by Vonna Harper
“You can’t. That’s slavery.”
“Who would you complain to? You’ll be caged. Probably gagged. Naked and wearing that stupid collar.”
Lacking the courage to argue, she struggled to find her way out of this nightmare. Joe and Korbin could rescue her, but she would have failed Joe.
Joe, who she never wanted to see again.
“What other options?” she asked.
“One that’s less work than putting you up for sale? Come on. You can figure it out. It would be over in seconds. The downside is you’d be dead.”
“No,” she whispered. “No.”
“You think I’m kidding? I never joke about murder.”
There it was! A key, a possibility. Something.
“Have you killed someone?”
“Not with my own hands. I’m not stupid. But I know how to make it happen.”
“Why?” Sucking in air, she increased the pressure on her belly. “What did—if you’re talking about something that really took place—what did that person do to incur your wrath?”
“Incur my wrath. You have such a way with words my dear. It looks like you’re getting something from your expensive education.”
“Please tell me.” She infused her voice with fear, not that it took much effort. “If I’m going to live, I need to know what lines not to cross.”
He snorted. “I really wish we could work together. You’re always thinking, looking at options. Alternatives. Possibilities. Before we discuss anything, my throat’s damn dry. You and I are going to the bar. You’ll walk at my side. Laugh when I say something amusing. Demonstrate our loving relationship.”
I’d rather set myself on fire.
No, anything but fire!
Grateful because Joe couldn’t read her mind, she placed her hands at her sides when Ethan let go of the collar and steered her toward the bar via an arm around her shoulder. When a man asked Ethan about her, she stared at the hardwood flooring.
“We’re kin.” Ethan pulled her close. “Kissing cousins, right Lainey?”
Nodding, she prayed she wouldn’t be expected to agree with him. As much as she needed someone to come to her defense, she was certain it wouldn’t happen. No way would Joe choose her over his brother.
“If that’s the case,” the man said, “I want to be part of your family. What does she rent for? I assume she isn’t here so you two can catch up.”
“I haven’t settled on a rental price. She’s still in training. Go on, darling. Show the gentleman what I’m talking about.”
A moment passed before she realized what Ethan meant. She silently cursed him then did the same to Joe. As she reluctantly lifted her joke of a skirt, she vowed to insist Joe make Ethan eat his words. When, not if, that happened, she’d be there.
For rent? Judging by the women’s cowed expressions, she had no doubt it went deeper than that for them. Something horrible was taking place here.
Where was Joe? If he and Korbin were no longer in the room—
Ethan ordered straight whiskey for both of them and insisted she get started on hers. Fiery liquid burned her throat and made her head swim. Her stomach threatened to reject what she put in it.
“You need to think about something,” Ethan said as he directed her to one of the unlit cubbyholes. He shoved her into a corner and loomed over her. The way he was positioned, she couldn’t search for Joe. “That drink? It would be a simple matter to add a sedative to it. A fast-acting one.”
“Is that what you did?”
“No, but I could have. By the time you realized what had happened, it would be too late. You’d be mine until the effects wore off.”
“What makes you think I need to know that?”
“Because it demonstrates one method I use to corral them.” He indicated two of the naked women, both bent over with their pussies exposed. To The Highest Bidder had been inked on their buttocks.
“Alcohol. Drugs. So is blackmail and capitalizing on someone’s addiction.”
“You can’t blackmail me and I’m not addicted to anything so—”
“Do I have to spell it out?” He placed his glass on a small table and shook her. “I win. I always win.”
Think. Keep going. “Even if it means you have to kill someone?”
“Not kill. Arrange to have it happen.”
Several long, deep breaths cleared her mind enough that she felt she could go on. “Who? How?”
“What do you care?”
“My mother’s married to you. I need to know if she’s in danger.”
“Danger? Your mother might be the only person I give a damn about. She caters to me. I spoil her. Our relationship works.”
Unable to argue the point, she settled for a nod. “Who? When?”
“You won’t give up, will you?” He massaged her breast through the material that again covered it. “All right. I don’t see how it’d hurt to explain since you don’t know who it was.”
“Can you be sure?”
“No, I guess I can’t.” His grin exposed too-white teeth. “There’s been more than one. Chew on that for a while.”
“More than one?”
“I have enemies. People who are jealous of the power I wield. Ordering the end to one or more of the option gets the word around.” He slid a thick hand under her top and swallowed her breast. “I trust you’re aware that street racing provides me with a reliable income stream. I love that term, income stream. Gamblers are always looking for something to bet on. If there’s a thrill involved, so much the better.”
She sucked in her stomach which did nothing to free her breast. “How long has that been going on?”
“Forever.” He squeezed, grinning when she clenched her teeth. “Even before I had the power I now enjoy. I won’t bore you with the details, but I trust you’ll believe me when I say there’s a strong connection between fast cars and strong drugs. I love winning. My driver knew that.”
“Driver?” Fighting pain, she forced herself to meet Ethan’s stare.
“You’re aware of how I feel about my vehicles. I want fast ones. Powerful. The best there is.”
“I’ve seen your collection.”
“You haven’t seen everything. What’s in my garage are my toys. Not the workhorses. The winners.”
Her captured breast was on fire, but she’d experienced something similar to this when Joe spanked her.
“So—you finance some of the racers?”
“Just one.” He leaned into her and planted his lips on her forehead. “But if your car wins every race, pretty soon no one wants to bet. It has to look legit.”
“All right.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? It isn’t that much different from what’s going on here. People have to believe you’re on the up and up. That can be damn hard to pull off.”
“Why?”
The way he stared at her, she was afraid she’d gone too far. Damn it, she’d done the best she could. Joe had to take it from here unless—
“What constitutes a winner?” She kept her voice at a whisper so hopefully he’d believe he held the upper hand. Which maybe he did.
“I gave Nate freedom I’ve never given another employee.”
Nate. Not sure she could keep going, she forced herself to present Ethan with a blank expression. “Who is he?”
“The word is was. Past tense. The kid was my driver. Both to get me where I needed to go and behind the wheel Saturday nights.”
“How old was he when—I don’t know what to call it.” Sweat built in her armpits.
“When he tried to cross me.” Ethan pressed his hand against the back of her neck. “Hell, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. He was damn good. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to take orders. He got it into his head that winning was more important than doing what his employer told him to.”
Trapped as she felt, she couldn’t focus on getting Joe what he needed. Despite her churning belly, she held onto Ethan to keep from losing her balance. Her
heart threatened to burst from her chest, and his breath seemed to be getting worse.
This was nothing like the way she felt when Joe was in charge. Even as he pummeled her ass, she knew he wouldn’t really hurt her. In contrast, Ethan was on the edge. She didn’t trust him not to hurt her. Even kill her.
“Did Megara know?” Hopefully mentioning her mother would bring him back. “Do you talk to her about—about employee matters?”
“Hell no. She’s pure.”
No she isn’t.
“I told Nate to throw a race. No big deal. A part-time low-level employee doing what his boss tells him to. But he didn’t. He won, damn him. I lost a shitload of money that night.”
“You bet against him?”
“I sure as hell did. Why the hell do you think I set things up like I did? I told a handful of people with deep pockets that the car wasn’t in the best shape. That Nate was messing with crack and I’d had it with him. As soon as I found a replacement, I’d kick him to the curb.”
“But he wasn’t on drugs?”
“Hell no. I would have fired him long before if that had been the case. I reamed him out after he disobeyed. He didn’t apologize, not really. Gave me a bunch of shit about how he had a reputation to protect. I don’t ever want anyone under me thinking they can play me which is why I decided the kid had to go.”
“Die, you mean?”
“If you insist on putting it that way. Getting a car to catch on fire isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. But it can be made to happen. And if the driver can’t get out in time…well, shit happens.”
“Nate burned to death?”
“The electrical system malfunctioned. A simple matter of a deliberately frayed wire coupled with a crash in the middle of a sharp turn that rendered the driver unconscious. There wasn’t enough left of the vehicle or said driver for a detailed determination of cause of death to be made. Like I said, there’d been a crash. One vehicle clipping another and making it spin. The driver’s side door slamming against cement. Even if Nate hadn’t freaked out over the flames, he probably would have had a hell of a time getting out. The driver of the other vehicle fled the next day.”
“He didn’t talk to law enforcement?”
“No.” Ethan’s lip curled upward. “I made sure there’s no record of where he went. Hugo’s from Sierra Mojada. He went back to where he has a lot of family. He’s still there.”
“Thanks to help from you.”
“That’s one of the benefits of living close to the border with Mexico. Easier for people to disappear.”
“What if his conscience gets to him?”
“Not going to happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Hugo knows how far my reach extends. Getting rid of the kid wasn’t the first assignment he’d been part of. Fear goes a long way.”
“Why are you telling me?”
Smiling his wolfish smile, he shook his head. “You aren’t going anywhere except where I decide. I have to figure out something so Megara doesn’t get suspicious. Yeah, that damned independence of yours. Going off somewhere. Dropping out. Backpacking across Europe.”
“But in reality?”
“Figure it out. Believe me, you’ll have plenty of time to think about how to get free, not that it’ll happen.” He ran his hands down her thighs. “I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you.”
“Bastard.” She tried to twist away. “I’d rather be dead.”
He again wrenched her against him. “Eventually. But not until I’ve gotten my use out of you. Used you up.”
“Bastard.”
He slapped her face so hard her head snapped to the side. Furious and scared, she clawed his cheeks. He shoved her back against the wall and slammed his knee into her crotch. She started to scream. He punched her in the throat. Unable to breathe, she tried to slide out from under him. He used the collar to haul her back up and repeatedly struck her cheeks. Stars filled her vision. His hold was relentless, turning the act of drawing in air into an impossible goal.
Panic threatened to destroy her ability to think, but she continued to resist. The world was going dark. Her lungs were on fire. She couldn’t push out a sound.
“Might as well start your training right now.” His spittle landed on her face. “In case you haven’t figured it out, no one’ll come to your rescue. It’s not that kind of place.”
Joe! Joe, I need you.
“Fight, girlie. I’m going to love teaching you your place.” He used his forearm on her throat to keep her against the wall while ramming his other hand between her legs and up. “Damn, this is going to be good.”
Stop him! Somehow stop him!
Her flailing fingers again found his face, and she dug her nails into his cheeks. He pinched an inner thigh trying to get her to widen her stance. Pain filled her, but she refused to release her hold. He might kill her. He was killing her, but she’d make him pay. Hopefully, she’d leave scars.
“Fuck you! We’re going where I can finish this.”
Blinking did nothing to chase away the darkness. She was weakening. Her legs no longer supported her, and her arms were so heavy. Had she called out to Joe? She couldn’t tell.
“Shit. Shit. Gotta—don’t want to kill you yet.”
The pressure on her throat let up. It was barely enough to allow her to suck in air, but she put everything she had into the task. He was trying to throw her over his shoulder. Hoping he’d concluded she’d passed out, she forced herself to stay limp. She still couldn’t see, but it didn’t matter. Only oxygen did. And time.
“Damn heavy bitch.”
He managed to hoist her onto his shoulder, but she slid off and landed on the floor. Expecting him to kick her, she curled into a ball.
“That’s it! Get the hell away from her.”
The voice. Joe’s.
And vision.
Everything happened at once. Ethan’s curses were thunderclaps, but they struck her as useless, a furious and maybe frightened man yelling that someone stop “those bastards´. Light replaced darkness. Joe jammed Ethan against the wall like Ethan had done to her. Joe’s contorted face put her in mind of a wild creature. Silent, he pummeled Ethan’s belly causing the man to double over.
“That’s enough.” Korbin shoved at Joe. Instead of doing as the older man commanded, Joe returned to his prisoner. This time his fists repeatedly landed on Ethan’s jaw.
“Stop it.” Korbin’s voice, although low, was commanding. “The last thing you want to do is kill him.”
“The hell I don’t.”
“Listen to me.” Korbin punched Joe’s upper arm. “Think about what’s under your shirt. It’d kill Nate to know you’d thrown your life away for him.”
“My brother’s dead.”
“Then honor his memory. Do this right, damn it.”
People, mostly men, gaped at her. Their presence was both welcomed and frightening because they represented the core meaning of the word power. They might turn on Joe and Korbin, come to their host’s aid.
“All of you, listen to me,” Korbin barked while Joe looked around as if seeing the crowd for the first time. He stood toe to toe with Ethan, making it impossible for the smaller man to move. “The party’s over. My friend here’s going to play this by the books, aren’t you?”
Joe nodded.
“That’s better,” Korbin said. He jerked his head at several of Ethan’s guests. “I strongly suggest you leave while you can.”
Despite her jelly-like muscles, she managed to get her legs under her. Ethan’s attention bounced between Joe and Korbin. He seemed to have forgotten she existed which was fine with her.
“What’s this about?” Ethan blustered. He touched his jaw, winced. “You have no business—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Korbin ordered. “You’re going to need a lawyer. One who’ll defend you against a murder charge.”
“Murder?” Ethan’s eyes actually bulged.
“And attempted murder. Joe, back
away from him. I don’t want to have to arrest you.”
The unfamiliar voice caught her attention. The stranger was about Joe’s height and weight, muscular with a don’t mess with me expression. After a moment, Joe put a good two inches between himself and Ethan. He still made her think of a wild animal, a predator determined to bring down his foe. She’d never seen so much intensity in a human, couldn’t help but be in awe. She was on fire, alive in every way possible. A little afraid of her reaction to him.
“Are you all right?” the stranger asked her. “You’re going to look like hell.”
“Who—are you?”
“Detective Caleb Roth. For the record, I’m not a one-man show. Other cops are waiting for the word from me.”
If she hadn’t been so upset, she would have laughed at the group’s response to the introduction. Men whirled and ran for the exit. So did some of the women while others milled about. A woman started to free the one who’d had her arms tied over her head.
“Are you listening to me?” The detective planted himself at Joe’s side. “Don’t blow this by doing what we both want to. I’ll take it from here.”
Joe shook his head like he was waking from a trance then fixed his attention on her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Sorry?”
“For not getting to you in time to stop him from doing this.” He reached for her face, but she jerked away. “The crowd made it hard to get to you.”
She wanted more from him, but it hurt too much to speak. She almost felt sorry for Ethan, whose jaw had started to swell. He looked like he was going to throw up. Undoubtedly, he wanted to be anywhere except here. Adrenalin still had hold of her, but she was starting to come down. She was safe. That’s what mattered.
The only thing she could wrap her mind around.
“Get her out of here,” the detective ordered a stony-faced Joe. “We’re going to be busy deciding what to do with whom. I’ll talk to her after we’re finished.”
“Don’t let Ethan slip—” she started.
“Never. Leave. Now.”
“I can’t abandon you,” Joe said to Korbin.
“You aren’t. I’ll soon have a lot of options for transportation.”