No Chance

by Christy Reece

  While she continued to throb and spasm, Gabe stood and turned. She looked up to see him grabbing something from his pants. A condom. She hadn’t even given that any thought. Thank heavens he had.

  Scooting toward the middle of the bed, she watched him approach her. Eyes glittering with heat, his face held a fierce, sexual expression that might have frightened her at one time. No more. This was Gabe, her husband, her lover. Her eyes dropped lower. She shivered in delightful anticipation as the throb inside her renewed and intensified. With no hesitation or embarrassment, Skylar opened her arms and her legs in welcome.

  With a groan, Gabe came over her and, without any further preliminaries, was inside her. With a sob, Skylar threw her arms around his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his hips and lived out the hot, beautiful fantasies that had kept her warm these last lonely years.

  His mind blurred with passion, Gabe ignored the stinging reprimand in the back of his mind. The one that said he was doing something so asinine and stupid, he’d never recover. It no longer mattered. Not right now. He was exactly where he wanted to be … where he wanted to stay.

  “I’d forgotten how good it felt,” Skylar gasped beneath him.

  Raising up on his knees, firmly embedded deep inside her warmth, Gabe gazed down at the beauty before him. Never had she looked more lovely. Her face, her entire body, was flushed a beautiful glowing shade of pink. The deep rose of her nipples, taut and distended, lured him. No breasts in the universe could ever be as luscious as Skye’s. He thrust harder and watched her eyes dilate. Her breath hitched as she arched up off the bed, thrusting him even deeper inside her heat.

  Gabe lowered his body, groaning with a need he’d never imagined. It had been eight damn cold lonely years, but Gabe didn’t regret a moment of not touching any woman since Skye. And in that silent, stark place where true knowledge existed, he knew no other woman would ever replace Skye. In his heart or in his bed.

  Almost sobbing with her need, Skye wrapped her legs tighter around him as she undulated beneath his body. His mouth roaming over her face, neck, and chest, he couldn’t stop the words even if someone had threatened death. He remembered how she loved to hear him talk when they made love, and he wanted to give her everything she wanted. Could deny her nothing.

  “You are so damn beautiful, Skye. No one could ever be more beautiful.” When he felt her inner muscles tighten around him, pulling him deeper, complete sentences were beyond him. “Yeah … take me … deeper. That’s it … Just. Like. That.”

  And then, with a small scream, she arched her body and clenched him, milking his cock. He allowed himself the freedom to let go. With a guttural “Sweet, Skye,” Gabe thrust harder, plunging, pounding. Lightning zipped down his spine; flashes of color exploded behind his eyes. With a groan of ecstasy, Gabe followed Skye into oblivion.

  twenty

  Kendra stared at the blank wall before her. Voices floated around her. Familiar and unfamiliar, male and female. She didn’t know who they were. Didn’t care. She was empty.

  “How long has she been like this?”

  “Since that last dose you gave her. I think with the lack of food in her system, we dosed her too much.”

  “Dammit, he’s asking for another show.”

  “Hell, she’s done four this week. What’s the perv’s problem? He can watch them over and over.”

  “Apparently he has … over and over. With these kinds of creeps, it’s never enough. He’s wanting more now.”

  An excited male voice asked, “Is he wanting the real thing?”

  “Hell no. He’d kill anyone who got to her first. He sent a box of sex toys he wants her to use.” He paused for a second and Kendra felt a hand touch her chin, raise her head. She blinked groggily up at the man in front of her. He wavered into a tall, dark blob … a featureless image of evil.

  “She’s so out of it, there’s no way in hell we’ll be able to pull this off.”

  For some reason, the disgust in his voice penetrated the dull cloud in her mind. Disgusting … yes. It was disgusting. She was disgusting. Her head dropped to her chest and she closed her eyes. Sleep. She just wanted to sleep.

  “Wake her up. Give her some food, coffee … whatever it takes. Once she’s sober, we’ll have to shoot it.”

  “You want me to give her something else?”

  “No, she’ll have to do it without the drugs. Bring one of the girls in here. If she sees what’ll happen if she doesn’t obey, we should be able to get enough footage to satisfy the bastard this time.”

  “When’s he going to be ready for her?”

  “I think he’s been ready for her … she just wasn’t ready for him.” A hand tilted her head up. “She’s close … another couple of days and he’ll want to claim her.”

  The voices began to fade as they walked away from her.

  “He must be one sick fuck.”

  Someone laughed … sounded like a woman. “To each his own. What ever rocks his boat is fine with me as long as he pays us for it.”

  The voices disappeared and Kendra was once again alone. Without will, her body dropped to the soft surface of her mattress. Burying her face in the soft pillow, she closed her eyes and drifted away…. Finally, at last, she had peace.

  “Where are you going?”

  Skylar turned from her desk and smiled up at Gabe. “Good morning.”

  Instead of returning her smile, he looked grumpy. Her smile grew bigger. How could someone who looked like he’d just as soon chew gravel as smile look so damn sexy?

  Folding his long arms over the broad chest she’d nuzzled all night, he asked again, “Where are you going?”

  “My dad called. He wants me to come for lunch.”

  “Why can’t he come here?”

  “Well, for one thing, I haven’t been to the market in days. I have nothing to feed him.”

  “Fine. I’ll get dressed.”

  Skylar bit her lip. Here was the sticking point. “He asked me to come alone. I think he wants—”

  “Skye, I don’t care what the man wants. You’re not going anywhere by yourself. Now, you can call your dad and tell him to come here or I go with you. Your choice.”

  “Gabe, don’t go all he-man on me. It’s my dad, for heaven’s sake.”

  The obstinate set to his face told her he wouldn’t back down. His words proved it. “Those are your choices. Until we get Harrington behind bars, you go nowhere—and I mean nowhere—alone. Not even to your dad’s house. Is that clear?”

  “Don’t treat me like an imbecile. I’m getting into a taxi and getting out at my dad’s. Then I’m coming right back home. There’s absolutely no reason—” She cut off her words when he turned around and started walking away. “Where are you going?”

  He didn’t bother to turn around. “Apparently your choice is to have me go with you. I’m going to get dressed.”

  Skylar watched his retreating back. It would do no good to argue. When Gabe went into protective mode, changing his mind was impossible.

  A glance at the clock told her she had fifteen minutes before she had to leave. Plenty of time for him to get dressed and plenty of time for her to give careful consideration to the conversation she wanted to have with Gabe when they returned home.

  She wanted a real marriage with him. Last night had been everything she could have wanted. Gabe had been passionate and tender. In equal parts giving and demanding. When he’d told her that he hadn’t made love to a woman since they’d parted, she hadn’t been sure she believed him. A man as highly sexual as Gabe going without sex for that long seemed impossible. After last night, she believed him.

  Seven times … they’d made love seven times. She didn’t even know that was possible. In all the books she’d read, men couldn’t respond like that. Gabe had had no problem. And though she was impossibly sore and achy in places she had forgotten existed, every particle of her body had a tingling, glowing feel. She’d had no problem keeping up with Gabe’s seven times.

&nbs
p; They hadn’t talked a lot, other than those oh-so-sexy passages he knew turned her on. Eventually those had morphed into the most rudimentary words, such as “Feel good?” “Want more?” And a whole lot of yesses and pleases from her.

  A glow of happiness permeated her entire body. Oh yes, it had been a very good night.

  Now that their passion had been eased, it was time to talk about the future. And she prayed with all of her might that there was one. After last night, she had no doubt that Gabe had strong feelings for her. And though she had tried to deny it, she had never stopped loving him. Yes, there had to be a future for them.

  “Ready?”

  Skylar came out of her worried thoughts to find Gabe standing before her. And despite the fact that she’d spent hours in his arms last night, there was nothing she wanted more than to go back to bed and make more memories.

  “When you get that look on your face, you know there’s only one thing I can do.”

  Already knowing, she cocked her head and said softly, “Oh yeah … like what?”

  Growling low in his throat, Gabe pulled her quickly to him and covered her mouth with his.

  Sighing into his mouth, Skylar gave herself up to the passion that only this one man had ever been able to ignite.

  Misty rain shrouded the air. Giant umbrellas covered busy New Yorkers as they scurried along the crowded sidewalk. The few fortunate enough to be able to hail a cab ran quickly to the opened door of their ride.

  Gabe stood at the doorway of Skylar’s apartment building. Since Cole was busy trailing Harrington, they needed to rely on taxis. Why the hell hadn’t he called one before they left? He knew the answer to that … he’d been too damn busy feeling up his wife. That’s what he got for taking his mind off the job and being stupid to boot.

  “We should have called a cab,” Gabe said.

  Skylar peeked around his shoulder. “Let’s start walking. We’ll find one.”

  “No, it won’t hurt to be late for lunch. Let’s go back in and call one.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Gabe.” She reached up and wiped at his mouth, smiling as she pulled away a finger stained with her lipstick. “We’re already almost an hour late.” Holding out her hand, she said, “We’ll find a taxi within a block. Betcha ten bucks.”

  When Skylar gave him that smile of innocence and sensuality combined, Gabe went to mush. He took her hand. “Fine. Stay right beside me, though.”

  Rolling her eyes at him, she pulled him with her down the street. Neither of them had thought to bring an umbrella, and Skye’s hair was already getting damp. Cursing his lack of professionalism and foresight, Gabe walked beside her, his eyes open not only for an available cab but also for any kind of threat.

  Halfway down the block, she said, “I win. There’s a cab right there.” She raised her hand to hail it. The roar of a car engine caught Gabe’s attention. His head jerked around. A black Toyota sedan with its window open drove slowly by. Window open … in the rain. He pushed Skye to the pavement. Bullets whizzed by his ear. In one simultaneous motion, Gabe pulled his gun and threw himself on top of Skye, covering her completely.

  The car roared past them. Screams and shouts filled the air. Thousands of things went through Gabe’s head but he could focus on only one question. Why wasn’t Skye moving?

  “I’m fine, Gabe. I promise.”

  His face was pale and his eyes were blazing with fury. Skylar was more worried about him than the slight nick on her shoulder and the bump on her head. If Gabe hadn’t pushed her down when he did, she’d be dead. And, most likely, so would he.

  “I’m going to kill the bastard.”

  “You don’t think it was Bill, do you?”

  “Not personally, but yeah, he hired someone.”

  “Gabe, we don’t know that. People are always targeting celebrities for one reason or another. We can’t just assume—”

  “How many people have tried to kill you?”

  “Well, none that I know of, but—”

  “But nothing, Skye. This is beyond just a coincidence.”

  Wrapping her arms around herself, Skylar faced facts. As much as she would have liked to argue with Gabe further, she couldn’t. A deep hurt penetrated the numbness. The man she’d known all her life, would have trusted with her life, was not only torturing Kendra and possibly other girls, he’d hired someone to kill her and Gabe.

  Gabe dropped to his knees in front of her. “Let me call a doctor. You’re as pale as death.”

  “I’m fine, really. The EMT checked my shoulder. It’s barely a scratch.”

  His finger softly grazed the bruise on her forehead. “What about this bump?”

  “I don’t have a concussion.”

  “You lost consciousness … you had the hell scared out of you. You could be in shock.”

  Skylar shook her head. “I’m not in that kind of shock. If anything, I’m furious I didn’t really believe you. You’re right. It’s too coincidental that the day after you made those statements to him, someone tries to kill us.”

  “He’s getting desperate.”

  “Shouldn’t we tell the police at least something? They bought the story of a random shooting … but if we tell them—”

  “What, Skye? That one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the country is the head of a sex-trafficking ring? That he’s holding at least one young girl captive and making her do vile things for his amusement? That he hired someone to kill us because we’re onto him? And oh, by the way, we have no proof of any of this but please believe us anyway?”

  “But LCR has influence.”

  “Influence, yes. But even LCR has to have proof before we go about slandering someone’s name. If I went to them, it’s his word against mine.”

  “Against ours.”

  Gabe smiled and touched her cheek gently. It was already sore from her fall onto the pavement. Stupid really, but she’d knocked herself out briefly when she hit the concrete. And had scared Gabe to death. He thought she’d been shot.

  “I know you have influence, Skye, but the man has managed to hide this for years. He may well have contacts in the department we’re not aware of. There’s no way in hell I’m bringing them in until I have positive proof.”

  Her fingers smoothed his hair that was still damp from the rain. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

  He shook his head. “My fault. I should have called a taxi. Or hell, I shouldn’t have agreed to this anyway.”

  “I need to call my dad. It’ll be all over the news soon, if it isn’t already. He’ll be worried.”

  Gabe stood and grabbed the phone from the table and handed it to her. “Assure him you’re all right. Tell him what we told the police. And that you can’t see him right now … that you need to rest. Until we figure out how to get to Kendra and get Harrington, I don’t want you going anywhere.”

  Skylar drew in a breath as she hit speed dial for her dad. She’d wait a while before she told Gabe her idea. He wouldn’t like it, but she was determined to convince him. They needed to get information on William Harrington, and what better way to do that than brave the devil in his own home?

  twenty-one

  “Take your clothes off.”

  Kendra gritted her teeth but didn’t move. He wanted her clothes off, he could damn well take them off. She’d woken this morning, clearheaded for the first time in days, and determined she would no longer be their puppet. She’d had a full meal, and though she still felt lethargic and weak, she was lucid enough to know what was going on. Damned if they’d get any more cooperation out of her.

  She couldn’t remember what they had made her do … she only knew that even in her drugged-out haze, she’d felt shame. For what, she didn’t know. She remembered lewd words. She remembered male and female laughter. She remembered pleasure, pain, and all the while, she’d felt the shame. She’d been hot and breathless, as if she were burning inside and out.

  Never again.

  “I said, get your clothes off,
bitch.”

  She raised her head and glared. “Go to hell.”

  Shocked silence followed her cold, hollow statement.

  A face, flushed red with anger, appeared inches before her face. “You either get them off or I’ll give you a show you’ll never forget.”

  She knew what he meant. They would bring another young girl in and do vile things to her as punishment for Kendra’s defiance. And as blackmail. She no longer cared. Let them do their worst. She was determined to survive no matter what. They wanted to torture another young girl? Let them. To survive in this world or any other, you had to look out for number one. Number one. That would be her mantra from now on.

  The man turned to someone behind him. “Strip her, but don’t leave any marks he can see. I’ll be back.”

  Two sets of hands pulled at the thin nightgown she wore. Kendra sprang into action. Skylar had offered to take her to some self-defense classes. Kendra had refused, but she remembered Skylar’s advice. Her fist bopped the woman in the nose. She yelped a curse and cupped her hand over her face. Kendra kicked her in the stomach. The woman bent double, gagging as blood gushed onto the floor.

  The man grabbed for Kendra’s hair. She swung her forearm to block him, then punched him in the eye. He shouted and reached for her again. She swung her fist up and jammed it hard into his crotch.

  Kendra ran for the door. Both of her assailants were on the floor howling in pain, but probably not for long. And that other bastard would be back soon. She had to get out of here as soon as she could. She ran through the opened door and found herself in a narrow, well-lit hallway. There was a door at both ends. Would either one of them lead to freedom? She didn’t know, but she had to try.

  Her heart pounding with fear and hope, Kendra took off.

  “That’s about the dumbest, most asinine suggestion I’ve ever heard from anyone.”

  Hands on her hips, Skylar advanced toward the stubborn, glaring man standing in front of her. “You may not like my idea, but you don’t have to insult it.”