Survival

by J Marie

  “Boris. That old, fat fuck said you bought some hot little redhead who kicked the shit out of the guards in front of the clients!”

  My jaw clenched as my chest seethed with rage.

  “Remind me to pay Boris a visit in the very near future,” I said, trying to keep the venom in my voice at bay. I didn’t like people talking about my business and just about every person I dealt with knew this.

  “Yeah, yeah. So what’s the story? Who is this chick? When do I get to meet her?”

  “She’s no one you need to be concerned with,” I said, picking up my pace again.

  “Oh, come on, man. You’ve never taken a slave before. Something must be special about this girl if you’re actually looking to keep her.”

  Dominic was one to talk. He’d taken plenty of slaves before, but they were never “special” to him. Whenever a girl didn’t sell in the auction but had more potential than Mexico, we sent them to the clubs in Vegas, where Dominic liked to “break” them in for himself.

  “Come on, Dare. You gotta give me something,” he continued.

  I released an irritated sigh into the phone, no longer interested in the conversation.

  As I walked down the hall, I noticed Jared walking in my direction, and I found myself staring him down with menace in my eyes. I was still furious about how he had handled Jaden back when she was still at the warehouse. She’d nearly killed him when she finally fought him in the shower room. It took him two weeks before he was fully recovered and the fact that he allowed himself to take a beat down from her had me wondering if I should have just killed him right there.

  Jaden had been training all her life, while most of the guards at the warehouse had maybe a few years under their belts, including Jared. The guards here only had to deal with women, and since most didn’t put up the kind of fight Jaden did, they had no need for special training. They weren’t soldiers. Only the best of my men were allowed to uphold that title.

  “Don’t worry about it, Dominic. You’ll meet her eventually.”

  As Jared passed me, he glanced at me briefly, only meeting my eyes for a second while I glared back at him. He quickened his pace and hurried on his way. He knew he was on thin ice with me, and everyone knew what would happen should that ice finally give way.

  “Just as soon as I’m finished training her,” I finished, turning my attention back to Dominic.

  “Oh, shit.” He laughed. “Good luck. From what I heard, she’s quite the fighter.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” I said in stride. “Now, keep it under wraps. I’ve got to see Ron. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I hung up the phone and headed up to the small conference room where I knew Ron was waiting. I found him sitting at the table, a laptop in front of him with a pad of paper and several folders. As I approached, Ron looked up and gave me a weak smile.

  “Darren, good to see you, as always,” Ron said with his dry monotone voice.

  “Ron,” I replied, with a curt nod as I pulled out the chair across the table from him, unbuttoned my jacket, and sat down.

  Ron was a short and stocky little fucker—thin brown hair, rounded belly, and black framed glasses. You would never have suspected he was smart as a fucking whip.

  “I’ll get right to it,” he said, looking down at his notes. “I have three candidates for the position you’re looking for. Paul Kelling, who’s been head of security at the resort in Vegas, Steve Deller, who’s been working in finance with us for years, and Raymond Ross, who’s been working security here since we first started this. Here are their credentials,” Ron said handing me a folder of paperwork. “Just take a look, let me know what you think,” he said, shrugging, moving on to the next topic of business.

  We discussed the revenues from the latest auction, totaling about six million, half of which came from myself, thanks to Jaden’s pricey ass, but she was worth every dollar and then some.

  We discussed new investments, the status of all my finances, as well as the measures to ensure all of my men remained clean and out of the legal system. We also discussed my casino, Audeāmus, and the resorts I owned through my private corporation, Triguard Holdings, Inc.

  I wasn’t there often, far too busy to stay in one place, and I preferred to handle things personally rather than hide behind a desk. Another reason I hated managing the warehouse, but the simple fact was I didn’t trust very many to handle it. Ron was my jack-of-all-trades, his usefulness never wavering for a second. Anything I needed outside of the realm of brutality, Ron would make it happen without failure.

  Once we were done with our meeting, we headed out as I had three more people to meet with that day. Fuck, it was going to be a long day, and now that I had Jaden in my life, she felt like more of a distraction when I was away from her. All I wanted to do at the moment was crawl into bed with her and fuck her until I couldn’t feel my dick. But I had shit to do. That was what happened when you had a criminal empire to run. No rest for the wicked. Not even when we’re dead.

  ~*~

  I was sitting in the dining room, waiting for Darren to come home so we could have dinner together. Apparently, he was running late; at least, that’s what Scott told me when he escorted me downstairs. He stood off to the corner of the room in silence, his arms folded across his chest as we waited. It was kind of awkward, really. I wanted to talk to him, get to know him better, hoping he might reveal something I could use in this situation, but he never said a word to me unless absolutely necessary. So naturally, I decided to test him.

  I abruptly stood from my chair and his relaxed stance transformed into something intense and prepared.

  “I have to pee,” I said, striding toward the doorway where he stood.

  “No, you don’t,” he said, gripping my arm and preventing me from walking past him. “Sit back down.”

  “No, I really do, I swear,” I argued, eyeing him intensely. I only had to pee a little bit; I could have held it, but I wanted to see how far I could get with him.

  He gazed at me with a warning glare as his hand swallowed up my arm.

  “I don’t think Darren would be too happy if he came home to find I had peed myself because you refused to let me use the bathroom,” I said cautiously.

  “Only one way to find out,” he sneered.

  I pursed my lips and gave him a no-nonsense look.

  “Come on, what am I going to do from the bathroom?” I continued innocently.

  He stared at me for another second before releasing a harsh breath through his nose.

  “Fine,” he said, and practically dragged me down the hall to the nearest bathroom. “You have thirty seconds,” he practically growled, pointing his finger in my face before he slammed the bathroom door behind him.

  Jaden – 1, Scott – 0. It was a stupid win, but I had managed to get something I wanted through manipulation. I could start out small like that, and eventually, work my way up to higher requests once I had gained more trust.

  I used the bathroom and washed my hands, checking my reflection in the mirror for any imperfections. When I was done, Scott escorted me back to the table, and I continued to sit and wait. Darren finally walked in five minutes later.

  My stomach immediately tightened into knots as I heard his voice speaking into his phone. He didn’t seem very happy.

  “I don’t give a shit. You figure it out or I’ll find someone who will,” he bellowed into the phone before hanging it up and placing it in his jacket pocket. He nodded at Scott as he strode into the dining room, relieving Scott of his post, and sat down at the head of the table.

  I sat there with my hands in my lap, glancing at him every so often as he poured himself a glass of scotch. I wanted to ask him if everything was okay but didn’t feel like being snapped at, so I just sipped on my water until David brought out our food.

  After a few seconds of eating our dinner and me fumbling with the silverware, he finally seemed to calm down a bit and addressed me.

  “So how was your day?” he
suddenly asked me before taking a bite of his steak.

  I turned my head to him and furrowed my brows.

  “I spent the whole day in my room. How do you think it went?” I replied.

  “Well,” he said, taking a sip of his scotch, “maybe if you’d stop testing my patience on a daily basis, perhaps your day could be a little more fulfilling when I’m gone,” he finished, turning his gaze to me.

  I stared back at him hard, anger beginning to fill my stomach at his arrogance.

  “You know how hard this is for me,” I stated.

  “Yes, I do, but for some reason, you seem to think I care,” he said, cutting into his steak again.

  I felt my grip on my knife tighten.

  Don’t stab him. Don’t stab him. Don’t stab him … not yet.

  “Maybe if you did,” I said through clenched teeth, “I might actually care a little bit about my new role in life.”

  That was bullshit, but to be honest, if he were a little nicer to me, I would have just killed him quickly, rather than drag it out painfully, but he was an asshole so …

  He gave me a small short chuckle and looked my way.

  “It doesn’t matter how I treat you, Jaden. Even if I were the perfect gentleman, which I can be, you would still try to run from me. So I might as well do what I want.”

  Again with my grip on my knife.

  “Now, finish your dinner before I take your knife away,” he said, nodding at my now white knuckles before returning to his plate.

  I was so pissed; I ran out of cuss words to scream in my head. I wasn’t hungry anymore, but I had only finished half of my dinner. I tried to take a few more bites and sip on some water.

  As I sat there, I started to look at all the chairs around us and randomly thought about the family he was planning on building with me. Would they all be sitting here, happily eating dinner while I remained a prisoner? Would they know of all the atrocities their mother had been subjected to before they were born? Would I still be a prisoner by then? I had a feeling Darren would never allow me to leave him even after I had given him everything he wanted. Assuming I did give him everything he wanted. I wouldn’t be here long enough for that to happen.

  “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours now?” Darren suddenly asked me.

  “Nothing,” was on the tip of my tongue. But there was no use in lying to him, especially when he wanted honesty.

  “I was just thinking about the family you mentioned yesterday and wondered how they would feel knowing how they were brought into this world ... by force,” I said turning to him for the last part.

  I studied his reaction, but he had one hell of a poker face as he considered my words.

  “By the time that happens,” he began, “it will be of no concern to you.”

  What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

  “Why would it be of no concern of mine?” I continued the conversation after swallowing. “The children you expect me to have will want to know how their mommy and daddy met.”

  “And I will tell them the truth,” he said taking a bite from his dinner.

  I was completely unprepared for that response; that he would actually tell his children that he had kidnapped their mother, had intended to sell her to an unsuspecting buyer, purchased her himself, raped, beat, and trained her to his liking and then forced her to marry him and give birth to them. Yeah, that sounded like a real happily fucking ever after.

  “What? You can’t subject a child to that kind of knowledge. They won’t be able to handle it.”

  “I can and I will, Jaden,” he said very seriously, glaring at me with his piercing eyes. “Who do you think will be taking over the family business when I retire? They will need to know these things so they can understand and respect it.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted sons so they could be monsters just like him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The fact he was even considering his line of work something worth being called the “family business” made me sick to my stomach. I was quickly losing my appetite.

  “And what if we have daughters?” I asked, perplexed.

  “I don’t expect to have any, but if we do, they are not to be concerned with it. They don’t belong in that line of work. If we do have a daughter, I plan to marry her off as soon as possible.”

  My face revolted in disgust. What the hell was this, the 1800s?

  “That's it? Just marry her off as if she’s incapable of deciding her own life? What if she wants to go to college or travel the world?”

  “She’ll do what her father tells her and that will be the end of it. Just like you will.”

  “And what if all we ever have are daughters, huh?”

  “Then I will keep breeding you until you give me what I want.” He stared at me very seriously.

  And that was what broke the final straw of this conversation. I shot up from my chair and leaned over toward him, slamming my hands on the table.

  “I am not some fucking steed you can just breed at your goddamn disposal!” I shouted at him.

  Dangerously calm as ever, Darren slowly rose from his seat, a vicious glare in his eye as he rose to his full height and towered over me.

  “Sit. Down. Now,” he ordered, his voice smooth and deadly, and it made me want to tremble. I glared back hard, wanting to retaliate and thinking of all the ways I could, but I didn’t want to end up back in my cage again. With the look Darren was currently giving me, it was definitely on the table if I didn’t shut up.

  “You’re a fucking monster,” I retorted and sat down before shit got any worse than it already had.

  I couldn’t hold it back; my anger was seething through my veins as he spoke about the future family I would never give him.

  “That may be, Jaden,” he said still standing over me, “But I am the fucking monster you will respect and obey if you ever want to enjoy the rest of your miserable fucking life with me.” He was seething now, just as I was.

  I wanted to cry at that moment, thinking of all the horrible things he would inevitably put our would-be family through. I couldn't let that happen.

  “Now, keep your stubborn mouth shut and finish your dinner,” he said and that was the end of the conversation.

  We ate in silence until both of our plates were clean, but the fierce tension that surrounded us refused to cease.

  “Come on,” he said calmly, rising from his chair. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “I’m really not in the mood.”

  “Excuse me?” he said, another warning emanating from his glare.

  Oh, right, I forgot I don’t have a choice in my daily activities anymore.

  I stared at him hard, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring so strongly until I felt like my bitch face had cemented permanently into my features. I hated him so much, and I wanted nothing more than for him to feel just as shitty as I did. I wanted blood and lots of it.

  Darren shifted, raising his eyebrows in surprise at my sudden rebellious manner, but they could touch the ceiling and I wouldn’t give a fuck. Unsatisfied with my defiance, he grabbed my chair and roughly turned it toward him. My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my cool as he wrapped both hands around the armrests and lowered his face only inches in front of mine. Dark eyes stared me down like a lion ready to pounce, but I just met them head-on.

  “You wanna spend the rest of your night back in that cage?” he asked me.

  Did I? At least then, I’d be away from him.

  I glanced away from him, sighing heavily as I considered giving in to his demands. I really didn’t want to spend another second in that freezing cold, tiny-ass cage. A walk with him couldn’t be that bad. I hoped.

  “No, I don’t,” I finally admitted, turning back to him.

  “Then get your little ass out of that chair. Now,” he said menacingly and stood back.

  Bitch, call me little one more time …

  On wobbly legs, I rose from the chair and took a step forward before ulti
mately being met with a backhand across my face. My natural reflexes attempted to block the attack as I brought my arm up in defense, but he was fast and still managed to strike me. Red-hot pain seared in my cheek as Darren then grabbed my throat and pulled me to his chest. I clenched his wrists with my hands while he robbed me of my air supply. Tears blurred my vision from the strain on my neck as I struggled against him, ready to fight further, but for some reason, I feared upsetting him more.

  “When are you going to learn,” he drawled in a deep threatening voice, “that your obedience is non-negotiable. You will do as I tell you or I will hurt you. Is that what you want? To feel pain all the time?”

  I wasn’t a bitch or anything when it came to pain, but I definitely didn’t care too much for it, especially when he delivered it. It wasn’t as if he had purchased a masochist, for fuck’s sake.

  “Answer me,” Darren seethed, squeezing harder.

  “No,” I choked out, practically gasping for breath now. If he didn’t let go in the next two seconds, I was punching him in the dick. I didn’t want the reprimand that would occur afterward, but I certainly couldn’t stand here while he choked me nearly half to death.

  He then finally released my throat but pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms securely around my body and holding me tightly to him. He sighed heavily above me, releasing whatever tension he was holding on to, and rested his chin on the top of my head. He practically cocooned himself around me as my face and hands burrowed into his chest. I could hear his heart beat as it pounded rather quickly. Had he received a bit of excitement from my defiance? Had he enjoyed squeezing the breath from my lungs while I struggled against him? Probably, and the thought put me on edge. This man enjoyed hurting me, which put me in serious danger, and I wondered if he knew that.

  As I listened to the beat of his heart, his chest rose up and down and I noticed the calm that eventually began to surround us. His heart rate started to slow as he held me and I closed my eyes to concentrate on continuing whatever was happening to him. A calm Darren appeared to be a safer Darren.