by Lacey Silks
“Her name is Grace. She’s a hairdresser and was alienated from the rest of the family because Father used her name to launder all the family’s money. Scar helped clear that up which earned him a gold star in her book. It changed him into a better man. I think he almost forgave himself for past mistakes, fights, drugs, and being Father’s pawn. Almost, but not quite. He now owns a strip club.”
“What? The same Scar who left Jules at the hospital?”
The implication of her comment was clear: I had done the same.
“Your sister was on her way to becoming a doctor. She didn’t need the complications of a new relationship. He’d been waiting for that opportunity for a while.”
Was I still talking about Scar, or referring to myself?
“It was a strip club investment, not a presidential election he was running in.” She rolled her eyes. I loved the cockier side of her.
“Believe it or not, presidents are not solely responsible for changing the world. It’s the little people, those who risk their lives without others knowing, who do. Scar’s business is far more than a strip club. He’s working on something bigger, but I’m not privy to all the details.”
In truth, I didn’t want to be blamed for his mistakes. I had made enough of my own. “I wish he would finally find someone instead of moping around about your sister. Someone he could count on for support.”
“They were good friends, from what I can remember.”
“Friends? They were way more than that. They’ve known each other since high school, and did you see the way they looked at each other at the hospital in Colorado? Something happened after that avalanche.”
“Jules was never the same after they separated.”
“Neither was Scar. But from what you told me, she’d hold him back.”
Zoey tensed. How else could I say that she wasn’t good enough for Scar?
“She’s a wonderful doctor.”
Probably. That didn’t change the fact that she had no clue what her sister had done for her so that she could continue her practice.
“What about Axel? Your oldest brother.”
I was glad she changed the topic. It would take a while before we could agree on anything Julia and Scar related. They might have been good together, but he didn’t need the distraction right now.
“You mean my stubborn brother, right? He’s gone through a lot and is raising a son on his own. Trevor is almost five.”
“What happened to his mother?”
“She died soon after Trevor was born. Axel has closed himself off. I’m a bit worried about him. It’s like he can’t stop grieving. He can’t seem to find that happiness.”
“Your family doesn’t sound as dangerous as I pictured. I always thought they were part of a huge mafia.”
“They’re not, but we’re not angels. Father fell into trouble when he was blackmailed, and then life changed. I couldn’t have been older than seven. We went from ruling businesses to carrying a huge price on our heads. Of course I didn’t know it back then, but I could feel the tension. And growing up with so much stress around you is never good. For a while there, it felt like it would take a bullet to the heart to stop our way of living. But Father never had a chance to change on his own; he knew too much. Once we grew up, we were able to get him out of the business, but it took a lot of work. It’s not an easy enterprise to get out of, ya know. So that’s why each one of my siblings got a second chance, and business by business, we put a lot of bad guys behind bars, and they didn’t even realize it was us. When the offer came to take down Infinity, I knew that if we had gotten a chance to start over, it was only fair that the innocent women at Infinity got one as well. It was my way of paying back to society, giving me a way to earn back some kind of grace.”
She listened with intent, her eyes glazing over. I didn’t want her to feel sorry for me. I wanted her to understand that she had that chance as well. If I could turn a life gone wrong around, she could as well.
“Don’t you find it strange that only one of you became a lawyer, and you all broke the law more than once?”
“Everyone breaks the law; we just didn’t hide it. We all use what we learned to our advantage. Our connections from the past have helped us. But you’re right. Father might have forced law into our brains, but we all managed to dip our fingers and toes into illegal dealings at the opposite side of the spectrum.”
“For what it’s worth, my family doesn’t belong to the Brady Bunch club either.”
“You know, just because your mother prefers younger men doesn’t make her a bad person.”
“For one, she doesn’t prefer younger men. And two, it’s not her I’m talking about.”
“Julia?”
“No. My father, the cheater. He wasn’t exactly a good role model for us. I’ve watched him walk in and out of the house so many times, knowing he was about to go and screw some chick. When we were little I’d see him jump from one woman to another, sometimes a few times each week. It was like he could never get enough.”
If you only knew the truth.
“I still can’t believe Mom tolerated him for as long as she did. I think that’s why Julia fell victim to addiction. She doesn’t want to talk about it, but I bet he’s the reason. I’m so glad he’s out of our lives.”
“Julia should talk to someone about it.”
“She attends these anonymous meetings for cheaters and sex addicts. I think they’ve helped, but I haven’t seen her out with anyone for almost two years.”
Did she even realize what she was saying? Zoey was so concerned about her sister she failed to see the trouble she had gotten herself into.
“We should get her and Scar together. They’d be good for each other.” She sighed, with that dreamy look in her eyes.
“Playing matchmaker can be dangerous,” I said. Especially with two people who clearly had more issues than either of them could handle.
“Why?”
“Sometimes what you want for others is not what they want for themselves.”
“What is it that you want for me?”
“I want you not to be afraid. I want to break all the ties you have with Infinity and for you to never have to doubt the men in your life again.”
She looked at me funny, as if wondering if I was one of the men in her life. I hoped I could be. I had a strong urge inside me to protect her. During the past six years of redemption, I’d saved countless women. Each time one was freed and put in the witness protection program, I felt like a part of me healed. My past’s mistakes while working with Father were slowly being forgiven. Now I realized that they’d never be entirely washed away or erased. No matter how hard I worked, there would always be that other person I had to help. It had become an addiction and a need, and the inner reward was priceless.
“You want the impossible. Infinity is strong and dangerous. I appreciate your help, Ace, but I don’t think God himself would be able to pull off what you’re trying to. And I don’t want you to be in trouble because of me.”
Trouble? Was she kidding?
“You might have been feisty and trouble when I first met you, but Zoey, have you looked in the mirror lately? They’ve tamed you. They stole your spirit and your freedom. I’ve only seen sparks of it since I ran into you at the hotel, and it’s not good enough. Your spirit and faith — that’s what I want to give you back.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. Because I knew you were special that day I met you. You’ve sacrificed your life for your sister. I think that says a lot about a person.”
“You have a job to do, and I don’t want to be the one who screws it up. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to help you bring Infinity down. I’ll figure something out. I have to. Maybe disappear.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how, though. They’ll go after my family.”
I took both her hands into mine. “Then work with me. Trust me, and I’ll bring you the freedom you desire.”
“You rea
lly think it’s possible?”
“I hope so. We’ll meet with Emma Cross in less than two weeks. She’s on maternity leave now but still comes into the office. In the meantime, I want you to know that you are free. If you’re afraid they’ll follow you, don’t be. I’ll look out for you. I promise.
“So, I can really go home? Go out for a decent meal?”
“Yes, but keep a low profile until we meet with Emma. And how about I take you out for that meal?”
“Are you asking me out?”
“Only if you say yes.”
She sighed again, this time with a new shine in her eyes and a lift at the corner of her mouth. I could actually see her spirit slowly rising, and it was one of the most beautiful sights ever.
“Okay. Let’s try going out.” She looked over to the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late. I should sleep.”
“Good night, Zoey.”
“Good night, Ace.” She stood up and did the unthinkable when she leaned toward me, placing a soft peck on my stunned lips. Because of the shock, I didn’t grab her and pull her to my lap, the way I’d imagined so many times, so that I could kiss her as fiercely as before. I didn’t pin her to the couch to assault those lips again, taste her breath and share her heat. I just sat there, dumbfounded, like a loser with a capital L. How could I have let this opportunity go? She was so close, and now so far.
As she turned the corner toward the guest bedroom, I stared at her pear-shaped ass like a little boy who had just discovered the Playboy magazine under his older brother’s bed.
Chapter 7
Zoey
I wasn’t sure how long I had been sleeping when the sound of Ace’s whisper woke me. The thin walls in this guest house might as well have been paper. I could picture him stressed, pacing in the other room as Ace said, “She’s not going anywhere.”
There was a longer pause, and Ace’s voice continued, strained: “I don’t fucking care what the protocol is. You knew she was tied to these assholes and you didn’t do anything to stop it, you sick fuck.”
He listened some more.
“Over my dead body. Look, if you want to help, you’ll keep your mouth shut. You said you were ready to pay for your mistakes. For fuck’s sake, all you have to do is give up screwing the girls and not say anything about Zoey. It’s too late now anyway. If I told them you withheld the information you had about me, you’d be dead in twenty-four hours.”
There was another pause, a longer one. I shifted the cover aside, left my bed, and crept closer to the door, cracking it open thumb-width. Ace was sitting at the dining table by the computer, his back to me. He was scrolling through what looked like pages of information and images of women—abused women. At one point, there was a map and aerial photos of what appeared to be a mansion with a court and a fountain right in the middle.
“I’m willing to take that chance. Are you?”
He waited.
“Keep your mouth shut and do not call unless you’re contacted.”
As soon as he hung up, I tiptoed back to bed, trying to make sense of what I heard. Who was he talking to? Who else knew about me and Infinity? It sounded like another member who knew our secret. Was it someone I’d serviced before? Did it mean that we weren’t as safe as Ace had told me? Was his plan not as foolproof as I had hoped?
I needed to get out of there to clear my head, but if I left right then Ace would know that I’d overheard his conversation. Would it matter? He didn’t strike me as someone who would keep secrets from me on purpose; but then again, I didn’t know Ace Wagner as well as I wanted to.
I pulled the covers almost up to my eyes and dozed off with thoughts about the corrupt business running through my mind. It didn’t take long for my dreams to lead me into that dark alley I’d pictured my sister in when she was almost killed, except I was there on a job. A flickering streetlight near its death barely illuminated the narrow space. Unwelcome chills crawled up my body. I was here to fulfill a sick and disgusting requisition that came from the top boss himself. He was supposed to meet me five minutes ago, but he was late.
Nausea brewed in my stomach, trailing upward and almost gagging me. I wanted to throw up, but I couldn’t. I had to stay clean for the job, or else I’d die. All it would take was a lethal injection, a twist of my spine, or a tight grip around my neck. Even though no girls would talk about it, I’d heard the rumors from listening to members’ conversations on the phone. It was bragging of sorts—who could do the most damage to an innocent soul and get away with it. I’d been threatened in the past, but always managed to weasel out of uncomfortable situations. These men were brutal and most of the time high on themselves and their wealth. Regardless of the rules – Infinity had to ‘protect’ us – their clients always came first, and that’s why the members liked to push the limits.
I wasn’t sure how many more times in my life I could succumb to Infinity’s requests. Sometimes death seemed too far away and other times, it topped my wish list. I’d agreed to the jobs because I didn’t want the company to retaliate against Julia, who “miraculously” came out of her coma. It couldn’t get much worse than what I’d already been through, could it? I mean, I’d played the role of a rape victim, a mistress, a lesbian pretending to be with a man for the first time. The members’ imaginations had no boundaries. One time point I was asked to abstain from orgasms and sex for three months, just so the client could get a tighter squeeze when he fucked me. I was forced to wear a heart monitor to check for a spiked pulse. Exercise was out of the question as well. And all that for a fucker who had tied me up and tortured me with a vibrator. Just when I was about to come, he stopped. I begged him to finish. He continued this until the morning and never let me come. The sexual frustration was so painful, I cried when I got home that night. I should have reported him; but again, I was afraid I would be the one who got in trouble. After all, he was the paying customer. I was nothing. I was no one.
What made it worse was that most of these men were married. Sometimes their wives would join in, thinking it was a one-time fantasy their husband had arranged. But I knew the repeat clients. I called them the loyal cheaters. They’d give up their lives for their spouses and would forever remain devoted to them, yet couldn’t stop cheating. Just like my father. Thankfully, my mom had smartened up in the end, but that wasn’t true for all women. Most stayed with their loyal, cheating husbands. Yes, Infinity members were loyal cheaters, and I hated each one of them to the bone.
I checked the time on my watch just as something crunched behind me. I whipped my body around to come face to face with Craig Harper.
He towered over me. The darkness around me was nothing compared to what I saw in his eyes. It was ruthless, unfiltered, and held no hint of fear or remorse. “You’re just a whore I run into. Do you understand?” I nodded, as my protocol required.
He then proceeded to remove his pants and boxers, springing his dick free, and something snapped inside me. A fight I hadn’t felt in over two years. Maybe if I ran, he wouldn’t be able to catch me. I’d take Jules with me and move to a safe corner of the world where no one would ever find us. We could start over, couldn’t we? After all, this was only a dream. If there was anything left in my life that I could control, it had to be at least my dreams. But my strength evaporated like a gas leak from a pressurized tank as soon as Craig put his hand on top of my head and forced me down to my knees.
“No.” I shook my head. “Please don’t.”
“You better put that mouth of yours to good use.”
And then I couldn’t speak any longer. Craig shoved his dick until I felt him in the back of my throat, which activated my gag reflex. I couldn’t get enough air. My lungs tightened, and he still thought there was more room for him so he thrust his hips forward. I grasped his shaft trying to push pack the bile collecting in my throat while stroking him and looking up into his eyes. I needed more distance from this man. If I could only make him see, that he would get more if he let me control it. But Craig would
n’t have it my way. He grasped both sides of my head and tilted it backward, giving himself more room to shove down my throat. He hardened each time he plunged deeper into my mouth, and his heavy grunts of exertion echoed in the alley. I didn’t want to do it. I had the urge to rip his cock and throw it in the garbage container propped against the building wall. What if I bit him? He’d crumple to the ground, and then I could get away. But I had no choice. If I didn’t comply, I’d die. He didn’t taste right. It was sick. He was sick. And that look of hate and determination in his eyes above me was disgusting.
Please stop! I screamed in my head. Stop! I don’t want this. It hurts. Stop!
“Stop! Stop!” But my mumbled screams couldn’t be heard by anyone.
“Zoey, wake up.”
He was shaking me, plunging further into my throat. I could no longer feel my lips. My jawbone ached from the force as he held onto my head.
“Stop!”
“Zoey! You’re having a nightmare.”
I shot bolt upright, scrunching the sheets in my fists, pushing them away and digging my heels into the bedding until my back hit the headboard. “Stop!”
At that last scream, I realized it was just a dream—a horrific one I didn’t want to go back to.
“It wasn’t real,” I said to myself.
“You’re safe, Zoey. You’re safe.”
The arms that were holding me were strong and warm. They were full of care and confidence and most important, safety. The sanctuary of his embrace almost hurt simply because I hadn’t felt secure in a long time. Having belonged to Infinity for the past two years, I hadn’t even thought that kind of peace was possible anymore. As he held me, each shattered piece of me began to find its place. Ace pulled his fingers through my sweaty hair in even strokes. I leaned against him, feeling my shakes dissipate into his muscles, letting my body sink into his.
I wasn’t sure how long he held me like that. It must have been a while because my heart rate had finally slowed and the sweat cooled my skin instead of heating it, and I shivered.