by Chelle Bliss
He grinned. “Whatever you want, doll.”
“Let’s do this,” Izzy said, walking out of the room before the rest of us.
“You ready for this, Alese? Are you going to be okay?” I squeezed her hand as she stared at the screens.
“I’m fine. I can do this.”
“We’ll use Izzy as bait. If you’d rather stay here in the control room…”
She held up her hand, silencing me. “I want to do this.”
* * *
“This place is no joke,” Alese said, pointing at the screen where no fewer than ten people were gangbanging a woman as another man watched. “I mean, our club is nothing like this.”
“Love, we don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors at our club.”
“Well, damn. It’s kind of hot and frightening all at the same time.”
I laughed and squeezed her leg right above her knee as my eyes scanned the screens, bouncing back to Izzy and James every few seconds so I didn’t miss anything.
Based on the fact that James had tugged on her chain more than once, I’d say she was being mouthy, but that was all part of the plan. Men like Matías didn’t want an easy mark. Sometimes, unruly slaves fetched a higher price because men always enjoyed breaking a female.
“Izzy’s my spirit animal,” Alese said as James pulled on her chain again and she glared at him, sassing something back at him.
Moments later, a very well-dressed man stepped in front of Izzy and James and paused, staring down at her as if he were studying an animal in the wild.
James had already swiveled around on the stool, and Matías motioned toward Izzy with his hand. There was an exchange of words before Connor entered the conversation, standing near Izzy, keeping a watchful eye.
James stepped forward, moving closer to Matías, and spoke again before hooking his hand around Izzy’s arm and pulling her to her feet. Everything we’d planned was going off without a hitch, and so far, Matías was taking the bait.
They followed behind Matías, James’s hand not leaving Izzy’s body as they walked down the hallway toward the private rooms. I was sure Izzy wanted to have James’s balls on a silver platter in that moment, but she forged on because the girl was fearless.
Matías pushed open a door, waiting in the hallway for them to enter first. Izzy glanced up at the security camera, and I could see the fear in her eyes.
We were putting her life at risk to catch someone who deserved to be off the streets and to spend eternity behind bars. I wasn’t sure I could’ve done the same with Alese. For as much bravado as she displayed, I didn’t think she could’ve walked into that room on her own knowing what kind of man was following her in.
Izzy froze as soon as she walked inside.
“If shit goes south, call the cops. You hear me, Alese?”
“Got it. Now go,” Alese said as I stood near the doorway of the security room.
I ran down the labyrinth of hallways, weaving in and out of people on their way to their own private parties. I didn’t have time to fuck around. I had one job, and that was to make it to the room before shit went down and someone got hurt.
I drew my gun before I pushed open the door, pointing it at the spot Matías had stood when I’d last seen him on camera. Matías spun around with Izzy in his arms.
“I’ll snap her neck,” Matías snarled.
“Fucker,” Izzy said and glanced over at James, who was already advancing toward them.
“One more step and it’s over.” Matías’s grip tightened.
I narrowed my gaze, and my finger ticked against the trigger. I wasn’t afraid to shoot. My aim was always dead on. My years of military experience had never failed me. I’d been in situations like this before, but never with someone I knew and loved standing at the other end of the barrel, in the arms of the perpetrator.
Izzy didn’t wait for me to take the shot; she brought her knee up and smashed her six-inch heel straight down on the top of his foot. He lurched forward just enough for her to break free of his hold and run into James’s arms.
“Keep him alive,” James told me.
“Can I shoot him at least?” The guy deserved at least one bullet. Not in any place that would end his life. We needed the information only he had in order to even hope to retrieve the thousands of people he’d sold into slavery.
Matías straightened, and his eyes grew colder. “You might as well kill me. I won’t talk.”
“Orders are to bring him in unharmed unless there are extenuating circumstances.”
“This is extenuating.” I smirked.
“Just let him shoot the fucker,” Izzy said to James.
James grabbed Izzy’s arms, untangling her from his body. “Stay here and don’t move.”
James gave me a look and I knew we were moving on Matías, and I wouldn’t be lucky enough to shoot his ass today. We moved fast, overpowering him quickly and closing the shackles around his limbs. Matías screamed, struggling the entire time, but no one outside of our room could hear him.
“Izzy,” James said as he stalked toward her.
“Yeah?” she whispered.
“You and Alese go back to the hotel, and we’ll be back there as soon as they come to pick him up.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding slowly and robotically.
He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. “Are you okay, doll?”
“I’m okay,” she said to him and buried her face in his shirt. “I’ll be okay. Just a little shell-shocked.”
“We would’ve never let anything happen to you,” he said in a soft, deep voice.
“I know. Can we wait here for you? I’d rather have a drink and wait in the common area than walk back to the hotel without you.”
He swept his hand across her back. “That’s fine.” He leaned forward and kissed the top of her hair. “Go wait out there. Alese, if you can hear me, meet Izzy at the bar, please.”
“Thanks.” Izzy hugged him tighter before breaking the embrace.
She took one look at Matías and stalked forward, her heels clicking against the cement floor. James turned and stared at her, but he didn’t say a word. I watched her, my mouth hanging open because her fearlessness never ceased to amaze me.
She raised a hand and slapped Matías as hard as she could, the sound of the impact echoing in the small space. Her fingernails grazed his skin as they swept across his face, leaving a red mark and drops of blood oozing from his cheek.
James looked just as shocked as me, but neither of us said anything as she spun around on her heels and marched out of the room. The satisfied look on her face said everything. I wasn’t about to stop her from laying her hands on Matías. He’d done worse to people, and if it made Izzy feel better to slap him or more, I was good with it. I wanted to shoot the bastard, but I knew that wouldn’t help any of his victims.
“FBI is on the way,” Connor said from the doorway before he jammed his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll let them in the back so the customers don’t freak out.”
“We’ll wait with him,” James told Connor.
When Connor left the room again, Matías started to beg. “What’s your price? I’ll double it.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I barked, wishing I’d put a bullet right between his eyes.
“Ten million. I can have it wired to your account in under two minutes.”
James stalked toward him and punched him right in the face, knocking him clean out. “Fucker talked too much.”
16
Nya
I paced around the living room, repeatedly flipping the phone Alese had given me. She’d texted me twenty minutes ago and told me they were almost home. I’d barely slept, and even though I knew they were safe, I wouldn’t believe it until they stood in front of me.
Peeking through the front window at an empty driveway, I grunted my frustration. The last forty-eight hours had dragged by. Each minute felt more like an hour as I stared at the clock, waiting for word about their safety.
When their truck pulled into the driveway, I pulled open the front door and ran down the stairs, almost running toward them. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been so happy to see someone as I was to see them in that moment.
Alese waved from the passenger seat before jumping out of the truck. Ret watched through the window, a smile dancing on his lips as I embraced Alese.
“God, I’ve been so worried about you two,” I whispered in her ear, burying my face in her hair.
“We’re fine. Ret kept me safe, and I was never in any danger.”
I stepped back with my hands gripping her arms so I could get a better look at her. “That’s what you say.”
“He made me stay in the security room. They used Izzy as bait.”
I couldn’t imagine how Izzy had felt knowingly being used to lure a psychopath. I didn’t know her, but I didn’t think I could willingly put myself in harm’s way in the same situation, even to catch someone as bad as Matías. After what I went through with Diego, I couldn’t put my life and freedom at risk again.
“Miss us?” Ret said as he walked toward us.
“Yes.” I smiled and released Alese before moving toward him. “I’ve been worried.”
Worried might have been an understatement. I wasn’t going to tell them I was practically manic with anxiety as I paced the house all night. During the day, I’d kept myself busy, cleaning every inch of the house in hopes that time would pass quicker.
I wrapped my arms around Ret’s middle and pressed my body flush against his. The gesture wasn’t sexual, and it wasn’t meant to be. I was thankful to have him. Thankful he was safe just as much as I was to have Alese back.
“I’m happy you’re okay.”
Ret laughed softly, his body hardening underneath mine with the slight movement. For a moment, I hugged him without his returning the gesture, but then he did it. He slid his arms around my back and pulled me against him. Not too hard, but with the perfect amount of pressure.
“We had to come back,” he said as his hands splayed across my shirt, practically covering every square inch of my back. “We couldn’t leave you alone.”
“Thank God. I don’t think I could’ve taken another day alone. I was about to clean the house for the third time.”
“Oh, honey. You need an outlet for all that anxiety,” Alese told me as we walked toward the house. “It’s not good to stress.”
“Have you slept?” Ret asked.
I frowned and felt embarrassed. “Not much,” I admitted.
I hated to seem weak. I hated that I depended on them and felt like such a needy person when they weren’t around. Maybe I needed to find my own place and break away from them, letting them get back to the life they had before I arrived.
They said if you really loved someone you should set them free. There were no two people who walked the earth that I loved and felt more thankful for than Ret and Alese. Ret saved me, and the two of them helped make me feel human again.
“Maybe we should…” Alese’s voice trailed off as she came to stand next to me, and Ret raised an eyebrow. “Sometimes I sleep better after an amazing orgasm.”
“I dunno,” I said, but the thought sounded great.
Although I’d watched them, we’d never gone any further. I craved what I witnessed through the cracked doorway of their bedroom. I wanted to feel the rush of excitement, kneeling at a man’s feet, awaiting my pleasure and his. It had been so long since I’d felt that way, but Ret and Alese made me want things I never thought I’d want again.
She touched Ret’s shoulder, grazing his neck with her fingernails. “I could use some cock, handsome. I’m wound so fucking tight after this weekend. You game?” she asked, staring him straight in the eye and dead serious.
“Baby, I’m always game,” he said, winking at her.
Alese turned her attention toward me as I twisted my hands together, unsure if I should say yes, but wanting to more than anything. “You?”
“Yes,” I said as my voice trembled.
“You need to get out of your head for a while. Maybe, instead of just watching, you’ll let Ret command you tonight. You need a little subspace and to surrender.”
I nodded at Alese, knowing full well what she meant, and I couldn’t disagree. I’d been wrapped in fear for so long I hadn’t given myself time to process a damn thing or given myself a reprieve from anything I’d experienced. Rest hadn’t come easily since I’d left Diego’s mansion, except after that night at the club.
Ret lifted his chin toward the door behind us. “Let’s go inside.”
Alese practically squealed with delight as she took off toward the house, leaving us behind. “Y’all coming or what?” she yelled from the front steps of the house.
I moved quickly, following Alese as Ret walked behind me. I wasn’t scared as we made our way down the hallway toward their bedroom. I wasn’t frightened that either of them would hurt me. They’d already seen my body, and I’d seen theirs. I’d already lived the worst hell imaginable, and I’d never let myself be a victim again.
I wanted what Alese and Ret had. I wanted the love, kindness, and respect they showed each other. Ret adored Alese. He showered her with affection, always making sure she knew he loved her. I wanted someone to worship me the same way. Someone who would lay down their life for me.
In a way, I had that. Ret had saved me, pulling me from Diego’s cage before he ushered me away from my parents. He’d saved me twice, and Alese brought me back to life. I never believed in instant love, the kind that swept a person off their feet and made them do foolish things, but with Ret and Alese, I felt it. I understood it, and I knew I wanted more.
“How are we going to do this?” I asked as we walked into their bedroom, stopping just inside the doorway.
“Do you want to keep your clothes on?” Alese asked as she started to pull down the straps of her sundress. “You can, you know, if you’re more comfortable.”
I smiled as my stomach fluttered. “No. You’ve already seen me.” I glanced down at the floor and blew out a shaky breath. “I’ve always been comfortable with my nudity anyway.”
“Thank God.” She laughed, stepping out of the dress and kicking the material to the side. “I was really getting sick of wearing so many clothes all the time.”
I peered over at Ret, who stood there with a wicked smile. “I have no issue with you two walking around naked all the time, but don’t expect me not to be affected.”
“Be affected,” Alese said as she groped his crotch. “Be very affected.” She smiled and brushed her lips against his as he wrapped an arm around her bare back and pulled her closer.
“Careful what you wish for, love.”
“Nya.” Alese peeked over her shoulder at me. “Why don’t you lie on the bed with us instead of sitting across the room?”
“Oh.” A surge of excitement coursed through me. I liked the thought of that…probably more than I should.
I met Ret’s gaze, searching for his approval. “We talked in the car about the three of us. We’re good with you being as near as you want. You can touch too or be touched if that’s what you want,” he said with a smile.
My skin tingled and my belly fluttered again as Alese walked toward me and took my hand. “We just want you to know there’s nothing you can do that’s wrong. Just follow what feels right and natural.” She swept my hair behind my shoulder before resting her hand against my skin. “We’re not jealous types. If you want to be touched or want to touch, do it.”
“But…” I swallowed hard and moved my eyes between her and Ret, confused and turned on. “You guys are in a committed relationship, and I’m just… Just…”
“You’re part of us now for as long as you want to be.” She smiled, putting my mind at ease. “Ret and I are committed to each other, and nothing that happens between the three of us will do anything to destroy that. Do you understand?”
“I do.” I nodded and finally smiled.
I couldn’t imagine letting another man touch me. Ret was different. He rescued me and kept me safe. There wasn’t another person I trusted more than him besides Alese.
“Now get undressed and get that pretty little ass of yours on the bed,” she said as she walked by and swatted my ass playfully.
All the air rushed out of my lungs, and my heart started to race. Not in a bad way, but in an oh-my-God-this-is-going-to-be-amazing manner. Ret walked past me, shrugging like I should listen to Alese and stop stalling.
Alese sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her as I walked toward her, dropping my clothes to the floor. She swept her eyes across my body as she licked her lips.
Ret leaned forward, placing his fingers under her chin and forcing her eyes upward. “Undress me,” he said.
I crawled onto the mattress, resting just behind Alese, observing as she undid the button and unzipped his jeans. He smiled down at her, watching carefully with his fingers still pressed against her chin.
She yanked at the side of his jeans, pulling them down his legs and freeing his cock. I licked my lips, getting the first real view of his size and shape in the bright lighting of their bedroom.
Alese wrapped her fingers around his shaft, slowly stroking up and down and rubbing her thumb along the underside. His body jerked each time, moving closer and into her touch.
He lifted his shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor behind him as she worked his cock in her palm. “Open your mouth,” he told her, and she did without hesitation.
I curled my legs to my side and propped myself up, sweeping my hand across the swell of my breast. I watched in awe as she slid his length against her tongue and closed her lips around the base without gagging.
I’d never been able to take a man that size that deep without some sort of gag reflex kicking in and tears streaming down my face. Her lips slid back and forth, her hand still wrapped tightly around him and pressed against her lips, keeping contact with his entire cock with every stroke.
He closed his eyes as he swayed backward and tangled his fingers in her hair, not letting her forget who was really in control.
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