NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  “See, that’s just it. I get it,” Emma said sitting down on the bed. “All of you think that I’m fragile and for a while there I was, but I’ve worked through all of that and come out stronger for it. If my daughter is in danger, I have a right to know Ethan.”

  “Listen,” Ethan walked over to the bed and sat down next to Emma, “Kenna isn’t in any danger from Matthias, he would no sooner hurt a woman or child than the rest of us. He might not be a nice man, but under all that dark is a good one. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, and he wasn’t the danger I was talking about, I never once got the feeling that he would hurt either of us. But when he touched Kenna, she calmed, it was like he was communicating with her in some way kind way. Like when Skylar is in the room with the kids, it was similar but not the same. I want to know what he discovered.”

  “Again, Emma, you need to talk with Dalton,” Ethan said, getting up and walking over to the door. “Emma, I have come to think of you like a sister but I can’t answer your questions, I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t think you would,” Emma got up and walked toward Ethan but stopped, “but I was hoping. If you say Kenna isn’t in danger, I’ll believe that, but I need to talk to you about something else. Something you aren’t going to want to hear.”

  “Okay,” Ethan said, crossing his arms over his chest and widening his stance.

  “When you go on this mission, you’re going to find something you won’t want. You’re going to fight what you’re feeling and doubt what is happening is real. You need to open yourself to the possibility of having all you want and need. If you don’t, you will lose one of the most precious things this life could ever give you.”

  “Emma, what are you talking about?”

  “I know I sound like a freak right now, but I have always had feelings about things. I lost that for a while, but it’s coming back slowly. I feel the mission you’re going on will change your life, but it’s your choice which way that will go, bad or good. Do you understand?”

  “Ah, Em I can’t say that I do, but I will keep my mind open. You’re not the only one who has those types of abilities, and I learned a long time ago not to dismiss them. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, that’s all I can ask.” Emma leaned forward kissing Ethan on the cheek and said, “Safe travels.”

  As Ethan watched her leave, he noticed Dalton waiting at the end of the hall for her, Ethan was surprised Dalton hadn’t charged him, Emma had been so close. Catching his eye, Dalton nodded which confused Ethan more, it was almost like the man was thanking him for something. Hell, this day just kept on getting weirder and weirder.

  Chapter 3

  Sophie waited in another random room waiting for instructions. This was becoming the story of her life, at least this time the view was beautiful. Crystal clear water and white sand beach greeted her eyes. She only wished that she would get a chance to explore them, feel the sun on her skin and the sand between her toes, but she knew that wouldn’t be happing.

  She had arrived here three days ago and except a scantily clad woman delivering her food three times a day, she had yet to meet anyone else, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t heard things, awful things. Wrapping her arms around her body for comfort, Sophie remember the screams she heard last night. They weren’t typical cries of a man or a woman, but that of an animal. She wished she could say that she had never heard similar screams before, but that would be a lie.

  Sophie lived in a world where mean, evil men turned into animals and tortured and tormented everyone around them, her included. A place she couldn’t escape or where she could ask for help, or she risked losing the only two people she loved. It sucked, but it was her life and had been for a very long time now. There was no escape and no hope of it changing.

  Looking back out the window to the water, she wished that she could just take one of the boats on the dock and run far away. Hell, she wished she could turn back time to when none of the reality she lived now existed. Ignorance really was bliss. She could remember living on the streets with her sister and being so cold and scared, danger lurked around every corner. When the Overseer had found them, and offered them a safe place to live with no strings attached, she had jumped at the chance. Carley had been so sick, and she didn’t know what else to do. Damn, how naïve she had been, eagerly accepting the lies he told them. Now, she would take that time on the street back over the nightmare they now lived.

  The knock on the door didn’t surprise her, she had been expecting it. It was lunch time, and the woman was like clockwork. Sophie didn’t even bother turning around or addressing her knowing she would leave her lunch on the small table and leave. After a couple of minutes when she didn’t hear the click of the lock engaging once again, Sophie turned around. The woman was standing in the center of the room; Sophie, noticed she had already placed her food tray down but held a bundle of clothing in her hands.

  Sophie had learned to never look beyond the people ‘caring’ for her. She didn’t look at faces or notice things like hair and eye color, those things didn’t matter. Clothing really didn’t matter either, but it was hard to judge a person without taking it in. This poor woman was dressed in some kind of French maid uniform complete with frilly apron. Shaking her head, Sophie waited.

  “The Master has instructed you bathe with the soaps provided in the bathroom, shave all hair from your body, and dress in this; you are also to put your hair in a braid down the center of you back.” Sophie watched as she held the pieces of scraps out of her to take. Once she did the woman continued, “He has also told me to inform you your training will start tonight. I will collect you at seven and bring you to the dungeon, you won’t be having dinner this evening.”

  “This is for after your lessons,” the woman reached into the pocket on her absurd apron, pulling out a capped syringe. “I’ve been informed that you are already familiar with the medicine and require no further instruction on its use.”

  Yeah, Sophie was very familiar with that particular injection, it promoted accelerated healing. Judging by the amount within the syringe, Sophie knew her lessons were going to be brutal. She couldn’t even draw enough emotion to shed a tear, those days were long gone. This wasn’t the first time she had suffered at these things hands. Sophie nodded her head, took the clothing from the lady, laid it down on the bed. Not paying her any further attention Sophie moved back to the window to continue her viewing.

  The woman still didn’t leave, and Sophie wanted to be alone to prepare, so she kept her back to her but remained aware of her position. She learned a long time ago never to let her guard down.

  “I feel I must warn you, the Master isn’t an easy man. With you being new, you need to understand what he’ll expect from you.”

  “Let me guess,” Sophie laughed, but didn’t turn and said drolly, “he’s cruel beyond measure and enjoys inflicting the harshest of punishments?”

  “Ah…”

  “Miss, I suggest you leave. I know this game well, I also know that, except the instructions you have already given me, you aren’t to speak to me further. If you weren’t ‘new’ yourself, you would have already realized that all of these rooms are wired for sight and sound, and they are always watching and listening. Hell, they don’t even need the technology, just their beastly talents, to hear what’s being said within this room.” Sophie heard the woman gasp and the door slam closed shortly thereafter. Damn, she felt sorry for the woman, she was clueless to her surroundings.

  Lifting up the clothing, Sophie cringed. Hell, it wasn’t anything more than a few pieces of see through fabric sew together. It would barely cover her body. She laughed to herself that was probably the point. These things liked to see the results of their attentions on her skin. Bruises, welts, cuts, and scrapes seemed to turn them on and bring out their inner animal. Their bodies would inflate, and their eyes would brighten; Sophie seen those eyes every time she tried to sleep, she hated them, hated the men attached to them even more.

  Knowing s
he needed her strength for what was to come, Sophie walked over to the tray and lifted the lid off the plate. The food was always the same, grilled chicken with no spices, broccoli, and wild rice. There was also a protein shake on the tray, along with the pills she was required to take daily. This was lunch. The dinner she wouldn’t be getting tonight would have consisted of a wild greens salad with more chicken, no dressing, another protein shake, and more pills. It had been so long since she had anything else, she was starting to forget the taste of things like pizza, chocolate, or ice cream. Those items were not allowed, ever.

  One time on a mission, she was able to steal a cookie. She had to of been about twenty-one at the time, and Sophie could remember wrapping it carefully and placing it in her pocket, wanting to take it back and share it with her sister. She should have just shoved it in her mouth because these beasts could smell anything and her punishment for that cookie left her never trying to indulge again.

  After eating, Sophie went into the bathroom and adjusted the faucet on the tub; once she was happy with the temperature, she began filling it. Gathering the shampoo, soap, and conditioner from the cabinet, she laid them on the edge of the tub. Going to the cabinet above the sink Sophie found several disposable razors. Damn it, she thought, these things expected her to remove all the hair from her body, but couldn’t even provide a decent blade. These stupid things always caught and cut. That was probably the point.

  As the bubbles filled her bath, she noticed the lack of smell, everything that was provided for her was unscented. It was another thing that she barely remembered, having a fruity scented shampoo or a flowery soap. She did remember the smell of the baby shampoo her mother always used on her and her sister that did bring a tear to her eye. She and her sister lost their mother when they were nineteen, and their dad when they were ten. Sophie forced those thoughts away, not wanting to think about her parents. Sophie went to the small closet in the bathroom and searched every shelf for some shaving cream or lotion, finding neither, she knew this experience was going to suck. Sophie got into the tub, allowing herself a few minutes just to enjoy the feel of the warm water caressing her skin and loosening her muscles. It had been a long time since she had the luxury of a bath. Sophie only allowed herself a couple of minutes of relaxation, anymore would bring unwanted memories.

  Quickly going through her assigned task, Sophie winced every time the dull razor cut her skin. She kept herself groomed, but never completely bare. She didn’t like it. It made her feel like a child somehow. Women were meant to have hair down there, otherwise it wouldn’t be there. She also knew the men who controlled her life preferred that area to be bare that was why she didn’t do it unless ordered. It was her own form of rebellion. Finished, she got out of the bath and drained the water.

  Sophie wrapped the towel around her body and started to brush her hair. Once that was complete, she braided it as was ordered. Sophie hated her hair. It was long, hitting just about to her ass, and she wanted to cut it off, but had been ordered never to do so, making her want to do it even more. More than once its length had been used against her, and by the Master's order, she figured it would happen again tonight.

  Going back out into the bed room, she made note of the time she still had, at least two hours before the woman would come back to collect her. Not wanting to put on the clothing that was provided for her, Sophie remained in the towel. Walking back to the window, she looked out and let her mind wander to that place again where there was hope, where she could be just a regular woman. A place where she and Carley were safe and could have normal lives, maybe even jobs, boyfriends, and eventually families. A place where Shifters didn’t exist.

  Or maybe a place where Shifters were like the ones she had read about in romance novels when she was a teen. Scary and dominant, but soft-hearted and loving at the same time. Just thinking about those stories she’d devoured, made her laugh at herself in disgust. Shifters weren’t anything like the men described in those books. They might be attractive on the outside, but on the inside, the only thing that existed was cruelty, depravity, and evil.

  Sophie couldn’t imagine wanting any of them in the way she had wanted the characters of her books. It had been so long since she had been turned on that she was starting to wonder if she was even capable anymore. There was no excitement of seeing an attractive man and wanting to kiss him or go further. No, there was only fear and loathing. She feared that if she ever found a way out of this situation for herself and her sister, she would never be what was considered normal again.

  Watching the waves on the water, she noticed that a storm was coming, the water was getting choppier and the sky had darkened. The waves were thrashing against the shore, each one topped with white foam. This was more like it, she thought, this represented her life, chaotic and ominous. When the lightning started to flash, she watched in awe. Another flash of lightning and then a clap of thunder, but that wasn’t what had her attention now. Down by the boat house was a man, dressed in jeans and a dark hoodie. From what she could tell, he was big, his height and girth rivaled the men who held her. She watched as he sprinted to the lakeshore, he was surprisingly quick and sure-footed running on sand in a storm. Sophie felt as though she needed to reach him, go to him. The feelings didn’t make sense and scared her. Placing her hand on the window, she watched as he disappeared into the woods. Who was he?

  Chapter 4

  The trip to Traverse City didn’t take that long, but it did give Ethan enough time to make a few phone calls to try to locate his old friend and owner of Free. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any luck, Lucas Krueger had not been seen in almost a month. Ethan decided it was best to try to track him down instead of bringing attention to himself by calling associates which could raise red flags if the man was in trouble.

  Free was a Shifter owned and operated Club located on the shores of Lake Michigan in an old Victorian style mansion, a place no own would think held a BDSM Club. The mansion itself was unbelievably elegant, built in the 1900s with all the typical Victorian elements; huge covered porch, gingerbread accents, the five-color scheme typical of the era donned the exterior. Lucas had chosen, tan, green, deep red, white, and black for Free. It wasn’t exactly Ethan’s preferred style of home, but even he had to admit the mansion was beautiful. There were even two turrets. Ethan laughed thinking if the constant stream of vacationers that piled into the area really knew what went on in those turrets, it would make them blush.

  All members were brought in by invitation only, Lucas ran a tight ship, he didn’t want any of his clientele to feel anything but free to do what most would consider taboo. The security was top-notch as well; good thing Ethan had been the one to put most of it in place. Lucas kept an apartment on the top floor of the building, and that was the first place he was going to look for him.

  Parking his truck a few miles down in the road at one of the many park owned beach areas, Ethan exited his vehicle and started for the trails. Once he was far enough away from the public area, Ethan stretched his senses and wasn’t surprised to find he was the only one in the area. Changing into his bear, his shift was swift and painless; his beast shook out his fur and stretched. Ethan laughed to himself, if he didn’t know any better, he would believe his bear had cat tendencies. In bear form, all his senses increased; sight, smell, hearing, as well as his speed and strength. It really was exhilarating, but Shifters had to be careful, the lure of the beast was always strong, the human side had to be stronger.

  Pushing his bear a bit, Ethan made quick work of getting to the outer edge of Free’s property. Shifting back to human form, Ethan walked the outer edge of the beach area, knowing the surveillance cameras wouldn’t pick him up, and started toward the boathouse. Approaching the boathouse from the west side, Ethan entered the building. Not many knew it, but there was a secret entrance to Lucas’s quarters through the storage area. Ethan made his way past the boats, jet skis, and other water toys housed in the area. The storage room was in the back, facing the mansio
n.

  Once inside, he moved the buoy hanging on the wall, twisting it upward. The wall separated and opened the door; Ethan had been very proud of this when he built it years ago. Taking the steps down, he walked the tunnel until he came upon the next door which would lead him into the pantry area of the kitchen. Using the keypad on the side, he punched in his code and the wall again separated allowing him to enter. The room was typical of any pantry, shelves lined the walls with canned goods, cooking elements and other food elements. The other thing it boasted was a stairwell to what used to be servant’s quarters. Ethan again used his code on the keypad and started up the stairs.

  Hell, he hoped he didn’t startle Lucas when he went into his territory, cat Shifters were notoriously territorial and would attack without thinking. Ethan couldn’t sense any other Shifters around him which puzzled him, he should be at least getting Lucas’s scent by now, even if it was an older one. Tapping lightly at the door, he waited to see if Lucas or anyone else would come; when nothing happened, Ethan entered the apartment.

  The apartment was as he remembered it with one exception, it was dusty, like it hadn’t been lived in for some time. Lucas often brought one of his Subs up to clean the area, so the fact that he could visibly see dust, concerned him. Ethan walked around, being very careful not to disturb anything. The apartment was one large room with a kitchen and living area combined. There was a small hallway that led to a bedroom and Lucas’s office. Heading that way, Ethan looked into the bedroom and again, found it neat but dusty, the bed made, and everything appeared to be in proper order. Walking through the room, he checked the bathroom just to make sure it was empty, although his senses already told him it was.

  Making his way out, he shut the door leaving everything the way he found it. Ethan got a whiff of something very strong when he got close to Lucas’s office. It wasn’t a scent he was familiar with, but it reminded him of the smell of putting on a gas mask when he was in the service. Shaking his head, he stored that information away to look into later. Opening the door to the office, Ethan was surprised that this room wasn’t like the others, papers lined the floor and drawers were left open, furniture was turned over on end. The place had either been searched, or a scuffle had occurred. Ethan scented the area again, but was still getting thrown off by that odor.