by Jane Henry
“What was that?” I hissed to Seth, but he was already on his way over to investigate.
“What the fuck?” He muttered. “It’s a dead cell phone.”
“What?”
He showed it to me, then, an ancient cell phone with water dripping from it, half broken now.
“Where did it come from?” If her father was the one who threw it out… damn it. What if we were too late?
I drew closer to the house and moved as quickly and as stealthily as I could to the other side where the cell phone had fallen, hoping I could get a glimpse into one of the windows, but it was so dark out, and I didn’t dare risk shining a flashlight. Seth was at my back, when another smack hit the ground. I squinted in the inky blackness. What had fallen? I got on all fours and crawled toward where I’d heard the sound, and my hand hit the hard edge of a book. I picked it up, but couldn’t see anything. I held it up silently to Seth, when another smack hit right next to me.
“She’s tossing stuff from her window, or someone is,” I said, holding up another book, and craning my neck. And then the clouds shifted, moonlight filtering through, and I saw her, her long honey-colored hair floating around her, as she waved her hand frantically, but didn’t make a sound.
What the fuck was she doing in her room? I’d told her to leave. I glared in the darkness and mouthed what are you doing there? But of course, she didn’t see me.
“She’s in her room,” I hissed. “I have to get up there.”
“Jesus.”
“Keep an eye out.”
I groaned. It had been hard enough the first time getting up there.
I had no choice though.
I launched myself to the first level alcove hanging beside the house as I’d done before. I dragged myself up to the flower box and pulled myself up, shimmying to the ledge.
I finally got to the balcony. The door was wide open when I got there, and she grabbed me, pulling me into the room. Unsteady, I crashed onto the floor.
“Rae,” I groaned. She tried to help me up, but I shrugged her off, glaring. “Why didn’t you go where I told you to go?”
She shook her head. “He locked me in,” she whispered, and then froze. Her eyes widened as we heard a door slamming below. She knelt in front of me and exhaled. “Phew. That means he’s going into his office, and he won’t come out for hours.”
“Hours? He locked you in your room with no way out? What if you have to use the bathroom?”
She pointed to a door I hadn’t seen before. “I have my own bathroom,” she whispered. “It’s tiny, but it works.”
“Why’d he lock you in here?” I asked, then shook my head. “Know what? I don’t want to know. I’ve got a man in a car ready to take you out of here and someone watching below. He’ll flash a light if there’s danger.” I paused and I couldn’t help it then, my instincts to protect this girl taking over. I grabbed her by the chin and gave her my sternest look, making sure she looked me in the eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? Because we could get in serious trouble here. You know that, right?”
She held my large hands in her small ones, as she stared at me. “I know. I need to leave here, Ryder. I need to get out.”
That was all I needed to know. With one quick nod, I pulled her to stand and led her with one hand gripping hers, to the bathroom. “Let me scope this out. There’s no way we can safely get out through your bedroom window. Getting up is hard enough. But if we can get out the bathroom…”
I peeked out the window, but below the window lay nothing but a wide, vast expanse. Jesus. We couldn’t go out that way either.
“We’re gonna have to break out of your room and risk leaving another way,” I said.
“Oh, God.” Her voice shook and she held my hand tighter.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. One old man isn’t gonna be able to take on three grown men and a headstrong woman, right?”
“You don’t know him,” she said, shaking her head, but I pulled her along to the door.
“Don’t need to.”
I tried the lock first. To my shock, the knob twisted, and with a little click, the door fell open. I turned in surprise to Rae, who only shook her head in shock, her mouth dropping open.
“I—I swear to you it was locked a short while ago,” she whispered. “He must’ve decided it was long enough.”
I gestured for her to get behind me as I tentatively peeked around the edge of the door, prepared to defend her if anyone threatened her safety, but the hallway was vacant. We moved quickly through the hallway and down the stairs, still holding hands. Eventually, he’d see that she was gone, but our getaway would be easier if we were uninhibited, so the point now was to get out safely and quickly. She followed behind me in silence, until we got to the landing at the bottom of the stairs.
At the door, she froze. “I don’t know. Ryder, I don’t know. Once I leave, there’s no coming back.”
I looked at her in surprise. She was a brave, headstrong woman, but now she looked like a little child, her eyes wide and fearful, her lower lip trembling. I wanted to pull her to me and kiss her, tuck her against my chest and tell her everything would be alright.
“There’s no turning back,” I told her. “You’re right. But if you stay here, Rae? There’s no going forward, either.”
She blinked, then briefly closed her eyes, nodded her head, and followed me out to the cool, dark night, where Seth and Dean waited for us. I expected some sort of flashing lights or sirens to go off, as if we’d just robbed a bank but there was nothing. No reaction, nothing at all but the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot and our heavy breathing as we panted from exertion.
Once we were at the car, I hastily buckled Rae’s belt for her, ignoring her protests, then sidled in on the other side.
“Go!”
We peeled off and I listened for the sounds of pursuit behind us, but all I heard was her muffled cries.
“No one’s coming,” Dean said, as I continued to look out the window, making sure we weren’t followed. It wouldn’t be safe to bring her to Limits if anyone knew we were there, but if we made our escape unnoticed then it would be the safest place around, as we were heavily guarded with staff that was trained to defend.
I directed Dean to bring us the back way, so we could enter through the employee entrance and hopefully avoid as much notice as possible. Rae sat quietly next to me.
“No one followed us?” she asked.
“No. Looks like we’re fine. For now,” I added. I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that we hadn’t just snuck the man’s prized possession from his property without notice. We’d see retaliation, I had no doubt, but for now she was safe.
6
CHAPTER SIX
Rae
I couldn’t seem to grasp what was happening to me. Would I wake up and find this was all a dream? Had it really been that easy to escape my cage? I looked at my surroundings, and tried to figure out where we were. Ryder and two seriously scary-looking guys had taken me to this gigantic building that looked like it belonged in some sort of exclusive magazine for rich people or something. Sparkling chandeliers decorated the inside of the place, breathtaking artwork in splashes of black and silver scattered on the walls, thick carpets lining the lounge areas with plush, comfortable-looking couches and chairs. And there were people everywhere, dressed up in formal blacks and grays, holding long-stemmed glasses and frothy steins.
He ushered me into an office and shut the door.
“Where are we?”
“Limits.” His voice was as I remembered, deep and commanding. I felt somehow calmer just listening to him speak. “It’s a high-end club I own and manage. Exclusive membership, heavy security.” He walked over to his desk and leaned against the edge, shoving his hands in his pockets. He wore black slacks and a white t-shirt that stretched across the large expanse of his chest. A scruffy beard covered his strong jaw, and his bright blue eyes narrowed in on me. I shivered a bit. I couldn’t believe I’d wha
cked this man upside the head with an iron. He could be very intimidating.
“I—I… um… can’t believe I knocked you out,” I said, grimacing. “And you still came and rescued me.”
There was no humor in his gaze as he stared at me, his large arms folded across his chest sternly. “I can’t believe you did either,” he said. “Though in your defense, you thought I was a burglar.” He frowned but his eyes twinkled just the tiniest bit. “You try something like that here, though, and I’ll turn you over my knee. Before, we were on your turf. Now, we’re on mine. Got it?”
I blinked and wondered if I’d heard him correctly. My cheeks flamed, and I wasn’t exactly sure why. “Excuse me?”
“Listen, Rae. I just risked serious danger to myself and my crew by coming to get you. Now, I did it because I wanted to. Freaks me the fuck out to think of you being held in that house like a prisoner. And no one should ever have to do anything against their will. But you’re here, now. And the moment you called me, you made me your protector. You get that?”
No. No, I didn’t get that. But what had I expected?
“I didn’t ask you to be my protector.”
“Yeah you did. You asked me to rescue you, and put my personal safety, and the safety of those who work for me, at risk. So now, we do things on my terms.”
Part of me felt anger flare up at the audacity, but he also had a point. It wasn’t like I could offer to pay him or anything.
“Ok. And those terms are…”
“First, you and I have a talk.” He walked over to me and as he grew closer, my heart kicked up. Why was he coming over to me? But then he walked right past me to the door to his office, and snapped the lock. “Just so we have some privacy,” he said.
“So here we are.” He pulled a chair over and put it right next to me, so close I could smell his cologne, pine and musk and mint. Being this close to him I could see the little hairs under his shirt peeking out, see the well-defined muscles of his shoulders and abs, and my body began to respond. I swallowed and ran my tongue over my dry lips.
“Yes?”
His eyes held mine. “Full disclosure. I run a high-end club for people with particular tastes. I was an investor for years before I bought this club.”
My heart raced even more, and my mouth grew dry, but I tried to keep my reactions under wraps. “Oh?”
He kept right on as if I hadn’t said anything at all. “This is not only the place I run, but my home.”
Wowww. He lived at this swanky place? It made the house I lived in look like a dollhouse. This place was amazing. I’d never been out of my house, but I’d read plenty. I knew there were apartments in urban areas, and large country houses, and tiny, run-down places in inner cities, among other things. And I knew enough to know this was a place for people who were very, very well off.
“Tell me everything you know about your father.”
I didn’t expect him to ask that, so I dropped my head and my words became hushed. “What do you want to know?”
“What does he do for work? What sort of man is he? How did he get you?”
I shook my head, feeling like an idiot, for I knew hardly any of the answers to his questions. “Well,” I cleared my throat. “I know he gives loans to people.”
Ryder’s eyes narrowed.
“He… says that I’m very special to him. That he loves me.” No reaction. “But as I’ve told you before, he says the outside world is a scary place to be, and he prefers to protect me from dangerous elements that could harm me.”
Still, no reaction.
“As far as how I came to live with him, I have no idea. He says I’m his daughter.” I paused. “But I know that isn’t true.”
Ryder cocked his head to the side, and still said nothing, just waited for me to explain. There was something about his stern eyes, the way his jaw clenched and his brows drew together, that made me quiver. I didn’t know why. I wasn’t afraid of him. But deep down inside, I knew he was a man that could be quite fearful… not the way my father was. But there was something serious about his demeanor that I couldn’t quite reconcile.
I reached for a lock of my hair and twisted it around my finger, the light reflecting on the shining gold. “I know I’m not his, because of something one of his staff said once. I was supposed to be in bed one night, but I’d forgotten my book down in the dining room. I went to get it but was quiet about it, because if I got out of bed past my bedtime, he would punish me. The door to his office was opened, and I overheard one of his associates saying that my parents had been found dead. They’d frozen to death somewhere, I don’t know where, but their bodies were found. I guess he’d been keeping tabs on them. And that’s all I know.”
I felt better having told him this, though my voice shook and I felt strangely as if I needed to cry. I hadn’t spoken to more than a handful of people in my entire life—only the man I called father, and the occasional staff members he’d employed over the years. But he never kept anyone long enough for me to get to really know them.
I didn’t know I was crying until a tear splashed onto my cheek. I wiped it hastily away, but it was too late. Ryder had seen it. He took my hand in his much larger one, his fingers twice the size of mine, lightly covered in dark hair, warm and reassuring. He squeezed, and my body responded. It shocked me how warmth flooded my body, my belly clenching, my breasts swelling. At his touch, the lump in my throat dissolved, and I cried in earnest, the entire situation so difficult for me to grasp. I’d left the only home I’d ever known, a place where I’d been held against my will. I’d been lied to and manipulated. But now I didn’t know what was up or down, or who to trust.
“C’mere,” Ryder said gruffly, opening his arms and gesturing for me to come near. I hesitated at first, but the next thing I knew he’d pulled me bodily into his arms and smoothed a hand over the back of my head, encouraging me to rest my head on his shoulder.
“This has been a really hard night for you,” he said softly. I couldn’t believe so big and stern could be so gentle, but it seemed I’d drawn it out of him.
“It has,” I sniffled.
“I bet you’re confused, and scared, and a whole bunch of other things at once, aren’t you?” he asked, his deep voice soft.
I nodded, the tears flowing harder at his sympathetic tone.
“This is what we’re going to do. We have some serious decisions to make, Rae. Do you want to stay here with me? And avoid detection from the man you lived with?”
That was an easy decision to make. I nodded.
“You can’t walk around the way you look now, recognizable by anyone who could be looking for you. Do you understand that?” I nodded my head. He was right. I’d have to change the way I looked and dress.
“Yes,” I sniffled. “You’re right. I do.”
He ran his hand through my long, thick hair, and sighed. “Your hair is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. But so is the rest of you.”
I warmed at that, and drew a little closer. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Tonight, I’ll bring you up to my room. Tomorrow, I’ll get some contacts I know together to come up with a way to protect your identity. Okay?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re tired and you need some sleep. Let’s go upstairs now.” He released me, gently pushing me to my feet, then stood, taking my hand.
“If I make it known you’re mine, no one here will come near you. So from now on, you’re mine. Got it?”
Hope flared in my chest, and a strange sort of excitement stirred within me. “Yours,” I repeated. “I pretend to be yours. Yes. Yes, I can do that.”
He smiled, his eyes warming me, and I felt the rush of heat and excitement again. “Good girl.”
I liked that. He opened the door to his office and at once the bright lights and sounds accosted me. I’d never seen anything like this, and it was all I could do not to throw my hands up to block out the lights, or cover my ears to stop the sound. Its relentlessness was overwhe
lming.
“Focus on me, Rae,” he said. “Just follow me.”
A huge guy with a shaved head and the biggest muscles I’d ever seen approached us and said something to Ryder, but I couldn’t hear. “Yeah,” Ryder replied. “Watch the feed closely and if you see anything out of place, you come immediately to me. No screwing around. You get me?”
“Yes, sir,” the big guy said, and he left.
Wow. Ryder was in charge here. I liked that.
“It’s loud in here,” I said, screwing my face up against the noise. I felt physically ill with the pulsating music and couples nearby. Ryder looked at me for a moment, his dark eyes serious and probing, before he took my hand.
“I imagine you haven’t had much of a chance to get out. Loud crowds unfamiliar to you?”
I nodded. “You could say that.”
But as we walked hand in hand, it felt a bit easier to bear.
“This way, Rae,” he said, tugging my hand to the right of the large dance floor. People danced in one area, with a crystal globe thing spinning above the floor, casting flashes of brilliant light below it, and a large bar looped in a corner, the ceiling dotted with a million white lights that looked like stars in the night sky. Brilliant blue illuminated the seats below the bar, giving the entire area a sort of otherworldly glow. It was magical, if a bit intimidating. Three bartenders worked the bar, their hands moving quickly and efficiently, as frothy glasses of beer and delicate long-stemmed glasses of wine passed hands. To the right of the bar was what looked like a lounge area, with black leather couches and pillows, couples comfortably sitting and chatting. It seemed like what I’d imagine a typical nightclub would look like, but there was an undercurrent I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Not having ever experienced anything like this before, I didn’t know how to identify it.
Ryder leaned in and whispered in my ear. “My room is upstairs. Once we get up there we’ll have some quiet.” His breath warmed my cheek, and I shivered against him. I was glad he’d made me pretend to be his. Without him at my side, I felt completely exposed.