But with Carly? I wasn’t me. I was better. I was gentle. She looked right past my scars and tattoos. When I snarled, she laughed. And when I spanked her… well, let’s just say my little minx liked to test my limits. She’d bend over the bed, her bare bottom in the air, and toss that black hair over her shoulder like a tease. ‘I’ve been a bad girl, daddy. A very bad girl.’
Her pussy would be so hot, so dripping wet, I never held out for long. I’d have my cock out and thrusting deep before she could count to ten. She loved the firm hand, the sting of my palm on her bottom. But I’d never spanked her in earnest, always for fun.
When I got her out of this mess, that was going to change.
Enough. I got out of my car and headed over to the front entrance. I placed my eye right in front of the sensor, and when the scan was finished, I heard the sounds of metal locks clicking and moving before the double steel doors slid apart. Two burly men stood right behind the doors, and I gave the smallest nod I could.
“Boys.”
“Jace.” They responded with equal effort, and I walked deeper into the base, inhaling the smell of smoke and alcohol. I’d lost count of the number of times I’d been in this place. It was far nicer than any government office I’d been to.
I walked past the game room, the kitchens and the hallways that led to Vlad’s private suite. The place was decorated like a palace with designer furniture, throw rugs and a state of the art entertainment system. The bunks were simple, but we were mostly military, and they were nicer than the barracks anywhere else I’d ever been stationed.
A sci-fi thriller was playing in the game room and I counted heads as I walked past. Only three. Two at the door. Five, in total between Carly and the car.
Tonight, I wasn’t going to be rubbing shoulders and making friends out of my enemies. Cracking down their drug operation would be for another day. Today, Carly was the priority.
I hadn’t bothered going to my boss. My assignment, taking down Vlad, was their top priority. They’d held businessmen and politicians here. Immigrants, especially girls, by the dozens had come through these halls. Nothing mattered if we didn’t take down Vlad. I’d been ordered to keep my head down and do my job, collect evidence and intel. And I’d done my damn job. But I was done.
Without Carly, nothing mattered.
In the past weeks, I’d drawn a map of the entire base and tracked everyone’s shifts. I’d noticed there were certain doors and pathways that were unguarded during different days and times, and I worked my escape plan around that.
With the map memorized, I went two doors down and made my way westward. I lifted a cigarette to my lips and lit it as I walked. My hands were steady, not shaking and I felt like I had ice in my veins. Nate liked to smoke, and he was on guard duty tonight.
I unlocked the last door and then took a time check. I had exactly fifteen minutes before a guard passed by. I needed to get to Carly. She was being held on the first floor.
Climbing a set of steel stairs, I walked back to the holding rooms. They weren’t much more than jail cells with a bed, a bucket to piss in, and bars instead of a door so our guests never had any privacy.
The thought of Nate or the others humiliating Carly made my pulse jump, but I shoved the thought aside. I had to play this cool. There was no way I could fight my way out of here and keep Carly alive.
Nate looked at me, a question in his eyes. I leaned my back on the wall next to him, facing Carly’s cell, and offered him a cigarette. As expected, he took it and placed it between his lips. I handed him my blue lighter.
“Vlad told me to take this shift. You’re going out tonight.” I’d only met Vlad once before, but I’d talked to him over the phone numerous times. He was everything I didn’t expect a drug lord to be. He was the most charismatic man I’d ever talked to. He didn’t rule with fear. He ruled by influence. He was logical, reliable, and predictable. Rules were rules. Consequences were carried out exactly as expected. He was more organized than the military and all the guys in his ring wanted to be just like him.
I watched as Nate curved the edges of his lips upwards. Everyone here always preferred to get in on the action and be part of the operations. No one wanted to stay safe and warm in the base when they could be out kicking ass. These were not stay-at-home kind of men.
“Go on,” I said, shooing him with the most apathetic face. “I can babysit.”
Nate barked out a laugh. “Yeah? Vlad’s been here twice already. If she doesn’t sign tomorrow, he’s giving her to us.” The anticipation in his voice made me clench my jaw and I turned away, proud of my self-control in not wrapping my fingers around his neck and choking him to death. No one should talk that way about Carly, or about any woman for that matter. When Nate closed the door behind him and was out of sight, I walked over to the bars. Now that she was with me, I could breathe.
Opening the cell door, I walked inside to find her sitting cross-legged on the small cot. Her back was against the wall and her mouth, wrists and ankles were secured with duct tape.
He eyes widened when she saw me and she scrambled to try to reach me. I caught her as she tripped and pulled her close, but only for a second.
“Don’t talk, baby,” I whispered to her before I removed the tape from her mouth.
“Jace? What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
Her lips were swollen from the tape, but I couldn’t not touch her. I buried my hands in her black hair and pulled her in for a quick, hard kiss. “We don’t have time to talk. I have to get you out of here.”
I glanced at her bare skin and lacy white lingerie. Her cleavage was distracting and the panties failed miserably at hiding her ass. It made me sick in the stomach just thinking about what the guys could’ve done to her. I was two days late, but I knew how the gang operated, as much as they demeaned women for social manipulation, there were rules. Vlad was keeping her whole for some reason. And thank God, he had. Without Vlad’s permission, they might taunt and tease her, but they’d never lay a finger on her.
I yanked my jacket off, pulled the white t-shirt off over my head and tossed it to her. Jacket back on, I crouched down and cut the duct tape from her ankles and her wrists. She put my t-shirt on to hide her sexy underthings as I glanced around for her shoes, but there were none.
“Let’s go.” I didn’t even think about it when I took her hand and pulled her with me. I saw the look of hope in her hazel eyes, and it warmed my insides.
The clock was ticking, and we only had minutes left before Nate found out I’d lied to him and came looking for an explanation. I opened the door and looked out into an empty hallway.
When we finally got to the escape door with a stairway leading to the first-floor basement, I pushed it open, pulled her inside, and told her that now was the time to follow me and run.
We bounded down the stairs, and when we reached our floor, I opened the door and led the way to a large grow room that was usually empty this time of day. A ventilation fan turned slowly in the corner, close to where I’d parked the car. There were no doors here, but several windows about eight feet off the ground. We’d have to pry one open and crawl through. I pointed up, at the windows and pulled her close to whisper.
“That’s our way out, baby. Climb up on the table and I’ll hoist you out. It’s an eight foot drop to the ground outside, so be careful.”
She nodded and I helped her up onto the table littered with soil, fertilizer, and gardening tools. Her feet were covered in grime, and I knew I’d take my time washing those feet later.
The windows were easy to open, but an alarm blared through the building.
“Shit. Go! Blue sedan. The engine’s running. Go!”
I lifted her up and pushed her through the window. The moment her hands let go of the frame, I jumped up and through after her. I landed on the hard ground outside with a thud and found her crouched in the dirt, her face streaked with tears.
“We have to run to the car. There will be men at the entrance wh
o’ll probably try to gun us down. I’ll protect you, but just… run.”
I could see her trying to hide the fear in her eyes, but still, she nodded, confirming she knew what to do. Not wasting another second, I told her to walk beside me while I pulled the gun free from my jacket. I heard her inhale deeply at seeing the weapon, but aside from that, she stayed extremely quiet. I placed a hand on her shoulder and told her to take a right. She flinched at my touch, and I squeezed her skin. I wanted to do much more than have a hand on her shoulder, but we’d have all the time in the world for that once we got out of this literal shithole.
“We round this corner, we run as fast as we can to the car, okay?”
“Okay,” was the first word I’d heard her say in two days.
The fear was back. Getting her out of the room had been easy. This was the part that scared me the most. I’d tried thinking of different scenarios to avoid having to do this until I realized there was no other way. We’d have to risk getting shot to make our escape.
I pulled her with me as we ran to the car. We heard the sounds of shots being fired, and I felt her flinch the first few times. She ran as fast as her legs and bare feet could take her, trying to keep up with my pace. Carly had just opened the passenger door when two guys stepped out from the warehouse about fifty feet in front of the car. Carly screeched at the top of her lungs.
“Get in!” I shouted, rushing over to my side of the car. Carly slid into the passenger seat and slammed her door.
“Get down! Down on the floorboard!” I shouted the order as I opened the door, locked the car, and drove away with guns blazing behind us. I ran down a section of fence near a side road I’d scouted earlier. Luckily, my plan worked. I ran with lights off for several miles and pulled into an abandoned building to wait out the search.
We didn’t have to wait long. Window rolled down, I counted at least half a dozen cars roaring past our hiding place.
“Jace? What just happened?” Her voice trembled in the softest and most feminine whisper.
“Stay down, baby. I’ll explain later.” I reached over to where she rested her cheek against the seat and ran my fingers through her hair. “And so will you.”
She looked away, the guilt in her eyes driving me to distraction. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Carly shook, her legs curled under her like a little girl’s as she curled up on the floor and trusted me to take care of her.
Chapter 2
Carly Watson, Two Hours Later
The bed was hard but the pillow felt like heaven under my cheek. The motel room smelled like mold and dust, the carpet was a hideous orange and green straight out of a 1970’s horror story. But the curtains were thick, the sheets on the bed looked clean, and the shower worked. I was wearing Jace’s t-shirt again, because I didn’t have anything else and he wouldn’t let me go home.
And he was right. If Vlad was looking for me, he’d have some of his thugs watching my place. We’d ditched the car and Jace had stolen another one, a white SUV with out-of-state plates. They guy had been drunk as a skunk and probably wouldn’t wake up to realize his truck was gone until sometime late tomorrow, if then.
For now, Jace said we were as safe as we could get. He’d spent the last hour arguing with someone named Adam on the phone, saying a thousand things without saying anything. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew he didn’t want me to know what was going on.
I’d slept in much better places than this, but I don’t think I’d ever been more relieved. Tears were going to start spilling, and I was doing everything I could not to break down. The past two days had been the scariest I’d ever experienced. I thought telling Vlad ‘No’ was enough. I thought the police would protect me. I didn’t think there was any way Vlad would take it this far.
I was wrong. So wrong. They broke into my apartment and shoved a black bag over my head in the middle of the night. Stripped of my dignity and clothes, forced to endure humiliation and threats, and if Jace hadn’t come for me? Worse. Much worse.
Turning my head to the side, I studied him. Jace was standing at the corner of the bed, his fingers flying over the screen of his phone, and at that moment, I couldn’t understand how I felt. I was relieved that I was out of that hellhole, enthused that he had saved me, but I also felt confused and betrayed.
He was one of them, and yet, he risked his life to save me and used himself as a shield when we were running to his car. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, I didn’t know where to start.
Finally, he looked at me, and I could see from the way he pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows that he had questions he wanted to ask me, too. He glanced away for a moment before he looked at me again. He took off his jacket and my gaze lingered on the ripped muscles of his chest and abs, the intricate ink that decorated his chest, shoulders, and arms. I knew every inch of him. I’d kissed those designs, traced them with my fingertips when we were lying in bed. I thought I knew him, but there was a loaded gun on the end of the bed, not far from my pink-painted toenails.
“Why did they take you?” he asked me. The direct nature of the question took me by surprise a little bit.
It was my turn to look away. I wanted to tell him everything. I did. But he was one of Vlad’s men. Jace didn’t think I knew that before today, but I did.
I studied the hard line of his jaw as my mind drifted back to memories from just three days ago…
He was in the shower while I was being lazy just playing with my phone in the bedroom. There was no way I could explain the sex we just had. It was rough but sweet, comforting yet exciting, familiar yet thrilling at the same time. We lay in bed for a few more minutes just cuddling and talking, and with my entire body splayed out above his muscled and defined torso, he excused himself to take a shower. I laughed because were both covered in sweat. Sharing a laugh, he teased me by pretending to push me off him, but in truth, his touches were the gentlest I’d ever felt despite his rough, calloused hands. He obviously knew how to handle women, and he could handle me anytime.
He didn’t close the door, and a part of me wanted to continue with the teasing and sneak up on him and enjoy his naked body in the shower. I still couldn’t believe the past few months. That first time we met in that coffee shop and he spilled my drink all over me, I didn’t expect we’d come to this—in his bed and with my feelings deeper than I’d ever felt for anyone. I thought he was just the usual playboy. He fit the bill, with his jet-black hair, glistening tan, and his body armor of tattoos. He was a bad boy through and through, and just a few minutes ago, he was promising me the world.
I jumped in bed when his phone started to ring on the bedside table.
“Who is it?” he asked in a muffled voice. He was probably brushing his teeth.
I sat up and took a look, and I instantly felt a shiver run up my spine.
“Someone named Vlad.” Not a lot of people were named that here, and that name rang a bell, but in the worst of ways. I felt my heartbeat pick up its pace as my breath hitched. I continued to just stare at the screen of his phone, a cold, painful dread filling me up.
Vlad.
“Oh, shit. Can you bring me my phone, baby? Don’t answer it though.”
I did as I was told, and hesitantly picked up the phone. If there was one thing I learned about Jace, it was that he was a master at reading people, and he could see right through me. I didn’t know if it was the sullen look on my face or my sudden silence, but he saw I was feeling different than I’d been just a few minutes ago.
“At least it’s a guy’s name. You don’t have to worry about another woman,” he teased, mischief lacing his tone.
I cracked a smile and then said, “not funny,” and with that, he answered the call and pressed his phone up against his ear. A booming voice greeted him. I heard it despite the call not being on speakerphone, and my worst nightmare came to life. That voice was definitely familiar—I’d spoken to that voice many times the past few weeks. Too many.
I
knew right then and there what I needed to do. I needed to run—from Jace.
“Carly?” Jace asked, his deep voice too close, too real. “Are you all right?”
I shook my head to cut my train of thought short and bring myself back to reality. He was leaning over me, his delicious body close enough to touch. The scent of sandalwood and spices made my pussy ache. God, I knew that smell. I loved that smell. That was the scent of hot sex and sweat, long nights being held in his arms. Coffee and laughter and soft, tender kisses in the rain. That was Jace, and my entire body reacted like he’d lit a match inside me and my bloodstream was loaded with gasoline.
Jace worked for Vlad. I needed to remember that. But he made it damn difficult when he looked at me with those dark eyes, his hand gentle as he pressed feather light fingers to my jaw.
“How’d they catch you?”
I suddenly remembered his earlier question, and I wasn’t a good enough actress to hide the way my body tensed. As much as it hurt me, I rolled away, to the other side of the bed, away from him. I loved him. Despite what I knew, I loved him. But that didn’t mean I trusted him. Not anymore. This could all just be another ploy, some kind of master plan to get Vlad what he wanted.
Maybe Jace never even wanted me at all. Maybe I was just a job…
A sob caught in my throat and I blinked back tears as I cleared my throat to hide my weakness. Everything in me wanted to crawl into Jace’s arms and let him hold me.
“How’d you find me?” I countered with a question of my own. A part of me wanted to cut the conversation short and just go straight to the point. He knew where they were keeping me because he was one of them. The conversation with Vlad from a few nights ago was answer enough. I wasn’t proud of it, but I was testing him. Would he come out and tell me the truth or would he lie straight to my face?
“I’m sure you already know that.” He joined me on the bed. It kept creaking with each and every movement, and I couldn’t help but frown at the state we were in; the mattress felt more like a cardboard box, but honestly, I was still grateful and happy to be alive. I’d rather be in this rundown and sorry excuse for a hotel than locked up. “You know who Vlad is. I remember the look on your face when he called me a few days ago.”
Hero Undercover: 25 Breathtaking Bad Boys Page 112