Seduced By My Doms BN (34 page)

Twisting the cap off the lancet, I jabbed the needle into
the tip of my finger. Pressing the column of the digit I squeezed and squeezed,
watching a bead of blood expand to the surface. Carefully raising my hand, I
began to write a message on the mirror. Stopping numerous times to pinch more
blood the end of my finger, I was finally able to write the words: ‘HELP!
KIDNAPPED’ on the glass surface.

“Someone is in there right now,” I heard Ryan say as I
cleaned the end of my finger with one of the alcohol preps.

Quickly emptying my bladder, I stared at the message on the
mirror. I hoped whoever waited outside wouldn’t come tearing out of the
bathroom screaming in fright from my bloody plea. A moment of panic had me
questioning whether I should leave the message, or wash off the mirror.

No. Leave it. You don’t have many options. Take your
chances on a stranger. This might be your only shot at freedom.

After flushing the toilet, I washed my hands as a knock came
from the door.

“Hurry up, Liz,” Ryan barked.

“I’m coming,” I replied.

Glancing at the mirror one last time, I swallowed tightly
and pulled open the door. A tired looking woman in her late fifties leaned
against the wall wearing an expression of impatience. Everything about her
features clear down to her posture told me this was a mistake. She wasn’t the
kind of woman who would lend a helping hand.

“Sorry for the wait,” I apologized, holding her gaze a
second or two longer than normal.

She grunted and stepped in behind me. Ryan grabbed my elbow
once again and led me back through the tiny store. My heart hammered in my
chest as I heard the bathroom door close, then the snick of the lock engage.

Swallowing the lump of fear lodged in my throat, I knew that
if the woman chose not to get involved, I’d have to bide as much time as I
possibly could in the now deserted mini market. Refusing to give up hope, I
prayed an entire professional football team would parade through the front
doors and save me. Fat chance. Glancing frantically around the store, I spied a
coffee machine in the corner.

“Can I have a cup of coffee for the road?” I asked, hoping
he didn’t suspect I was stalling.

“You can have a soda; it’s faster,” Ryan groused as he
dragged me to the tall refrigeration units along the back wall of the store.

I glanced up as the woman rushed out of the bathroom. Her
eyes were wild as she jerked her head in my direction. Ryan had his back to me
as he opened the glass door and reached inside. I gave the woman a barely
perceptible nod, as bewilderment and alarm settled over her face. She rushed
toward the clerk—a young pimply-faced kid—standing behind the counter.

My entire body tensed. Ryan shoved a can of cold soda into
my hand, but it slipped through my fingers. Landing with a thud on the
yellowed, linoleum floor, the side of the can cracked. A hiss of carbonated
soda sputtered in a brown arc and began to puddle on the floor.

“Damn it, Liz,” Ryan barked. “Look at the mess you made.”

But my attention wasn’t on the can. It was on the clerk and
the woman, gaping at us in fear, standing frozen by the cash register at the
front of the store.

For fuck’s sake, pull out a gun or a baseball bat, kid.
Call the cops. Do something.

“What the fuck did you do?” Ryan spat.

“I—I’m sorry. It slipped out of my hand.”

“I’m not talking about the goddamn soda, you stupid bitch,”
Ryan growled.

Glaring at the matching terrified expressions of the young
clerk and woman, Ryan gripped a fist in my hair and dragged me toward the exit,
past my only chance of rescue and straight out the door.

“You hold on a minute, mister,” the kid called from behind
the counter. “You can’t—”

Before he finished his sentence, the door swung shut behind
us. Ryan dragged me toward the car while I dug my heels into the pavement. My
rubber-soled shoes provided little resistance, not nearly enough for me to
break free. Releasing my hair, Ryan twisted my arm behind my back with an angry
growl. I screamed as pain shot through my shoulder.

“You lied to me, you stupid cunt. I can’t believe you
fucking lied to my face,” Ryan roared. “You’ve been lying to me this whole
time, haven’t you? Fucking bitch, you probably lied to me the entire time we
were together, didn’t you? How many years have you been fucking those two guys?
Have you been screwing them from the very start?”

“No. No,” I cried. “Goddamn it, Ryan. Let me go. You can’t
make me go with you. I’m not a prisoner. It’s over.”

“Watch me,” he snarled. “I’ll make you love me again.”

Wrenching open the passenger door, Ryan shoved me inside,
slamming it behind me so hard the whole car rocked. Racing around the front of
the vehicle, his narrow eyes bore into me. He glared at me as if he expected me
to make a break back into the store. I would have, but I knew I’d only get a
few yards away before he tackled me to the ground.

Shaking with fear, tears streamed down my face. I’d failed.
Failed to escape the madman, I’d foolishly thought I knew. How did my plan go
so horribly wrong? I hadn’t a clue. The only thing I knew for sure was that
Ryan wouldn’t give me another chance to escape.

Ryan dove in behind the wheel, I couldn’t even look at the
man. Turning my attention out the passenger window, I saw the clerk and woman
running toward us, screaming and waving their hands. Too little, too late. Ryan
revved the engine and jettisoned out of the parking lot, cursing and screaming
at the top of his lungs.

The tires squealed as he jerked the car to the right, then
jammed his foot on the accelerator, jettisoning us down another two-lane road.
The marker showed one forty-six, and I jumped as Ryan slammed his fist against
the steering wheel.

“Goddamn it, Liz. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Ryan yelled. “You’ve fucked it up. Fucked it all up. Fucked me. Fucked us. It’s
not going to end the way I wanted it to. Not now. Thanks to you. You stupid, fucking
bitch.”

Biting my lips together to hold back my screams of fear, I
tasted blood. Terrified out of my mind, I squeezed my eyes shut as Ryan
continued to berate me in his rage.

“Tell me what you did, Liz. How did they know I’d taken
you?”

“I—I don’t know,” I lied.

I didn’t see his hand coming, but I heard the loud slap echo
in my ears…saw stars dance behind my eyes as pain radiated from my cheek and
down my neck. Crying out, more in shock than pain, the brutal side he’d shown
eliminated all hope that I would come through alive.

“Oh my god,” he whispered. A mortified expression lined his
face. “I’m sorry, baby. Oh god… I’m so sorry. I lost it there for a minute. I
didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Jerking my attention back out the window, I fought the tears
I wanted to shed. My cheek throbbed, but it paled in comparison to the anguish
ripping at my soul.

“Please forgive me, Liz. You know I’d never mean to hurt
you… I just went a little crazy back there. I love you, baby. I’ll make this
all up to you, I swear,” Ryan pled. “You’re the only one I want to spend my
life with. I know this now. You’ve always taken such good care of me. I can’t
let you go. I won’t. I know deep down you love me. You’ll forgive me for this
when we reach the mountains. You’ll see. I’ll make it up to you, I will.”

His irrational apology meant nothing. The man was out of his
fucking mind. I’d been a fool to think I could reason with him. All I could do
was look for another opening, some small sliver of opportunity and find a way
to break free from his crazy ass.

“I have to find out where this road leads us,” he mumbled as
he began punching numbers into the GPS unit on the dash. “This wasn’t the way
I’d mapped out our trip.”

Trip?
Ryan acted as if we were taking a vacation.
He’d lost all touch with reality, but I kept my mouth shut. It seemed the most
logical way to keep from enticing his volatile rage upon me again.

I wallowed in thoughts of James and Ian, welcoming the
despair and self-pity to sink its claws deep. Convinced I’d never see them again—not
if Ryan had his way, a fact that seemed to be coming to fruition—agony consumed
me, the ache more debilitating than even
Dayne’s
death. Lost in a swirling cauldron of regret, I let the tears stream down my
cheeks as I wrapped my arms around my chest, holding on to the crushing pain.

Headlights from an oncoming car cresting a hill snagged my
attention. Moving at a fast rate of speed, it passed us in a white blur, but
not fast enough that I missed the cherries on top, or the insignia of a badge
on the driver’s side door.

Highway Patrol. But he’s going the wrong way. Fuck!

Darting a glance in the side mirror, I held my breath,
praying he’d turn around, but why would he? No one was going to save me… I
couldn’t even save myself.

Suddenly, bright red brake light illuminated the dark road
behind us. I could see smoke rolling from the back tires as the cop car swerved
wide and made a U-turn in the middle of the road. My heart fluttered and
skipped a beat. Hope annihilated my oily pessimism.

“Fuck me. No!” Ryan screamed. “This can’t be happening.
Goddamn it.”

Flashing red and blue strobes lit up the night, dancing off
the thick fields of corn in a fortuitous dance of salvation. The sound of the
wailing siren filled the Audi while Ryan cursed, frantically darting his gaze
from the road to the rearview mirror.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Ryan yelled as he stomped the gas pedal
to the floor.

The Audi lunged like a racehorse out of the gate, gaining a
tremendous amount of speed.

“What are you doing?” I screamed. “Stop. You have to pull
over.”

“The hell I do,” Ryan growled. “I’m not letting you go.
You’re mine. Now and forever.”

“I’m not a
thing
you can own, Ryan. I’m a human
being. I have the right to give my love to whomever I want to. Now pull over.
Stop the fucking car.”

It was as if he didn’t hear me. Either he was too lost in
his own demented mind, or intended to prove me wrong. I wasn’t sure which. The
only thing certain was that the Audi continued to gain speed. Gripping the
armrest with one hand, I dug my nails into the side of my seat, watching the
speedometer climb.

Eighty. Eighty-five. Ninety. Ninety-five. One hundred. Red
and blue flashing fields of corn whizzed past my window as I watched the police
car slowly fade behind us. Ryan didn’t relent. He kept the accelerator pegged
to the floor.

“Hold on, angel.” A voice that didn’t sound like Ryan echoed
in my ears.

“What did you say?”

“Huh?” Ryan asked, jerking his head my direction.

Snapping his attention back on the road, he issued a cry of
alarm and slammed his foot on the brake pedal. The car careened off the road.
Airborne, my stomach pitched and my heart sputtered. Holding on tight, I closed
my eyes. The sound of shrieking metal and breaking glass exploded all around
me. Pain stabbed my chest and hips with a savage bite as the seatbelt gnawed
into my body. Screaming in terror, my mind told me I was going to die. All I
could see behind my closed eyes was the image of Ian and James: smiling at me.

I’d never have the chance to feel the warmth of their
bodies, or the sweet caress of their touch. Never taste their moist breath as
they kissed my lips. Never wake nestled in their arms, so safe and protected.
Never have the chance to tell them that I’d fallen in love with them. I was
going to be ripped from their lives, just as
Dayne
had been ripped from mine.

“No,” I screamed.
 

My head slammed against something hard with a jarring thud,
then everything went black.

#

Surrounded in darkness, I couldn’t tell reality from dreams,
or dreams from reality. Sirens screamed through my head. Voices swarmed like
bees buzzing in my ears. Fear, like the icy hand of death gripped my heart,
then the blackness swallowed me up once more. Floating in the dark abyss, I
feared that I had died and that I was lost in the bowels of hell. No one came
to claim me. I was alone…totally, helplessly alone.

From out of the darkness I heard James and Ian calling my
name. Their voices were so far away, begging and pleading for me to wake up. I
tried to call out to them through the murky void, but the air in my lungs felt
thick and grainy, like wet sand.

Stumbling through the blackness, I ran toward the sound of
their voices, only to discover I was running through a vast wasteland of corn.
Fighting my way through the stalks, I then found myself clawing at rock and
clay, attempting to scale cold, rocky spires of white-capped mountains. And
still I couldn’t find Ian or James. The craggy peaks loomed over me,
transforming to gaping jaws of death with red, malevolent eyes.

Crying out, I lost my grip on the rocks and tumbled head
over heels into a bed of pansies next to my grandmother’s front door. I hadn’t
been to her house since she died when I was ten. James and Ian continued to
call out to me, but I couldn’t find them.

The rational, practical part of my brain told me I was
dreaming, but my desolate heart leapt in defense over my mind, forcing me to
continue my quest. I might have only known my two amazing
Doms
a short time, but they’d taught me more about life and love in those few short
days than I’d experienced in my entire life. Never being able to find them
again ripped at my soul. I loved, needed, and wanted them. Quitting wasn’t an
option.

Liz? Miss Johansson?
Someone called from behind me.
Spinning in the black mist, there wasn’t anyone there. Afraid that I had
stepped into the realm of insanity, like Ryan, I screamed and ran; ran toward
the sound of James and Ian once again, then tumbled off the edge of the world
into a dark and silent abyss.

The familiar scent of rubbing alcohol and ammonia filled my
senses. Confused, I told myself that I’d fallen asleep at the nurse’s station.
Mortified that someone would see me, I forced my eyes open. Pain like a
sledgehammer pounded my skull, and I quickly closed them again. Trying to piece
together the fragmented images fluttering out of reach, I squinted against the
intense bright light and spied a heart monitor, IV stand, and SAT monitor
looming next to me. I was in a hospital bed. But why? How? The level of pain
consuming me assured me that I was there as a patient and not a nurse, but I
couldn’t pluck a single memory from my brain. Whatever had happened, it had
been major, and that scared me even more.

With slow deliberation, I rolled my head away from the
machines. Sprawled out in uncomfortable-looking chairs next to my bed sat James
and Ian, fast asleep. My heart turned summersaults, and a thick ball of emotion
clogged my throat. The sight of them blurred from the tears that slid from my
eyes. A tiny sob of joy and relief rolled off my lips. I’d found them.

Simultaneously, they both jerked awake. Their eyes grew
wide, filled with a combination of fear and relief. Bolting from their chairs,
they hovered over me as I cried in joy.

“Aw, sweetheart,” James softly murmured. “Don’t cry. You’re
going to be all right.”

“We’re not leaving your side, little one,” Ian reassured me
as tears filled his eyes and his strong chin quivered.

“Hold me,” I whispered. Reaching out to them, my right shoulder
screamed in pain, and I quickly dropped my hand to the mattress. “Touch me.
Please, so I know I’m not dreaming.”

Tears glistened in Ian’s eyes as he sniffed and rounded the
bed. James eased onto the mattress next to me. I felt the heat of his body seconds
before he gently wrapped me in his strong, safe arms. Then Ian enveloped me,
too. I closed my eyes and breathed in their familiar, manly scents, absorbed
the warmth of their steely bodies, and sent up a prayer of thanks.

“We were so damn scared,” Ian confessed. His voice, thick
and tortured, vibrated over my skin as he buried his face against my neck.
“Don’t ever scare us like that again, little one.”

“I won’t,” I vowed, shaken by the torment in his voice.
“What happened? Where am I?”

In tandem they both lifted from me. Exchanging a look of
apprehension, James feathered a soft caress over my pounding head.

“You were in a car accident,” James replied.

“I was?” Fear that I couldn’t remember rose up inside me.

“It’s okay that you don’t remember right now. The doctor
warned us that might happen. It will come back to you. Don’t be afraid.” Ian
reassured. “You remember us. That’s all that matters for now.”

“I’ve been looking for you both, but I couldn’t find you.” I
murmured, fighting the pull of darkness that wanted to drag me away from them
once more.

“What’s the last thing you do remember, sweetheart?” James
asked.

I focused on his question as if it were a lifeline that
would hold me to the here and now.

“Cindy. She figured out I was involved with both of you. She
wanted details.”

“She’s a good friend, Liz. Because of Cindy, we found you,”
Ian enlightened me.
 

“How?”

“Drake called,” Ian continued. I closed my eyes and listened
to the beautiful sound of his sensual voice. “You left the ER for your dinner break,
but you didn’t come back. Cindy knew something was wrong. When she couldn’t
reach you on your cell phone or find your car in the parking garage she went up
to Trevor’s room. She hoped that you had met us for dinner and had lost track
of time.”

“That’s when Drake called, to see if you were with us. He
put Cindy on the phone and we explained how Ryan had walked in on us at your
house,” James expounded.

“Wait. We’re at Highland Park Hospital, right?” I asked.
Fragments of Ryan and a gas station flashed in my mind.

“No, baby,” James murmured. “You’re in Marshalltown, Iowa.
You were brought here by ambulance after the car crash, late last night.”

“Welcome To Grinnell,” I mumbled as the big brick sign
flashed behind my eyes.

“Yes, the accident happened not far from Grinnell,” Ian
confirmed.

“How did I get to Iowa? And what are you two doing here?”

“Mika flew us in on a private jet around three this
morning,” James replied, completely bypassing my first question.

“And me? How did I get from Chicago to Iowa? What’s wrong
with me? Why can’t I remember?” My voice rose with the panic spiking inside me.

“Relax, little one,” Ian ordered in a luscious command.
“You’ve suffered a bad concussion and a couple of strained ligaments in your
right shoulder. But you’re going to be just fine.”

“We’re going to take good care of you, my love,” James
assured.

“My what?” I whispered, blinking to make sure I wasn’t still
dreaming.

“My
love
,” James repeated. Bending, he feathered a
kiss over my lips.

“
Our
love,” Ian corrected. Quickly moving in, he
brushed a gentle caress over my lips as James pulled away.

They loved me.
A rush of emotions so poignant and
sweet rushed through me, saturating every cell in my body with elation. The
idea of falling in love with someone—with two
someones
—in
such a short amount of time seemed ludicrous, yet their declaration proved I
wasn’t the only one blinded by the connection we shared.

“Please. Tell me what happened. I need to know, need to
remember,” I begged.

“Are you sure you feel up to it?” James asked.

“Yes,” I said as I closed my eyes.

“After we explained to Cindy that you weren’t with us and
that we’d driven you to work, she contacted Security. They began looking at the
footage both in and out of the hospital.” James paused. Peeking up at him beneath
my lashes, I saw him struggling to fight back tears.

“We saw you leave with Ryan,” Ian announced, grimly.

Ryan. Yes. Oh god… Ryan
. Suddenly everything came
rushing back in a tidal wave of anger and fear.

“I remember now…remember everything. What happened to him?
Is he dead?”

“No, he’s in jail,” Ian confirmed. “James and I rushed to
the hospital after Cindy’s call. They showed us the video. We watched you walk
with him to his car, but we didn’t see a weapon. Everyone thought you went
voluntarily, but James and I knew you didn’t. Not after you promised us—”

“I did go with him voluntary,” I whispered as I opened my
eyes.

James reared back as if I’d slapped him. Ian cursed under
his breath. My heart throbbed in time with my head and the air-stealing weight
of guilt landed heavy on my chest.

“Ryan wanted to talk to me in private. He said he had
sandwiches and drinks and asked me to go with him to the park by the lake. But
instead, he drugged me and kidnapped me.”

Neither man said a word. Their searing anger and acrid
disappointment filled the air and swirled between us. James stood abruptly and
scrubbed a hand over his face. He paced back and forth as if trying to outrun
the landslide of emotions plowing through him. Ian’s mouth melded into a thin,
tight line before he lowered his head and stared at the IV lead protruding from
the back of my right hand.

“Please don’t be mad. I—I know I promised I wouldn’t talk to
Ryan alone, but when he showed up at the hospital, he was so apologetic…” My
voice cracked. Memories of the fear I’d felt waking up in Ryan’s car after
being drugged gripped me in a brutal chokehold. Tears slid from my eyes,
remembering the anguish I felt when I thought I’d never see James or Ian again.

“I didn’t have any reason not to trust him.”

“No reason?” James growled. “You’re here, lying in a goddamn
hospital bed. You could have fucking died because you didn’t think you needed,
or maybe didn’t
want
our protection. You chose not to honor our
request…our one request. Maybe our relationship isn’t as important to you as it
is to us. Hell, maybe you trust Ryan more than you do Ian and me.”

“No, that’s not true,” I gasped.

“Then tell me why, without so much as a second thought, you
yanked your promise and your submission back to go with
him
? That son
of a bitch almost killed you.” James’ words cut deep, like a cold and wicked
blade of ice.

“James,” Ian murmured.

“No. It wasn’t like
th
—”

“I’m not sure what hurts more, sitting here all night,
staring at your unresponsive body, praying that you’d open your pretty blue
eyes for us; open them for just one fucking second so we could tell you how
much we love you, or knowing you lied to me…to us. You never had any intention
of letting us protect you from your precious nut-job boyfriend, did you, Liz?”

“James,” Ian growled. “That’s enough.”

“I’d never choose Ryan over you, over either of you,” I
sobbed, gripping a hand to my head to keep my skull from splitting in two. “I
didn’t plan to go with him. It wasn’t premeditated the way you make it sound. I
fucked up. I swear. I just fucked up.”

“Fuck!” James hissed, scrubbing a hand over his face before
sucking in a deep breath. “I know. I know.”

Pacing, remorse lined his face before he stopped next to the
bed. “I’m sorry, Liz. I’m sorry. I had no right to unleash all that on you. Son
of a bitch.”

His eyes glistened in torment, then without another word
James turned and stormed out of the room. Helplessly hooked up to the machines,
I lay there while my heart shattered into a million pieces. My sobs echoed in
the room, increasing the stabbing pain in my brain, but I couldn’t stop,
couldn’t stem the heartbreak of James leaving me; abandoning me, just like all
the rest.