Owned by the Dom: Part Two (The Owners) (9 page)

“What do you mean?”

“I think he’s gone to help James. I don’t know why he’s helping him, but it could mean they get Prudence back.”

“I don’t understand. Those men were going to help them. Why are they doing this alone?” Isabella held her stomach as
tears fell down her cheeks.

He needed to stop her from having hysterics. Pulling her into his arms, Dane held her close. “They were not going to help us.”

“But—”

“No, no buts. They were not going to help us
, and James needs Prudence.” Dane held her tight against his chest.

“Which is why we’re going to help them,” Sean said. They both turned as the other man made his presence known. Isabella tensed in his arms.

Sean closed the door. “Lucas and James are meeting with Lloyd. Your brother has been in touch with me. We’re going to help them get Prudence back.”

“What about
Josiah and Hubert?” Isabella asked.

“What about them? They want Daren and Henry while we want Prudence. Let them go after the men. We help our friends find the woman.”

It was the first time Dane had seen Sean sober. The way Sean looked at the woman in his arms made Dane swallow past the lump inside his throat. There was so much yearning in Sean’s eyes.

“You don’t have to get involved,” Isabella said.

Sean moved closer into the room. He stopped several feet away from her. Dane watched as Sean fisted his hands but kept them firmly at his side.

“I have to do this.”

There was a lot of history between the two people in the room. He saw it and mourned for them. His thoughts turned to Mary. The young woman refused to have anything to do with him. He couldn’t blame her. He was a monster in comparison to most men.

“I regret what I did,” Sean said.

“You shouldn’t—”

“I do.” Sean cut her off from speaking. Dane loosened his hold. Whatever was going on was between the two people. He didn’t know exactly what happened between them
, but it was something that had changed both of their lives. “Please, I fucked up before. Don’t let me fuck up this time.”

After several seconds
’ hesitation, Isabella nodded. “Okay, we’ll work through this together. I’d advise not to talk to Rebecca. She’s got a lot of crap on her mind, and I don’t want her to be involved.”

Both men agreed with her. Dane didn’t know how they were going to help Lucas and James
; he only hoped they could do something to get Prudence back.

****

James sat beside Lucas, and they both sat across from Lloyd Black. Getting a meeting with the criminal hadn’t been that difficult. Sean had been involved in arranging it for them. The thought of Sean sent a chill of unease down his spine. Sean was known for being irrational and a drunk. Lucas assured him they could trust Sean.

Still,
James wasn’t happy with having Sean help them.

“So, I’m being visited by James Castleden and his minion.”

Lucas tensed beside him. In the last few hours, James had learned a great deal about the man beside him. He was proud, hard, and didn’t like being considered someone’s pet or minion.

“I don’t think you should be testing him, Black. I mean, your officers need to unlock the door to get to you. Lucas can do a lot of damage in that time,” James said, warning him.

Lloyd sneered, glancing behind him. He wasn’t a high risk prisoner as he was only doing time for assault because Rebecca hadn’t died. But he was doing an extended sentence. Glancing at the man, James saw the true evil in his eyes. He’d not associated much with the Blacks, and he saw why. Being in their company irritated him. Lloyd was in his fifties and held all the spite and malice of a man scorned. From what James had learned about this man, Lloyd hadn’t been scorned. He’d been responsible for the kidnapping and sale of women of all ages.

He’d used their clubs to vet his fucking women
, and James hated the way Lloyd had taken advantage of the women and the two clubs. Up until a year or so ago, Possession and Ravage had had a high reputation for discretion. Since his son had pushed their names through the mud it was up to James and Stephen to clear their clubs’ names once again.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you,” Lloyd said, looking at Lucas.

“Your sister was one ripe peach.”

Lucas tensed. James feared the man beside him would react
, but as quickly as the anger overcame him, Lucas relaxed. Lloyd was playing with them. He and Lucas needed to be smarter.

“
She’s a beauty, my sister, and she’s doing better than ever before,” Lucas said.

“Speaking of a beauty, Rebecca is doing splendidly well. She smiles all the time
, and her smile lights up the whole room. I’ve never seen three people more in love,” James said.

Lloyd tensed this time. He glared at them across the table. “How dare you?”

“You lost all right to Rebecca. She’s a free woman able to love and to fuck
whomever
she chooses.” James leaned forward locking his fingers in front of him. His posture gave him an air of confidence when in truth he was fighting the urge to slug the man before him.

“What are you doing here?” Lloyd asked.

“Dominic Green, Eugene Black, Daren Robinson, and Henry Warren.”

There was no visible change to Lloyd Black apart from the fact he appeared frozen to the spot.

“My father has evidence linking all of them together, including you,” James said.

“You were sloppy back in the day. Dominic and Eugene have both been taken out of the equation as they’re both dead.”

The muscle in Lloyd’s cheek tensed.

“Do you know, I heard a little tale that Henry has a new girl on the market,” Lloyd said. “Her hair is dyed black with red underneath
, and she has an interlocking black rose tattoo across the base of her back.”

James tensed at Prudence’s description.

“A wild cat and a woman only a hard man can tame.”

The more he spoke
, the harder it was for James to control his anger.

“The man that gets between her thighs will be crying out in bliss.”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” James yelled the words and slammed his fist on the table. Lloyd chuckled.

“Don’t do this, James. He’s winning if you let him get to you.
He’ll be a dead man either way.”

“What’s that?” Lloyd asked.

Lucas winked at James before they both turned back to him.

“The Feds have everything they need to put Henry and Daren away. All we’ve come to ask for is information on the girl,” Lucas said, taking control of the conversation.

James wanted to help, but the images Lloyd had put there made him take a step back. The danger Prudence was in cut him to the core. How was she ever going to forgive him for leaving her alone at Ravage?

“You tell us what you’ve heard
, and I’ll make sure neither man makes it to this prison because if they do, I can guarantee your life will get a whole lot harder.” Lucas warned the older man.

If Lucas had his way, Henry and Daren wouldn’t see the inside of a prison cell.

In the face of Lucas’s warning, Lloyd slumped in his chair.

“I’ve heard bits
of rumours and gossip. I don’t know how much of it is true.” The angry, older man was gone.

“Then tell us what you know
,” Lucas said.

They were running out of time. James glanced at the window to see the sun high in the sky. It was Wednesday morning
, and she’d been gone well over a week. The past week had felt like hell. All he wanted to do was wake up as if it was some kind of awful dream. Instead, he was forced to admit the truth that he’d failed her.

Lloyd let out a long sigh before he started talking. “Friday night is when they sell a great deal of girls. Most of the time it’s in an abandoned warehouse if it’s not much profit.”

James turned to Lucas.

“He means if the girls are not that pretty or there’s something wrong with them.”

Turning back to Lloyd, James wanted to kill the man. Prudence was perfect.

“Your girl is high quality. She’s not broken or lost
, and there isn’t an issue with her body unless you count her fuller curves. A few years back a woman of her size would be at the warehouse, but her curves have become a bonus. I don’t know why. I hate them fucking fat.” Lloyd looked old. “She’ll probably be kept in a high exclusive hotel, either owned by Henry or by a foreigner. There will be no activity. The place will have guards around it, and you’ll struggle to get inside.”

James stared at the older man. “Why did you do it?” he asked. “You were once a wealthy man with a flourishing business. Why did you turn to this?”

“I made bad decisions, and the money was gone. This business, as seedy and as crap as it is, means money, and it’s always flowing the cash for anyone who wants a piece.”

“We’re done here,” Lucas said, standing.

James followed the other man.

“If you want to get in without much trouble you’ve got to go in as a buyer,” Lloyd said.

James turned back, glaring at the man.

There was nothing more to say.
James followed behind Lucas as they made their way out of the prison. Their car was parked in the crowded parking lot. James looked back and shook his head.

“What’s the matter?” Lucas asked.

“Nothing. There was a time when my parents loved that man. I’ve never liked him, and I hated his son even more. I can’t believe lack of money is what drove him to do what he did,” James said, leaning against the car. He felt drained.

Prudence was in
England, and he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to find her. He was putting his faith in a man he hated. Lloyd Black couldn’t be trusted.

“I’ve lived without money. I’ve done some crazy shit to put food on the table for my mother and sister. I get why he did what he did
, but I don’t accept it. There is a huge difference in understanding why and accepting it, James.”

Lucas opened the car
, and James climbed in.

“I guess we’re going to
England to get my girl,” James said. “Do you need my card?”

“No, we’ll pay for them by cash. If we leave everything to the last minute the Feds can’t sweep in and stop us.”

James nodded, putting his card away. He didn’t care how they did everything as long as they got his woman back before it was too late.

Friday, the day of the auction

Prue stared out of the window. The bars hindered her view. The sun was high in the sky
, but she knew what day of the week it was. She’d be a fool not to know what was about to happen. Her stomach was in knots, and she gazed down her body to see the effects of what was about to happen to her. During the last two days, Henry had seen to her transformation. He’d removed the dye from her hair, which bothered her. She wished he’d taken the length off. The first thing she did when she got out of here was cutting it. The memory of its current length was now spoiled by Henry and Daren. It might seem petty of her, but there it was. The strands were now a plain brown. Her nails were well looked after, and every inch of her body had been waxed. She was bare between the thighs. The only thing she could be thankful for was Cindy. The small woman had been the one to wax her. Nearly every part of her had been cleaned by Cindy.

She didn’t hate C
indy. The woman was doing her job preparing Prue for her sale. Henry came to her every night to gloat over her potential sale or earning. Each time he spoke she thought about landing her fist in his face. No matter what she thought or felt, Henry was stronger than she. She’d raised her fist once at him, but he caught her fist before she was even able to land the first blow to his skull.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror no longer helped to calm her thoughts. The sound of the door opening and closing distracted her. She turned to see C
indy holding a dress in her hands.

“What do you want?” Prue asked. She wasn’t happy any longer. The seriousness of her situation scared her. Tears constantly filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

“I’m here to get you dressed.” Cindy paused, placing the dress on the nearest chair. “You would prefer me to get you ready rather than Henry or one of his men to do it.”

Prue had
tried to escape, but the men posted outside her door forbid it.

“
Does it matter either way anymore? I’m tired of all of this. I’m tired of fighting and having to deal with this shit. It’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry, Prudence.” C
indy reached out, touching her shoulder.

Nodding her head, she turned away from the window. In her heart she continued to pray for James to find her. She hated being alone. C
indy helped her to remove the garment she’d been wearing and then replace it with a sheer gown that covered nothing. Cindy removed her panties and bra.