by Zara Novak
Vincent was a busy man and had a lot of business to attend to, he was running a criminal empire of course. He wanted me at his side a lot more, and before long I was present at least half the time he was meeting with others.
During the nighttime we were at each other’s side, and when day came the vampires had to retreat back to the shadows for rest and safety. The creatures in this world might have been stronger and faster than me, but my ability to walk about in daylight gave me a strength they could never have. Coupled with the power of my voice I quickly earned the respect of those that knew my name. I wasn’t sure my power would ever actually be as strong as the woman in white. I knew that I would never use my power in that way, but the important thing was that my reputation preceded me.
Vincent was the king of this criminal empire.
I was his queen.
I used a few hours every day to keep on top of the castle, making sure that this inner empire was running ship-shape as well. I usually woke an hour or so before Vincent came to my old cell to watch the sunset. We slept together every night now, but we still used the cell daily to indulge our ever-raging libido.
I might have been the queen at his side out in the open, but behind closed doors and windows I loved to be the slave on her knees. Every day he used, defiled, and punished me. I always pushed the boundaries and tested his limits, finding new ways to get into trouble to earn new punishments.
On this particular day we didn’t have much time to play those games. We were a little busier than usual. After closing the shutters, I was sitting on the bed reading when the door opened and Vincent walked in. I was already naked and waiting for him.
“What’s this?” he said as he walked up to the corner of the bed, ironing out the smallest crease with his fingers. “Who taught you how to make a bed?”
“Sorry sir,” I said, smiling as I set my book down. “I was in a hurry.”
“Hurry? This entire room is a mess.” He waved his hand across the room, which was pristine of course. Sometimes I liked to make it hard for him to punish me, but he always found a way.
“It won’t happen again.”
“You’re damn right it won’t. I’m thinking I tan that little ass of yours and teach your mouth a good lesson. What do you think?”
“I think my pussy needs you sir. She’s lonely.”
He smiled. “Is she, slave? Well she’ll have to be a good girl and take her punishment well. Master doesn’t give rewards easily. Remember?”
By the time he was finished with me I was left panting and sweating on the bed, which was now a lot messier than when he’d come in. We lay together, enjoying one another’s company and then we got up and showered together too.
Once we were dressed and ready to leave we went up to the roof, where Wardorf was waiting for us in the chopper. He started the blades and we waited for them to get up to speed.
“You’re sure this is okay?” I shouted to Vincent as we waited on the periphery.
He nodded. “I’m absolutely sure. We’ll pick up the last of your stuff and then come back here. If anything funny happens I will be there.”
“Got it.”
Wardorf signaled that the chopper was ready and we both walked over and climbed in. The castle roof shrank away as we ascended into the sky, heading back to the city to visit my old apartment and pack up the last of my things.
I no longer had any desire to go back to my old life or leave the castle, but there were a few small things in my apartment that I wanted to go back and get.
Well. One thing. I only wanted the photo of my grandmother. Nothing else mattered from my old life.
After talking with Vincent, we had decided it was safe to go back, providing that I was quick and didn’t linger.
It took around an hour to get back to the city. Coming back felt a little strange, and seeing the familiar horizon once again felt like I was returning to a life long-lost. Wardorf landed the chopper as close as he could to my apartment and a car took us the rest of the way there. Once we pulled up outside Vincent had him Wardorf run ahead and check the area was clear first.
After five minutes the giant returned to the car. Vincent wound the window down. “All clear?” he asked.
“Looks good to me. The apartment door is taped off, but it doesn’t look like anyone has been in there for a while. Everything is still in there.”
“Good. Let’s go then.”
We were just about to step out onto the street when Vincent’s phone rang. People were always trying to get hold of him to ask him for advice. He pulled out the phone and looked down at the screen, his expression telling me that this wasn’t just another call.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Vigliati himself,” Vincent said. “I think he’s calling to set up a meeting.”
“Take the call,” I said. “It’s important. I can wait.”
“It’s okay. If Wardorf says it’s clear, then it’s clear. You go with him. He’ll look after you.”
I kissed Vincent and exited the car, following Wardorf into the building and into the elevator. There was a man behind the desk in the lobby, but he didn’t look up as we entered.
“Mesmerized him,” Wardorf said. “An elephant could walk in and he wouldn’t look up.”
I noticed a flyer posted on the inside of the elevator. It was a missing persons poster with my picture and a number, appealing for people to call with any information.
“She looks familiar,” I said to Wardorf while looking at the poster.
“Those feds really want their star witness back,” he said.
Too bad. They weren’t getting her.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I walked down the familiar hallway and stopped outside my door. Police tape zigzagged across the doorway. The feds had obviously taped this off as a crime scene and interpreted my disappearance as cause for concern.
Wardorf picked the lock and the door swung open. I stepped through the tape and froze as I heard a voice inside.
“Miss Chase. I was wondering where you’d got to.”
Both Wardorf and I about jumped out of our skin. The lights turned on, revealing an agent waiting in the darkness. He had a cigarette in one hand, and he was wearing a baggy black suit. So much for clearing the apartment.
“This is private property,” Wardorf growled. I had to contain him before this got out of hand. I knew the vampire wouldn’t hesitate to fly forward and kill the agent.
“Wait outside Wardorf,” I said. “It’s fine. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Rachel I’m under strict—”
“Outside, now,” I commanded, putting an edge in my voice to suggest that I would control him if he argued against me again.
The giant huffed and weaved back through the police tape, closing the door behind him.
“I’m glad we could finally meet and talk in private,” the agent said.
“Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”
“Agent Harper,” he said and took another drag of his cigarette. “We talked on the phone nearly two months ago. Remember? You were going into witness protection. You wanted to talk to us about your involvement with the Cartello crime family.”
I looked at the cigarette in his hand and said nothing at first. “This is a non-smoking apartment.”
The agent stubbed out the cigarette and pushed away from the counter he was leaning on. “So, what will it be? Ready to talk Miss Chase?”
“It’s Mrs. Cartello,” I said. “I expect you can already put the rest of that puzzle together.”
He raised a brow. “Marrying a witness. That’s a new one. How does it work? You pretend to be his wife and you don’t get killed? You’re the only person that’s ever come close to putting Vincent Cartello behind bars. Come with me and you’ll be safe. Once the divorce is clear you can start singing like a bird.”
I looked around my old apartment. “How did you know I would be here?”
“Call it luck,” he said. �
��I haven’t been able to give up on this thread since you went missing. I’ve come back here two or three times a week, waiting for someone to return. You or the person that took you. Someone always comes back for something. There are people here that miss you, Rachel. Your parents are worried.”
“Are they?” I said, holding back the laugh that prompted. I picked up the phone on the table beside me and pressed the speed dial.
“What are you doing?” Harper said, looking worried all of a sudden. The line connected and my Dad answered. I put the phone on speaker.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hi Dad, it’s Rachel.”
“Oh, Rachel. What is it? I was just about to go to bed.”
“It won’t take long. Did you hear something about me going missing?”
He sighed down the line. “Yeah. Someone contacted us to say as much, I think. Your mother said it was probably just a misunderstanding. You were always such an unorganized girl.”
I feigned a laugh. How could they care so little? “That’s it. She was right. Just a crossed wire. I have to go now. I don’t think you’ll be hearing from me anytime soon.”
“Rachel I’d love to keep talking but I really have to go.”
The line went dead. Not even a bye. It was the kind of affection I had come to expect from my parents.
“Jesus,” Harper sighed.
“Yeah,” I said as I returned the phone to its cradle. “So, I think I’m good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m done talking.”
“Just tell me what you’re getting out of this,” Harper said quickly. “Your life was in danger. You called us asking for help. Then what happened? Cartello got his claws in you? He made you a deal? He gave you money?”
“He cared about me,” I said. “He was the only one that ever cared about me. If you think I’m in trouble then you’re wrong, Mr. Harper. I’m exactly where I want to be.”
The agent let out a flabbergasted sigh and started for the door. “Whatever. I’m closing this line of enquiry. You are no longer our concern. When he gets bored of you and kills you, don’t come crawling to me.”
“I wouldn’t go out there just yet,” I warned him. “That large man in the hall will bite on my command, and god forbid that Vincent sees you.”
“I’ll take my chances,” he said.
“Stop,” I said, the word flat and sharp. An iron warning. He came to a halt, fear present in his eyes. “I won’t be a moment. There was only one thing I wanted. You wait here, and don’t move.”
I walked into my bedroom and found the overnight bag I had hastily packed, it was lying on the floor by my bed. I opened it up and pulled out the photograph of my grandmother. Nothing else mattered here. This was all I needed. When I stepped back into the entrance area I saw Harper standing in the same place.
“Goodbye Agent Harper,” I said. I closed the door behind me, leaving him standing in silence.
“Ready?” Wardorf said.
“All good.”
As I got back into the car Vincent was just finishing his call with Vigliati.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Good,” he answered. “We’re going to meet in the next few weeks and discuss our options going forward. Did you get what you came here for?”
“Yeah. There was an Agent in the apartment, the same one I called. He wanted me to turn.”
Vincent raised an intrigued brow. “Wardorf didn’t catch that?”
“It was fine,” I said. “It wasn’t a problem to deal with him.”
“You could have left,” Vincent said. “They would have hidden you. You could divorce me. Testify against me. Put me away for a long time.”
“Why would I want to do that?” I said.
“Well, you wanted to do it once upon a time.”
The car started and we pulled onto the street. “Once upon a time feels like a different lifetime now.”
“So, you’re here to stay,” he said, putting his arm around me.
“How could I not be? You’re my master. I’m your slave. I’m chained to you.”
He leaned in and kissed me. “Til death do us part.”
Epilogue
Rachel
We were on his bed together, both naked, our bodies moving together in the silver moonlight. I was lying on my side while he gently fucked me from behind, his hands caressing my body and his mouth kissing mine.
A gentle sheen of sweat glistened over our naked bodies. We had to take things a little slower now, but we were still making sure we found time to show each other our appreciation. The slave inside of me was going a little stir crazy, she hadn’t been chained up or used properly since good news had come our way. Safety was the most important thing now.
Right now, this was Rachel’s time to shine. I had found a new role to play, but I could still be the woman at his side, and the woman that made love with him every night. He liked the change it had brought about in me, even though I couldn’t say I was happy with all the changes at first. I was curvier than ever; my breasts had grown three cup sizes and I thought I looked like a whale most of the time.
Vincent didn’t care though. He said I looked sexier than ever.
We came together on the bed, breath racing from our noses as we kissed each other deeply. Although this relationship had started with hard and passionate fucking we had slowly evolved and adapted. Now we made love. It was deep, it was intense, and it was utterly amazing.
Vincent gave me the gentlest of spanks just to let me know that old side of him was still there. In a few months we could go back to the rough and rumble that we both loved so much, but for now I was happy taking things slower with him.
Fast and rough, slow and sweet.
It was all amazing to me.
We climbed out of bed, a fresh night ahead of us. The world out there was waiting to be conquered, and the empire was ours for the taking. Vincent and I always woke up and made love and after that we showered together and got ready to tackle another night in this criminal world.
“Easy,” he said while helping me up from the bed. “You don’t have to rush. You don’t even have to come with me today. You need to start thinking about resting more now.”
“I will rest soon,” I said. “I still feel fine at the moment.”
He nodded and we went to shower again. Once we were dry and dressed, we prepared to head downstairs and meet with Vincent’s men. A change was coming in this world, and things were about to get real.
Vincent had finally got his meeting with Xavier Vigliati a few weeks after I’d turned down the feds for a final time. After all the waiting the meet turned out to be a dud. Vigliati had come to the meeting with completely unrealistic expectations. He wasn’t proposing a merger at all, he didn’t want an alliance between two families.
He wanted Vincent to bend the knee and worship him like a bitch.
My man was a king.
He didn’t bow to anyone.
Vigliati had taken great offence to Vincent’s refusal, and when Vincent walked away the old bastard had pretty much thrown his hat into the ring, declaring war against the Cartello family and all those that supported us.
He wanted us to shrink away. He wanted us to hide in the shadows.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Vincent and I had plans in motion for a while now, and I suspected that his men might have an idea what was coming, but today was the day we were going to officially declare war. Too long we had waited for an ally to help, only for them to betray Vincent and disrespect him.
The Cartello family wasn’t going to wait any longer, we would take what we wanted, and emerge from this world as victors over the ashes.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Vincent said, brushing his hand down my back. We looked at ourselves in the mirror before leaving the room. I was wearing a blood-red gown accented with floral black panels. The ruby choker was on my neck and a huge diamond glittered on my finger. “War is dangerous.”
“And letti
ng others stomp all over us is even more dangerous. This is what Vigliati wanted, so this is what he gets. I know we will win. We will be the victors. Our child won’t be born in this world under the command of a tyrant like that.”
I smoothed my hand over my round belly and felt the power coursing through me. Vincent’s heir was inside me. My child. His child. Our future.
My whole life had been spent cowering in the shadows of others. It took everything I had to realize my strength was in those shadows. Now I had that strength, and a beautiful man at my side. I wasn’t going to run away any longer.
We were going to stand and fight.
I had never felt better.
“I love you,” he said to me.
“I love you too.”
My heart was his forever. Our souls were always connected.
I was chained.
The End
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Also by Zara Novak
Midnight Mafia
Chained
Vampire Guardians
Broken