“Perhaps we should take a shower, hmmm?”
Beauty slid off my lap and stood, while I tucked my dick away then reached for her hand. We ignored Algimas as we left the dungeon and climbed the stairs to the upper level of the house. I was tired of looking at this stark-white monstrosity, the bland coloring was getting under my skin. It wouldn’t be too much longer and Matis would start to stink the place worse than the underlying scent of clove cigarettes already in the air. It was time to leave. I needed one of my men to retrieve Algimas and get him to Decena. I would normally deliver acquisitions in person, but Beauty and I had another mission awaiting. From my back pocket, I pulled out my cell phone and sent a quick text to Raul giving him new orders and asking him to bring some clothes. He was already inside the property, working on the computer downstairs.
The bathroom was as ostentatious as the rest of the house. Blindingly white with gold trimming. I missed the stone shower that sat outside my beachside home, the sun, moon, and stars free to peek into the wide, open room. The cubicle before us had plenty of space, with double shower heads, and Beauty was quick to climb in and get the water started. Stripping off my clothes, I joined her, she at one end, me the other. Both of us just stood there, heated water washing away the blood and stench of death. Beauty’s eyes roamed over my body, starting at my feet and working their way up to my face. Under her smoldering inspection, my dick unsurprisingly hardened again. Ignoring my uncontrollable appendage, I searched through the line-up of body washes to find the least scented and began scrubbing. After a few minutes, I discovered Beauty had followed my lead as she soaped her pale skin. Now my cock was standing to full mast, my balls tight and aching. Fuck it. Soaping my hand, I lowered it to my painfully hard dick and began to stroke, up and down, up and down. Remembering Beauty’s hand on me, shy, yet expert, helped fuel my desire. Gripping my shaft a little tighter, I stroked faster, and when I opened my eyes, I found Beauty paused midway through bathing, her mouth slightly agape as she watched me. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to stop, I kept sliding my hand up and down the silky length before reaching lower with my free hand to cup my balls. Beauty looked utterly enthralled, her gaze glued to my hand as it worked the tension out of my cock. All too soon, my thighs pulled taut, my balls drew up high, and I came into the spray of water. With one final slide of my hand, and a gasp of pleasure, I released my cock to finish showering.
“Why did you do that?” Beauty asked, only now returning to the task at hand.
“Because watching you made me hard again.”
“I could have helped,” she whispered.
Smiling, I turned off the shower and strode to her side of the wide, open space. Placing one finger under her chin, I lifted her gaze to mine.
“Your purpose in life isn’t to avail me of my constant lust for you. I can take care of myself, and if you feel the need, you are more than welcome to help me out. Or even use me to get yourself off. I can assure you, I’ll always be most willing.”
Pressing a quick, chaste kiss to her lips, I turned my back and left the shower, finding a towel to dry off. In Algimas’ bedroom, I ignored the chains secured to the floor by the side of the bed. Paying them any attention would just inflame my anger. Raul had brought up my bag, and a pile of clothes with tags still attached sat beside it. I dressed quickly and watched as a naked Beauty thumbed curiously through the black jeans, plain blue cotton shirt, and black sweater. There was no underwear, but that didn’t seem to bother her as she dressed. The jeans hugged her small frame leaving little to the imagination, the shirt was tight over her breasts, and the sweater was a little baggy. A pair of flip flops finished the ensemble. She looked far removed from the killer she had proved she could be.
Moving back to the lower level of the house, Beauty followed but came to an abrupt standstill when we entered the kitchen to find Raul sitting on the countertop, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in his hand. Tea, that’s what I needed right now, a steaming pot of Earl Gray.
“Beauty, this is Raul, one of the men who works on jobs with me. He is the tech genius I mentioned earlier. He’s been working on Algimas’ computer to find this girl he claims to have bought.”
She didn’t move, her eyes wide and body poised not sure whether to fight or flee.
“Buenos días, señorita,” Raul offered, raising his cup toward Beauty.
“Have you spoken to Sylvie and the kids?”
Raul’s grin grew even wider, if that were at all possible. The man loved his family and loved talking about them even more.
“Sí, Maria told me her mama has been grumpy since her papa went away. I think Sylvie will have your bolas next time she sees you for calling me in to work when our bebé is only five-weeks-old.”
“You have a baby?” Beauty asked, her eyes turning from panic to interest.
Raul pulled his cell phone from his pocket and jumped down from the countertop.
“I have five niños. Let me show you.”
Beauty tensed as Raul approached. He was military trained and had a sharp eye, he wouldn’t have missed it, yet he continued forward as if there weren’t a young woman ready to reach for the closest knife and fight her way out of the kitchen if need be. Holding up his phone, he began to proudly show off his brood.
“This is Maria, she is twelve, and oh, she has fire, just like her mama,” he declared proudly. “Diego is nine, he is the smartest niño I’ve ever known. Javi and Teyo are four-year-old twin boys and trouble with a capital T, and Samuel is the bebe. He is five-weeks-old.”
With her eyes transfixed on the phone, Beauty’s body relaxed by the smallest of margins. Raul had that way about him, his relaxed attitude belaying the dangerous man that lay beneath his easygoing persona. He could thaw the coldest of hearts and worm his way into the lives of the most private people.
“Is our delivery on its way to Mr. Decena?” I asked, interrupting the moment.
“Sí, sí. I like the touch with the polla in the estúpido’s mouth. Nice work.”
“That was Beauty. She does have a certain finesse.”
Raul hid his surprise and turned to face Beauty with a cheeky wink. “I’m impressed.”
Beauty’s gaze found mine, and she smiled. A real smile, and if I believed in God, I would have thought it heavenly divine in its perfection. She looked radiant.
Then the world went to shit.
14
BEAUTY
Walking into the kitchen and finding a strange man sitting there like he hadn’t a care in the world scared me beyond belief. My first thought was that Hart had betrayed me. He’d invited a man over and intended on sharing me, or maybe even giving me away. But a few words from Hart eased my initial need to reach for the closest sharp object and begin attacking. Raul was ridiculously good looking, classic dark features of the Spanish, beautiful brown, almond eyes, and olive skin. His dark hair with a chaotic curl looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days. Even though he was obviously easygoing in nature, I had a feeling he could be just as deadly as Hart. Even so, I found it easy to relax in his company and loved his thick, Spanish accent. It sounded familiar and oddly reassuring.
Raul’s children were beautiful, all dark curls and big brown eyes. The pictures of them with Raul and his wife, Sylvie, were clearly filled with love. They made me . . . sad. Did Lucy have a family with brothers and sisters somewhere? Were they missing her? Did they look for her? Did someone love her enough to take pictures filled with laughter and love?
Raul showed me a picture of him and his wife, boasting about her beauty and fertility, and his virility. Apparently, all he had to do was wink at her and she got pregnant. I couldn’t stop the smile that filled my cheeks. Raul’s easy nature was contagious, and when I looked towards Hart who leaned casually against the kitchen counter, that smile went deeper, my feelings for him beginning to sink precariously close to my dark heart.
There was no warning, just a strange kind of serene moment in a home where serenity had never existed. Then chaos. It
was if the world had exploded, glass shattered accompanied by a deafening roar. One minute I was standing, the next I found myself pressed on the polished floor, Raul’s weight on top of me. That weight sent me into a panic, my arms thrashing in an attempt to break free of his hold.
“Be still, la bella,” he gruffly commanded, and the feel of his breath on my cheek further incited my frenzied state. Then, everything went quiet. The only sound was my own whimpers as I fought to be free.
“Beauty,” Hart hissed, the commanding use of my name making me still. Glancing across the destroyed kitchen, I found him kneeling amongst the rubble, one gun in each hand. “When Raul lets you up, you must keep your head down and stay low. If you can’t do that, I’ll have him stay where he is, understood?” His voice was filled with a steely command, which rubbed me the wrong way, but to have Raul off me, I would have done near anything. I nodded frantically, and Raul immediately rolled away. Scrambling to my feet, I followed Hart’s order and stayed down low, moving until my back was pressed against the closest wall. Raul was on his haunches, a gun in his hand and a cold look of danger on his handsome face.
“Madre puta pendejos,” he quietly spat out.
Even though he was cursing, his voice and accent was comforting. It helped calm me like a smooth caress. Smoke hung in the air, not like fire, but something more tangy and sharp. Crunching of boots on broken glass caught my attention, and I found shadows moving through the early dawn light, outside the window frames. The rifles held to the strange men’s shoulders shocked me frozen. Gunfire. We’d been attacked by men with guns. A low whine slipped free from my lips. I needed a weapon. I was defenseless.
Three shots broke the silence as Hart rose to his full height and started shooting at the men outside. Each one of them dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. He then rushed towards me, sliding one gun into the back of his cargos as he grabbed my elbow, hauling me from the room. I assumed Raul was somewhere close behind us, though, I couldn’t see or hear him. Hart directed us down the long hallway that passed Algis’ study, then into a sunroom that ran along the back of the home with more large windows spilling light into the house. Coming to a stop, something heavy and cool was shoved into my hand, and I glanced down to find Hart shoving one of his weapons at me.
“Don’t shoot me or Raul, if you can manage it.”
Before I had a chance to answer, movement to my right caught Hart’s attention and the sturdy grip around my elbow was suddenly gone. A scuffle broke out, and Hart was quick to spin and kick, executing some sort of impressive maneuver that landed a boot in his attacker’s chest, sending him backwards with a grunt. It was impressive, I’d never seen anything like it. The way he moved was fluid and flawless. Adrenaline filled my body and excitement brought a smile to my face. Regardless of the deadly situation, I had to admit watching Hart fight was thrilling. That thrill vanished when fingers slipped around my neck, hauling me in the opposite direction, away from Hart. My flip flops lost their grip, and I kicked them off as I struggled to free myself. Throwing my head back in my desperate panic, my skull connected with whomever was behind me, and they grunted in pain, their grip loosening enough for me to drop to my knees and break free. Turning, I looked up into surprised hazel eyes, watering with pain, blood gushing from a broken nose. Thought fled and my body reacted on pure instinct alone. Raising the gun Hart had put in my hand only seconds ago, I pulled the trigger, the bullet entering through the man’s lower stomach at close range. Blood sprayed my face, but I didn’t waver, keeping the gun aimed on the threat as he slumped to the ground. A firm hand landed under my elbow, hauling me unceremoniously to my feet. Swinging my arm around, I pointed the gun and fired. Hart ducked at the last second to avoid the bullet.
“Oops,” I whispered.
Hart rolled his eyes and hauled me along behind him, finding Raul standing at an open back door, peering carefully around the corner.
“It’s clear,” he said as we approached, and Hart stepped cautiously out, keeping me close by his side.
We ran down the length of the home, slowing at the corner of the property where Hart again warily checked to make sure it was safe to follow the house around the bend. Raul was close behind me, moving so quietly I only knew he was there because I checked. Hart came to an abrupt stop, and I ran into his back with an oomph. Two quick shots were fired, something fell with a thud, and we were moving again. Reaching the front of the property, we once more slowed. After checking the coast was clear, we ran alongside Matis’ parked SUV, keeping close the vehicle and staying low. From somewhere behind us, the tat-tat-tat of a rapid-fire weapon echoed in my ears. Raul cursed in Spanish and returned fire. Slipping around the front of the car, we ran, me being hurriedly dragged, into the sparse forest surrounding Algis’ property. I had no time to think of anything beyond survival, but the further away from the house we pulled, the more questions filled my mind. Who were these people? Were they here for me? Or Hart? He had promised me my life would be in danger, that people in this trafficking business were going to want me. Did they want me that bad that they were already trying to take me back? That thought was terrifying.
I was panting heavily by the time we made it to the large brick fence that bordered the property. Both Hart and Raul seemed completely unaffected by the physical exertion, and I decided I was going to need to start exercising if I had half a hope of keeping up with them in the future. Hart found a rope hanging over the wall and scaled up so fast I barely had time to register the fact I was going to have to scale up there, too. Without warning, Raul wrapped his big hands around my waist and levered me up to Hart’s waiting hand, outstretched from the top of the wall. Reaching out, I grabbed it and was dragged to the top where I swung my bottom onto the ledge. Raul was already scrambling up the rope behind me as Hart dropped to the leafy ground and tucked his gun into the back of his pants, arms outstretched for me to jump. Without hesitation, I did. Landing with girly squeal in his arms.
We jogged along the wall for what felt like miles before we reached a dirt road, coming to a stop right in front of a luxurious black SUV with dark-tinted windows. The front door sprung open, and a man sitting behind the steering wheel watched us as my feet came to an abrupt stop. Hart didn’t give me a chance to second guess anything, he threw me into the backseat, diving in behind me as Raul climbed into the front passenger seat.
“Get us the fuck out of here, Henry.”
The tires spun in the gravel, and then we were moving, the car speeding through the countryside and eventually finding asphalt. Open green paddocks followed by the contrast of thick trees flew by my window, and I was mesmerized by the sight. Algis normally drugged me if we left the property, so the countryside wasn’t something I got to see. I don’t know what I expected, but I was surprised by the normality of it. Farms, cottages, large sprawling homes, it was just so ordinary. While being held captive, my mind conjured thoughts of darkness, chilling forests, even murky, cold caves. Never once did I imagine that I was surrounded by normal people doing normal things. Did they have any idea of the atrocities that went on so close to their peaceful homes?
“Beauty, this is Henry. Henry, this is Beauty.”
Hart’s voice caught my attention, and I glanced toward the man driving the car. He gave a non-committal grunt, and Raul looked back over his shoulder and winked.
“Henry is the muscle, belleza. You’ll have to excuse his lack of manners.”
Henry reached across the center console and slapped Raul on the back of the head. Spanish cursing filled the vehicle, and a smile fought to find its way to my lips. It seemed so surreal that not twenty minutes ago we were in an actual gunfight, and we were now driving through the rural landscape like a group of friends on a weekend daytrip.
“A little heads up next time, Henry,” Hart murmured.
Henry’s dark, deep-set eyes peered at Hart from the rear-view mirror, and he grunted again.
“I tried calling you.”
“Just as bullets started
flying,” Raul argued.
Henry mumbled, and Raul continued to curse him out in Spanish.
“What now?” I asked after a short silence.
Hart looked up from the cell phone he was tapping away on and raised a brow. The SUV slowed and pulled off the road and onto a long driveway.
“That,” Hart said, tilting his head in the direction of the wide-open field. A small plane sat beside a large shed, and my heart fluttered. I had never been on a plane before . . . well, not that I knew of. With Algis drugging me for trips, any plane I might have been on had gone by in a drugged haze. This time I’d be completely aware. My hands clapped with excitement, and the three men gave me odd looks.
“We’re going on a plane?” I asked, my voice vibrating with delight.
Hart nodded and smiled.
“Not just a plane, but a jet, belleza,” Raul confirmed.
“Holy moly,” I whispered as the car pulled to a stop beside the large shed.
Another three men stood at the bottom of a stairwell that led into the jet. I was too excited to care if they were a threat or not and opened my door before the car even come to a complete stop. Jumping to the gravelly asphalt, I jogged to the stairs, ignoring the puzzled looks from the men standing at its bottom. Climbing to the top, I slowed as I stepped through the doorway.
It was beautiful. Elegant even. Thick cream carpet cushioned my feet. A long, caramel suede sofa took up one side of the plane, and two comfy looking, dark chocolate leather chair recliners sat on either side of a small mahogany desk across from the sofa. Further down the plane’s cabin appeared to be a doorway to a bedroom. All shiny pristine fittings and classy furnishings. Collapsing back onto the sofa, I giggled.
“Does that mean it’s to your liking?” Hart asked from the doorway.
Sighing, I rolled to my side and drew my legs up to my chest. “It will do.”
Beauty: Part 1: Blaire's World (Beauty's Duet #1) Page 10