Taking What's Theirs (Siren Publishing LoveEdge)

by Kalissa Alexander

  And here she was again, on her way back home and already anticipating the next time she would see them. The voice of the conductor announcing that 30th Street Station was their next stop prompted her to take her earbuds out of ears. She sighed. She wasn’t sure she completely understood Seth, Rod, or Jamie. She certainly was more than taken by their methods of seduction. Sometimes, they seemed to contradict themselves or maybe she wasn’t listening or possibly she was simply so in love with them, nothing mattered but making them love her.

  She put her hand to her mouth to keep from gasping out loud. She had just admitted that she was in love. Just because they made her feel things she had never thought possible, didn’t mean they felt the same way about her or ever would. They had never told her they loved her or even hinted at it. However, their actions had said it in so many ways. She knew she pleased them, and as long as she kept doing that, they would invite her back. Only they hadn’t invited her back this time.

  She felt the vibration of her phone in her coat pocket. It was Seth. She smiled. He must be calling about next weekend.

  “Seth. Hi.”

  “Hi, Abigail. I wanted to tell you that we’re going to be tied up for the next few weekends.”

  “You don’t want to see me?”

  “We can’t. My mother just confirmed she was coming for a visit. She had mentioned it, but wasn’t sure. I’m sorry but…”

  “I know,” she said. “Family comes first. I hope you have a nice visit.”

  “We will. I’ll call you soon.”

  “Good bye, Seth.”

  She slipped the phone back in her jacket.

  How could she have been so blind to think she could be anything more to them than their submissive toy. Good enough to fuck but certainly not someone they would want their family to know about.

  She had never felt such despair. She had foolishly wanted to believe she meant more to them than she did. Seth’s call had been a cold, hard reality check. How could she go back to them knowing they could never love her?

  I’ll go to Florida with my parents. They’ve asked me every time we’ve talked on the phone. I can’t subject myself to their pity when they tell me it’s over. They’ll probably be angry at first but grateful in the end to avoid the drama of trying to let me down easy. I need to end this my way, if for no other reason than my own self-respect. If they knew I had fallen in love with them, they would have ended it already.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rod stared out the window of his office with unseeing eyes. His mind was elsewhere. It had been ever since he had said good bye to Abigail at the train station. She had looked so incredible when he had kissed those soft lips that had been covered in his and his brothers’ cum not long before. It seemed he could never get enough of her. She had given them what they wanted, what they needed, with an eagerness that astounded him. Her submission had been a beautiful thing to watch unfold. Everything about her had given him pleasure.

  There was no denying she had become more important to him with every weekend they had spent together. And now, he knew it was time that he faced the truth. He was head over heels in love with her. Maybe he had been from the first moment he had set eyes on her in that bar in Atlantic City. He had known then that he had to have her. She had spoken not only to his desire but to his soul on some level that he still didn’t entirely understand. He only knew that when he wasn’t with her, he wanted to be. Her body had been made for his, and when his brothers had been thrown in the mix, it had only increased his need for her.

  His assistant stuck her head in his door and announced that his two o’clock meeting had arrived. Turning around in his chair, he sighed. Tonight he was going to have to talk with Seth and Jamie about his feelings for Abigail. Hell, he could only hope that maybe they were feeling the way he was too, but if so, neither of them had approached him. He knew Seth wasn’t one to declare his feelings, but Jamie had always been fairly forthcoming.

  Sharing a woman had bonded them, as had their dominance. They knew each other so well and what they shared with a woman was something he valued above everything, and yet, he couldn’t imagine ever letting Abigail go, even if it meant breaking that bond.

  Only once before had a woman come between them and they had sworn it would never happen again. Samantha had been an experienced submissive they had met through a mutual friend. She had been five years his senior and had known exactly how to please them. She could be completely submissive one moment and the next fuck them with the dominance of the most skilled prostitute. It was a combination that they all had found intoxicating. Seth had fallen fast and hard for her and wanted her to be theirs. Whatever objections Rod had put forth, Seth had waved them away with the arrogance of a man in love.

  At Seth’s insistence, she had eagerly moved in with them, spouting her undying love for the three of them. Jamie had succumbed to her charms and he had not been immune. She appeared to be exactly the kind of woman they needed. At first, things seemed to be working out. She was eager to please them as she always had been and seemed to know exactly the right things to say and do to keep them all completely enamored by her. However, over a period of time, he began to notice little things that bothered him. She was becoming increasingly more dominant. And when she wasn’t, it was as if she were trying to contain that desire. Sex was still great, but there were times when she seemed to zone out. Seth hadn’t wanted to hear it and Jamie wasn’t experienced enough to see it.

  She also left the apartment for long periods of time to visit with family and finally admitted to them that no one in her family knew about her lifestyle. She was going to tell them, but for now she needed to keep living with them in secret. They understood, but at some point they wanted to meet her family and they wanted her to meet their mother and sister. It would be a big step for all of them, but it was something they would all need to do if they were to continue to build their relationship.

  One night he and Seth had come home early only to find that Samantha had not only taken her clothes and left them but she had broken into their safe. She had wiped out all their excess cash to the tune of over fifty thousand dollars. Seth had been beyond angry and had berated himself for not listening to what he had tried to tell him. Rod had known that Seth was even more angry that he had convinced his brothers to trust a woman whose only intention had been to use them. For the first time in his Seth’s life, he had questioned his own judgment. He watched helpless as his brother became a man who enjoyed sex but never gave more of himself than was necessary. It had taken Abigail to crash through the barrier he had so skillfully erected.

  That morning at the hotel when he had seen Seth and Abigail together on the sofa had shocked him more than the fact she and Jamie had known each other. He knew that Abigail had thought he might be angry, but what he had felt was pure joy. Joy that his brother was enjoying a woman again without feeling the need to completely dominate her every move. However, it had been short lived as Seth had stormed out of the apartment, furious with himself for lowering his guard. And yet, hadn’t he been doing just that ever since?

  Her first weekend with them, Seth had even made reservations for Abigail to stay at a hotel, but when the time had come for her to finally sleep, none of them had mentioned sending her to the hotel. And from that point on, it was a given that she would stay with them. He knew Jamie had feelings for Abigail. It was obvious from his initial reaction that she had meant something to him even though they had only been together that one night. However, Seth had remained skeptical of her motives, and with his history he had good reason.

  But even now, after Abigail had proven herself over and over again, his brother was still being cautious. It pained him that Seth couldn’t get past Samantha’s betrayal. She had hurt all of them, but Seth had taken it the hardest. He had not only given her his trust, he had given her his heart.

  It was Seth’s idea to take a break from Abigail. He had told her their mother was coming for a visit. It wasn’t a lie, but she was only s
taying a few days not a few weeks. Seth said they all needed to take a breather from the woman who was becoming more important to them with each visit. He also felt Abigail needed time without them.

  Rod understood Seth’s reasoning, but he didn’t like it. He missed her and he wanted her back with them and not just on the weekends.

  Mr. Anderson walked into his office, and Rod knew it was time to get to work. Tonight, he thought, standing to shake the man’s hand, he would discuss the next step in their relationship with Abigail with his brothers. He only hoped they would be open to his feelings and that they felt the same way he did. If they didn’t, he would have some tough decisions to make.

  * * * *

  Seth had scheduled an appointment outside the office that went against his better judgment. He hadn’t told his brothers. They would have been livid if they knew Samantha had contacted him and he hadn’t immediately called the police. His first instinct was to do just that, but an FBI agent named Carter had taken the phone and told him that Amanda Parsons, her real name, was insisting on seeing him and that it was imperative that he do so. She was a major witness in a criminal case and they didn’t have time to argue with him.

  He could tell by the urgency in the man’s voice that this was very serious. He told Carter he needed to know more. This time it wasn’t theft, but a connection with a drug dealer that had her in line as a possible candidate for the Witness Protection Program. The drug dealer, Sal Marisco, was on the FBI’s most wanted list. He was not only dealing in drugs but also slavery. The FBI had been after him for a while but he always seemed to find a way to evade prosecution. However, Samantha had information that could lead to his arrest and ultimately put him away behind bars for a very long time, if not for life.

  Two FBI agents had picked him up outside his office in a van and whisked him through the city to an unknown location. There were no windows in the back of the van, so he had no idea where they were taking him. Samantha had been brought to the van. It was all so secretive. However, Seth wasn’t unfamiliar with this kind of thing and knew that the less he knew about where they were keeping her, the better.

  She had lost weight and looked like she had aged ten years. She was no longer the pretty woman he had once known. She was haggard with dark circles under her eyes and her brown hair that she had always kept perfectly coiffed hung long and straight to below her shoulders. She looked like she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.

  “Thank you for coming, Seth,” she began, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “I expected you to say no to helping me. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had.”

  “I haven’t said yes,” he countered.

  “You’re here and that’s more than I deserve.” Her voice cracked.

  “What do you want from me, Samantha? I can’t believe you had the audacity to call me after what you did.”

  “I wish I had the time to tell you all the reasons why, but the list is too lengthy and time is of the essence as you’ll realize once I’ve told you my story. All I want from you is to make sure I get the deal I’ve been promised if I talk. I want to go into witness protection. I need to if I’m ever to have a life. Sal will see to it that I’m killed for testifying against him. I don’t trust anyone, not the FBI, not anyone. I need you to tell me that the paperwork is in order. Otherwise, I’m not talking.”

  “The government would have gotten you a lawyer.”

  “I told you, I don’t trust anyone. That is, except you. You’re a good man and if you say it’s so, then it is. I treated you horribly, but it wasn’t because I didn’t care for you. I did.”

  He looked at her incredulously. Lying came so naturally to her that she couldn’t stop herself, especially where her own welfare was concerned. He had no intention of doing anything to help her. The sooner this was over the better.

  “You really are a piece of work. I know you’re lying and honestly, I don’t give a flying fuck about you or your deal.”

  “I’m not lying. I had a lot of debt that I never told you about. I was in trouble with some bad people and I felt like I had no choice but to do what I did. I’m sorry, Seth. I never wanted to hurt you or your brothers. And I’m sorry about the money, but I knew you had lots of it and you could live without what I took.”

  “This is crazy,” he said, “If Carter hadn’t convinced me this was important, I wouldn’t be here.”

  “It is important,” Samantha choked out. “Please hear me out.”

  He knew he should tell the agents to take her away and him back to his office. But there was something in her eyes that held him. It wasn’t that he had feelings for her. Those had died the day she showed her true colors.

  “I’m listening,”

  * * * *

  When Seth returned to the office, Rod was in a meeting with a client and Jamie was overseeing a deposition with some of the junior partners. He went to his office and closed the door behind him.

  He buzzed Kate, his assistant.

  “Hold my calls. I don’t want to be disturbed unless it’s an FBI agent. I’m expecting a delivery.”

  He rummaged through his desk drawer and found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took a drag and leaned back in his chair. The FBI was sending over the paperwork for Samantha’s—no, he corrected himself, Amanda’s deal. He had promised her he would look it over. She had been grateful and sobbing uncontrollably when she had been escorted out of the van.

  The Witness Protection Program, when it worked, was an excellent way for someone like Amanda to get out from under the destructive life she had carved out for herself. Not that he gave a damn about her life but the fact was she could save lives and that was why he had agreed to help her.

  She had broken down rather convincingly several times during their meeting. He waited without emotion for her to continue. When he asked her how she had become involved with a man like Sal, she had just shaken her head before she took a deep breath and told him.

  “Most of the money I stole from you went to Sal. He was my drug dealer. I was careful so that you never suspected my addiction. Sal was threatening me and anyone I cared about if I didn’t get him his money. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I not only feared for me but for you and your brothers too.

  “So you’re trying to tell me what you did was a selfless act to protect me and my brothers,” he said, no longer able to keep his anger in check. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” she had said sadly. “I can’t undo what I’ve done, but I do have a chance to redeem myself. You see, once the money was gone, I knew I had to find a way to make a living, but I couldn’t do anything that was legit because the police would find me. So I went to work for Sal.”

  “Smart move,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I’m not like you with your rich family and degrees. I only had my wits to keep me going. So yes, I went to work for him. I managed his prostitution business. All I had to do was keep the girls in line and make sure they were clean. I’ve had experience with that kind of thing.”

  He had just stared at her, wondering how he could have allowed himself to fall prey to a woman like her. But he had, and for that he would never forgive himself.

  “At first it was okay. I didn’t have to service the clients unless things got really busy and the girls weren’t that difficult to manage. However, once Sal began to trust me, he brought me into one of his side businesses. Too late I realized he was abducting young girls to sell to buyers from out of the country. The girls were drugged and in many cases, if they weren’t virgins, raped before they were sold. Virgins were a lot more valuable.”

  She stopped when she heard his intake of breath ending with, “Fuck.”

  “I know. I’m no angel, but I didn’t have the stomach for what he was doing to those girls. Some of them were college kids from nice families. Others were runaways or girls who just got into trouble, but none of them deserved what he was doing to them.”

  She
went on to tell him how she had sometimes helped Sal’s men abduct the girls. She felt she had no choice or Sal would think she was losing her nerve and turn on her. But it was more than she could handle. She had been stupid and confided in one of his men she thought she could trust that she didn’t like what he was doing and she was pretty sure he had told Sal. Although Sal hadn’t said anything to her, he had been acting stranger than usual. If Sal decided to get rid of her, she wouldn’t die a pretty death. He was a mean, evil bastard who was known for his extreme violence, especially where women were concerned.

  Amanda started sobbing again when the man who had introduced himself as Carter said, “This has gone on long enough. We don’t have the luxury of time. Ms. Parsons knows where Sal is keeping his latest shipment of girls. We need to move quickly if we’re going to stop him before he ships them out to where they would most probably never be found again. Ms. Parsons is supposed to meet him tonight. But unless she knows she has her deal and you’ve reviewed it, she won’t cooperate.”

  A decent person would have just told the FBI where the girls were, but Amanda’s instinct for self-preservation was strong and always had been. She had completely played him and he had never even suspected she wasn’t the woman he thought she was. She was no good, regardless of what she wanted him to believe, but if some good could come from her now, for the sake of those poor girls, he would make sure she received the best deal possible.

  “And these girls,” Seth said, “will they have to testify too?”

  “Good question. With Ms. Parson’s testimony we think we can keep the girl’s identities anonymous from the public. That’s our goal anyway. We want to protect them as much as possible. They’ve been through enough. However, Ms. Parsons thinks we might try to screw her deal and put her on trial once we have the girls. In her mind, we won’t need her anymore. And that brings me to why we agreed to bring you here to meet with her. Look over the paperwork, make sure it’s in her best interest, and once you given it your stamp of approval, she’ll talk.”