I’D TRIED to sit a few times while Blaze worked silently on his laptop, but the lack of movement unsettled me. If I wasn’t in motion, my mind could only dwell on the tormented childish figures that I’d seen in the photographs.
I couldn’t walk away from them, but at least staying on my feet kept the most crippling sense of horror at bay.
Blaze stirred with his usual restlessness and shot me an apologetic glance. “With kids, there are a lot fewer images available, and those photos didn’t give the clearest view of their faces. I’m doing my best to find at least partial matches.”
I nodded. “It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t, not at all. If Grandma Ruby had those photos in a safety deposit box, they must have been important, and she must have wanted them hidden. But for her to have them at all…
What if the Hunter was disgustingly right about the Malik family, beyond any crime that’d ever occurred to me?
I stalked toward the kitchen, where Talon was drinking from a bottle of kombucha while he sharpened his favorite knife, and then strode back across the living room again. My hands clenched at my sides. I really wanted to punch someone, but I didn’t have anyone to punch.
Who were the villains here? Could this have been some kind of setup? Maybe the Maliks were being framed.
Blaze let out a pleased sound, and I hurried over to join him. “You’ve got something?”
He waved at his screen. “These are partial matches, like I said, but I think I’ve identified a couple of the kids. A boy, aged five, and a girl, aged eight. Both of them had missing child reports filed with their local police departments.”
“Local departments,” I repeated. “You mean they weren’t from here in DC?”
Blaze shook his head. “The boy was from Jersey City and the girl… Detroit. Not too far away, but whatever was going on, it wasn’t restricted to this state.”
“Whatever is going on,” I corrected. “For all we know, this is still happening. When did they go missing?”
“The boy… three years ago. The girl, twelve.” He grimaced. “Whether it’s still happening or not, the murderer has been at it for a while.”
I frowned, my stomach twisting even tighter. “You said there are just the missing child reports. No documentation of a definite crime? Did no one ever find the bodies?”
“It doesn’t look like it. I haven’t turned up any articles or records of unidentified bodies discovered in that condition. Although there are always remains turning up here and there that’ve deteriorated beyond recognition and were never identified.”
“Or the killer disposed of them in a way that wasn’t discovered.” After taking those pictures as the sickest of mementoes. My fingers flexed and clenched again. “What about the other three?”
“I haven’t located them at all so far. Maybe they were from farther abroad or longer ago, and they’ll pop up eventually. Or maybe they weren’t even reported missing, at least not with a photograph to go with the report.”
A sour taste entered the back of my mouth. The kids had been so alone that nobody had even realized they were taken, tortured, and killed? How could anyone let a child remain missing without reporting them? Didn’t their schools or neighbors notice when they disappeared without a trace? More importantly, shouldn’t their parents have known?
But if they’d been that neglected, maybe that’d made them ideal targets.
I let out a frustrated sound and buried my head in my hands. “How could the Maliks have anything to do with this? It would ruin all of them—everything they’re so committed to working toward. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I agree,” Blaze said gently. “It’s a lot to swallow.”
“But the evidence is right there. Maybe I’m too biased—of course I don’t want to be related to people who’d do something that horrific.” I groaned. “How can I trust my judgment about them? The actual evidence points right to them. No one could have known I’d find that safety deposit box. What would be the point of planting evidence where it wouldn’t be used?”
Blaze got up and rubbed my shoulder. “There are so many factors we can’t account for. I don’t think we can draw any definite conclusions yet. Other than there’s at least one very sick murderer out there, and they’re connected to your family in one way or another.”
“I didn’t get more answers. I only have more questions—worse ones. Where do we go from here?”
I wasn’t aware of Talon crossing the room until he came up on my other side. He gripped my elbow firmly, grounding me with his solid presence. “We’ll keep looking and keep digging until we have the answers,” he said. “No one’s beaten us yet.”
“And you’re not being biased,” Blaze put in. “It is a bizarre idea that your family would be responsible for crimes like these. If I come across any indication that they’re being set up, I won’t be remotely surprised.”
“But you haven’t come across anything like that so far,” I said.
“No, but I haven’t come across anything that gives further proof that they committed the crimes either.”
“Other than the photos being in a box in my grandmother’s name.”
“That’s just one piece of proof without any context,” Blaze said.
I let out a growl of frustration and raised my head. “I feel like there’s nothing I can do. If I knew who’d done it, I could go destroy them and make sure they never hurt anyone again. But I have no idea and no way to figure it out. And more kids could be dying right now because I can’t.”
“You’re doing your best,” Blaze said, but his reassurance bounced right off me.
Talon turned me toward him. He tugged my hands away from my face and fixed me with his impenetrable gaze. “You’re stronger than this, Dess,” he said. “Stronger than those fears. Stronger than the asshole who killed those children. If you need help remembering that, come at me. I know you could take me if you really tried.”
I stared at him. “Hurting you isn’t going to prove anything.”
The corner of his mouth curled up with a hint of a smile. “You won’t hurt me. I’m made of pretty tough stuff. But I think you need a reminder of just how much you can tackle. Now come on. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little sparring all of a sudden.”
I made a face at him, and he pinned me with those cool blue eyes that would have sent anyone else running. Instead, they brought a warmth flaring up inside me. “Let’s see all that power you’ve got in you,” he taunted.
A surge of defiance raced through me, and I swung a fist at his shoulder. Talon dodged and tapped my side with his knuckles. He didn’t hit hard—it was a dare to fully commit to the fight.
My competitive nature rushed to the surface. It felt good to focus on this, to feel the power he’d talked about. I sank into that sensation and came at Talon with twice as much determination as before.
We bobbed and circled each other, exchanging blows, our breaths roughening as our movements sped up trying to catch the other off-guard. I almost forgot about Blaze until another fist rapped against my shoulder blade.
I spun around and shoved the hacker down on the sofa, pinning him there before I’d fully processed what had happened. He just grinned up at me, not a hint of worry in his bright eyes.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. Talon loomed behind me.
Blaze tipped his head to the side with a slyly innocent expression. “I figured if you feel better beating up on one of us, two would be even better. Although…” He shifted his position beneath me where I’d straddled him with one hand to his throat and the other on his chest, and I was abruptly aware of his erection brushing my sex. Heat had pooled there without my realizing it. “Now I can think of other ways you can dominate us that might be even more fun.”
A tingle of desire passed through me, but at the same time something in me balked. “I don’t think I should be having fun right now.”
Blaze reached up to place his hand over mine where it still loosely held his throat. “Don’t think of it as fun, then. Think of it as showing your strength and remembering who you are. You’re having trouble even thinking clearly—you need a break. More than that, you need to believe in yourself, and I know that you do when we’re together.”
I raised my eyebrows “You’re awfully confident that you can make me feel that way.”
Blaze chuckled. “I don’t think anyone can make you feel that way. But I know that you can make yourself feel strong if you’re in control of both of us.”
In control of both of them. The thought provoked an eager quiver despite my initial doubts.
I glanced back at Talon still braced behind me. Handling all the guys the other night had been a rush, one that sent a heady flush through me just at the memory.
Maybe this was what I needed—a reminder that I wasn’t as weak and powerless as I felt. I’d ordered Blaze around before, but with Talon I’d only encouraged his own aggression. What would it be like to take control over a man that domineering? To have both of them totally under my sway?
The thrill that came with the idea made up my mind for me. Before I could second-guess the impulse, I leaned back to grab Talon’s bicep. With a heave, I yanked him down on the sofa next to Blaze. Then I adjusted my position so I straddled one of each of their thighs, my knees sinking between their legs.
“Stay still,” I ordered both of them, with a push of their chests toward the back of the sofa. Then I gripped the front of Blaze’s shirt and captured his mouth.
He kept his hands to himself, but he kissed me back with all the passion I knew he was capable of. I finished with a flick of my tongue over his and turned straight to Talon, who was watching me with smoldering eyes.
First I buried my face against his neck, taking in the masculine scent of him and grazing my teeth against his skin in a way that made his hips jerk toward me. “I said ‘stay still,’” I murmured, and raised my head to nip his earlobe. “You’ve done a good job at fucking me in the past. But this time, I’m going to show you what it’s like to be fucked by me.”
A flicker of emotion passed through Talon’s normally impassive face, lust and admiration and more that I couldn’t identify. It definitely wasn’t true that the man didn’t feel, no matter how emotionless he tended to present himself as.
I ran my fingers over his smooth scalp and dug them into the back of his neck as I pressed my lips greedily into his. He met me with just as much fervor. The unrelenting passion in the kiss had my toes curling. My hand worked its way between us and began pulling down the joggers that he wore.
He managed to pivot his hips and allowed his pants to slide down his legs at my coaxing. His boxers followed, and I traced my finger up his thigh with an intensity that felt immoral. I moved it so, so slowly that I saw his attention split between me and the finger that I trailed up his leg.
It must have been a noise from beside us that drew my attention back to Blaze. His name had never fit him more with the hunger that shone from his face. I couldn’t neglect my other lover.
“I want both of you,” I said in a voice that came out huskier than I expected. He reached for his jeans, managing only to unclasp the button before I stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “That’s my job.”
I pulled myself up and allowed my one finger to trail down Talon’s still clothed chest, all the way to the base of his impressive length. As I stood, I twirled my finger around it slowly and meticulously before releasing him.
The heat that roiled through my body had my limbs trembling. I pulled Blaze up so we stood chest to chest with each other and reached a hand into his pants—surpassing the fabric entirely as I gripped him beneath the belt. He dipped his head backward and groaned toward the ceiling as I stroked him just as slowly. Despite being the one theoretically in control, I couldn’t help but still feel completely out of control at that moment.
I hooked my other hand through his pants and tugged them downward, but he didn’t seem to notice in the slightest as I continued my teasing motions. Fuck, at this moment, Blaze was one of the most attractive men I’d ever seen. The way his light red hair hung back as his breathing increased in tempo—as I increased the rhythm of my motions—was almost godlike. His fists, balled at his side, showed the restraint that he was exercising.
I wanted more than that. But I could make that kind of command too, couldn’t I?
“Don’t hold back on me,” I said. I might be in charge of this encounter, but I didn’t want them to treat me like I was fragile and incapable. “I want everything you can give me. Show me just what you want to do to me—no holds barred.”
Blaze’s eyes flung open, and I saw the restraint there too. I knew he was doing whatever he thought would make me feel the most in control, but more than anything, I wanted to know how he wanted this moment between us to unravel.
Blaze’s eyes flashed with uncertainty before he placed his hands on my hips. “Are you sure?”
I smirked. “Positive.”
He didn’t waste any time considering his options. One of his arms dipped around my back, and the weight of his body forced me to fall backward. I clutched the fabric of his shirt as he slowed my fall and draped me across the coffee table. Blaze immediately went for my pants, tugging them down my legs and trailing kisses in the wake of the fabric.
The tender treatment might have raised my hackles in another context, but I knew Blaze so well now that it stirred no memories of the villain who’d violated me before. And after all, this man was doing exactly what I’d told him to do.
And oh, was I pleased with the result. The hacker hooked his arms under my legs and tossed my feet over his shoulders. In an instant, his tongue had slipped inside of me, devouring my core.
I thrashed, my cry of both surprise and pleasure reverberating through the room as Blaze feasted. He seemed to know intuitively where it would be best to devote his tongue and lips. Then he inserted a finger into the mix and pumped it inside of me with the same tempo as his tongue had offered a second before.
I panted beneath him as the waves of my pleasure grew and eddied. With each swell, the bliss intensified until I was near my breaking point. But Blaze wasn’t finished with me yet. He sent me right up to that edge before letting me drift back down just shy of release.
“Blaze,” I growled. He only looked down at me through lowered lashes as he inserted a second finger into me and went back to work. I tightened my thighs around his head and gave a direct command. “Make me come.”
The second I’d spoken, he started working me over even more relentlessly. He put every ounce of knowledge and experience into his fingers and his tongue to bring me to that edge once again—before tossing me even higher and allowing me to plummet over it.
With a cry, I released everything I’d been holding back—all the pain and uncertainty, all the sadness and frustration. I replaced it all with the feeling of this man wreaking blissful havoc on every inch of me.
I didn’t even have a moment to wind myself down before Blaze moved to the side and Talon bent over me. “Do you still want to be the one to fuck me, or can I have the honor of fucking you instead?” he asked in a tone that practically made me come just like that.
“Why not both at the same time?” I said, still breathless and dazed from Blaze’s claiming. “Give me everything you’ve got. I’ll meet you there.”
“I know you will,” he rumbled, and tugged my legs toward him to wrap around his hips. I pushed myself upright to yank him to me, and his cock slid into me so perfectly we both groaned.
We rocked together, both of us bucking into each other’s bodies. Talon glanced down at the place where our bodies met, and his voice turned even more heated. “There’s nothing like fucking you. Watching you go almost cross-eyed when I push inside of you. And then all the ways you move, all the sounds you make.”
He demonstrated, pulling himself out and then thrusting back into me. I couldn’t help but gasp as that complete feeling of fullness took over my senses—as the lingering satisfaction from Blaze pulsed inside of me, enhanced each time Talon moved.
I glanced over at where Blaze watched, his breathing just as fast as ours. I didn’t speak, instead gesturing for him to come to me in an unspoken command. As he came up beside me, I reached to clasp his cock in my hands. “You’re mine too,” I informed him, and opened my mouth, licking the head.
With a groan of his own, Blaze braced himself against the coffee table—which I hoped was very sturdy given all the action it was seeing today—and aligned himself in front of my mouth. I drew him in between my lips, still rocking against Talon at the same time.
He tasted delicious, warm and musky, exactly the flavor I’d imagine desire would be. Giddiness swelled in my chest as he moved with the motions of my mouth, as more pleasure raced through me with each crash of my and Talon’s bodies against each other.
I was strong—strong enough to master both of these men. Strong enough to handle four lovers who were the most powerful men I’d ever known. And I’d have them with me every step of the way, supporting me with their own power.
Together, it was hard to believe anything could stop us. We’d do whatever needed to be done.
Blaze’s hand gripped my hair as I sucked on him. Talon’s rough palms on my hips held me with him, and I found myself on the verge of another climax. Unlike before, it didn’t come in waves. It hit me at once, taking me mercilessly as my body pulsed around both of them.
I moaned against Blaze’s erection. “Oh, fuck,” he muttered, and pulled back just in time to let loose his own release across my chest and neck. He gazed at me with total adoration, panting but beaming.
I could feel Talon getting closer and closer with each thrust that I met. He bucked into me faster and harder until he gave one final slam of his hips and clutched onto me like a lifeline. I sagged into his embrace for the long moment before he finally pulled out.
It’d been good. It’d been fantastic. But even as the sense of power continued to resonate through me as I smiled at my lovers and swiped the sweat from my face, a tendril of uneasiness crept up inside me.
No matter how strong I was, we still had a horrible villain to bring to justice. One more enemy on top of the others we’d already accumulated. And I couldn’t help wondering if this was even the end of it, or if there was even worse to come.
