Hawk: Jagged Edge Series #3

by A. L Long

  We had reservations at the Rue. It was a little more upscale than what we were typically used to, but given the fact the wedding between Isabelle Moraco and Victor Walsh was the biggest event of the year, there wasn’t much left of accommodations. At three hundred dollars a night, which equated to two hundred and sixty-six dollars in Kierabali money, it was our only choice.

  Heading away from the airport, the horns from other drivers began honking, letting everyone know to move out of the way. This actually was no different than the cab drivers in New York. Everyone was always in such a hurry to get somewhere. Finally out of the airport on our way to the hotel, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We had just escaped the ten-car pileup at the pickup area of the airport. I guess that is what happens when people get impatient.

  ~****~

  After unpacking what little clothing I had, I decide to head down to the lounge for a much needed drink. Stepping on the elevator, an older lady holding a white poodle occupied the car. She looked to be in her sixties, with the darkest red lipstick I had ever seen. Her hair was just as white as her dog's, with a pink bow clipped on the side of her head. I guess it is really true what people say, that owners really do look like their pets. When the elevator stopped at the lobby floor, I let the elderly lady exit first and proceeded to the hotel bar. Even though it was early afternoon, there were quite a few people inside chatting and enjoying an early afternoon toddy. Sitting at the bar, I ordered my signature JD with a beer chaser.

  Turning in my chair while I waited for my drink, I could see that the majority of the people were sitting outside enjoying the warm weather. Something must have sparked their attention because all of a sudden they all stood and walked over to the balcony and began snapping pictures. Needing to know what all the commotion was, I headed in that direction after downing my shot of Jack. Trying to peer over the crowd of people, I was finally able to see what had their attention. Looking in the near distance, my heart just about sank as I watched a man carrying a woman potato sack style through a set of double doors.

  “What do you think he is doing with Princess Isabelle?” I heard one woman ask.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe they are going to have a romp in the hay,” another woman replied with a giggle.

  My body had never felt so much tension. It was Paige that they were talking about. Only I didn’t see what they did. I saw a man forcing a woman to go with him and the woman trying to get away from him. Paige’s hands were flying every which way, hitting whoever was manhandling her. Just as he turned to close the door, I could see that it was the guy from the bar. Looking onward, I finally asked, “Who is the man carrying the princess?”

  “That is Victor Walsh. He is going to be the new prince,” a man replied, taking another picture of the couple.

  “Over my dead body,” I cursed.

  I may have overstepped my bounds a little with that comment because everyone who was looking over to the palace had their eyes on me. Putting my hands in a surrender position, I said, “Just kidding. You guys really need to loosen up.”

  That was a little bit too close to being a disaster. The last thing I needed was to be thrown in jail for confessing to a possible murder. Backing away from the balcony. I headed back inside to finish my beer in peace. As I sat there, Sly and Nikki showed up and took a seat beside me. Downing the last of my beer, I ordered another round, getting Nikki a tequila and Sly a beer.

  Looking down at my empty glass, I confessed, “We need to jump on our plan as soon as possible.”

  “What’s the rush, bro?” Sly asked, leaning forward.

  “You see those people out there,” I began pointing at the looky-loos, who were still taking pictures. “They’re watching the princess being manhandled. Something tells me she is in more danger than we initially thought.”

  Sly rose to his feet to see for himself what was going on, while Nikki stayed in her seat. When he came back, he took his seat. “Whoever they were looking at is gone.”

  “Well, I don’t care what you think. She is in danger and I’m not going to sit and watch her get hurt,” I replied.

  “Hawk, you need to focus, bro. You can’t just go over there like some delivery guy and expect them to just let you take her. Let us handle this,” Sly demanded.

  I knew he was right. I couldn’t just walk over there and expect them to just let me inside the gate. The plan we had laid out was good. Even if something went wrong, we had all our bases covered in the event it did. I just needed to be patient and wait one more day. One more day and Paige would be here with me. Once more day and she would be mine.

  Pushing from the bar, I needed some air, but mostly I needed to get my head straight. I couldn’t let my feelings for Paige get in the way of my judgment. I needed Peter, Nikki, and Sly to handle this. Just like everything else, the hardest part of this whole thing was waiting.

  ~****~

  After I took the time to cool off, I headed back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. As much as the walk did me good, it also made me think about Paige and what Victor would be doing to her. Taking the elevator to the twentieth floor, I watched the LED panel light up, displaying the passing floors. When it finally stopped on the twentieth floor, I got out and headed to my room. With my room facing the ocean, I could see the palace from my terrace. Opening the sliding glass door, I leaned my upper body over the railing and just watched for any movement. I wished there was a way that I could get closer to see what was really going on over there. Realizing then what I needed to do, I went to the closet, switched out my white t-shirt for a black one, grabbed my combat jacket, and headed out. I was tired of waiting. I needed Paige now. I could no longer wait.

  Locking the door to my room, I pressed the down button on the panel and waited for the elevator to arrive. Instead of getting off on the lobby floor, I punched the third floor, where I eventually got off. Taking the stairs was the only way that I could ensure that Peter, Sly, and Nikki wouldn’t see me. Instead of opening the door to the lobby, I headed down the small hallway and exited through the employee door and into the kitchen area, where I was able to get to the back door unnoticed. It was a good walk to the palace from the hotel, so when I spotted a bicycle leaning against the stucco building, I checked to see that it wasn’t locked with a chain. Pushing it down the alley, I watched as Peter, Sly, and Nikki left in the small rental. I hopped on the bike as soon as I rounded the corner and headed in the direction of the palace. All I could think about was saving Paige and how angry Peter would be if he knew what I was doing.

  As long as I kept out of sight, there would be no interference with Peter’s plan. I would stay so well hidden that even he wouldn’t be able to find me. Riding down the cobblestoned street, I wondered how people actually survived on these things. The road was so bumpy, I knew that my ass was going to be sore by the time I got there. It was still light out, with a few more hours of daylight left before I would be able to make my move.

  Once I reached the palace, I hid the bike and myself behind some tall shrubs and waited for it to get dark enough that I could enter without being noticed. The sun began to set and the air was beginning to get cooler. Rising to my feet, I positioned the bike closer to the wall so that I could use it as a ladder to get over the brick fence. Stepping on the seat, I reached up, placing my hand along the edge of the brick wall and hoisted myself up. Stopping to take a look to make sure there were no guards manning the grounds, I slowly lowered myself down the other side. Keeping my body flush against the wall, I saw a huge cluster of trees and bushes among the landscaping. This is where I thought would be the best place to bunker down for the night. Crawling low to the ground, I slithered over to the greenery until my body was safely hidden away under a flowering bush. Taking a deep breath, I looked up to the sky and thanked God that I had made it that far.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Isabelle

  The smell of the basement was musty and damp. I had no idea what was in store for me, but I knew whateve
r it was wouldn’t be good. Victor only walked a short distance from where the stairs were. Holding onto me with one hand, he reached inside the front pocket of his riding pants and pulled out a key. As I heard the lock turn, I knew this was by far the worst day of my life. Victor pushed the door open and a cool breeze hit the underside of my dress. Closing the door, he placed me on my feet, taking hold of my arms, which were so sore from trying to hit him that I didn’t have the strength to pull away.

  “Now you will know what it means to obey me, my sweet princess. No more will I be defied,” he said, tugging my body closer to him.

  His hands worked so quickly that I didn’t realize until it was too late that he had slapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists, binding them in front of me. I tried to free my hands, but it was no use. The harder I tried, the tighter they became. As he backed me up further, to the middle of the room, the dim light made it hard to see my surroundings. He took my handcuffed wrists and snapped on a clasp with a heavy chain attached to it. When he threw it up in the air, I thought for sure that it would come down and get me right between the eyes, but instead it dangled across a pole that was anchored to the ceiling. Taking the end of the chain, Victor began pulling on it, making my arms lift high above my head. I could hear the sound of metal against metal as he continued pulling. When my feet barely hit the cement floor, he finally stopped. I was completely at his mercy.

  He stepped away from me, but only long enough to grab something from inside a cabinet that was up against the wall. When he came back, he was holding a knife with a blade that had to have been at least nine inches long. Pressing the tip of the blade against his index finger, he looked up at me with a shit-eating grin. “This will only take a minute. You will need to hold still. I wouldn’t want to mark that beautiful body of yours.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about, but he soon clarified my curiosity. He glided the blade under the strap on my shoulder, turned it upward and lifted it, cutting the material like butter. There was nothing that I could do to stop him. I just watched as the material fell. He did the same thing to the other side, causing the dress to fall far enough to expose the strapless bra I was wearing underneath.

  “What do you want, Victor?” I asked with a shaky breath.

  “To make sure you understand that you are mine,” he said, placing the blade of the knife under the lace of the bra, right between my breasts.

  “Please don’t do this, I will do whatever you want,” I pleaded.

  “Yes, you will, my pet, but first you will need to learn never to defy me again.” Just like that, the blade cut through the lace and my bra fell to the floor, exposing my breasts. My nipples were hard and standing taut for him. Not because of the coldness in the room, but because my body was beginning to feel the onset of anxiety or emotional arousal, which had to have been caused by the fear that was consuming my body at this very moment. I couldn’t let him know that I was afraid. Just then I remembered what my dad had told me. “Whenever you get scared, take your mind to a happy place. A place that makes you feel safe.” Closing my eyes, I thought about the one place that made me happy.

  No sooner than my happy place entered my mind it was gone. Victor tore my dress from my body, leaving me only wearing my lacy black underwear. My eyes snapped open to find that he no longer was holding the knife, but a riding crop. The short distance between us lessened to mere inches. I could feel his breath on my skin as he closed in on me. Sliding the back of his hand down my arm and then down my side, the tingling sensation of his touch caused my body to react in a way I was unable to control. His mouth found mine, forcing me to cease my resistance and give him access. I knew not to fight him. Fighting him was what landed me in this mess in the first place.

  “Your body will know what it means to be thoroughly fucked, Princess. When I get done with you, you will know who owns you,” Victor whispered between kisses.

  Breaking his contact, my eyes opened to find him stepping away and walking behind me. With a flick of the riding crop, I felt a slight sting on my lower back as a small whimper escaped from my mouth. “How many lashings should my pet receive?” he asked, taking the tip of the riding crop and barely touching my body with it.

  I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say, but when I didn’t answer, another strike hit my back, only this one was a little harder. Coming up with a number, I cried out, “Ten.”

  “Ten it is, then,” he agreed.

  One after the other, the pain became more intense as each swing of the crop landed on my back. I was thankful when the tenth one landed. I knew that my back would have red welts from the thin piece of leather. Without so much as a warning, his hand cupped my sex. I let out a small yelp, afraid of what he might find.

  “Just as I thought, my little pet likes punishment,” he announced

  I knew I was wet, but was no longer any attraction to this man. Even though my body said otherwise, I hated this man with everything inside me. I wanted to die, knowing I couldn’t control the reaction my body was having. It was only after he slipped his finger under my soaked panties and inside my pussy that he got what he wanted, my submission.

  ~****~

  Every muscle in my body ached. The last thing I remembered was surrendering to my release and then blacking out. Victor must have brought me back to my room and dressed me in the nightgown I was currently wearing. Pushing to a sitting position, I could see that the sun was getting ready to set. It had to be late in the evening. Throwing off the covers, I turned my body and got out of the bed. As soon as I got to the bathroom, I turned on the light and lifted the nightgown over my head. Turning slightly, I needed to see what damage was done to my back. I was surprised to find that there were no welts on my back. The only thing I could see were faint red marks across the lower part. As bad as the strikes hurt, I just couldn’t believe that there wasn’t any more evidence of Victor’s assault. Turning on the water, I splashed some on my face to clean up some of the mess my makeup made. My eyes looked like a raccoon and my cheeks were streaked with black from the tears I promised I wouldn’t shed for Victor.

  As I was finishing up in the bathroom, there was a tap at the door. Putting my nightgown back on, I turned off the light and went to go answer it. Opening the door, another young servant was standing outside holding a tray. The minute the aroma hit my nose, my stomach began to signal that it was hungry. There was something strange about this servant. Her head was kept low. Moving to the side to let her in, I asked, “What is your name, my name is Pai… I mean Isabelle.”

  She still didn’t answer me. Touching her arm gently to get her attention, she looked up at me. It was then I knew she wasn’t able to speak. Her hand went to her throat and her head nodded back and forth. It was the universal sign that she couldn’t talk. It made me wonder how awful it would be unable to speak.

  As she placed the tray on the small table, I turned and grabbed the robe that was lying on the end of the bed. Before I could thank her she was out the door. Walking over to the small table, I lifted the dome from the plate and looked at the contents. Lifting the plate with both hands, I brought it to my nose to smell the food. It smelled divine and my stomach was ready to devour it. Setting the tray back down on the tray. I lifted the pitcher to pour myself a glass of water. It was then that I remembered what happened the last time I drank something. Placing the pitcher back on the tray, I took the glass and headed to the bathroom where I could fill the glass directly from the tap.

  Sitting in silence, I began to consume my meal, which consisted of grilled chicken on a bed of wild rice, steamed zucchini, and mushrooms. No sooner than I got the first bite down, I could feel it coming up. Rushing the bathroom, all of the contents in my stomach spilled. The events from earlier began racing in my head. Now more than ever I needed to find a way off this island. There was no way in hell I would ever marry a man like Victor. The whole reason I left Kierabali was to gain my freedom. The bile in my throat rose again, spilling another round of contents from my stomach.
I couldn’t let this man get to me, or what he had done, either. Pushing from a kneeling position to my feet, I walked over to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Straightening my back, I said to myself, “You can do this, Isabelle. You need to be strong.”

  Crawling into bed, I closed my eyes and did what my father always told me. I found my happy place. And right now, my happy place was Hawk. I had to just keep believing that he would find me. He would be the one to take me in his arms and keep me safe. He would be the one who would be holding me at night while making passionate love to me. Rolling over on my side, I grabbed the pillow next to me and held it tight, and let the tears flow. Everything inside me must have emptied. My eyes fell shut and the darkness entered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Hawk

  Laying under this bush made me rethink what I was doing. I had insisted on going with Sly to drop Nikki off at the agency that hires the servants for the palace, but Peter ordered me to stay behind. As soon as Peter, Sly, and Nikki got into the small rental car, I knew it was my chance to execute my own plan. I knew the three of them would be able to handle Nikki’s part of it. We had already managed to get Nikki registered as an employee at agency with no problem. Thanks to Chavez’s computer expertise, something he learned while serving, he was able to hack into the agency’s computer system and switch the name of the servant who was going to be assigned to Paige. We weren’t sure what was going on with the current servant, other than she was taking an extended leave. It really didn’t matter to us. The only thing that matter was the timing couldn’t have been more perfect and it was our way into the palace.