Rogue

by Julia Sykes

  “I’m clean. Are you on birth control?” His voice was strained with the effort of holding himself back, but he wanted to make sure I consented to sex without a condom. I craved the sensation of him moving inside me, nothing between us.

  “I’m on the pill. And I’m clean, too.”

  I had barely gotten the words out before he drove into my wet heat in one rough thrust. My cry at the sudden intrusion wasn’t one of pain. He took me harshly, grunting each time he slammed into me. His fingers gripped my arms so tightly that I was sure to have bruises, but I didn’t care. I reveled in the little spots of pain, in his complete control as he fucked me mercilessly.

  His hips shifted, altering the angle of his thrusts. The head of his cock found that sweet spot at the front of my inner walls, and I screamed out my orgasm. He followed me immediately, the throbbing of my core sending him over the edge. His bellow mingled with my ecstatic cry, and his heat lashed into me, branding me as his.

  His hands trembled when he gently lowered me down and turned me over. His body settled over mine, enveloping me in his strength and heat. His fingers played along the line of the collar, and he stared at it in fascination.

  “Mine,” he murmured again. I thrilled at the word.

  Chapter 17

  “I’m glad we’re on the same side,” Clara murmured to me as she helped me tighten my corset.

  “Me too.” I meant it. I had come to like the Dominatrix, so it was a relief when I found out she was NYPD. She was taking point with Reed and me tonight in calling in the cavalry when the time came.

  She grimaced. “I wasn’t thrilled when the guys on the force found out I had been investigating this place on my own. They didn’t know about my lifestyle. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to face them after this.”

  I met her eyes in the mirror. “It’s probably not as bad as you imagine. I felt the same way. Derek helped me to see that the guys respect me and care about me.”

  Clara nodded shortly, but her eyes were closed, unaccepting. She didn’t believe me. I silently hoped that – through domination or submission – she could find the peace Derek had shown me. She must have embraced the lifestyle for a reason. Maybe her asshole ex had made her forget why.

  I shook it off. As much as I hoped Clara found happiness, I couldn’t focus on her private life right now. We had a job to do.

  “Not too tight, please,” I requested as Clara gave a particularly sharp tug on my laces. “I’d like to be able to breathe tonight.”

  She gave me a little smirk in the mirror. “Okay, I’ll be merciful. But only because of extenuating circumstances.” She finished her work with a flourish. “You good?”

  I took a deep breath, relieved to realize that I could actually fill my lungs. I was further reassured by the weight of the Glock 22 that was strapped to my thigh, hidden by my relatively modest knee-length skirt.

  “All good,” I confirmed. “You?”

  “Yep. Let’s do this.” The fervent light in her grey eyes let me know that she was just as keen to run the Kings out of the BDSM club as I was. She didn’t want to save Derek as desperately as I did, but she wanted to put an end to drug use in a place that was supposed to be a safe haven for people in her lifestyle.

  It’s my lifestyle, too, I realized. I wanted to be with Derek, and that meant being part of his kinky life. All my initial derisive assumptions about BDSM had been wrong. I no longer scorned those who practiced it, and the resentment and fear I had felt at my own submissive tendencies was gone. Derek had helped me find peace with myself, lifting the heavy burden of guilt and self-consciousness that had weighed me down for so many years.

  Now, it was time to restore peace to his life as well. I followed Clara out of the locker room, preparing myself to play my part, to extend my deception for a few hours longer.

  When I entered the bar, I headed straight for Derek’s arms, ignoring Ortiz’s glare of loathing. His bruises had turned a sick greenish-yellow, making his wide face even uglier.

  Derek hugged me to him tightly, and he bent down to take my lips with possessive hunger. His teeth nipped at my lower lip. The little bite of pain let me know something was wrong. His need to give me pain meant he needed control. I could almost taste the desperation on his tongue when he took my mouth.

  “She’s supposed to be mine for the night.” The voice that was so like Derek’s and yet so horribly wrong floated over my shoulder. Dread pooled in my stomach as I recognized the speaker: Jonas Carter.

  Derek’s arms tightened around me, and his teeth sank into my lip again. All I wanted was to give him my submission, to soothe him, but that wasn’t an option. If Jonas demanded that I go with him, then that’s what I would have to do. I wasn’t about to blow everything now. Not when we were only hours, maybe minutes, away from taking down the Kings.

  It took all my strength – mental and physical – to break from Derek’s kiss.

  “I’ll be fine,” I whispered across his lips. “It won’t be for long. Trust me.”

  His jaw clenched. “If you let anything happen to yourself, I’ll tan your hide,” he warned. His eyes were almost maddened with his hatred for his father and his fear for me, but he let me go.

  The hand that gripped my waist wasn’t Derek’s. I was jerked back out of his arms, and I fell against solid muscle. Jonas’ fingers curled around my hip, pressing me against him.

  “I can see why you like this one. She has a nice ass.”

  He began to harden against me, and I tried to pull away. His arm was an iron band around my stomach, holding me in place. Nausea rolled through me, and it took considerable effort to stop myself from slamming my elbow into his solar plexus.

  “I’m fine,” I told Derek quickly, before he could tear his father to pieces. “I’ll see you soon.”

  You’ll see Jonas in handcuffs soon. My eyes willed him to understand.

  Derek’s stance remained tense, and he said nothing. It was taking everything he had to stop himself from ripping me out of his father’s arms.

  Jonas leered at him and turned, pulling me with him. He shifted me so that I walked at his side, but he still held me close with his grip on my waist.

  “There’s someone I want you to meet.” His voice was silky at my ear. His hot breath washed across my neck in a sick parody of intimacy.

  We were heading towards the private rooms. Reed was stationed just at the edge of the dungeon, watching. But rather than being a voyeur, he was keeping an eye Reyes. His eyes casually scanned the area, but they always made sure to sweep over the King.

  When his gaze fell on me, he stiffened. The furious twist of his lips let me know that he didn’t like seeing Jonas’ hands on me any more than Derek did. He shifted his weight as though to take a step toward me, but I warned him off with a sharp glare. He gave a short nod and backed off, but he still radiated tension, and his casual observation now included Jonas as well as Reyes.

  I’ll be fine. I told myself the same words I had offered to Derek. I was wearing a wire under my corset. If I truly needed help, Clayton and Smith would hear. I had no doubt they would come running.

  Jonas forced me to walk beside him down the long corridor, and two members of the Kings I didn’t recognize appeared out of nowhere to flank us. Instead of going into one of the private rooms, we headed for Derek’s office. When we entered, we found a man seated beside Derek’s desk. He was surrounded by three burly men, all of whom had distinctive tattoos on the right side of their necks.

  I didn’t have a chance to study them. All of my attention honed on the seated man. He was undeniably gorgeous. Long lashed, dark brown eyes matched the shade of his silken hair that fell to his shoulders. It curled slightly at the ends, framing his square jaw.

  But his beauty was ruined by the cruel twist of his smirking lips and his cold gaze. I pitied the petite golden blonde who knelt at his feet. What must it be like to have this man as her Dom?

  “Jonas.” He inclined his head in recognition and gestured to
the chair across from him. “Please have a seat.” His voice was deep, his accent so thick that it took me a moment to register that he had in fact spoken in English.

  “Dimitri,” Jonas greeted. “So good to see you again.” His fingers wrapped around my hair and pulled down sharply as he sat. “On your knees,” he ordered.

  Gritting my teeth, I sank into the slave pose Derek had taught me. It took effort to lower my gaze to the floor. It went against all my instincts to take my eyes off a threat.

  “Your slave is very pretty,” the Russian remarked. “Is she part of our deal?”

  I couldn’t stop myself from glaring up at him. “No. And I’m not a slave. I’m a sub.”

  Jonas’ hand suddenly braced against the left side of my head, holding me in place. The thumb of his free hand dug into the pressure point just under my jaw. I couldn’t stifle my small cry of pain.

  “I do like the spirited ones,” Dimitri remarked. He stroked the hair of the blonde beside him. “It took a long time to get Alicia to the point where she willingly gave up her safe words. You Americans are so soft with your slaves.” His hand caressed her cheek almost lovingly. “But I do get bored of her obedience sometimes. I would be very grateful if I could train this one.” He nodded towards me. I caught a flash of cornflower blue as the blonde’s eyes flared with anger.

  “I would consider making her part of the deal. As a gesture to show how much I value our friendship.” I jerked beneath Jonas, but his thumb dug into me again. My pained shout was louder, more ragged this time.

  I blinked back tears when his grip eased, and I prayed that Clayton and Smith wouldn’t blow this just yet. If they came running to my rescue, everything would be ruined. They had to wait just a few more minutes. As soon as Dimitri gave verbal confirmation of the deal to trade the coke for an alliance, we would have what we needed.

  The door burst open, and everyone’s gazes snapped to Reyes as he stormed in. He strode to his boss and bent to whisper in his ear.

  “The cops are here. She’s a fucking Fed.”

  I was close enough to catch his words, but the wire wouldn’t pick it up. Before I had a second to strike out to defend myself, Jonas’ thumb sank into me again. Agony flared, and my vision went white. My body was immobilized by the shock of pain, and I fell helplessly to the floor when Jonas broke contact.

  “We have to get out of here,” he hissed. “Deal with her.”

  Through my wavering vision, I saw Dimitri lift the blonde and carry her out of the office, his men in tow. Jonas followed hard on their heels.

  That left me alone with Jonas’ two guards and Reyes. I struggled to force my arms to work, to push my body upright.

  “I’m going to need some help in here, guys,” I managed to say, knowing it was time for the NYPD to move in. Clayton and Smith would hear me. “Jonas and the Russians know-”

  Pain exploded in my side. I curled in on myself, gasping. Reyes’ savage face wavered above me, and his boot drew back again to catch me in the stomach. I managed to tighten my abs just in time to reduce the damage the blow would cause, but that didn’t lessen the pain. It felt as though my insides were being ripped apart. My body tried to scream out its pain, but I couldn’t find air.

  “Sharon!” Reed’s voice boomed through the room. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reached my ears, but the blow didn’t land on me. Reed was dealing with Reyes.

  I blinked hard, willing the world to appear around me. My stomach was still writhing, but I managed to force air into my lungs. When my vision cleared, I saw Clara dealing with the other Kings.

  Clutching at my abdomen, I managed to make it to my feet.

  A shrill ringing sound blared to life. Someone had used the emergency exit.

  Jonas. I had to get to Jonas, or Derek would never be free. Charlotte would suffer. Knowing that Reed and Clara could handle themselves, I stumbled out of the office. I started up an uneven jog, making my way down the long corridor.

  Shrieks and sobs filtered in from the bar and dungeon. The NYPD were making their move. Would they make it to Jonas through the chaos? I wasn’t prepared to take the chance.

  My footfalls became more even as adrenaline helped numb my pain. By the time I burst into the dungeon, I was in a full sprint. My heart sank when I saw Derek slam through the emergency exit and out into the night.

  “Derek!” I yelled out for him. He couldn’t go out on his own. He wasn’t armed. He couldn’t defend himself.

  I increased my pace, shoving through the panicked bodies of the intoxicated patrons. I had to get to Derek.

  I threw myself full-force against the door, and I half-fell out into the dimly lit alley. Rain poured down in hard, fat drops. It immediately fell into my eyes, and it pounded against the asphalt, impairing my senses of sight and hearing.

  I squinted through the curtains of water and saw the Russians flinging themselves into a black sedan. It tore away before Jonas could get in. He ran after it, cursing. And Derek ran after him.

  I reached under my skirt, and my water-slicked hand found my gun.

  Something sharp ripped into my side, slicing through my skin and sliding up through my flesh with cold precision. The knife didn’t stop until it scraped against my rib. It took a moment for agony to slam through shock. When it registered, it was so visceral that robbed me of breath. I couldn’t even scream.

  “You deserved so much worse, cunt.” I recognized Ortiz’s cruelly satisfied voice just before he ripped the blade out. My pain magnified, and a strangled sound managed to work its way up from my deflated lungs.

  Ortiz’s malevolent presence at my back disappeared, and I fell to my knees. I watched in horror as he stepped around me, moving towards Derek. Blood dripped from the knife clutched in his hand. My blood.

  No. I couldn’t let him hurt Derek.

  My pain faded to nothing. Everything went quiet. There were no shouts, no pounding rain. Just a faint, high ringing in my ears. The world seemed to slow. I watched as Jonas turned to Derek. He held a gun, and he lifted it. Any moment now, it would send a bullet ripping through Derek’s heart.

  Somehow, my own gun was in my hand. It was steady as I raised it. I flicked off the safety, and my finger found the trigger. A small hole appeared in the center of Jonas’ forehead. His face went slack, and he crumpled to the ground. I squeezed the trigger again, and Ortiz’s body jerked. His blade slipped from his hand as he fell.

  Derek stood alone in the alley, his mouth hanging open in surprise, his brow furrowed in confusion.

  So beautiful.

  My body slid to the side, and my cheek collided wetly with the ground. Rain fell into my eyes, but I couldn’t manage to blink it away.

  “Sharon!” My name was muffled, obscured by the ringing in my ears. “Sharon!”

  An arm hooked under my shoulders, lifting me. Pain screamed through me, sharpening my senses.

  “Oh, fuck. Sharon, look at me. Look at me!”

  His order compelled me, and I managed to blink. Derek’s gorgeous features were twisted with anguish.

  Derek shouldn’t be hurting. But he wasn’t really crying. That was just rain. Wasn’t it?

  I tried to reach up to brush the wetness from his cheeks, but my arms wouldn’t move. Panic spiked through me. Why couldn’t I move my arms?

  A small, terrified whimper shook at the back of my throat. There was a metallic taste on my tongue, and something wet and hot filled my mouth.

  “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” Derek reassured me, but his voice broke.

  The world began to darken around him.

  “No!” He shook me. Pain flared, but it wasn’t enough to pull me back to him. “You stay with me. That’s an order, god damn it. I love you, Sharon. Do you hear me? I fucking love you. Don’t you dare leave me.”

  I love you, too, Derek.

  My heart broke as the blackness took me, blotting out his perfect face.

  Chapter 18

  My world was pain. Everything throbbed, and a dee
p ache penetrated my side. Each breath hurt. My soft moan burned on its way up my throat.

  “It’s okay, Sharon. You’re okay.” The voice was shaky with strain and touched with relief. A large, warm hand gripped mine. The scent of pine and man surrounded me.

  “Derek.” His name was little more than a croak. I tried to open my eyes to look at him, but everything swam around me. Nausea rolled through me, and I gave up within seconds. My mind felt fuzzy, dulled somehow. “What’s happening?” I managed to slur.

  “Everything’s okay. Just rest. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

  Rest. It was an order. And Derek would stay by my side. I trusted him completely.

  With that knowledge, I fell back into merciful blackness.

  * * * * *

  “How is she?” Reed’s voice was a soft, concerned rumble.

  “I’m fine.” The reassurance was automatic, but it never left my lips. The words seemed to get caught in my chest, and only a strange, rattling noise came out. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was completely dry.

  “Get out. You’re upsetting her.” Derek was trying to make my friend leave.

  Something teased at the edges of my mind, piercing my initial concern over my physical state.

  Jonas. The Russians.

  I forced my eyes open. My lids felt thick, heavy, but I managed. “What’s happening?” My mouth shaped the words.

  Derek cursed. “She’s supposed to be resting.” He shot a nasty look in Reed’s direction, but even the angry twist of his features couldn’t diminish his perfection.

  I remembered my fear as I watched Jonas draw his gun on Derek, and the round, dark hole that my bullet had left in his forehead.

  I squeezed Derek’s hand. “You’re okay,” I managed to rasp.

  His disbelieving golden eyes turned to mine. “You’re comforting me? Sharon, you’re the one who was stabbed. You scared the shit out of me.”

  “What’s going on now?” My voice was a bit stronger this time, but my tongue still felt like sandpaper.