“She passed out. She was pretty upset.” I eased the blonde strands of hair back from her face. The high bun she’d had was still surprisingly presentable.
Victor pulled out a chair and sat down. The aggravation on his face was clear. He shook his head at me and I couldn’t help but clench my jaw. The man didn’t cease to amaze me. I thought he’d have killed the rapist, yet he had him working right by his side the whole time. Had Mary not been clinging to me, I would have been over that table in a heartbeat, strangling the life out of him. Fuck, maybe I still would.
“What the hell were you thinking bringing her here?” Victor’s voice dripped with rage, but not more than I had at the moment.
Marcio began quietly asking her questions and I turned my attention to her father. “My slave doesn’t leave my side, and won’t, until Lily is back in my care.” Fuck that. She wasn’t leaving, period. I wouldn’t have to keep her against her will, either. Not after what she just saw.
Jordan and Julian sat down and I picked up Mary’s chair, helping her to stand and sit. I pulled Marcio close, turning us away from everyone in the room. “What’s the word?”
“She’s in shock. Her speech is slurred, she’s a little out of it right now, not making sense. Mary will be okay, but don’t keep her here too long. I expect she’s going to go through ups and downs. One minute happy, the next, possibly a crying mess. It’s common.”
I nodded. “Terrance and Brace still outside?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. Two men just left here. One’s blond, the other has salt and pepper hair.”
Marcio glanced toward the opening of our private room. “I saw them as I was entering.”
“The dark haired one, his name is Thomas. You have Brace and Terrance get him to my place. He’s mine. As for the other one, I don’t care if you have to kill him to get him out of the way. You have that fucker, Thomas, tied up and waiting for me. I won’t be too long. I’ll call when I’m headed to the limo so you can pick us up.
“You bet, boss.”
I took my seat as he stormed from the room. We all paused as a waiter eased in with my and Mary’s drinks. Lord only knew what he saw before his approach. Obviously something because he was hesitant as he came to the table. The men ordered their drinks and menus were laid out in front of us. I glanced at Mary. Her face was pale as she stared ahead in a daze.
Jordan leaned forward, reaching for her hand. I didn’t think. I grabbed the fork and slammed it into the table an inch away. Mary jumped, reaching for me. I knew she had no idea what in the hell was going on. She was out of it and it made me sick. Jordan glared and turned back to Mary. “Hey, honey, talk to me. Let me see how you are.”
Almost robotically, she turned to him. “I’m okay. Just a little jumpy.” A ragged breath left her and Jordan looked toward Victor. He knew something was going on. Jordan wasn’t stupid, but I wasn’t about to inform him.
“Can we get to business?” Victor tossed down a folder. “Here, take a look.” He tossed a pen on the top. Did I even need to see what rested in that black folder? I’d assumed I needed to rely on these men to bring Lily back, but was that truly the case?
I grabbed my Scotch and took a sip as I flipped it open. The typing before me blurred as Mary took over my vision. The memory of the absolute terror on her face as she stared ahead stole every ounce of my attention. I blinked, wishing I could erase what I’d seen. Wishing I could mentally remove every bad thing that had ever happened from her mind. I glanced up, just to return back to the contract. “Where’s my sister?”
Mr. Brighton leaned in. “We’re in the process of negotiations.”
“I see.” I shut the folder and tossed it toward Victor. “I’m not signing shit until she’s in front of me. We’re done here.”
“Sign the fucking papers.” Victor didn’t move, but I did. Right over the table to grab him around his throat. The firm clasp he placed around my wrist didn’t budge the death grip I had on his windpipe.
Mr. Brighton stiffened and Jordan stood, but I didn’t let go. “What are you going to do if I don’t, Mr. Hagen?” I tightened, causing his cheeks to turn a bright shade of red. “You don’t scare me and I sure as fuck don’t take orders from the likes of you.” I pushed back and eased to my chair as he started coughing. “Let’s get something straight, right now. All of you.”
Jordan eased back down, although I could tell he didn’t want to. The blood lust he had behind his stare was evenly matched with mine. We were both monsters. The hatred between us was as mutual as our want for Mary.
I downed my Scotch, waiting for the waiter to place the men’s drinks down and leave before I continued. “What you are all doing makes me sick.” My attention turned to Victor. “And the shit you pulled tonight with Mary makes me wish I wasn’t in such a public place. I can promise you, I wouldn’t have stopped. But as it is, I’ll get a little satisfaction before it’s over with. I think Mary will, too. You’re going to have to find new guards. At least one, for sure. He’s mine now, and I can promise you he won’t be seen again.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Jordan leaned over, trying to get in the conversation. “I fucking asked a question, dammit. If I’m going to be with Mary, I deserve to know. Everyone else apparently does.” He turned to my slave and I braced myself to not attack like I wanted. “Mary?” Jordan cocked his head to the side. “Can you tell me?” His voice was caring. Soft. Her eyes looked up at him and I noticed her eye lids looked heavy. She was still in shock. It was known to last up to hours in some cases.
“What?” She blinked and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I was thinking.”
Jordan growled and looked over at Victor. “What the hell is going on? Which man is Slade referring to? What happened?” When silence was all that met him, he looked to me. “Tell me. I’m asking you, please. I know shock when I see it. Did one of those men hurt her?”
Tears escaped down Mary’s cheeks and she began rocking. The waiter came in and I waved him out, angrily. “It’s not my place to tell you, Jordan.” I reached over, bringing Mary’s face to look into mine. To hell with what any of them thought or saw. “Are you ready to go home, slave? I think it’s time for bed. What do say?”
Mary blinked and looked around as if only waking up. Her eyes scanned the room and stopped on her father. The chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor as she stood. “Taken care of? Taken care of?” The volume of her voice rose and she grabbed the knife from the table. I knew the state she was in hadn’t worn off completely. Not even close.
“I’ll fucking kill you.” She flew around the table and although I didn’t want to stop her, my arm caught around her waist and I pulled the knife from her hand. “You’re a liar. A fucking liar. I swear, I’ll kill you.” She lunged across the table and I stood, holding onto her.
Victor stood too, grabbing the folder. “I did take care of the bastard. Now get over it, Mary. I got him away from you. He paid for what he did. He’ll never rape again. Kind of hard with chemical castration.”
The room turned completely silent. Mary’s weight increased as she eased into my arms. Chemical. Not good enough. He was still going to pay. I’d make sure of it.
“We’re leaving. I’ll call in a few days to check on my sister. I expect to hear better news than I did tonight.” I headed for the door, more holding Mary up than leading her. Jordan dashed in front of the entrance before we could make it through.
“Let me go.”
If I wasn’t holding up Mary, I would have launched him across the room. “Get the hell out of my way.”
“No.” Jordan shook his head. “I want to go with you. This man…let me help.”
With how sensitive Mary’s mind was, I wasn’t about to allow her to get upset again. My hand covered her ear and I leaned her head into my chest, trying my best to block out any sound. “This is for Mary, not for you to get off on.”
“You don’t think I know that?” He snapped. “I want to come for her.
Let me.”
All I could do was glare as he went on.
“Listen, I’m sorry your sister was taken. I understand why you’re doing this. Hell, I probably would have done the same thing. But once you get Lily back, Mary’s coming to me. I’ll be taking care of her. Let me be there to offer comfort in one of the biggest moments of her life.” He moved in closer. “Please. I’ll leave the moment you ask. She just needs to know that I’m here for her.”
There was no doubt in my mind that Jordan cared for Mary. He truly did. It didn’t matter, though. She wasn’t his. “Mary has me. Now move or I’ll make you.”
It took a few seconds, but Jordan stepped aside. I swept Mary through the restaurant, pausing to tell the hostess to charge the drinks to my tab. The elevator opened and I pressed the button, hugging her to me tightly. Jordan stared from across the large open area and I wasn’t sure why, but I leaned down, kissing the top of Mary’s head. The narrowing of his eyes were full of threats. Let him bring it. I smiled just as the door shut, closing us in.
“Everything’s going to be okay, darlin’.” I stroked her hair back while she stood there more in a trance than anything.
A laugh burst from her mouth. “Did you see my father? I should have stabbed him.” The sentence hadn’t ended before it was followed with sobs. “I’m scared. I can’t think straight. This isn’t me. What’s happening?”
All I could do was hold onto her tighter. “You’re in shock, Mary. It’ll pass soon. You’ve been through a lot tonight. Marcio said this was going to happen. Just try to stay calm. I’m here for you. I promise I won’t leave your side.”
“Lily?” Her head jerked back. “I missed it. What happened? Is she on her way home?”
“Not yet. Don’t worry about that. She’ll be okay. We’ll get her back before you know it.”
Mary licked her lips and leaned back into my chest. I opened my cell, calling Marcio just as the elevator gave way to the lobby. He answered on the first ring. “We’re downstairs, bring the car around.”
“On my way.”
“Did you get him?”
The laugh I’d heard countless times in the past filled my ear. “Sure did. He’s being taken back to the penthouse now. We’ll put him in the spare bedroom down the hall. Afraid he’s pretty banged up, though. The guy put up a hell of a fight. I’m afraid the other one wasn’t so lucky.”
“Shit happens. I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and led Mary to the front. A good two minutes went by before I saw the limo pulling around the corner. Pressure jerked my arm, and I locked in around Mary’s waist. The sight of Jordan cupping her face, kissing her, made the animal in me go wild.
“I’ll come for you soon, Mary. I promise.”
Marcio pulled up and I opened the back door, more tossing her in than anything. My sights were only set on one thing, and that was Jordan. I flew at him with everything I had. The beast within pounded against my insides, trying to claw its way out.
“Are you fucking stupid?” We hit the ground hard and I slammed my fist into Jordan’s face. The connection was solid and he grunted at the impact. He didn’t hesitate to return one, but from his angle beneath me, he didn’t get anywhere near the power I knew he was capable of. I swung again, the blood appearing from his nose, driving me on.
My vision blurred for the briefest moment as his fist smashed into my temple. “You think I’m fucking stupid. You’re the one messing with another man’s future wife.” Jordan swung wide and I deflected it, returning with a jab.
“She hasn’t even said she was going to marry you. Fuck. You haven’t even asked her. Don’t you think she at least deserves that?” We rolled to the side as he pushed from the cement. Pain shot into my back and Mary’s shoe kicking Jordan, too, caused both of us to go still. The anger on her face had us jumping to our feet.
“You two men are the most…insufferable, arrogant.” She took turns shoving us. “Do either of you not know when to behave? Fighting out here in front of a fucking hotel? Jesus.” She turned on Jordan. “And you. Kissing me like that.” The sound of the crack of her hand across his face left his eyes looking more wounded than shocked. “I am not yours. Not yet. Don’t you ever touch me without my permission again.” The moment her attention came to me, I raised my eyebrow, waiting for her to say something. Instead, she shook her head and stomped back to the limo.
Marcio stood at the driver’s side door with his arm resting against the top of the car, amused. Of course he’d think this was funny. I spun back to Jordan. “Did you see my name on her chest earlier? Mary’s mine.”
The side of Jordan’s mouth lifted. “There’s this cream they make that helps ease the appearance of scars. I think when Mary comes to me, I’ll add some to the top of the D. Then take my time carving the edges until it looks more like a V. It’ll say SLAVE, and you’ll be no more. It’ll be perfect.”
The power behind my swing had him hitting the ground, out cold. Fucking change my name so Mary could become his slave. Over my dead body. The man standing at the door looked at me with big eyes. He would have seen Jordan run up and kiss her. I wasn’t worried in the least.
“You might want to call his daddy, Mr. Brighton. He’s upstairs.” I paused. “Or, don’t. I don’t give a shit.” I got in the limo and was immediately met with Mary’s glare. Oh hell. I’d really pissed her off now.
“Couldn’t resist, could you?”
Throbbing pulsed in my hand, but I didn’t move it to try to conceal my busted up knuckles. “He deserved it.”
“You’re probably right.” Chattering took over her jaw as if she was cold. The rattling had me immediately taking off my jacket to wrap around her. A small sniffle followed new tears. “The fog is clearing but I still can’t stop my body from spazzing out. I’m sorry. I hate this.”
I was going to cut this motherfucker up good when I got back. “Hey, look at me.” My finger pushed the bottom of her chin, making her lift her head. Green eyes met mine. “Good girl. Now tell me, who do you belong to?”
“You, Master.”
“That’s right. And I don’t have weak slaves, Mary. You hear me? What you’re going through will pass. No apologizing for the way you’re acting.”
A stiff nod had her sitting taller. Should I tell her? How would she react if she knew I had her rapist sitting in the far bedroom, ready to die at my hands? She’d have to know eventually. I wanted her realize it was over. Would she be mad if I didn’t tell her until afterward, and he was long gone? She wouldn’t believe me. Victor had already lied to her once.
Shit. But she was still somewhat in shock. Yes, she was coming back to normal, but the truth would surely make her worse.
“Care to enlighten me with what you’re thinking about? I’ve never seen you so distracted.”
All I could do was hold my arms open to her. The light weight of her body settled onto my lap and I cradled her, slowly rocking while the city lights blurred by in a mass of colors. Then it came, fell from my lips with no warning. “I have Thomas, Mary. I have him in the penthouse and I’m going to kill him.”
As if I’d struck her, she flew back and stared at me. Unreadable. Completely closed off. The shock completely concealed, if she even held it anymore. Mary had many masks. The one she’d donned upon my confession scared me the most. What was she thinking? I soon realized I wasn’t going to find out any time soon. She reached for the electric window opener and only got it down halfway before she bolted off my lap and became ill, retching horribly. My eyes closed, praying she wasn’t judging me too harshly. For fuck sakes, he’d raped her. The man deserved to die a slow and painful death. She’d just have to understand the price of being my slave. No one messed with what was mine without facing the consequences. The event may have happened long ago, but it was affecting her wellbeing while she was with me. That was unacceptable.
The window rolled up and she collapsed to the floor. Blonde hair stuck to the side of her face, windblown. The moment my hands lowered, she swiped them away and
reached for a small travel size bottle of Jack Daniels. In one long chug, she finished it off and threw it to the floor.
“You’re going to kill him for me?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’m going to do what should have been done a long time ago. No more pain, Mary. It’ll be done for good this time.”
“And if I say no?”
Confusion had me shaking my head. Why in the hell would she spare his life? After what he did? No. I couldn’t let her make that decision. “I’m sorry. It’s not negotiable. Tonight, your past dies. You’ll wake up tomorrow reborn into my world. You’ll have a fresh start.”
Chapter 14
Mary
Thinking was becoming easier as the minutes flew by, but the fuzziness was still flirting with the edges of my sanity. One minute I was crying, the next, ready to laugh at things that weren’t even funny. Words poured from my mouth like a waterfall with no control on my part. Only after I said them did it dawn on me what’d come out of my mouth. But I was getting better. Already, I could process a lot more than when we were at the restaurant, at which I remember little of after I woke up. It was all a blur, but one that was fading fast.
“Your world? Fresh start?” I laughed and shook my head. It was rather funny. There was no such thing as a fresh start. Sure, I could call it that. Pretend to begin a new life. But the past never truly died. Murder wasn’t going to give me my innocence back, or change the last ten years of self-hatred. Only acceptance and forgiveness would. I knew that. Thing was, I’d accepted what had happened a long time ago. Forgiveness would never come. Maybe that’s why the words fell from my lips with ease. Shock? A moment of clear-headedness? Who knew? Regardless, either one would have been the same. “I want to watch.”
Nausea fluttered in my stomach again at the movement of the limo. I couldn’t see the road. Couldn’t see in front of me. Slade and I kept our eyes locked as I eased back onto the seat next to him. Only briefly did I glance to the road to get my equilibrium back.
SLADE: Captive to the Dark Page 14