by K. D. Jones
Lesak had evidently sought assistance from the IDJ to help locate Lindy. When Rachel’s real identity had been revealed to Rage and himself, he gave her more information about what happened leading up to Lindy’s disappearance.
He had shown the goodbye note that Lindy supposedly wrote to him. Rachel sent off a scanned image of Lindy’s signature and discovered the signature on the letter was not Lindy’s signature. Rachel had also uncovered the two people within the GCFA that had a hand in Lindy’s abduction. Talon was shocked and outraged to find out it was Tipin and Resa.
How could two people who were supposed to be teammates and friends do something like this? He wanted to seek them out and tear them limb from limb until they told him where Lindy was. It took both Rage and Rachel to calm him down.
He agreed to act the rejected lover. They set up for Rachel to be abducted, then Talon helped watch over Rachel as Tipin and Resa took her to their drop off point. He stood watch, along with Rage, from outside the warehouse until the authorities arrived. He hoped that Rachel would find some lead on where Lindy was. It tore him up knowing she was out there somewhere, mistreated and in need of his help. He would find her, no matter what.
Talon stayed in the shadows with Rage to keep an eye on Rachel and watched everything take place at the warehouse, neither of the men speaking. He sighed, they would wait for word before taking off back to the ship, and then his phone vibrated.
Chapter Twelve
Nautilus had kept Lindy in that dark, dank dungeon for four long weeks. No sunlight, no fresh air, and no interaction with other people other than Nautilus and the slave girl, Tala, the entire time. The bread and water regimen not only caused Lindy to lose weight, but it kept her in a weakened state, mentally and physically. That was Nautilus’s plan. He wanted her too weak to fight his mind control. He constantly visited her, testing her resistance to him.
She realized that it wasn’t just her calling out Talon’s name that had set him off. When she used Talon’s name, it broke the control he had on her mind and made it hard for him to regain the control. That was when he hit her. He hadn’t hit her since then, but there were times during his visit that Lindy would think of Talon or say his name to keep Nautilus from controlling her. He would get angry and throw things around the dungeon. She stored away her growing knowledge to use for later. She knew she needed to learn more, a lot more to survive.
Slowly Lindy earned privileges from Nautilus. Whenever he was satisfied that he had control over her, he would allow her more movement around the dungeon. She was granted a little more substance to her meals. By the end of the four weeks, Lindy was no longer chained to the wall, she had free reign of the dungeon. To say that she was desperate to get out of there was an understatement.
She continued to try to get Tala to speak with her. Tala was the one who had told her what she needed to do to get the chains removed.
“Do not challenge him. The more you challenge, the more he will feel the need to control you,” Tala had told her.
“Does he control you all the time?” Lindy asked, surprised by the woman finally opening up to her.
“Master does not control me. Not anymore.”
Lindy perked up at this news. “How do you keep him out of your head?”
Tala shook her head. “I don’t. He can control me if he wants, but doesn’t have to. I willingly serve him and I leave myself open to him at all times.”
Lindy frowned. “If he doesn’t control you, why don’t you escape?”
“I can come and go from the compound as I please. I have earned his trust. That is what you will have to do if you wish to leave the dungeon. However, I doubt you will get past your stubbornness. Many of the others never left the dungeon before he got rid of them. I would not be sad to see you fail like the others. I will have the Master all to myself. I will prove to him that I am worthy of his love.”
Lindy felt like she was going to be sick. Tala was brainwashed to the point that she actually believed herself in love with Nautilus. Not only that, she wanted Nautilus to love her in return. Couldn’t she see that what Nautilus offered wasn’t love; it was slavery and soul stealing. But the more she tried to argue with Tala, the more stubborn the other woman became. Nautilus would find out and punish her in some way for trying to taint his servant. Lindy learned to stop talking to Tala altogether. However, that didn’t stop Tala from antagonizing her.
“While you are being punished, I get to lavish attention on Master. He thinks himself in love with you and is obsessed. He cannot see how flawed you truly are. Your refusal of him deeply hurt his ego. I should make you suffer for that. But your time will come, like the others, and you too will be sent away.” Tala finished collecting the lunch tray and left the dungeon.
Lindy thought about everything she had learned from Tala and from Nautilus himself. A seed of hope developed. It might take a while, but she was determined to get free at any cost.
*****
Talon stared at the message he had received from Rachel. North Quarter Gamma Region; one hundred thousand credits. That had to be where Lindy was sent. He was determined more than ever to find her, but he had to help Rage first.
He watched his friend barely holding it together. The Beastial in the man wanted to take over. Talon didn’t have a beast in him, but everything in him demanded that he find the woman he loved. His attention was brought back to the warehouse they were watching as Rachel was brought out. She was saying something over and over.
Talon put his hand on Rage’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Did you hear her? She says she’s okay.”
“I heard.”
“Why aren’t you more excited or relieved about it?”
“Because I have to get back to the GCFA ship and pretend to know nothing about all this until someone comes and tells me. My inner beast is ready to rip something apart to get to her.”
“Yeah, patience was never your virtue, my friend.” Talon smirked at him.
“Are you coming back with me?”
Talon grew serious and shook his head. “I did my part. I helped watch over Rachel when Tipin and Resa took her. I stayed here with you in case things turned ugly. Now it’s time I go find my woman.”
“Be careful, Talon.”
“You, too. You know it’s not completely over yet.”
“I know.”
Talon walked off into the night wishing his friend luck. He worried over the fact they hadn’t uncovered the head of the slaving ring. He lifted his phone and made a call.
“Talon?” Lesak’s anxious voice answered.
“I need you to look out for Rage.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
Talon explained about how Rachel found information at the warehouse on the missing girls but that they had not completely solved the case yet. He asked Lesak to tell the GCFA that he was taking some time off for a family emergency.
“Why can’t you let the IDJ find Lindy? It’s their job,” Lesak complained.
“She’s my woman and I can’t wait on the IDJ. It’s been over two months already.”
There was a long pause. “You will keep me updated every step of the way. If you do not check in every other day, I am coming after you.”
Talon smiled. “You’d drop everything to come after me?”
“You bet your ass I would!”
“Thanks, Lesak.”
“Stay safe, son.”
Talon hung up and headed back to the GCFA circuit ship. He would grab a few things and then be on his way. He had a starting point to start the search. The last item he took was a picture he had of him and Lindy. They were dancing and looking into each other’s eyes. He stared at her image long and hard. “I’m coming for you, baby.”
*****
It had taken time, but Lindy learned what buttons to push with Nautilus. He liked it when she said his name. So she said it often, only withholding it when he punished her. He was desperate for her affection. It was surprising even though Tala
had told her he obsessed over her and believed himself to be in love with her.
She was brought back to the room that he had originally given her. He went over ground rules. She could not leave her bedroom unless he or Tala were with her. She was told to not speak to any other males around the house. If she wanted or needed something, she must ask it of him. She was expected to wear dresses only, the ones he handpicked for her. He preferred her hair in a French braid during the day and hanging loose at night. However, the most disturbing demand he made of her was that she was to keep her privates shaved. She had refused once, but he made it clear that if she did not follow his orders to the letter, she would go back to the dungeon for another four weeks.
Lindy was determined to not go back to the dungeon. She was going to have to do some major manipulation because she wasn’t going to sleep with Nautilus. She sat on the little dais by the window and made a pouting face. Nautilus reacted to her change of mood as she had expected.
“You are unhappy with something? Tell me what and I will have it fixed immediately.” He knelt down in front of her taking her hands into his.
Lindy was grateful that he had not tried to read her mind. She kept thinking of Talon, which helped her build up an invisible wall that kept him out. She hoped sticking as close to the truth would go in her favor.
“I don’t want to disappoint you.” She made herself act as if she was talking to Talon. It helped. She almost cringed when he reached for her.
Nautilus cupped her cheek. “Why would you think that?”
She whispered, “Because I’m not ready yet.”
He knew exactly what she was talking about. She felt something pushing at her head. She made herself think of how inexperienced she was with men in general and that it took a while for her to open up. Keeping those thoughts at the front, she opened her mind to him. She could feel him in her head, but he didn’t delve too deep. Just touched the thoughts on the surface. He gave her a reassuring smile.
“We have all the time in the world, Lucinda.”
“You’re not mad?” She was worried that this would set his temper off. Of course, he was still in her head.
He frowned. “I want you, but I want you to come to me willingly. I can take things slow, as long as you are following my demands.”
Lindy nodded. “Okay.”
“I want to sleep next to you.”
No! She glanced at him to make sure he had not seen her reaction. “Please, Nautilus, I need more time.”
Nautilus reacted to her saying his name. He shifted in his seat. “How much time do you need?”
She kept her thoughts open. “I’m not sure. I can’t be with someone new when I still need to get over the last person that I had been with.”
Nautilus stood and started to pace. Lindy worried that she had pushed him too hard. “A week, Lucinda. I’ll give you a week. We will have dinner together every evening. In one week, you will start sleeping next to me in my bedroom.” He came back to stand over her making her look up at him. “I’ll do my best to be patient with you, Lucinda, but my patience will run out sooner or later. I expect you to get over these feelings you have for—him. I won’t tolerate sharing your affections. Get your rest. I will see you tomorrow evening.” He caressed her cheek one more time before leaving her alone in the bedroom.
He was probably seeking out Tala to relieve him. Lindy should probably feel bad about that, except that she knew that it was what Tala wanted most. She didn’t want him so it didn’t matter. She was more concerned with him wanting her to sleep next to him. She wasn’t an idiot. There wouldn’t be any sleeping done on his part. What was she going to do next?
*****
Talon’s first priority when he got to North Quarter Gamma Region, where he suspected Lindy had been shipped to, was locating a warehouse or business that was associated with the one that Rachel had been taken to. It took a while but he finally found a similar warehouse in a seedy area. It had been closed down. Talon broke a window to enter it.
Smells assaulted him of many breeds. He had a good sense of smell but Rage’s was better. He searched the lower level but didn’t find anything. The moment he ventured upstairs, a faint familiar scent drew him to a corner room with no windows. Lindy’s scent was there. It was faint but still it was hers. The scent grew stronger as he stepped closer to the middle cot. Leaning down he drew in her scent.
Now that he had her fresh scent, he was able to trail it out of the warehouse to the back alleyway. This was where her scent seemed to fade away. There wasn’t anything out there to help him.
He went back into the warehouse. There has to be something here, some kind of clue. He checked the offices, but there was no computer. He did find a trashcan that was turned over on its side. He knelt down and went through the balled up pieces of paper.
There were receipts for coffee purchases. He had tossed them to the side. When he finished going through everything, he realized that he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Damn it! He needed help. He pulled out his cell phone and called Rage.
“Talon?” Rage’s deep voice rumbled over the line.
“Yeah, it’s me. Is Rachel there?”
“You want to speak to Rachel? Why?” Rage sounded suspicious.
Talon could hear Rachel in the background yelling at Rage. It made him smile.
“Is that Talon? Give me the phone, Rage!” A few seconds passed while Rage argued with Rachel. Then Rachel’s voice came over the line, “Talon, what’s going on?”
“I found the warehouse she was shipped to. Square Warehouse #19. Her scent disappears outside. The place is bare except for a few coffee receipts. I’m at a dead end.”
“Maybe not. What’s the name of the coffee company and whose name is on the customer account?”
Talon reached back down to the trashcan and pulled out the few receipts that he found. “Red Box Company is the name of the coffee distributor. Martin Square is the name of the account holder.”
“What’s the account number?” she asked.
Talon could hear her typing something over the phone. “The account number is 100125.”
There was a pause. “Okay, the warehouse you are at was leased by Martin Square. Records show he leased another warehouse in the city of Tanner. The Square Warehouse #22 is listed as currently operational. Martin Square claims to be a supplier of coffee. Look, Talon, I think you should let me call in the IDJ to help you find…”
“Thanks, Rachel.” Talon hung up the phone. He rushed out of the warehouse to the shuttle he rented to get around. It would take a couple of hours to get to the city of Tanner. He hoped that he would not find another cold trail. He felt that he was getting closer.
Chapter Thirteen
Slowly Lindy gained more and more freedom. She could come and go freely from her bedroom and had free reign of the mansion. But she still had to have an escort when going outside in the gardens. Going outside helped her clear her mind each day. She felt freer with her thoughts during the day because Nautilus wasn’t around. Tala said that he left the compound to attend to business during the day. However, Lindy suspected that he had more traits in common with Earth’s fabled vampires, needing to rest during daylight hours. Whatever reason, she was grateful to only have to deal with him at night when he shared dinner with her.
Tonight Nautilus was taking her out to eat at a nice restaurant. It was the first time that she would be leaving the compound since she had been brought there. He hadn’t made her sleep in his bed, yet, but Lindy knew that her time was almost up. She could see that he was constantly aroused whenever he was around her. It was getting worse because he started to refuse letting Tala service him. Tala had complained to her, saying the Master wanted to be clean for Lindy.
Lindy finally gave up trying to befriend the other woman. It was clear that she was devoted to Nautilus. The last time Lindy tried to convince Tala to let her go didn’t end so well.
“Tala, if you help me escape, you will have the Master all to
yourself,” Lindy had said, enticingly.
The other woman had shaken her head side to side. “If I let you go, the Master would be unhappy. I will not be the one to make the Master unhappy.”
Tala had turned around and informed Nautilus that Lindy had tried to get her to help her escape. That landed Lindy back in the dungeon for another three days. Lindy and Tala didn’t speak with one another after that. Not unless, Nautilus was present.
Lindy dreamed of Talon every night. She missed him so much. She missed his hands, his lips, and the way his eyes lit up whenever he smiled at her. He had a great laugh, deep and rumbling. When he had made love to her, it was never just sex. He loved her with his whole being. It had made her feel safe and complete. She had not forgotten one single moment that she had spent with him. She relived their moments in her dreams each and every night.
The dream started out like all the others, with Lindy and Talon making love. There was one in particular where they had been lying in bed together. Talon was on his back and Lindy straddled him.
“I love you,” Talon whispered.
Lindy smiled down at him. “I love you, too.”
She reached for his member and brought the tip to her nether lips. He kept trying to push upward, but Lindy evaded his attempts to plunge into her. She smiled at him and rubbed the tip back and forth, getting her juices all over him.
“Lindy,” Talon growled her name with need.
She lowered herself down on him until she was completely impaled. Slowly she started moving up and down on him. The wonderful friction caused both of them to moan. He gripped her hips speeding up their movement. As she reached her climax, she threw her head back with her eyes closed. Smiling with satisfaction, she opened her eyes and looked down at Talon. Only it wasn’t Talon beneath her anymore, it was Nautilus. No! No! No! She screamed trying to wake herself up from the dream that had turned into a nightmare.