland?"

  Carter slapped the table. "That's it. Hunter Kirkland."

  Maddox nodded, considering. "Yeah. He seemed on the level."

  Kirkland even kept in touch, checking in twice a year or so to see if they'd gotten wind of any new human trafficking rings. Maddox had never once gotten weird vibes from the man, and they did need help.

  "Let's make the call," Maddox said.

  Since they'd transferred most of their investigation files to Carter's, they'd arranged for Kirkland to meet them at Carter's place. Luckily, the agent was already nearby. Kirkland traveled a lot, heading up various task forces on the border, which put him constantly roving between the Dallas, El Paso, Brownsville, and San Antonio FBI field offices.

  Aside from the convenience factor, meeting here was best for Raven, too. Carter wasn't keen on leaving her alone, and neither was Maddox. Two days might have passed since her near abduction, but they were all still rattled. Plus, this way, Raven didn't have to travel. She was up and moving around well, but when the pain flared, she resorted to taking pain meds. And when she took the pain meds, she got drowsy. So, yes, having the meet here was better for her.

  Plus, being here gave Carter and Maddox home-field advantage. If the Group was as far-reaching as they feared, they knew where Maddox and Carter were, so it wasn't like they were giving away their secret location or anything.

  Still, as Special Agent Kirkland pulled into the drive and stepped from his vehicle, Carter and Maddox were both strapped, Sarge at Maddox's left, and Raven and Kat safely stowed on the houseboat, ready to go at a moment's notice.

  Just in case.

  Kirkland was mixed race, with a deep caramel skin tone and black hair he kept as close to shaved as possible without actually shaving. He wore dark jeans and a gray T-shirt, his badge and sidearm attached to his left hip. His brown eyes scanned the area, surveying the scene in the way only cops and the military did, and then, his face split into a grin.

  "Well, well, if it isn't my two favorite local dick-heads."

  "That's rich, coming from some federal asshat," Maddox said, fighting his own grin.

  Kirkland shot his hand out to Maddox, and they shook. "It's good to see ya, my man."

  "Right back at ya. Just wish it was under better circumstances," said Maddox.

  "True that." Kirkland sobered as he turned to Carter. "Sorry to hear about your girl. She okay?"

  "Better than I am," answered Carter.

  Buddy hurried over and nipped at Sarge's tail, but Sarge didn't succumb to the forceful attempt at play. He stayed at attention, eyes on Kirkland. The four-legged cop's body was tense but not rigid or aggressive. Sarge wasn't getting any bad vibes from the other man.

  Maddox laid a hand on Sarge's head. "Go play, old man."

  Sarge let out a bark and looked at Maddox, his expression clearly saying, "Oh yeah?"

  "Go." Maddox motioned to Buddy. "If not, he's just gonna gnaw your tail off."

  Sarge barked his appreciation, and the two new friends raced off for the water.

  "Come on," Carter said with a jerk of his head. "We're set up in the kitchen."

  "Coffee fresh?" asked Kirkland, falling into step beside Carter.

  "Given how Genny and I chug the stuff, the coffee's always fresh around here."

  Before following the two men inside, Maddox waved to the houseboat, giving Kat and Raven the all-clear.

  In the house, coffee in hand, the three men settled at the table, and Maddox and Carter detailed what they knew and what they suspected about the Group. Kirkland listened, asked questions occasionally, but for the most part, he let them lay everything out, including how they feared there was a leak feeding the Group information and how they were positive Jeff Harris was attached to them.

  "In the past year or so, I've heard whispers of this Group," Kirkland said when Carter and Maddox had laid everything out. "And honestly, I hadn't been sure what to think of them. I thought they were some urban legend, a phantom with no substance, until about three months ago, when I lost Mary."

  The man pulled out a laminated object from his wallet and placed it on the table. A young girl smiled up at them. If Maddox had to guess, he'd say she was about the same age as Maddox's niece, Amy, so twelve. She had red ringlets, a generous dusting of freckles over her cheeks, and green eyes that sparkled as she smiled—also, just like Amy.

  "She's pretty," Maddox commented. "Is she yours?"

  "In a way," Kirkland answered. "This was taken on her eleventh birthday, six days before she went missing. And this one…" Kirkland picked up the edge of the photo as if he were going to flip it but hesitated a long moment before turning it. "This one was taken the day I finally found her. She was sixteen."

  "Oh god," Carter breathed.

  The girl's eyes no longer sparkled; they did, however, reflect steel.

  She stood in a group of other girls, her arms around them as if she alone was holding each girl upright. Each wore an elegant dress that seemed much too old and much too sexual for girls so young, and realization dropped into Maddox's gut with the finesse of a hungry grizzly spying its first after-hibernation meal. These girls had been part of some underground prostitution ring, and at sixteen, Mary seemed to be the oldest.

  Maddox forced himself not to look away from the photo. Mary had stood firm and protective in the face of her horror; the least he could do was honor her bravery.

  Maddox understood what Kirkland had meant when he'd said she was his; she was his in the same way every victim Maddox had ever stood for in the face of domestic assault was his.

  Kirkland eased a thumb over Mary's cheek. "She was abducted and sold to some rich asshole who had a thing for young girls. He also had a thing for inviting his sick asshole friends over for parties where they'd pass these terrified girls around like party favors."

  "Fuck." Somehow, Maddox managed to keep the profanity soft.

  "I busted the ring and rescued the girls, and with Mary's help, we nailed every bastard to the wall. At least, we were about to, when some fucker put a bullet into her head."

  This time, it was Carter who dropped the F-bomb.

  "Do you know who was responsible?" asked Carter.

  Kirkland retrieved the picture and returned it to his jacket pocket. "I'm pretty sure it's the same Group you guys are looking into."

  "Maddox just gave the all-clear," Katlyn announced, but neither she nor Raven moved. Both stood at the little cabin window and watched after the men as they headed inside.

  "Don't you dare tell Carter I said this, but Kirkland is hawt." Raven tilted her head as if to get a better look as he walked away. "His ass is positively biteable!"

  "I won't tell Carter, so long as you don't tell Maddox I agree."

  "Done deal, girlfriend. The man's got the big three in spades: tall, dark, and handsome. Yowza!" Raven fanned herself in an over-the-top fashion that had Katlyn laughing out loud.

  Katlyn could only imagine what Jeff would have thought or done if he'd ever learned she'd been talking to a friend about how hawt another man was. He would have flipped out; of that, she was positive. Then again, it didn't take much for him to flip out.

  She rubbed at the spot on her right elbow, where a long-faded scar still marred her skin. One night, sick as a dog with the flu Jeff had brought home from work, she'd dared to bring him leftovers for dinner. Oh, he hadn't liked that. He'd slapped her so hard that she'd fallen backward, and her elbow had gone through the glass coffee table. She'd needed seven stitches, which, in his eyes, had also been her fault.

  When the men disappeared inside, Katlyn and Raven settled back down at the tiny table, where their half-empty coffee mugs still sat. They'd already decided amongst the two of them to give their guys some space while they talked to the agent, whi
ch wasn't exactly a hard task given how peaceful being on the water was.

  Raven was doing much better. Her arm was still in its sling, but the perpetual grimace she'd worn most of yesterday had dissolved. Now, she only winced when she bumped her arm or when someone or something bumped it.

  Raven took a sip of her coffee and, with a chuckle and a shake of the head, set it back down. "That's it. I'm just gonna need to get Carter naked, so I'll have something spectacular to sear the image of Kirkland's ass out of my brain."

  "As if you need much of an excuse to get your Sir naked!"

  "True."

  Smiling dreamily, Raven palmed the necklace Carter had given her that morning: a pair of silver-and-black raven wings secured with a leather chain. He'd promised Raven he'd get her wings, and he'd delivered. The black along the wings' tips made them look lethal and fit Raven to a "T". Carter couldn't have picked anything more Raven if he tried.

  "That man simply overwhelms me." Raven continued. "I couldn't imagine not having him in my life. If something happened to him, I think it might kill me, ya know?"

  Yeah, Katlyn did know. "That's how I feel about Maddox."

  "I'm worried about him, Katlyn. I mean, more than I usually worry about him." Raven paused, closed her eyes for a long moment before continuing. "Don't get me wrong. I went into this relationship with my eyes wide open, but it's tough being in love with a cop, knowing every time he goes to work, it could be his last. It's scary. But now, after my attack and Detective Valentine's murder, I feel like this Group—"

  "Murder?" Katlyn's grip on her coffee mug turned brutal.

  "Yeah. Carter and Maddox think the Group had him killed for looking into them…"

  Raven told Katlyn everything, unaware of the emotional sucker-punch she'd landed.