Bound by the Past

by Mari Carr

  As they both struggled to pull their clothing off, they bumped heads and Night fell over in his hurry to strip off his jeans. In the end, they declared it a draw as both of them fell apart laughing on the floor. When at last they came together, Carly was blown away by the gentleness of Night’s lovemaking.

  Lovemaking. That was all it could be called. He caressed and petted and touched her as if she was his most treasured possession. As her orgasm flowed through her, Carly fought back the tears of joy flooding her eyes.

  Perfect.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The phone ringing jarred Night from his stupor. Glancing around the room, he caught sight of the clock. It was three a.m. Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night? He tried to grab the damn thing to stop the shrill sound, but he found himself buried under five feet, six inches of voluptuous brunette.

  He grinned. Carly hadn’t so much as stirred at the sound of the phone. No doubt they’d thoroughly exhausted the poor girl this past week. Then he considered the aches and pains in his own muscles. Shit, even his dick was sore. Maybe it was Carly who’d worn them out.

  “Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night?”

  He smiled at Jon’s comment.

  Jon seemed freer to move and he reached over to grab the phone. “What?” he barked into the receiver.

  Night’s smile died as he watched Jon go still as a stone. “Cassandra?” he whispered and his heart plummeted when Jon nodded.

  “I’m still here. It’s just a surprise to hear from you.”

  Night gave him an encouraging nod. Luckily Jon’s voice wasn’t betraying the outright shock Night could see taking over his body.

  “You are? Back on Olson Mountain. I didn’t realize you’d come back. I have to admit I’m surprised.” Jon paused. Night was impatient to hear the other side of the conversation. He wondered if, despite all his big talk about revenge, he would have been able to speak so rationally and calmly. Even now, simply knowing she was on the other end of the line, he felt an irrational impulse to grab the phone out of Jon’s hands and tell Cassandra Walker exactly what he thought of her.

  “I…well, I’m not sure a visit is such a good idea, Cassandra. It’s been a long time.”

  Night slowly unwrapped Carly’s arms and legs from around his body. The last thing they needed was for her to wake, but Jon was screwing up. Sweet God, what if she never called him? What if she only wanted her son back? Regardless of her so-called maternal interest in him, he’d never considered Cassandra his adopted mother, aunt, guardian—anything.

  “Night is staying here right now.” A pause before Jon responded to something Cassandra said. “Yeah, he had a bit of trouble with the law and I convinced him to come live with me for a while.”

  She was asking about him. He felt like punching a victorious fist in the air. He would have his chance, his turn for revenge. Jon had found the evidence that bought their freedom last time. It was Jon’s sealed testimony that had put Rex behind bars. Night hadn’t contributed anything to the downfall of the cult and his father, but this time things would be different. This time, he would be the one to see Cassandra punished for her crimes. He pulled on a pair of jeans he grabbed off the floor.

  “I can mention it to him. Is there a number where we can reach you? I see. Well, maybe we’ll see you then. Okay. Goodbye.”

  Jon hung up the phone but otherwise remained motionless. Night walked around the bed. “Downstairs,” he whispered in Jon’s ear.

  Jon nodded, pulling on his own pants and following him to the kitchen. Mercifully, Carly didn’t stir during their departure.

  Night grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down across the kitchen table from Jon. “Well?”

  “She wants us to come see her. She claims she’s been keeping tabs on us over the years. Says she feels terrible about abandoning us and was hoping to make amends for the past.”

  “Lying, conniving bitch.” He spat the words out then took a long swig of beer.

  “Jesus, Night. She sounded exactly the same. Her voice, it was exactly the same. I thought…shit, I hoped I’d never hear my mother’s voice again.”

  Jon was obviously as shaken as he felt. “When?”

  “What?”

  “When does she want us to come see her? I could tell by your response she wouldn’t give you a phone number. So when?”

  “Week from today. She claims she has a business proposition for us. She was insistent that I bring you. She wants both of us to come—together.”

  “A proposition. So it sounds as if the game is in motion.”

  Jon shrugged. “She knew I was a teacher and she knew about your legal troubles. It was like Reilly said.”

  “Speaking of Reilly, we need to call him. Let him know we’re making our move. We have to get a female agent on that compound—now.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Night watched as Jon stood quickly, nearly knocking over his beer in the process. “How many times do I have to tell you, Night? I’m not going back there.”

  “But Jon, she asked for both of us. Dammit, man. We have a real chance to see her pay for her crimes. How can you walk away from this?”

  “I’ve moved on. I have the life I want. A good job, a house, Carly. You’re a part of all that now too. How can you risk everything we’ve just gained?”

  Night ran his hand through his hair, frustration rife in every part of his body. He could understand the truth behind his friend’s words. He’d lived his entire life with nothing to lose and no way to make amends for the past. Now that his revenge was at hand, there suddenly seemed to be too much to risk.

  “I don’t know, Jon. I don’t want to fuck things up with Carly, but Christ, man. I can’t let Cassandra get away this time. She’s hurting innocent girls, I know it.”

  Jon dropped back into his chair. Night wondered how they could have fallen so far so fast. Only a few hours ago they’d been on top of the world, loving Carly, no worries, no pain. As always, Cassandra managed to pull the rug out from under them and leave them writhing—helpless and broken on the floor.

  “If you go back there and Cassandra’s proposal is what we suspect, are you really willing to play along with her game in order to get the evidence you need? Are you prepared to do what it takes? Reilly can’t get a woman on that compound. He’s tried. Which means you’ll have to take one of the women already there. Think about that. I’ve lived for fifteen years with the knowledge that I took Sarah against her will. I won’t do that to another woman. Ever.”

  “You didn’t have a choice. Rex was threatening to kill her.”

  “That’s right and I’m still haunted by it. It was nearly two years before I could go to sleep without seeing her face in my dreams. What excuse will you have? There won’t be anyone holding a knife to the woman’s throat. How will you live with yourself if Cassandra orders you into that training room and it’s seventeen-year-old Trisha Jackson tied to the table?”

  Night slammed his beer bottle down and crossed the room to look out the kitchen window into the black night. Years of plotting and planning his revenge were withering right before his eyes. He wouldn’t hurt that young girl. He knew he wouldn’t.

  “You won’t have to live with it. If it comes to that, I’ll be tied to the table.”

  Night’s horrified gaze caught sight of Carly’s reflection in the window. She was standing in the doorway, dressed in his T-shirt.

  Night watched his friend turn to face her. He caught a glimpse of the pain in Jon’s face before he lost sight of it.

  “Carly.” Jon’s voice caught on her name, fear of what she’d heard evident in his tone.

  Then something clicked in Night’s brain.

  She knew.

  I’ll be tied to the table, she’d said. Reilly had gotten to her. Christ, how much had he told her? Did she know about their role in the cult? Did she know about Sarah? About how she’d died?

  “Like hell you will be.” Night turned to
face her too, and from her expression, he could see she’d made up her mind.

  “Night, if you’re going up there, you can be damn sure I am too.”

  He saw Jon’s expression change as enlightenment dawned on him as well. “I’m going to kill Reilly. How much did he tell you?”

  She didn’t flinch at Jon’s harsh tone. “Everything. What he didn’t tell me, I just overheard. Who was Sarah?”

  Night watched Jon go pale at the mention of her name. Jon would never be able to say the words she was asking to hear, so Night answered her question. “Jon’s first love. My father slit her throat the night we escaped from the compound.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes. Jon muttered a curse before continuing the horrible tale. “He killed her right before my eyes, Carly. Do you honestly think I’m going to let the same thing happen to you? You aren’t going anywhere near that fucking mountain and I don’t care if I have to chain you to the bed and throw away the key to make sure of that fact.”

  Night closed his eyes and took a deep breath. One of them needed to keep a level head if they hoped to persuade her to change her mind. During the week he’d spent with her, Night had learned she was not only beautiful and intelligent, but she was stubborn as hell. He walked across the room and took her hands in his. “Now that you know everything, you must understand why we would never let you go up there. Carly, it’s too damn dangerous.”

  “You’ll be there to protect me. Both of you.”

  Jon growled. “I’m not going back to the mountain, and neither one of you is either, so this discussion is at an end.”

  She laughed off Jon’s words and Night grimaced. His friend wouldn’t take that response well. “Jon, just because I let you two boss me around in the bedroom does not mean you’re going to have absolute control of my life. I figure you’ve spent enough time looking over your shoulder, waiting for your mother to come back again. Let’s go take care of this. Get Reilly the evidence he needs to put the bitch in jail so we can get on with our lives. Start making plans for the future.”

  She reached out. Grasping Night’s hand in her left, she took Jon’s in her right.

  Night could see the residual fear in her eyes that they would deny her any future with them. Regardless of how much they told her they adored her, she still struggled to truly believe the words. Jon had told Night a little bit about her failed marriage and Carly’s issues with self-esteem. Night hated the idea that she was actually questioning that they might have a future together, but he knew only time would address that fear.

  Most of all though, Night rejected with every ounce of his being the idea of putting her life in danger just to lay the demons of his past to rest.

  “Please, Beauty, you have to understand. This isn’t as simple as walking in and peeking around in a few drawers. Cassandra didn’t remain a free woman this many years by sheer luck. She’s smart and she’s dangerous. We’ll be expected to earn her trust, prove our loyalty, and that will take some time if we can’t find the evidence we need right away.”

  “Time I can buy you. Jon, you said it yourself. Cassandra wants you there to train the women. We know she’s operating a prostitution ring. I can give you the time you need to find your incriminating evidence. Think about it. What would happen if you had a troublesome slave? One who refused to bow to your commands?”

  Night knew where her thoughts were leading and he had to admit she must have the courage of thirty Navy Seals to suggest it.

  “She’d be punished.” Jon’s voice was hard. He was furious about what she was considering. “And I don’t mean a few taps on her bare ass, Carly. She’d be beaten with canes, whips, paddles. You name it. Now are you finished with this supposing game? Because I can assure you, I am.”

  She ignored Jon’s tantrum and directed her next question to him. “Night, if you’re trained in using those things, the beating isn’t necessarily painful, right? I mean, if someone were a trained and careful Master, those things could actually bring a person pleasure?”

  Night groaned at the picture she was drawing in his mind. They were both well-trained and accomplished Masters, but only a few times in the past years had they allowed themselves to step back into that realm, usually undercover working a case. They were infrequent members of an underground sex club at Reilly’s urging. Their boss thought it best to keep the rumors circulating about their continued play in that arena.

  The idea of introducing her to that lifestyle, to the possibility of expanding their bedroom play to that darker side, sent a wave of nausea through his body. What if they pushed her too far? Revealed too much and scared her away for good?

  “In theory, yes. Do you have any idea what you’re inviting here? I mean, we haven’t even fucked that gorgeous ass of yours yet and here you are asking us to beat you with a whip. Beauty, the sum total of your sexual experience before crawling into bed with us would fit on a teaspoon. I don’t think you’re ready for what Cassandra would expect us to do as part of your training.”

  “And Trisha Jackson is? She’s a virgin, you know. We talked about it once. She said she was determined to wait until after marriage.”

  Jon’s anger exploded full force. “Fine. Have it your way. You think you can handle a trip to the dungeon? Let’s see, shall we? For the next twenty-four hours, you’re ours. If you can take everything we dish out without crying ‘uncle’ then we’ll continue this discussion.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “If I make it through the whole day, the discussion is at an end and I go undercover with you.” She stuck out her hand as if to shake on it.

  Jon’s jaw set and Night knew his friend was about to call off the whole thing.

  “Deal,” Night answered for them both, and took her hand.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jon shook his head and wondered how on earth he’d lost control of this situation. He’d gone from flat-out refusing to participate in the scheme to bring Cassandra down to not only agreeing to help, but including Carly in the plan. To make matters worse, over the next twenty-four hours they were going to have to show her every deep, dark secret of their past and expose her to things he wasn’t ready to show her.

  “Uncle.” Night was talking to her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Your safe word. It’s uncle. If we do anything you’re uncomfortable with or that you don’t like, simply say that word and we stop.”

  “And the deal is off.” Jon felt it was important to repeat that part. He didn’t think he had it in him to do anything that would possibly hurt or scare her, and that was what they were going to have to do to convince the damn stubborn woman to stay home. Looking at Night, he saw his friend felt the same way.

  Christ. There was no way he’d let her near his mother. He would have to push his headstrong ladylove hard and far if he stood a chance of gaining her surrender.

  “We’re wasting time.” Jon forced a dangerous tone into his voice. She felt too secure and safe with them. If they had any hopes of winning this game, they had to show her another side. The sinister one they’d both spent years shedding. “From this point on, Carly, you’re our prisoner. Our slave. You will only speak when spoken to and you will refer to us as Master Jon and Master Night. Do you understand?”

  She nodded as a wary expression entered her eyes.

  “I said, do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Yes what?”

  “Yes Sir?” Her wariness disappeared at the words and she rolled her eyes. Her independence would never make her a true submissive and that was one of the things he loved so much about her. She would always be a challenge, always make things exciting and fresh and new.

  “I assume you saw that, Master Night.” Jon placed his arms akimbo, his pose threatening.

  “Oh, I saw it.” Night crossed his arms and Jon could see she was confused by their reactions. “Take off that shirt, slave.”

  She looked as if she wanted to protest the nickname, but thought bette
r of it. She reached for the hem of Night’s T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She hadn’t bothered to don panties and Jon was sorry not to have another excuse to punish her. “From this point on, you will remain naked. You are not to cover yourself with anything unless we give you permission. Do you understand?”

  “Yes Master Jon.” Her answer came easier this time and she didn’t roll her eyes, though Jon could still detect a glimmer of humor behind them. He’d soon have to correct her of that problem. God forbid she won this deal and made it onto the compound. His mother would have a field day beating that beautiful spirit out of her.

  “Go to the kitchen table and bend over it. Place your hands above your head and grip the edge.”

  She quickly complied. Jon heard Night’s dark chuckle from behind him. “So eager for her punishment.”

  “Punishment?” The question slipped from her mouth and as soon as it did, she seemed to realize her mistake.

  Walking to one of the kitchen drawers, Jon rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. It wasn’t a real paddle and was sure to hurt a lot less, but he wanted to introduce her to this form of punishment slowly. Gripping the wooden spoon, he approached her. Her head was turned and she was looking at him over her shoulder. He shook his head.

  “Have you ever seen such a disobedient slave, Night?”

  “Nope, this one takes the cake. Avert your eyes, slave.” Night walked to the head of the table and placed his hands firmly around her wrists. She wouldn’t have moved them, regardless of the paddling she was about to receive, but Night knew the additional feeling of helplessness his hold would produce.

  No sooner had she turned her head away than Jon swatted her with the spoon. She cried out at the impact, even though the tap wasn’t really that painful. He suspected her cry was one of surprise. He hit her three more times before he stopped and clucked his tongue. “This is going to be a bit harder than I thought.”

  Night laughed before leaning forward and placing his lips at her ear. She was trembling. Jon could smell her body’s sweet juices even though her legs were clenched tightly together.