“I’ll never be far away from you, Destiny. I may not be able to be in the same building as you are, but I’ll be right outside. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go in without an outlet to leave if it gets to be too much for you.” Silas’s words bring a sense of comfort to my soul.
“I know you will be; you’ve always been there for me when I need someone the most, Silas. I’m never scared when you’re close by.” I want him to understand how safe he makes me feel. I know words are not always enough to show my gratitude, but until he lets me all the way in, it’s all I have for him.
“I still don’t fucking like it, but right now, it’s all we’ve got.” I observe his fists clench on my lap. I lean up to kiss him on his jaw, hoping that it helps settle the raging inferno that’s making its way through his entire being.
“I’ll be careful, Silas. I’ll always fight for my freedom and family. Someone has to take a stand and help these people out. I’ve been there, done that, and know how terrified they must be. They need someone to fight for them when they can’t.”
“It shouldn’t have to be you after everything you’ve been through. You’re still recovering, Destiny.” He nuzzles his head into my shoulder. I lean my head on his and whisper words of love and devotion to him. His tension eases some, but not enough to loosen his muscles. “I can’t lose you, Destiny. I just can’t.” To hear this gruff, strong man utter words like this mends a piece of my shattered heart further. He is so strong, so resilient, yet I know that somewhere inside is someone who wants what we all want — acceptance and love. He has both from me; now his brain needs to catch up with that fact.
“You won’t,” I assure him. There’s no way I won’t fight my way back to him. I will listen to every direction given to me and comply without a word of protest. “Plus, tonight, you’ll take care of me and settle my rattled nerves... right?”
“Always. I’ll always take care of you however and whenever the need arises. You’re mine to protect and love. Mine.” He rumbles the last word out.
“Yours,” I reiterate. Now, all of the pieces are falling together, I can’t wait to see what a dynamic duo we’ll become as a couple. My prayers are that after tonight, the danger he fears I’m in will be laid to rest and we can trudge forward together.
“I don’t like it.” Piper shakes her head as she helps me dress for the evening’s activities. Tawny should be here within the hour, and hopefully her presence will assure those around us. “What the fuck are the men thinking allowing you to do this?” I know she’s worried and anxious about what could happen tonight, but I need to do this. Not only for myself, but all the victims and future unwilling individuals on these people’s radar.
“It’s all gonna work out, Piper.” I try to reassure her. Raven has already done my hair and makeup and put her two cents in and quite frankly, I’m tired of them treating me like a porcelain object. I’m not fragile; I will not break.
“Oh, so now you’re a fortune-teller? You can see the future and know that you’re going to come out of this unharmed and mentally stable? Wow, wish I’d know you had that ability.” She’s normally laid back when it comes to me, so her snarkiness tells me how distressed she is right now. Of course, she’s been like this since I was captured and held. Suddenly, I’m a weak, incapable female and I’m treated as such, which is pissing me off.
“Don’t be a bitch, Piper. You’re not the only sister with a backbone, you know.” I walk away from her to calm down. We’ve come to blows a few times in the past, but her lack of faith in me is astounding. It’s heartbreaking, and for the first time in our lives, I want to smack that look off of her face. She’s always been the bolder, tougher one when it comes to the two of us, but I need her to have my back and assure me I’m doing the right thing, not cut me down and diminish the sacrifice I’m making. Silas is already fit to be tied, I don’t need another jumpy, irrational person pestering me and questioning the choices I’ve made. I’m sticking to them; they can either have my back, or get the hell away from me.
“I don’t mean to be, Des. It’s just that... fuck, it’s just that you’re finally coming back to who you were, you know? I don’t want to lose you again and have you scared of your own shadow. If I could do this in your place, I would, you know that right?” When I see her eyes full of tears, I realize how much this is costing her right now; she fought tooth and nail and put herself into a precarious position trying to rescue me. Of course, she got Atticus out of the deal, so it worked out in the end.
5
Destiny
Once Tawny arrives, everything becomes a blur of activity. We’re wired in a way that no one should be able to discover. In other words, if they keep their hands to themselves, they’ll never know we’re wired up like a bull is wrangled at the rodeo. “Watch your hands.” Tawny squints her eyes at Rex as he places something in the crotch of her G-string.
“You got someone else you’d rather have doing this?” He raises his eyebrows at her as he questions her.
“Yeah, pretty boy, my damn self,” she mocks him.
“Now that, I’d like to see,” he jokingly admits.
“In your wildest dreams, playboy.” Tawny takes her heeled foot, places it on his shoulder, and pushes him away.
“Damn woman, you always have your balls on?” Rex scolds her.
“Only when others place their fingers near my clit without permission.”
“Damn, someone have a fan? It’s getting hot as hell in here.” Piper waves her hand in front of her face.
“It’s a real-time porno,” Raven says, her face as bright red as a ripe tomato.
“Jesus, someone wanna stop with the show-and-tell already, we’re running behind,” Silas bellows, like a damn grizzly bear who’s been snapped by a trap. The closer we get to leaving, the grumpier he gets. I know he, Atticus, and Gordon will be in an SUV about a block away, able to see and hear what’s going on, but he’s acting as if I’m heading to Siberia and he’ll never see me again.
I walk over to him and reach up to stroke his jaw. It’s clenched so tight that I fear for the integrity of his teeth. “I’ll be fine, Silas,” I murmur as I kiss the underside of his jaw, all I can reach since I’m so short compared to him. He leans down and captures my lips in his and I feel it all — his anger, his fear, his devotion. It hits me like a ton of bricks, I love this surly man. Only, now’s not the time to tell him, given the circumstances. Instead, I pour how I’m feeling into our kiss.
“Don’t forget, I’m a shout away. I can be there in less than three minutes if you use your safeword. What was that again?” I know he hasn’t forgotten, but I know he wants to reassure himself that I remember. I really want to roll my eyes at him, but my ass is still a little sore from today’s earlier lesson so I hold back.
“Pink, since it’s not a normal safeword, but something that will trigger help if it’s needed.”
“Good girl,” he praises me. I shouldn’t feel like I’ve done something spectacular, but it makes me happy that he does. God! Am I pathetic? Holding back the groan of frustration with my unanswered question, I turn and begin to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming night.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Atticus proclaims, walking into the room. Good thing I’m dressed, although he only has eyes for Piper. This is a good thing because Silas has been glowering at Rex the whole time he’s been getting us ready, even though it was Silas that wired me up! Overbearing jerk. I may love him, but I see his flaws, even if he doesn’t think he has them.
“Destiny and Tawny, you’re with Rex in the white SUV, Atticus and I will be in the black utility van parked across the street. We’ll be streaming video to Jonas and Raven while they’re being placed. Gordon, you and Frank will be walking the perimeter, act drunk and insubordinate in case we need you to enter quickly. Liam, we need you close by, but not too damn close. If there’s anyone we need to extract, I want you ready with your medical equipment. Hopefully we won’t need it, but it’s better to b
e safe than sorry. Any questions?” Silas asks, even though we all know he doesn’t want anyone to answer him. “Good, let's get this mission over with.” He grumbles his irritation out.
It’s showtime.
Now, I’m questioning and rethinking my brave act. What the hell was I thinking offering myself up like a lamb to the slaughterhouse? I need my damn head examined.
Silas
Sitting in the van, watching and listening, has set my teeth on edge. Honest to Christ, how I let one slip of a woman worm her way past my defenses is beyond me. Rex is playing his part well, and I’ve watched as both girls have planted bugs and mini-cameras in each room they’ve toured. Jonas and Raven have them playing non-stop so we can hopefully glean some good intel. “There’s the head-honcho motherfucker!” Jonas hisses through the earpiece. I glance over and see a man, dressed in Dom gear, approach the trio.
“Looks like Tony Powell,” I reply, remembering the pictures that Raven gave me of all the key players at the club.
“He’s chatting them up, do you think he’s suspicious?” Raven’s voice comes through and I watch closely to see if I can pick up anything.
“No, it looks like he’s welcoming them to his funhouse,” Atticus replies. The audio is a bit delayed, so their conversation isn’t as easy to follow as real-time. “Gonna need to fix that, Jonas,” Atticus states. “Why’s it not tracking in real-time?”
“Fuck, hang on,” Jonas mutters. We don’t need it delayed; just a few seconds could make a huge difference in our actions and I won’t have my woman in harm’s way. A few short seconds later, Jonas has everything streaming like it should. No clue what happened because that’s not my forte, but I’m glad he got it figured out.
“What do you think so far, Master Rex?” Tony asks.
“I think it’s well-organized and everything seems to be in order,” Rex replies. “Have you met my subs?”
“Beautiful creatures. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance, pets. Destiny, I believe we spoke about you coming as my guest,” he states.
“You can speak to me, Tony. My pets only answer to me,” Rex growls out.
“Fair enough, Rex.” Tony’s voice comes out accusational. I can hear the trepidation in his tone, but he knows not to push the issue when it comes to the D/s relationship. “My apologies, would you or your pets like something to drink?”
“No, we’ll be fine for now. Appreciate the offer, but we’re still in the middle of a tour,” Rex answers. I can feel his unease from here.
“Then by all means, please continue. I’ll let the bartender know that your first drinks of the night are on the house. I’ll catch up with you three later.”
“Boss,” Rex whispers into his hidden mic. “Something sinister was in his tone, I don’t like it.”
“Me either, Rex. There’s something off. Keep the women close, don’t let them drink anything you didn’t personally watch get poured. Accept nothing without a cap.”
“10-4,” he whispers. I feel like a thousand spiders are crawling along my skin.
“Silas,” Atticus gathers my attention with his words. “Thinking they’re roofying the members, it's how they’re getting away without anyone the wiser.”
“I agree, it's the same feeling I got.”
“I hope no one is able to slip a drink to the girls behind Rex’s back. I hope he stays vigilant.”
“He better if he wants his head attached to his body.” And I mean every single word I just spoke. I will dismember him one limb at a time if he allows himself to be distracted.
The night seems to drag on. I bury myself in the monitors to keep myself from marching in there and throwing Destiny over my shoulder. Every fiber of my being says that she needs to be out of there. My instincts have never let me down before, my eyes and ears stay alert as I wait to hear for any sign of trouble.
“What the fuck,” Gordon mumbles, still acting incoherent. He and Frank have played their roles well, keeping the bouncers entertained with their ‘drunken’ ramblings.
“What are you seeing that we’re not, Gordon?” I quickly question.
“A nondescript van just pulled up. It has tinted windows and there’s close to five men who just exited. Every one of them are wearing black clothing and hoodies on with the hoods pulled over their heads. I don’t have a good feeling, man.”
“Keep your eyes on them,” I order.
“Fuck,” I hear him hiss. “We need backup, Silas. They’re all pulling out guns. They seem as if they’ve brought an entire armory with them.”
“Rex! Get the girls out now!” I shout.
“On it,” he states and I hear him rounding the two women up. “Leaving now, what am I walking out on?”
“Van, loaded down with armed men, be vigilant, we’ll be there in a second,” I rush out as I swing myself out of my chair. Atticus beats me out of the van as we rush toward the front of the building. In my ear, I can hear that Rex and the girls have been stopped by none other than fuckface Tony.
“Ah, Rex. The evening has just gotten started. You need to stay and enjoy the evening, my friend.”
“Tony, so good of you to offer, but one of my subs is feeling ill it seems. We must be on our way.” I hear Tawny acting as if she’s gagging, adding reality to the game.
“We have a nurse on standby, what seems to be her ailment?” Tony keeps stalling Rex, making my stomach clench with unease.
“I’m afraid she may have food poisoning from dinner. I need you to step aside, Tony, so that I can attend to my pet’s needs.”
“Normally, I’d let you pass with no questions asked, but I really need you to stay.”
“Get your hands off of me, Tony,” I hear Rex roar. “You have no right to detain me, let us pass.”
“Not tonight,” Tony says. I hear something that sounds like dead weight hit the floor and women’s screams; my stomach drops. I hear a scuffle and know that there were things already set into motion inside the club without us understanding what was happening before our very own eyes.
“Go, go, go,” I chant as I sprint toward the club, my heart racing. I should have listened to my gut, but now’s not the time for hindsight. I see Frank and Gordon, no longer ‘drunk’, engaging with the two bouncers as I make my way inside. When I see the two women being carried off down a side hallway, my vision goes black. No one takes my woman. No one.
“You follow the women, I’ll get Tony,” Atticus yells, heading in the direction of the smarmy fucker who is going down if I have anything to say about it. I pull my gun and continue down the hallway where I saw the women being carried, my senses on high alert so I don’t get ambushed.
I make it to the back door that is standing wide open, only to see both women, obviously unconscious, being thrown into a nondescript work van. “Fuck!” I bellow. I run back through the club, issuing orders through my earpiece. “Jonas, black work van, no side windows, drive-out tags, whitewall tires. Follow on the CCTV cameras, they’re heading west toward the interstate.”
“Got it, Silas,” he replies. “Raven’s running data through the DMV to see how many of those vans are in the system. Hopefully, we’ll get a pop even if it’s a new purchase.” I don’t give a flying fuck; my mind is on my woman in that van and if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to kill them all for daring to hurt her.
“Atticus!” I yell. “Come on, leave him. Frank and Gordon will take care of it, I need you.” He drops Tony and follows me back out to the utility van we were in and I head out in the direction that the van took. “He’s got both women. They looked like they were unconscious. This is bigger than Tony, I’d bet my life on it.”
“Yeah, got that impression. Jonas, you got anything?” he asks, calling through the van’s Bluetooth so we’re on speaker instead of our earpieces.
“Still going east, heading toward Corinth. Want me to let Chief know so he can put up a roadblock?”
I glance at Atticus to see him nodding. “Don’t want them getting any blowback from this be
cause it’s obviously bigger than we thought,” I say.
“He’ll keep it quiet,” Jonas states.
“I know, Jonas,” I growl out. “But Tony is the key, well, another piece to this whole thing and if it’s as big as I think? It’d bring a war down on their heads. Too many kids and women. Don’t particularly want to put them through that shit.”
“You know what? Fuck it, call him,” Atticus growls out. “That’s my woman’s sister in there and we’re not letting anything else happen to her. They’re badasses in their own right and if you think they’ll pussy out from anything that might come from this, you obviously don’t know the men like I do.” Fuck it, he’s right. I need all hands on deck and there’s no better group of men that I trust to have our backs right now.
“I’m on it,” Raven interjects. “Y’all just keep going, you’re about three miles behind them.” My foot feels like dead weight as I push down on the accelerator. The entire time, my focus is on the road and catching up to the dead men walking who dared to take those who belong to me, to us.
With a plan in place, I keep driving, weaving in and out of traffic until the van itself is in my sights. Up ahead, I see the road blocked with squad cars and know that there’s no place the van can go. Smiling evilly, I prepare to maim the people who thought it’d be a good idea to fuck with what’s mine. As we catch up and pursue the van, I watch as it swerves around corners and is practically on two wheels with the speed they’re keeping. My heart leaps through my chest several times as I fear they’re going to crash or kill someone in their angst to get away. I hear Jonas shout through the speakers that Chief and his men have several roadblocks set up to stop them from all exit points. They’ll never make it through Corinth without being spotted and pursued.
Seeking Our Destiny : Nelson Brothers' Page 5