I hated him.
I really fucking hated him.
I closed my eyes and pressed my head back against my bedroom door. I really…really fucking hated him. The more I tried to hold onto that rage, the louder my pulse became until it drowned out the snarl in my head.
Fuck this.
I opened my eyes, pushed up from the floor, and headed for the bathroom, hating how I wanted to walk back to him. No…not walk. I wanted to crawl. I wanted to kneel for him, to let him take me back down to the basement and strap me down.
I wanted to look up at him while his breath was hard and heavy and that glint in his eyes ignited. I wanted him, any way he’d take me. Hard. Slow. Soft and tender. Sleep, pet…your body needs it.
A moan resounded in the back of my throat as I stepped into the bathroom and reached for the shower faucets. The hiss of the water filled the space. I waited for the heat and stepped in. Flashes filled my head, snatches of desire so blinding I couldn’t have fought them even if I’d wanted to. And I didn’t want to.
I needed to feel them.
Needed to relive them.
I needed to remember.
Just how dangerous that man was…
I washed and scrubbed, probing between my legs to feel the ache. Will you let me lick it better?
“No,” I whispered. “I won’t.”
I turned off the water and stepped out, shivering with the cold, and didn’t bother to look at the cameras. I didn’t care anymore. Not about the tracker in my breast or the fact he watched my every move. There wasn’t a thing he could see that he hadn’t already scrutinized.
I dried and dressed, then made my way to the door. My belly rumbled and burned. I was starving and after this morning, I knew there was no tray coming. Because he was the one who’d made them, just like he was the one who’d brought my clothes. I brushed the soft lavender sweater and opened my bedroom door.
The place was quiet…really quiet.
I glanced at the closed door to the sons’ bedroom and wondered, were they home? I took a step, sensed the emptiness, and stopped. No, I didn’t think they were. That left just…him.
I turned and headed for the stairs. I wanted to avoid that broody, seductive stare at all costs and hurried past the landing on his floor. My belly gave a howl the moment I stepped into the foyer, driving me to the kitchen. My gaze immediately went to the basement door that was now closed.
“Can I help you with anything?”
I let out a yelp as I slammed my hand against my chest and spun, to find Guild behind me. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry.” He held my stare. “Do you need anything?”
I glanced at the refrigerator. “Yeah, I’m hungry.”
“I’ll fix you something?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I can look after myself.”
He gave a shrug. “Suit yourself.”
He wasn’t exactly a waiter, was he? I glanced at the swollen corner of his lip. He didn’t act like one and London sure as hell didn’t treat him like one. I glanced at the hallway that led to the study.
“He’s not here.”
I flinched and pulled open the refrigerator to peer into the blindingly white compartment. “I wasn’t even thinking that.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter as he watched me pull out cheese, tomatoes, and butter, and search for meat. “Sure, you weren’t. Ham is in the meat refrigerator.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “And where the hell is that?”
He gave a long, hard sigh, pushed off the counter, and strode toward me to pull out a sliding compartment at my side. Cold air billowed out white as he reached in and pulled out a sealed slab of ham. I just watched him as he set to work, placed it on the counter, and grabbed a knife from a cutting block. “Sandwich, or on a plate?”
“Sandwich, please.”
A simple nod and he gathered the rest of the ingredients from my hands, then opened the fridge once more and plucked a bottle of mayo from the door with a, “Trust me.”
I couldn’t do anything as he moved with precision. “The lip looks painful.”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s not. London has a…”
Guild jerked his gaze to mine. “He is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met.”
Laughter escaped me. “Honorable? Are we talking about the same man? Tall, broody, moody, demanding.”
Guild gave a sigh and placed the knife down on the block, then reached up and unbuttoned his shirt. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I jerked my gaze to the doorway. “Wait, I ah…”
“This was a knife attack in Berlin,” he started, drawing my focus. “They came for me in the middle of the night. It was just lucky that London was staying with me at the time.”
“They…came for you?”
He nodded. “It was a stealth attack, retaliation for taking out the head of a Russian Mafia operation.”
The blood drained from my face. “The Russian Mafia?” I glanced at the deep slash across his shoulder and neck. “Who the fuck are you?”
He smiled and shook his head. “The better question is…what am I…or was. Because I’ve left that life behind, as has London. Well, he’s trying to, at least. The rest is not my story to tell.”
I stepped a little closer as he buttoned his shirt and set to work, cut slices of fresh bread, layered it with a smear of mayo and razor thin ribbons of ham, then topped that with tomatoes and cheese and slid the cut sandwich my way.
“Not everything is as it seems,” he murmured as he gave me a nod.
I moved in, grabbed half of the sandwich, and bit down, then watched while Guild packed the things away and gave me a nod. “I’ll be around if you need anything.”
I wanted to ask him more about London, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t get me anywhere. Everyone was so damn protective of the man. I glanced toward the basement door and savaged the sandwich.
I still hated him.
That wouldn’t change.
By the time the sandwich was gone, I was bored walking around. There was no car for me to steal and I’d already invaded his study enough to piss him off. Maybe I could hack his accounts…or read his emails? Or maybe I could—
The rumble of the garage door sounded, drawing my attention. An engine growled, louder than the Mercedes or the Audi. The sons…a surge of nerves moved in as the sound died and the slams of car doors followed.
I stepped backwards, embarrassed. I was sure by now they knew what had gone on last night. As the sound of the closing garage door drifted and the heavy thud of steps followed, I felt that anger rise once more.
London had betrayed me, but he’d also forced me to feel things I didn’t want to.
Things I ached for.
And the more I felt that need of belonging, the more painful his infidelity became.
Carven strode in and flashed me a glare, his lips curled. His stark white hair was a mess. “What the fuck are you looking at?” he snapped as Colt followed him inside.
A surge of desire cut through me. I stepped around the counter, but stopped as Colt looked away, his cheeks reddening. I tried to swallow the sting. “What’s going on?”
“Like you give a shit,” Carven snarled as he headed for the foyer. “Why don’t you go bury your head in the sand a little deeper, or, I dunno…wreck another fucking car, because London sure as hell needs that on top of saving your ass.”
Colt just followed, without a sound or a look.
I didn’t know which hurt more, the comment or the shun. It didn’t matter, they were like pouring gasoline on an out-of-control fire. I stepped into the doorway. “You know what, fuck you and fuck London, too!”
Carven froze with his hand on the banister.
“I didn’t fucking ask to be abducted! I never goddamn asked to be led on and lied to, either. So you and your brother can take your bratty moodiness and shove it far up your ass.”
The son swung his gaze to me. His electric blue eyes were flared with rage. “You never asked?”
Colt pushed him toward the stairs, shaking his head at his brother. But there was no stopping this, no leashing his fury as he sidestepped his brother and charged across the foyer. But Colt wasn’t having it and lunged in front of him with a shake of his head, to block the doorway. “Carven, no.”
“No?” his brother barked, glaring at him. “NO?”
He turned that rage my way, then took a breath and stepped backwards. “You know what? Fuck this shit…and fuck you!” He stabbed the air in my direction. “Fucking brat.”
“Fucking brat?” I yelled as I flew toward him, until Colt stopped me with his hand on my chest. “Fuck YOU! You have no idea what I’ve been through!”
Even Colt flinched at my scream. His hand fell as he turned and slammed into Carven as he came for me. It was brother against brother, both deadly, both savage as they grappled each other…on different sides when it came to me.
“I don’t think so, brother.” Carven spun, sidestepped him in the kind of fluid motion that couldn’t be believed, and in an instant had grabbed my arm.
“Get the fuck off me!” I bucked and swung, fighting him even though I knew it was useless.
He bent, not even dodging my blows, and lifted me over his shoulder. “What you went through, huh! What YOU FUCKING WENT THROUGH!”
I bounced and jolted, kicked and reared to meet Colt’s stare as he leaped up the stairs after us. There was fear in his wide eyes as he grabbed his brother’s arm and yanked. “Carven, she’s not ready!”
But Carven wasn’t stopping. He just wrenched his arm away, shaking me like a rag doll in the process, and kept taking the stairs two at a time until he stepped out onto London’s landing. At first, I thought he was going to take me to London’s bedroom, and there was no fucking way in hell I was doing that with him.
But he strode past and instead stopped at a door next to London’s bedroom. Tiny beeps came as he entered a code and shoved the door wide. I swung to look behind me as Carven carried me inside. Colt closed the door behind him and plunged us into darkness before a tiny click came and soft light illuminated the room.
Strands of my hair flew in my face as I fell when Carven released me. I gasped a shrill scream, clawed the air, and found Colt instead.
“Carven!” Colt roared as he grabbed me before I hit the floor.
But his brother was already headed behind a large desk that sat against the wall. In an instant, a bank of screens came to life. Black and white images filled them. I sucked in hard breaths as I gripped Colt and stared. “You fucking asshole.”
“Yeah?” Carven snarled. “I might be an asshole, but at least I’m not naive.”
I took a step, wanting to lunge for him, but he pushed a chair my way. “Sit.”
I didn’t move as he stabbed buttons on a monitor that turned from the black and white footage of my bedroom to a computer screen. Then he entered access codes.
“Carven…don’t do this.”
“She needs to know,” he growled as he stared at the screen where he’d accessed what looked like audio files then snarled, clicked out, and searched again. “Here…here it is. Here is everything you hate about him.”
“Brother.” Colt took a step forward.
But Carven just straightened and glared at the empty seat, then strode across the room, grabbed me by my arm, and dragged me to the chair. “I said, sit!”
I fought when he forced me down, until he pushed his face close to mine. “I’m not London, wildcat, and I’m sure as hell not my brother. So push me, and you might just find yourself taped to the fucking thing for a very…very long time.”
I glared at him, but my hands fell to my sides. Fuck you, I wanted to snarl into his stupid face. But he turned away, leaving me to glare at his ear instead, and clicked a button which filled the room with sound.
Heavy breaths echoed from the speakers. A woman’s breaths, hard, heavy, out of breath, but underneath those was a low, quiet moan, so quiet I almost missed it. It came again, only this time it was a boy’s plea. “Not…my brother.”
Colt stiffened beside me.
Carven hung his head.
“I will beat you, you foul, little beast.” The panting woman snarled so close that the speaker vibrated with the guttural threat. “I will ruinnnn you!”
But in the background came screams. Male screams. Screams that suddenly ended.
I flinched as a boom came. My mind raced, then placed it. It was the sound of a door flying open, followed by the heavy thud of advancing steps.
“Get the fuck away from them, Ophelia.”
I flinched as she hissed. “Come near me and I’ll have you killed. I’ll have all of them killed, is that what you want? I’ll start with them, the ones you seem to care so much about.”
“No—” that tiny sound came again…
And in front of me, the desk started to shake. I turned to Colt, who gripped the edge, trembling with rage.
“Not my brother,” that broken little voice moaned. “Not…Carven.”
For a second, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I could only exist in the torment.
“Step away from them,” London urged, the sound of his voice louder. “Step away from the sons.”
“You won’t make it out of here. Hale will know. He’ll hunt you down out of spite, you know that.”
I swallowed my heart back down. My mind howled for me to run, to get out of there. This was too real…too…
There were scratches on the door.
I closed my eyes as London spoke again. “Then tell me what you want. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
“I don’t need your money!”
“Then WHAT DO YOU WANT!”
“You.”
I jerked as though I’d been slapped, and my blood turned out ice. “No.” The word escaped.
“You want these pathetic things?”
Thud.
And a soft moan followed.
Carven jerked his head toward Colt, those blue eyes burning like never before.
I knew what was happening then. I knew it and still my mind rejected the truth. Because…because…
The desk shuddered and shook, the far edge crashing against the wall. I reached out with a trembling hand and touched his arm. He jerked at the contact and recoiled, his enraged stare finding mine.
“That’s what I want,” Ophelia demanded as I rose from the seat. “I want to fuck you. I want to own you. I want you on your goddamn knees for me when I demand it.”
There was silence from London.
It was louder than a scream.
I touched Colt’s arm once more. He shook his head, his body trembling with fury. “I’m right here,” I murmured. “I’m right here.”
He turned toward me and, in a rush, dragged me into his arms. I was swallowed by him, by the hardness of his body.
“Then it’s a deal,” London declared. “But I take them now and you will not speak their names or look at them ever again.”
“Fine,” Ophelia snapped through the speakers as Colt turned his head to find me.
“I’m right here.” I slid my hand through his hair, my stomach churning with the truth.
Tears sprang to my eyes as the thud of steps sounded from the speakers.
“Easy now,” London soothed. “I’ve got you. Hold on to me.”
“Hold on to me,” I echoed, and Colt gripped me tighter as he towered over me. “Hold on to me.”
I rose upwards as far as I could go. My heart was in charge now, it called the shots. My body had no choice but to obey as I kissed him. His mouth was rigid, and refused to move. But I kissed him again, only this time more softly. Memories of London’s mouth rushed in. I followed the same path and kissed the corners of his mouth as, through the speakers, a little boy whimpered in pain.
“Easy now, Colt, right? I got you, Colt.”
“M-my…br-brother.”
“We’re not leaving your brother, not a chance. You’re with me now, son…you’re with me.”
Tears came to my eyes as I gripped the back of his neck and pulled him closer. His mouth opened and he kissed me back with such ferocity that it took my breath away. His hands went around my waist and he lifted me until my legs went around him.
A low moan echoed in my ears. We moved, rocking and tipping until he slumped in the chair and my legs fell. He cupped my breasts as he looked up at me. In my head, all I saw was all those scars. He’d been beaten and tortured at the hands of that vile fucking bitch. The bitch who used London’s body as payment for their freedom.
“Like I said, wildcat,” Carven murmured behind me. “Naive.”
I turned my head as Colt tore at my shirt, dragged it high, and yanked down the cup of my bra. I rose, leaving his mouth to find my nipple, as I met his brother’s vibrant stare.
“He sold himself to her for our freedom…” Carven murmured, not once looking away. “Just like he’s selling himself to her for yours.”
Buttons of my shirt tore free to scatter across the floor. I closed my eyes and unleashed a moan as my shirt was ripped in the frenzy, but it wasn’t a sound of pleasure. It was of pain. He was fucking her for my freedom. He was…he was…he was—
Colt fumbled with the buttons on my pants and pulled as he lifted me to shove my pants down low. I swallowed hard while I let him do what he wanted. His fingers plunged into my slit and rubbed me where I was sore. A snarl and he lifted me like I weighed nothing. I raised one leg to shove my pants down and tore one leg free, then the other. But my pain was nothing. My anger was nothing. Because my heart howled the truth.
The clink of a buckle, then the slide of a zipper.
He rammed his cock all the way inside.
I dropped my head back with a cry.
Pain. Pleasure. Desperation. I needed the ache. I needed to feel him. “Fuck me,” I gasped and opened my eyes, to see the agony in his eyes. “Fuck me, Colt.”
His lips curled and bared his teeth. He held on to me, gripped my hips, and drove my body down, impaling me to the hilt. He fucked me, hard and savage, with fury and anguish in his eyes.
Warmth pressed against my back. For a moment, I didn’t feel it. All I felt was the frenzy and the madness of Colt. But the heat moved, slid up my spine to brush my hair aside. Warmth that grew bolder, until there was more, and as his brother ground his cock inside me, desperate to find oblivion in the warmth and comfort of my body, Carven lowered his head, pressed his forehead to my shoulder, and found his.
“That’s it, wildcat. Now you know the lengths we will go to protect what’s ours…now you fucking know.”
